March 2023 Minutes
OSBOURNBY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 1st MARCH 2023 IN THE VILLAGE HALL
Public Forum: One member of the public was present
No declarations of interest
82. Apologies: Cllr Baldwin
83. In Attendance: Cllrs Jackson (Chair), Baker, North, Bides, McClurg, Wright. County Councillor Hagues, Mrs King (Clerk)
84. Notes of the previous meeting, held on 11th January 2023, already circulated, were approved. Proposed: Cllr Wright, Seconded: Cllr North.
85. Chairman/District Council Report: Cllr Jackson had circulated a report to members, this report is attached.
Following the death of Lol Camm, Cllr Jackson had sent flowers to Barbara Camm from the Parish Council. Lol Camm had been a councillor for many years before resigning in November 2021. His funeral will be held on Wednesday 8th March.
Cllr Jackson also reported that the residents of No. 3 North Street had requested that a tree outside their property be trimmed. When this tree was looked at by an arborist it was decided nothing needed to be done, however it was then decided to cut the tree down. In the meantime the residents had pruned the tree and it was agreed that this was sufficient and the tree will be left. Cllr Jackson also reported that a cover is missing from an electricity power line and he will report it to Western Power.
86. Clerk’s Report: Mrs King reported that Pete Langford looks after our Parish Council website. Last year we paid for 10 hours at £150. We have some hours remaining for this year which can be carried over. However Mrs King felt that a total of 5 hours per year would be sufficient, and this cost would be £85 for 5 hours. It is hoped that some photos of old Osbournby and some up to date photos can be put onto the website.
Cllr North asked if the Christmas flowers from the Cemetery could now be removed and this was agreed.
The Parish Council had written to our MP Caroline Johnson regarding the decision to cut the number of Police Community Support Officers by 45%. A reply has been received and she advised that she is having meetings regarding this and she will continue to follow the matter closely.
Bank balances: Parish Council Account: £3,463.21. Cemetery Account: £36,575.19 Due to the rise in interest rates, the interest on the cemetery account has increased from 34p in April 2022 to £18.63 in February this year. Mrs King asked the meeting that as costs have increased, i.e. grass cutting in particular, and the precept remaining as before would it be possible to use the interest from the cemetery account could be incorporated into the Parish Council account. This is likely to amount to £70 this year. After discussion it was agreed that this could happen this year and will be reviewed next year. Proposed Cllr Baker, Seconded Cllr Bide. Mrs King reported that she has submitted the precept application form for £5,300, £750 to be repaid from cemetery account for grass cutting and approx. £250 VAT refund.
Payments made by BACS since last meeting:
• Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils £153.17
• Osbournby Village Hall: £36.00
• LIVES donation: £80.00
• Russell Jackson : £20.00 (flowers for Mrs Camm)
87. County Council Report: Cllr Hagues said that LCC had agreed for increase of Council Tax of 4.99%. He also advised that LCC are putting in electric charging stations around the county, piloting in Lincoln, Horncastle, Skegness, Boston and Stamford.
88. Land on The Drove: Mrs King reported that work has now started in clearing the land.
89. Update from Aswarby Estate: Mark Jones had advised Mrs King that he has had several conversations with the developer for The Drove and he believes that they may be reverting to the original plans. Mr Jones advised that he will now write to the school raising the Education contribution with them again. This will also release funds for the play area.
90. Grass Cutting: The “tidy up” of the churchyard and cemetery will take place before grass cutting. Mrs King advised that she has heard from LCC, the sum we will be getting towards grass cutting is £663.57 next year. This year was £609.70. It was also agreed that a letter be sent to Alan & Dennise Drury to thank them for cutting the grass for many years.
91. Local Elections: Mrs King reported that she went to a briefing on Monday night at NKDC regarding the paperwork for the election. Mrs King had collected all the paperwork and handed it out to all councillors. It is the responsibility of the councillor to take their completed papers into NKDC and have them checked, however as previously, Mrs King would, if they are all completed, take them in altogether. They must be delivered between 16th March and 4th April. Mrs King hopes to make an appointment for Tuesday 28th March for all completed forms to be taken to the Council offices. Mrs King advised that she will be at the coffee morning next Wednesday 8th March, between 10 and 11.00 if any of the councillors would like assistance with completing the forms.
It is unlikely that councillors will need to make an expenses claim but they MUST submit a claim with a NIL response. Must be completed after the election and before Friday 2nd June. Mrs King will remind councillors at the May meeting.
92. Community speed Watch: Cllr McClurg advised that she would be willing to take on the role of co-ordinator of the Community Speed Watch. She will liaise with Cllr Jackson regarding the way forward to get more volunteers etc.
93. Path leading to churchyard steps. A hole is appearing in the tarmac caused by a tree in the nursery. This footpath is outside the churchyard so will be the responsibility of LCC so Mrs King will report it on Fix my Street. Cllr Hagues will be copied in on this.
94. Planning Matters: No planning applications have been received.
95. Correspondence: No correspondence received which had not already been dealt with.
96. Donations: A request has been made by CAB for a donation towards their work. Last year £80 was donated. It was agreed that £80 will be donated this year. Proposed Cllr North, Seconded Cllr Baker.
97. Dates of meeting for the coming year are: 17th May, 5th July, 6th September and 1st November.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 7.50.
Elections Act 2022 – Voter (photo) identification– legislation laid
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has now laid legislation on voter registration and the requirement for voters to bring accepted photographic ID to vote. This will apply at the District and Parish Council elections on 4 May 2023.
For voters who do not have an acceptable form of photographic ID to vote in person at the polling station, they can apply for free voter ID. This is called a Voter Authority Certificate and will use personal identifiers, their full name, National Insurance number and date of birth.
There will be national and local awareness-raising campaigns about this change to the voting system. We will continue to share more information with you over the coming months.
Tree planting opportunities
Financing your community wood - Woodland Trust – this is a guide to funding community woodlands.
Free Trees for Schools and Communities - Woodland Trust – this is a link to the application for free trees for schools and communities. The current round of funding closes on 11th January, for trees being released for planting in March.
England Woodland Creation Offer - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) – this is a woodland creation scheme that may be of interest to local councils and local land owners, possibly with larger land holdings.
Trees for Landowners and Farmers - Woodland Trust – this is mostly of use to farm holdings, however it could still be useful to given the links that you might have with local councils.
Solar panels installation
NKDC has obtained approval to commence the installation of up to 195 solar panels on the roof of the Council offices.
Planning ahead for Coronation
NKDC has a central role to play in helping communities in their preparations – through its licensing, environmental health, food hygiene, waste and street scene functions for instance, and The Chairman of the Council would welcome the opportunity to attend and support events. Call on 01529 308220 or email corporateandcivicsupport@n-kesteven.gov.uk with any invitations.
Village halls funding
The government has announced that the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund had opened for applications.
The fund is managed by the charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and village halls in England can now apply for grants to improve and modernise their facilities.
Village halls interested in applying can request grants from £7,500 to £75,000, and up to a maximum of 20 per cent of eligible project costs. Capital grants will be allocated to support infrastructure improvements, the refurbishment of facilities, such as kitchens and toilets, and measures to improve energy efficiency.
Please note that to be eligible the village hall must serve a community with a population below 10,000 people and must be registered as a charity with community management.
The application window closed on 20 January 2023, but the fund will re-open for Stage 1 applications in mid-February 2023 with successful applicants being able to draw on the funding from April 2023.
More information, including how to apply for the fund, can be found linked below. Councillors are encouraged to share this information as appropriate.
Announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/village-halls-to-see-major-revamp-as-platinum-jubilee-fund-opens
https://acre.org.uk/platinum-jubilee-village-halls-fund/
New energy payments for low-income households
Households with low incomes will receive £900 in the spring, which will be paid directly to bank accounts in three payments, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced.
There will also be a separate £150 payment for people with disabilities and £300 for pensioners to supplement their Winter Fuel Payments.
More details available HERE.
HAY Lincolnshire website
The new HAY Lincolnshire website launched on Monday and it lists activities and support that help boost wellbeing and mental health that are available across Lincolnshire.
Please do share the site link with anyone you feel would find it useful www.haylincolnshire.co.uk
District and local council (Parish and Town) candidate, agent and clerk briefings
A series of briefings for the upcoming elections are being offered for any potential candidates, agents and clerks. These briefing dates can be shared with others. The information is on the website and also being shared with local council clerks.
District council candidate/agent briefings
The Returning Officer is running two briefings sessions for candidates and election agents - one physical and an online event via MS Teams.
7 March 12pm-1pm - To confirm attendance please email Stuart Butler on sbutler@electoralcommission.org.uk.
Thursday 9 March, 6:30pm: Civic Suite, NKDC Offices, Sleaford, NG34 7EF
Tuesday 14 March, 6:30pm: Online via MS Teams
Parish/town council
To support those standing for parish/town council elections or any clerk who is interested in learning more, the following briefings will take place:
Wednesday 22 February, 6:30pm: North Hykeham Town Council offices, North Hykeham, LN6 8UZ
Thursday 23 February, 6:30pm: Online via MS Teams
Monday 27 February, 6:30pm: North Kesteven District Council Offices, Sleaford, NG34 7EF
For either type of briefing, please book attendance in advance following the instructions below:
You can register your attendance now by emailing nk-corporateandcivicsupportteam@n-kesteven.gov.uk
In the subject line please include: Election Briefing and Date
Within the body of the email, please state how many people are expected to attend and provide contact details for each – name, telephone number and email.
Alternatively you can telephone 01529 308208 or 308209
Don’t forget that there are some District Ward boundary changes taking effect at the May Elections and you can refer to the table for details HERE.
Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Partnership updates
The Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Partnership is pleased to announce the launch of their refreshed domestic abuse website: www.domesticabuselincolnshire.com
The website is aimed at adults, children and young people who are either being abused or are using abusive behaviour, to offer words of support and advice and signpost them to services locally and nationally.
They asked for feedback from survivors in refuges across Lincolnshire which helped ensure the right information is available to those who experience abuse.
Volunteers are also sought by Lincolnshire Police to join VAWG Voices.
If you are interested in applying, or would like to find out more, please email: Patrick.coates@lincs.police.uk
Review changes – changes to wards
Just a reminder that the District Council was subject to a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) which comes into effect at next year’s elections.
The overall number of district councillors will remain at 43 but the number of District wards is reduced to 24. This will result in changes to 18 current District ward boundaries and therefore your parish may now fall within a different District ward. There are some consequential changes to North Hykeham and Sleaford parish wards. A list of the new District Wards with effect from 4 May 2023 can be found below. For further details visit North Kesteven | LGBCE Site