Minutes 11th February 2021
Minutes 11th February 2021
BASTON PARISH COUNCIL
Vice Chair: David Plant, Clerk: Wendy Gray email: wendy7wansford@gmail.com
Parish Council meeting held remotely on Thursday 11th February 2021 at 8 p.m.
"Members of the public may request to attend the meeting remotely"
In attendance: Cllrs D Plant, G Griffiths, J Kelly, D Morgan, D Moss, District Cllr K Cooke.
Public Forum
(Points may be raised on any agenda item below otherwise matters will be noted for the next Parish Council meeting or passed to the relevant authority)
1. Opening of Meeting – Vice Chairman Cllr Plant welcomed everyone to the meeting. Cllr Plant also advised that the Parish Clerk had received Cllr Hutchins resignation with immediate effect.
2. Apologies for Absence – Cllr Easey, Cllr Palmer, District Cllr R Trollope-bellew.
3. Declaration of Interest
(Cllrs are reminded of their obligation under the Code of Conduct to declare pecuniary interests) – None.
4. Co-option of Cllr(s). No new applicants.
5. To agree the Minutes of Meeting held on 10th December 2020. Sign off at next meeting.
6. Clerks Report on Matters Outstanding
Overgrown Vegetation Chariot Way – As resident has now moved – this has been referred back to LCC.
7. Planning
REFERENCE: PL/0133/20
DEVELOPMENT: TO VARY CONDITIONS 3, 27, 28 AND 29 OF PLANNING PERMISSION S13/2618/CM, TO ENABLE THE SITE TO BE RESTORED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A REVISED RESTORATION PLAN AND TO ALLOW AN EXTENSION OF TIME IN WHICH TO COMPLETE RESTORATION
LOCATION: FOX'S LAND, MANOR PIT QUARRY, BASTON OUTGANG ROAD, BASTON - This application, together with PL/0135/20, are the county copies of the two district applications received. These both deal with the restoration of the old gravel pits on Outgang Road.
8. Finance
Copy of updated Income and Expenditure circulated to Cllrs prior to meeting.
Authorisation of Payments - The Parish Clerk presented invoices for payment:
Parish Clerk Salary S/O £346.63
Parish Clerk Expenses £94.86
Community Cleaner (January) £69.76
Broxap (new bins) £1,844.40
Parish Clerk – to prepare month on month spreadsheet showing reduced balances.
9. Highways
Footpaths on the A15 (Langtoft through to Thurlby) – see Cllr Trollope-bellew report below.
10. Grasscutting – new agreement signed with LCC for 2021/2022.
Cllr Plant advised by Mr Hutchins that contractor who cuts the grass for the football club may be interested in quoting for cutting the grass in the village. Cllr Plant will contact contractor and report back to the Parish Council.
11. Baston Naturehood. Cllr Kelly reported nothing happening at the moment, grant available from SKDC has been stopped. Will arrange for Amanda Jenkins to join our meeting on 11th March via zoom.
12. Village Concerns.
Dog Fouling – hopefully now new bins installed will resolve issue. Cllr Moss asked where spikes were for new bins – as we paid extra for them feel should be installed to make bins more secure. Cllr Plant will speak with Mr Hutchins/Cllr Easey and arranged for spikes to be passed to Cllr Griffiths who has volunteered to install them in the new bins. Bins currently have very little waste in them at the moment – Cllr Plant will advise clerk when David needs to empty!
Fly tipping – dyke and along layby – Cllr Moss will forward photos to Parish Clerk who will contact the BIG CLEAN to see if this is something they can do.
13. Street Furniture
Noticeboards – Parish Council Noticeboard in process of being renovated.
14. Allotments – 1 full and 2 halves available. I person enquired about availability.
15. Correspondence.
Speed Cameras – LR Safety
Weight Limit – not got any further – PMK trucks, 3 gravel trucks – 7.5 ton limit
16. Reports from Outside Bodies
County Cllr, District Cllrs
Cllr Kelham Cooke – ward parishes update draft for February
So, January is finally over - it always seems to feel like the longest month – and Spring is on the horizon. Although it may be difficult to rustle up the usual hope and anticipation as a new year gets properly under way, there are glimmers of light illuminating the year ahead.
As you know, the Meres Leisure Centre in Grantham is hosting one of the country’s Covid-19 vaccination centres and already many of our most vulnerable residents have received their vaccination, with many more set to be inoculated over the coming weeks and months.
With mass vaccination being a key weapon in our fight against the virus, to see the amazing progress already being made is something that makes me feel immensely proud and hopeful, and I know every community in South Kesteven will continue to play its part in the effort to overcome the pandemic.
For now, a necessary part of that means living under lockdown for a little while longer, but at least we have the consolation of living in such a beautiful part of the country. Many of us have a renewed appreciation for the familiar surroundings that, when the pace of life is much faster, can easily be taken for granted.
In South Kesteven, we are blessed in having the best of both worlds – beautiful countryside, idyllic market towns, and vibrant local economies. I believe that once we return to our normal routines and pastimes, we will all carve out more time to explore the amazing places and spaces that our district has to offer.
Meetings
During the first lockdown SKDC significantly slimmed down the committee meetings schedule to enable us to focus on the Covid response. While we are not proposing to do so again in the current lockdown, we are going to have to ensure we prioritise resources on key issues.
We are, therefore, planning to concentrate staff time on activity and reports critical to council business, so please bear that in mind when contacting the Council.
Election vacancies
Would you like to help local democracy and earn a little extra money at the same time? Staff are needed to support the local elections due to take place on May 6. Whether it's working at a polling station or helping at the count, we're looking for enthusiastic, reliable staff to fill our vacancies. For more details go to http://bit.ly/ElectionjobsSK
Business grants
InvestSK, supported by our Finance and Business Rates team, has, since the start of pandemic, now administered Government grants totalling more than £34m. These grants have proved a lifeline for hundreds of businesses in South Kesteven, and ensuring they have gone to the right people has been one of the major challenges Covid-19 has presented.
Tipping point
Sadly, it is all too apparent that some people think it’s OK to just dump or leave their waste wherever they like, often leaving it to local authorities like ours to clean up after them.
While our Neighbourhoods team does a tremendous job in keeping SK looking its best, we can all pay a part by using our online Report It tool which provides an opportunity to report anything from fly-tipping to abandoned vehicles: http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=8953
You’ll see there are lots of other Report It sections on the page where users can pinpoint an issue on a map and, with an account, upload pictures. It’s there for us all to use and we can also let residents know there’s a useful online tool for reporting problems.
Panto sales
Our Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham and Stamford Arts Centre had a huge success with their online pantomime production, Sleeping Beauty. Produced by Polka Dot Pantomimes, this was a first for both centres as our Arts team ensured the magic of panto was still there, despite the loss of the live shows.
Almost 400 online links to a recorded performance were bought by schools and households, giving an estimated audience of around 1,000 and there was some tremendous feedback, with families particularly thrilled to be able to experience the annual festive tradition at home.
Keep an eye on the arts centre websites and social media pages for more events as part of their online programmes.
www.guildhallartscentre.com www.stamfordartscentre.com
Thank-you for your continuing support,
Kelham
Kelham.cooke@southkesteven.gov.uk
Cllr Trollope-Bellew Baston report – February 2021
Covid infection levels continue to fall in our county with a few small ups and downs in different district areas. The general trend is definitely in the right direction and our overall rate of 154 per 100,000 continues to be below the national average of 222 which is also falling, reflecting the position for the majority of the country.
The vaccination programme is gaining strength and our community testing finding those asymptomatic people who are unknowingly carrying the virus, the future looks a lot more positive.
In a drive to increase workplace testing, the government has announced that lateral flow testing will be offered to workplaces with more than 50 employees. This includes sectors that are critical to keeping the country running and where employees cannot work from home - for example food manufactures, transport networks and supermarkets. This is part of the government’s drive to normalise testing in the workplace across the public and private sector.
Latest figures from community testing at sites in Boston and Lincoln show 12,950 people have been tested, with 171 (1.32%) found to be positive.
The Woodhall Mortuary will be returning to 'standby' next week following its use over the last two months, and as death rates in the county start to decrease but will remain available if needed. May’s local elections in England are going ahead and Local councils will be given an extra money for plastic screens in polling stations and hand sanitiser in an effort to make the polling stations Covid safe. People who have been shielding are being encouraged to vote by post. During this severe winter weather, our highways team are keeping a close eye on forecasts and the gritting teams are out in force. Teams have been going out two sometimes three times during the night, spreading either dry salt or molasses which is used for severe weather only.
The planning application for gravel extraction at Greatford has gone out for a second consultation which closed at the end of January due to the concerns in regards to highways.
Mr & Mrs Jones have been sending photographs with evidence about vehicles blocking their drive on the layby, as yet I haven’t received any update but would like to thank them for providing evidence.
SKDC officers are looking into the report of litter in dyke along the A15, nothing to report. Some parishes organise a twice yearly litter pick when situations like this can be addressed, SKDC will provide equipment and remove waste.
Unfortunately along with the Showman's Guild we have had to cancel the mid-lent fairs at Stamford & Grantham again this year.
We have just appointed a new Director of Growth and Culture who will help drive the visitor economy forward at SK. We have a forum organised on the 18th which will spotlight the tourism and hospitality sector and welcome all businesses to attend. It is hoped that together we will be able to put SK on the map.
BPFMC Representative – No Report.
Neighbourhood Panel – No Report.
South Lincs Fenland Partnership Representative – no meetings for time being.
17. To agree items for the press release
Thank you to Alan Hutchins for his service on the Parish Council
Vacancy, Role of Cllr
Vacant Allotments
Traffic Calming
Yellow Lines outside the School
Date of next Remote Meeting
18. Any Other Business – items to be placed onto next meeting agenda 11th March 2021 commencing at 7.30 p.m.
Meeting closed at 9.15 pm.
Not yet available