January 2022 Minutes
MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
FALDINGWORTH PARISH COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY 19 JANUARY 2022
MEMORIAL HALL FALDINGWORTH
PRESENT D Waine (Chair), D Dickinson, W Green,
S Harkins, P Gregson, A Lillywhite, M Thompson
OFFICER A Hopkins - Parish Clerk
PUBLIC There was 1 member of the public present
21/01-1 APOLOGIES AND REASONS FOR ABSENCE
LCC and WLDC Cllrs England, Grimble and Rawlins
21/01-2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were none.
21/01-3 PUBLIC FORUM
It was resolved to suspend standing orders to allow members of the public to speak.
A member of the public raised the idea of having a metal silhouette soldier war memorial erected in the village with a garden around, a suggestion for the location was made and the estimated cost was £135. Councillors had been sent details of the proposal.
21/01-4 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES
The minutes of the following meeting, as amended at the meeting, was resolved as a true and correct record of that which took place.
Council Meeting 17 November 2021
These were proposed by Cllr Green and seconded by Cllr Waine, all in favour.
21/01-5 Updates from Police
No updates had been received. The Clerk was asked to contact PCSO Angie Law to express concern over no updates being sent.
21/01-6 Updates from County and District Councillors
Apologies had been received, Cllr Thompson updated that works were scheduled to resolve the flooding issues by 31st January 2022 and that LCC were also looking at white lining the A46.
21/01-7 Resident Issues
The request for a war memorial in the Village by a resident was discussed. The position of a memorial was considered, this could possibly be at the entrance to the Village or in an area identified outside the school.
Thought would need to be given to maintenance and it was clarified that Section 137 money would need to be used.
The Council was supportive in principal, and the Clerk was asked to identify ownership of the land discussed and the matter would be considered again at the next meeting.
21/01-8 FINANCIAL MATTERS
The following items were resolved for payment as proposed by Cllr Green and seconded by Cllr Lillywhite, all in favour.
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2021/2022 |
January |
Faldingworth Payments |
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Expenditure |
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Cheque |
Reference |
Description |
Total |
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SALARY |
Clerk Salary Dec & Jan 12 hrs x 2 months |
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ALLOWANCE |
Clerk Home-working Allowance Dec & Jan |
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MILEAGE |
Clerk Jan Meetings 4/1 & 19/1 56 miles |
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101168 |
POSTAGE |
Clerk Jan Meeting 7 stamps x1 meeting |
353.58 |
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101169 |
INV 01498 |
Glendale Hedgecuting Dec |
219.10 |
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DD |
ICO |
Data Protection Registration |
40.00 |
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DD |
BANK CHARGE |
HSBC Charges |
13.00 |
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Total |
625.68 |
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The banking reconciliation as presented by the Clerk to the end of December 2021 was resolved as correct as proposed by Cllr Green and seconded by Cllr Thompson, all in favour.
Despite assurances from the Co-operative Bank that the Council was eligible for their Community Account, the application had not been accepted. It had been stated that parish councils do not now meet the criteria. Other options would be looked at, but free banking would be hard to source.
The draft budget 2022/23 was discussed by the Council. Changes had been made to increase the grant money available as well as allocating additional money for play area maintenance, grass cutting and an election reserve. It was agreed that a budget line of £250 for banking charges be included. The budget would result in a 0% precept increase according to information supplied by WLDC.
The Council resolved as proposed by Cllr Green and seconded by Cllr Gregson, and all in favour to approve the presented budget with the Bank Charges line amendment.
The Council resolved as proposed by Cllr Green and seconded by Cllr Gregson, and all in favour that a precept of £9696.56 be requested from WLDC.
The Clerk raised the appointment of an Internal Auditor for the coming year. This should be considered at regular intervals and should be undertaken by a competent person. The Clerk was asked to come back to the next meeting with details.
21/01-9 DRAFT COMMUNICATION POLICY
The Clerk presented a revised Communication Policy that sets out the Council’s approach to engagement, including email, website, and social media.
Councillors were encouraged to use the community Facebook page to promote good news stories about the Council.
It was resolved to adopt the Communication Policy as proposed by Cllr Green and seconded by Cllr Thompson, all in favour.
21/01-10 DRAFT GDPR POLICY
The Clerk had circulated a new GDPR Policy. This had been created to comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which came into force in May 2018.
It was resolved to adopt the GDPR Policy as proposed by Cllr Thompson and seconded by Cllr Green, all in favour.
21/01-11 Annual VILLAGE Inspections
Councillors had completed a Village inspection on 4th January 2022.
It was resolved to remove the bench at Buslingthorpe Road as it was unsafe, following a period of notice to the public.
Generally, the play equipment needed cleaning and it was agreed that the Councillors would form a working party in the spring.
21/01-12 DOG FOULING ISSUE ON PLAYING FIELD
The problem of dogs on the playing field was discussed.
Residents had raised the issue of dog fouling, dogs not on leads, and some didn’t want dogs on the field at all. It was pointed out that it is used a lot by dog owners, and they should be responsible.
It was resolved that Cllrs Gregson and Thompson visit the field and look at the option of fencing off a suitable area for dogs and the Clerk would engage with WLDC for advice. This would then be discussed at the next meeting for a decision, including the option of leaving the field as it is.
21/01-13 PLANNING MATTERS
There were no new applications, but it was noted that application 143873, Alde Felde Farm, had been refused permission.
The Forestry Commission had been replied to about concerns following the information sent about Busslingthorpe Wood.
21/01-14 Correspondence & Updates on previous actions
The Clerk reported that the request for additional street lighting near the school would not progress.
Grass cutting quotes were being sought for the coming year.
The pothole at the entrance to Stocks Lane had been reported.
LCC were due to deliver gritting salt this week to the Village Hall.
The Clerk had liaised with the school over the leaves on the footpath who would refer to their maintenance team.
A query from a resident over potential planning applications on a piece of land had been dealt with.
21/01-15 Any urgent items for discussion
Cllr Green raised a query about the Queens Platinum Jubilee. She had been asked if the Council was applying for the Grant from WLDC. It was confirmed that the Council was not arranging this but would welcome supporting whoever was organising. It was thought that the Village Hall Committee would now take the lead.
Cllr Thompson raised issues with the Village Hall drains,an overgrowing tree above the shed and the general need for some maintenance. Responsibility was unclear between the Village Hall Committee and the Council, and this needed to be investigated.
A streetlight was missing following an accident and this was reported online by Cllr Thompson.
Next Meeting Wednesday 16th March 2022