2023 Rauceby PC Minutes of Meetings

Minutes
Rauceby Parish Council
email: raucebypc@gmail.com, website: https://rauceby.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk
Minutes from the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday, 15 November 2023 at 7.30 pm at the Village Hall, South Rauceby. 

Present:      Cllr M Ireland (in the Chair), Cllrs J Malloch, G Hall, G Enstone, S Enstone, P Ireland, and M Froggatt; Cllr R Wright of LCC and Cllrs J Clarke and A Hagues of NKDC and the Clerk, Mr I Grady. 

Public speaking time: There were no members of the public present. 
1. Apologies for absence: Apologies were received from Cllrs. B Balderston and J Hoare.
2. To receive any Declarations of Interest: None were received.
3. To decide on any items to be carried out in Closed Session: None required. 
4. To approve as a correct record the notes of the meeting held on 20 September 2023: Unanimously approved; the Chairman signed the minutes. 
5. Rauceby Gigabit Project: An update was given by Cllr S Enstone. Progress is being made in installing the street fibre cable network. Civil work should be completed by Christmas and cabling by January 2024. It is expected that the village should be online in early 2024. An extension to the validity of the vouchers has been given to the end of April.
6. Reports from Visiting Representatives and Police Matters if any: 
LCC   Cllr Wright confirmed that the County Council has been involved in mitigating flooding effects in Lincolnshire over the past few weeks caused by the abnormal rain conditions experienced recently. He explained that if there were any Members of the Public who had been adversely affected by flooding, he would appreciate being notified on his LCC email: CllrR.Wright@lincolnshire.gov.uk. He will then be able to build a better picture of the extent of damage in the county. 
NKDC   Cllrs Hagues and Clarke both notified the Council of several instances of flooding in Cranwell Village. 
Police   Nothing to report. 
7. Planning Applications Received from NKDC (This may include plans received since the agenda was circulated):
i. (Application received after Agenda published) 23/1325/LBC | Conversion of existing barn to form 1no. dwelling and erection of a detached outbuilding | Stone Barn Dovecote Rise South Rauceby Sleaford NG34 8WZ. No Objections by full membership of Rauceby Parish Council. (Submission to NKDC complete 16/11/23.)
ii. (Application received after Agenda published) 23/1324/FUL | Conversion of existing barn to form 1no. dwelling and erection of a detached outbuilding | Stone Barn Dovecote Rise South Rauceby Sleaford NG34 8WZ. No Objections by full membership of Rauceby Parish Council. (Submission to NKDC complete 16/11/23.)
iii. 23/1301/HOUS | Erection of single storey rear extension and hipped roof to garage | 17 Southgate Spinneys South Rauceby Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 8QF. No Objections by full membership of Rauceby Parish Council. (Submission to NKDC complete 16/11/23.)
iv. 23/1289/TPO | Coppice 6 x sycamore trees and 1 x elm with hawthorn hedge | Rauceby Hall Park Pinfold Lane South Rauceby Sleaford NG34 8QE. (Application withdrawn   no consideration required.) 
Plans decided by NKDC since the last meeting
v. 23/1149/TCA | T1 Conifer - Take back to the boundary T2 Conifer - Remove T3 Sycamore - Crown raise to around 5.2m (give sufficient clearance to the road) | 2 Church Lane North Rauceby Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 8QS. Decided by NKDC, TPO not served.
vi. 23/1130/TCA | T1 - Conifer, remove tree. T2 - Silver Birch - Crown, reduce height by 2 meters in height and 1 meter in spread. T3 - Beech, Crown lift up to 1.5 meters. Crown reduce canopy by up to 2 meters. | 5 Thorpe Drove South Rauceby Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 8QH. (Submission to NKDC complete 01/10/23) Decided by NKDC, TPO not served.
vii. 23/1027/TCA | Laburnum - Fell | 54 Main Street South Rauceby Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 8QQ. (Submission to NKDC complete 21/09/23) Decided by NKDC, TPO not served.)
8. Matters Arising and New Business Notified to Clerk prior to meeting
i. 2024 Meeting Schedule. It was agreed that the Parish Council meeting schedule for 2024 will be as follows:
19h30 Wednesday, 17 January 2024 
19h30 Wednesday, 20 March 2024
19h00 Wednesday, 15 May 2024 (including Open Meeting)
19h30 Wednesday, 3 July 2024
19h30 Wednesday, 18 September 2024
19h30 Wednesday, 20 November 2024
ii. Lincs Police Engagement event for December 2023. The Chairman will be attending this event.
iii. Safety Audit follow-up. The items actioned for follow up have been addressed: 
a. The quote to repair the bench on Cliffe View (#3 on list circulated to councillors) was considered too expensive and it was decided to investigate the purchase of a new bench constructed from recycled materials.
b. The ivy at the bus shelter on Cliffe View has been removed (#5).
c. The brambles have been cut back from the Bees bench (#9).
Action Nov (1): Chairman and Clerk to investigate purchase and installation of new bench.
iv. Village Litter Pick. This was successfully carried out on Saturday 7th October. It was a good community event, with coffee and cakes at the end. It was agreed to continue such litter picks twice per year. The next event has been proposed for Saturday 6 April 2024 and another will take place in October 2024 at a date to be finalised. 
A request was made to budget for some hoops to enable the plastic waste collection bags to be held open in windy weather. This was agreed. 
Action Nov (2): Clerk to make this budget provision, next year.
v. King Charles Coronation bench. Some structural damage has been reported. Cllr Hoare investigated and a summary of his report follows:
The bench has some surface checking on the arms. I do not feel that this has affected its integral structural stability. Timber is hygroscopic by nature; it takes up and releases moisture causing it to expand and contract. This process highlights any minor defects in the timber. Often during the expansion and contraction the timber may not return to its original condition. We have had some extreme weather conditions during this past summer and I believe this to be the cause. I would recommend that the surface checking be filled with a wax filler stick. This is something that I can do and there would be no cost to the parish council. 
Action Nov (3): Cllr J Hoare 
vi. Village Sheep Signs. Adverse weather is hampering the progress of this work. Cllr Malloch will continue with its maintenance as and when he is able. 
Action Nov (4): Cllr J Malloch 
vii. Highways Survey. No councillors carried out this survey   as previously indicated the survey was highly convoluted and repetitious. 
viii. NKDC Engagement event. No councillors attended this event. 
ix. Telephone kiosk condition. It was agreed to try and obtain paint from the Heartbeat Foundation (they have previously indicated that they can supply) and call for quotes from local tradesmen to clean up and repaint the kiosk so that it is no longer an eyesore.
Action Nov (5): Clerk to contact Heartbeat Foundation and search for tradesmen s quotes. 
x. Request by NKDC to review Polling Place locations. After a short discussion it was concluded that the Village Hall met the requirements of a polling place adequately and that there was no problem in continuing to use it. The review, as presented by NKDC, indicated that there is no intention to change the location. It was agreed that the NKDC review be publicised locally and that it would be for individuals to make comments, not the Parish Council. The notice explaining the review has already been posted on our noticeboards and the website.
9. Update on Outstanding Matters 
i. Actions from previous meetings: 

(*) Further information regarding progress of the above action items
Sept (8): The Heartbeat Foundation has not responded to our contact. It was established in the September meeting that the kiosk is a Grade II listed structure and cannot be removed easily. This action is superseded by Item 8(ix) above.
Sept (11): The repair process appears to have commenced as Highways Dept have marked areas of the road for attention.
10. Financial report
i. The financial report was approved and signed off by the Chairman.
The Current account stands at  18553.77 as of 3 October 2023.
ii. This month s payments were approved:
* HMRC: PAYE
* I Grady: fees (2 months) and expenses (stamps and wreath)
* J Earle: grass cutting and leaf clearing costs
* S Clegg: payroll administration fee
* Donation to Citizens Advice Mid Lincolnshire ( 100)
* Village Hall rent
iii. It was agreed to add another category to this year s budget: Chairman s Allowance, set at  150 to accommodate the allocation of gifts already presented. Other categories can be adjusted so that the overall budget amount does not change.
Action Nov (6): Clerk
iv. A savings account has been opened at Lloyds Bank to make some of our accumulated funds more effectively managed. A deposit of  10,000 was made which will attract a fixed interest rate of about 5.08% for 15 months (the interest rate will be confirmed within a few days). The savings account cannot be accessed until late February 2025 so the remaining balance of about  8500 will be our only liquid asset until then. Our foreseen budgeted expenses are substantially less than this.
11. Any Other Business:  Any matters which have arisen after the agenda was published. 
i. The Chairman met with Mr D Spurrier of the Rauceby Foundation on the site of the proposed car park at the village school. It was evident that the site would not be appropriate as it was wet, sloping and not conducive for the siting of a car park with further constraints of limited access. Mr Spurrier is to consider an alternative option. 
ii. Mr Spurrier also wrote to the Chaiman regarding the school car park stating that Rauceby Parish Council was in partnership with the Rauceby Foundation and the school regarding the project. This is not the case; the Council is not in partnership with the Trust as it could lead to a conflict of interest should any items such as planning applications come before the council. It was agreed that the Chairman will write to Mr Spurrier ensuring he understands our situation. 
Action Nov (7): Chairman
iii. 2022/23 LGS Pay Agreement 2023. The Local Government Services Agreement for 2022/23 has been published. The Clerk left the meeting room whilst this was discussed. It was agreed to uplift the Clerks salary to Spine Point 16 (from 15) and apply the agreed annual increase as agreed by SLCC and ALCC with effect from April 2023. The Clerk thanks the council. 
Action Nov (8): Clerk
iv. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue CRMP Stage 3. A document from LFR has been circulated describing progress made on the Community Risk Management Plan. LFR has asked for feedback on the content of the Plan as it currently stands. The Parish Council considered that this would be best handled on an individual basis and all members were asked to respond to the survey as they thought necessary.
Action Nov (9): All Councillors
v. St Barnabas Hospice. Cllr J Malloch asked that Clerk respond to the letter from St Barnabas Hospice Charity circulated to members after the last meeting.
Action Nov (10): Clerk
12. Date of Next Meeting: The meeting closed at 20h45. The next regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, 17 January 2024 at the Rauceby Village Hall starting at 19h30.

Matters which have been raised in meetings and which may be considered further at a future date:
* South Rauceby Well refurbishment: deferred until more appropriate.
* Rewilding of Rauceby Drove verge: deferred until results of pilot study on the land by Main Street have been evaluated.