2025 Rauceby PC Minutes of Meetings

DRAFT Minutes
Rauceby Parish Council
Minutes from the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 at 7.30 pm at The Village Hall, South Rauceby. 

Present:      Cllrs S Enstone (in the Chair), P Ireland (taking minutes), G Enstone, B Balderston, G Hall and M Ireland. 

Public speaking time:  No members of the public were present. 
1. Apologies for absence were given: Apologies were received from Cllrs. J Hoare, M Froggatt, J Malloch and District Cllr. J Clarke and the Clerk, Mr I Grady.
2. To receive any Declarations of Interest: None received. 
3. To decide on any items to be carried out in Closed Session: Clerk’s pay award. 
4. To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2025: Unanimously approved; the Chairman signed the minutes.
5. Reports from Visiting Representatives and Police Matters if any: Nothing to report. 
6. Planning Applications Received from NKDC (This may include plans received since the agenda was circulated):
i. 25/0544/FUL| Erection of 2 No. dwellings| Land to the rear of 57 Main Street South Rauceby Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 8QQ. Objections were raised by the Planning Sub-Committee of RPC who consequently did not support the application. (Submission to NKDC completed on 30/06/25.) 
Plans decided by NKDC since the last meeting
ii. 25/0849/TCA| Cherry - Remove. |Manor House, Main Street, North Rauceby, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 8QP. No Objections were raised at the regular meeting of Rauceby Parish Council. (Submission to NKDC completed on 20/07/25.) Decided by NKDC: TPO not served.
iii. 25/0640/HOUS| Erection of detached garage to front and erection of pergola to rear of the house| 28 Pinfold Lane, South Rauceby, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 8QE. No objections were raised by the Planning Sub-Committee of RPC. (Submission to NKDC completed on 25/06/25.) Decided by NKDC: Approved
iv. 25/0549/TCA| T1 & T2 - Yew trees - reduce both trees to about 1 metre high so they can grow into bushes. |The Old Vicarage, Main Street, North Rauceby, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 8QP. No Objections were raised at the regular meeting of Rauceby Parish Council. (Submission to NKDC completed on 22/05/25.) Decided by NKDC: TPO not served.
v. 25/0417/HOUS| Demolition of outbuilding and erection of single storey side extension| House, Ermine Street Farm, High Dike, Byard's Leap, Cranwell, Lincolnshire NG32 3RN. No Objections were raised at the regular meeting of Rauceby Parish Council. (Submission to NKDC completed on 22/05/25.) Decided by NKDC: Approved. 
7. Matters Arising and New Business: Notified to Clerk prior to meeting
i. Maintenance of Village entrance sheep signs 
It was agreed that stone work could wait another year. 
The paint contractor has agreed to commence his work shortly. 
ii. Speed Monitoring and Traffic Safety:
The purchase of the speed monitoring device has been made and the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) has advised on the best location for installation (on Rauceby Drove opposite the entrance to Pinfold Lane). 
Cllr S Enstone is to contact the residents adjacent the location to notify them of the installation.
Action (Sept 1): Cllr S Enstone
iii. Emergency plan for the Village
Cllr G Hall explained that he will convene a meeting shortly for the volunteers who have made themselves known. Progress is being made and a new poster advertising the Plan is to be made available. 
Action (Sept 2): Cllr G Hall.
iv. War Memorial condition 
A quote from specialist monument masons is needed to clean the Memorial. They have the required permissions to allow such work.
Action (Sept 3): Clerk
v. On-line banking arrangements with Lloyds
The clerk has tested the banking transfer mechanisms and they appear to work in a manner not quite expected. Instead of the bank contacting each signatory about each transaction (as was expected) the bank has allowed transfers on the basis of the clerk’s request alone. In order to preserve the integrity of the Council’s financial procedures it was proposed that the clerk notifies the signatories of each pending transaction and when at least three agreements to pay have been received, the clerk will go ahead with the transfer. This proposal was agreed by the meeting.
The clerk is to check whether the Council’s Financial Regulations allow this and if any modifications are required, he will make a proposal to adjust them. 
Action (Sept 4): Clerk
vi. Green Plaque Scheme
The clerk determined that the Green Plaque scheme in use elsewhere in the country has very similar criteria to the more well-known Blue Plaque scheme. The meeting decided that neither scheme was relevant to the Parish and would not be pursued. 
vii. Asset maintenance programme
The Chairman has updated the assets report. It was decided in the meeting that the bus shelter needs the most attention in the short term. All other items can wait until a more suitable time in the future. 
Action (Sept 5): obtain quote for repair of bus shelter roof: Cllr S Enstone
Cllr B Balderston reported that the wooden sculpture at the gates of the lodge had fungus growing from it. No action is required at this stage.
Cllr M Ireland reported that someone had complained about the state of the entrance gates at the entrance to South Rauceby. No action is required at this stage. 
viii. Tree management policy
A draft tree management policy has been drawn up by the Chairman. It is still to be finalised.
Action (Sept 6): Cllr S Enstone
ix. Anti-litter poster campaign 
A Parishioner suggested that the Council operate an anti-litter poster campaign. After discussion it was concluded that even though the idea had merits it would probably have no impact. No further action is to be taken. 
x. Village litter pick
A reminder that this will take place on Saturday 4 October starting at 11h00 until 12.30h. Volunteers should meet at the Village Hall where equipment and safety clothing will be provided.
xi. Remembrance Day Wreath
It was agreed to purchase a wreath to commemorate Remembrance Day.
Action (Sept 7): Clerk
xii. Parish Email Address
There is push from LCC about the Parish adopting a GOV.UK style email address. There will be some financial and administrative implications although the email address assigned to the clerk would be at no cost. It was considered that until the splitting of the Lincolnshire political areas is complete (when a different rule-set may result) we should not change our email address. 
xiii. Dates of meetings for 2026
Dates for 2026 Parish Council Meetings were agreed as follows
19h30 Wednesday, 21 January 2026
19h30 Wednesday, 18 March 2026
19h00 Wednesday, 20 May 2026 (including Open Meeting)
19h30 Wednesday, 15 July 2026
19h30 Wednesday, 16 September 2026
19h30 Wednesday, 18 November 2026
xiv. New Dog Bin
The new dog waste bin has been installed on The Drove, opposite the school. The clerk has been asked to notify NKDC so that they can carry out its emptying on a regular basis.
Action (Sept 8): Clerk

8. Update on Outstanding Matters
i. Actions from the last meeting: 

9. Financial Matters: 
i. The financial report was approved and signed off by the Chairman.
ii. This month’s payments were approved:
* Lloyds Bank fees: £4.25
* Rauceby Village Hall (Hire for meetings): £19.00
* I Grady (fees): GDPR
* I Grady (expenses: Bin bag holders, litter picking sticks, litter picking safety signs)) £194.62
* Glasdon UK Ltd (Dog waste bin): 218.25
* ElanCity Ltd (Speed monitor): £2867.99. Clerk accidentally overpaid by £2. This was subsequently reimbursed by ElanCity.
iii. The accumulated Parish Council fund (comprising Current and Savings accounts) stands at £20,884.49 at 18 August 2025.
iv. The Savings Account stands at £10,000 at 18 August 2025 which was invested with Lloyds Bank for a year at a rate of 2.34% (Interest will be added at the end of the savings period).
v. Discussed in Closed Session: In accordance with national practise it was agreed to increase the clerk’s salary to SCP 18 as per 2025 rates backdated to April 2025.
10. Any other business: Any matters which have arisen after the agenda was published. 
i. A report was made of a shell of a car being in the garden of one of the properties on St Peters Row. This is not a PC matter but Cllr A Hagues is to be informed. 
Action (Sept 9): Chairman
ii. Another car without tax or MOT was also seen on St Peter’s Row. It was reported to the police and the car has subsequently been removed.
11. Date of Next Meeting: The next regular meeting will be on Wednesday, 19 November 2025 at the Rauceby Village Hall starting at 19h30.
12. The meeting closed at 8.15pm

Matters which have been raised in previous meetings and which may be considered further at a future date:
* S Rauceby Well refurbishment: deferred until more appropriate.
* Watching brief on requirement for EV charging points for the public and for residents who do not have off-road parking facilities (from March 2024).
* Council’s new duty to prevent sexual harassment: when more information becomes available about how compliance is to be managed the Clerk will prepare a policy document for adoption by the PC (from March 2024). 
* The Council shall keep a watching brief on the progress of the Rauceby Foundation re-wilding project at the plot of land on Main Street ear-marked for a public leisure area (from May 2024).