2022 Parish Council Meeting Agendas

FULBECK PARISH COUNCIL

Dear Councillor,

You are hereby summoned to attend the Parish Council meeting of Fulbeck Parish Council which will be held on Wednesday, 5th January, 2022 at 7.30 p.m. In the Village Hall.

There will be a 15 minute public forum between 7.30 and 7.45 when members of the public may ask questions or make short statements to the Council, and your attendance is also requested during this period.

Temporary Clerk to the Council, 27th December 2021

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

1.   Chairperson's welcoming remarks.

2.   Apologies for absence and acceptance of any reasons given.

3.   To receive any declarations of interest in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 and to consider any requests for dispensations.

4.   Notes of the last meeting held on Monday, 1st November, 2021 and the Extraordinary meeting held on Monday, 6th December, 2021 to be approved as the minutes.  (Webmaster's Note: Documents linked).

5.   Clerk's report on matters outstanding.

6.   Financial matters:

a.   Financial report.

b.   To resolve that the precept be set at £8774.

c.   To resolve that payment be made to the people shown on the attached list.

7.   Planning Matters:

Planning Applications Received.

Planning Applications Determined.

8.   Highway Matters.

a.   Request for the Parish Council to consider the LCC speed limit policy (20mph for country lanes and villages).  Paper outlining the options discussed attached.

b.   To discuss placing new HGV signs and moving the 30 mph sign on Pottergate Road.  (Brought forward from the November meeting).

c.   To ascertain if it is possible for the Lincolnshire Highways to place a sign advising that there are deer about on the A17 in the area of Fane's Gorse.

9.   Correspondence.

10.   To discuss Gigabit Voucher Scheme for residents of Fulbeck.

11.   To receive a report on the repairing of the war memorial site.

12.   To receive a report from Cllr Hodcroft on her attendance at the Citizens Advice Consultation.  (See below)

13.   To consider a request from a parishioner about placing a wooden box for aluminium cans in the Village car park (next to the salt bag).  The box to be painted blue with Rotary marking.

14.   To consider a policy for dealing with matters that arise between meeting.

15.   To receive the District Councillor report on outstanding matters.

16.   To receive the County Councillor's report on outstanding matters.

17.   To receive a report from Cllr Hughes on the Village Organisations.

18.   To confirm the date of the next meeting of the Council - 7th March 2022.

Ref Para 6c above:

Ref Para 8a above:

REPORT ON A MEETING BETWEEN COUNTY COUNCILLOR ALEXANDER MAUGHAN AND IRIS MORISON ON 4TH DECEMBER 2021

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possibility of a 20 mph speed limit around the village as seen in many other towns and villages.

Nigel Brown was unavailable and asked Mrs Morison to meet CC Maughan on 4th December to walk around the village and discuss the narrow lanes with no footpaths and how it can be made safer for pedestrians, cyclists, dogs etc.  Ideally, it was felt a 20 mph speed limit would greatly improve the situation and well-being of villagers who feel threatened by speeding vehicles.  It is noted the LCC's Speed Limit Policy is being reviewed next year but, at the present time, villages have to have evidence of accidents to qualify for 20 mph.

The following options were discussed:-

• Road markings stating 'SLOW'
• Signs with 'Slow Pedestrians'
• Sleeping policemen (road humps)

It was agreed road markings could help.  Signs could also be beneficial but are more signs appropriate for a conservation village?

Would 'sleeping policemen' be appropriate when lanes are used by large, heavy farm machinery?

Subsequently, Nigel Brown commented that in his experience the thing that really slows vehicles is 'speed humps'.  If possible, he thinks that it is best to concentrate on the most effective rather than letting it debate, which could take a considerable amount of time.

Ref Para 12 above:

Citizens Advice consultation. 13.Oct.2021. A brief resume.

I attended consultation hosted by Grantham Citizens Advice team and following a general introduction to the overall national picture of the role of Citizens Advice we were given some facts and figures.  One that stands out was that there has been an increase in demand for their services of between 60% and 400% depending on the issue – employment being one of the biggest. In some areas of Lincolnshire ethnic and migrant workers were the majority of clients needing advice with settlement schemes and the East Coast Community Fund deals mainly with migrant workers employment issues, often related to exploitation etc. of these vulnerable people. Universal credit was another area of increased demand but the increase in financial support or Help Through Hardship hadn’t filtered through yet but that was expected to follow the closing of the Furlough scheme and the reduction in Universal Credit. 

Pre Covid,  there had been 140  volunteers in the S.K.D.C area but this was now down to 70 including new volunteers who are being trained so the number of advisors is greatly reduced. (I resisted the pressure to become a volunteer.)

LOOKING AHEAD. Issues to be addressed =

• The expected Increase in demand.
• More complex issues following lockdown and Covid.
• Volunteer involvement and recruitment.
• Digital divide – the use of technology and those most in need don’t have the technology.
• Increased collaboration – business referrals.
• Funding uncertainty – Government reduction.
• Partnerships – new and existing stakeholders eg. P.C.’s , schools etc.
• Technology – development to strengthen services. Reaching remote and isolated communities and individual people is a challenge. This is of particular importance to us as Lincolnshire is basically rural with the potential for isolation.

CORE subject – the mains objective is to help people help themselves.

How to get the message out there – using facilities that already exist such as Village Hall & community hubs, Dr. Surgeries, schools and Parish councils as they are the ones who are most likely to know the community and be able to identify those in need of support.

We discussed how we could support communities or individuals - how the link could be made and then how it could be delivered.

• Call backs from appropriate advisor/ expert.
• The cascade system – someone who has taken advice could help someone else in their own community etc.
• Buddy up.
• Check in chats – making sure that everyone is making the right progress.

The role of the community.

In some areas schools have played a significant role. Some 6th formers have been trained to recognise other pupils and members of their community in need, and steer or advise those identified, and this has been very beneficial. 

It doesn’t work in every area. 

Parish Councillors could play a part particularly in rural areas where the councillors probably know everyone and they could direct or advise, but they need to be aware of the specific needs in order to do this. Often the people needing the help and support are unwilling to make themselves known for a whole variety of reasons – embarrassment, putting up with things, depression which can lead to isolation and withdrawal etc.

These things don’t happen overnight and to do this it would require a group of people who are well known by, and willing to support others. My thoughts were that as there had been a very effective support team in our community during the lockdown, maybe some of them would be willing to continue to support others discretely. It is easy to think that in our peaceful rural community everyone lives in comfort and harmony but we all know that this is far from true.  It is often those people with the greatest need who will not put themselves forward for support. 

Following COVID and the lockdown these issues have escalated. It will be very difficult for some to get back to ‘normal’. Illness, poverty and depression can all have a massive impact on someone’s life.

There will be further information filtering down and I would like the P.C to consider backing a support scheme for Fulbeck.

Jane Hodcroft.