2023 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

FULBECK PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of FPC Meeting held at 7 pm on Thursday 9 November 2023 in the Village Hall, Fulbeck.

Present:

Cllrs J Hutchinson (in the Chair), O. Crowder, A. Fane, N. Harrison, J. Hodcroft and P.   Hughes

District Cllr P Milnes; and County Cllr A Maughan (the latter arrived during the meeting) were in attendance.

Cllr Maughan’s update on road closures can be found under the agenda item on Highways.

Eight members of the public were present.

The Chair welcomed councillors and members of the public and explained, for residents who had not attended a parish council meeting before, how the meeting operated.

Again, the Chair reminded Councillors and residents of the need for courtesy and respect. She added that one of her responsibilities as Chair was, with the Parish Clerk, to determine the meeting agenda.

District Councillor Report

Cllr Milnes advised that the fly tipping on Bulby Lane is being investigated. The Travellers seem to have disappeared from the site at Normanton and the matter is now being dealt with by Legal Services. It was noted that Pottergate Road is to be gated to avoid future fly tipping.Cllr Milnes also highlighted the following:

•   SKDC's District Plan: now coming out for consultation.
•   Chair of SKDC, Cllr Richard Cleaver: had recently walked around every village in the Hough Division and met with the various Chairs of the Parish Councils.
•   SKDC Prosperity Fund: is still open, and any requests for items under £5000 do not have to be presented to the Board. She urged FPC to make use of this facility.
•   Purple-lidded bins: To be used for dry paper and cardboard (from Feb 2024} have now been distributed
•   Travellers have set up camp near Stubton and Dry Doddington.
•   Cllr Milnes explained that SKDC is no longer under the Regulator but housing repairs still remain a big issue. There is still a large demand for council housing.

It was also noted that a by-election was being held today.

23/24/38:   Apologies for absence – Cllr R. Siddans

23/24/39:   Declarations of interest – Cllrs Hutchinson and Crowder on item 5 of the agenda (Planning)

23/24/40:   It was unanimously resolved to sign the Minutes of the meeting of 4th September which had been circulated and approved.
 
23/24/41:   Financial matters:

(a)   As the mandate forms from Virgin Money had had to be re-done, the Parish Clerk did not yet have authorisation to access the account and had therefore been unable to complete the bank reconciliation.

(b)   It was unanimously resolved to ratify payments to the Community Cleaner of £180.68 and to BDG Mowers of £158.

23/24/42:   Planning

Planning applications received:
S23/1751: Pear Tree Cottage, Washdyke Lane: Magnolia, reduce crown in height by 0.5- 1m and sides by 1.5-2m to shape canopy.
(Approved by SKDC on 26 October 2023)

S23/1780: Church View, The Green: Magnolia, crown reduce by 1.5 metres in height and spread, and crown thin by 10%.
(Approved by SKDC 26 October 2023)

Planning applications determined:
S23/1340: Willow Farm, Brant Road: change of use to equestrian riding school
(Approved by SKDC 21 September 2023)

S23/1413: Ermine House, High Street: work to various trees allowed
(Approved by SKDC on 26 September 2023)

Planning applications under consideration
S23/1523: 15-16 Washdyke Lane: proposed extension to form enlarged kitchen/dining room, and conversion of outbuilding to form utility and study.  (Cllr Hutchinson left the meeting while this item was discussed).
Unanimously agreed that ‘no objection’ be put forward for this application.

Cllr Milnes reported that SKDC is looking to provide training for Parish Councillors on the SKDC planning portal.

23/24/43:   Highways:

Cllr Maughan acknowledged the difficulties being faced by all residents following the closure of the A607, and recognised that communications from LCC on the road closure could have been more timely and more effective. He urged the public to use the Call Connect bus, which provides a door to door service operating through all villages. He advised that if anyone had any issues they could contact him directly.

He also undertook to check whether there was a requirement that local businesses affected by road closures should be notified in advance.

Cllr Harrison raised the question of why Stagecoach buses are allowed through twice a day, whereas other road users are not. Cllr Crowder explained the issues associated with the weight and number of vehicles. Machinery and metal plates on the road surface had to be removed each time a vehicle was allowed through.
 
Cllr Maughan added that the nature of the road repairs, and the need to allow local pedestrians to cross the highway at that point, had necessitated very stringent requirements - for public safety reasons. It had proved impossible to provide traffic lights at this road closure. He also explained that the problem with the A607 is that there are no adjacent A roads; and the law states that traffic diverted from an A road cannot be diverted onto unclassified roads.

Update on passing places in Brant Road: Cllr Maughan explained the County Council policy on passing places. One of the factors that would be considered by the Highways Department is that of how much traffic uses Brant Road.

Cllr Hodcroft pointed out that the road is used as a 'rat run' to High Dyke and the A17, and that road erosion has caused the edges to give way to such an extent that if you get off the hard surface there is a steep drop. Cllr Maughan advised to keep reporting the erosion on Fix my Street as there was an obligation to get the work done within 90 days. He stated that the number of times road conditions are reported on Fix My Street helps to raise the priority of a particular issue. He also explained that ‘passing places’ are expensive to install. If action is not taken by the Highways Department, inform Cllr Maughan with the relevant report number and he will chase up.

23/24/44:   Life on the Verge:

As Cllr Siddans is unwell no update is available.

23/24/45:   Noticeboard at The Hare & Hounds:

As it did not appear likely that the application had been successful Cllr Milnes advised to submit the application again through the Prosperity Fund as more funding may be available in the coming financial year.

23/24/45:   Emergency Response Plan:

Cllr Hutchinson reported that this had now been re-named the Community Resilience Forum. She would meet with Simon Nash to discuss this.

23/24/46:   Councillors' profiles on website:

In accordance with Minute 23/24/35 the Chair read out her draft personal profile to be posted on the FPC website. Other councillors could use a similar format if they wished.

It was agreed that a telephone number could just be submitted, if they did not wish to post a personal profile.

23/24/47:   Correspondence:

A letter requesting a donation had been received from LIVES. It was agreed that a donation of £100 would be made in 2024-25. This would be included in the precept which was being formulated for submission to SKDC in January.

23/24/48:   Date of next meeting:

Date agreed as Thursday 11th January 2024 at 7 pm in the Village Hall. It was agreed that In the meantime the Councillors would meet on an informal basis to discuss the precept for 2024-25 financial year.

Meeting closed at 8.30 pm.
 
Abbreviation/Acronyms

CHT:   Community Heartbeat Trust; EMAS:   East Midlands Ambulance Service; FPC:   Fulbeck Parish Council;
GoodSAM:   Good Smartphone Activated Medics; LALC:   Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils; LCC:   Lincolnshire County Council;
LIVES:   Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service; LWT:   Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust;
PC:   Parish Council;
PCC:   Parochial Church Council; SKDC:   South Kesteven District Council;
VETS:   Voluntary Emergency Telephone System

CLLR ALEXANDER MAUGHAN

LINCOLNSHIRE CC UPDATE – DECEMBER 2023

Devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire

Councillors at Lincolnshire County Council have voted in favour of taking the next steps towards a devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire.

Residents are now set to be asked for their views on the devolution proposal, following a Full Council meeting on 1 December 2023. A public consultation asking people in Greater Lincolnshire for their views and comments will start on Monday 4 December and will last for eight weeks.

Lincolnshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Martin Hill, said: “This is an important day for the council and the county. We have negotiated an ambitious deal with the government that will bring benefits to our residents for years to come, making sure we don’t get left behind. I hope that residents will take the time to understand what’s on offer and give their views as part of the consultation. This is our opportunity to take more decisions locally, boost our economy and have a direct line to government about what we need in our area.”

A devolution deal would move important funding and choices about local investment, infrastructure and training from Government to local decision makers.

The Proposal outlines the benefits to Greater Lincolnshire that devolution will bring, which include:

•   A Mayoral Investment Fund of £24 million per annum for 30 years to invest in infrastructure and skills development totalling £720m;
•   A one off £28.4m capital investment in Greater Lincolnshire’s priorities;
•   £2m capacity funding over three years;
•   £1m skills for job funding;
•   Local control over the Adult Education Budget from 2026;
•   A consolidated, multi-year transport fund, providing increased financial certainty.

Following the consultation, further formal meetings will take place to assess the consultation results and put a recommendation to the Government. If a decision is taken to move forward, a Mayoral Combined County Authority would be formed with the election for a Mayor in May 2025.

More details about devolution and the public consultation is available at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution

Latest fire service inspection report published for Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue Service

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue provides a good response to fires and other emergencies, according to the latest findings from the body responsible for inspecting fire and police services.

The report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), notes the progress the service has made since its last inspection, and no areas of the service have been judged as inadequate.

HMICFRS has highlighted areas of further improvement which mainly relate to supporting staff and an additional focus on increasing the equality and diversity of the workforce.

The inspectorate also identified two areas of promising practice - the effectiveness of the co-responding service, where fire crews provide lifesaving, trauma care across Lincolnshire; and the ‘assured level of risk’ model, that continually reviews where the highest risk areas are and the actions needed to prevent and respond to them.

Highways maintenance performance data for Quarter 1 2023/24

Highway programme of works for 2023/24

The programme for 2023/24 is almost complete, with just a few months until the year end. Over 700 schemes were planned throughout the year, which include;

•   240 Footway micro surfacing sites that commence in April
•   87 Carriageway micro surfacing sites that commence in August
•   26 Footway reconstruction sites planned across 2023/24
•   53 Carriageway lining replacement sites that commence in June
•   25 Carriageway patching schemes planned across 2023/24
•   80 Carriageway resurfacing sites planned across 2023/24
•   170 Surface dressing sites that commence in June
•   20 Drainage improvement scheme planned across 2023/24

Details of all the schemes can be found on the interactive programme map within the LCC website.

Lincolnshire electric vehicle survey launched

LCC wants you to have your say on the future of electric vehicle provision in Lincolnshire. The survey, now live on Let’s Talk, is about gathering Lincolnshire’s views on electric vehicles, charge points and how the county will continue to build its programme for a greener car travelling future.

The electric vehicle county-wide charging provision is still in the early stages and, to make sure that the county council has the right foundations in place, LCC says it wants ‘real world’ input and info from the public.

The survey is open to anyone and everyone, not just those with hybrid or electric cars: www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/electric-vehicle-charging

Lincolnshire children’ services retain ‘outstanding’ rating

Ofsted inspectors visited the county in April to review the help, protection and care afforded to children and young people from our Children’s Services. They found that families across Lincolnshire continue to have access to localised services that help to keep them safe and support young people to make good progress.

Inspectors particularly noted how council staff, schools, and other adults involved in children’s lives, worked together to ensure that help was provided quickly when needed, before any potential issues had a chance to escalate.

It is wonderful to see the hard work of our staff recognised, and this ‘outstanding’ review will no doubt inspire staff to build upon this success and find ways to improve the support we provide to families even further, so that Lincolnshire remains a great place for children to flourish.

Granthan Southern Relief Road – November 2023 update

Latest updates for the Grantham Southern Relief Road.

What we achieved in October

Phase Three:

•   West side of site – cast bridge launch foundations for western foundation
•   East side of site – east abutment excavation and pile cropping / Pier 5 backfill and concrete works / Pier 6 piling works

What's happening in November

Phase Three:

•   West side of site – complete trestle launch foundations / begin assembling steelwork
•   East side of site – east abutment excavation and pile cropping / Pier 5 concrete works / Pier 6 piling works

Current/ongoing traffic restrictions and closures

Lane restrictions around the B1174 Roundabout to facilitate the construction of the haul route and access into site

Upcoming traffic restrictions and closures

N/A

For   more   information   about   this   and   other   major   highways   projects,   visit:
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/majorprojects.

Winter on the roads 2023

Lincolnshire’s Gritter Crew – the stats

•   The county has a budget of £1.2m a year for salt. Last year the council spent £1,000,000 on the grippy stuff. The molasses-treated salt that is bought in will last for five years – this lifespan had never been tested though as the salt stored is always used well before the five years is up
•   There are 47 Gritters that serve the county – these range from mainly 26-tonne gritters with 10-tonne hoppers,18-tonne lorries with 6-tonne hoppers on the back and smaller 10-tonne versions with a 3- tonne hopper on the back
•   LCC holds 29,200 tonnes of salt in the county’s depots
•   On average, LCC uses 20,000 tonnes of salt a year
•   The most salt ever used in one winter was across the 2010/11 ‘Beast from the East’ brutally cold
season. That year a massive 38,000 tonnes of salt was put down on the roads
•   There are 12 weather stations around the county feeding data back about the weather and road temperatures. LCC has access to eight others sited with other counties which help to more accurately predict weather systems as they come across the country

If you have questions or comments, please contact me at;

Alexander Maughan
Lincolnshire County Councillor for Hough Division
Mobile: 07707 060 022   Email: cllra.maughan@lincolnshire.gov.uk