At the Annual General Meeting of Firsby Group Parish Council held at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 24 May 2023 in Little Steeping Village Hall.
Present: Mr R. Kidd, who took the Chair;
from Mr R. Heane Mr C. Moore; Mrs S. Wilford; Mr G. Holmes; Mrs L. Mitchell; Mr P. Gilbert and Mrs C. Brewer.
Apologies were received from Miss H. Smithson-Whitehead; ELDC Cllr S. Dennis and LCC Cllr Mrs W. Bowkett.
1. Election of Chairman
Mr Holmes proposed, Mrs Wilford seconded and all agreed to re-elect Mr Kidd as Chairman for a further year.
2. Election of Vice-Chairman
Mr Holmes proposed, Mrs Mitchell seconded and all agreed to re-elect Mr Heane as Vice-Chairman for a further year.
3. Minutes of the last Meeting
It was agreed that these be signed as a correct record of the proceedings.
4. Matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting
Mrs Wilford stated that at the last AGM it was agreed that the polices of the Parish Council and the Clerk's remuneration should be reviewed annually. It was agreed that these items would be put on the June agenda.
Mrs Mitchell enquired whether anything had been done to progress the refurbishment of the Little Steeping telephone box. The Chairman stated that no one has been found that was prepared to carry out the refurbishment. Adverts have been placed in the 5 Parishes Newsletter to see if there were any volunteers. A discussion took place about the funding for the project and whether contractors could be used. The matter was left to see if anyone comes forward to carry out the task.
5. Police Matters
Concerns were raised about the cuts of the PCSO's by 50% and whether our villages would be patrolled once these cuts were made. Councillors were reminded that PCSO Miller stated at the last meeting that there would not be any patrols of the Villages following the cuts.
6. County Councillor's Report
Cllr Bowkett sent her apologies.
Councillors asked for the following matters to be dealt with by Cllr Bowkett:
Cllr Bowkett stated that the resurfacing of parts of Airfield Road will be put into place once a suitable material is found. Mr Heane stated that the team that resurfaced the stretch of road at Firsby did a good job with the materials they used. He suggested that the same material and team be used to resurface the Airfield Road from School Lane to the Gunby end. Mr Heane also stated that some potholes that have been repaired are coming out again because they were not repaired properly. Another issue that needs attention is that only potholes on highways lists are fixed and any additional ones that are close by or even next to it are ignored.
Cllr Bowkett also stated that the drain on the Corner of Great Steeping which seems to flood when it rains is being looked into as the water is draining away very slowly. Mr Heane would like to know when this matter was going to be dealt with?
7. District Councillor's Report
Cllr Dennis sent his apologies.
Councillors asked for the following matters to be dealt with by Cllr Dennis:
Cllr Dennis asked Mr Heane at the last meeting if he would be prepared to speak at a meeting about the Steeping River and the flooding issues if he were to arrange one with the head of the consortium. Mr Heane would like to know when this meeting will take place.
Mrs Mitchell would like a response to her request for new Village Signs for Great Steeping. Cllr Dennis needs to approve her application before the signs can be purchased and sited.
8. Correspondence
a) Email received from Matt Warman MP regarding the Parish Council's request for an update on the River Steeping. Email received from the EA stating that they had replied to the Parish Council's letter directly to Matt Warman on 26 April. The clerk to chase this matter up.
b) Email received from Mary Burdett stating that Little Steeping Village Hall now has a Committee of 8 and that the Committee agreed that the telephone box, once refurbished, should be located in the Village Hall car park.
c) Email received from the South East Lincolnshire Council's Partnership regarding the Tree Planting and Community Orchards Scheme. It was agreed to ask for further information.
d) Email received from ELDC confirming the payment of a £400 grant to pay for wheelie bin stickers, plants and containers for the 5 Parishes.
e) Email received from Hedgehogs R Us about their highway project. No action taken.
f) Verbal request from Mrs Mitchell to chase up the response from the EA regarding the use of the land on the Eastern Bank of the Lady Wath Beck at Great Steeping.
g) Verbal request from Mrs Wilford to find out the current status of the permissive footpath application in respect of the proposed footpath behind Little Steeping Church.
9. Plans
Full Planning Permission has been granted on conditions - Change of use of land for the siting of 6no. 'vehicle themed' glamping units with associated decking, access and parking at Mill Lane Farmhouse, Mill Lane, Irby in the Marsh.
10. Highways
It was agreed to report the following matters:
The roadside and path outside the Old Wheelwrights in Firsby are deteriorating and need repairing.
An observation was made that if an individual sent in an application via FixMyStreet for a pothole repair than this matter was dealt with quicker than if the Clerk reported the matters on behalf of the Parish Council.
11. Annual Governance and Accounts
The Annual Governance Statement for 2022/23 was completed.
It was agreed to pass the following accounts for payment:
Little Steeping Village Hall for use of room £20
Bolingbroke Deanery for printing of June/July Newsletter £120
Zurich Insurance Renewal £191.03
LALC Subs for Bratoft £15.41
Lincolnshire CC for Wheelie Bin stickers £50
Auditor Fee £40.
The 2022/23 Year End Accounts and filing of the Certificate of Exemption were approved.