2020 Town Council Minutes of Meetings

Minutes of a Meeting of Market Deeping Town Council Held on Wednesday 11th November at 7.30pm

Zoom meeting code 825 8603 2591

Password 509618

Present: Cllr Yarham (Chair) Cllr Miss Moran

Cllr Brookes Cllr Lester

Cllr Hembrow Cllr Mrs Redshaw

Cllr Shelton Cllr Davis

Cllr Mrs Sked Cllr Miss Collins

Cllr Dolan

LCC Cllr Trollope-Bellew, SKDC Cllr Dilks, SKDC Cllr Baxter, SKDC Cllr Miss Stevens, DSJPC Cllr Bowell, DSJPC Cllr Hall, Langtoft pc chair, Cllr Halfhide, representatives of the Deepings Youth Group, representatives of the Deepings Swimming Club, representatives of the Deeping St James signal box group, a representative of the Deepings Business club, other members of the public and the Clerk were also in attendance.

Cllr Yarham welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked attendees to speak in turn. The representatives of the Deepings Swimming Club had presented detailed information about the club, and copies of accounts that the clerk had circulated to members prior to the meeting. Cllrs asked about the remit and structure of the organisation, and noted the proposed 29% rise in fees to the club for hire of the pool and the lack of income through enforced closure during the current year.

Cllr Dilks, as chair of the local Royal British Legion branch, then thanked the council for organising the Remembrance events for this year. He also wished to make a statement regarding the unfounded allegations that had been made against certain councillors before the handing over of public money, and advised attendees that such vilification was in breach of the Charity Commission’s code of behaviour.

The representative of the Deepings Business Club then suggested that the launch of an app be considered regarding ‘Lighting the Deepings for Christmas’ and that businesses and residents should be encouraged to engage with the event.

Cllr Hall then spoke on behalf of the Deeping St James signal box group, explaining their financial difficulties during the year, and the work required to progress the reinstallation of the box. He advised that it would be a centre for educating residents and would be open to all. Cllr Bowell also spoke in support of the project, advising that it would attract visitors to the Deepings.

A resident then requested an update on the cycle rack that had been placed by LCC in the Market Place, and felt that it would be better placed elsewhere.

The Deepings Youth Group youth worker advised members of the positive meeting that had taken place between trustees of the group and Cllrs Yarham and Miss Moran. Another trustee then thanked councillors Yarham and Miss Moran for the meeting and confirmed that they wished to move on from any ill feeling.

The Langtoft pc chair then referred to the proposed BP garage that had been approved following appeal. He had spoken with the chief executive of BP, who had confirmed that they will engage with the community regarding the development. Cllr Yarham therefore asked the clerk to facilitate a meeting between BP, the parish councils and district and county councillors for this purpose.

Cllr Mrs Trollope-Bellew then requested that if councillors are in agreement, a letter be sent to herself and the county council to ask for the cycle rack that had been placed without approval in the Market Place to be removed.

Cllr Baxter then advised members that he had provided his report to the clerk, who would forward it on. He advised of the Millfield development being refused and confirmed that the BP planning application appeal had been successful.

Cllr Miss Moran, for SKDC, advised that she had attended an all members briefing on planning where members were informed that the planning committee would concentrate on large estates and developments and leave individual applications to the planning officers. The committee felt that too many applications were being called in but members felt that their voices would not be heard otherwise.

There being no other public speakers, the meeting commenced at 8.02pm.

116. Chairman’s Welcome & Introductions

Cllr Yarham welcomed members to the meeting.

The chairman asked members if they wished the meeting to be recorded. It was proposed by Cllr Miss Collins and Resolved to record the meeting.

117. Apologies for Absence

Apologies were received from Cllrs Broughton and Neilson.

118. Declarations of Interest under the Localism Act 2011

Cllr Miss Collins declared an interest in agenda item 8, as trustee for the council to the Deepings Youth Group.

119. Acceptance of minutes of a meeting held on 14th October 2020

Cllr Miss Collins asked for it to be noted that with respect to minute 110 she did not want to answer the questions regarding the Deepings Youth Group accounts and she did not recall Cllr Miss Moran stating that the money would not be paid ‘at this time’. Cllr Mrs Sked then reminded members that it had been minuted that Cllr Brookes had reminded councillors that accounts provided would be scrutinized. Cllr Dolan then referred to the public session discussion regarding the cycle rack placed by LCC in the Market Place. Cllr Davis advised that Cllr Trollope-Bellew had been advised at that time that the council wished for it to be removed, but Cllr Brookes confirmed that this was a recommendation from the council, and not a motion. It was then proposed by Cllr Shelton, seconded by Cllr Davis and Resolved with 9 in favour and 2 abstentions to accept the notes of the meeting, as amended above, as a true and accurate record. The Clerk will sign the minutes on behalf of the chairman.

120. Reports: Including reports from Deepings First, Committees (Planning and Highways, Town Hall and Cemetery), Mayor’s Diary and the Clerk

Deepings First

Cllr Shelton advised that the examiner who had visited had submitted all the necessary information and has asked for further clarification on only one item. He was pleased to report that the application for the 218-home development on the Mill Field had been refused unanimously due to its successful listing in the Neighbourhood plan as a green space. Cllr Shelton confirmed that the plan was now moving into the implementation and planning review stage, after which the plan will be available for referendum. However, due to Covid restrictions a referendum would not be able to take place until May 2021.

Planning & Highways

Cllr Brookes advised members that there were no particular issues to report that had not been covered elsewhere on the agenda.

Town Hall and Cemetery

Cllr Miss Moran advised that the cemetery and new sanctum area were looking very good indeed. The report on the Town Hall had now been received and she will report back on it later in the week.

Mayor’s diary

The Mayor attended an event at the Deepings Union Rugby FC to present a cheque to the Macmillan Cancer charity on 31st October,

the opening of the Gardens of Remembrance at the Riverside Park on 1st November,

the Remembrance Day service at the Riverside Park on 8th November and

the Riverside Park for the rockets to mark the Remembrance day silence.

The deputy Mayor attended a visit to the War Graves in Market Deeping on 25th October,

the opening of the Gardens of Remembrance at the Riverside Park on 1st November

the Remembrance Day service at the Riverside Park on 8th November.

Clerk’s Report

The chair thanked the clerks for their work in organising the Remembrance events.

1. The Playscapes contractors have finished work on the play area and there are outstanding issues regarding making good the edges of the timber framing, and potentially unsafe debris to resolve before payment can be made. Cllr Hembrow and the clerk are liaising with Playscape to resolve this.

2. The new restrictions in place from 5th November mean that the Remembrance Sunday service will now take place at the Riverside park. A recorded service will be available for residents to view on line also.

3. The Town Hall foyer has been open to the public for the selling of poppies from 26th October to 4th November (2 days less than usual due to the 5th November restrictions).

4. The clerk has arranged for the Christmas tree to be collected and delivered to the Market Place for the morning of Friday 27th November. The lighting company has been asked to place the lights in the following week. Update: The column lights are now in position and LITE will return to place the Christmas tree lights after 27th November.

5. The PSPO enforcement team have now operated for one month. As they cannot operate in the dark (they are not allowed to collect evidence in the dark), would councillors like them to visit more frequently in the mornings? It was proposed by Cllr Yarham, seconded by Cllr Dolan and Resolved with 9 in favour and 2 abstentions to request more frequent morning visits. The full report will be passed to the TH&C committee for their next meeting.

121. Correspondence to be noted and resolved upon

Correspondence to be noted

Correspondence to be resolved upon:

122. Council Finances

a) Income and expenditure by budget cost centre

Members had received a copy of the Council Finances and Omega report prior to the meeting. Cllr Yarham asked if there were any questions. There were none.

b) Accounts to be paid

Cllr Mrs Redshaw asked if the Playground work was completely finished before paying the bill, and members confirmed that it was. Cllr Lester asked for the updates emailed to members to be read out. It was then proposed by Cllr Lester and Resolved unanimously that the council pay its bills. See appendix A.

c) Preparations for Precept Planning 2021/22

The clerk had issued members with a copy of the Ear Marked Reserves held, and precept sheets detailing each budget line with projected expenditure to the end of the financial year, in addition to the omega report. Cllr Yarham then asked that all committees consider their requirements for the coming financial year, in time for the Finance and Personnel meeting of 25th November, with ratification of decisions to be made at the Full Council meeting of 9th December. The clerk confirmed that she would send a copy of the F&P agenda to all members. Cllr Davis asked that all members worked with the committee chairs to have items ready for the forthcoming meetings.

123. Grant aid: second part of payment to Deepings Youth Group: For members to vote to suspend Standing Orders in order to reconsider the second payment following further investigation

Cllr Yarham proposed that Standing Order no 7 be suspended and it was Resolved unanimously to do so. He then advised members that he and Cllr Miss Moran had had a very constructive meeting with the chair of the trustees of the youth group and the youth worker. The intention and direction of the group had been clarified and it was confirmed that the chair of the previous meeting, in considering the second part of the payment, had used her casting vote before the meeting with the trustee and youth worker had taken place. Since that meeting both Cllr Yarham and Cllr Miss Moran were now of the opinion that the second part of the payment should be granted. Cllr Miss Collins queried the concepts of precept and grant aid, the clerk explained the powers of the council pursuant to the Local Government Act 1972 in respect of raising a precept and delivering grant aid, and members discussed precepting as a budgeting mechanism. Cllr Davis advised members that at the last meeting he had abstained from voting, and that he had previously been a trustee of the Youth Group. He cautioned members that the nature of comments logged on social media regarding this issue should lead some members to consider their positions. It was then proposed by Cllr Yarham, seconded by Cllr Lester, and Resolved with 5 in favour, 1 against and 5 abstentions, to pay the remaining sum of £3750 to the Youth Group.

It was then proposed by Cllr Yarham and Resolved unanimously to reinstate Standing Orders.

124. Grant aid: Deepings Swimming Club

The clerk had provided detailed accounts, activities and information packs as provided by the club, to all members prior to the meeting. Cllr Lester confirmed that the club had a long standing relationship with the community but, as confirmed by the clerk, there was only £1000 left in the grant aid funding budget for this financial year. Cllr Yarham suggested that the club be considered in the precept request for the coming financial year, and that any payment approved for this year could be taken from Ear Marked Reserves. Cllr Miss Moran noted that there was still £5000 remaining from the SKDC grant to the council that could be used in this respect. The club representatives had explained that they were facing a potential 29% increase in pool fees with the impending take over of facilities by SKDC, and this could lead to potential closure. Members discussed the need to be cautious if the club faces potential closure in January, and the need to be prudent with tax payers’ money. Cllr Shelton advised members to consider the projections for the next financial year once SKDC has taken over the leisure facilities.

9.10pm Cllr Lester left the meeting.

Cllrs discussed the issues around this and the need to adhere to the grant aid policy, requiring funds to be returned if unused. It was then proposed by Cllr Davis, seconded by Cllr Dolan and Resolved with 4 in favour, 4 against and 2 abstentions to allocate £6000 to the club, with £3000 to be paid now and a further £3000 once the club is operational and can swim and create galas. Cllr Yarham, as chair, then used his casting vote in favour of the motion so the initial payment will proceed.

9.17pm Cllr Mrs Sked left the meeting.

125. Grant aid: Deeping St James signal box group

The clerk had provided the completed grant aid application form to members prior to the meeting. Cllr Dolan asked why the previous application had been rejected but members could not recall this. Cllr Davis noted that this was a request for the use of public funds but that no accounts had been provided. It was then proposed by Cllr Yarham, seconded by Cllr Davis and Resolved with 8 in favour and one against to defer the decision until the December meeting to enable the group to provide account details for consideration.

126. For members to vote on a motion to donate a sum of £200 or any other sum to the Poppy appeal in respect of the wreaths provided

It was proposed by Cllr Davis, seconded by Cllr Dolan and Resolved unanimously to make a payment of £200.

127. For members to ratify the Planning and Highways committee response to the South Kesteven Local Plan review

Cllr Brookes confirmed that there was a requirement for the plan to be in place for January. The SKDC consultation is setting up the framework for the review and, as it is not being adopted for several years, there will be future opportunities for input. Cllr Shelton had been working on a response on behalf of the Neighbourhood Plan and it was proposed by Cllr Brookes, seconded by Cllr Yarham and Resolved unanimously to ratify the response of the Neighbourhood plan.

128. For members to receive an update on the Persimmon Homes transfer of allotment and other land

Cllr Shelton confirmed that, in Cllr Broughton’s absence, he had been authorized by Cllr Broughton to look at this issue. The section 106 agreement relating to the transfer had raised issues regarding the commuted sum required to maintain the land to be taken on for a period of 25 years. Cllr Shelton had been looking at this point with a professional planner from the Neighbourhood planning committee. It transpires that the council is entitled to receive 50% of the cost of the play equipment to be taken on, and this amounts to £27000. The clerk had provided members with copies of the relevant sections of the S106 agreement, relating to calculations of the commuted sum, as marked up by Cllr Shelton, prior to the meeting. Cllr Shelton pointed out the various sections to be considered and that the drainage and flood plan will be taken into account if material. Cllr Shelton then asked for permission to proceed with the legalities of the transfer subject to Council approval of the commuted sum when known. It was agreed that the clerk could write to Persimmon and ask them to draw up the legal agreement subject to the later provision of this figure. Cllr Miss Moran asked that Persimmon also make the allotments fit for purpose as they are currently in poor condition.

129. For members to receive an update on Digital Council and to agree when to commence using the .gov.uk email addresses

Cllr Yarham confirmed that the new email addresses could now be used via the website or through Outlook and that he was using his successfully. He then proposed that the new addresses be used with immediate effect. This was seconded by Cllr Miss Moran and Resolved with 6 in favour and 3 abstentions. Cllr Yarham confirmed that he will prepare a tutorial for those who would like more help with setting up their new account. The clerk was asked to contact members not present to check if they were able to use the new format.

The clerk had provided a copy of a quotation for council owned ipads to members prior to the meeting. Cllr Yarham then advised members that he had obtained the quotation from Apple for a set of 15 ipads that would be instrumental in creating a paper free environment, to include a software package that would allow specific usage. The ipads would be engraved as council property, and would be provided with software for all access to be rescinded if a councillor ceases to be a member. The cost is £12660.36 including the relevant software and insurance. This initiative would modernize the council and reduce the carbon footprint. It would also enable easier sharing of documents prior to and during meetings. Cllr Yarham is currently drafting a limitations of usage schedule. Cllr Brookes advised that all members currently have access to a device as all are accessing remote meetings so there is no rush and more details can be obtained before proceeding. Cllr Miss Moran advised members of how useful such technology is for SKDC meetings. Cllr Yarham advised that there would be training sessions available. It was then proposed by Cllr Yarham, seconded by Cllr Miss Moran and Resolved with 7 in favour, one against, and one abstention, to proceed with the purchase of the ipads with the AppleCare package and keyboards for the sum of £12660.36 as detailed in the quotation.

130. For members to receive information and vote on an electricity provider for 2021

The clerk had provided members with a copy of a quotation from 5 providers prior to the meeting. It was then proposed by Cllr Yarham, seconded by Cllr Miss Moran and Resolved unanimously to proceed with British Gas light from March 2021 when the contract becomes renewable.

131. Forthcoming events: For members to consider arrangements for the Closing of the Remembrance Gardens and the Carols Round the Tree

Members wished to proceed with the Closing of the Gardens ceremony. The clerk was asked to contact a different minister in view of the fact that Rev’d Holding was unable to officiate due to Church of England Covid rulings. The Carols Round the Tree event is not to take place due to current restrictions, but Cllr Miss Moran hoped to invite 6 families with children to each attend a countdown and switching on of the Christmas lights. This could be streamed on Facebook live for residents to view. Some members were concerned with safety issues around children accessing the electric switches for the lamp posts and the clerk and Cllr Miss Moran will liaise with the park keepers to ascertain exactly what is involved.

132. For members to consider and discuss any points raised in the public session.

Cllr Davis proposed that Cllr Trollope-Bellew and the relevant LCC member be contacted to remove the cycle rack placed in the Market Square and for it to be placed in a more appropriate position so that the council could then continue with selecting a cycle rack of their choice as was happening before the new rack arrived. Members Resolved with 8 in favour and one against for the letters to be written. Cllrs Davis and Yarham also volunteered to attend the meeting regarding the BP garage development. Cllr Yarham declared that he is a friend of the land owner where the garage is to be sited.

133. Confidential/Personnel Matters: Consideration to go into Closed session to discuss:

Staff issues

There were none.

Cllr Yarham then thanked all members for attending and declared the meeting closed at 10.10pm. The next scheduled meeting of the Full Council will be held on Wednesday 9th December 2020, virtual meeting details will be given when the agenda is published.