TH&C 2020 Minutes

Town Hall And Cemetery Committee

Minutes of the virtual meeting of Market Deeping Town Council’s Town Hall and Cemetery Committee held on Wednesday 15th July 2020 at 7.40pm.

Cllr Miss Moran presided over Cllr Broughton, Cllr Hembrow, Cllr Mrs Redshaw, Cllr Mrs Sked. The Town Clerk, the Deputy Town Clerk and Cllr Dolan were also in attendance. There were no members of the public present.

18 Chairman’s Welcome

Cllr Miss Moran welcomed members to the meeting.

19 Apologies for absence

Apologies for absence had been received prior to the meeting from Cllr Yarham, Cllr Lester and Cllr Shelton.

20 To receive declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011

There were no declarations of interest.

21 Minutes from meeting held on Wednesday 20th May 2020

It was proposed by Cllr Hembrow, seconded by Cllr Miss Moran and Resolved unanimously that the minutes of the previous meeting be signed as a true and accurate record and they were duly signed by the Deputy Clerk on behalf of the Chair.

22 Clerk’s report

The Deputy Clerk informed the members of the following:

Matters Relating to the Cemetery:

1. The position of Cemetery Keeper has now been filled and the successful candidate started in his role on 29th June. He is working 3 days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays.

2. Temporary signs have been put in place in the Spinney requesting owners keep their dogs on a lead and this issue has been highlighted on the Council’s social media page.

3. Following approval by the Full Council, the tender documents relating to the Sanctum Garden have been sent out.

4. All memorial permits in the Spinney have now been issued and the cemetery associated record keeping/database is now fully up to date.

5. Since the last meeting there has been 1 interment of cremated remains and 2 burials.

Matters relating to the Town Hall:

1. Approved work relating to the changing of locks on the Office door & front Town Hall door has been put on hold pending a decision regarding Agenda Item 16. (The cost of replacing the locks like for like would be £148.50 plus VAT. The cost of replacing the locks with higher security locks and restricted key cutting is £287.00 plus VAT).

2. Posters, floor stickers and two hand sanitiser units have been installed in the foyer in preparation for the opening of the Town Hall to members of the public, when government guidance allows and when the Town Council is happy for us to do so.

23 Park Keepers Report: Update on work activity taking place in the cemetery

The Deputy Clerk, having spoken with the Park Keeper prior to the meeting, gave the following verbal report:

1. The new Cemetery Keeper is working well, and is showing good attention to detail.

2. Work to trim all the headstones in new and old cemeteries is on-going.

3. All the grass cutting is up to date.

24 Correspondence received up to 15th July 2020

25 Finances: Omega reports: Review of budget/expenditure/income

The Deputy Clerk had provided members with a copy of the omega report prior to the meeting. There were no issues raised.

Cemetery

26 Chairman’s Cemetery Report

Cllr Miss Moran stated that she had visited the Cemetery on a number of occasions since the last meeting and was extremely pleased with how things were progressing. The work being undertaken by the new Cemetery Keeper was of a high standard and there was already a noticeable improvement, particularly in the Old Cemetery. She commended the Park Keepers and the Cemetery Keeper for their efforts.

27 For members to receive an update on the ground preparation for the approved Sanctum facility.

Cllr Hembrow had met on site with one contractor and was available to answer questions from all of the companies issued with the tender documentation as and when required. Cllr Hembrow highlighted there would be a need to temporarily close one of the access points into the Spinney during the period when the works were being carried out. The Deputy Clerk stated that, following concerns raised by Cllr Mrs Redshaw regarding the need for Planning Permission, advice had been sought from SKDC as to whether the Sanctums would be covered by the permitted development clause under Section 12 of the Town and Country Planning Act. The advice received was that this was likely to be the case but an application for a Lawful Development Certificate would be prudent. It was proposed by Cllr Miss Moran, seconded by Cllr Hembrow and Resolved unanimously to proceed with a Lawful Development Certificate application.

28 For members to receive an update on the application for a Public Spaces Protection Order for the Spinney

Members had received a copy of the application prior to the meeting. The Deputy Clerk informed members that the application was to be considered by the SKDC Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 21st July 2020. If approved the application would be subject, along with other PSPO applications and renewals, to a public consultation. This would be carried out by SKDC. Cllr Miss Moran reassured members that any additional signage required as a result of the PSPO would be in keeping with the natural setting. Members considered whether the current signage on the entrances highlighted sufficiently the purpose of the Spinney and agreed that signage in the cemetery should be put on the agenda for discussion at the next meeting.

29 For members to set the Cemetery Fees for 2020/2021.

It was proposed by Cllr Miss Moran, seconded by Cllr Mrs Redshaw and Resolved unanimously to continue with the current schedule of fees and review this matter again in the meeting to be held in May 2021.

30 For members to review the Town Council’s Hire of Chambers Policy.

It was proposed by Cllr Miss Moran, seconded by Cllr Mrs Sked and Resolved unanimously to amend the policy to include compliance with any government health guidelines current at the time.

31 For members to review the Town Council’s Hire of Chambers Fee Schedule.

Members agreed to continue with the current schedule.

Town Hall

32 For members to receive an update on the purchase of the Town Hall.

The Deputy Clerk informed members that the contracts had been signed and were currently with the Council’s legal representative but no further communications had been received. Cllr Miss Moran agreed to follow this matter up with a view to progressing this matter.

33 For members to consider the repair, or replacement, of the Town Hall front door and agree a way forward.

Following essential repair work to the Town Hall door, Cllr Moran reported that she had made enquiries regarding its replacement. Members had received 3 quotations prior to the meeting. All members agreed that the door was in a poor condition and that previous repair and maintenance work had been of a poor quality. However, with the pending Condition Survey of the Town Hall and the possibility of building work being required it was proposed by Cllr Broughton, seconded by Cllr Mrs Sked and Resolved unanimously to consider this issue again at the next meeting of the Committee when the report from the Survey had been received.

34 For members to receive an update to the commissioning of a survey of the Town Hall and agree a way forward.

The Deputy Clerk informed members that quotations had been sought from 4 companies, 2 of which had declined. Two quotations had therefore been received and these had been circulated prior to the meeting. Members agreed to put the quotation from Gowers Surveyors forward for approval at the next meeting of the Full Council to be held on 12th August.

35 For members to consider items raised in the public session.

There were no items to discuss.

In the absence of any further matters Cllr Miss Moran thanked everyone for their attendance and the meeting closed at 8.35pm. The next meeting of the Town Hall and Cemetery Committee will be held virtually on Wednesday 16th September 2020.