May 2019 Minutes Annual Parish Council Meeting
Billingborough Parish Council
Approved Minutes of the Rescheduled Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday 21 May 2019 in the Sports Pavilion, Billingborough Recreation Ground
Present: Cllrs C. Woodhead (Chairman), P. Pocock, V. Vince ,F. Stevenson A. Volanakis & P. Harvey-Volanakis In Attendance: Mrs M. Free (Temporary Clerk ) & D. Cllr Hansen (SKDC).
There were no public comments; the Chairman opened the Meeting at 6.30pm.
1. Election of Chairman
009. Cllr Woodheadw as proposed, seconded and voted unanimously to remain as Chairman. Cllr Woodhead accepted the nomination and signed the Acceptance of Office.
2. Nomination of minute taker for this meeting
010. Mrs M. Free was proposed, seconded and voted unanimously to take the Minutes for this Meeting.
3. Appointment of Temporary RFO
011. Pending the appointment of a replacement, Mrs M. Free was proposed, seconded and voted unanimously to be the Council’s Temporary RFO. The Council unanimously resolved to approve the proposed hourly rate. Chairman to notify Payroll.
4. Election of Vice chairman
012. Cllr Volanakis was proposed, seconded and voted unanimously to become Vice chairman. Cllr Volanakis accepted the nomination and signed the Acceptance of Office.
5. Councillor Co-option
013. The Chairman confirmed that no co-option applications had been received. The Clerk advised including the qualification criteria on the Notice. Clerk to forward co-option criteria to Chairman & Cllr Volanakis for inclusion on the website & Noticeboard.
a. Acceptance of Office & Declarations of Interest
014.Not required.
6. Appointment of Members to Designated Roles & Responsibilities
015. The lead Cllrs for the designated roles and responsibilities were allocated and approved; there were no volunteers for Finance & Contracts. Chairman to publish the updated list; copy to Cllr Volanakis for the website.
7. To Approve the Minutes of the Meetings held on 11 March & 1 April 2019
016. The previously circulated Draft Minutes were discussed. The Minutes had not been signed by the Clerk; the Cover Clerk advised the Chairman to ‘pp’ the signature and include a copy of the circulation email by the previous Clerk in the file; the signature block of the April Minutes was on a separate page, which the Cover Clerk advised to be reprinted on a single page. The Council unanimously approved the Minutes of the Meetings on 11 March & 1 April 2019 as a true and accurate record. Chairman to sign the reprinted file copy. Draft Minutes of the APM on 13 May to be circulated to all Cllrs.
017. The Chairman highlighted that the file copy of the November Meeting was unsigned. Cover Clerk advised that it should only be signed if the Minutes had been approved by the Council. Chairman to confirm Council approval of the Minutes for 12 November 2018 before signing the file copy.
8. Vote of thanks for former Cllr Mike King
018. The Chairman’s vote of thanks to Mike King, for all of his efforts over the considerable number of years that he had been a District and Parish Councillor was unanimously echoed by the Council.
9. Review & Approve Asset Register
019. The previously circulated Asset Register was presented for approval. The Council unanimously resolved to accept the updated Asset register as a true record.
10. To Adopt the Council Policies & Procedures
020. The annual review of the documents had been carried out and approved by the Council in March. The Council unanimously resolved to adopt the Council’s Policies & Procedures. All documents were published on the website.
11. Finance Report
a. 2018/19 End of Year Accounts & External Audit Return
i. End of Year Accounts & Internal Audit
021. The Chairman briefed the Council on the husbandry recommendations from the Internal Audit. The End of Year Accounts had been previously circulated to all Cllrs. The Council unanimously resolved to approve the End of Year Accounts and the recommendations of the Internal Auditor.
ii. Approval of Annual Governance Statement
022. Section 1 of the AGAR was presented for approval. The RFO read out the statements and proposed responses. The Council unanimously resolved to approve a ‘yes’ response to all questions in Section 1 of the AGAR. The Chairman and Clerk signed the file copy.
iii. Approval of Accounting Statements
023. Section 2of the AGAR was presented for approval by the RFO. The RFO reiterated the stated figures and the supporting explanations. The Council unanimously resolved to approve the stated figures, supporting documents and ‘yes’ response to the Trust Fund question in Section 2of the AGAR. The Chairman signed the file copy.
b. 2019/20 Accounts to Date& Approval of Expenditure
024.The Chairman presented the available invoices and handwritten list of payments for approval. The following issues were discussed: missing invoices for the Grass Cutting, Newsletter Printing, Grave and Digging; underpayment error on the Rec. Grd. Caretaker invoices; and missing BACS details for Cllr Stevenson, BAGS& VM Free. The Council unanimously resolved to approve the list of expenditure except for the missing invoices, which were deferred to approval by email. Cllrs Woodhead & Vince signed the payments list. Chairman to confirm missing BACS details. RFO to raise approved BACS payments for authorisation.
12. Clerk & RFO Vacancy
025. The Chairman read a letter from the previous Clerk, which thanked the Council for its support and wished it well. LALC had confirmed that the Council was not required to advertise for a replacement. The option to split the Clerk & RFO role was proposed. The Council unanimously resolved to locally advertise the role of Clerk & RFO, with the option to divide the roles if required. Closing date of 4 June 2019. The shortlisting of candidates was delegated to the Interview Panel of Chairman, Cllr Vince & RFO.
13. Possible change of day on which council meetings are held
026. It was proposed, seconded and unanimously resolved to change the Council Meeting day to a Tuesday. Cover Clerk to update the list of dates and forward to Cllr Volanakis for the website.
14. Village Police Station
027. The Chairman informed the Council that the former Cllr King had had discussions with the authorities regarding the permanent transfer of the Police Station to the Parish Council for a peppercorn rent. Cllr Pocock stated that previous discussions had reached the point of transfer but had been stopped with the change in Police Commissioner. The Council unanimously supported the decision to reopen negotiations on transferring the Billingborough Police station. D. Cllr Hansen offered to assist the transfer. Chairman to make formal enquiry.
15. Village Matters
a. Recreation Ground & Sports Pavilion Refurbishment
028. The previously circulated list of proposals was discussed. The Chairman reiterated the importance of carrying out the work in the summer months. Nominated Cllrs to seek relevant maintenance quotes: Pavilion shutters, facias & entrance (Volanakis); Rec & Bowls entrance gates & shelter (Vince); litterbins (Harvey-Volanakis)
i. Tennis Court Access & Maintenance
029. Access to the Courts and vandalism concerns were discussed. The Council unanimously resolved to provide open access to the Courts within the Rec open hours, once the warning signs were replaced. Any reports or evidence of mis-use would result in the courts being locked. Cllr Volanakis to include notice of new arrangements in Newsletter, obtain replacement signs to warn of no bikes, skateboards, scooters or dogs on the courts; non-marking soles only, and ask Caretaker to open & close sports courts.
030. The Court surface required cleaning. It was unanimously resolved for the Chairman to contact previous contractor to weed kill the courts and outer perimeter and request Young Offenders Programme to clear court of debris.
b. Cemetery –Proposed Improvements
031. The Chairman highlighted the need for investment in the Cemetery and proposed a list of areas. Item to be included in next Agenda.
c. Review of Contracts (Village Cleaner & Recreation Ground Caretaker)
032. The Chairman confirmed that the above contracts required review. She had written to the Village Cleaner to notify her of the increase to the hourly rate; letters would also be sent to the Caretakers. The Village Cleaner had requested some feedback from the Council. Chairman to circulate existing contracts to all Cllrs.
d. Update onextra litter bins
033. The ongoing requirement for additional litter bins on Birthorpe Road & Vine Street was discussed. It was difficult to provide the proof required for SKDC. Chairman to chase SKDC and investigate costs of private arrangements if required. Cllr Pocock reiterated the issue of straw on the village roads. Chairman asked D. Cllr Hansen to reinvestigate the requirement for the lorries to cover their straw loads.
e. Bus Timetables/Stops
034. Chairman highlighted the complaint regarding the lack of bus timetable information in the village. The majority of the village was covered by request stops therefore it was difficult to install bus stop signs. Chairman to forward timetable information to Cllr Volanakis for the website and contacting the bus companies to request hardcopy timetables to be published in the village.
f. Newsletter
035. Cllr Volanakis briefed the Council on the costs of printing and distributing the Newsletter; distribution through the Parish Magazine was not possible. The A4 printout was agreed as the preferred layout. It was resolved to continue with the current arrangements. Cllr Volanakis required timely information from the Clerk for the Newsletters. Overhanging hedges and dog fouling to be included in next issue.
g. Village Emergency Plan
036. Due to other commitments, the Emergency Plan was deferred to the next Meeting.
h. Village Planters
037. It was unanimously agreed to plant the 3 entrance planters with approx.12 plants of mixed height and colour in each. Cllrs Harvey-Volanakis & Vince delegated to finalise plant mix and purchase plants up to a maximum of £200, including plants for the Cemetery entrance verges.
i. Young Offenders Programme Update
038. Although they had not attended last week, the Programme was working well.
j. Toller Trust
039. Cllr Stafford had attended the last Meeting, but no update was available.
k. Grass & Hedge Cutting Contract Update
040. The Chairman highlighted the outstanding requirement for hedge cutting quotes. Complaints had been received regarding the blowing of grass clippings from headstones, and the cutting of the Rec. Grd perimeter.
The Chairman had written to the contractor; the clippings had been blown but the wet weather had caused them to stick. The option of livestock to maintain the Cemetery grass was discussed but ruled out due to security issues. The cutting frequency needed to be closely monitored. Cllrs to feedback any grass cutting issues to the Chairman.
l. BAGS Yearly Contract
041. The Chairman informed the Council that the annual contract had still not been signed by BAGS. It had also become apparent that 3 plots had let to non-residents. The Council unanimously agreed to the rent by non-residents providing there was no residents on the waiting list. An enhanced rent of £50 for a full plot & £30 for a half plot was agreed. Chairman & Cllr Harvey-Volanakis to meet with BAGS Cttee.
m. Horbling PC Yearly Recreation Ground Contribution
042. The Chairman had received written confirmation from Horbling Parish Council that they had overlooked the Rec. Grd contribution for FY2018/19. Payment was expected shortly. The payment for FY2017/18 was also still outstanding. A payment due date would be agreed to assist both Councils.
16. To Receive any Urgent Reports & Correspondence from Members & the RFO
a. 043. The Chairman presented the two proposed designs for ‘no unauthorised vehicles’ sign on the private road to the SKDC properties at Spring Wells. The Council unanimously agreed to a portrait freestanding sign; attaching the sign to the Spring wells railings would be unsightly and not deter vehicles. Chairman to notify SKDC.
b. 044. The Chairman read a letter from a family requesting a Memorial Bench, preferably at Spring Wells. The Council had no objections in principle but clarification on style, security of attachment and future maintenance was required. Item to be included on next Agenda.
c. 045. The Council was required to confirm the ongoing requirement for the heritage brown finger sign for Spring Wells; if the criteria was not met a fee was required to retain the sign. Chairman to submit the finger sign paperwork on behalf of the Council.
d. 046. The Council had been notified of Planning ApplicationS19/0627for a two storey and single storey extension at 9 Pointon Road but no consultation had been received. The Chairman had chased SKDC and was awaiting a letter. All Cllrs to review the documents for S19/0627 and forward comments to the Chairman.
e. 047. Cllr Volanakis confirmed that the cost of additional solar powered speed feedback signswasapprox.£3500 each, plus installation. Item to be included on next Agenda.
There being no more business the Chairman closed the Meeting at 8.45pm.