Minutes 2023/24

Minutes October 2023

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF GRIMOLDBY AND MANBY PARISH COUNCIL

HELD AT THE PAVILION, GIBSON WAY, MANBY

ON WEDNESDAY 18th OCTOBER 2023

 

Present                                          Councillor T. Knowles (TK) (in the chair)

 

Councillors: A. Bunting (AB), C. Fairburn (CF), N. Hind (NH), M. Starsmore (MS) and T. Vamplew (TV)

 

 

Councillors not present: Mrs. E. Billings (EB), M. Bruce (MB), Mrs. L. Knowles (LK) and Mrs. N. Turney (NT)

The Clerk, Mrs. L.M. Phillips was also present. 

  1. Apologies
    Apologies for absence were received from Cllr. Mrs. LK.
     
  2. Chairman’s Remarks
    The Chairman reported on two things: 1) that the hearing on the biodigester planning application had been deferred and might take place in December; and 2) the playpark had been repainted.

    Cllr. MS arrived at 7.33pm.
     
  3. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
    There were no declarations of interest or requests for dispensations.
     
  4. Council Minutes
    It was RESOLVED to approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 20th September 2023 with an amendment to T48. to show the date of the approved minutes as 19th July 2023 rather than 21st June 2023 and at T53. In the quote from the insurance company that the word negligent be changed to negligible.
     
  5. Finance
    The Council received, noted and duly RESOLVED to authorise:
    1. The Financial Report for October, showing a closing balance on 1st September 2023 of £76,257.33 which agreed to the closing balance on the bank statement issued on 14th September 2023.
    2. Cheques for payment, listed on the Cheque Schedule 101823 totalling £3,553.14.
    3. The Council also RESOLVED that its Finance Committee should meet on Friday 3rd November 2023 from 6pm in the Pavilion to discuss the Council’s budget and precept for 2024/25.
       
  6. Planning
    1. Applications received by the Local Planning Authority
      The Council considered all applications including those listed in the schedule (Plans_09_20_23) and RESOLVED as follows:
      1. N/113/01885/23 – 3 Hunter Avenue, Manby – No objection.
    2. Planning Decisions
      The Council noted the following planning decisions received from ELDC.:
      1. N/113/01247/23 – Lynx House, Manby Park – ELDC has refused planning permission.
      2. N/113/01248/23 – Lynx House, Manby Park – ELDC has refused Listed Building Consent.
    3. Temporary Traffic Restrictions
      The Council noted that there were no temporary traffic restrictions to consider.
       
  7. Proposed Work to Trees
    The Council considered the following proposed work to trees and RESOLVED to remain neutral:
    1. Location: Linden Lea, 1 Church Lane, Manby – Proposal: T15 – Lime – (T3 on plan) – Reduce from 21m to a finished height of approx. 15m to previous pollard points to keep flowing lines.  Remove lower epicormic growth to 5.2m for highway clearance.  T18 – Lime – (T2 on plan) – Reduce from approx. 18m to a finished height of approx. 13m to previous pollard points to keep flowing lines.  Remove lower epicormic growth to 5.2m for highway clearance.  T19 – Lime – (T1 on plan) – Reduce from 21m to a finished height of approx. 15m to previous pollard points to keep flowing lines.  Remove lower epicormic growth to 5.2m for highway clearance.

       
  8. Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR)
    1. The Council noted that the Council's External Auditor had completed its limited assurance review of Grimoldby and Manby Parish Council for the year ended 31st March 2023. (All documents circulated by email 02/10/23 and posted on Noticeboards 30/9/23).
    2. The Council noted that the Notice of Conclusion of Audit was posted on the website and noticeboards on 30/9/22 to meet legislative deadlines.
    3. The Council received Section 3 - External Auditor Report and Certificate 2022/23 and note the external auditor's comments regarding reserves.  (Circulated by email 02/10/23).  It was RESOLVED to review its reserves and earmarked reserves when considering the precept and amend/approve as appropriate. 
    4. The Council note that a change had been made to the Practitioners’ Guide 2023 which would be mandatory for the 2023/24 period.  This being to Paragraph 1.26 which related to the requirements in relation to Assertion 3 and states “Email Management - every authority should have an email account that belongs to the council and to which the council has access – this ideally would be a .gov.uk or .org.uk address or could be an address linked to the council website”.  In order to answer yes to Assertion 3 on the 23/24 Governance Statement the local authority should ensure that it has an email address that complies with this requirement and if it does not already it should do so urgently.  The Clerk explained that another local parish Council had asked for confirmation regarding its email address (a parishcouncilname@btinternet.com one) and had been told that as it was specific to the Council, even though it was not a .gov.uk or .org.uk domain it would meet the requirements and would not require changing.
       
  9. Internal Auditor
    The Council RESOLVED to appoint Mrs. J. Cooper as its internal auditor for 2023/24.  It noted the scope that the internal audit would take and that she had the relevant experience of Council’s and independence to be suitably qualified for the role.
     
  10. Closed Session Item
    The Council RESOLVED to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 due to the business to be discussed in the following item, information being of a confidential and sensitive nature in relation to Personnel:
    1. Appraisal – The Chairman shared with Councillors notes that the Clerk had written regarding her appraisal.  It was RESOLVED that:
      1. The Clerk should arrange to undertake playpark inspection training at the next available opportunity. 
      2. The Clerk be authorised to use the small room off the meeting room in the Pavilion as a storage space for old Council records. 
      3. The Clerk make provision in the 2024/25 budget for the purchase of a Council laptop and associated software/IT.
      4. The Clerk would add duties associated with GDPR, the play park, the allotments and the football field to her job description to future proof the Council.
    2. Annual Salary Review – It was RESOLVED to raise the Clerk’s salary to SCP 26 from November 2023.
       
  11. Any Other Business
    Councillors enquired about a) the cutting of the hedge alongside the tennis court adjacent to Carlton Road.  The Clerk confirmed that this was not forgotten, one quote had been received so far, more were awaited; and b) the enquiry that had been received regarding bins.  The Clerk confirmed that the Chairman had spoken to ELDC who had increased the frequency at which they emptied the bins in the village, no further complaints had been received.  However, she reminded Councillors that they had agreed to undertake an inventory, marking the location of bins on a map, that she had provided to them and suggesting where new bins might be needed.  However, she had not yet received the information back from this exercise.
     
  12. Next Meeting
    The Council noted that the date of the next scheduled meeting was Wednesday 15th November 2023.

 

 

The meeting closed at 8.11pm

 

 

 

Signed_______________________ (Chairman)         Dated_________________________