Minutes of 2018

MINUTES of an Extra-ordinary MEETING

held on Friday October 26th, 2018

in Minting Village Hall

Present:

Councillor Heselwood (Chair), Councillors V Brown, G Bell, H Padfield and G Keys and 6 members of the public.

         The Chair welcomed the members of the public to the public forum and asked if they would like to speak.  The residents wanted to raise their concerns about the planning application in Agenda item 9.  They raised the issues that there was a lack of clarity in the application.  There appears to be no place for storage of bedding and food, suggesting that it will need to be brought daily from the applicant’s property some distance away.  The residents raised road safety concerns, as the road is single track and the entrance will be on a double bend, which will be very dangerous for large, animal transportation vehicles to use. The proposed shed appears to be very large and will be very visible from several properties, which also may have noise and odour implications.  The residents accepted that the business was the applicant’s livelihood, but were not happy with the apparent scale or lack of clear information about how it would operate.

1. Chairman’s remarks –

The Chairman welcomed everyone.

2. Apologies for absence and reasons given.  Vote to accept.

Cllr E Brown sent her apologies due to work commitments

Cllr Stuchfield sent apologies due to a family commitment

It was proposed by Cllr Heselwood, seconded by Cllr Keys and agreed by all to accept the reasons for absence.

3. Declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests under the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 made under the s.30 (3) of the Localism Act 2011

Cllr V. Brown declared a Disclosable Pecuniary interest in agenda item 7.2;(financial payment).
 

4. Declaration of Personal Interests under the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 made under the s.30 (3) of the Localism Act 2011

Cllr Heselwood declared a Disclosable interest in agenda item 7.4.

5. To confirm or amend and sign the minutes of the meeting held on August 22nd, 2018

It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all to accept the draft notes as a true and accurate record of the meeting and the Chair then duly signed them accordingly.

6. To receive reports from District and County Councillors and Police (if available)

None available

7. Financial Matters
   1. To record that the Parish Council has registered with the ICO as a Data Processor

It was recorded that, as agreed some months previously, the Parish Council has registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a Data Processor and the fee for this has been paid by cheque.

1. To approve payments to be made by the Parish Council (see separate list)

Councillors were provided with a list of all the payments to be approved.  It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Bell and agreed by all to make the payments.  The cheques were duly signed.

1. To ask the Internal Auditor to do a half-yearly audit as soon as practicable

The Chair advised that it was time for the half yearly internal audit to be conducted.  It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all to ask the Internal Auditor to carry this out as soon as practicable under the same terms as before.

1. Approve Cllr Heselwood to pay by personal debit card for annual renewal of Domain Name mintingandgautby.co.uk, hosting and email of ca. £38.00 combined, to be reclaimed in November.

It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all for Cllr Heselwood to make this payment and reclaim the amount, as it cannot be paid by cheque.

1. To Agree to apply for a grant from ELDC for projector for Council use

The Chair advised that Cllr Gray of ELDC now has some grant money available again, and applications may be made to him.  The Chair reminded Councillors that they had discussed the purchase of a projector before, in order to cut down on the use of papers and ink and the Clerk’s time printing in preparation for meetings.  After research, the Chair has found a suitable projector for sale on the Amazon website for around £300.  The projector could also be used by other groups in the village.  Cllr Keys enquired as to the cost of replacement bulbs for this model, as that is the potential expensive part.  The Chair advised that she didn’t have information on the cost of replacement light bulbs, but such costs could be shared with the Heritage Society, who could also use the projector.  If a grant was obtained, there would be no up-front cost to the Parish Council.  It was proposed by Cllr Heselwood, seconded by Cllr Keys and agreed by all to apply to Cllr Gray for a grant to purchase a projector.

8. To Agree in principle to work with MVH Committee on their project for renewable electricity generation for the Village Hall, as the Council would like to apply for grant funding to purchase back-up batteries to support the Council’s Emergency Plan, as the Council’s part of this project.

The Chair reminded Councillors that Minting Village Hall had been given a generous donation in order to cut the hall’s energy bills by way of sustainable energy generation.  She further reminded Councillors that the    

village hall is the place of refuge in case of a village emergency.  The Parish Council could apply for grant funding for storage batteries as a part of the village hall’s overall grant application for solar panels; since batteries would be vital in the case of a power cut in an emergency situation.  Cllr Bell advised that she knew that Lincs Rural Housing have a lot of experience in this area and would be willing to come and give a talk about how they operate their scheme.  Cllr Keys advised that serious consideration would need to be made regarding the safe housing of battery equipment.  It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all for the Parish Council to work together with Minting Village Hall committee to make a grant application on this basis.

9. Update on Complaint made by a former resident against the Parish Council to the Information Commissioner, Case Number FS50716748

Note for the record that the Information Commissioner’s Office found that the complaint against the Council was not upheld.  The Chair confirmed to Councillors that the Information Commissioner does not require the Parish Council to take any more steps in relation to this complaint.  The complainants may still have appeal, but the Information Commissioner will take no further action on this matter at this time.

10. To Discuss and respond to East Lindsey District Council re S/122/01818/18 | APPLICATION FOR Planning Permission for Erection of an agricultural building to be used for calf rearing and hardstanding areas. | LAND SOUTH OF LODGE LANE, MINTING, HORNCASTLE, LINCOLNSHIRE, LN9 5NR

Councillors have been provided with the plans and application for the above and the Chair read out 2 residents’ objections.  Councillors discussed the application and raised a number of concerns, mostly in relation to a lack of information supporting the application. It was proposed by Cllr Brown, seconded by Cllr Keys and agreed by all to respond to ELDC with the view that the Parish Council cannot support the application at this time due to a lack of clarity in the application:

There is a complete lack of clarity on the application regarding the following (the answers to which would have impact to a lesser or great degree on the
neighbouring properties and local road users):
a.    Expected number of calves to be housed in the facility
b.    How long would they be housed for – it is not clear if this is a year-round facility or just for the winter period.
c.    No information regarding feed and bedding storage – the understanding is that if it is not stored on-site it will have to be transported from their farm on
        the other side of the A158 and down the narrow lane at least once a day.
d.    The lack of clarity of size and nature of operation (e.g. noisy, 1-week-old calves or 6-month-old calves for finishing), and frequency of
        movement of livestock. This would have lesser or greater impact on vehicle movements of large livestock haulage lorries.
e.    There is no information regarding accommodation for stockmen who will surely be needed to be on site.
f.    Lighting – with Yorkshire Boarding being the proposed construction style any lights inside would cause light spillage on to the surrounding fields and
        road, affecting neighbours and causing light pollution.
g.    We understand that part of the hedge at the entrance is planned to be removed to improve access to the highway however this is not mentioned on the
        application, neither is the building of some sort of all-weather road on the land to enable large vehicles to access the shed.
h.    The attitude of Highways in this matter seems strange as there are signs coming from both directions on this corner warning of traffic in the middle of the
        road. This danger exists and dangers on the corner will only be exacerbated by the increase in large tractors which we understand will be servicing the
        unit and large livestock lorries.
i.    There is no information about what will be done with the large amounts of waste produced by this operation – again there are traffic implications, as well
         as odour implications for neighbouring properties.

In addition to the unknowns above there are several other aspects which effect of the amenity of neighbouring properties and were brought up by residents who attended the meeting and who, whilst acknowledging that this is a farming area and that they did not wish to cause detriment to the applicant’s livelihood, were however, concerned about their own quality of life and made the following additional points:

1)    Visual impact of the development which will be seen from at least the nearest neighbour’s property.
2)    The nearest property will lose its existing countryside views and this will adversely affect their residential amenity
3)    The proposed development is over-bearing and out of scale with other local properties.
4)    The proposed development is out of character for the immediate area

5 members of the public left the meeting.

11. To Approve the Following updated/new general policy documents:
    1. List of Policies

Councillors had been provided with all the policies to be updated/reviewed:

2. Standing Orders

The Chair reminded Councillors that they had approved revised Standing Orders in April 2018, only for new model standing orders to be issued from NALC some 2 weeks later.  These new Standing Orders reflect these most recent changes.  It was proposed by Cllr Brown to approve the new standing orders, seconded by Cllr Keys and agreed by all.

3. Grants Policy/No Grants Policy. 

As there is no money available at this time in the budget for the Parish Council to make grants; it was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Bell and agreed by all to alter the grants policy, stating that no grants are available at this time, the Parish Council can advise interested parties as to other potential sources of funding and that the policy will be reviewed in the future in the case of money becoming available in the budget.

4. Co-option Procedure.  It was proposed by Cllr Heselwood, seconded by Cllr Keys and agreed by all to alter the new Councillors’ Co-option procedure to include the NALC code of conduct.
5. Data Protection Policy.

Minor changes were read out by the Chair, to include “Access to the locked filing cabinets will be by the Proper Officer and Chair.”  It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all to adopt the changes.

6. Internal Communications Policy

The changes are related to the new GDPR regulations, the Chair read them out to members.  It was proposed by Cllr Keys and seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all to adopt the changes to the policy.

12. Recruitment of New Clerk
    1. To Approve Employment Documents (Reviewed by PAS), excluding specific contract elements:
       1. Core Competencies
       2. Personnel Working Party Terms of Reference
       3. Recruitment, Selection and Probation Procedure
       4. Clerk Advert
       5. Clerk’s Application Pack
       6. Clerk’s Job Description
       7. RFO Duties
       8. Person Specification
       9. Interview Invite Letter
       10. Competency-Based Interview Questions
       11. Letter of Appointment
       12. Blank Employment Contract
       13. Equal Opportunities Policy
       14. Probationary Competencies Appraisal Procedure and Form
       15. Disciplinary policy
       16. Grievance Policy
       17. Staff Competencies Appraisal Pack
       18. Internet Policy and Procedure for Staff
       19. Whistle blowing Policy for Staff
       20. New Employee Form

Councillors were provided with copies of all the above documents.  The Chair advised that all of them have been approved by PA&S, highlighting the areas where they had made changes.  The Chair also read out the proposed job advertisement.  Councillors discussed the documents and Cllr Bell expressed her concern about the level of expenditure which is required by the workload and the worry that there will be no money left for anything else.  She hoped that it will be possible to simplify the workload in the future.

It was proposed by Cllr Keys, seconded by Cllr Brown and agreed by all to approve the use of all the above documents.

Cllr Bell left the meeting at 8.30pm

1. To discuss budget implications of Parish maintenance needs, financial reserve requirements, election     reserve dilemma (see below) and staff on costs such as hourly rate, travel mileage, office costs and           workload to inform specific employment details and employment options.

The elections officer at East Lindsey confirmed that every 4 years (in an election year) in a situation where there are more candidates than vacancies for a seat on Minting and Gautby Parish Council, we would have to pay circa £2100.00 to East Lindsey District Council to pay for the cost of holding the election (poll cards, polling station hire, printing, staff, postage etc). In addition, where a Councillor has resigned in between 4-yearly elections and where 10 electors request an election and more than one candidate applies per vacancy, the same costs would be incurred by our Council. Having ringfenced £2000.00 in reserves, does the Council need to budget £500.00 per year for the next 4 years in case an election is called in May 2019 (after the budget for 2019/20 has already been set) or, if the ringfenced £2000 is spent in May, would the newly-elected Council then have 3 years to find £2000? This assumes that no interim elections are called by residents.

Councillors were reminded that there is a low budget for maintenance, however, a quote for £900 to fix the fence around the playing field has been received and a quote to refurbish the telephone kiosk of £350.  However, the neighbouring landowner has advised that the fence repairs are not very urgent, and £300 put aside for 3 years could cover this. 

Election reserves – the Chair confirmed that £2000 has been ringfenced for this.  At any time if there are more applicants for Parish Council seats than there are vacancies, then the cost of an election will be borne by the Parish Council.  This appears to be an anti-democratic step, since it doesn’t encourage people to stand as Councillors.  The Council must have a plan to build up election reserves if they are spent.

Other considerations in relation to hiring a new clerk: time for training will need to be paid if the clerk is inexperienced.  In addition, if they live a distance away, there will be mileage to pay.  Other local Councils such as Salmonby and Tetford pay their clerk £400 per year for office costs, since they work from home, using electricity, make telephone calls etc.  This is a cost which the Parish Council has not previously paid.

13. To resolve to move into closed session in accordance with the public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 due to the confidential nature of the business to be discussed in relation to Employment Matters and letter from Information Commissioner’s Office.

               It was resolved by all to move into closed session.  1 member of the public left the meeting.

1. Agree Hours, work pattern, salary range, office costs etc. in proposed Clerk’s Terms of Employment    including Job Advertisement Text

               The Chair discussed the different options and the extra costs which will be incurred by the Parish Council in the future, such as election costs. 

               It was agreed by all to offer the position as a fixed-term contract with option to extend which would allow           the Council to make a financial commitment for a limited amount of time only, to allow more flexibility      regarding finances in the future.

               It was agreed by all to advertise the post as a fixed-term contract.

1. Discuss reply to ICO re complaint by former residents, due by November 19th, 2018.

   The Chair provided Councillors with a copy of the draft background letter and draft response letter to be         sent to the ICO.  Councillors discussed the letters and it was proposed by Cllr Heselwood, seconded by Cllr        Keys and agreed by all to send the letters to the ICO, as per the drafts.

14. To resolve to move into open session in accordance with the public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960.

It was proposed by Cllr Heselwood, seconded by Cllr Keys and agreed by all to move back into open session.  One member of the public returned to the meeting.

15. To receive and consider any applications for co-option to the vacant seat on the Council.  

It was noted that Iain Hibbert has resigned as a Parish Councillor, and the Council vacancy was subsequently advertised.

A member of the public, Mr Eric Clark, confirmed that he wished to be co-opted as a Parish Councillor.  He advised the meeting that he had lived in the village for 27 years and has been very involved in activities for the benefit of the community such as trimming grass verges, providing snow clearance and work in flood prevention. The Chair confirmed that she and the Vice Chair had met with Mr Clark and had given him background information regarding the current issues being dealt with by the Council.

The Chair proposed a ballot to co-opt Mr Clark as a Councillor.  A secret ballot was held as per the Council’s Standing Orders and Mr Clark was duly elected to serve as a Parish Councillor.  He completed the Acceptance of Office form and was given a DPI form to fill in as soon as possible.
 

16. To agree date and propose agenda items for the next meeting on Monday 19th November, 2018 in Minting Village Hall.

       It was agreed by all that the next meeting should be held on 19th November 2018, and that the date for the

       next following meeting be 18th January 2019, both to be held at Minting Village Hall.

17. Close Meeting – The Chair closed the meeting at 9.45pm

Unfortunately, with deep regret Councillor Bell handed in her resignation as a Parish Councillor, who had served the community for over 50 years. The Chair thanked Cllr Bell for her many years of service to the Council and the community and the Council will greatly miss her wise counsel and knowledge and experience.