May 2020 Minutes
A virtual meeting of East Keal Parish Council Meeting was held on 20.5.2020 at 7pm.
Welcome. Cllr Grahame Smith welcomed everyone to the meeting. He then read some of the information from the introduction to the Agenda. ‘In light of the Covid-19 outbreak this is a reduced Agenda. After legal advice and agreement from Councillors, Cllr Grahame Smith will continue as Chair for the forthcoming year and Cllr Kemp will continue as Vice Chair.’
Present. Cllr Smith, Cllr Thornley, Cllr Dromey, Cllr Ward, Cllr Kemp, Cllr Aran, Cllr Swanson, Clerk to the Council, Mrs E Martin and one member of the public.
1. Apologies for Absence. None Given.
2. Notes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 27.3.20 to be approved as the minutes. It was resolved that the notes be accepted as minutes of the meeting, all agreed and the minutes were then signed.
3. Resignation of Cllr Crowson. Cllr Crowson had written to the Clerk offering her resignation. ELDC have been notified and vacancy posters placed on the notice boards.
4. Co-option of Mr Geoff Boxer. Mr Boxer introduced himself and told the Council a bit about himself and why he wanted to become a Councillor. Cllr Thornley proposed that Mr Boxer be coopted and Cllr Kemp seconded the proposal. All agreed. Cllr Boxer to sign the paperwork and return to ELDC and the clerk.
5. Finance:
a) Payment of £346.34 to Inspire for the annual insurance.
b) Payment to Church of £50.00 towards maintenance of Churchyard.
c) Reimbursement of £13.98 to E Martin for memory sticks. It was proposed by Cllr Kemp and seconded by Cllr Dromey that a, b & c be accepted. All agreed.
d) Financial Statement for year ending 31.3.20. Acceptance of this document was proposed by Cllr Thornley and seconded by Cllr Dromey. All agreed.
e) Financial Report as at 20th May 2020 and Bank Reconciliation statement. Acceptance of these documents was proposed by Cllr Thornley and seconded by Cllr Kemp. All agreed.
f) Completion of Annual Governance Statement. A copy of this completed document was circulated prior to the meeting. Cllr Smith went through this document with the Councillors ensuring that they all understood the figures. It was proposed by Cllr Kemp and seconded by Cllr Ward that Cllr Smith sign the Certificate of Exemption and pages 5 and 6 on behalf of the Council. All agreed.
g) Appointment of Internal Auditor and Auditor of half year financial inspection. Mrs Dawn Keal has kindly agreed to continue in this role.
6. Any other matters for discussion only or next Agenda. Reports from representatives on outside bodies:
a) County Councillor.
i. Highways New Contractors have started repair work.
ii. Household Waste Recycling Centres – have reopening from May 18th. To book a space ring 01522 782070.
iii. Councillor Grant – coronavirus - A small amount of funding is still available.
iv. Grass verges. LCC has given full permission to cut outside your property subject to Health & Safety basic guidelines being followed.
v. Roadside grass cutting has now begun.
vi. Snipe dales has reopened but please observe social distancing.
vii. Cllr Hill and Cllr Mrs Bradwell have been re-elected Leader & Deputy.
viii. Lincoln Castle has been reopened to the public.
ix. Speed reduction through village. Unfortunately, neither the Clerk nor Chair have received details of when this is going to committee. Cllr Aron offered to locate the information and forward it to the Council. He felt it was a ‘fine line’ between they agree or otherwise in acceptance the proposal. Cllr Aron was asked what sort of evidence would be used in making a decision. He stated that local representation can be made at this meeting. Once a decision is made it will go out for consultation. Clerk to forward details of the meeting to Cllrs when it arrives.
b) District Councillor
i. Joint working proposal. Boston Borough Council and ELDC are putting forward plans to work together in some areas. It is anticipated that savings could be in the region of £1.8 million a year could be made. Information has been in the local papers.
ii. Bulky item collections. At present ELDC have suspended future collections, unless already paid for. The public are also being asked to store glass at home to avoid non-essential travel.
c) Boots & Superdrug. Both shops are opening up their consultation rooms for the public to report violence in the home.
d) Complaint regarding smells. The Council have received a complaint regarding unpleasant smells. Cllr Swanson has been informed. Such complaints need to be forward to the Environment Agency who issue the licence to the farmers and it specifies where and how they can dispose of slurry and if it should be dug in etc.
e) Plants for the War Memorial. Cllr Smith informed Cllrs that volunteers are still willing to look after the garden round the War Memorial. They have asked if they can purchase some plants to enhance the site. It was reported that approaches have been make to Bell’s nurseries and Linkage. At present no reply has been received. It was felt that the Council would support such a request and if necessary, any reimbursement could be made at the next meeting. An amount of £50 was suggested but the Chair will discuss this with Mrs Abbott.
f) Grant Money. Cllr Swanson reminded everyone that he still has some grant money to be used supporting Coronavirus issues. He felt that if no Parish Council applied for funding he could give this to the local schools in his area to use.
g) Dog Fouling. It has been noted that in recent weeks there is more dog fouling in the village. It was suggested that perhaps additional signs could be purchased.
7. Date of next meeting – 15th July 2020 at 7pm.