Minutes of Annual Parish Meeting held on 19th April 2023
MINUTES FROM THE ANNUAL RESIDENTS MEETING HELD ON 19TH APRIL 2023 AT 7PM IN THE KEALS VILLAGE HALL.
PRESENT: Cllr Smith, Cllr Boxer, Cllr Kemp, Cllr Cooper, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Gray, Cllr Taylor, Clerk to the Council Mrs E Martin, Roisin Mullee and15 members of the public.
APOLOGIES: These were received from Cllr T Wrisdale.
WELCOME: Cllr Smith welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced Cllr Gray and Cllr Taylor. He explained that this should be known as the Annual Parish Meeting but he likes to call it the Annual Residents’ Meeting so that residents are aware that this meeting is for them.
CHAIR’S REPORT: Cllr Smith then read his report.
Councillors
In May 2022 your councillors were Grahame Smith, Chair; Lynn Kemp, Deputy Chair; Geoff Boxer; Tim Wrisdale; Dennis Cooper.
There were two vacancies since March through until November when Heather Edwards was co-opted on to the council. With no one else willing to come forward, this left one place available and is the position now.
We had the wonderful, skilful support and hard work from Libby Martin, our Parish Clerk.
We have also had great support and regular attendance from our District Councillor, Terry Taylor and County Councillor, William Grey.
We are very grateful to Dawn Keal who continued as our Internal Auditor.
Significant Events
a) In June 2022 your Parish Council contributed £120 towards the cost of toilet hire for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Parish Council also purchased jubilee mugs and donated one to each household in the parish.
b) We called a public meeting to address highways issues which attracted around forty residents who were able to express views to and ask questions of officers from Lincolnshire County Council. As a result, many suggestions were considered. We now have more ‘roundels’ signs on the road surface and we are told the camber on Hall Corner is to be adjusted during 2023. A speed assessment of traffic on the A16 through East Keal was conducted, the results of which are posted on our website.
Residents raised concern over speeding vehicles in Keal Cotes, we have contacted West Keal PC to work together to find improvements.
It is expected that Balfour Beatty will donate their flashing speed signs and we have requested Highways to place one in Keal Cotes and the other on the approach to Hall Corner.
c) Update to the arrangements for the lease of the parish council field has been agreed.
d) The Clerks laptop and printer equipment was renewed, a year before it was planned due to them failing, being slow and out of date.
The Four-Year Plan
In February councillors met to assess the progress in the Four-Year Plan. It was agreed that all objectives have generally been met, except the provision of a ‘public open space’. This has been included in the new plan starting in 2024, which is posted on our website.
Drains
Regular discussion and dialogue with Highways resulted, in November, the drains at Hall Corner were cleaned out and a promise of more often and regular cleaning was received. Blocked street drains in the lanes were cleaned after we highlighted the situation and provided a map of their locations.
Communications
Due to inaccurate information on social media and mis-use of Facebook pages, the parish council phased out using it. We encourage people to contact the council directly if they have an issue or question when it can be dealt with accurately, as well as finding information on our website which is kept up to date and on the new large noticeboard. We continue to email out important information to residents who have provided their emails with permission. You can add yours to this by contacting the Clerk.
The noticeboard by the crossroads was damaged by winds recently and has been removed due to its dangerous condition.
Footpaths
These have generally been kept clear by land owners and volunteers. We did contact the County Council Footpaths Officer regarding the path across the fields from Hall Corner to the top of Fen Lane, as it was continuously impassable. Thankfully, they did send their team to clear away the brambles and overgrowth.
War Memorial
We purchased flowers for the war memorial and tubs around the village last year. We do still need people to volunteer to keep tidy the grounds here.
At the memorial service in November over sixty people attended, many thanks go to David Rossdale for conducting the service.
Litter Picking
The first large litter pick on 14th May was supported by 15 volunteers. We noticed that along the A16, litter from passing vehicles appeared again shortly afterwards and that this was a common occurrence. Such litter we estimate constitutes around 95% of that found in our parish. As a result, we have trialled a system of having a few people picking litter more often which has seen good results with less litter lying around for a long time. A councillor has been out picking litter more than nine times since the new year and residents out walking or running have made a massive difference. Many thanks go to all people who do any litter picking, keeping our roadsides tidy.
Benches
The bench located at the bus stop by the War Memorial received an excellent overhaul and refurbishment, thanks to hard work from a couple of volunteer residents.
We received a new bench, now located by the crossroads of Blacksmiths Lane and Fen Lane.
This was donated as a memorial by the family of a resident who passed away and who wanted it to be useful to walkers.
Other issues considered
A horse rider has been using the footpath at Barrow Hole; dangerous parking on the slip road by the green; Damage caused by vehicles turning in School Lane; Several fly tipping incidents reported, especially on the Mavis Enderby Road.
Planning
Several planning applications have been received and considered. The refusal to build six houses on the field by The Manor has now gone to appeal. Also, refused was permission for houses in the field by Marden House.
Volunteers
We continue to be very grateful to those volunteers that continue to cut the grass verges around the village, your efforts are immense. Some people clear away fallen branches and fix gate posts, prune roses and tend to our plant pots, thanks go out to all of you.
If you can volunteer, please contact the Clerk.
Finances
The annual finances are published and a copy is available at this meeting. After some years of no increase in our council tax element, rising costs means this had to change.
It was proposed by Cllr Kemp and seconded by Cllr Edwards that the report given by the Chair be accepted.
To contact your Parish Council: Libby Martin on 01790 752083.
MINUES OF MEETING HELD ON 20TH APRIL 2022. These had been circulated. It was proposed by Cllr Cooper and seconded by Cllr Kemp that these be accepted. All agreed.
GUEST SPEAKER: Cllr Smith then introduced Roisin Mullee, our guest speaker who is the ‘Safer Together Coordinator’ for East Lindsey.
Ros, as she preferred to be called, explained her role, as one of four appointments made in Lincolnshire to help maintaining a link between communities and the Police Crime Commission. In her role she tries to engage with local communities and young people to find out their concerns and to help build up good relationships. These appointments have only been made in the last two and a half years.
Two projects that she has been involved with are: -
a) ‘Dementia Band Scheme’ which local police teams can help set up. Much more information is available on line where there is a form that can be completed for those who might benefit from the scheme,
b) A coastal plan regarding policing on the coast during the summer season. This will be based mainly around Skegness and Mablethorpe and will come into force during the summer season when there are many more people in the area. This is to help support the Police’s Plan. It will ensure that there is a greater police presence on the beach areas in an effort to help reduce crime. More resources and officers will be made available during this time.
In addition, they are setting up a Lincolnshire Strong Voices for young people aged between 11 and 25. They want young people to get involved and are seeking their views and concerns. In many instances this has been done through schools, but sadly only with those schools that wish to participate.
Residents’ Concerns. Concerns were raised by two residents from Keal Cotes regarding speeding through their village. Cllr Smith explained that it is proposed that East & West Keal and Keal Cotes Parish Councils work together to try to address this issue as it has been raised on numerous occasions. He also pointed out that speeding is the biggest complaint through all our villages.
REPORT FROM SOCIAL GROUPS.
Arts Group. It was reported that this group has closed at present but if enough residents are interested it can be reopened.
Community Café. This monthly event meets in the Church. There are games, jigsaws, magazines books etc plus hot drinks and cakes and surprises. All are welcome.
The next event will be on 3.5.23 with a Coronation Tea. This will be between 3 and 5pm. It is hoped that the Co-op will support this event.
Gardening Club. A report was read to the meeting, from Mrs Keal, who is away on holiday. We are a social group who meet up about twice a month, we enjoy meals out, garden visits, party nights, quiz nights and speakers. You do not have to live in East Keal to be a member or even have a passion for gardening, most of the time our events are just an excuse to eat, drink and enjoy good company. We charge just £10.00 per person per year for membership and you certainly get your monies worth, with discounts available at certain garden centres. At present there are 54 members.
Last year we had talks from Tom Holland on Hardwood cuttings, Phillip Maddison on Organic Gardening and another on pruning. Phillip also came back in the Winter to give us some practical rose pruning. We had a talk on chocolate making and tasting. Jenni Kirkby gave us a talk on how to care for your house plants. We had trips out to Gunby Hall, Thorne’s Beehive factory, Baumber walled garden, the Secret Garden of Louth and Baytree’s Wildlife Centre for a display from the birds of prey. We ate out at The Nelson Butt, enjoyed a Hog Roast, Cream Teas and a plant sale. We had a party night with a buffet and singer Shayla. We then rounded off the year by making Christmas decorations with Val, a Christmas dinner at Woodthorpe garden centre and a Christmas party in the Village Hall.
We also had two very successful plant sales where we raised money for our local church in East Keal.
This year we have a full programme of events planned. We have already had a talk on the Dynamic Dunes by Abby from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and a talk from David Rodger from The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Services. David is coming back later in the year to give us another of his fascinating talks. We also have talks booked on flowers to grow in the garden, a talk and walk with the head gardener at Baumber Walled Garden and a talk on bees and pollinators. We have garden visits booked to Willoughby allotments, Marigold cottage at Sutton on Sea and Woodlands at Louth. We will also be having our Hog Roast, party night and all of our Christmas activities. We will be visiting The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre this year and of course coffee and cake in the NAAFI. Phillip Maddison will be giving two practical pruning demonstrations this year, Summer and Winter, for trees, fruit trees and shrubs. This of course is just another excuse to drink coffee and eat cake.
Please speak to Libby or Dennis after the meeting if you would like any more information.
The Keals’ Events Community Group Report. Mrs Pearson read a report from the Chair of this committee who was unable to attend.
Since the last ARM the groups has grown from strength to strength. A weekend of free events for residents of the three Keals’ was organised to celebrate the late Queens Platinum Jubilee. On the Saturday there was a Village Fun Day with a royal theme, with scarecrows, games, memorabilia display, raffle and refreshments. On Sunday a Big Jubilee Lunch was held at Manor Farm, with the addition of a big red London bus, a classic mini, a giant lion, a DJ, and a free BBQ ending with a Keals’ Last Night of the Proms! Both events were most enjoyable with great feedback. Due to the successful fundraising by the group an amazing £4,047.62 was raised. The organised events cost £1421.00 and the remainder was given to local charities – LIVES, St Barnabas Hospice, Linkage, Spilsby & District Food Bank, East and West Keal Churches.
In August members of the committee decided they wished to continue organising events for the community. They amended the name to ‘The Keals’ Events Community Group’. Currently there are 12 members and new members are always welcome. The aim is to bring the Community of The Keals’ and surrounding areas together by organising affordable and inclusive events. Any money raised will go towards future community events and finances will be assessed in August, at the AGM, when any surplus will be donated to charity.
In November a Christmas market was held, in March a March Market and again in March a free First Aid Awareness Session provided by St Johns Ambulance. This was well received with over 20 attendees.
On May 8th the group are hosting a Coronation Celebration in the village hall from 10am to 3pm. There will be refreshments, games, crafts, a display, plant and book sale. The event is free and everyone is welcome. Cakes can be ordered for home delivery.
The committee have also organised seven warm space events since Christmas. ELDC gave a financial donation, the Co-op donated a refreshment box and the village hall committee allowed free use of the venue. These events are to be continue as ‘Community Cuppas’ and will be held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, from 10am to 1pm. In addition to the usual activities, it is hoped that Lincs Digital will come on 10th May, to help with technical skills. Also, Wellbeing Walks are due to start at the end of May with the possibility of some walks being organised over weekends.
On 7.7.23 the Horncastle Community Choir will be performing in the village Hall. Tickets are £5 each.
Proposed future events include a pizza night, games nights, discos, quizzes, litter picks, craft markets and much more. New ideas are always welcome and we look forward to working with other local groups.
The Chair would personally like to thank all members of the group for their dedication, enthusiasm and community spirit, they have worked so very hard. In addition, thanks were expressed to all who have supported these events.
Local History Group
The group is well supported with up to 20 people attending monthly meetings regularly for nearly two years. Information held by several local families has been illustrated by their old photos, fascinating stories and reminiscences.
Some family trees have been put together and the group enjoy looking up archives and discovering information not previously known.
The group is also blessed with excellent cake makers.
St Helen’s Church – PCC.
As with all Churches across the Deanery, Time to Change Together, has had an impact on St Helen’s and as a congregation we are coming together with the changes as they are implemented. We have been able to hold regular weekly services which started in May 2022 and this has led to a growth in the regular congregation.
We continue to benefit from the transformation that has taken place at the back of the Church with the removal of the pews. The extra space is now used for a multitude of purposes both by the church and the local community. Our Faculty application for the installation of a toilet and servery was submitted on February 2022 and at long last has now been successful. Recently a new PA system has been installed.
We are already starting to consider what other improvements could be made to make the building a more useable space, and at our recent PCC meeting a conversation was started about the possibility of removing all the pews. This obviously needs discussion more widely in the community before any decisions can be made. Given the time that it takes to get Faculty approval, it was agreed that we should consider this possibility now.
Whilst our initial bid to Heritage Lottery was turned down, we have been encouraged to reapply, strengthening the focus on Heritage in our bid. Work on the revised bid is underway, taking account of the feedback from NHLF.
We are hugely indebted to our fundraising team, who work tirelessly to arrange events to raise funds to support St Helen’s. They have held suppers, jumble sales, quizzes, Christmas Fayres, plant sales etc. One of our major fundraising events in 2022 was the ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ event, an afternoon of live music and afternoon tea hosted by Bill & Cynthia. This year we are holding an event to mark the Coronation on 6th May and everyone in the village is invited to celebrate this significant event together. In September we have planned a Scarecrow Weekend over 2nd & 3rd Sept. This is always an enjoyable and well attended event and we hope everyone in the village will get involved.
Finally, a big thankyou to everyone who supports St Helen’s through practical help, cleaning, keeping the churchyard tidy etc or just supporting our events.
Friends of St Helen’s Church East Keal
The purpose of the Friends of St Helen’s is to raise funds to support the maintenance of the church building for the community of East Keal. We do that in two main ways: the occasional event, many of you may remember the Pimm’s and Canape’s evening last May and the Remembrance Lunch in November, and also through the monthly 100 Club lottery.
Since the last Residents’ Meeting, we have handed £2,000 over to the Church Council which is earmarked by them for building works. We have also been able to support the Church Council in their bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, as the support for the Friends is evidence that there is community support for the church building.
Membership of the Friends is £5 each year and £10 for a household. All members are invited to our annual AGM in September, last year was a fun cheese & wine evening with a French theme and we’re already working on this year’s theme.
Our 100 Club lottery is open to anyone over the age of 18 and we currently have 59 numbers subscribed to. Tickets are £5 per number, per month. There are three prizes every month, an annual roll-over draw and the majority of funds raised (60%) are earmarked for church maintenance. Please contact me, or any member of the committee, if you are interested in subscribing.
This summer we are also starting a pop-up pub in the church, with a licenced bar - at the St Helen’s Arms. Locally brewed craft beers will be on tap and locally made gin (plus of course wine & non-alcoholic drinks) will be for sale. And food! The first pub night is Friday 9th June, with further nights planned from September onwards. Look out for more details shortly.
The Keals’ Village Hall Report
Over the last year there have been several inflationary effects on the hall's finances. Electricity prices has more than doubled; along with large increases in heating oil and internet costs has resulted in a rise in hire prices. At £20 per session price is in line with pre-Covid levels and still great value for money.
There continues to be mix of regular social group users and some private hire, but the absence of the W.I. will be noticed.
A marketing working party has been set up with the aim of increasing usage and revenue by increasing publicity of the hall and awareness of its benefits in future.
The Keals' Wildlife Group
The group have met regularly at the village hall for nearly two years now. Observations on local wildlife have been accumulated to monitor mammal and bird populations.
With the Keals' area being a lovely country environment, the group feel it is important to be aware of our wildlife to the benefit of all. We shall be comparing figures collected each year as well as visiting sites to observe our local wildlife.
The next meeting is this Friday 21st April 11:00 am.
WI Report.
Sadly, it was reported that the Keals’ WI has had to close as they were finding it increasingly difficult to get members to take on roles. Over the last year regular meeting have been held. The group celebrated 75 years of WI in the villages, by holding afternoon tea in Hundleby where a celebration cake was cut. Because of their closure assets have been given to both East & West Keal Churches and the Keals’ Community Group. It is proposed that some informal groups will continue such as the book club and the Ramblers.
NEWS ITEMS
Cllr Smith asked if there were any other items of interest residents wished to share. As there were not the meeting closed at 8.15pm.
One person present then asked if the state of School Lane could be considered as, although there is building work underway it is always very dirty and there is a lot of rubbish. Cllr Gray and Taylor agreed to speak to the resident.