East Kirkby Parish Council Meeting
Held at East Kirkby Village Hall
16th September 2021 – 19.00 start
Present: Cllrs B Nowicki (Chairman), C Brandwood, D Brown, C Roe, V Lingard, County & District Cllr W Gray, District Cllr J Swanson (Arr. 19.30), JH Mussett (Clerk)
Apologies received/accepted: None
Declarations of interest: None declared – based on the published agenda.
Approval of minutes from meeting held in July 2021:
Acceptance of the July 2021 minutes was proposed by Cllr Brandwood, seconded by Cllr Lingard. Unanimously agreed at the subsequent vote. Chairman signed the minutes off and will post a copy on the notice board.
Update from Cllr Jim Swanson:
Several Lincolnshire councils have written to the government confirming their support for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) to aid those fleeing from the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. There has been no confirmation of what shape the aid will take or what funding is available.
Update from Cllr William Gray:
Cllr Gray had sent his report ahead of time and Clerk had distributed to the Councillors.
Highways matters:
- Situation with the footpath that was left in a worse state after LCC had cleared the vegetation: Richard Fenwick, County highways manager is aware of the situation and has put the footpath on the program/list to be resurfaced this financial year. Cllr Gray will enquire of LDC to try and get a firm date.
- Blocked gullies have been cleared – All bar one on Cobblers Corner, where the cover was damaged/inaccessible, but this too has now been repaired and cleared.
- The massive pothole opposite the chicken farm has been fixed.
Russell Crockford was our local area Highways manager, but has been replaced Kyra Nettle. Kyra is happy to meet East Kirkby Parish Council via Zoom/Teams. Zoom/Teams allows Kyra to access current information at her fingertips on these calls. Cllr Gray will provide details to Clerk.
Extension to the speed limit: Extension of the 40mph area to the start of the 50mph (By Hagnaby Priory). Speed limit currently ends just beyond the garage. Cllr Gray mentioned that there are many rules and regulations that govern the possibility of extending this limit, making it unlikely that this will happen. However, a new factory has opened up and there is a lot of traffic in and out of the area, which all piles out onto that part of the A155. A large number of near-misses have been witnessed. Cllr Gray will pursue.
Tommy Silhouette:
Chairman re-iterated the status. It appears that no further Tommy statues are being made and Ryan has not been in contact with Chairman. Listed building consent required, so Chairman asked Clerk to start the process off.
Cllr Brandwood mentioned that the War Memorial is beginning to get a grey-ish hue. Clerk to chase Leakes re the last request to them.
Action: Clerk to start Listed Building consent and chase Leakes.
Village plaque:
Chairman distributed copies of his ideas for the proposed information board to the Councillors for consideration. Councillors all agreed that the position of the board next to the bench was the better location, rather than next to the gate for the War Memorial – All felt it detracted from the War Memorial itself.
Cllr Brandwood asked for the details to be sent to all for comments. Chairman also suggested adding QR codes, linking to the various websites. It was suggested that Tongs of Spilsby could do the plaque. Action: Chairman will ask for a contribution and if Tongs of Spilsby would like to make it.
Cllr Brown mentioned that the Red Lion has been modernised and the war & airfield memorabilia has been re-instated and looks amazing.
Speed indicator sign:
Cllr Brandwood was approached by a parishioner regarding the dangers of crossing the road as she had nearly been knocked down by an electric car, which are virtually noiseless. Cllr Gray mentioned that there are schemes available to borrow kits from the Council. Clerk will also look into prices.
Chairman asked if Cllr Gray knew what the rules are regarding mirrors. However, Cllr Swanson mentioned that Highways are, in general, against them.
Action: Clerk to look up prices of speed indicator signs.
Financial matters:
Clerk advised Councillors that in accordance with our Statement of Internal Control, a cheque to Diane Malley of Payroll Services Ltd totalling £60.00 had been sent on 20th August 2021.
Minute ref: 142/01
Clerk’s wages: Chairman advised Council of Clerk’s wages for July-September amount to £189.72.
Minute ref: 142/02
Acceptance of invoices was proposed by Cllr, seconded by Cllr. Unanimously agreed by the Councillors at the subsequent vote.
Planning applications:
S/046/01176/21 – 2a Lancaster Business Park
Cllr Swanson reminded us that he is on the Planning Committee and therefore cannot comment.
Councillors discussed the application which is for a loading ramp and wash room facilities and all agreed that this was a useful and needed addition to the site. Councillors unanimously agreed to support this application.
Councillors brought up the previous application (S/046/01203/21) and asked Cllr Swanson is he could have a look and provide an update.
Action: Cllr Swanson to provide update.
Urgent matters for discussion:
Litter picking kit: Cllr Brandwood got the Litter Picking Pack from ELDC, containing grabbers, hi-viz vests, bin bags, literature and guidelines. Cllr Brandwood went onto the West Lindsey website, who have published a Risk Assessment Template and will modify accordingly for when we carry out our own litter pick.
Cllr Gray mentioned that, after any litter pick is carried out, full bags of litter should be left by a dedicated bin in the village, litter pickers then ring the council and the bags will be picked up.
Chairman had been in contact with Viking Link and asked them to perform a litter pick on the A155. The contact person was on holiday, so Chairman will chase.
Action: Chairman to chase Viking Link
LALC AGM: Councillors agreed to monitor the situation, but no one was available to attend.
Certificate of lawfulness of existing use/development: Cllr Brandwood ensured that all had read the latest comments from Christopher Pincher MP, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Discussion ensued regarding the possible implications.
Cllr Swanson re-iterated that Enforcement will react to concerns from the Public, parish councils etc. and also recommended contacting the Planning Policy Department at East Lindsey. Chairman advised that Councillors should continue to be vigilant and monitor the camping sites in the village.
Chairman thanked all the councillors for their attendance and contributions and closed the meeting at 20.55.
Next meeting date: Thursday 21st October 2021 - starting at 19.00
Any items to be brought before the Council can be submitted to the Clerk via eastkirkbypc@gmail.com
by the Thursday (1 week) before the meeting.
Please visit our web-site via:
https://east-kirkby.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/
Dates for 2021 meetings: 9th December.
Dates for 2022 meetings: 21st January; 17th February; 17th March
(Dates are subject to change)
All meetings start at 19.00.
All meetings take place in East Kirkby Village Hall.