East Kirkby Parish Council Meeting
24th April 2025 19.00 start
East Kirkby Village Hall
Public meeting: Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked those Members of the Public present if they had any items for discussion.
There were no new items that hadn’t been covered in the Annual Parish meeting (which took place prior to the Parish Council meeting) and Chairman thanked all those present for their participation and closed the Public Meeting at 19.05. Chairman reiterated that Members of the Public are welcome to stay, but that they were no longer able to participate.
Present & Apologies: Cllrs B Nowicki (Chairman), C Brandwood, V Lingard, C Warman, Y James; District County Cllr T Taylor, County Councillor W Gray, Members of the Public (MoP), Mrs JH Mussett (Clerk)
Chairman reminded all present of the sad passing of Cllr Briggs and will be writing to Mrs Briggs.
Declarations of interest: There were no declarations of interest based on the published agenda.
Update from District and County Councillors:
District Councillor Taylor: As we are in the Purdah period, there isn’t a lot of information to distribute. Grants up to £25,000 are available; there is also funding available for bigger projects and Cllr Taylor urged those present to apply.
County Councillor Gray:.
The local/County Council reorganisation will start after the elections of 1st May 2025 which will probably see big changes coming our way. Business leaders are being asked to come forward to help shape the look of the proposed Unitary Authority.
There followed a spirited discussion around the many suggestions (Seven) made for the look of the proposed Unitary Authority/Authorities; What happens if there is no Parish Council, there will be clusters of parish councils (Which will cover multiple parishes – which of course means the lack of local knowledge); The expected “push down” onto parishes, trying to get parish councils to be involved more (more powers in connection with Planning; etc)
East Kirkby to Revesby footpath: Cllr Gray mentioned that the team for the repair of the foot path has still not been scheduled in the programme. The teams were pulled off to deal with flooding issues and general winter related problems. Cllr Gray has spoken to Ms Hardy from Highways who was unable to give a date as to when the works will start. This County Council has focused and spent millions on footpaths over the last 4 years. Cllr Gray did also reiterate that there will be a new county council in place within the next week (after the election) so there could be changes a-foot and their priorities may not be focused on footpath issues.
Chairman thanked the County and District Councillors for their input.
Approval of minutes from the March 2025 meeting: Approval of minutes from the Parish Council meeting from March 2025: Chairman ascertained that the Councillors had read the minutes and that they were an accurate representation of the meeting. Acceptance of the minutes was proposed by Cllr Brandwood and seconded by Cllr Warman. Unanimously agreed at the subsequent vote. Chairman signed a copy of the minutes and will post a copy on the notice board. Minutes are available on the website.
Updates from previous month: Anglian Water: Nothing new to report.
VE day 2025 Commemoration: Cllr Brandwood advised that the programme is in place and will be distributed to the village. The Tommy Silhouette has been repaired with the poppy in place; the netting with poppies will be put up at the War Memorial prior to 8th May.
Planning applications: None received.
Procedural and Financial Matters:
NPPF: Chairman mentioned that he and the Clerk attended the NPPF session and that there was nothing new to report at the moment.
Internet banking: Chairman has made enquiries, but Barclays Bank took this to mean that we were ready and going ahead. Chairman and Clerk will visit Barclays Bank in Boston.
Insurance: Clerk advised that the annual insurance is due shortly. The premium is the same as last year £277.00 including the special insurance for the War Memorial which was perceived as good value. Clerk to raise cheque and post.
Minute ref: 20250424-01
Rural Services Network: Clerk advised that there is a change to this service as it is no longer a free service, but requires a subscription, which was unanimously agreed. Clerk will ensure that the Parish Council joins as part of the Rural Village Services Group at £52.50 + VAT.
Minute ref: 20250424-02
Chairman closed the meeting at 20.00
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.
Findings will be recorded in the minutes and uploaded to the website.
Please visit our web-site via:
https://east-kirkby.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/
Meeting dates for 2025:
15th May; 19th June; 17th July
18th September; 16th October; 4th December
Dates are subject to change.
All meetings start at 19.00 and take place in East Kirkby Village Hall.