Minutes 4th August 2021
Minutes of the
Irnham Parish Council Meeting
Held in the Wedding Venue, Irnham Hall, on Wednesday 04 August 2021 at 7pm.
Present: Cllrs Amanda Ayre, Jon Crook, Jenny Crow, Lynda Hall, Trevor Vanson.
Also in attendance: Cllr Martin Hill and 1 member of the public.
Parish Council Clerk: Jenny Crow
Before the formal business of the meeting Councillors expressed their sadness at hearing of the death of Mr Gerry Loxley, a resident of Irnham for the past twenty years. Gerry will be much missed by the community and our condolences have been sent to Mrs Rosemary Loxley.
1. Apologies for absence
a. None
2. Members declaration of interest or request for dispensation
a. None
3. Minutes of meetings 21/04/21 and 05/05/21
a. Read and accepted as correct record.
4. Matters arising
a. Events at the Griffin Inn have been going well with 300 people attending the Euro 2020 final shown on a large screen.
b. Cllrs agreed to maintain the current methods of communicating with residents which include the irnham.org website, Parish Notice Boards, the Link magazine, Parish Updates, when appropriate, delivered to each house. Cllrs also agreed to place names of Cllrs on the Parish Notice Boards and residents are invited to contact the Clerk, Jenny Crow, via email: irnhamclerk@btinternet.com
5. Accounts
a. Income into the 2021/22 accounts since the last meeting has been £264.49 Community Cleaner Grant and interest on the Defibrillator Account of £0.12. Councillors approved the following payments to make and erect the Hawthorpe Gateways: Lifetime Fencing Ltd £186.00, D Hall Refund for fencing materials £15.89, SSP Direct Ltd £289.08 and J Crow refund of £25.20 for fixing materials. The balance of the Current Account is £3283.88, Defibrillator Account £5250.36.
b. VAT claim currently £86.03
c. Cllrs agreed to continue to receive a hard copy of the LALC quarterly magazine at a cost of £4 per copy.
6. County council/district council matters
a. Cllr Hill explained the recently elected County Council was broadly the same as before. During the election the two priorities to emerge were the state of the roads, particularly potholes and litter. In response an extra £10m has been allocated for road repairs, particularly on minor roads. Litter picking equipment has been made available, for free hire, across the county. From September 1st there will no longer be a requirement to book to access household waste recycling centres.
b. Cllr Hill also explained that the County Council will continue to explore the opportunities that the government is presenting them with regarding Devolution.
c. Cllr Hill had raised the parliamentary boundary review with the Clerk. Cllrs had discussed this via telephone and email and concluded that they would have preferred the District of South Kesteven to have remained largely within one Parliamentary constituency as at present and following County boundaries. However, if due to electorate numbers the boundary has to change they accept, being right on the boundary of two proposed Parliamentary constituencies, the more rural constituency of Rutland and Stamford, which the Parish has been allocated to, is probably the best option.
7. Planning applications
a. Planning Application S21/0785 for tree work at Newton House, Irnham had been discussed by Cllrs and agreed in principle subject to Arboriculturist report. SKDC have granted permission for the work.
b. Planning Application S21/1202 for tree work at Chalfield House, Irnham had been discussed by Cllrs and agreed in principle subject to Arboriculturist report. SKDC have granted permission for the work.
8. Update on highways issues within the parish
a. Cllr Hill was informed that the Clerk has not received any update on reinstatement of the Bulby sign post near the pumping station. Cllr Hill to follow up with Highways.
b. Cllr Ayre reported that potholes in Hawthorpe were being filled on the day of the meeting. Several potholes near Marwood Farm and Cornbecks Farm have been marked but no work completed yet. (Clerks note: work now completed.)
c. Cllrs were pleased the dialogue with Highways, regarding the replacement of the culvert in Irnham, seems to be going well. The only concern is that this work and the surface dressing through Irnham are both scheduled for very early January 2022. Hopefully the weather will be kind!
d. Cllr Hill agreed to approach Highways regarding digging/cleaning out under the foot bridge near the ford in Bulby to try to prevent flooding on the road at that point.
9. Update on parish council plans for 2021/22
a. The Hawthorpe Gateways have been installed and have improved the appearance of the approach to the hamlet on all three roads. Hopefully road users will be more aware they are approaching a populated area. Thanks were given to David Hall for making the gateways.
b. Cllrs agreed to ask for feedback this year regarding the judging of the Best Kept Village Competition to inform ideas for further improvements. Cllrs noted it has been difficult to keep on top of the weeds this year and any help with keeping roadside areas tidy is much appreciated.
c. Cllrs Vanson and Crook agreed to make some Remembrance Soldier Silhouettes once a suitable template has been purchased. Large poppies to display in the villages are also to be sourced.
d. Parish Events: Cllrs agreed they would like to organise a local event in 2022 to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Ideas to be explored.
e. Cllrs agreed they would like to reinstate a Christmas Event this year on Friday 17th December. Clerk to explore options for the venue.
f. Cllrs were also made aware of Live & Local which supports a network of voluntary organisations to bring together communities to enjoy high quality entertainment.
10. Correspondence
a. Communication from Clive Keble regarding Corby Glen Neighbourhood Plan has been circulated to Cllrs. It was agreed that it would be useful to be kept informed of developments as residents of Irnham Parish do rely on services provided in Corby Glen.
11. Irnham parochial church council matters for the parish
a. Cllr Ayre reported that the wall between the Churchyard and the Lower Churchyard is being rebuilt.
b. Cllrs agreed to donate £300 towards the upkeep of the Churchyard.
12. Any other business
a. Lincolnshire County Council has submitted a bid to offer free native tree planting schemes to Parish Councils. Cllrs agreed to contact local land owners to see if any schemes could be put forward.
13. Date of next meeting
a. Wednesday 3rd November 2021, 7pm, the Griffin Inn.
Meeting ended at 8.40pm.