Minutes of Irnham Annual Parish Meeting, 5th May 2021
Minutes of
Irnham Annual Parish meeting
Held via Zoom on Wednesday 5th May 2021 at 7pm
Present:- Cllrs Amanda Ayre, Jon Crook, Jenny Crow, Lynda Hall, Trevor Vanson.
Parish Council Clerk: Jenny Crow
1. Apologies for absence
a. Cllr Nick Robins
2. Approval of minutes for 2019
a. In previous years the Minutes of the AGM had been approved at the next PC Meeting. The Minutes were approved on 31 July 2019. There was no meeting in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
3. Matters arising
a. None.
4. Chairman’s report on the work of the parish council during the last year (Full report available on the website.)
a. The Chairman highlighted the achievement of first place in the small village category of the Best Kept Village Competition organised by SKDC. Thanks were given to residents for the efforts made to look after their gardens.
b. The Village Gateway project was taken up by residents of Bulby and thanks were given to David Hall for making the gates and Andrew Crow for installing them. A similar scheme is being considered for Hawthorpe.
c. The ‘phone kiosks in Irnham and Bulby are looked after by Mr & Mrs Dawson and Mrs Howat respectively. Thanks were given for the work done to make good use of these facilities and it is hoped the book swap can open again soon following closure during Covid.
d. David Hall was also thanked for his work to renovate the Parish Notice Board in Irnham.
e. The Chairman explained that the recent new signs, erected in the parish, indicating the ford in Bulby were not what the Parish Council had requested. A more visible, accurate indication of the depth of water in the ford was requested. Discussions are ongoing to resolve this matter.
f. Finally, thanks were given for all the litter collecting in the Parish and further afield. Tom Bagge goes way beyond the boundary of our Parish. Cllr Hall and Mr Howat were also thanked as well as the many parishioners who pick things up when they come across them.
5. Finance report for 2020/21
a. The Precept was increased by £100 to £1600 to enable more small works to be undertaken and a small contingency to build up for any future election expenditure. We have not increased the precept for 2021/22.
b. Two grants have been received this year. The Community Cleaner grant continued in respect of the work done in the Parish to keep the environment tidy. A total of £453 was received. Our District Councillor made an award of £250 towards our Soldier Silhouette project. In addition we received a very welcome £400 prize money as the winner of the SKDC small village category in their Best Kept Village Competition. These last two amounts are earmarked as reserves carried forward to next financial year.
c. Major expenses: Contribution to Irnham Churchyard Maintenance £300.00, Insurance £262, Daffodil Bulbs £100, Bulby Gateways £650, Contribution to tree felling at St Andrew’s Church £300. From the Defibrillator Fund the Adult pads were replaced at a cost of £294.
d. Main Account has a balance of £2280 with £1150 earmarked as reserves. The Defibrillator Fund has a balance of £5250.
e. The accounts have been audited by Martin Fuggle and under the new arrangements for authorities with income and expenditure less than £25,000 an Exemption Certificate has been sent to the Auditors PKF Littlejohn.
f. Councillors formally approved the accounts as a true record of our income and expenditure at their meeting on 21st April 2021. They were signed by the Chairman.
g. Documents are formally available for inspection for a set period of time and this will be Monday 14th June to Friday 23rd July 2021.
h. Councillors approved the Insurance Premium payment for 2021/21 of £264.49.
6. Public forum on the work of the parish council and future priorities
a. Cllr Vanson advised residents that this was their opportunity to raise any issues whilst not being restricted to a few minutes at the beginning of the normal Parish Council meetings.
A summary of the issues raised:
i) Residents expressed support for the Griffin Inn but also discussed some concerns about the idea of a bouncy castle and the existing play area, not least because of Health & Safety implications. It was explained to residents that, in relation to marquees, the Government has relaxed the normal planning requirements. For this summer only, in an attempt to support the hospitality trade, marquees can be erected in pub gardens without the need for planning consent. It was noted that there have been quite a lot of vehicles parking on Bulby Road and concern was expressed about the possible obstruction to large vehicles. It is hoped that full use can be made of the car park.
ii) Residents were made aware that the culvert near Watergate House is due to be replaced in early January 2022. The road through Irnham, from the junction with Osgodby Road through to about 200m beyond the derestriction signs on the Swinstead Road will be resurfaced, necessitating road closures.
iii) There was some discussion about the best way to inform residents that Parish Council meetings are taking place. Currently they are advertised on the Parish Notice Boards, the Irnham.org website and in the Link. The possibility of also using the Next Door website will be considered.
iv) The Parish Council are still keen to receive suggestions for a lasting recognition of the success in the Best Kept Village competition last year. All agreed the daffodils had looked splendid this year and that a wider selection of bulbs should be purchased to extend the flowering period in future years.
v) The possibility of a second Speed Indicator was discussed but it was generally thought this was not necessary. The one device covers Corby Road which is considered to present the greatest speeding hazard.
vi) It was noted that the standard of repair of potholes varies and concern was raised that too often not all potholes on a particular piece of road are repaired at the same time. Evidence was given that unless a pothole has been reported it will not automatically be repaired when adjacent holes are filled. All residents were encouraged to use the FixMyStreet App to report any highways issues to Lincolnshire County Council.
vii) Councillors explained they intend to purchase some Soldier Silhouettes to be used in the Parish at the time of Remembrance each year. It was also suggested that large poppies could be displayed on lamp posts, linked with the names of people from the Parish who lost their lives in the wars.
b. Cllr Vanson thanked residents for attending the meeting. Residents also expressed their appreciation to the Parish Council for all its work.
7. Date of next meeting:- Wednesday 4th August, 7pm. The venue to be confirmed. The Annual Parish Council Meeting and Annual Parish Meeting in 2022 will be on Wednesday11th May.
Meeting ended at 8.33pm.