Annual Parish Meeting - 5th March 2019

Link to Council and community reports for Annual Parish Meeting 2019

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of Bracebridge Heath held on Tuesday 5th March 2019 in Bracebridge Heath Village Hall at 7pm.

Present: Cllrs P Burley, G Fletcher, Mrs P Humphrey, J Kilcoyne (Chairman), Mrs S Manders, J Moran, Mrs K Trought, Mrs A Walker.
Clerk to Council Mrs S Knowles & Assistant Clerk to Council Mrs R Fraser were in attendance.
17 members of the public were present.
District Cllrs Miss Cawrey and Gallagher were present.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1. Apologies for absence – Cllrs R Clements, Mrs S Stamp & J Ward. Mr Parr also gave apologies.

2. To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting - The minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting, held on Tuesday 6th March 2018 were accepted as a true record and signed by the chairman.

3. To receive a report from the chairman of the parish council – A written report had been submitted by Cllr Kilcoyne. An overview of Council activities over the last year was given. Thanks and appreciation were expressed to everyone who had assisted council in the last 12 months.

4. To receive parish council reports –

• Finance and General Purposes standing committee – Cllr Mrs Manders reported on the work of the committee and gave a summary of budget expenditure for the past year.
• Planning, Lighting and Roads standing committee – Cllr Mrs Manders gave a summary of the committee’s activities specifically that there had been a 43% increase in the number of planning pplications discussed by the committee, the planned repairs for St John’s Road and the increasing cost of electricity for streetlighting.

Cllr Miss Cawrey thanked the committee for submitting comprehensive comments to the planning department.

Cllr Miss Cawrey confirmed that verbal assurances had been given that St John’s Road was planned for repair later this year.

• Playing Fields, Allotments and Open Spaces standing committee – The clerk to council gave a summary of the committee chairman’s report.
• Neighbourhood Plan sub-committee – Cllr Mrs Walker reported on the progress of the Neighbourhood Plan subcommittee and the next steps in producing a neighbourhood plan.
• Woodlands and Cemetery Development sub-committee – Cllr Mrs Trought reported on the changes and plans for the woodland walk over the last year. Future plans include carrying out a second archaeological survey of the burial ground to identify features within the cemetery.

Cllr Miss Cawrey was pleased to hear that the future of the iron railings along the A15, Sleaford Road separating the woodland walk from the road was being reconsidered as they form a part of the heritage of the village.

Cllr Gallagher queried whether there was a specific order in place to prevent the railings being removed.

5. To receive a report from Lincolnshire Police– Apologies were received from Lincolnshire Police. The clerk to council read from a written report. Ten crimes were recorded between 5th February and 5th March 2019 including 2 crimes of criminal damage, 2 reports of theft, 1 attempted theft, 1 commercial burglary and 4 crimes relating to burglary of a residential dwelling. A man had been arrested and charged with 3 crimes of burglary of residential dwellings.

6. To receive a report from County Councillor Miss Cawrey– Cllr Miss Cawrey reported on the Lincolnshire County Council budget approval on 22nd February 2019. An increase to council tax of 4.95% was approved which equates to a total of £61 per year for a band D property. The increase includes additional funding this year for adult social care, pothole repair, supporting the citizens advice service and ongoing funding for infrastructure such as the bypass.

Cllr Miss Cawrey reported that non-statutory functions of the council were required to find significant savings over the next year but assured residents that culture and heritage services would still be provided and this would include the Usher Gallery.

7. Reports from District Councillors –

• Councillor Miss Cawrey reported on North Kesteven District Council (NKDC) budget setting. An increase of 3.1% was approved which equates to an increase of £4.95 per year for a Band D property. The report also included details of the NKDC Community Champions Awards and a recent motion to support collaborative working across the health service in the North Kesteven region.
• Councillor Burley reported on waste collections and trials for collecting food waste separately from other waste and use of the anaerobic digester. Cllr Burley also reported on the awards won by Metheringham Depot and the Newfield Road affordable housing development in Sleaford; grants given to the Metheringham Airfield and the proposed Lancaster replica; £2m investment in future housing, workshops and business parks; the new NKDC logo and the recent voter ID trial. 
• Councillor Gallagher reported on the closure of the Bracebridge Heath Police station and the assurance that policing levels would be maintained for the cliff villages; anti-social behaviour; the Licencing committee; the Linden Homes development planned off Westminster Drive. Cllr Gallagher also reported on the transport strategy meetings with Lincolnshire County Council and the insufficient funds to provide additional bus services in the evening.

8. To receive reports from village organisations - Written reports were received in advance from community groups. Further comments were made by representatives as recorded.

• 1st Bracebridge Heath Brownies
• 21st Lincoln Scouting Group – Verbal thanks were given for the Parish Council grant given in the last year.

Miss Cawrey enquired about the progress of a new building for the group and was informed that the uniformed organisations were working with the Parish Council on plans to extend existing community buildings.

• Allotment Holders’ Association – Thanks were given to parish council staff for their work on the allotments over the year.
• Bracebridge Heath Community Library
• Bracebridge Heath Cricket Club
• Bracebridge Heath Events Group
• Bracebridge Heath Friendship Club
• Bracebridge Heath Pre-school
• Heath U3A – Mr Thorneycroft reported that Heath U3A has 179 members currently, who mainly reside in Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, Waddington and North Hykeham. There are 33 interest groups and other online groups for members to join. New members are always welcome.
• Hurricane Sports
• St John’s the Evangelist Church
• St John’s Primary Academy – Cllr Mrs Manders reported that there was no longer a school crossing patrol and that issues of safety had been raised.

Cllr Miss Cawrey agreed to follow this up with officers at Lincolnshire County Council.

• Village Hall Management Committee – Mr Fletcher gave a verbal report on the activities of the Village Hall Management Committee. Thanks were given to the parish council for the repairs and maintenance carried out throughout the year including refurbishment of the main hall floor. There was an appeal for more volunteers to assist the committee and interested individuals were invited to make contact.

9. To thank community volunteers and receive volunteer reports - A verbal report was given by Miss Alison Peden, Volunteer Coordinator, for the Bracebridge Heath Community Library. Miss Peden reported on the services available at the library including the photocopying facility and the extensive online resources such as magazines, encyclopaedias and the full version of Ancestry. The library also now has Wi-Fi access to complement the existing services. Miss Peden reported on regular story times and craft sessions held at the library alongside other one-off author events; the success of the Summer Reading Challenge with approximately 60 children completing the challenge; and the popular Harry Potter evening. The library refurbishment was also mentioned and it was reported that this had been received positively by customers and volunteers.

Cllr Miss Cawrey expressed gratitude to the volunteers of the library.

The chairman thanked all the library volunteers for their continued dedication and reported that the community could be proud of the facility and its success since becoming community led nearly 4 years ago.

Apologies were received from Mr Parr. The chairman expressed thanks and appreciation to Mr Parr for his work which led to the successful coordination of the Remembrance Sunday parade in November 2018.

10. Questions or points raised by residents and members of the public – Nil

The chairman thanked everyone present for their attendance and reports and informed them that a meeting of the parish council would immediately follow. There being no further business the meeting was closed at 8.36pm.

A copy of all the parish council and community reports can be found on the Bracebridge Heath Parish Council website.
Signed_________________________________Chairman 3rd March 2020

Link to Council and community reports for Annual Parish Meeting 2019