Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held at The Institute on Thursday, 27 November 2003 at 7.30pm. Councillor Anderson, Chairman, presided over Councillors Abel, Blades, Blessett, Chambers, Dilks, Fisk, Helyar, Redgrave, Shinkins, Stevens, Warrick and the clerk. Inspector Collings of Lincolnshire Police and three members of the press were present.

117/03        APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received and the reason accepted from Cllrs Auger & Thomas due to illness and Cllr Griffiths due to a family holiday. Cllr Stevens gave prior notice that she would be arriving late to due to a school appointment.

118/03            MOTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC AND PRESS

In accordance with Standing Order 63, it was proposed by Cllr Anderson, seconded by Cllr Chambers and unanimously agreed that, in accordance with Section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings Act) 1960 the public and press be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business due to its confidential nature.

119/03            APPOINTMENT OF CLERK/RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER TO THE COUNCIL

Cllr Chambers presented the Selection Panel’s report into the recruitment of a Clerk/R.F.O. and answered members’ questions. Confirming that satisfactory references had been received Cllr Chambers, seconded by Cllr Fisk, proposed that:

·    Susan Valentine is appointed Clerk Designate with effect from 1 January 2004 to take over as Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer when the current post holder leaves at the end of January.
·    The appointment is made at Spinal Column Point 22 for 27.5 hours per week with additional payment made at the appropriate hourly rate for attendance at meetings.
·    Entry to the Local Government Pension Scheme is confirmed on satisfactory completion of the six month probation period.
·    The core office hours are to be worked to a regular pattern over five days, e.g. 9:15 2:45 (5.5 hrs per day/27.5hrs over the week).
·    The clerk is delegated responsibility for organising arrangements for the training/hand-over period to suit the needs of the work.

This was carried unanimously. Miss Valentine was then introduced to members and welcomed to Deeping St James Parish Council.

Members of the press and public were admitted to the meeting and Cllr Stevens arrived at this point.

120/03    MOTION TO SUSPEND STANDING ORDERS AND CHANGE THE ORDER OF BUSINESS

Cllr Anderson, seconded by Cllr Dilks, proposed that in accordance with Standing Orders 65 and 23 (d) respectively that Standing Orders be suspended for a maximum of thirty minutes to permit Inspector Collings to address the Council in an Open Forum and to change the order of business to permit agenda item 13.2 to be discussed immediately after the Open Forum was closed. This was unanimously agreed.

121/03            POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICERS

Inspector Guy Collings of Lincolnshire Police addressed the meeting about the Police Community Support Officers initiative. Survey evidence was given to express how well-received these officers had been received by the communities in which they were already working and it was explained how a P.C.S.O. could be deployed solely for the benefit of the parish of Deeping St James. Inspector Collings provided detailed information on the cost of such an Officer (£21,756 in year 1, £20,837 in year 2) and pointed out that at this stage the Home Office had not yet confirmed whether it would continue with its 50% funding programme. It was noted that there was some potential for seeking a further 25% from other funding partners such as the District and County Councils but clearly no guarantee that this would be forthcoming. Members thanked Inspector Collings for his information and attendance.

Standing orders were reinstated at this point.

Cllr Dilks, having given notice of recommendation that the Council considered a bid for a Police Community Support Officer for Deeping St James provided further background information into the scheme through his capacity as a member of the Lincolnshire Police Authority. Members were reminded that the Council had sought to make a bid for a P.C.S.O. in the last funding round but had been disappointed due to not being given sufficient time or information to assemble an application.

It was proposed by Cllr Dilks, seconded by Cllr Shinkins, and unanimously agreed to submit a bid to fund from April 2004, to a maximum of 50% of the cost, a P.C.S.O for Deeping St James for two years subject to Home Office funding being available for the remaining 50% and every effort made to obtain the other 25% from a local funding partner (LG & R A 1997 s.31).

122/03        DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members notified interests in the following items and completed the Register.

Cllr Abel	Personal interest in Minute 141/03.	D.S.J. United Charities Trustee.
Cllr Anderson	Personal interest in Minute 133/03 Ref: S03/1459	Member of Trust’s local management committee.
	Personal interest in Minute 141/03.	D.S.J. United Charities Trustee.
Cllr Dilks	Personal interest in Minute 135/03 Deepings School presentation award	Governor of the School.
Cllr Stevens	Personal interest in Minute 133/03 Ref: S03/1459	Member of the Trust.
	Personal interest in Minute 141/03.	D.S.J. United Charities Trustee.
Cllr Warrick	Personal interest in Minute 131/03.3	Chair of the Parochial Church Council.
	Personal interest in Minute 141/03.	D.S.J. United Charities Trustee.

123/03        MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 October 2003, having previously been circulated, were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman.

124/03        REPORT OF MATTERS ARISING OUT OF THESE MINUTES

.1	Daffodil bulbs (098/03)	It was reported that the bulbs were now planted and members expressed their gratitude to former Cllr Watkins for his assistance with the planting on the riverbank.
.2	Bus Services Linchfield Road (104/03.1)	The clerk confirmed that all parties had agreed to meet with representatives of the Council on Tuesday, 9 December 2003 at 7.30pm at The Institute. Cllr Chambers, Chair of the Transport Committee, Cllr Dilks, also County Councillor and member of the Police Authority and Cllr Helyar, also District Councillor confirmed their attendance as the Parish Council representatives.
.3	Parish Plan Grant (104/03.4)	It was noted that this presentation had necessarily been deferred and would now be held at the start of the Council meeting on 29 January 2004.

125/03        BUSINESS REMAINING FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING

In accordance with Standing Order 15(f) it was agreed to transact the remaining items of business outstanding from the previous meeting, these having been notified on the agenda for this meeting.

            REPORTS

126/03        DEEPINGS CARNIVAL AGM HELD ON 3 OCTOBER 2003

Cllr Helyar confirmed that he had attended this meeting and agreed to join the re-structured Committee in a private capacity. The report was noted.

127/03        LEISURE CENTRE MEETING HELD ON 7 OCTOBER 2003

The clerk’s report of the meeting with representatives of South Kesteven District Council, which had been previously circulated, was received and noted. The Chairman thanked members for attending and pressing forward the strongly held view of the Parish Council that leisure facilities were highly prized in this area and that the centre was in urgent need of refurbishment.

            NOTICES OF RECOMMENDATION/RESOLUTION

128/03        HERITAGE INFORMATION BOARD AT HIGH LOCKS

Cllr Abel, having given notice of recommendation that the Council should consider providing an information board at High Locks detailing the history and heritage of the area, requested that as it is still not clear exactly when the replacement bridge works will be carried out the matter be left in abeyance for the time being. The clerk reported that Cllr Thomas had volunteered to seek out information on the cost of the Green Wheel’ information boards for comparison purposes. This was accepted. In the meantime, Cllr Stevens, seconded by Cllr Shinkins, proposed that an allocation of £1,000 be made in the budget for 2004/05 to provide suitable boards at both High and Low Locks when the High Locks Bridge works were complete (LGA 1972, s 144). This was unanimously agreed.

129/03        PATIENTS ACCESS TO THE DEEPINGS HEALTH CENTRE

Cllr Abel, having given notice of recommendation that the Council should consider the problems of access to the health centre by some residents of the village advised members that many elderly and infirm people, particularly in the Eastgate area, had no public transport access to the surgery and for those that did, the timetable was particularly awkward for the return journey. Members felt that the Bus Services campaign currently being undertaken by Cllr Warrick and the Transport Committee could help to alleviate the problem and Cllr Blades volunteered to undertake a ward profile to identify statistics on what access people had to public transport locally. This was accepted. Cllr Stevens, seconded by Cllr Chambers, proposed that the clerk should write to the Deepings Practice to ascertain what transport schemes they have on offer and how they felt the Parish Council could help to improve the situation. This was unanimously agreed.

130/03        CHURCH WALK LIGHTING SCHEME

Cllr Anderson, having notice of recommendation that the Council considered the quotation for the revised Church Walk lighting scheme and approved the order advised that the revised price for the reduced scheme was £7,000. The clerk advised that South Kesteven District Council had previously indicated that it would meet 50% of the cost of the full scheme but there had been no confirmation that this would apply to the reduced scheme. Cllr Anderson, seconded by Cllr Dilks proposed that the Council now confirmed the order for the Church Walk lighting scheme as modified at the meeting held on 28 August 2003 (minute 69/03) subject to 50% of the revised quote being met by S.K.D.C. (PCA 1957, s 3). Under Standing Order 10 Cllr Stevens requested a recorded vote:

For:		Against:
Cllr Abel	Cllr Dilks	Cllr Redgrave
Cllr Anderson	Cllr Fisk	Cllr Shinkins
Cllr Blades	Cllr Helyar	Cllr Stevens
Cllr Blessett	Cllr Warrick
Cllr Chambers

The motion was therefore carried by 9 votes to 3 against.

131/03        CORRESPONDENCE BEFORE THE COUNCIL
    
The Council considered its response to the following correspondence, a summary detailing the content having been previously circulated.    

.1	Tourism Attraction Sign	Lincolnshire County Council provided a comprehensive explanation as to why the proposed sign had been designed in the way it had and this was accepted. It was proposed by Cllr Warrick, seconded by Cllr Dilks, and unanimously agreed that the Council should proceed and confirm the order for the sign at a cost of £180 ex. VAT (LGA 1972, s 144).
.2	Cemetery extension	The former landowners’ agent advised that they would be willing to formalise the current situation and allow a temporary relaxation of the covenant on the land compulsorily purchased for burial purposes in order to permit children’s recreational use until such time as it was required for its intended use. This would be subject to the Council meeting their legal costs, which were expected to be in the region of £500. It was proposed by Cllr Warrick, seconded by Cllr Chambers and unanimously agreed that the Council should agree to this for the benefit of local recreation provision but seek re-imbursement from South Kesteven District Council who are currently using the land for play purposes (OSA 1906 s 10).
.3	Priory Church Hall	The Parochial Church Council plans to make substantial improvements to the building and sought representation from the Council on the Project Management Group. It was proposed by Cllr Stevens, seconded by Cllr Shinkins and unanimously agreed to appoint Cllr Blessett as the Council’s representative.
.4	Re-cycling facilities	It was noted that South Kesteven District Council was seeking to increase the number of bring’ sites at rural locations in the district. It was proposed by Cllr Stevens, seconded by Cllr Abel and unanimously agreed to respond that the Council did not consider Deeping St James to be a rural location but that the Deepings Recycling Centre should nevertheless be considered for such a facility.
.5	Draft Waste Local Plan	It was proposed by Cllr Anderson, seconded by Cllr Stevens and unanimously agreed to delegate the Council’s response to Lincolnshire County Council’s draft Plan to Cllr Thomas and the clerk in view of the tight deadline.
.6	Draft Race Equality Scheme	It was proposed by Cllr Chambers, seconded by Cllr Anderson and unanimously agreed to delegate the Council’s response to Lincolnshire County Council’s draft Scheme to Cllr Blades and the clerk in view of the tight deadline.
.7	National Playing Fields Assoc.	It was proposed by Cllr Warrick, seconded by Cllr Chambers and unanimously agreed that the Council should register on the Association’s database.
.8	Other items noted.	§    S.K.D.C. Performance Management: Notification of a problem relating to the delivery of boxes and literature for the Glassman Recycling Scheme. §    Deepings Rotary Club: Notice that trees are being planted on Crowson Way Open Space on 28 November 2003. Children from Linchfield School will be helping out and daffodil bulbs will also be planted. §    Howes Percival: Application to transfer the licence at the Waterton Arms from Jennifer Anne Chapman to Geoffrey Roger Brown. §    L.A.L.C.: Notes from Seminar held on 11.11.03. §    S.K.D.C. Cultural Services: Notes from the recent R.O.S.P.A. play workshop. §    L.C.C. Public Relations: Acknowledgement of nomination for Award of Merit 2003. §    Environment Agency: Flood Action Newsletter Issue 3. §    Postwatch: Information pack/ Guidance notes for rural communities. §    E.M.D.A.: Annual Report 2002/03. §    Local Council Review: Journal - Vol. 55 No. 4. §    Clerks & Councils Direct: Journal Issue 30.

            Cllr Redgrave left the meeting at this point.

132/03        PLANNING RELATED ISSUES

Having regard to probity in matters relating to planning Cllr Helyar, as a member of S.K.D.C., took no part on matters relating to planning and did not register a vote.

133/03    MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 20 NOVEMBER 2003

The minutes of the meeting were presented by Cllr Warrick, Chairman of the Committee. It was proposed by Cllr Warrick, seconded by Cllr Blessett and agreed as follows to accept the recommendations contained therein:

Minute 047 Ref: S03/1429	9 votes for, 2 against.
Minute 047 Ref: S03/1459	Unanimous.

134/03    PLANNING APPLICATIONS BEFORE THE COUNCIL AT THIS MEETING

It was proposed by Cllr Blessett, seconded by Cllr Shinkins and unanimously agreed to no objections to the planning applications received since the last Committee meeting:

S03/1496	3 Sweet Close	Single-storey rear extension.
S03/1502	75 Thackers Way	First-floor side extension.

135/03        ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT

It was proposed by Cllr Dilks, seconded by Cllr Anderson and unanimously agreed to pay the following accounts:

Payee	Service/Item of Expenditure (Relevant power to incur)	Amount
Clerk	Salary inc. 30.75 hrs overtime (October ) (LGA 1972, s 112)	932.98
	Reimbursement for postage (LGA 1972, s 111)	48.20
	Reimbursement for Welland Valley Newspapers Ltd recruitment advertising (LGA 1972, s 112)	628.16
L.C.C.	Pension Fund (LG Pension scheme Regs 1997)	279.89
Huddlestone Landscapes	Cemetery maintenance (LGA 1972, s 214)	120.00
	Inspections/litter picking (4) Jubilee Playing Field (OSA 1906, s 10)	20.00
Adcentre	Recruitment advert (LGA 1972, s 112)	32.90
Ashwell Associates	Recruitment advert (LGA 1972, s 112)	169.20
DSJ United Charities	Meeting Room hire: 17 & 24.11, 1 & 15.12 (LGA 1972, s 133)	40.00
ESPO	Office stationery (LGA 1972, s 111)	55.34
XMA Ltd	Printer supplies (LGA 1972, s 111)	73.79
B.T.	Quarter telephone account (LGA 1972, s 111)	134.12
TOTAL		2,534.58

It was proposed by Cllr Anderson, seconded by Cllr Fisk and unanimously resolved that, in pursuance of the power conferred by section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and being of the opinion that the expenditure satisfies the requirements of that section, the Council approves the payment of the sum of £25 to the Deepings School in respect of the Annual Presentation Evening prize.

                REPORTS
    
136/03            PLAYING FIELD COMMITTEE

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 November 2003 were presented by Cllr Shinkins, Chair of the Committee. It was proposed by Cllr Shinkins, seconded by Cllr Helyar and agreed by 10 votes to 0 against with 1 abstention to accept the recommendation contained therein.         

137/03            TRANSPORT COMMITTEE

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2003 were presented by Cllr Chambers, Chair of the Committee. There being no recommendations to resolve upon it was proposed by Cllr Chambers, seconded by Cllr Warrick and unanimously agreed to note the minutes.

138/03            LINCOLNSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL COUNCILS A.G.M.

Cllr Blades provided a verbal report of the A.G.M. and considered that the Parish Council should commit to send a delegate every year. The main thrust of the speeches and workshop sessions had been devoted to the modernisation of the local Council movement and the need to work more closely in partnership with other authorities. Payment of previously approved mileage expenses (100 miles @49.4p) was agreed (LGA 1972, s 174). The report was noted.

139/03            MEETING WITH POLICE & LICENSEES

The clerk’s report of the meeting held on 10 November 2003, having previously been distributed, was received and noted. Cllrs Anderson and Dilks had both toured the area on the previous Friday night to ascertain the extent of anti-social behaviour caused by alcohol consumption and reported their findings to the meeting. Cllr Stevens reported that as a result of the meeting, a Working Party had been set up and had already met to move forward the radio-link and identity card suggestions. Further progress will be reported to the Council on an on-going basis.

140/03            DEEPINGS YOUTH COUNCIL

Cllrs Shinkins and Stevens reported that the Youth Council was now formed and had commenced regular meetings. Officers had been elected and both Councillors were delighted with their enthusiasm and the manner in which the framework for the Youth Council was working. It was confirmed that a member of the Deepings Youth Liaison Group was attending each meeting of the Youth Council to provide information and advice as needed. Cllr Shinkins reported that it was hoped that there could be a formal presentation/recognition of the funds earmarked by the Council and other contributing bodies in the near future once the bank account had been set up. The report was noted.

NOTICES OF RESOLUTION/RECOMMENDATION
        
141/03            COMPLIANCE FOOTPATH 4
        
Cllr Fisk, having given notice of recommendation that the Council requested the support of the landowner of part of Footpath 4 in ensuring that the tenant complies with the requirement to maintain the path to a minimum width of 1.5m gave a brief outline of the problems encountered with this popular path over recent years. It was noted that the path was presently in good condition but there was concern that future ploughing could cause similar problems. Cllr Fisk, seconded by Cllr Dilks proposed that Deeping St James United Charities, as the landowner, is asked to consider inserting a clause into the tenancy agreement to ensure that the path always meets minimum standards. This was unanimously agreed.

142/03            INITIATIVE TO ENCOURAGE TIDINESS

Cllr Stevens, having given notice of recommendation that the Council considered adopting a similar initiative to that recently adopted in Stamford to encourage commercial premises to clean up the immediate area around their site, asked the Council to consider ways in which parish pride in Deeping St James could be engendered, particularly over the Christmas and New Year period. Having discussed various options it was proposed by Cllr Stevens, seconded by Cllr Shinkins and unanimously agreed to produce a leaflet which could be distributed in the Deepings Advertiser to all homes in the village before Christmas. It was noted that the cost of this would not exceed £150 (Litter Act 1983).
    
143/03            PARISH PUMP

.1	Christmas buffet	Market Deeping Town Councillors invited members to join them for a Christmas buffet at The Bull, Market Place, Market Deeping after their Council meeting on Wednesday, 10 December 2003.
.2	Youth Club wall	The clerk reported that works were planned to remove the wall by The Cross in order to install a gate for disabled access.
.3	Bus report	Cllr Warrick requested that each member took a copy of his Bus Campaign report and submitted any observations to the clerk as soon as possible.
.4	Rycroft Avenue hedge	Cllr Fisk reported that the hedge planted in 2002 had been completely uprooted and that he did not propose to replace it.

The meeting closed at 9.55pm.




Signed: ……………………………………… Chairman

Date: 8 January 2004