March 2020 Minutes
Minutes of Witham St Hughs Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 18th March 2020, at 7:30pm in the Village Hall.
Present Cllr Harrison - Chair, Cllr Snape - Vice Chair & Cllr Young.
Cllr M Overton
Rachel Popplewell – Clerk.
Public Comment.
Cllr Overton was interested to know what strategies were in place for the village to help with the Covid 19 virus, and how help was being co-ordinated for the elderly, self-isolating & at-risk residents of the village. Cllr Snape gave a brief overview of the group that was up and running helping those that needed it.
Agenda Items.
1. Welcome & Apologies.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr Overton, Cllr Eckert, Cllr Linnell & Cllr Fenney, and District Councillors Appleby & Overton.
2. To receive declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and outlined in the councils Code of Conduct – being any pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interest and any written requests for
Dispensations.
None received
3. Notes of the Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 19th February 2020 to be approved as minutes.
It was Resolved to approve the notes as minutes – show of hands, all agreed. Signed by the Chairman.
4. Clerks Update.
The Clerk made comment that the Persimmon compound had now been cleared.
Lighthouse Investments had been contacted to consider the options of reinvesting the matured funds, the Clerk was waiting on the details.
Action Clerk
The Clerk made comment regarding the telephone box that had now been adopted, work had started to convert into a new defibrillator ‘home’.
5. Finance.
a. It was Resolved to approve the list of payments (list previously circulated), show of hands. All agreed signed by the Cllr Harrison & Cllr Snape.
b. The Bank Reconciliation – showed that all the parish council accounts balanced as at 12.03.2020. Signed by the Clerk.
c. It was Resolved to approve the Direct Debit mandate to settle the Credit Card bill in full each month. Clerk to attached corresponding invoices.
d. After discussions it was Resolved to request all S106 monies from North Kesteven District Council. Some of the monies have already been spent updating the surfacing at the play areas, the remaining monies to be spent retrospectively.
Action Clerk.
e. Domestic Rates Bill for 2020/2021 had been received £0.00 – noted.
6. Village Hall
a. STORAGE - After discussions it was Resolved NOT to offer storage facilities to the regular users of the hall unless previously agreed.
b. Community Based/Non-profit Organisations Booking Fees – A request had been received from Youth club to hold wellbeing sessions at the village hall, youth club isn’t charged for hall hire, they would like an additional 3 hours once a month FOC. It was Resolved to approve the request 4-6.30pm once a month but should a hall booking from a paying client arise then they would take priority.
Action Clerk
c. The quotes were considered for the Water Testing and the Annual Risk Assessment.
After discussions it was Resolved that the weekly/monthly/quarterly water checks would be carried out by the Caretakers, the Risk Assessment was to be carried out by Interserve at a cost of £350 + VAT
Action Clerk
7. To Resolve to review & adopt any changes of the following policies.
a. Abusive, Persistent or Vexatious Complaints Policy.
b. Community Engagement Policy
c. Communications Policy
d. Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.
It was Resolved to adopt all the above policies.
8. Corona Virus
The Clerk made comment that all the regular village hall bookers had cancelled until the end of April 2020.
It was Resolved to close the village hall w.e.f from Friday 20th March 2020.
The key to be returned by the Personal Trainer who hold classes at the village hall.
The Caretakers would then fully clean & disinfect the hall, they will visit the hall daily to ensure everything was intact, carry out the cleaning and to conduct the weekly & monthly water checks.
Action Clerk.
The re-opening of the hall would be continually reviewed.
9. To Discuss the quote from Freedom Security regarding the Call out charges & to now include Fire Alarm Activation.
After discussions it was Resolved to approve the additional call out quote to include the Fire Alarm – to be reviewed at the end of the contract
Action Clerk
10. Update on VE Day Planning
Deferred to the next meeting as the VE Day Celebration has been cancelled – provisionally reschedule for August.
The Go Fund Me Page is still open.
Raffle Ticket License is now in place.
11. Great British Spring Clean.
Deferred to provisional date of 11th – 27th September 2020
12. Allotment Update.
Deferred
13. Playparks inspection & valuation
After discussions it was Resolved to accept the quote from The Play Inspection Company, to do the annual inspection & stock valuation.
14. Annual Parish Meeting Details -
Deferred
15. Items for the next Agenda
None
16. Date & Times of the next meeting
TBC – due to Covid 19
8.50pm
The Parish Council Resolved to go into Closed Session.