1. Attendance and Apologies

Present: Cllr Sardeson -Chairman, Cllr Watson -Vice Chairman, Cllr Burns, Cllr Foster, Cllr Ott, Cllr Clarke, Cllr Battle, Mrs Riggall -Clerk, Mr Spence -RFO

Also in attendance: Cllr Lundgren -NKDC, Cllr Cucksey -NKDC, -5 members of the public 

2. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest

None

3. Reports received from representatives on outside bodies

LCC Matters:

Cllr Oxby: Please see attached Appendix 1.

NKDC Matters:

Cllr Cucksey: Please see attached Appendix 2.

Cllr Lundgren: Following the suspension of the refuse collections the service is now up and running again. Regarding the budget, there are new initiatives including those which address homelessness. The Solar Farm payments have not yet been made. The agreement was with the original developer and the site is now run by a different company; it is still hoped that they will honour the original agreement. After calling in the Hanworth Park 28-day residency application the planning committee have now made the decision to refuse this application. The telecommunication mast between Nocton and Potterhanworth has been approved. Elections have been announced for the County Council and the Police Crime Commissioner, this will be held in May. 

Police Crime Report

The police report for December 2020. 1 report of anti-social behaviour on Woodlands Close and 1 report of violent or sexual offences on or near Main Road.

Pavilion Committee update 

A grant has been awarded to the Pavilion and it is currently being decided how this would be best spent.

4. Public Open Forum

Cllr Foster explained that the manager of Hanworth Country Park has been in contact and would like the support of the Parish Council with their bid to have a brown tourist sign added to the main road. The Clerk will send a letter supporting this application. Cllr Foster then spoke of his discussion with the manager and the hope that they will attend future Parish Council meetings, or the Parish Councillors may visit the site in order to discuss how best to work together in future.

Cllr Foster raised concerned about damage caused by vehicles to a particular area of the village Green. Cllr Sardeson will speak with the  relevant resident.

Concern was raised around the state of litter around the village and in the surrounding area. It was agreed to arrange a community litter pick when the situation allows.

5. To resolve, notes of the meeting held on 25 January 2021 are approved as the Minutes

It was then resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2021 be approved as a correct record and will be signed by the Chairman.

6. Clerk’s report on matters outstanding

The School Safety Zone work planned for around the village should be completed this week, weather permitting.

There is an issue with the defibrillator located at The Park. The battery is incorrectly showing as low. The supplier and manufacturer are looking into this and have stated that the unit is still in good working order.

The situation with the Solar Farm is still ongoing. Cllr Watson will continue to try and make contact with the new company and will work with Cllr Lundgren to try to move this forward.

In future this section will be named the Clerk and Councillors report on matters outstanding.

The Chairman then raised the issue of appropriate procedures for publicising planning applications. The Councillors discussed whether planning applications should be promoted online and whether this should be all applications or just those of a larger scale. It was also discussed whether this should be via Potter Spotted on Facebook, other methods of social media or on the Parish website. This will be decided at the next Parish meeting.

7. Correspondence received

An email was received regarding issues with accessing the Parish website. The view of the website appears differently when view on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge and also when using a mobile phone or a larger screen. The layout of some of the older minutes has not worked well in some formats. The Clerk will work to amend the layout of older minutes when time allows.

An email was received from NKDC regarding the cycling strategy, they are currently analysing the results.

An email was received regarding concerns around the planned telecommunication mast between Nocton and Potterhanworth.

8. Potterhanworth footpaths request

Following the discussion during the January meeting around footpaths and cycling lanes around Potterhanworth, a member of the public has requested the footpath element should be discussed further. The Clerk has forwarded a letter from the Farm Manager at FG Battle & sons regarding the difficulty of improving the footpath across the field to Hanworth Country Park. Cllr Sardeson spoke of the potential for a footpath and/or cycle path to run along Station Road to improve connections to the village, the issue may be the difficulty of passing under the Railway bridge. Footpaths are the responsibility of LCC and it would be their decision has to whether this would be possible. The potential of a tarmacked path along Nocton Road to the track was also discussed and concern was raised around tarmacking a path to a farm track when a wide grass verge can be used. Cllr Sardeson will contact the parishioner with further information.

9. Speeding in Potterhanworth and Potterhanworth Booths

A member of the public has been in contact regarding concerns about traffic speeding through Potterhanworth Booths and asked if 40mph speed limit signs could be purchased. Cllr Clarke has been in contact with the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership regarding speeding in Potterhanworth and Potterhanworth Booths. They have installed 2 devices to monitor speeds, which they will analyse in addition to considering any incidents from the last 3 years. They will then decide whether a speed van placed at either site would be beneficial.

10. Tree strategy

Cllr Sardeson, Cllr Clarke and Cllr Battle met to look at the potential area for a community orchard on the playing fields. Cllr Foster enquired about whether this would be in keeping with the history of the playing fields, this was discussed and will be considered further. Bob Spence explained that the Parish Council are trustees of the playing fields land for the benefit of the whole village. Cllr Lundgren explained that such land can be used for something which would benefit the community. Cllr Ott offered to label the trees so they could be used for learning and it is hoped that the school will be invited to get involved when trees are planted.

11. History project update

Cllr Ott explained that the history group meet monthly and progress is being made. The first draft for a community information sign is being created.

12. Proposal to build an office and archive annex at the Pavilion

Cllr Sardeson explained that historical parish records are being stored by Ralph Wilford. Going forward it is hoped that they can be stored at the Pavilion. Cllr Ott spoke of the importance of keeping records even if some records can be digitised. It is hoped that a physical inspection will take place in order to create an inventory, it will then be clear how much space is needed.

13. Planning Applications received since last meeting

21/0149/HOUS. Alyth, Plough Hill -side and rear two storey extension (re-submission of 20/1346/HOUS). The Parish Council do not object to this application.

21/0034/HOUS. Gap in the hedge -removal of existing chicken sheds & construction of new annex. The Parish Council considered conversion of redundant buildings in the countryside into separate dwellings. It was decided not object to this application.

21/0213/HOUS. Baytree House, Station Road -Formation of new vehicular access and gates. The Parish Council support this application.

Decision notices

20/1679/FUL. Land South of Branston Causeway -conversion and extension of barn to form holiday lets -Approved

20/1536/VARCON. Hanworth Country Park -variation of condition 3, to excuse 28-day residency -Refused

14. Monthly Risk Assessment

The clerk raised concern about individuals entering the Zoom meeting anonymously.  LALC will be contacted to understand whether this is acceptable.

15. Finance

February 2021

All Payments total = £942.00

Balance total = £10,053.91

NS & I balance = £13,161.13

16. Dates

Next meetings: 2021 – 29th March, 26th April, 24th May, 28th June, 26th July

                                                Annual Parish Meeting Date TBD due to Covid 19

Appendix 1. Cllr Oxby. LCC report February 2021

Extra funding for Business support, Flooding and our single lane roads: At the Executive on 2nd February we've agreed revised budget proposals to include millions of pounds of additional funding to support businesses, respond to flooding and repair roads for 2021/22 - https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/545/extra-funding-for-businesses-flooding-and-roads Later we are unveiling a £12m package of support for our local economy that has been ravaged by the pandemic. Local businesses could benefit from up to £10,000 of funding through a new grant scheme being planned by the County Council. I'm sure you will have been as concerned as I have about the impact on smaller businesses who might not have been able to benefit from the Government's Covid support schemes. The Council has decided the time is right to draw on some of our reserves to provide this support to smaller businesses. https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/546/council-unveils-12m-package-of-support-for-local-economy

Our Green Masterplan: This is part of our global effort to help tackle climate change and the county council's commitment to be 'net carbon zero' by 2050. My fellow executive colleagues will be talking about the initiatives in their areas to help us reduce carbon emissions so look out for them on our social media channels. Lincolnshire's Green Masterplan Latest performance against LCC's Corporate Plan has been published on our website. We have followed the 'One Council' approach, providing transparency on how the Council is performing against the ambitions set out in the Corporate Plan.

Covid update: Lincolnshire’s overall infection rate is now significantly below the national average and has not reflected the rapid transmission seen in other parts of the country. Schools in England will not be reopening to all pupils until the 8 March 2021. The final decision will depend on meeting vaccination targets and schools would be given two weeks’ notice.

Care homes update: Working with Lincolnshire’s NHS and partners, all care home residents over the age of 65 and care home staff have now been given the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. It means Lincolnshire meets the first of the national target dates in the vaccination programme and has protected the highest percentage of its care home residents across the Midlands Region. There are those staff and residents who couldn’t have the vaccine due to illness or outbreak but they are being re-visited when it is safe to do so.

Vaccination Roll-out: More good news on the vaccination front with a second large vaccination site in the county going live on the 2nd February at the Lincolnshire Showground in addition to the main site in Boston. With 13 other general practice hubs and the two hospital hubs in the County the vaccination programme continues to gather pace. For the latest information about the vaccination programme visit lincolnshireccg.nhs.uk

Transport issues: There has been a lot of queries regarding transport to vaccination sites, as well as some general misunderstandings. Just to reiterate the Transport Helpline is NOT a booking service for transport. The Lincolnshire Transport Helpline provides information and advice on a wide range of transport options including community car schemes and CallConnect. The helpline can be contacted on: 0345 456 4474 or by https://lincsbus.info/accessing-lincolnshire-transport/transport-helpline/ . The helpline operates from 9am-6pm Mon-Fri and 9.30am-4pm on Saturday.

Our CallConnect on-demand bus service is paid for by the customer. If someone has a concessionary bus pass due to age or disability then they can access CallConnect free of charge. For the purposes of the COVID – 19 vaccination programme only, Transport Services have agreed to extend this free to anyone aged 67 and over, regardless of whether they have a bus pass or not. For further details go to our website: here

Looking after your mental health: A comprehensive range of support is available. A good place to start for self-help information and mental wellbeing guidance is Public Health England's Better Health – Every Mind Matters NHS website which has just launched its “When things aren’t so good out there, make inside feel better” campaign. This encourages people experiencing difficulties to create a free NHS-approved ’Mind Plan’.Locally Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (LPFT), the county's mental health and learning disability NHS trust, is offering a variety of wellbeing support, this includes a confidential emotional and mental health support line 0800 001 4331 available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This enables callers to speak to an experienced support worker who will provide you with emotional support, advice and guidance. LPFT also provides a talking therapies service steps2change . This service provides National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended, evidence based interventions for people experiencing depression and a range of anxiety disorders. You can self-refer through the steps2change website or by phoning 0303 123 4000. To get a good idea of all of the support available please see our Coronavirus Health and Wellbeing section

Arts funding for Lincoln's heritage sites to help digital learning: The Collection Museum has scooped £35,000 from the Respond and Reimagine Art Fund grant to help develop more online learning resources to help museums, galleries and cultural organisations respond to immediate challenges connected to the Covid-19 crisis, and offers support to adapt and reimagine ways of working for the future. For more information on the Collection Museum or to find out about the live streamed sessions, please visit www.thecollectionmuseum.com or follow The Collection Lincoln and Usher Gallery on Facebook.

Appendix 2. Cllr Cucksey. NKDC report February 2021

The Full Council on 28th January agreed to approve the Council Tax Support scheme for 2021/22. The scheme will continue with a £20,000 Exceptional Hardship Fund for 2021/22 to top up Council Tax awards in appropriate cases. (this amount is funded through the collection fund) The amount set aside will be reviewed throughout the year.

Fees & Charges

The Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy 2021/22 to 2023/24 had set out the framework for a general increase in the Council’s discretionary fees and charges of 5%. • A detailed review had been undertaken resulting in a more appropriate fee recommendation for each income stream, rather than a blanket increase approach. Income received through these discretionary fees and charges aids the Council in delivering against its corporate priorities.

Collection Fund Surplus/Deficit 2020/21

Following a calculation of the income and expenditure for the Council Tax element of the Collection Fund for this year, it was estimated that there would be a deficit of £233,650, to be recovered in respect of Council Tax by 31st March 2021.

The Collection Fund position was fundamental to the setting of council tax for the Council, Lincolnshire County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The main reason for the movement to a deficit within the year related to the expected financial impacts on Council Tax income and collection as a result of Covid-19 pandemic. This has led to an ‘exceptional’ in year deficit occurring of £568,641.

The Executive Board on 17th February approved the revision of the Safeguarding Policy. The council is to support the dissemination of the revised Policy and roll out of refresher training to compliment that defined by the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Boards. Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership is a statutory multi-agency board made up of representatives from the Local Authority, Police, Health Authority, Probation Trust, Youth Offending Service, the Voluntary Sector and others. Whilst the overarching responsibility for investigation into abuse and appropriate action sits with Lincolnshire County Council and the Police, the District Council has a statutory duty to safeguard children and adults, and to cooperate with other agencies.