March 2020 Minutes (9th)
Minutes of the of Dunston Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 9th March at 7.45pm in the Lamyman Room of the Village Hall
PUBLIC FORUM: Following an enquiry from the floor, it was confirmed that Beeswax have trimmed the hedges obstructing the bridle path to Nocton. (37/20)
PRESENT: P.Cllrs R.McLuckie (RM) (Chair), P.Moore (PM) (Vice Chair), L.Phillipson (LP), & K.Atkin (KA). Clerk L.Stocker (LS)(Minutes), C.Cllr. R. Kendrick, D. Cllrs N.Byatt D. Cllr L. Pearson (LPe) & 3 parishioners.
1. APOLOGIES: P.Cllr. E.Vinter
2. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None.
3. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: The minutes for the meeting held on Monday 10th February were unanimously held to be a true and accurate record. (38/20)
4. REPORTS
COUNTY COUNCILLOR Rob Kendrick: RK’s monthly report had not been received, but he was able to provide a summary for those present.
Key points covered included the efficiency savings made by LCC, which will be used to offer additional support in key areas (notably Highways, Flooding & Adult Social Care), the success of the innovative Emergency Services Hub, and the forthcoming public meeting with Police & Crime Commissioner, Marc Jones. (Friday 13th March, 7pm, Metheringham Village Hall). (39/20)
DISTRICT COUNCILLOR Laura Pearson: LPe was pleased to report that NKDC have unanimously passed their budget for 2020-21 and plan to concentrate upon environmental, economic and community based projects.
She also highlighted potential funding for events to celebrate the anniversary of VE Day on 8th May, and a Charity Quiz in aid of Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance at The Red Lion from 7.30pm on Wednesday 8th April (See posters for details).
LPe and her co-councillor, Nick Byatt, will be holding a ‘surgery’ in Metheringham on Friday 27th March, location to be confirmed. (40/20)
The poor state of repair on the roads was then discussed, with Dunston Heath Road being referred to as particularly bad. It was suggested that this road should be made inaccessible to heavy goods vehicles, and agreed that correspondence to this effect should be forwarded to LCC Highways via RK. (41/20).
Action: LS
5. POLICING
One crime was recorded in Dunston during February. (42/20)
The Police Panel (PP) Report from Monday 2nd March had been circulated prior to the meeting in order to facilitate discussion.
- Future Police Panels will be open to the public.
- New Crime Reporting Methods: Concerns regarding clarity were shared. Restrictions on Police information was cited as partially responsible for this.
- Commitment made to ensure that Lincs. Police will only be used in other regions in ‘exceptional circumstances’.
- Police presence is prioritised according to need.
- Investments to allow dash cam footage use by the police are being discussed.
- PC Matthew Roberts has been appointed as the new Community Beat Officer.
- The cluster group SID is outdated and in need of repair – DPC to consider options in relation to group size and investment cost prior to next meeting.
Action: ALL
- Next meeting : 7th September at Nocton Community Hall at 7pm. (43/20)
6. HIGHWAYS : The LCC Transport Strategy 2020-2036 has been published and circulated prior to the meeting. This can be found on the LCC website. (44/20)
7. ENVIRONMENT
a. Village Keepers Report: This report largely focussed on the irresponsible disposal of litter across the village. Relevant steps will be taken to limit the specific incidents highlighted by the Keeper.(45/20)
8. PLANNING
a. Allotments : The Dunston Diggers have been discussing potential sites with Beeswax. The meeting briefly discussed the impact of any changes in terms of planning & it was agreed that any future meetings will include a representative of DPC. (46/20)
9. CLERKS REPORT
a. Annual Parish & Annual Parish Council Meetings: Due to unexpected changes, the existing meeting date is no longer suitable. Alternatives were identified and a date will be finalised once the Village Hall Manager has been consulted regarding room availability. A commitment was made to provide refreshments.(47/20)
Action: LS/KA
10. VILLAGE HALL
a. DVHMC have not met recently, but PM was able to convey a request for DPC support in the purchase of a safe working platform. Quotes are currently being sought, and this matter will be considered further once a formal request has been received. (48/20)
Action: PM
b. The Fashion Show will return on the 20th March, subject to the impact of Coronavirus. (49/20)
c. The replaced village chairs have been sold for £270. (50/20)
d. Informal discussions have been made regarding the improvement of the VH car park, which may become financially viable if linked to the work needed at the playing field entrance. (51/20)
e. VE Day Event: There has been little interest regarding an organising committee for this event. The Red Lion is keen to mark the occasion with an event, and it was agreed that DPC support would be given to this instead. (52/20)
Action: P=M
11. PLAYING FIELD MAINTENANCE
a. Fencing: It was unanimously approved to add a gate to the missing section of fence. New quotes will be sought in order to finalise this matter (53/20).
b. Bowls Green: The wood required to complete the Uplift Project has been purchased as agreed. (54/20)
Action: RM
c. Playing Field Entrance Repairs Quotes will be sought in order to establish if it is viable to resurface this area in 2020/21. (55/20)
d. Brambles:Methods to permanently remove the Brambles will be sought.(56/20)
Action: RM
12. FINANCE: As of 9th March 2020 (56/20)
14. URGENT CORRESPONDENCE: None
15. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Monday 6th April at 7.45pm in the Lamyman Room of the Village Hall.
The meeting closed at 9.45pm.