May 2021 Minutes
Minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on the 17th May 2021
Present: Cllrs, B. Hancock, P. Drewery, A. Schofield, Cllr A. Inglis , Cllrs. H Davidson and M Burton
Apologies: None received
4 members of the public.
In accordance with statute, the annual parish council meeting has been held this day 17th May 2021.
1257 As required, the first order of business was the election of the Chairperson.
Two nominations were received with both candidates accepting their nomination and agreeing to stand, a vote of hands was held and a majority vote in favour of Cllr Barbara Hancock, determined that she was installed as the Chairperson of Owersby Parish Council for the forthcoming year. The declaration of acceptance was duly signed.
Cllr A Schofield was proposed for the post of Vice-Chairperson which he accepted, there being no other nominations.
As the New Chairman Cllr. Hancock continued the meeting thanking everyone for their attendance at zoom meetings during the past year and welcoming them back to face to face meetings, she thanked Mr & Mrs Burton for making the venue available and covid compliant.
1258 Public Participation: Mr Pope said he was interested in having the village kept tidy, talked about the roadside verges and potholes he has himself contacted the highways dept., he said he keeps the stocks in good condition and was keen to see how the council works.
Mrs. Cade reported the Church Clock has not worked for some considerable time – Cllr Burton would arrange for it to be looked at.
1259 The minutes of the last meeting were approved and signed.
1260 Matters Arising : A quote for the plaque had been received the cost of which was £234.00 the clerk would obtain further quotes before the next meeting.
The Honeysuckle had not yet been cut back and the obelisk needs to be removed, Mr. Pope offered to supply a new obelisk.
1261 Mowing: There had been some confusion regarding the future of grass cutting in the village, 14 letters had been received from parishioners. As there had been some misconception regarding the parish precept it was explained that the Parish Council does not receive any external funds to specifically cover the cost of the mowing or other maintenance.
The chairman explained that it was never the intention to cease cutting the grass in the Church Yard but due to the various building developments sited in close proximity within North Owersby all progressing, with site clearance and groundworks commencing, a suggestion had been made at the March Parish Council Meeting that the mowing of the verges be suspended temporarily. This matter was further discussed at the Annual Parish Meeting (Held on Zoom) on 26th April 2021, however no decision could appropriately be made at that meeting, only one member of the public attended. The matter was then placed on the agenda for today’s meeting.
The Parish Council recognised that there could be ongoing consequences of a decision to halt mowing the verges, even temporarily.
In the event that this caused significant loss of income to Mr S. Cade, there was a possibility it could result in him terminating his services in favour of other contracts.
Finding a replacement for Mr Cade who would provide the current level of service at similar costs could prove more difficult than continuing with his services.
Although not all of the letters received from members of the parish were factually accurate they certainly demonstrated the strength of feeling regarding this matter and strong support for the mowing of the verges to be maintained.
It was therefore proposed and agreed that Mr Cade would continue to cut the verges as at present and in the event that he was unable to do so because of the building work his time could be utilised to provide additional maintenance and tidying up of other public areas.
The Clerk was asked to write to Mr. Cade to inform him of the decision of the Parish Council.
As an adjunct to this debate, the poor state of maintenance of the Church Foot Path was highlighted, and safety concerns expressed regarding the encroachment of the verges on the path. This path is under the jurisdiction of Highways and not an immediate Parish Council responsibility. After discussion the Clerk was directed to contact the Highways Department to report that the public footpath to the church was in need of urgent attention as a safety concern.
1262 Planters. The clerk would contact Mrs. Keil to see if she would like to do the planting this year, Mr. Pope offered to do the watering.
1263 Finance: Payments made to Zurich Insurance £209.74
Hansard Haulage £45.00
S. Cade £145.00
1264 Bank Reconciliation approved.
1265 Certificate of Exemption approved and signed by the Chairman.
1266 Annual Governance statement Section 1 approved and Signed by the Chairman.
1267 Accounting Statement 2020/21 Approved and signed.
1268 The requirement for a third signatory to the Bank account was discussed and agreed as good practice in principle but the decision regarding who the additional signatory was deferred for Chairman’s action.
There were no matters reported to the Councillors
The meeting closed at 8.40p.m.