Minutes 9th October 2023
Minutes of extraordinary Huttoft Parish Council held on Monday 9th October 2023 at Huttoft Village Hall commencing at 7:00pm
PRESENT: Cllrs. P Lapczuk (Chair), N Sylvester, R Walker, K Golightly, C Meaker & R Ganney
IN ATTENDANCE: M Rudd (Clerk) & 6 members of the public
4609. WELCOME:
The Chair welcomed Councillors and members of the public to the meeting
4610. APOLOGIES:
Apologies were received from Cllr R Ward (HPC), Cllrs G Marsh & S Devereux (ELDC) and Cllr C Matthews (LCC)
4611. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
None
4612. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATIONS:
Cllrs R Ganney, N Sylvester & C Meaker declared an interest in item 6 ‘Huttoft Playing Field Review’
4613. MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS OF 11th SEPTEMBER 2023:
Proposed, Seconded & RESOLVED that the minutes, having been circulated and read, were approved and signed by the Chair
4614. HUTTOFT PLAYING FIELD REVIEW – CLLR GANNEY:
Cllr Ganney took Councillors through his report following the AGM on 22nd September 2023. The report highlighted a number of existing challenges and recommended that the Parish Council takes overall oversight of the Playing Field from April 2024. Councillors discussed in detail the report and potential options for the future of the Playing Field. Cllr Ganney expressed concerns over on-going maintenance costs following the latest RoSPA Report that were not yet fully known and agreed to bring a more detailed costing plan to the next Parish Council meeting.
It was Proposed, Seconded & RESOLVED in principle for the Parish Council to take over maintenance of the Playing Field from 1st April 2024.
4615. GRASS CUTTING TENDER:
Cllr Lapczuk confirmed that the current contractor ceased on 31 August 2023 and interim arrangements were now in place until the end of the financial year. Councillors discussed in detail a number of future options that included extending the existing grass maintenance contract to include the playing field and extended churchyard.
It was Proposed, Seconded & RESOLVED to carry out a new tender with an aim to commence the new contract in April 2024.
4616. ANY OTHER MATTERS:
The Clerk confirmed that Financial Regulations 2023/24 have changed and Parish Councils are now required to have a gov.uk email account to enable secure receiving and sending of emails. Following a review of IT providers recommended by LALC, it was Proposed, Seconded & RESOLVED to purchase a gov.uk email account.
Cllr Walker expressed concern that the Parish Council Emergency Resilience Plan needed updating. It was agreed to review at the next Parish Council meeting.
Cllr Walker confirmed that he had invited the National Trust to a future Parish Council meeting to talk to Councillors about the future plans for the Sandilands Wetlands and how better we can work together for the local community.
Cllr Meaker had been approached by a resident expressing concern regarding overgrown hedges at the old churchyard. The Clerk agreed to write to the landowner to request the hedges be cutback.
4617. DATE OF NEXT MEETING:
Monday 13th November 2023
4618. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING CLOSED AT 8:20pm