2025-26 Minutes

Present: Councillors:  N Bradley, R Bill, S Broadbent, H Daines, (Presiding) L Day, B Gunner, P Haley, 

M Keene, and L Lowe.

Residents: Ian Pace

Others: Bernard Champness – Clerk. District Cllr Barry Dodson

 

Open Forum 

 

Although there was a member of the public present there was no Open Forum. The meeting was formally opened at 19.31

 

26. Apologies for absence, acceptance of Apologies & noting of resignations received

 

26.1 Apologies were received from A Thomas (personal) Resolved that the apologies be accepted.  

 

 

27. Declaration of Interest – To receive Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary and Other Interests, as set out in Chapter 7 of the Localism Act 2011 and the nature of those interests relating to any Agenda item

 

27.1 No one declared any Disclosable Pecuniary and Other Interests on any matter on the agenda.  

 

28. Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council held on the 7th May 2025 (Min25-01)

 

28.1 Resolved: That the minutes of the annual meeting held on the 7 May 2025 be signed by the Chair as a correct record. 

 

29. To Co-opt a Councillor

 

29.1 Mr Ian Pace of Swallow Hill had completed an application from as he wished to be co-opted onto the Council. The application had been circulated in advance. Mr Pace was asked to address the Council, and the Clerk asked him 2 questions (1) Are you an undischarged bankrupt and (2) Do you have a criminal record. He was able to answer both with a no. It was resolved that he be co-opted onto the Council, and he was invited to take his seat. The Clerk asked him to sign a Declaration of Acceptance of Office which he did, and the Clerk was able to witness his signature. He was also asked to complete The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 form and return within the next couple of weeks. He was asked if he wanted a hard copy of the Standing Order, Financial Regulations and other procedural documents or receiving copies via email. He preferred copies to be sent to him 

 

30. To receive a report from the County and District Councillors on matters relating to Thurlby

 

30.1 No report had been received from the new County Councillor, but no invitation had been sent. The Clerk would write to him formally inviting him to the monthly meetings

 

30.2 District Cllr Dobson had sent a report as follows 

1. County Cllr Kenneth Redfern is on the committee for Adult Care and Public Health, Public Rights of Way, Pensions as well as Planning and Regulation committees. I’m sure he will join us, if not tonight, then when he has settled down to his demanding routine. I would be pleased to work with him, especially in the early days of his new role. He lives in Grimsby so may have difficulty attending every meeting here in Thurlby

2. There have been several near misses at the crossroads (High Street/Church Lane/A15). This occurs when drivers ignore vehicles exiting from Church Lane by vehicles exiting from High Street. Frustrating though it is, priority is not traffic exiting from High Street. I have looked at the setup of the crossing again and I can confirm that it simply requires a box junction laid over the existing. The zigzag lines are correct; we just need a box junction. Again, I will be in contact with the new County Councillor: Kenneth Alan Redfern.

3. Despite all my efforts, the planning department has replaced the previous proposal for new housing development off Obthorpe Lane and simply placed the new proposal adjacent to the last property on the east side, directly after the last house on that side (No.: 25). The planning department is under pressure from Westminster of course, but I will support you completely to ensure that this is reconsidered. In my statement, I brought up the issue with sewage, volume of traffic both on Obthorpe Lane and at the Horseshoe crossing as well as development close to ancient woodland. There are plenty of other housing schemes throughout SKDC that will be more inviting to develop than those in Thurlby. I have repeatedly explained that although they consider us to be a large village, that we still have the infrastructure of a hamlet and I don’t think I’m exaggerating.

4. I have also complained after getting an agreement that the green bin collection will be on the same day throughout the village, but despite working on this for over 6 months, they still haven’t managed to reschedule. Just for those of you who may not know the issues: Residents on certain roads put their bins out at the most convenient place where pedestrians would not be hampered. The response was that they would not be collected as the bins needed to be according to the house street number. The bin collectors were under instructions. It has now been sorted, but still Northorpe Lane is collected at a different week to the rest of the village including Maple Avenue.

5. He advised the council that he had attended a recent Mallard Pass meeting, and it was understood that work should start within a year. Plans were being submitted of the area where the panels would be installed, and he was anxious to see them.

6. He was asked about the email he had sent about a possible grant we could /might receive. He explained that there was no urgency but if we had anything that we wanted doing within the village we should advise him, and he would see what he could do to help

7. He was also asked about the water leak in Northorpe as Anglian Water were aware of it but were doing nothing. He said he would see what he could do but it was an LCC matter and suggested we write to the new County Councillor to see if he could help. Whilst talking about water leaks Cllr Bill explained that what appeared to be a leak from a manhole in High Street was actually a spring  

 

31. Clerk’s Report and correspondence received 

 

31.1 The Clerks Report had been circulated and explained that he had received various emails from NALC, ICCM and various playground equipment providers but if anyone wished to see copies, they can be forwarded on. He had received the additional correspondence as follows:

1. A resident has complained about speeding vehicles on Swallow Hill and asking if the reactive sign could be placed on Swallow hill to monitor the traffic and speeds, they are travelling. Cllr Bill said that he would send to the Clerk data from the reactive sign on Swallow Hill which he could send to her. It was also agreed that the Clerk would write to the Davis Wright to mention our concern about the speed of the lorries through the village. The Clerk would also send a reminder to Cllr Dobson about a possible weight restriction through the village. 

2. Mr Holland has written saying that the Neighbourhood Plan on the new website is not working properly in that the two documents have conjoined links to information contained in each document. These links were based through the Thurlby Parish website. These links are no longer accessible. This presents a serious issue with the documentation, particularly if we expect SKDC, Developers and our own community to access these documents.

3. The Clerk had written to the Webmaster about this and asking what extra money would have to be spent in getting these s links working, He had replied as follows 

Within that document I can find 4 links to either your old website homepage or to documents that were on there. These 4 links needs updating with whatever the new equivalents are.

The person to do that would be the owner/author of the document, who has the Word version. Your website has a PDF published, so I couldn’t edit that, even if I knew the new links. Once the new links are determined, it’s only a 5-minute job for someone to update the Neighbourhood Plan. Cllr Day would speak to Ian Bratley to see if he had a Word copy of the Neighbourhood Plan 

4. Notice had been received that the new Tommy Silhouettes has been shipped but with no anticipated delivery date.  

 

32. Planning applications:  

 

32.1 To consider any Planning Applications received – none to note

 

32.2 To note Planning Applications approved: After the agenda was posted the following planning application was approved

S24/1957: Proposal: Submission of details required by condition 6 (tree protection), 7 (sustainable building) and 9 (bat and bird boxes) of S24/0559 (New two storey detached dwelling) at The Barn 25 Crown Lane Thurlby

 

32.3 To note any Planning Applications refused or withdrawn: none to note 

 

32.4 To note any Application appealed or any decision made regarding an appeal:  none to note

 

33. To confirm Expenditure

£40.00 – B M Champness (use of home as office)

£556.73– B M Champness (salary)

£51.20 – Elaine Reynolds (salary) 

£54.21 – BT (broadband charges) (DD) 

£122.40 – Bourne Skip Hire (weekly bin collection charges x 2)

£345.00 – Royal British Legion Industries (2 Tommy Silhouettes)

£25.00 – Royal British Legion Industries (postage)

£499.00 – Bourne Computer Store (new laptop) 

£108.00 – LALC (additional 5 hours for website assistance)

£50.00 – Dave Collins (remove and replace new legs on cemetery noticeboard)

£408.00 – D Thornburn (Internal Audit fee)

£48.50 – Thurlby PCC (green bin contribution) 

£21.67 – B M Champness (memory Stick) 

£114.50 – St Firmins PCC (insert in Village Link)

£50.00 – C S Harris (cemetery maintenance) 

[  ] denotes those payments paid between meetings, which have been approved by the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Parish Council or at a previous meeting but not listed

 

33.1 Resolved: that the payments be approved. The Clerk explained that he received an invoice for the first standing order to Bluecom Services which amounted to £39.09 

 

33.2 The Clerk explained that he had been discussing the Insurance cover with Zurich Insurance, and we now have the correct information on the Asset register. This has resulted in the premium being reduced by £354.26 making the total payment due of £195.36. He pointed out that in the discussion they had asked whether the cover for the Millenium sign was excessive with a cost of replacement at £1800.00. The Clerk agreed and asked that to be reduced to £1000.00

 

33.3 The Clerk also explained that we had come to the end of the contract with BT and after telephone calls a new contract lasting 2 years was agreed.  The cost was £49.95 per month but with a discount reduced to £39.95 which with VAT is £47.94. The present contract costs us £54.21, and this month is the last time we pay that amount. We are now on a digital line. 

 

33.4 The Clerk said that he had received an email from Mary Trumble asking why we had sent a payment of £1000.00 when the request for a grant was only for £600.00. He had written back apologising and asking for the £400 to be returned to us. 

 

34. To discuss the accounts for May and for the bank reconciliation to be signed as a correct record

 

34.1 The Clerk has prepared bank reconciliation for May 2025 which had been circulated in advance. He also sent reports from Scribe showing what money had been spent or received as well as a budget report. Resolved: that the bank reconciliation be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

 

35. To discuss the purchase of a monitor for the laptop and a new mouse

 

35.1 A new laptop had been purchased and the Clerk wanted to know if he could purchase a new mouse and a monitor. The existing mouse was in rather a poor state and although we do not have a monitor it would mean the screen would be at eye level rather than looking down all the time. Bourne Computer Store could provide both for around £100.00. Resolved: that the Clerk proceed with the purchase of both items. 

 

36. To discuss the purchase of a Beacon as suggested by a resident 

 

36.1 This was on the agenda as a resident had asked Cllr Lowe if the Parish Council could purchase a Beacon which would be used at certain times to celebrate various events. We had £800 left in the account for the D Day Celebrations but after payment of the Tommy Silhouettes we still have £512.50. After much discussion about the cost, maintenance, safety requirements and insurance cover it was Resolved that we would not proceed with this suggestion and the Clerk would advise the resident. 

 

37. To discuss a possible WhatsApp group for the Parish Council for urgent matters

 

37.1 This item was on the agenda for the council to consider. The reasoning behind the suggestion was that it was apparent that some Councillors did not check their emails when the Clerk was hoping for a quick response so that he could deal with a particular matter. It was accepted that Councillors had other matters they had to deal with but if we had a WhatsApp group the clerk could send a message saying an urgent email had been send and asking this to be read. WhatsApp would be installed on the mobile telephone so all Councillors should then be altered to an email being sent. Resolved: that a group would be set up a to include only those who were willing to be included. 

 

38. To receive a report/update on the latest Save a Life session 

 

38.1 Cllr Broadbent was able to report the following about the last Save a Life Session. Twelve people attended from the fourteen who had reserved a place. The session was very much appreciated by those attending and the session went very well. It was resolved that we would pay them a donation of £60.00 and see if we could book another session later in the year. 

 

39. To discuss a possible request for a grant from Parish & Community Funding 

 

39.1 District Cllr Dobson had sent an urgent letter explaining that we could possibly apply for a grant from the above funds and wanted to know if there was anything we needed. Rather than the Chair and Vice Chair considering what we might need it was considered appropriate that all Councillors should be given this to consider.  After discussion, it was felt the purchase of 6 new benches and 4 picnic benches, including a wheelchair accessible bench would be beneficial

 

40. To receive an update on the new email domain and the agreement with BlueCom Services 

 

40.1 Bluecom Services had sent a contact for the council to sign which had been circulated to all concerned. The Chair and Vice Chair had replied so the Clerk signed the contract and sent it back. This has resulted in the new email being ready to install as well as Office 365 Pro. An appointment was arranged for this work to be dome on the 2 June, but it transpired that this could not be undertaken as the new laptop had Windows 11 Home edition installed whereas we needed Windows 11 Pro. Bourne Computer Store was able to assist and they were able to install the Pro version at no extra cost to the council. The new laptop is now functioning and we can now proceed with the new email address which was clerk@thurlbyparishcouncil.gov.uk  We now needed to advertise this and Cllr Day suggested  a way of advising clients but when she tried to set this up on the old laptop it appeared that the feature she wanted to use was not available. It was agreed that the Clerk would set up an automatic reply to any email received on the old address advising them that we had a new email address and asking them to send it using the new email address. We would also advertise the new email on Facebook and in the Village Link. 

 

The Clerk also explained that he was concerned about losing the emails from the old laptop and explained that the man from BlueCom Services said that he could transfer them from the old laptop into the OneDrive on the new laptop. It was agreed that this should be done. 

 

41. To consider the data received from the reactive sign 

 

41.1 Cllr Bill had submitted before the meeting the data he had obtained from the Reactive Sign

 

During May the radar unit was positioned on Northorpe Lane recording traffic in a southbound direction.

The results are very similar to last May. There is a slight drop in the daily count 15 & 19no. for the 5- & 7-day periods. This is also reflected in the peak AM & PM counts however the peak PM time is one hour later at 16.00 - 17.00hrs. The average speed is very similar to previous at 23.8mph but those travelling above the limit have increased to 10.1 & 10.7% with the average speed above the limit of 32.50 & 32.45, both for the 5- & 7-day periods. A maximum speed of 60mph recorded at 21.22hrs is the same as last year.

Further details can be found on the Thurlby Parish website.

 

Thanks to be recorded to Cllr Bill for undertaking this task every month. 

 

42. To receive an update on the Cemetery to include grass cutting, maintenance and burial fees 

 

42.1 Mr Harris had cut the grass. Dave Collins had replaced the legs on the noticeboard and all was looking tidy. There was a funeral on 28 May 2025. The clerk explained that he had a conversation about possible flooding of the cemetery. It was agreed that there was nothing that we as a council could do in the event of the flooding being caused by climate change and the sea levels rising. 

 

43. For any Councillor to produce a written report of any meeting that he/she has attended as a representative of the Parish Council

 

43.1 There was nothing to report and the Clerk was asked to ensure he write to the various organisations advising them who was the representative from the Parish Council 

 

44. To consider what information should be placed in the Village Link 

 

44.1 It was agreed that the Clerk would draft a report for the Village Link. This would be sent to all for approval before going to print.

 

45. Members Questions - reminder only questions given to the clerk a week in advance will be answered.

 

45.1 It was agreed that the Chair would send a card to Yvonne Scott thanking her for the splendid work she had done on the old telephone kiosk on The Green 

 

45.2 There being no other business the meeting was duly closed at 21.04

 

46. The date of the next meeting – to be held on Wednesday 2 July 2025 at 7.30 p.m. in the Lawrance Park Social Room, Thurlby