March 2021 Minutes
MINUTES of the Hough on the Hill Parish Council meeting held on 11th March 2021 by a Zoom meeting.
Present: Cllr S Rowland (SR) (in the Chair), Cllrs. P. Baker (PB), A. Barrett (AB), R. Holden (RH), A. Knott (AK), Vicky McLean (VM), and C. Ward (CW). Cty Cllr A Maughan and Dist Cllr P Milnes were in attendance and there was one member of the public.
33/20. Chair welcomed those present. The member of the public did not wish to raise any issues.
34/20. Apologies for absence – There were none.
35/20. Declarations of interest – There were none.
36/20. Minutes of the meeting held on 10th December 2020 were read and it was resolved
to accept them as a true record, and they were duly signed.
37/20. Planning:
S18/0078 and S20/0098 – Brandon Wood Clay Shoot – Cllr Milnes advised that this application is still under consideration.
S19/0735 – Drive through coffee shop at A1 petrol station site – Highways England have still not moved forward with changes to the A1. A consultation will take place by Highways England eventually and will be advertised locally at the appropriate time.
S20/2013 – tree removal at Hough House – approved.
S20/2019 – Tree works at Jubilee Cottage, Thompsons Lane – approved.
S20/2022 – additions and extensions at The Grange – approved.
S21/0271 – agricultural building at Grange Farm – approved.
S21/0289 – changes to windows at Old Hall Barn – pending consideration.
S21/0315 – tree works at 2 Gelston Road, Hough – pending consideration.
Enforcement at 3 Hough Road, Brandon – owners have been visited – Cllr Milnes to advise on outcome.
Neighbourhood Plan (NP) – Clerk had contacted SKDC but not had any response. Cllr Milnes will put the relevant person at SKDC in touch with the Clerk. The NP has level status with the Local Plan.
Enforcement
38/20. Playing field:
Reports for December, January and February to hand. Wicksteed had done the annual check and report and advised that the swing seats do not need replacement at the present time. More bark is required – clerk to arrange in May. Due to cost of matting, this was not an option for us. Hedge and tree cuttings at 10 Carlton Road have been removed by our contractor, and hedge has been trimmed. Clerk to remind contractors that the big gate must be secured when they leave the field.
39/20. Road safety/Highways:
The Gelston Green sign is now in place – thanks to Chair. The overgrown hedge at Lower Road, Hough is trimmed every 2 years and is not therefore due at the present time. The smell at Water Lane – the dyke in the wood opposite Gelston Lane is now clear. Some of the cottages have updated their septic tanks. Clerk to find out if the pipe running from the dyke in the wood to Water Lane at the phone box is meant to take foul water? The stream at The Old School House is also a concern. Clerk to obtain the Anglian Water map. Clerk to enquire as to whether the owner of the Old School House owns the cobbled path through the churchyard and also ask if he knows who owns the tarmac section.
The planning consent for redevelopment of Church Farm Barns does not include any conditions relating to a water plan. Clerk to write to owners and Anglian Water expressing concerns over flooding and drainage. The culvert on the C001 at Brandon is to be replaced but no timescale as yet.
40/20. Footpath 8: When Covid restrictions are lifted, there will be a meeting with owners and Footpath Officer.
41/20. Hough Charity – resolved to appoint AB as Nominative Trustee and resolved to confirm that Robert Mills and Patrick Morgan continue as Nominative Trustees. The Charity’s Report had been circulated – if there is an APM then a Charity representative will attend said meeting.
42/20. Witham IDB – the point of contact will depend on the nature of the enquiry.
43/20. Defibrillators – VETS contact lists are now updated. Clerk to check if a landline is essential to be on the list of contacts. Clerk also to obtain a checklist of how VETS operates from the receipt of a phone call onwards. Clerk also to establish who trains the use of VETS and the cost? Consideration was given to a page cut out from News and Views or a fridge magnet for retention of the VETS number and how it should then work.
Resolved to pay £340.50 pus VAT for defibrillator maintenance support for another year.
44/20. Financial matters:
[a] Bank balance at 28.2.21 £3,216.62 (current account) and £4,813.10 (deposit account).
[b] Resolved to sign the bank reconciliation/income and expenditure accounts for past 3 months.
45/20. Correspondence: none to hand.
46/20. Presentations from invited speakers:
Cllr Milnes advised that the issues at a property in Carlton Road were being dealt with by
Housing and she is awaiting an update. The Council budget has been agreed and results in a
£5 increase for a Band D property. Pay rises have been paused and business rates are static. The
cost of the Margaret Thatcher statue will come from private funds. Councillors should look at the
SKDC Design Guidance for future planning.
Cllr Maughan advised that LCC has set its budget and the council tax increase is 1.99%.
Covid vaccinations are now being given to 50-59 year olds. Anyone needing transport for
vaccinations should call 0345 456 4474. There are LCC grants available for supporting businesses.
Recycling centres are now accepting all waste types on any day but an appointment still needs to be
made. Local elections will go ahead on 6th May.
PB advised that his email address on the list in the noticeboards is incorrect – Clerk to rectify. The
cost of magnetic cards (see item 43/20) would be about 40p each if ordered in batches of 100 – we
would need about 250. Road repairs on Gelston Road inadequate – Cllr Maughan to investigate.
AK advised that walking signs are down and some posts are down (map provided) – agreed he will
put new posts in. FP14 at Caythorpe is a problem but not for this PC.
Litter pick can be done by acquiring kit from SKDC and people going out in pairs only.
AB – bench at Brandon Church is rotten – agreed he can go ahead with repairs.
SR – on the Brandon/Hough road – asbestos, fence panels and tree cuttings have been dumped – he
will advise SK fly tipping section, accordingly.
47/20. Date and time of next meeting: 6th May at 7.30 pm. (election day so not in Church – change date in case physical meeting is required). 13th May
Meeting closed at 9.05 pm.