Minutes 2019-20

SWINSTEAD PARISH COUNCIL

Draft Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held at:

 18.30 on Thursday 7th March 2019

Present: Chairman Bryan Lynch, Cllr G Brown, Cllr C Lunn, Cllr J Cowan, Cllr A Percival, C Hatch (Clerk)

1. Public Forum: Four members of the public attended the forum and were most welcome. One attendee asked if attention could be given to the gate at the Jubilee Orchard, the centre bolt on the larger gate will not align due to movement in the supporting post, also was it necessary to keep the gate locked in the winter as he had to climb over the gate to gain access. It was agreed repairs to the gate should take placed and consideration given to the removal of the padlock, providing better access.

Another member of the public expressed concern at the speed gravel lorries were traveling around the corner of Bourne Rd by the Village Hall and displacing some of their load onto the road. He was advised the gravel lorries were an agenda item and was welcome to stay to listen to the discussion.  

2. Apologies: None
3. Receive declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011:  None
4. Minutes of the Previous Meeting: The Minutes of the previous meeting held on 10th January were agreed as an accurate record and signed.
5. Financial Report:

The Clerk presented the Financial report for the year 2018/19 to date, (copy at the end of the report).

He advised the Councillors that, after taking advice from Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils, a Parish Council should carry forward into the next financial year no more than, “At worst” an amount equal to one year’s precept, the exception to this would be if funds were being set aside for a specific project. The Clerk suggested the surplus should be used during the next 12/18 months for the benefit of the Swinstead community, however, these funds should not be spent frivolously.

6. Speed Aware:

Cllr Lynch thanked the members of the Council who helped install the 30mph passive Speed Watch signs in the village, he also suggested the installation of a Speed Indicator Device, (SID) 30mph with SLOW DOWN Legend. This is a portable, battery operated sign that can be moved to different locations in the village. This was proposed, seconded and passed unanimously. Parish Clerk to action.

We also had an interesting talk from Ralph Philips of the Community Speed Watch Campaign. Ralph discussed the campaign, a collaboration between the Police and local communities, to stop speeding in rural areas. He told us how members of the local community can volunteer to be trained in the use of hand-held speed guns together with other equipment, to encourage drivers to observe the speed limit in the village.

It would be necessary to have a team of three volunteers, one to aim the speed gun, one to count the number of cars the gun is aimed at and one to record the details of the speeding vehicle. The more teams of three the better.

If you would be interested in volunteering for this Swinstead project, please contact the Parish Clerk.

7. Fencing Quotes Croake Hill & Jubilee Orchard

Three quotes were obtained from reputable companies for the replacement of Post & Rail fencing in Croake Hill. The successful quote which was proposed, seconded and passed unanimously, came from SD Cox Fencing at a cost of £355.00, work to commence early April.

Due to the very high cost of Deer fencing around the perimeter of the Jubilee Orchard, it was decided to look at more cost-effective options. PC to action.

8. Election Update:

The District and Parish Council Elections take place on 2 May, voting at the Village Hall.

If any member of the Swinstead Parish has an interest and would like to become a Parish Councillor, nomination packs are available from the Parish Clerk.

Important Dates;

Period for delivery of Nomination Packs to Grantham Council Office, between Tuesday 19 March & 4pm Wednesday 3 April

To qualify to become a Parish Councillor you must meet at least one of the following criteria:

You must be a British, Commonwealth, Irish or European Union Citizen and be aged 18 or over on the day of nomination

On the relevant day or thereafter you should be on the electoral register of the parish;

During the whole of the twelve months before that day you have occupied as owner or tenant land or premises in the parish;

During the whole of the twelve months before that day your principal or only place of work has been in the parish;

During the whole of the twelve months before that day you have resided in the parish or within 4.8 kilometres (3miles) of it.

9. Vehicle Parking in Village;

Cllr Lynch raised concerns about the number of vehicles parking on the pavements in Swinstead, he requested the Parish Clerk contact PCSO Bowden with the Councils concerns. As our Local Police office Stuart Bowden was unable to attend the meeting due to illness the report he emailed to the PC is below.

Sorry I’m not able to make the meeting on Thursday I was hoping to attend, to get up to date on the local issues and concerns, along with answer any question you may have about Community Speed Watch. There is a volunteer (a retired officer who knows the reality of speeding enforcement) who has been travelling far and wide to spread the word, I’ll drop him an e-mail and ask if he can make it. It is a bit short notice on my hospital appointment, so I’ve not had chance to speak to him in the time I’ve know I’ll be off. 

If he can’t make it to add some flesh to the bones of the project, please make a note of any queries and concerns and I’ll try and answer them on my return to work. I am quite happy to arrange an additional meeting if required to give a presentation if the need is there. 

Police report Swinstead 

Below is a list of reported incidents in the Swinstead area from 01/01/2019 

08/01 RTC – Female clipped by wing mirror of passing vehicle. Unfortunate accident no further police action required.

20/01 Wildlife – Loose Horse on Creeton Road, safely returned to stables.

03/02 Suspicious circumstances – Report of unknown male sat at High St / Creeton Road, possibly holding a knife. Police attended and unable to locate anyone in the area.

08/02 Suspicious circumstances – Unknown person knocking at door on Croake Hill, unknown car parked outside, left when neighbour came out to investigate. No other similar calls received assumed to be mistaken address.

09/02 Wildlife – Report of tyre tracks that suggest lamping has been occurring in the area. Fields part of Grimsthorpe Estate so unlikely permission granted for lamping / pest control.

17/02 Transport – Suspected banned driver from village seen driving vehicle, police area search completed no further sightings of driver / vehicle.

Over the same period there has been several reports of thefts and suspicious people in the Irnham area. By comparison Corby Glen and Swayfield have only reported a few incidents to Police, this would suggest that Irnham, although at a low level has been a target for unknown offenders. I strongly encourage that any suspicious people or vehicles are reported, or at least a note is taken of descriptions and times should anything happen in the next few weeks. 

Rural offences are very much of the peaks and troughs pattern, nothing for month (or even years) then a sudden spate of incidents or thefts. This trend follows human nature, in a small village word spreads very quickly and the habits change just as fast. Whilst nothing happens, and we feel safe, doors and windows occasionally get left unlocked, something unusual happens and doors and windows are locked and checked. The offender suddenly has his options limited and moves to another more relaxed village and tries his luck there.  

This is especially true as the distance from the A1 increases, Colsterworth and Long Bennington report thefts far more frequently than any other village, because the better transport (escape) options. 

Rural crime still has an element of old-world criminality, including lamping, poaching and hare coursing along with more modern offending involving off-road bikes and cars. We receive reports across the whole area relating to poaching etc and anything of this nature should be reported via 101. As a mostly night activity we rely on the reports from the public to give details on hot spot locations our wildlife teams can target resources as available. 

The off-road bikes are predominantly a problem in Twyford Wood, we are working with forestry to try and limit access but trail bikes being what they are can negotiate most obstacles. The best avenue is to obtain details of the vans they bring the motorbikes in. We have sent more than 30 warning notices out to suspected offenders, at this time only one vehicle has re-attended and received a second warning. The owner has according to vehicle details, come from Bedford, a third visit will result in a local Bedford Officer being asked to visit the home address. For more substantial enforcement we need to catch and identify the actual rider at the time they are riding off-road. 

With cars parking on the pavement, send me an e-mail with the number plate and a brief description of where it’s parked and your concerns about how it’s parked, I’ll search the number plate and have a chat with repeat offenders. However, if it specifically prevents someone getting off their property on to the road call 101. Obstruction is a bit of a judgement to make, and consideration is given to the location, cars parked on the A151 would be looked at differently to those on the High Street / Bourne Road and likewise cars in Croake Hill would be viewed more leniently, if appropriate. 

Parked cars are about achieving a balance between those parking, pedestrians, other residents and other road users, especially in rural areas with very little opportunity of enforcement. In Grantham Town there is an expectation that inconsiderate or illegal parking is likely to receive a ticket, in the villages the expectation can be ‘I’ll do it because I can get away with it’. So, my approach is to try and advise and educate, and look at a longer-term option, reality is, lots of cars have no off-road parking facilities. It requires people to think a little bit about others which is easy to forget at the end of a long working day, and all that is wanted is to get home and put the day behind you. 

Please make use of 101 to report any issues, as the controllers have access to shifts and will be able to identify an available officer to attend if needed.

I’ve managed to improve some school parking issues in the rural area so hopefully some progress can be made with residents over the coming months. 

Regards

PCSO Stuart Bowden

10. Working Parties;

Cllr Lynch thanked all those who have volunteered to carry out various tasks in the village since the start of the new year.

We are looking for more local people to put their names forward to help with light tasks in and around the parish. We are keen to meet those who know how to prune fruit trees.

The trees in the Jubilee Orchard require some attention. 

If you have the skills or are willing to learn, please contact the Parish Clerk who will be delighted to hear from you.

11. CAB;

The council received a request from the Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire asking for a donation to help support the work they do in the county. The consensus was that a £50 donation could be made after establishing it can go to a local CAB office.

PC to action.

12. Gravel Lorries;

Cllr Cowan raised concerns of the gravel lorries and issues associated with them, mainly the damage caused to the road and grass verges, the speed some of the lorries travel through the village and spillage of their load on the corner of Bourne Rd by the Village Hall.

Cllr Cowan suggested contacting the haulage companies, arrange meetings with the individual firms to discuss the concerns and working together with them in the future, with a view to resolve these issues. 

13. Any Other Business:

Cllr Brown discussed the location for a Plaque to commemorate the Pilots who flew from the Airfield in Creeton Road. After discussion, a site visit will be planned for the first week in April.

Late notification of a planning application from Mr & Mrs Ayres of 18 High Street Swinstead was discussed and not opposed.

The meeting closed at 21.00

Date of the next meeting will be the AGM, 9 May 2019, 18.30 Swinstead Village Hall. (All members of the public will be most welcome).

Chris Hatch

Parish Clerk T: 01476552053