Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting Held in Lindsey Village Hall

Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held on Wednesday 11th May 2022 in Lindsey Village Hall, Church Road, Lindsey which commenced at 7.30pm.

Present: The Chair, Mr. Arthey, Parish Cllrs. R Corcoran, M Hainsworth, B Howe, R Howe, J Moore, A Sturgeon
In attendance: Mrs V Waples, Clerk, District Cllr. Jamieson, County Cllr. Finch (in part)

Opening

The Chair opened the meeting and thanked all for attending. The statement on reporting at meetings of the parish council was taken as read.

Election of Chair

Election of Chair and to approve the signing of the Declaration of Acceptance of Office for the position – Cllr. Arthey was proposed and seconded from the floor and having accepted the nomination, all agreed that Cllr. Arthey be re-elected to the position of Chair, aif.

Apologies of Absence

There were no applicable apologies of absence.

Declarations of Interest

There were no declarations of pecuniary or local non-pecuniary interests for the agenda under discussion. There were no declarations of gifts of hospitality received exceeding £25 – Cllr. Moore declared an interest as for 10i as he was a neighbouring landowner.
There were no requests for dispensations for the agenda under discussion.

Minutes of Previous Meetings

To approve the minutes of the following Parish Council Meetings: 9th March 2022 - the meeting agreed that the circulated minutes, were a true and accurate record of the meeting that took place and agreed for the Chair to sign the minutes, aif.

Public Forum

To receive comments from the public on the agenda as published – none submitted prior to the meeting.
To receive comments from or questions from the public on matters relating to Lindsey –
- From those present – there were none
- As submitted by email / letter – hunt issues and prior notification of the presence of the hunt in the village. The meeting was made aware of concerns that the presence of hunt saboteurs had arisen when prior notification of the hunt was given. It was noted that it was cleared with landowners as to land that was to be crossed but the meeting did ask the Clerk to still submit a request for advance knowledge of when there was a local hunt, even if it was at the last minute which would be disseminated on a need-to-know basis.
The meeting noted that County Cllr had submitted a report. Finch – a copy of which can be seen at Appendix A.

Parish Matters

To receive updates on items raised at previous meetings:

Climate Awareness / climate emergency – to consider whether there are any further measures that can be taken for raising awareness of the issues relating to actions that can be undertaken at a local level – article to be placed in the next newsletter which will signpost residents to SCC’s website which contains useful information for example the upgrade of power sources. The article will also direct residents to other relevant websites for further information. It was queried as to whether the Parish Council could consider a community initiative such as that being promoted by Swaffham Prior and Bildeston. Bildeston are researching the possibilities of community heating and grants have been sourced for the feasibility study that will be undertaken. For further information: https://heatingbildeston.uk. Various other villages have shown interest in considering this further and an Officer from the Communities Funding Team at BMSDC has agreed that he would be prepared to attend a meeting on 26th May at 9.00am in Lindsey to discuss this further as a community initiative.
Directional Signage – Council to consider improvements to the directional signage for Lindsey and whether such works should be funded from Council’s CIL Reserves following information received from SCC Highways Department – update to be provided by Cllr. Moore. Cllr. Moore informed the meeting that he had sent an email to SCC advising them that the Parish Council were looking to upgrade its current directional signs to a design commonly used in surrounding villages. In particular costings, process and timings were requested to allow a proposal to be presented for review. Depending on cost versus budget the specific signs would allow an upgrade in order of priority. A response was still awaited. Council also agreed that it should consider requesting a licence to take responsibility for the signs that are in a poor state. The Clerk agreed to undertake further research on this matter and funding opportunities from Locality Budgets (County and District) were noted.
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – Council to consider the co-ordination of events scheduled for the Jubilee Weekend – Cllr. Corcoran confirmed that he had updated the risk assessment for the beacon and that he had previously spoken to the owner of the Rose Inn who had confirmed that the use of the land for the lighting of the beacon was now not available. Cllr. Arthey confirmed that he had since spoken with the owners of the Rose Inn and an agreement had been reached that the beacon could be lit at the scheduled time as all those lighting beacons throughout the country, subject to the onsite health and safety assessment prior to the event. It was noted that the Rose Inn would be running various events over the Jubilee Weekend to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. All agreed that the Parish Council would not be organising a village event other than the lighting of the beacon on Thursday 2nd June.
Improvements to the two triangles near the Rose Pub – County Cllr. Finch had confirmed in an email that he had met with the local Highways Engineer on 1st April to review what is needed for the improvements to two triangles near the Rose Pub and he was still awaiting a quotation on the islands.
To review the drainage at the White Rose Crossroads - County Cllr. Finch also confirmed that at that meeting they had also discussed the drainage at this point in the village. Cllr. Moore was present at this meeting. It was agreed that the solution to this problem lay with the landowner of the farm on the corner and Suffolk Highways. The Highways Engineer had indicated that the clearing of the ditch to allow water to flow freely down the road towards Groton should be the responsibility of Suffolk Highways. Cllr. Finch stated that he had chased him for a formal recommendation following that meeting.

Statutory Business

To consider and adopt the Model Councillor Code of Conduct 2020 as produced by the Local Government Association (LGA) – Paper entitled Model Councillor Code of Conduct 2020 link to guidance: https://local.gov.uk/publications/guidance-local-government-association-modelcouncillor-code-conduct Adoption - it was agreed that the Parish Council would resolve to adopt the new Code as written, aif.
To note that Babergh District Council are carrying out a Community Governance Review of Parishes, Town Councils and Unparished areas. The deadline for submissions to the first stage of the review is Friday 27th May 2022 (Paper entitled Community Governance Review). Council to consider submissions to be made: https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/elections/community-governance-review - the meeting considered the boundary for Lindsey and the numbers of Councillors able to serve on the Council and agreed that it had no submissions to make for any changes, aif.

Correspondence

Dairy Farm Office, Semer – to note this year’s Farm Tour starts at The Lindsey Red Rose Thursday 23rd June at 6.30pm – the Clerk confirmed that this had been advertised on the Village Facebook page.
SALC – Weekly Bulletins – it was noted that once received, all had been circulated to Councillors.
All noted that other correspondence that was not in need of a response but was for noting only had been circulated via email.

Clerk’s Financial Report

To receive and approve the Annual Internal Audit Report for the Year ending 31st March 2022 – Paper A – comprehensive report as per 15.1 says it all – thanks were offered to the Clerk for her work in maintaining the Council’s finances and achieving an excellent report. All accepted the report as written, aif.
To consider and decide the actions to be taken following the recommendations arising from the Internal Audit Report – all agreed that the one recommendation relating to the review of the Clerk’s Salary Scale Point should be considered at the next meeting and the Clerk was asked to provide background details and circulate them prior to the next meeting, aif.
To receive and approve the Payments & Receipts Account for the year ending 31st March 2022 – Paper B – the meeting approved the accounts as written noting that the year-end position £3,928.53, aif, a copy of the Accounts can be found on the Council website: https://lindsey.suffolk.cloud/parish-council/council-finances/.
To note the Bank Reconciliation for the year ending 31st March 2022– Paper C – it was confirmed that Cllr. Corcoran had signed off the end of year bank reconciliation prior to the meeting and all noted the balances carried forward into 2022 of £3,928.53.
To approve the Asset Register for the year ending 31st March 2022 – Paper D - the Asset Register as prepared by the RFO was agreed as being an accurate document and reflected the assets currently held by the Parish Council. Council’s Asset Register was confirmed at £1,106.
To consider and approve the Annual Governance Statement for 2021/2022 as per Section 1 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Guide (AGAR) – Contained within Paper E – all agreed that the statements as posed could be answered in the affirmative bar statement 9 which was not applicable, aif. A copy of the AGAR can be found on the Council website: https://lindsey.suffolk.cloud/parish-council/council-finances/
To consider and approve the Accounting Statements for 2020/2021 as per Section 2 of the AGAR – Contained within Paper E - the accounting statements for 2020/21 were received and accepted. A copy of the AGAR can be found on the Council website: https://lindsey.suffolk.cloud/parish-council/council-finances/
To consider and approve the recommendation that having fulfilled the criteria required, Council considers itself exempt from a Limited Assurance Review - as the Council was a smaller authority where the higher of all gross annual income or gross annual expenditure did not exceed £25,000, and that it met the qualifying criteria as set out in the Certificate of Exemption, it was able to declare itself exempt from sending the completed Annual Governance and Accountability Return to the external auditor for a limited assurance review. Council approved the exemption and instructed the Clerk to ensure that the relevant paperwork was submitted to the external auditors by the due date of 1st July, aif.
Should Agenda Item 9vii be so approved, that delegated authority be given to the Chair to sign the Certificate of Exemption exempting the Council from a Limited Assurance Review for the year 20121/2022 – Contained within Paper E – having given delegated approval, the Chair signed the Certificate of Exemption.
To receive the dates from the RFO of the period for the exercise of public rights and the publication as per requirements of the Annual Governance and Accountability Guide for the year ending 31st March 2022 – Paper F – the meeting noted the dates set by the RFO as being 13th June to 22nd July 2022.
To consider schedule of receipts received since the last meeting – Paper G – all noted the receipts as received since the last meeting as contained in Appendix B.
To consider and approve the verified items awaiting authorization as per the schedule submitted – Paper G – all approved the payments to be settled via the internet banking system, details of which can be found at Appendix B.
To consider the Council's financial position to date – Paper H – Council noted the reconciled position of £5,869.51 once the accounts awaiting payment had been settled, aif. Cllr. Corcoran confirmed that he had verified the position against the bank statements and cashbook.

Planning Matters

To consider the following planning applications: to view please follow the link below:
- DC/22/02118 - Householder Application - Siting of external boiler (following the removal of an existing internal boiler): Rose Green Cottage, Rose Green Road – Council agreed that it had no objections to make on the application, aif.
- DC/22/02119 - Application for Listed Building Consent - Siting of external boiler (following the removal of an existing internal boiler) @ Rose Green Cottage, Rose Green Road - Council agreed that it had no objections to make on the application, aif.
To note the following planning applications determined by the local planning authority:
- DC/22/00782 – Planning Permission - Change of use, conversion, alterations and linking extension of redundant storage building to form additional residential accommodation (following approval under B/16/01374 @ Barn At, Lindsey Lodge Barn, Kersey Road
To receive an update on planning matters relating to Lindsey:
- Unauthorised entrance from Church Meadow – notwithstanding the determination of the application mentioned in the Officer’s letter, Council agreed that the planning application does not cover this access and Highways had stated that the access for the application still to be determined needed to be further along the road.

Parish Councillors’ Reports

To receive reports on village issues from Councillors present -

All wished to acknowledge the landowner’s assistance in clearing the crossroads at Kersey Mill.
The Clerk was asked to ascertain the week in which the verges in Lindsey would be cut by SCC.

Date of Next Meeting

Parish Council Meeting 13th July 2022 commencing at 7.30pm in Lindsey Village Hall.
Date of Meetings for the remainder of 2022: 14th September and 9th November.

There being no other business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 21.05 (9.05pm).

Appendix A – County and District Councillor Reports

County Councillor James Finch report to Council:

National Grid to consult on East Anglia Green Energy Enablement (GREEN) proposals - East Anglia GREEN is a second proposal by National Grid Electricity Transmission (National Grid) to reinforce the high voltage power network in East Anglia between the existing substations at Norwich Main in Norfolk, Bramford in Suffolk and Tilbury in Essex, as well as connect new offshore wind generation. The consultation will run for eight weeks from Thursday 21 April until Thursday 16 June 2022. The project is still at an early stage of development and this public consultation will give local communities the first opportunity to see the plans and to provide feedback. National Grid will listen carefully to the views of local people and will take their comments into consideration as they develop the proposals in more detail. There will be another opportunity in 2023 to comment on the proposals before National Grid submits a planning application to the Planning Inspectorate in late 2024. A new substation is also proposed on the Tendring Peninsula to connect two new offshore wind farms to the electricity network.
Suffolk County Council to freeze post-16 travel costs to schools and colleges - It was announced on April 28th that Suffolk County Council is to freeze charges for travel for over 16s to schools and colleges from September. The council’s Cabinet agreed fares should remain at 2021/22 levels for another 12 months to help families faced with soaring living costs. The decision means costs for the 2022/23 academic year will remain at £930 per year for mainstream transport and £750 for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEND).
Fire service delivers much-needed equipment to Ukraine - It was announced on April 19th that Staff from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service embarked on a 1,000 mile journey to transport vital firefighting kit to help their counterparts in Ukraine. The deployment team, consisting of six volunteers, will drive across Europe to deliver Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service’s donation of two fully operational fire engines and accompanying equipment, which forms part of the wider National Fire Chiefs Council and Fire Aid initiative. Their journey will see them travel to Kent to join the national convoy of vehicles departing for Ukraine. From there, they will head to Poland, where they will hand over the vehicles and kit to the Polish Fire Service, who will distribute the items to the Ukrainian fire stations most in need.
Suffolk digital care project CASSIUS hits unprecedented milestone – 1000 referrals - A team of social care professionals in Suffolk is making strides in digital transformation by achieving a milestone in referrals for its digital care service. Suffolk County Council, in partnership with Alcove and Rethink Partners, is pleased to have achieved a landmark number of 1,000 referrals for care technology in under nine months since the ground-breaking Cassius service went live on 19 July 2021. The service has seen over 1,600 devices installed in people’s homes to enable Suffolk residents to stay at home and live independently and delay the need to access additional care or move to supported accommodation.
Public Health new Film ‘Just say hello, just listen, just reach out’ - A new film featuring various partners from across Suffolk has been released which aims to prevent suicide. Featured in the film is Terry Waite who used to work as a hostage negotiator in some of the most dangerous parts of the world and unfortunately was captured and spent almost five years in strict solitary confinement. He says, “Each year in Suffolk alone, 65 people die this way. And those figures are frankly tragic and unacceptable.” The ‘Just Say Hello’ campaign aims to raise awareness of how a simple ‘hello’ can make the difference to a person’s mental wellbeing, whether it be a loved one or a stranger. With evidence suggesting that 75% of people who die by suicide have no contact with mental health services, or even their GP within the 12 months preceding their death, it is important that everyone knows they can play their part. Simply reaching out and starting a conversation can be enough to help someone or by interrupting their thought process and encouraging them to get further help. This video highlights suicide being the biggest killer for men under the age of 45, with 3 in 4 deaths by suicide being men.
Virtual Fostering and Adoption Sessions for the Stour Valley - A Foster Carer Recruitment Event is held the 1st Wednesday of every month, and an Adoption Event is on the 1st Thursday all 7:00pm in your home. To book a place please email Claire.Gwatkin@suffolk.gov.uk

Appendix B – Financial Report

Items received since the last meeting:

Items received since the last meeting
Income	Description	Nett	VAT	Gross	Ref
28.03.22	HMRC – Vat for 20-21 & 21-22	75.95	0.00	75.95	Bacs
11.04.22	BDC – Precept 1 of 2	2474.50	0.00	2474.50	Bacs
Total Income £2,550.45

Items Paid out since the last meeting:

Items Paid out since the last meeting
Income	Description	Nett	VAT	Gross	Ref	Power
Total Expenditure £NIL

Items to be Authorized for Payment:

Items to be Authorized for Payment
Expenditure	Description	Nett	VAT	Gross	Ref
11.05.22	Clerk’s Salary & Expenses	356.88	0.00	356.88	BACS
	SALC – Annual Subscription	144.06	0.00	144.06	BACS
	T Brown – Internal Audit	108.53	0.00	108.53	BACS
Total Expenditure £609.47

Financial Report

Financial Report
Date	£
Opening Balance 03.03.22	3928.53
Add Income Received April – May	2550.45
Less Expenditure Incurred April – May	0.00
Less Expenditure from verified list 11.05.22	609.47
Closing Balance 11.05.22	5869.51

Bank Reconciliation

Bank Reconciliation
Community Account Statement at 01.04.22	6478.98
Less uncleared payments At 11.05.22	609.47
Plus unaccredited income At 11.05.22	0.00
Reconciled Total At 11.05.22	5869.51

Within the balance above are the following reserves:

(Restricted) CIL reserve - £2,015.37
General reserve - £1,865.03
Earmarked reserve - £1,989.11