Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting Held in Lindsey Village Hall

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 10th November 2021 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 was Mrs V Waples, Clerk and District Cllr. Jamieson.

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.

Apologies of Absence

There were no applicable apologies of absence.
The meeting was made aware that County Cllr. Finch had latterly submitted his apologies.

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 – Cllrs. Arthey and B Howe declared local non-pecuniary interests for agenda item 8iv. There were no further declarations received.
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:
- 8th September 2021 - 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 following a clarification of those named at agenda item 2i, aif.

Public Forum

(maximum 10 minutes)

To note the report from the County Councillor – the meeting noted the written report previously circulated – a copy of which can be found at Appendix A.
To note the report from the District Councillor – the meeting noted the written report previously circulated – a copy of which can be found at Appendix A.
Discussion followed over:
- In response to a question from a resident, Cllr. Jamieson, reported that overall there has been a reduction of waste and that more waste is being sent to the Energy from Waste as opposed to being recycled. It was further mentioned that during the past year, more waste had been generated from people’s homes and with the suspension of the collection of garden waste this had led to an increase in general waste – up 1.5% on 2019/20 and over 4% on 2018/19. The waste generated from households was however offset by the reduced waste from businesses.
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 – State of the hedge at the front of Elm Cottage. The Clerk agreed to discuss this matter with SCC Highways Department.

Parish Matters

To receive updates on items raised at previous meetings:

Climate Awareness / climate emergency and the next steps forward – nothing to report for November – COP26 fallout still ongoing. Interesting article from China and the message that there was a need to build on existing consensus and step up cooperation and work together. It was agreed that the Council should review matters in January 2022 and see what interest is coming forth from residents. Cllr. Moore mentioned that The Seaweed Company (of which he was Chairman) had just been awarded a Top Innovator prize by the World Economic Forum/Uplink for their Carbon Market Challenge. There were 160 entries from 41 countries. It was agreed that a future article in the village newsletter might cover the use of bio stimulants in Lindsey Parish and how this helps with regenerating soil and capturing carbon.
BMSDC - Tree, hedge and wildflower planting for Parishes – it was noted that the Council would be provided with a progress report on the proposed hedge planting plan for the road to the north of Lindsey Tye and that this was an ongoing process with the owner of Semer Farms. Cllr. Moore mentioned the offer from those organising the Queen’s Tree Canopy which did not cover a large number of the native trees being discussed.
To receive an update from County Cllr. Finch on how SCC Highways Department might be able to address the issue of encroachment of the highway in terms of vegetation and hedgerow – the Clerk was asked to remind Cllr. Finch for a response to this matter along with a response to the request for a mirror at the White Rose Crossroads. It was noted that the encroachment at Lindsey Tye had been sorted.

Statutory Business

To consider and adopt the Parish Council Beacon of Light Risk Assessment Document – all agreed that the document as produced should be adopted and implemented as the Council’s control document, aif. It was noted that the assessment would be used this coming Sunday and that regular reviews would be undertaken of the policy with amendments where necessary.

Correspondence

BMSDC – Progress update regarding the Active Travel Public Consultation – the meeting was made aware of the response to the consultation – further information is contained with Appendix A
SALC - Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons – information on date and time of beacons being lit - 9.15pm on 2nd June 2022 including Guide to Taking Part - https://www.queensjubileebeacons.com/ - it was agreed that Lindsey would be lighting a beacon on 2nd June and as such would formally register with the Queen’s Pagentmaster. Cllr. Corcoran agreed to submit such a registration.
SALC – Festival of Suffolk – to receive an update from the Chair on the virtual meeting with the Lord Lieutenant and other Council leaders to discuss the plans for the Festival of Suffolk 2022 – the Chair made the meeting aware that he had been unable to attend the webinar and had no such information to pass on.
PCC consultation on new Police and Crime Plan 2022-2025 – (closing date for responses 22.11.21) - https://suffolk-pcc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Police-Crime-Plan-2022-2025.pdf https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PoliceCrimePlanSurvey - all noted the consultation but were in agreement that it had no comments to make as a response.
SCC – Lorry Route Map Review in Suffolk – council to consider its response to the community-led review and identify the three most important issues associated with lorry movements in its community – all noted the consultation but were in agreement that it had no comments to make as a response.
To note all relevant correspondence received since the last meeting has been circulated via email – it was noted that all correspondence received since 8th September 2021 which was of relevance to the Parish Council had been circulated by email.

Clerk’s Financial Report

To consider schedule of receipts received since the last meeting and expenditure incurred since the last meeting – Paper A - monies received since the last meeting were noted - (Appendix B refers) aif.
To consider and approve the verified items awaiting authorization as per the schedule submitted – Paper B - all agreed that subject to formal verification by the two authorised signatories, Council approved to accept the schedule of invoices awaiting payment - (Appendix B refers).
Update on internet banking: it would appear from discussion with the Council’s current bankers that both the Clerk and Cllr. Corcoran had access to the bank which would allow the settlement of the Council’s accounts via direct bank transfer. It was noted that this would be initiated for the payment authorised at the meeting. The meeting was advised that the Clerk would be bringing forth an internet banking policy for future adoption.
To consider the Council's financial position to date – Paper C – the meeting noted the carried forward balance of £5,286.00 once the agreed schedule of invoices awaiting payment had been taken into account. It was agreed that Cllr. Corcoran as one of the authorised signatories would review the bank reconciliation and sign the papers submitted to ensure a full audit trail, aif. (Appendix B refers). Council noted that within the balance quoted, there was the sum of £2,015.37 held as a Restricted CIL Reserve. The meeting noted that the Clerk is still to liaise with County Cllr. Finch with reference to the CIL balance and to ask Highways to attend site, survey and cost out on the installation of stone sets as an enhancement scheme to protect the corners of the grassed triangle at the commencement of the road to Drakestone Green. Budget monitoring paper – add to Paper C - all noted the income versus expenditure budget analysis for the period ending November 2021 and that currently the budget was overspent for the year to date in the sum of £54. It was noted that the main variance concerned the Zoom Subscription which had been renewed in April 2021 for the year.
To consider the Draft Budget for 2022-2023 – Paper D – Council agreed the indicative budget of £4,702 noting that this would not be finalised until the indicative tax base had been issued on or shortly after 18th November 2021. Discussion followed over whether the Parish Council should consider using CIL funds to replace the directional signs in Lindsey. It was agreed that this and new noticeboards at the Village Hall would form the basis of future discussions over CIL spending.

Clerk’s Report

The following matter was brought to the Council’s attention:

Update on report of obscured damage directional sign from C720 to Drakestone Green (U8311) – it was confirmed that the obscured directional sign had now been reinstated.
Update on report of damaged directional sign from U8321 to C720 – White Rose Crossroads (Report 00331927) – following a request by the Clerk for intervention by Cllr. Finch on this matter it was noted that Suffolk Highways have reviewed the original request along with the pictures supplied and made a desktop study of the location. The ‘give way’ sign was the only one to highlight to drivers of the junction. Therefore it has now been escalated the category to a cat 5 response. It was anticipated that the give way sign will be cleared of vegetation that is obscuring it within 20 working days.

Planning Matters

To consider the following planning applications: there were none coming forth.
To note the following planning applications determined by the local planning authority:
- DC/21/04018 - Planning Permission for the conversion of single storey stable block to office facilities @ Ravens Hall, Lavenham Road
- DC/21/04019 – Listed Building Consent for the works to facilitate conversion of single storey stable block to office facilities @ Ravens Hall, Lavenham Road
- DC/21/04897 - Discharge of Conditions Application for DC/21/01531- Condition 3 (Refuse Bins and Collection Areas), Condition 4 (Materials), Condition 9 (Surface Water Drainage Details), Condition 12 (Construction Management) and Condition 14 (Landscaping Scheme) @ Land Opposite Monks, The Street.
To consider and formulate a response, if applicable, to the B&MSDC Draft Housing Land Supply Position Statement Consultation (closing date 17th December 2021) – the meeting agreed that it had no comments to make on this matter.

Parish Councillors’ Reports

To receive reports on village issues from Councillors present:

Lighting of the Beacon on Sunday 14th November – it was noted that the Beacon would be lit at 7.00pm as an Act of Remembrance and that The Rose would remain open for the evening.
The meeting noted the change of postal collection times as stated on the post-box in Lindsey. It was confirmed that there had been no consultation on this change.
Suffolk Farm Watch had reported a growing increase in illegal hare coursing. Incidents had been reported in the vicinity of Lindsey and Semer. The local SNTs were aware of this, and all were asked to be vigilant and report any issues such as these.
Nighthawking – Councillors were made aware of incidents of nighthawking in south Suffolk.

Date of Next Meeting

Parish Council Meeting 19th January 2022 commencing at 7.30pm, in Lindsey Village Hall.
Date of Meetings for 2022: 9th March; 11th May; 13th July; 14th September and 9th November.

There being no other business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.19pm.

Appendix A – County and District Councillor Reports

County Councillor James Finch report to Council:

Extra COVID-19 support heading to Suffolk - Public health managers in Suffolk have welcomed the Government’s commitment to provide extra resources to help fight COVID-19 in the county. It comes as pressure on the county’s hospitals is reaching critical levels due to more people needing treatment - and some of the highest rates of infection in the country. The additional support will include:
- Support for the vaccination efforts by extending opening hours and creating pop up vaccination clinic within our communities
- Help to coordinate on the ground door knocking campaigns
- Help to reduce transmission in schools with increased testing and additional temporary powers
In the 7 days up to 7th November there were 2640 new cases of COVID-19 in the wholes of Suffolk. Locally in the area of my division, there were 29 cases up to the seven day period ending 2nd November in our MSOA area of 18 villages. BUT in the Sudbury and Grt Cornard, Hadleigh and East Bergholt areas which surround the Stour Valley division, their cases in the last 7 days are in the 40’s and 50’s and incidences are being recorded in the younger age groups. HOWEVER there is some good news that the 7 day rolling average of deaths in hospitals and Care Homes are still nil. The Babergh District has the lowest number of incidences in the county and the trend of those infected is plateauing. All in all, this demonstrates again that the vaccination programme is working well locally. Booster vaccines have now started for those who were vaccinated before Christmas and up to the end of January. In addition the Flue Vaccination programme has also commenced.
However I continue to urge all those of you who are travelling locally and mixing with more people for work and / or pleasure to take a Rapid Flow Test twice per week so that you can take precautions if you are infected unknowingly and that we can keep the good record we have locally.
MP’s from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and County Councillors, unite to protect the countryside and communities from the worst impacts of new pylons and cables - It was announced on October 12th that the Off Shore Electricity Grid Task Force (OffSET) has been set up to review and respond to the Government’s Offshore Network Transmission Review (OTNR). A new group of MPs has been formed from across the region, under the chairmanship of Sir Bernard Jenkin, MP for North Essex, and including County Councillors from the region. It has been set up to ensure that the emerging proposals of the Government’s Offshore Network Transmission Review (OTNR), and proposals to change the Nationally Significant infrastructure Planning regime, are effectively scrutinised. OffSET supports the government's commitment to meet the target of Net Zero by 2050, and the aspiration to deliver 40GW of Offshore Wind, by 2030. However, this will result in a succession of electricity generation and connection projects in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, over the coming decades, which will have significant impacts on the environment and communities of the region. The group believes that these ambitions and targets cannot be met, on an "at any cost" basis. Therefore, the further development of the onshore transmission system, and the connection of offshore wind farms, and interconnectors, will require a new deal for communities and the environment. It remains a key priority that we speed up the Government’s timetable to transition to the offshore transmission system, in order to protect our communities from the damaging effects of multiple cable corridors. As well as scrutinising and responding to new policies and initiatives, the group will be a contact point for Ministers and senior officials, as well as for the National Grid, Crown Estate, and Ofgem, to engage with Regional Leaders. The group will also be inviting key stakeholders and community groups to meet with them, to better understand the impacts, and opportunities, of Net Zero transmission and generation infrastructure in the region. James Cartlidge MP, South Suffolk, said: “OffSET will play a vital role in ensuring that our region’s voice is heard in the national conversation about how we boost the output of renewable energy. I am proud of the huge contribution that our region is making to reaching our net zero targets, but this cannot come at a disproportionate cost to our beautiful countryside. It is vital that at all times we balance the need to reinforce the electricity grid against minimising detriment to our landscape, e.g. by using undersea cables and undergrounding through sensitive landscapes.”
£50 million plan to boost Suffolk bus services - On October 7th it was announced that wider coverage, cheaper fares, improved ticketing, and better evening and weekend services are among proposals forming part of a £50 million plan. The Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) was submitted to the Government at the end of October. Following on from the submission of the BSIP, the council, bus operators and other stakeholders will be working together to establish a countywide Enhanced Partnership. This will enable the BSIP proposals to be delivered, building on experience gained from the existing Ipswich Quality Bus Partnership. The funding bid is being made to the government’s £3 billion fund under its Bus Back Better national bus strategy for England. Suffolk County Council will be asking for a minimum of £50m over three years - £15m each for the first two years and £20m for the third.
Another Review of the Lorry Route Plan in Suffolk - A technical and community led review of lorry routes that considers changes to the highway network will take place again since the plan was updated in 2011. This includes:
- New strategic roads,
- New Lorry Watch areas, and
- Air Quality Management Areas in Suffolk.
It will look at a range of evidence including:
- Collision records and traffic data
- Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) for weight, width and height restrictions
- The resilient road network and its strategic road network diversions as well as GPS data showing the origin and destination of trips, routes taken and the locations of building “strikes”
- Public complaints
- Data from Lorry Watch schemes
The community led review runs from 22 October 2021 to 17 December 2021. Suffolk County Council is seeking the views of Parish and Town Councils about their local issues and intelligence. Information will be gathered by a survey sent to all of Suffolk’s Parish and Town Councils. Each local council will be limited to three issues within their community to ensure fair and equal representation across the county. The review will be completed in Spring 2022 where the County Council plan to publish a new interactive Lorry Route map. Details of draft routes can be found here
Independent review of aspects of Suffolk’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services carried out by experts from Lincolnshire - This team from Lincolnshire County Council published a report on 20th September of their findings. This wasn’t a review of everything Suffolk County Council (SCC) does concerning SEND services, but focussed on the processes, communication protocols and family-facing elements of them. The review made nine recommendations and SCC have used these to draft an urgent action plan which can be read online here. SCC priority now is to implement wide-scale improvements, and to do this with pace, impact and efficiency. They have already started to make improvements to the way they do things and whilst, wide-scale improvement will take time, they are determined to make things better. There have been many positive changes to the way they deliver SEND services in the past 18 months and they are proud of these, but clearly there is some way to go. Children’s education and welfare is fundamental – I fully recognise this as a parent and grandparent myself. We all want to work together to give your children and young people the very best chance in life. If you would like to discuss any aspect of the report or action plan please contact me or SCC via email at SendReview@suffolk.gov.uk.
New Suffolk Recycling Centres online booking system - On September 20th it was announced that Suffolk County Council has developed a new, more user-friendly booking system which enables residents to book slots for recycling. For bookings from 27 September, people can view all available time slots in real time, to see which booking slots are free at any given moment. The system allows you to book up to seven days in advance. If circumstances change, you can easily cancel your slot up to one hour beforehand or equally, you can click to amend your booking if required. The system is also able to advise customers on which sites accept specific materials, such as plasterboard to ensure the correct type of booking is made to save customers’ time, and it can also be used to share real time messages with customers, for example if any site needs to close due to adverse weather or emergency situations. The new booking system is connected to automated numberplate recognition to allow for a trial of automatic entry gates.

District Councillor Leigh Jamieson report to Council:

Babergh 5 Year Housing Land Supply - Babergh have released their latest 5-year housing land supply position which demonstrates that the council currently have a deliverable supply for 6.86 years. The Council are required to supply 2116 units and actually have enough approved applications to deliver 2902 units.
Babergh votes against Senior Leadership Team Pay Rise - Councillors were asked to vote for a pay rise that would have been c20% for the Senior staff at Babergh and Mid Suffolk. This would have increased the wages of the Directors and CEO by c£20,000 a year. An independent assessment by the East of England Local Government Authority (EELGA) had highlighted that the Senior Team at BMSDC are out of line with other similar councils and will experience difficulties employing staff. However a significant majority of Babergh Councillors felt that such a pay rise would be wrong at a time when people are struggling and losing their jobs while Council Tax is increasing, and charges are being implemented for parking.
Cabinet or Committee System - The Council have agreed to review the Governance system being used at the Council. The current Cabinet system has been in place for nearly five years now and following a motion from Councillor Lindsay calling for a return to the Committee system it was agreed that the constitutional working group would come up with a choice of a committee system and a revised cabinet system which will be debated at the first full council meeting in the New Year.
In the short term the leader of the Council has increased the Conservative Councillors on the Cabinet by two while Councillor Liz Malvisi has remained on the cabinet but has left the Conservative Group.
Considerate Constructors Scheme - On the 21st September Council meeting I submitted a motion asking the Council to sign up as a client partner of the Considerate Constructor Scheme. This scheme aims to achieve best practice in the industry, particularly around areas of Safety, The Community, The Environment, and the Workforce. By becoming a Client Partner it demonstrates that the Council is an organisation that proactively chooses to demonstrate its commitment to raising standards in the construction industry.
Corks Lane - It has been confirmed that there are still some non-material amendments to the planning consent that are in hand with the planning team. Some of the buildings are listed and work on these also still need listed building consent and LPA approval. The Council are also awaiting tenders from contractors, but the deadline for this has been extended to allow for the effects of Brexit and Covid on the construction industry.
Council commits to reducing light emitted - The Council have committed to reducing streetlight intensity across their districts – protecting plant and wildlife, and reducing energy use, in line with biodiversity and climate change ambitions. This will include additional lighting control guidance within their Biodiversity Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), currently in development, was also approved.
Active Travel Update - Below is an update regarding the active travel consultation.
- Over 1,880 contributions to the active travel consultation were received.
- All of those contributions have now been reviewed and categorised, with those needing passing on to relevant teams/other organisations (such as Highways, Rights of Way, Planning) being signposted onwards.
- The contributions referring specifically to where and how infrastructure at a particular location on the ground requires improvement are providing the basis for a prioritised list of schemes to be included in our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).
- Approximately 250 potential LCWIP schemes have been extracted from the responses, and these are now being assessed/scored against a prioritisation matrix (which includes criteria such as deliverability, the potential to increase active travel journeys, value for money and improvement in road safety), in order to establish which schemes are our short, medium and long term ambitions. This is being done in accordance with the national government’s LCWIP technical guidance.
- This prioritisation process in being undertaken by officers, with the help and oversight of the LCWIP Task and Finish group (a group of cross-district, cross-ward and cross-party Cllrs).
- The aim is to have this prioritised list completed by the end of November, with the draft LCWIP (whereby the list will be compiled with a methodology report and some network plan mapping) following shortly afterwards.
- The LCWIP will enable us to advocate for investment in our districts priorities and will allow us to have a strong evidence base to influence/adjust the county councils current ‘list of schemes’ to better reflect the priorities in both Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

Appendix B – Financial Report

Items received since the last meeting:

Income Description	Nett	VAT	Gross	Ref
Total Income	£

Items Paid out since the last meeting:

Income Description	Nett	VAT	Gross	Ref	Power
Total Expenditure	£NIL

Items to be Authorized for Payment:

Expenditure Description	Nett	VAT	Gross	Ref	Power
10.11.21 Clerk’s Salary & Expenses	0.00			BACS	LGA 1972 s111 & s112
Total Expenditure	£

Financial Report

Date	£
Opening Balance 08.09.21	3101.37
Add Income Received October - November	2537.47
Less Expenditure Incurred October - November	0.00
Less Expenditure from verified list 10.11.21	352.84
Closing Balance 10.11.21	5286.00

Bank Reconciliation

Community Account	Statement at 04.11.21	5838.84
Less unlogged cheques *	At 10.11.21	552.84
Plus unaccredited income		0.00
Reconciled Total **	At 10.11.21	5286.00

494 200.00

BACS 352.84

£552.84

Within this balance is the restricted CIL reserve of £2,015.37