The Annual Parish Meeting for Lindsey was held on 10th May 2023 at 7.00pm in the Village Hall, Church Road, Lindsey. The Chair of the Parish Council, Councillor Arthey took the Chair for the meeting.
He continued by welcoming all to the meeting. In attendance were Parish Councillors: R. Corcoran; M. Hainsworth; B Howe; Mrs. R. Howe, and A. Sturgeon, as well as Mrs V Waples (Clerk); County Councillor James Finch (in part) and District Councillor Leigh Jamieson
- Apologies for absence were received from Parish Cllr. Moore
- The minutes of the previous meeting of 11th May 2022 were approved by all present and signed by the Chairman of the Parish Council as a true and accurate record.
- To receive a report on Village Issues that have arisen over the past year: there were no issues raised at the previous Annual Parish Meeting.
The following reports were then given as follows.
Mr James Finch - County Councillor
County Cllr. James Finch’s was invited to submit his report in which he covered the following matters:
- Most pupils receive a place at one of their preferred secondary schools. 98% of children were offered a place on National Offer Day at one of their three preferred schools and 93% were offered a place at their first preference school. Suffolk County Council received 8,083 applications from parents and carers indicating which secondary school they would prefer their child to transfer to in September 2023. This is approximately 300 more applications than received last year. Families who applied online can log on to the Admissions Portal from today to see the school their child has been offered. They will also receive an email to confirm this offer. 99% of pupils receive a preferred primary school place on National Offer Day. 99% of children were offered a place on National Offer Day at one of their three preferred primary schools and 96% were offered a place at their first preference school. Suffolk County Council received 7,056 applications from parents and carers indicating which primary school they would prefer their child to join in September 2023. Families who applied online can log on to the Admissions Portal from today to see the school their child has been offered. They received an email to confirm this offer. Letters will be sent to parents who made a paper application.
- Help design a new Virtual Reality app for people living with dementia - Suffolk County Council is looking for people to help develop a new Virtual Reality (VR) app for people living with dementia in Suffolk. The county council is inviting people living with dementia, their family carers, as well as health and social care professionals, who live or are based in Suffolk, to join a user group to help co-create the bespoke platform. The group will be called ‘Synergy’ and members will have input into all aspects of the look, design, and structure of the new VR app. Over the last 10 years clinical research has demonstrated that not only do people with dementia tolerate virtual reality, but they can actually derive a wide variety of benefits from it, including improvements in well-being, cognition and communication. The app is being produced in partnership with Spark Emerging Technologies Ltd, who were awarded a contract by Suffolk County Council in December last year. To learn more about the user group and to apply visit: suffolk.gov.uk/care-and-support-for-adults/virtual-reality-project
- Suffolk to mark Dementia Action Week with event at Trinity Park, Ipswich - This is a drop-in event for people with dementia, their families, and their carers, to be held next month at Trinity Park in Ipswich on Tuesday 16 May from 10am. Representatives from more than 34 care organisations across Suffolk will host stalls at the event, which will showcase the wide range of information, advice, and support available to people living with dementia and their carers, to help them to get the right support from the right providers, at the right time. Running alongside the marketplace will be keynote sessions on a range of topics including how to live well with dementia from those with lived experience, memory assessment and the importance of a timely diagnosis. There will also be the opportunity for people with the condition and their carers to hear about the development of a countywide dementia strategy for Suffolk, and provide feedback on their experiences, needs and priorities for support. The event, which is being facilitated by the Suffolk Dementia Action Partnership and Care Development East, will be held on Tuesday 16 May from 10 am, at Trinity Park, Ipswich.
- Suffolk County Council secures £2.65m funding from the government for the county’s children’s homes. The fund was set up by Department for Education (DFE) to enable local authorities to provide more placements within council run children’s homes, as many councils have to commission residential provision which is costly. £1.9m of funding will go towards repurposing two children’s homes. One children’s home will be reconfigured into two separate wings to accommodate complex young people, this will provide 2 additional placements. The other children’s home is to be developed into a provision for young people preparing to exit the care system. A wholly separate independence/training flat with its own external entrance will be created. This will be additional capacity at the home. The remaining £0.7m funding will be used, in addition to the £2m already approved by cabinet in November, towards the development of a new residential home for children and young people with disabilities at the Felixstowe Ferry Centre building in Felixstowe. The home will include three residential care places and two shared care beds. Shared care is when a young person spends a portion of time living with parents or carers and the rest at the home.
- Suffolk County Council’s innovative digital care service, Cassius, clocks £10m savings. Cassius, Suffolk County Council’s multi-award-winning digital care programme, has released figures for its first 18 months in action. Since its launch in July '21 Cassius has:
- reached 3,000 people whose lives have been changed with the installation of over 4,000 devices;
- saved residents of Suffolk a collective 67,825 days in care homes;
- avoided 400 ambulance call outs during a time of relentless pressure on emergency response teams in the NHS;
- prevented hospital admissions and amounting to a saving of 500 hospital days, freeing up beds for those most in need;
- saved £8.8 million of social care funding and £480,000 for the local NHS;
- achieved a happiness rating of 98.45% among Cassius users.
- Council has now installed 100 rural EV charging points, with more on the way - Suffolk County Council’s Plug In Suffolk project has now installed 100 electric vehicle (EV) charging points across the county, with the latest fitted at Risby Village Hall, near Bury St Edmunds. The council launched Plug In Suffolk in 2018 and was the UK’s first ‘fully open’ public EV fast charging network and has seen other local authorities around the country follow in its footsteps. Risby Village Hall now has four EV charging points installed at its site, three 7kW chargers and one 22kW charger. They do not require any registration, membership or apps - drivers simply park, plug in and charge using contactless payment. With an increasing number of EV drivers across the county and the UK, the council’s ambition is to make Suffolk a well-connected destination for visitors and residents. We’re a rural county and the infrastructure of charging stations is still developing, so our aim is for Plug In Suffolk to plug the gaps. We are installing the chargers at rural destinations such as public car parks, sports clubs, libraries and community halls. Although the initial phase of Plug In Suffolk is now complete, EV owners can look forward to even more charging point infrastructure across Suffolk, thanks to Suffolk County Council.
The council has received £1,362,000 of funding from the Department for Transport, as part of the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme. This will see a total investment of around £2.75m, thanks to additional contributions such as commercial funding.
- The scheme will see:
- PV solar power and battery storage upgrades to approximately 10 existing sites
- Installing community EV charging, PV solar power and battery storage at over 30 further sites in urban and rural areas
- Identifying key commercial sites for 7kW, rapid and ultra rapid chargers, which will benefit the local community
New exhibition opens at Sutton Hoo telling the story of royal Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham - Rendlesham Revealed: The Heart of a Kingdom AD 400-800 is a new exhibition opened on Thursday 23 March 2023 at the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk. The exhibition takes visitors on a 400-year journey to reveal how the Anglo-Saxon royal settlement at Rendlesham grew and developed and celebrates the many volunteers from the local community who uncovered the long-lost archaeological remains. This story is brought to life with over 150 archaeological finds from the settlement, ranging from food remains to gold jewellery, many of which have never been on public display before. Suffolk County Council’s Archaeological Service is curating the exhibition to celebrate “Rendlesham Revealed”, a community archaeology project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Youngsters get the clean air message - Schoolchildren across Suffolk have been learning about the importance of clean air thanks to a special drama production. Year 5 pupils at 30 schools enjoyed a performance of Abbie Ayre and the Shed of Science in which they learned about improving air quality safely and sustainably. It was based around the story of Abbie, whose grandmother is Dr Rosemary Ayre, an incredible scientist with a shed full of experiments and adventures. Together with her friend Charlie and Gran’s supercomputer ‘Derek 5000’ they investigate the causes of air pollution and what they can do to make their world a safer, cleaner and more sustainable place. The production by theatrical company Performances in Education taught pupils to identify the causes and health consequences of poor air quality and to address ways in which they can avoid contributing to it, such as using sustainable transport. Suffolk County Council teamed up with Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Council, East Suffolk Council and West Suffolk Council to fund the performances.
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.
Questions / issues raised by those in attendance.
- What is being done with the issue of potholes and the time taken to repair them? In particular on the C721 – why were some potholes repaired when all had been identified as requiring action. Response was that the worst ones are being done – issue of materials and contractors. The Clerk was asked to once again report the issue on the C721 on the Highway Reporting Tool.
- Crossroads along the A1141 – only part of the verge has been cut but the issue of visibility is still impacted as not enough of the verge has been requested. The Clerk was asked to report this issue on the Highway Reporting Tool.
Cllr. Hainsworth asked that the community’s thanks be offered to Cllr. Finch for his endeavours on behalf of the Village.
Mr Leigh Jamieson - District Councillor
Mr. Jamieson was invited to submit his report in which he commented on the following items:
- It has been an increasingly difficult year. It was a year that included the Queens platinum jubilee in June. A time that brought the village, in fact many towns and villages, together in happiness. Unfortunately, this was sadly followed by her death, in September. However, our villages have all celebrated the coronation of the new King this week.
- With the country also seeing inflation rocket, energy prices increasing drastically and strikes everywhere, the cost of living has been getting worse for us all. With no end in sight to the war in Ukraine the future still looks difficult.
- The Council is not immune to this economic situation and the pressure to deliver a balanced budget this year increased. The net cost of delivering services is set to increase by almost 20% while the cost of running and maintaining the council’s housing stock has already increased by 50%. In order to ensure that essential services are maintained the finance team leant on reserves, along with increases in Council Tax, rents, and fees to balance the books. With the outlook continuing to look bleak the next few years will be challenging.
Local matters - Within the village the Friendly Farm received funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy following approval of their planning application. The funding was controversial, and issues were raised by members of the public. While I did not support the application, I do think the work that they are doing is important and hopefully will be seen as a positive in the long run.
Council Matters - Cost of Living - In recognition of the difficulties that the residents of Babergh are encountering, the council developed a cost-of-living plan. This five-point plan aims at providing support for residents and staff by bringing together work already underway with new initiatives that provide a suite of measures focusing on providing advice and support, maintaining people’s health, and building on work already underway since the launch of the councils’ Communities and Wellbeing strategies. The council has also had a key role in providing support packages to combat the cost of living, energy bills and council tax. The council tax reduction benefit was run alongside a number of national schemes put in place to help with rising bills.
Corks Lane, Hadleigh - Inflationary pressures in the construction industry put pressure on Babergh District Council, back in June. The pressures resulted in a shortening of tender validity periods - to a period of a few weeks and sometimes only days, compared with several weeks, or months previously. The difficulties meant that the Babergh Cabinet had to agree to increase the peak funding threshold for Babergh Growth Ltd to £7m for use to deliver the redevelopment of the former HQ site in Hadleigh. Work has started on the site now and despite concerns that have been raised about the chances that this project will lose money, the cabinet member for finance and asset management was confident that it is still on course for a profit.
Funding - The council continue to invest in local infrastructure projects via the Community Infrastructure Fund. More than £500,000 in funding was approved for the latest round of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) bids. 11 bids received support, including a 3G pitch for AFC Sudbury, an activity room and extension at Stutton Village Hall and a new play area in Capel St Mary.
Environment -The Council voted in favour of motions submitted to try to improve the waterways of our district and Council Homes. In an attempt to reduce pollution in our waterways the motion was to hold Anglian Water to account for allowing increased sewage outflows from new developments. The Council home motion, submitted by myself, was trying to improve the chances of retrofitting council homes and their energy efficiency.
Housing - There has been pressure on both councils following an in-depth review of the Councils’ Building Services that identified that a number of properties in the districts were found to be failing Health & Safety compliance. The Council have self-referred themselves to the regulator for social housing and detailed investigations showed that some of homes were not compliant, and urgent action is being undertaken to resolve the issues. A Regulatory Notice was issued for this breach of compliance, which means that it will now monitor Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils and will meet with the Council regularly to ensure the necessary changes are made.
Other Strategies –
- Parking - The councils’ approved their first ever joint parking strategy. The strategy includes prioritised recommendations to improve all types of parking, from council-owned car parks to on-street parking. The recommendations include updating signage and markings, increasing safety provisions, providing more EV charging, and cycling facilities, and introducing resident permit schemes to allow overnight parking.
- Tree Canopy Survey - A tree canopy survey that has been completed by the Council has identified key planting locations and significant benefits in increasing tree coverage across Babergh that will help tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. The survey found that just over 10% of Babergh is covered by trees, ranging from 5.5% in the Lavenham ward, to 19% in the Orwell ward.
- May Elections -The May elections produced a big change in Babergh Council. With the election of 10 Green Party Councillors the party becomes the largest group within the Council. The rest of the Council is made up of 9 Independents, 7 Conservatives, 5 Liberal Democrats and 1 Labour. Negotiations are ongoing on the make-up of the new administration.
Congratulations were offered to Cllr. Jamieson on his re-election and he was also thanked for his endeavours on behalf of the community.
Reports from the Community
- Village Hall Management Committee - on behalf of the Committee, Mr Clive Arthey reported that use of the Village Hall has not returned to pre-Covid levels, but regular users are Zumba on Mondays and table-tennis on Tuesdays. The hall has also been used occasionally for band practice and parties. We have had occasional visitors using the EV charging facilities and the Village Hall car park is used in connection with the church and particularly by a choral group on Wednesday evenings. The hall is of course the venue for Parish Council meetings and recently as a polling station for the local elections. We have also provided tables and chairs to parishioners for private events. Our thanks to Ron Mills for his continued support to keep everything maintained and the grass cut. The Village Hall continues to be a valuable facility for our community, and we thank the Parish Council for its continued support and grant contribution toward our overheads.
- St Peter's Parochial Church Council – on behalf of the Parochial Church Council, a report was read out from the Churchwarden and Treasurer, Mr Frank Taylor, which stated that Although Covid-19 was still affecting the community in 2022, there were no restrictions on the holding of services and the church was open to the public throughout the year. Five regular services were held in 2022. A service in Lent attended by 7 adults, a service of devotion in April attended by 10 adults, a Patronal service in July attended by 7 adults, a Harvest Festival service, attended by 12 adults and a Christmas Carol service attended by thirty-one adults and 7 children. In addition, funeral services were held for Dora Ruth Morley in February attended by eighty-five family members and friends and Jean Cullen Taylor in March attended by one hundred and twenty family members and friends. On 7 April 2022, there was a Parochial Visitation by the Very Reverend Jo Delfgou assisted by Karin Norman-Butler at which they examined the church records and artifacts. They suggested the PCC, a) appoint a Health & Safety co-ordinator; b) discuss the necessity/possibilities of Disability access and c) put up notices re fire exits and ensure both doors are unlocked during services and other events. Following the Death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, a photo of the Queen and remembrance book were placed in the church. Ten members of the public wrote dedications in the book. The Copt Hall choir continued to rehearse in the church throughout the year. They held a concert in in the church in May, sang at the funeral service for Jean Taylor in March and at the carol service in December. Regarding the work recommended in the Quinquennial Inspection Report, prepared by Purcell, Colchester in 2020, Virgil Goodchild carried out the repairs to the church in December. In addition substantial work on the trees and vegetation in the churchyard was carried out by Eastwood Tree Services in May. The churchyard was maintained throughout the year by Lister Countryside Services and the gutters and drains were checked and cleaned by Pete Partridge who also did some work on the roof to prevent leaks. The organ was tuned in March and December by Mike Osborne.
- Parish Council - on behalf of the Parish Council, Mr Clive Arthey, submitted his report in which he stated that 2022-23 was the last year of the Parish Council’s term. One of the year’s major initiatives concerned our work on the global issue of Climate Change. Councillors James Moore and Andrew Sturgeon had undertaken to raise awareness within the village and help householders with energy efficient measures to make their homes less damaging in terms of emissions and save them money too! Most interesting this year was the thermal imaging project where all householders were invited to have an assessment on their properties to show where they were losing heat and to receive advice on remedial action. The initiative is ongoing and will continue to offer advice to parishioners to help us all take a responsible attitude to minimise our impact on Climate Change. Amongst our considerations during the year were various planning proposals. Most interest was generated by the planning application and Community Infrastructure Levy funding proposals for the Befriending Scheme Farm. We received a presentation from representatives of the charity and look forward to having representation on a local group to monitor the ongoing development of the project. Lindsey is a wonderful place to live, and our Parish Council has remained committed to ensuring our special community remains a place we can all be proud to call home. My thanks to the Councillors, Rhett Corcoran, Mark Hainsworth, Ruth Howe, Ben Howe, James Moore and Andrew Sturgeon for their attendance and support throughout the term, particularly with the challenges presented by Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021. Also, thanks to our District and County Councillors for their regular attendance and reports. My final thanks are to Vicky Waples, our clerk. We may be a small village, but we must attend to the same regulatory requirements as all Parish Councils, so we are lucky to have someone as experienced and qualified as Vicky to ensure we are fully compliant in everything we do. The new four-year term will begin with the same full complement of councillors. We are available to everyone in the village, both individually and at our regular meetings. I look forward to working with the same team and wish them all well for the next four years.
- Friends of St Peter's Church – on behalf of the Friend’s Committee, a report was submitted in which it was stated that due to the Covid 19 Pandemic the activities of the Friends have been severely restricted however in both June 2021 and June 2022 the Friends supported Lodge Farm Open Farm Sunday by providing refreshments on a strawberry theme. Furthermore our thanks to David Ross and to David Wallace for compiling and publishing a new guide to the church and village,” Lindsey through the ages”. All proceeds from the sales of the guide have gone to The Friends for the care and maintenance of St Peter’s Church. The Friends have during this time provided funds to the PCC for essential work on the fabric of the church required by the quinquennial survey, and for some major forestry care in the churchyard.
- Kersey Village School – A report was received from Jess Damant and Claire Dunnell Paley Co-Headteachers in which it was stated:
- Kersey CE Primary has gone from strength to strength since academising in November 2021. The return of the Headteacher to a part time role after maternity leave means that the school now benefits from two Headteachers, with a crossover day in the middle of the week. The Headteachers have developed a strong, dedicated staff who are all keen to see the school grow and flourish. We were sorry to see Rev. Jackson leave Kersey and the benefice; we are so grateful to him and the church community for their support in promoting our fabulous school during some challenging times.
- We started the new year with our annual whole school trip to the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich to see ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’. All children were able to attend, and the school funded those who would struggle to afford it themselves. In preparation for the Queen’s Jubilee, we launched a topic learning about Elizabeth II. The school community gathered together for Epiphany and enjoyed a King’s Day parade around St Mary’s Church. All pupils wore homemade but very regal crowns and cloaks, made from recycled Christmas wrapping paper. In this unit of work pupils learnt about royal residences across the UK, flags from around the commonwealth and even designed and made a modern electric carriage for the Queen herself! In February, younger pupils attended the U7 Multi sports event at Hadleigh High School. Being such a small school, this is a valuable opportunity to mix with other children of a similar age and enter into sporting activities that we would not ordinarily be able to contend in. This month also marked Children’s Mental Health Week and Internet Safety Day, with activities taking place linked to both as part of the curriculum.
- Toward the end of the month, many school families from Kersey and beyond joined the village celebrations held at the splash to mark the Queen’s Jubilee. Claire, Headteacher at the time, and her family attended and were proud to be part of such a memorable occasion.
- Reverend Jackson led a thought-provoking service at Lent and the children were encouraged to think about the way in which their actions impacted on the wider world. World Book Day in March is now a favourite event in the school calendar which the children eagerly await; planning with excitement which book character they would dress up as. In 2022 each class winner received a book prize from the school. The day itself was a great celebration of children’s literature. To conclude the Spring Term, Kersey pupils made Easter gardens which were displayed in St Mary’s for the wider community to enjoy.
- SATs took place in May only two pupils both worked hard and achieved their potential. Transition events to Hadleigh High School where both pupils were moving onto.
- In preparation for Mrs Damant’s return from maternity leave, we organised a number of external providers to teach Upper Key Stage Two (Years 5 & 6) which allowed us as co-heads to have leadership time. This has brought great expertise into the school and offers the children specialist teaching in art, drama, music, PE and French.
- Our Leavers’ service at the end of the school year is always full of mixed emotions and we were grateful to Rev Jackson for leading us through some time to reflect on the school year that has passed. The gifts from the Church to our leavers are very generous and the children do look forward to receiving something special. Sports Week was successful once again; being so early in the new academic year, it gives the staff and children some time to get to know one another in a different context to the ‘usual’ school day. The children experienced a range of activities and opportunities during the week, such as First Aid, a climbing wall, Parkour, martial arts and a trip to Wattisham Airfield. We are always so grateful to those who give up their time to come and give the children such brilliant experiences. Harvest Festival on 16th October was well-attended by our families and pupils. It was our last chance to say goodbye to Rev Jackson at this service.
- Our Open Afternoon at the end of November was very well received. We welcomed a number of potential new families to the school, showing them around and allowing their children to experience a taste of school life. We are feeling very positive about numbers on roll for September 2023, with many siblings of current pupils joining us in Reception in September. It worked especially well holding our Open Afternoon event on the same day as the Church and Woodland Nurseries Christmas Fair.
- December saw the annual school Nativity performed in the Church. With our new staging purchased from a generous charitable donation, we put on what was arguably our best Nativity yet. Many families came to watch, and we received a lot of positive feedback; we are so thankful to be able to perform in such a beautiful and holy setting. We were also grateful to Rev Jackie Sephton for stepping in to support our Christmas Carol service in December.
- Lindsey Newsletter – on behalf of the Editorial Team, Cllr. Corcoran reported that the Lindsey Newsletter is offered free to all residents of Lindsey and to some who have moved from the area but wish to remain ‘in touch.’ Newsletters are sent electronically on a quarterly basis. On average the Newsletter Committee is composed of 5 or 6 residents.
Public Forum
There were no members of the public present and no issues were raised from those in attendance.
There being no other business, the Chair closed the meeting at 7.25pm by thanking all for their attendance.
So approved and signed by the Chair of Lindsey Parish Council at the meeting of 08.05.2024