January 2025 Minutes
Digby Parish Council
Notes of the parish council meeting held on Wednesday 8th January 2025 at 7pm, in Digby War Memorial Hall
PRESENT – Cllr J Bourne, Chairman (JB); Cllr A Barnham (AB), Cllr G Garton (GG); Cllr K Groves (KG); Cllr M Lewington (ML) and Cllr H Snowden (HS)
In attendance – Mrs A McDonald, Clerk and Proper Officer.
Public Forum
A member of the public notified the meeting that there is a meeting on 16th Jan, 5pm to 7pm at Navenby objection to the National Grid application for a new sub-station that will be taking the power from the proposed solar panel farms.
A resident stated he will continue to drum up objections for the 37 dwellings on Station Road in light of the recent heavy rainfall and the continuous threat of flooding to the village.
District & County Councillors' Matters
Apologies received from LCC Rob Kendrick.
NKDC A Bailey was not present.
1.Chairman’s Opening Remarks. (25/001)
a) Welcome.
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Apologies for Absence & Co-option Update (25/002)
a) Apologies.
There were no apologies, all were present
b) Co-option.
There have been no applications for co-option on to the parish council. The advert for the vacancy is still in the noticeboard and on the website.
3. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest & Applications of Dispensation (225/003)
a) Declarations of Interest
HS declared an interest in item 5(a) planning, as she owns neighbouring land.
4. Signing of the Minutes (25/004)
a) It was proposed by GG, seconded by ML and RESOLVED to accept the notes of the parish
council meeting held on Wednesday 11th December 2024 as a true and accurate record.
5. Planning Matters (25/005)
a) Planning Applications Received.
24/1483/VARCON The Pony Paddock, The Pinfold – Retrospectively vary condition 2 (materials) & 7 (approved plans) re permission 24/0022/FUL
HS took no part in the discussion or decision. There were no objections to the variations, but it was requested the public footpath be cleared of shrubs and vegetation to enable clear access.
Action: The Clerk to forward the decision to NKDC Planning.
b) Decision Notice Received.
Nil to date
c) Correspondence relating to Application 23/1429/Ful, 37 Dwellings Station Road & 24/0654/OUT – Red Lion
i) The Clerk confirmed application 23/1429/FUL is not on the NKDC Full Planning Committee agenda for January as originally notified. NKDC Planning have now confirmed it has been moved to the February agenda. JB will be registered to speak at the Feb meeting
ii) We have been notified Application 24/0654/OUT is proposed to be dealt with by delegated powers of NKDC planning officers. The Chairman asked the council to vote on whether the application should be requested to be dealt with by the full planning committee, the result was 1 vote for and 5 against. It was felt the notification from the planning officers explained clearly the issues that can be considered by planning guidance.
d) Further Correspondence received about Planning –
i) Response about Growth Targets, received from NKDC.
The development growth targets set for villages from 2017 were removed from the CLLP in the 2023 version. There are now no restrictions to upper growth limits and schemes up to 10 dwellings will be supported by NKDC Planning in appropriate locations in Medium and Large Villages. Digby falls within the Medium size village criteria.
ii) Springwell Solar Park has been accepted as a valid application for examination by the Planning Inspectorate. The formal S56 notice and covering letter notifying us of the acceptance of the DCO application has been received and distributed to the councillors.
Action: JB to talk with Scopwick about forming a response. Responses must be submitted by 17th February.
6. General Parish Matters (25/006)
a) Update on the request for improvements to the footpath on Lincoln Road.
It is still to be assessed by LCC Highways.
b) LALC subs and the LALC training scheme.
It was proposed by GG, seconded by KG, and all agreed to pay the £253.08 subscription fee, as LALC provides us with up-to-date information on all local government issues, and supplies legal advice.
It was proposed by HS, seconded by GG, to join the annual training scheme at £135.00 +VAT for the year.
Action: The Clerk to notify LALC.
7. Highways (25/007)
a) Pot holes or Highways Issues.
There were no issues to report. Notification that the street light near the Cross should by repaired during the week of 6th Jan, has been received. This may be delayed due to weather.
8. The Village Hall (25/008)
a) Minutes from the Latest Meeting of the Committee,
There has not been a meeting held, yet, in January. Any minutes received will be forwarded to the councillors.
b) Village Hall Garden Footpath Light
JB confirmed all the lights have been tested and the broken units have now been replaced. There may be an issue that sections of lights are not staying on.
Action: The Clerk to ask this be re-looked at.
9. Drainage (25/009)
a) Maintenance of Greendykes.
The insurance company has confirmed work can be carried out by the council, and a maintenance and inspection plan will be put in place for future works.
It was agreed to send a letter to all the properties with riparian ownership along Greendykes to explain the councils decision to commence maintenance to help reduce the risk of flooding.
Action: Clerk to produce and send out the letters.
b) Update on the Emergency Plan.
The plan has now been accepted by the LCC Resilience Forum. The document has been signed off electronically by the Chairman and a copy will be held by the parish council. A further copy will be available on the parish council website. This document will be reviewed annually with the Digby Emergency Co-ordinator, LCC Resilience Forum and the Parish Council to confirm all the information is kept up to date. An invoice of £8.97 for the 3 ring binders for the plans and all the checklists for the Emergency Box has been received from the Emergency co-ordinator. It was proposed by GG, seconded by KG and all agreed that this be reimbursed.
c) Update on the Planned Meeting with LCC Flood team
The Clerk has continued to ask for the meeting but a date has not yet been set by LCC Flood Team
10. Playing Field, Play Areas and Village General (25/010)
a) Monthly Inspection of Play Equipment
The monthly inspection has been completed by GG, there are no changes to the equipment and the mole activity has been reported to Pest Control. GG has received a price of £75.00 to reset the bin that was pulled out of the ground in the play area, over the public holiday. It was agreed by all to accept the price and to have the bin re-set as soon as possible,
Action: The Clerk to ask for the work to be carried out.
b) Progress of the Bowls Club Lease.
JB has been to check the deeds as requested. There was no information of any covenant stored with the deeds. JB will contact the solicitors producing the lease to let them know.
The inventory of the Bowls Club is still to be produced.
c) Planning for the New Equipment.
The questionnaire has been distributed at the coffee morning. The completed forms will now be collated by KG. HS is to take the questionnaires to the school and pre-school now they have re-opened from the Christmas holidays. HS has also contacted councils in the local area and received responses regarding grants they had been able to secure for equipment.
11. Allotments (25/011)
a) Updates from the Allotment Committee.
The next meeting is to take place on Saturday 11th Jan.,
12. Finance (25/012)
a) Bank Balances and Approval of the Bank Reconciliation.
The bank balances were reported as :-
PC General Account £15,836.26
Allotment Account £6,521.48
Mary Gresswell Trust £5.58
The bank reconciliation was approved.
b) Income.
A cheque from the National Grid for £8.31 for the wayleave for the poles in the village hall garden has been received. The cheque will be deposited as soon as possible.
c) Approval of Payments.
It was proposed by GG, seconded by ML and all agreed the following payments were made.
The payroll details were not available from Autela, due to the public holidays, in time for this meeting. It was agreed payments would be approved by email once the totals were known.
Salaries/Expenses TBN
Select Electrical Services 474.00
Digby Village Hall – Meeting charges Apr to Dec 126.00
LALS Subs 253.08
d) Precept for 2025/26.
The Precept calculator has been received from NKDC. A total of £25,295.00 is required to cover the planned expenditure for 2025-26. This is an increase of £1,921.00 on last year, this increase covers inflation, the costs for services provided by contractors and an additional amount required to cover the maintenance of Greendykes, to help reduce the risk of flooding. When the budget amount is entered in to the Precept calculator it shows an 8.92% increase which relates to an increase of £9.12 for the year on a band D property or 0.76p per month. The extra expenditure is to support the additional maintenance that is needed to help maintain and improve the village. A vote was taken there were 4 votes for this budget and 2 against. The Chairman declared the decision passed.
Action: The Clerk is to forward the Precept request to NKDC.
13. Correspondence (25/013)
a) LALC Newsletter - Distributed to all councillors
b) NKDC Newsletter - Distributed to all councillors
c) LCC County Views winter 2024- Survey about Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects - distributed to all councillors,
d) LCC Budget and Council Tax proposals for 2025/26 -Distributed to all councillors
e) FOI request on any contact with Bioenergy - A response has been sent confirming Digby PC has not had any contact with Bioenergy.
14. Dates of Future Meetings (25/014)
Parish Council Meetings for 2025 – Second Wednesday of the month – 12th Feb, 12th Mar, 9th Apr, 14th May, 11th Jun, 9th Jul, 13th Aug, 10th Sep, 8th Oct, 12th Nov and 10th Dec
The Annual Parish Meeting is booked for 23rd April and the Annual Parish Council Meeting is booked for 14th May.
15. Any Business to Note for the Next Agenda (24/015)
This can be notified during the following month as required.
At 20.36hrs - The Chairman closed the meeting, there were no members of public present.
The Council RESOLVED to go into the Closed Session.
16. Closed Session (25/016)
For confidential items in accordance with the Public Bodies Act 1960,
a. GDPR.
A possible issue of a breach of GDPR was discussed and no further action was required.
The councillors were reminded of the policies covering GDPR and asked to check they are personally up to date with the policies.
20.50 hrs There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed.