Annual Parish Meeting 14th March 2023
Alvingham Parish Council
Minutes of Annual Parish Meeting
Held on 14th March 2023
Present: Councillor N Ashley
Councillor R Wahlberg
Councillor G Cummings
Councillor S Shucksmith
Clerk: Mrs S McFarland
In Attendance: Councillor E Mossop
Councillor A Hall
Apologies
There were no apologies received prior to the meeting
Minutes of meeting held on 15th March 2022
The minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting which was held on 15th March 2022 were read and approved. They were proposed by Councillor Cummings and seconded by Councillor Wahlberg. Councillor Ashley then signed them as a true copy of the meeting.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising save to note the condition of the roads has not improved since last year.
Treasurers Report
Councillor Cummings reported that we had started the year with £3700 and had ended with £4500. The incoming precept has increased with £2385 being due into the account shortly. The budget for proposed expenditure for the coming year of £2300 means we would break even on the current year, leaving the surplus of £4500 available for future projects.
The highlight of the year was the Queen’s Jubilee. We were fortunate to be awarded a grant from ELDC for £1000 which helped to keep the cost down considerably. The total spend on this event by the Parish Council was £340.24 which included the legacy of the lovely bench and the village beacon.
Chairmans Report
This year’s Chairman’s report seems to contain many perennial chestnuts from previous years.
Drainage problems, some have been resolved some on going. The Mill water supply has been a success story. There is sufficient water for The Mill to operate now that Keddington Lock has been modified, but the actual waterway running next to the road to the South of Lock Farm needs some serious de reeding. Also there doesn’t seem to be any real plan for someone to take responsibility for adjusting the boards controlling the water height near Washdyke Cottage.
The West Drain through the centre of the village is now at last getting some attention, clearing the bed and removing brash from the banks through to the village to the point where the dyke joins the canal. Allowing development too close to the dyke bank just to the South of Highbridge Road must have created a problem for access for the diggers etc but we will see what comes to light in the future.
The Parish Council are now financially helping to maintain the pathway through the Church Yard and then continuing on to North Cockerington along with helping to maintain the Church Yard. We decided to support this expense because the Church and Churchyard along with the entry/exit paths are really an important integral part of the Parish and Parish life.
The thorny chestnut over the past few years has been the public footpath to the East of the village. The problem being the owners of the cottage on the far side of the canal bridge want the footpath diverting away from their property, also their dogs’ intimidating hikers. The property is up for sale or sold. We will see what develops.
There is very little change in the state of the highways. From time to time some of the potholes are repaired, hopefully when finances permit there will be a more comprehensive plan to maintain the highways. In the meantime, if we, along with the public pester the highways people with reports to ‘fix my street’ we may see some improvements.
In line with the rest of the country we have seen quite a lot of development within the parish over the past few years. To date the is nothing that isn’t really in keeping with the existing style of the village. I do feel planners should be firmer with builders, making certain the end product does comply with the original request.
Finally, as word of thanks to the members of the Council for turning out regularly to the meetings and especially to our Clerk and Treasurer. They both do an excellent job, far more then we should reasonably expect.
Clerk’s Report
Alvingham Parish Council has enjoyed a much more settled year this year than in the previous 2 years. We have been able to hold regular meetings without the worry of Covid restrictions.
There have been 6 meetings in total, spaced regularly through the year. We have only managed a full compliment of Councillors on 2 of those occasions and have sadly not enticed any parishioners to attend this year. Perhaps this is a sign that all is well within the Parish and the community are content with the way in which the Parish Council operates.
We did have the pleasure of The Church Warden Mrs Lowis’ company to discuss the needs of the Church and hopefully through those discussions the Church has been steered towards a path that will allow it to become more sustainable for generations to come.
4 planning applications have been received during the year, all of which have been approved without objection from the Parish Council.
The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and the meeting was declared closed at 8.50pm.