Alvingham Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on 5th September 2023
Present: Councillor N Ashley
Councillor A Graves
Councillor G Cummings
Councillor V Stratford
Clerk: Mrs S McFarland
In Attendance: Councillor E Mossop
APOLOGIES
No apologies were received prior to the meeting.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the meeting held on 20th June 2023 were read and approved. They were proposed by Councillor Stratford and Seconded by Councillor Graves. Councillor Ashley then signed them as a true copy of the meeting.
MATTERS ARISING
There was nothing contained within the minutes that required further discussion.
TREASURERS REPORT
Councillor Cummings advised that the balance in the current account stands at £5293.77. Cheques payable to the Clerk, Magnus for gardening in the churchyard and to Stuart Parker were approved and signed. There is a surplus of £479 from the money raised for the defibrillator.
CORRESPONDENCE
There was nothing arising from the correspondence which required further discussion.
DEFIBRILLATOR UPDATE
Fundraising for the defibrillator has exceeded all expectations with a surplus of £479 being raised in addition to the amount needed to cover the cost of the unit and installation. It was agreed a letter of thanks should be sent to Ben Watson and the Shaw family who were the main facilitators of the funds raised. The Clerk reported that there will be on going costs associated with the upkeep of the defibrillator. Replacement pads and battery will be needed in the future. In addition, it is proposed that LIVES should be asked to take responsibility for the regular checks and maintenance of the machine. It was agreed that the surplus funds should be used towards these ongoing running costs. The Clerk will instruct LIVES to begin the guardianship as soon as possible.
NHT SURVEY
The survey relating to the local drainage plan was discussed at some length. There are a couple of areas within the village that were identified as having potential drainage issues. However, on inspection of the map provided it was noted that the drains in those areas are already know to the authorities and therefore should be maintained by them.
OTHER RELEVANT BUSINESS
Barclays Bank: - The recent problems experienced with the bank were discussed, the fact the local branch is closed and the inability to access internet banking make the account difficult to run. It is proposed that the bank account be moved to Lloyds Bank who have a branch in Louth and would be able to offer internet banking. It was agreed by all that the bank account should be transferred.
Church:- The church friend’s scheme has now been approved by the PCC and will soon be rolled out to the residents. It was felt the work being done to maintain the grounds to a good standard, which the Parish Council are paying for is perhaps not achieving the result desired by the Church. It was agreed that the Church should discuss with Magnus the gardener exactly what they would like him to do.
DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday 7th November 2023 7.30pm at the Village Hall.