Alvingham Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on 6th September 2022
Present: Councillor N Ashley
Councillor A Graves
Councillor R Wahlberg
Councillor G Cummings
Councillor S Shucksmith
Clerk: Mrs S McFarland
In Attendance: Councillor E Mossop
Apologies
Apologies were received from Councillor Hall prior to the meeting
Minutes of previous meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 21st June 2022 were read and approved. They were proposed by Councillor Cummings and Seconded by Councillor Graves. Councillor Ashley then signed them as a true copy of the meeting.
Matters Arising
Councillor Ashley has spoken to someone in the village who cuts grass with a view to him keeping on top of the church yard. It was felt that the grass would need cutting approximately 8 times between March and October. He will be asked to provide a quote for doing this along with confirmation of his public liability insurance. In addition, he will be asked to quote for pruning of the trees and chipping of the wood to use on the paths. Councillors Shucksmith and Graves will liaise as to exactly what needs to be done.
The Jubilee bench has now been installed on White Barn Corner. Special thanks go to David Shucksmith, Nigel Midgley and Dick Parker who helped to concrete the base and site the bench. Unfortunately, the work was completed before the time capsule could be buried underneath. Therefore, we will have to find an alternative place to bury this. Possibly in the same place as the previous time capsule. Enquiries need to be made as to where these are as there do not appear to be any records.
Treasurers Report
Councillor Cummings advised that the balance in the current account stands at £5482.57. All expenses in relation to the Jubilee have now been paid. The Councillors are conscious that we are maintaining most of the precept and should consider how these funds can be used to enhance the village. It was noted that some money is to be spent tidying up the public walk through the church yard and there may be opportunity to help the Community Hall once the merger is completed. This will be carried forward to the next meeting for further consideration.
Correspondence
Complaints about the public footpath along the Canal were discussed. Essentially there are 2 issues, a) the path is severely overgrown and difficult to pass, b) allegations of abuse towards members of the public whilst using the public footpath in this area. Councillor Mossop has been in touch with Mr Stockdale at Lincs County Council but has yet to receive a reply. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to Chris Miller ( Mr Stockdale’s superior) to escalate the complaint.
There were no other items of correspondence that needed discussion.
Other relevant business
It has come to our attention that there was a problem accessing the Defibrillator on the outside of the Village Hall recently. This was due to a power cut preventing the unit being accessed. The Clerk will attempt to find out who maintains the Defibrillator and see if there is a problem with the battery backup.
A member of the community has kindly offered to repair the notice board at the Stocks. It was agreed that we would like to take up this kind offer and obtain a price for the work.
Date and Time of next meeting
Tuesday 1st November 2022 7pm at the Village Hall.