FC May 2024 Minutes Annual Town Council Meeting
Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council held on Wednesday 29th May, 2024 at 6:00pm in Franklin Hall, Spilsby. These are notes of the meeting until approved by the Council as a true record.
Present:
Cllrs T Kemp (Mayor), L Day (Deputy Mayor), A Day, M Gibson, V Hemmings Diaz, E Marsh, L Marsh, W Rose, T Taylor and M Wragg.
Town Clerk, J Sargent and Deputy Town Clerk - S Thomas.
1. To elect a Town Mayor/Chair of the Council for the forthcoming term of office.
Cllr L Day was proposed and seconded for the role of Town Mayor/Chair of the Town Council. No other Councillors were nominated. Cllr L Day was duly elected as Town Mayor.
2. To receive the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of the Town Mayor/Chair.
The Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Chair was signed by Cllr L Day and the Clerk.
3. To elect a Deputy/Vice-Chair of the Council for the forthcoming term of office.
Cllr L Marsh was proposed and seconded for the role of Deputy Mayor/Vice Chair of the Town Council. No other Councillors were nominated. Cllr L Marsh was duly elected as Deputy Mayor.
4. To receive the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of the Town Mayor/Chair.
The Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Vice Chair was signed by Cllr Marsh and the Clerk.
5. Public Forum
There were no members of the public in attendance.
A written report received from District Cllr E Marsh was circulated via email prior to the meeting.
With no members of the public present, it was resolved unanimously to move into formal session.
6. Apologies
It was resolved unanimously to accept apologies from Cllrs D Mangion and V Hemmings Diaz.
7. Declarations of Interest
None received.
8. To appoint members to Committees of the Council
a. Personnel
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs L Marsh, D Mangion and T Kemp to the Personnel Committee.
b. Planning
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs L Day, M Gibson and E Marsh.
9. To appoint members to hold additional responsibilities.
a. Footpaths
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllr Gibson to monitor footpaths in the town.
b. Play Area
It was resolved unanimously to continue with a monthly rota, adding Cllrs E Marsh and H Hemmings-Diaz to share the responsibility across the Council.
c. Cemetery and Churchyard
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs H Hemmings-Diaz, A Day and M Wragg to monitor the Cemetery and Churchyard.
d. Allotments
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllr L Marsh to monitor the allotments.
e. Tree Officers - 2
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs Gibson and Taylor to monitor trees in the town.
f. Website
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs H Hemmings-Diaz to monitor the website.
10. To appoint members to serve as the Town Council’s representatives on outside bodies.
a. Spilsby Recreation Ground - 1
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllr Taylor to represent the Town Council on the Recreation Ground Committee.
b. Grammar School Foundation - 1
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllr Gibson to represent the Town Council on the Grammar School Foundation.
c. Poorlands - 2
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs L Marsh and L Day to represent the Town Council on the Poorlands Committee.
d. Spilsby and District Twinning - 2
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllr L Marsh to represent the Town Council on the Twinning Association Committee.
e. Good Neighbourhood Scheme - 3
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs M Gibson, E Marsh and W Rose to represent the Town Council on the Good Neighbourhood Scheme Committee.
f. Community Speed Watch
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs A Day, L Day, E Marsh and L Marsh to represent the Town Council on the Community Speed Watch group.
Cllr L Day reiterated that more volunteers are needed to hold regular Speedwatch sessions. Cllr L Marsh advised that he had not received any further response from Hundleby Parish Council but will contact them again.
g. Spilsby Events Team
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs E Marsh and W Rose to represent the Town Council on the Events Team Committee.
h. The Royal British Legion
It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs E Marsh to represent the Town Council on the Spilsby branch committee of the Royal British Legion.
11. To approve as a correct record the minutes of the full Council Meeting held on Wednesday 24th April 2024.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the minutes for April as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
12. To approve as a correct record the minutes of the extraordinary Council meeting held on 1st May 2024.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the minutes for May’s extraordinary meeting as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
13. To approve the accounts for April 2024.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the accounts for April 2024.
14. To receive a bank reconciliation for April 2024.
The Clerk provided a bank reconciliation to keep Councillors up to date with the Town Council’s financial status, for information purposes only.
15. To approve direct debits for:
a. ELDC rates.
b. Anglian Water.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to approve the direct debits.
16. To consider the insurance renewal quote for 2024-25.
The quote provided by Clear Insurance, the Town Council’s current insurance provider, for 2024-25 is £1,109.45. The Clerk had received a quote from another Company but it was more expensive.
Cllr Taylor explained that there is a large difference in the costs of insurance between Town and Parish Councils; and that this quote appears to be competitive. The difference between the 2023-24 insurance costs and the 2024-25 quote is an approximate £100 increase.
It was resolved unanimously to accept the renewal quotation. The Clerk to arrange.
17. To consider policies for review:
a. Standing Orders
b. Code of Conduct
c. Risk Management
d. Financial Regulations
There were no changes to the Standing Orders, Code of Conduct and Risk Management Policies. The updated Financial Regulations Policy was sent out vie email prior to the meeting. The Town Clerk explained that the text highlighted in bold are set out in legislation. This updated Policy was taken from LALC’s template. It was resolved unanimously to adopt the policies tabled for review.
18. To receive brief reports from the Town Mayor, Town Council’s working groups, representatives on outside bodies and the Town Clerk.
Mayor’s Report
Cllr L Day reported that together with Cllr A Day, they had attended Civic Services at Sleaford and Sutton-on-Sea and attended a Variety Show held by the Chair of Louth Town Council in aid of the dementia charity and support group - ‘Bob’s Brainwaves’. Cllr L Day advised that these events provided the opportunity to meet other local Mayors and Councillors, building up a useful contact and knowledge base. Cllr L Day thought all events were very successful.
Recreation Ground
Cllr E Marsh reported that progress is going well with the proposed improvements. Further updates will be received over the coming months.
Grammar School Foundation
Cllr Gibson reported that the Committee met with the company that look after the Foundation’s funds, who provided details on how the funds are invested. All information is available on the Charity Commission’s website. The next committee meeting will be in September, where the donations will be allocated to the local schools and at the end of November, the notice will be displayed for student’s applications.
Poorlands
No report submitted.
Twinning
Cllr L Marsh reported that French and English Flags had been put up around the Town prior to the visit of a group from Fresnay-Sur-Sarthe.
The Deputy Town Clerk reported that the visitors from Fresnay-Sur-Sarthe was a great success. The Twinning Committee had arranged for visits to Gunby Hall, The Bubble Car Museum and Skegness. One evening over the weekend, together with the Twinning Committee from Burgh Le Marsh, arranged an evening reception at the Masonic Hall in Skegness, which was again well received. The next event is a small group from Spilsby going to Bassum, Germany in August.
Good Neighbourhood Scheme
Cllr Gibson reported that the Annual General Meeting is to be held in July and that the group had been very quiet due to not receiving any new referrals.
Community Speedwatch
Nothing to report.
Spilsby Events Team
Cllr Rose reported that the next event is the Music Festival on the 12th July 2024 in the marquee at Spilsby Recreation Ground.
The Events Team had previously discussed about arranging a Tea Party for the older residents over the weekend after D Day but had not progressed any further. Cllr E Marsh explained that
a member of the team was originally going to organise this but due to illness, was unable to.
Town Clerk’s Report
The Clerk emailed a report to Councillors prior to the meeting.
The Town Clerk added that a representative from Tong Engineering called in the office to discuss the installation of a new Spilsby Town Council sign outside the office, on Franklin Hall. The Town Clerk explained that ELDC had a plan to install hanging signs outside all businesses and shops in the town but the project had failed to materialise. The Town Clerk asked Tong Engineering to include a hanging sign for the Town Council, to hopefully restart ELDC’s project. Cllr Gibson confirmed that the Franklin Hall Committee support the installation of the signs on Franklin Hall.
Cllr Rose reported that he had requested the Town Clerk to investigate the possibility of improving the lane leading to the allotments as it is currently in a very poor state. The Town Clerk to get quotes for the improvements and investigate possible grant funding, as it has not been budgeted for in the current financial year. Cllr Taylor suggesting founding out who owned the access lane, as he seemed to think that it was not the responsibility of the Town Council.
Cllr E Marsh explained that following on from the correspondence received from ELDC regarding the Normics building - 1 Market Street, that it can remain like that indefinitely, as it is a work in progress. The Town Clerk advised that following the General Election, he will write to the local MP.
19. To consider improvements to the Monday Market.
The Royal Charter stipulates that Spilsby has a market every Monday, however, Cllr Taylor suggested that the market day be changed, and recommended contacting ELDC over the possibility. Cllr Taylor suggested that there are also other things to consider such as the storage of the market stalls, which is currently in the public toilet block and advised that the condition of the public toilets contributes to a better market and makes the town more inviting from visitors.
Cllr E Marsh queried the frequency of the market, suggesting it could be monthly rather than weekly due to the poor attendance and interest from traders.
Cllr Wragg asked if a change of day would affect the auction which takes place in the Buttercross Car Park. Councillors suggested this should continue on a Monday as usual.
Cllr Wragg suggested holding a farmer’s market. Cllr Taylor explained that an approach had been made but aren’t available on Mondays.
Cllr E Marsh suggested that a Market Committee be set up that can work on this. Cllr E Marsh provided an example of Wragby, who hold a monthly artisan market, thanks to the work of a committee. Cllr L Marsh explained that he had contacted the committee at Wragby who advised that it is a lot of hard work, but they are now reaping the rewards.
It was resolved unanimously to discuss the formation of a markets committee at the next meeting.
20. To consider phase 1 of the Play Area re-development project, the plan and costings.
The Town Clerk clarified the funding allocated to the project, with £108,000 allocated from a combination of grants and Town Council funds.
It was resolved unanimously to go ahead with Phase 1 of the Play Area Development.
The Town Clerk reported a conversation with the suppliers, Proludic, who advised that they were very excited to deliver the project. The Clerk advised there is an 8-week lead time for the construction of the equipment, followed by the installation.
Cllr E Marsh queried the installation dates. The Town Clerk advised they are yet to be confirmed but would hope to avoid clashing with events planned at the Recreation Ground over the summer.
21. To consider future meeting dates.
Cllr L Day reported that the dates of the Town Council meetings coincide with meetings held by East Lindsey District Council, meaning that some of the Councillors are unable to attend Town Council meetings.
Cllr E Marsh reported that East Lindsey District Council have already set their meeting dates and do not clash with future Town Council meeting dates.
It was resolved unanimously to continue with all future full Council meetings held on the 4th Wednesday of every month.
22. Allotments:
a. To consider an application to install a shed.
The Town Clerk provided a copy of the application to Councillors prior to the meeting. The shed conforms to the Town Council’s rules and regulations. It was resolved unanimously to allow the installation.
Cllr Rose requested that the Council review the Allotments Policy to allow the Town Clerk to have delegated powers to deal with these matters. The Town Clerk to arrange.
23. To resolve to exclude the Public and Media to discuss confidential matters in accordance with The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960.
It was resolved unanimously to exclude members of the Public and Media to allow the Town Council to discuss confidential matters.
24. To an update on issues at the Allotments.
The Town Clerk provided an update of current issues at the allotments and action planned.
With no further matters, Cllr L Day closed the meeting at 7:00pm.