Meetings, agendas and minutes

Draft Minutes: to be confirmed at next Meeting

BENNIWORTH PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Meeting held on Wednesday 16th August 2023

Public 10 Minutes 3 members of the public attended. The recent provision of a Village Skip was reviewed. It was felt to be of benefit to the Village and agreed that one should be provided every 2 years. The Chair reported receipt of an email from Paul Willoughby. With regard to the invasive trees, Cllr Dyas informed these were the responsibility of LCC and agreed to contact them. With regard to the tarmac laid by Northern Power contractors and seen to becoming uneven, Cllr Stewart reported that a Representative from Highways had visited, taken photographs and would take action. The Chair reported on a letter received by post from “Benniworth Residents” concerning the parking of a horsebox on the verge of Main Road. The owner apologised for historic prolonged parking and explained that it needed to be parked there to enable loading and unloading of horses for competitions. Council accepted this explanation with the assurance that parking would be completely off the road and restricted to a maximum of 2 days per competition in the future.

1. Apologies: Cllr. Susan McAllister.

2. Confirmation of Minutes: It was proposed by Cllr Raynor and seconded by Cllr Dyas that the Minutes of 8th February be signed as a true record.

3. Village Gatherings at Autumn and Christmas: Cllr Chetwynd-Talbot outlined her plans for a Village Autumn get together. It was agreed the Council would support this on the understanding the emphasis be on Autumn not Halloween and provide help where needed. The date is to be Saturday 21st October, 12 – 2.30 pm.

Cllr Stewart reported that Ann South had informed the Carol Service at Benniworth is set for 15 December. No other arrangement had been made. In considering Village activities at Christmas, Adele Simpson outlined an idea to have a Village Pantomime. Council felt this would appeal and asked Adele to investigate further and come up with a proposal. It was decided not to invest in a tree this year.

4. Report on Progress on the Proposal for a Compost loo within the Churchyard: Following the hard work and research done by Cllr McAllister, the DAC visited St Julians on 31st July. They recommended that the compost loo be constructed inside the Church in the South transept. A follow up visit by the Church architect on 8th August revealed that this option would cost around £15,000 but had the advantage in that it would not require ELDC planning consent and VAT could be reclaimed. The architect advised the North transept would be a better location.  In considering locating externally, he advised ELDC would have strict views on disabled access and the type of construction bearing in mind St Julians is a grade 2 listed building and that this would increase costs. Cllr Dyas gave a report on a visit to see a compost loo at Southrey and circulated photos. He stated this was probably top of the range and functioned well with minimal maintenance. Their cost including plans was £30,000 mostly achieved through grants. Their building included a large storage room, did not require a faculty and planning was simplified by the Church being unlisted.

In the general discussion that followed, Cllrs Dyas and Stewart reported that siting the loo on adjacent land was not an option. In reply to Cllr Raynor’s query, the Vestry had been ruled out by the PCC and the DAC. Cllrs Chetwynd-Talbot and Olivant were concerned about the cost and felt the money could be directed more appropriately to the urgent needs of the Church building. There followed a discussion about whether there was a need for a compost loo. It was suggested Council explore the possibility of hiring a portable loo, negotiating a special rate for 4 months. This would cover activities up until Christmas and act as a trial run to see if a loo was needed by the village and wider community. Cllr Dyas agreed to contact Lincs Loos and explore this possibility. All agreed that siting a compost loo within St Julians was not an option Council would support. Cllr Stewart to inform the PCC of this decision.

5. Financial Report: Cllr Olivant circulated a synopsis of the financial situation to date.

Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday 8th November 2023

BENNIWORTH PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

To be held on Wednesday 16th August

Location:  St. Julian’s Church

                                                                                                                    Time:  7.30pm

AGENDA

 Public session.: An opportunity for the public to raise matters of concern for further discussion at future meetings.

1. Apologies

2. Confirmation of minutes of previous meeting 17th May 2023

3. Village gatherings at Halloween and Christmas

4. Report on progress and further discussion on the proposal for a compost toilet within St Julians churchyard

5. Financial Report

       6. Date of next meeting