May 2023 DRAFT Minutes Annual Parish Meeting
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD IN BUTTERWICK VILLAGE HALL ON TUESDAY 09 MAY 2023
Present: Cllr A Gosling – Butterwick Parish Council Chairman
Mrs C Anderton – Clerk of the Council
Also Present:
Cllrs: K Forman, A Quickfall, L Pearson, C Smith
Cllr P Skinner, Lincolnshire County Council
2 members of the public were in attendance.
Apologies
There were no apologies received.
Chairman’s Annual Report
I wish to thank all the councillors for their commitment in attending the meetings and to the clerk for keeping us informed between meeting and ensuring business continues to run smoothly during the meetings. During the year we have had good support from our Borough and County representatives who have kept us informed with matters. We as a council have continued to support local village groups with financial donations and also support our litter picker. We have provided dog waste bins around the village and recently the village bench which is situated outside the village hall. In June the council organised and funded a street party to celebrate the Queens Jubillee, unfortunately the weather changed and this made last minute changes to the event necessary. Cllr M Knowles took the responsibility for the event and I wish to extend my gratitude for that.
This year was an election year for the Parish Council and with no new candidates declaring an interest, those who stood were unopposed. Mike Knowles and Nigel Donnelly stepped down as councillors and I thank them both for their service and wish them both well for the future.
Butterwick Village Hall Committee Annual Report
The village hall has been well supported during the last year with regular bookings and we have been able to complete the refurbishment with the replacement of the stage curtains.
We are looking to be able to resurface the rear car park which will enable more parking and we have ended the year with a profit of £468 which will hopefully go towards this project and we have a very small committee of 4 members who oversee the hall.
Park Green Project Annual Report
The Park has now been opened over 18 years and is still well used by families, dog walkers and the car park is utilised by parents dropping children at school. Most of the equipment is still in good order though some wooden items have now been removed and it is becoming difficult getting quotations to replace them but this is something we are looking at. The committee for the park is grateful to the Parish Council for the financial support which they receive which covers day to day running costs. Unfortunately, the project has not been able to restart the fundraising since before the pandemic but we are looking at other avenues of income streams.
Lincolnshire County Council Annual Report
Lincolnshire County Council, despite the fairer funding campaign remains bottom of the list when it comes to funds. Largest challenges firstly Highways, the government removed 12 M funding two years ago. More of the council tax monies have been directed at this revenue budget 5 M. New machinery for pothole repair and relaying roads are being evaluated. Road markings to ensure Speed compliance are to be deployed. Even so the public only report roughly a third of potholes repaired, please use fix my street. The perennial challenge that of Social Services, we have increase demand an aging population and more people choosing to retire to Lincolnshire. Additionally staffing and inflation add to the challenge. The government’s bill seeks to protect 86K of a person’s funds before entitlement to full support. There has been an Enhanced Partnership for buses , stakeholders’ consultation. Bus use has significantly dropped since COVID A veteran’s Survey has been carried out to collect information on access to services since leaving the Armed Forces, A Multiply Maths Skill program, about improving the residents understanding of numbers, how it can help in their daily lives. The Collection and the Usher Gallery celebrated awards from Visit England.
To receive comments from the public on any relevant local issues
The members of the public shared their views regarding the poor state of the playpark car park, the mound of tarmac plannings and their concerns regarding the volume of parking and traffic at the school entrance. Members of the council discussed these issues at length and stated that they would be investigated.
The Chairman thanked all those in attendance and the meeting closed at 7.20pm.