MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF LOUTH TOWN COUNCIL
HELD IN THE OLD COURT ROOM, THE SESSIONS HOUSE, LOUTH
ON TUESDAY 7TH DECEMBER 2021

 

Present                                        The Mayor, Cllr. D. Hobson (DH) (in the chair).

 

Councillors:       Mrs. E. Ballard (EB), J. Baskett (JB), L. Cooney (LMC), S. Crew (SC), D. Ford (DF), J. Garrett (JG), D.J.E. Hall (DJEH), G. Horton (GEH), A. Leonard (AL), Mrs. S.E. Locking (SEL), Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders (JMS), K. Norman (KN), F.W.P. Treanor (FWPT), Mrs. P.F. Watson (PFW) and D.E. Wing (DEW).

 

Councillors not present: M. Bellwood (MB), H. Filer (HF), D. Jackman (DJ) and J. Simmons (JS).
 

The Town Clerk, Mrs. L.M. Phillips, the Town Clerk’s Assistant, Mrs. M.C. Vincent and Cllr. R. Jackson (ELDC) were also present.

 

Public Forum

·        Following a tabled report by Cllr. R. Jackson (ELDC) a discussion ensued as to the increases of cost for the green waste bins and the annual service user charge, and that this would impact issues of fly tipping. Cllr. Mrs. PFW requested that this be put on a future agenda so that a letter of complaint could be sent.

·        Cllr. Mrs. JMS reported that Louth Hospital had received a glowing report of late. The new Hub at Horncastle was five weeks behind on the build but still on budget.

 

T67.        Apologies for Absence
Apologies received from Cllrs: MB, HF, DJ and JS.

 

T68.        Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
Cllr. Mrs. JMS – item 10 and 11 as a member of ELDC, item 13 as a member Hubbard’s Hills Trust and item 10 as a member of another organisation.
Cllr. Mrs. EB – item 7 as on the Tollbar Mat Family of Academies Independent Appeal Panel and item 10 as a Trustee of KEVIASEC.
Cllr. AL – item 10 and 11 as a member of ELDC, item 13 as a member Hubbard’s Hills Trust and item 5 in connection with the Louth Museum.

Cllr DEW – item 13 as a member of the Hubbard’s Hills Trust.

Cllr. DJEH – item 10 and 11 as a member of ELDC.

Cllr. DF – Item 5 as a volunteer at the Louth Museum.

 

T69.        Council Minutes
It was RESOLVED to approve as a correct record, the notes of the Council Meeting held on the 26th October 2021.

 

T70.        Committee Minutes
It was RESOLVED to adopt the resolutions contained within the following Committee Meetings:

Planning – 12th October 2021, Governance and Finance – 12th October 2021 and Personnel – 28th September 2021.

 

T71.         Map of Louth
It was RESOLVED that the Council should loan its framed map of Louth dated 1787 to the Louth Museum for an exhibition on maps that they plan to run from April 2022 for the duration of the exhibition, or for 6 months (whichever was the shortest duration) with an acknowledgement given to Louth Town Council.

 

T72.        Policing
Council received a proposal to write to the Chief of Police expressing its concerns and requesting that as a matter of urgency the numbers of officers be increased sooner rather than later.  It was RESOLVED that Louth Town Council should wait to write to the Police until the spring when the Police had said they would come back to the Town Council to talk and pending the outcome of that consider sending a letter then.

 

T73.        Louth Academy Admissions Policy Consultation
It was RESOLVED that the Council should not comment on the above consultation.

NB: Cllr. Mrs. EB did not vote on this item.

 

T74.        Consultations
Cllr. Mrs. JMS gave a brief outline of consultations: Lincolnshire Transport Plan, the Hospital Public Consultation and a new consultation regarding Louth Hospital becoming a diagnostic centre and urged members to complete the consultations individually.

 

T75.        Amenity Grasscutting

It was RESOLVED to renew its agreement with LCC regarding amenity grasscutting in 2022/23. The Clerk would contact LCC regarding the possibility of the roundabouts being included in the areas cared for by the Council. Concern was raised about wildflower and rare orchid areas, but the Clerk explained that was sometimes difficult to see where these areas were, and to ask contractors to check every area of verge would increase the grass cutting costs considerably.

 

T76.        London Road Pavilion and Sports Ground

After lengthy discussion it was RESOLVED that the Town Clerk should write to confirm that the Council would be pleased if representatives of Magna Vitae would attend a Council meeting on 25th January 2022 and

inform Magna Vitae that, as the owner of a portion of the London Road site, the Council would like to receive copies of the minutes of any meetings held to discuss the entire sites future or to be held and that it should also have representatives at future meetings to keep abreast of discussions.  Cllrs. JB and AL were nominated to attend any meetings.

 

T77.         Vital and Viable /Welcome Back Funding
It was RESOLVED to form a Vital and Viable /Welcome Back Funding Working Group as follows:

 

Membership
The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Town Clerk, Cllrs. Mrs JMS, DF, DJEH, SC, Mrs. SEL and 2 ELDC Officers (S. Phillips and L. Collins).
Remit
To carry forward projects already approved and new (to be approved by ELDC) which meet the criteria for help from Government Welcome Back Funding of which LTC have access to up to £25,000.  NB Funding must be spent by March 2022.
Delegated Powers
Write specifications for work relating to the above projects, where three quotes are required, that the Town Clerk may send out to contractors.   In conjunction with the Town Clerk, carry forward above projects to fruition and seek to obtain approval from ELDC for other (new) projects, if majority of group agree.
Meetings
As required during daytime.
N.B: Cllr. Mrs. EB left during this item between 8:22pm and 8:25pm.

 

T78.         Active Travel Scheme
The Clerk tabled an email that she had sent to Cllr. Davies (LCC) and reported that there was no update as Cllr. Davies had not replied.  It was RESOLVED that the Town Clerk should complain to the Leader of Lincolnshire County Council on the lack of formal consultation and basic communication with LTC, requesting clarification as to why Louth Town Council and others had received no reply regarding their complaints and outlining concerns regarding the proposals and their implementation.
N.B: A 10 minute comfort break was held before going into Closed Session from 8:47 – 8:57pm. Cllrs. AL and DEW left the room at 9:58pm before the Closed Session item.

 

T79.         Closed Session Item
It was RESOLVED to move into Closed Session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 due to the business to be discussed in the following item, information being of a confidential and legal nature in relation to Hubbard’s Hills.
The Town Clerk circulated a confidential report and it was RESOLVED:

a.      To note the information contained in Sections 1 to 4.

b.      That the Town Clerk should respond using the points contained at Section 5 of the confidential report as a starting base.

Cllr. Mrs. JMS did not vote.

 

It was RESOLVED to move out of Closed Session.

 

Cllr. AL and DEW returned to the meeting at 9:22pm.

 

The Meeting Closed at 9.23pm.

 

 

 

Signed_______________________ (Chairman)                Dated_______________________