THEDDLETHORPE PARISH COUNCIL 

Minutes of the monthly meeting held on Thursday, 9th December 2021, 7.30pm

Theddlethorpe Village Hall, Silver Street, Theddlethorpe All Saints. 

Chairman: Cllr C Richardson, Vice-Chairman: Cllr B Lister (not present)

Parish Councillors: Cllr C Lister, Cllr G Foister, Cllr D Sears.

Also, present: Parish Clerk: None

                         County Councillor: Cllr N Sears, Cllr D McNally 

                          District Councillor: Cllr S Harrison  

Item 12/21-01   Chairman’s Welcome 

The Chairman welcomed the Thirteen (13) members of the public (MOPs) present to the Village Hall. 

Before opening up the public forum the Chairman explained that as previously discussed at the last meeting and currently advertised on the Parish website and on the Parish noticeboards, that the Public Forum this evening would follow the standing orders and national guidance in that its duration would be for 15 minutes. This is due to the volume of council business needing to be concluded this evening. It is also unfair for MOPs & Councillors to attend 4+ hour long meetings finishing around midnight as per previous meetings. Best practice guidance identifies that the meeting should be concluded within 2hrs. The chairman therefore asked to refrain from using the Public Forum to conduct lengthy speeches and asked for short questions on new matters, or business matters being discussed by the Parish Council (PC) that evening. 

Item 12/21-02   Public Forum 

The Chairman opened up the Public Forum at 19:32hrs.

The devastating impact that compulsory purchase could bring to a community based on a parishioner’s personal experience and the view that this was not an appealing option.

A request for a Public Parish Meeting to be held was made.

The Chairman asked for clarification whether the request was for a Parish Meeting or a Public Meeting as both terminologies were used in the request.

The Chairman asked for clarification as to the purpose of the Parish Meeting.

Debate ultimately identified that the meeting was to design a questionnaire to obtain a “Yes or No” vote now from the Parishioners with regard to the proposed GDF.

The Chairman suggested that if the MoP’s wished to write and produce a questionnaire this could be achieved, quickly & efficiently at one of the parishioners No Campaign weekly meetings, without the need of a full Parish Meeting.

This idea was rejected by the MoP’s who stated they had already arranged and they booked a date for the Parish Meeting at Theddlethorpe Village Hall on 20th January 2022.

The Chairman made the point that approximately only 250 out of 850 Parishioners had attended information days (which only commenced 8 weeks ago), with people attending on more than one occasion, visitors from outside of Theddlethorpe, multiple visits were made by some of the MoP’s in the room.  Therefore, a return on votes may not be a true reflection from well-informed members of the Parish.

It was stated by MoP’s that if people had not at this point sought out information over the past 6 months, they were unlikely to do so, and that the MoP’s would deliver questionnaires directly to the doorsteps of Parishioners, discuss any questions which Parishioners asked (so they become informed), wait for the Parishioner to complete the questionnaire and then return the form to be counted.  This would aim to return a majority vote of up to 90% of the Parish and had been used successfully elsewhere.

The Chairman expressed concern that this process might be perceived as intimidatory & biased which had been an area of previous complaints.

The Chairman emphasised that a questionnaire or vote at this time would have no legal or binding validity within the RWM national process. If the MoP’s wish to turn this invalid questionnaire into a Parish Pole, then the cost would be approx. £6K and would need to be paid for by all Theddlethorpe Parishioners. 

Several MoP’s became agitated, with some standing, talking over each other and talking loudly through face-masks, during which time it became difficult to hear, creating general discord within the Public Forum.

Ultimately the dialogue was that MoP’s wished to create a questionnaire and use the information against the District & County Council Leaders to apply pressure to bring an early end to the process.

To confirm the Chairman’s understanding an early end cannot be brought to the process, the Chairman produced the information used at previous meetings (recorded here in brief only): 

• The national process would have to move from “Working Group” to “Community Partnership”
• In “Community Partnership” a rule is enabled called “The Right to Withdraw”.
• The “Right to Withdraw” has to be invoked in agreement by all Authorities on the Working Group and in agreement with the Community Partnership or
• RWM identifies during studies of the site that it is not suitable for the intended use
• RWM can also withdraw if it prioritises its available funds to other communities in the national siting process.

The Chairman then repeated previous requests, that the group of MOPs should form a recognised organisational group and put themselves forward to be part of Stakeholder engagement as part of the “Community Partnership” phase. A member of the MOPs then stated the Chairman doesn’t need to worry about that as the group was already well on with securing a seat and taking on the Stakeholder Engagement Group.

A standing group of MoP’s declared they had voted for a Parish Meeting.  The Chairman asked for the names of the six parishioners required to be recorded. The information was refused & was not forthcoming. 

A further speech then started dictating to the PC, the requirements needed to hold a Parish meeting. The PC should just do as its told and hold a public meeting, which could be chaired by the PC Chairman, but it wasn’t important if he didn’t want to do it as he wasn’t welcome anyway. The Chairman just needs to accept this is happening at the village hall on the 20th January.

The Chairman accepted that a motion had been put forward, but had concerns that the correct process has not been followed. Accepted that any future meeting would have an agenda to write a questionnaire & agree a mode of delivery, but the time and date would not be accepted at this time as diaries would need to be confirmed.

The Chairman closed the public forum at 19:58hrs (24-minute duration)

A MoP then pointed out that another MoP had had their hand raised for more than 10 minutes ready to ask questions.  The Chairman stated that he had not seen the person from where he was seated but that as previously stated the meeting had over run its time-allocation and the questions to be raised could be sent to Councillors or discussed outside of the meeting, and that the Public Forum had been closed.  

An angry exchange from MoP’s then occurred including shouting, insults and swearing directed at the Chairman and the PC.

The Chairman stated that insults and threats would not be tolerated and that the MoP’s were welcome to stay for the PC meeting as per their constitutional right, however they were not permitted to speak during the meeting unless addressed directly by the PC, following a suspension of the meeting.

This then produced further insults and the Chairman pointed out that if the above could not be adhered to & those MoP’s who could not abide by the request know where the door is and are more than welcome to leave.

Item 12/21-03 Apologies & acceptance of absence 

Apologies had been received & accepted from Cllr B Lister (available by video conference if needed), Cllr J Shepperd, Cllr P Brown.

Item 12/21-04 Police Matters 

No representatives from the Local Neighbourhood Policing Team were present.

Item 12/21-05 Declarations of Pecuniary Interest from members in accordance with Localism Act 2011

None.

Item 12/21-06 Approval of Minutes from the Meeting held on 23rd September 2021

Approval proposed by: Cllr G Foister & Seconded Cllr D Sears. The minutes were duly signed by the Chairman.

Item 12/21-07 District & County Councillor Reports 

County Cllr D McNally informed the PC of the following: 

Increased Covid testing was being undertaken in county including a Mobile Bus to travel to areas where there is higher demand.

New Council Trade vetting scheme being launched, that’s allows members of the public to check business names against a list of registered business’, with a view to use reduce or prevent poor or rogue traders from operating within communities.

Public Health review has been undertaken on the effects of Children & the Young from the effects of COVID, information is currently undergoing Scrutiny, issues like the effects on behaviour, Speech & Language etc.

The County Council & Highways are looking to revise their approach to Horse Signage in communities and British Horse Society warning signage can be made up and used.

From April 2022 no one will be able to buy Red Diesel, which has a large impact on business’ unless your business falls into one of the exempt groups namely Horticulture, Heating, Farming & Marine. Though these groups can still use Red Diesel it is expected that the cost for it will increase over time.

County Cllr N Sears had nothing further to report than that above.

District Cllr S Harrison informed the PC of the following: 

Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioners Group (CCG) is hosting a public consultation event in Louth 14th December @ 18:30-20:30 hrs at the Masons Arms in Louth. This is part of a 12-week consultation exercise on the future of 4 NHS services. This is an important as decisions will be made on how these services may be delivered in the future.

Physical & Mental Health (wellbeing) were priorities for the CCG moving into 2022. 

Funding has been allocation for those most in need who are struggling with rent and bills this winter approx. £84K has been allocated, but there are strict criteria to be met to gain Household Support Grant funding. If you search for Household Support Grant then you will see the list of criteria that needs to be met.

Some Market Traders in Mablethorpe had received awards as good quality Market Traders. The competition for overall favourite market trader of the year in East Lindsey will be announced next month.

Review is underway to look at forming a list of all Mental Health service providers which could be accessed by communities or individuals. The Chairman commented that he believed that County Council was also undertaking a review of mental wellbeing of young people due to the number of young men who had committed suicide in the area over the past 18+ months which was significantly higher than the national average. Any help for a parent to at least know where to start or who to go to would be most welcome.

Item 12/21-08   Chairman’s Report  

The Chairman presented an overview of a project application for an RWE Offshore Wind Turbine Farm Proposal and have given feedback on behalf the PC. This was due to the short deadline for feedback and that the report and assessment was 400 pages in length. Summary highlights below:

• Application is called Dogger Bank South
• Leasing of land from the Crown Estate started in 2017.
• 2 areas of application both are 500Km2 in size (a map was shown of the area)
• 4 options to connect the offshore windfarms to the coast
  • Hawthorn Pit – County Durham
  • Creyke Beck option 1 East Riding of Yorkshire
  • Creyke Beck option 2 East Riding of Yorkshire
  • South of the Humber, East Lincolnshire (no specified area show in the report)
• Trenches & Trenchless cable laying designs are being considered
• Working Width for onshore cable corridors will be 70m wide
• Cable Jointing Bays will be needed every 0.75 – 1.5km
• 2 onshore substations will be required to operate either HVAC or HVDC technology
• Electricity generated will need to be 400KV to meet UK Grid Code connection to the UK Grid
• Summary of the report is that RWE have proven the capability of the wind farm and its importance.
• The development & assessment impacts all of the criteria they have to assess against.

It also stated that before making any statements then consultees should refer to the report or agreeing to any of its conclusions.

Theddlethorpes PC response statement was that “If the connection to onshore is made between Grimsby & Skegness, could an agreement be formed to use the existing trenching built (from other projects) or is currently being built (aka Viking Link etc). This would reduce the impact on Lincolnshire’s Land & Wildlife habitats and potentially reduce the installation costs to the developer."

Item 12/21-09 Clerks Report 

With no Clerk currently employed email correspondence had been answered by the Chairman & emails where necessary had been circulated to Cllrs for their knowledge & response.

• The Chairman had been in contact with Theddlethorpe Academy School and they were open to work next year in being part of some form of Queens Jubilee Celebration.
• A reply from Harbour Energy had been received following the PC’s request for a public meeting and update to the plans of the former ConocoPhillips Gas Terminal site. It confirms that Harbour energy are currently working in compliance with the current planning consent granted and are currently maturing their plans for the next phase of the site. They welcome open face to face meetings with the Parish Council, and suggest it be more useful if this took place around the end of Q1 2022 when plans are more formalised.
• A list of venues including the Embassy Theatre (Skegness), Magna Vitae Leisure Centre (Louth) Stations Sports Centre (Mablethorpe) with the details of the clubs, events & contact details for clubs taking place over Christmas for different age groups of Children to enjoy.
• Lincolnshire County Council Highways online survey had been completed online & the Chairman suggests everyone should look at this and the supporting information as impacts every area of Lincolnshire and some may not support the sections or idea on the rural coastal community.
• GDF section had been uploaded onto the Parish Website, criticism had been received that GOTEC hadn’t been added for a week. The Chairman explained that GOTEC is a registered company and trade mark and has been so for many years and therefore could not be advertised as such. Therefore, it has been connected under “No Campaign” taking you directly to the website.
• Citizens Advice Bureau has sent a letter requesting support for funding local services, with Mablethorpe being the most local service. The PC has supported this application most years and it was recognised that due to Covid it would be a service potentially used by more people. It was proposed that this year’s support should be increased to £150, and was unanimously supported.
• A Parish Precept request letter for 2022/23 has been received from ELDC. Mid-January is normally the deadline for formal submissions which would fall before the next Parish Meeting, therefore a discussion should take place now with a view to set next year’s precept. There are currently 313 properties listed in Theddlethorpe but only 226 properties are used to calculate the tax base.

If the No Campaign pushes for a Parish Poll to be undertaken by ELDC then this would cost approx. £6K and would need to be added to the current precept of £8204.

The Parish had already agreed in August that the cost of grass cutting and maintenance for the Village Hall & playing fields be added to next year’s Precept which was approx. £2K. The Chairman stated that there has been a small excess in the Maintenance budget over the last 2 years and to include the Village Hall then it was suggested that the rise need only be £1500.

£9504 was proposed by Cllr GF and approved by the PC.

• Due to the number of email requests for information that is already in circulation within the public domain, the out of office has been installed on the Parish email account with a message directing GDF questions to RWM (phone number & website link provided) and asking if any other matters are urgent then please can the person contact one of the Parish Councillors directly.

Parish Councillor Co-option

This section was moved to the end of the meeting but is reported here in line with the agenda timing.

The letter of intent and communication had been previously circulated to Parish Councillors and was read out.

A Q&A session took place especially around statements made on rights to protest, current council abuse taking place (by others including family members) and what the applicant hoped to achieve on the Council. None of the previously agreed skillsets for co-option were able to be met by the applicant.

To respect the privacy of the applicant, further discussion and voting was moved to another room as per the process.

The application was turned down.

The Chairman discussed the decision with the applicant and stated that he hoped that some form of collaboration could take place & looked forward to his submission in 2023 as part of the council elections.

Parish Clerk Interview

This section was moved to the end of the meeting but is reported here in line with the agenda timing.

A job application had been received along with CV & accompanying information which had been previously circulated to Councillors for review.

A further review of the interview was undertaken by Parish Councillors who voted to support the candidate on an initial temporary 6-month contract.

Item 12/21-10 Parish Councillor Matters to be Raised 

None.

Item 12/21-11 Financial Matters 

Expenditure for approval 

Mr C J Richardson – Reimbursement for Christmas tree lighting & wooden stakes - £456.76

Mr A Taylor – grass cutting services - £180

Strawson’s Ltd – Local Christmas Tree Providers - £439.20

Approved Cllr DS & Seconded Cllr CL

Item 12/21-12 Geological Disposal Facility (GDF)

The Chairman gave an overview of the first “Working Party” meeting that took place in November. Namely that it was attended by Geologists, Economists, Planners, Lincolnshire County Council & East Lindsey District Council and various other speciality people. The day covered working through Geology, Environment, Coastal Flooding, Heritage, Populations Zones, Water Flood Protection Areas.

Where appropriate questions taken from the GOTEC public meeting attended by the Chairman earlier in the year were asked, including Geology concerns of the group, size of the site, Emergency response zones etc.

The outcome from the workshop (along with work carried out by the specialised groups) should be completed, scrutinised & publicised early in 2022.

Following issues raised, feedback received and statements made by residents, the Chairman presented the actual current health condition of “Withern & Theddlethorpe Ward” & some of the surrounding areas as detailed in various reports and the National UK index of Deprivation map 2019.

The Chairman stated that this information may not be appreciated by the No Campaigners but these were the current facts about the area, which is either in the 1st or 2nd tier of the top 10% most deprived areas in the country according to the “Local deprivation profile map”, with higher rates than the national average in terms of unemployment, aged population, children in low-income families, lower male & female life expectancy etc. This would also seem true in that further investment identified in the Governments Towns Fund initiative is being invested in some of these areas. The Towns Fund though is only a fraction of the investment needed to tackle these issues long-term. It is also worth noting that some of the data includes employment and income before the closure (or reduction in size) of business’ over the past couple of years and Covid uncertainty. Future data may very well be worse than that currently available.

The information will be added to the Parish Website and a link provided in the Parish Post in December for parishioners to review themselves.

Item 12/21-13 Covid Community Recovery

The Chairman thanked those involved in the delivery & reporting of names for the Christmas Meal and social event. Those who attended had enjoyed themselves and that this should hopefully be the start of rebuilding the community post Covid isolation.

Unfortunately, there will not be any sponsored PC Christmas events held in the Village Hall as previously reported.

The Christmas tree installation works had been completed at Theddlethorpe Academy School and was well received by the Staff & Pupils. The Christmas Tree on the A1031 is installed, but technical issues relating to the electrical installation are still being ironed out. Unfortunately, Solar powered alternatives explored so far do not meet the current IP regulations for installation in the public domain.

Item 12/21-14 Planning Matters

For information only

N/179/02271/21 Neves Farm, Grove Road – determination (sought) for approval or not for a roof structure over an existing manure store to be erected and underground drainage pipework.

N/179/02129/21 Manor Farm, Station Road – determination (sought) for approval or not for the siting, design & external appearance of the proposed extension to an existing store and hard standing. 

Item 12/21-15 Highways / Footpaths / Lighting Matters

The White Road Barriers at the corner of Rotten row need replacing by highways as they damaged & rotten.

Sandboxes for gritting are needed at Rotton Row / Mill Road (Sand Bins need to be purchased or provided by Highways) D McNally to look into this.

Item 12/21-16 Road Safety

Theddlethorpe PC statement on speeding on Mill Road issued to Theddlethorpe Academy & Highways alongside speed data collected between 4th October & 14th November.

• 37943 cars were recorded travelling down Mill Road from the Louth direction into the School Zone in this 6-week period – approx. 950 cars a day.
• 3722 were recorded at travelling under the 30mph speed limit & 34221 recorded over the 30mph speed limit. 252 drivers were recorded travelling between 60 & 90mph!

The camera will move to location 2 for the next 6 weeks + Christmas holiday period.

A Parishioner suggestion has been received that Rotten Row has 5 x 40mph speed repeater signs between Rotten Row & the School but there are only 2 repeater signs from the school up to Station Road (Chairman confirmed that the visibility of 1 sign isn’t great (in a hedge row). The road is also dark with low street lighting and some housing built right up to the roadside. Could additional repeater signs be installed? Cllr McNally will look into the repeating signage.

Item 12/21-17 Parish on-going issues & general maintenance

• Millennium Stone – Suitable location, followed by relocation still required.
• Information Boards – No further progress on community artwork information boards / new blank information boards to be purchased & installed in 2022.
• Litter Club – Litter pick group to be resurrected in 2022 as recently only the chairman has participated.
• St Helens Church – Survey is yet to be carried out and we still await confirmation on the final position of the Church closure or not.

Item 12/21-18 Reports from Outside Bodies 

Cllr N Sears reported the damage caused to the Village Hall roof by a GDF No Campaigners banner. Followed by a request to be more considerate as the cost of damaging our nice community building is not welcomed and the money has to be found from somewhere to pay for repairs.

Item 12/21-19 Parish Correspondence (Parish Post / Website / other correspondences)

Relaunch of the Parish Post Winter addition is nearing completion with further review and should be posted to Parishioners before Christmas. It is hoped that 4 Parish Posts through the year will start again in 2022 following reduction of Covid control measures. This is something that could be turned into a small booklet and include an events page & local business directory etc to run alongside the Parish Website.

Item 12/21-20 To Resolve the Date of the next Monthly Parish Council Meeting  

The next meeting will be held in the Village Hall, Silver Street on January 27th at 7:30pm.

They’re being no other business; the public meeting closed at 21:18hrs and the full meeting closed post interviews at 22:49hrs.