May 2023 Minutes Annual Parish Council Meeting
MORTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting for Morton Parish Council held on Monday 15th May 2023, Morton Village Hall
15 minutes public forum – Mrs Lucille Middleton was in attendance.
In Attendance - Cllr Parry, Cllr J Butroid, Cllr C Allison, Cllr Gott, Cllr B Allison, Cllr Ward, Cllr Youngman, Cllr Mander, Cllr Panter, Cllr Carless, Cllr Clews, L Middleton, C Graves (Clerk)
1. Election of Chairman for the Ensuing Year – Clerk informed Council that she had received a declaration of interest from Cllr B Allison for the position of Chairman. No other nominations received. Proposed by Cllr Ward. Seconded by Cllr Gott. It was resolved that Cllr B Allison to be Chairman for the ensuing year.
2. Apologies For Absence – Cllr Rollings, apologies accepted.
3. Election of Vice-Chair for the Ensuing Year – Cllr J Butroid was nominated by Cllr B Allison. Cllr Parry was nominated by Cllr Youngman. Cllr B Allison requested a show of hands. It was resolved that Cllr Butroid be elected Vice-Chair for the ensuing year. Seconded by Cllr Ward.
4. Election of Village Hall Representative – Cllr Youngman was nominated by Cllr Ward. Seconded by Cllr C Allison. It was resolved that Cllr Youngman be Village Hall representative for the ensuing year.
5. Election of Tyler Trust Charity Trustee – Cllr Butroid was nominated by Cllr Ward. Seconded by Cllr C Allison. It was resolved that Cllr Butroid be Tyler Trust Charity Trustee for the ensuing year. Cllr Butroid informed the Council that the next meeting of Tyler Trust was to be held on 16th May.
6. Election of Tree Officer – Cllr B Allison requested that the Council consider updating this role to Environmental Representative, as WLDC already had a dedicated tree officer. The new role would incorporate flooding, warping drain as well as TPO’s. All in agreement. Cllr Ward was nominated by Cllr C Allison. Seconded by Cllr Butroid. It was resolved that Cllr Ward be Environmental Representative for the ensuing year.
7. Minutes of the Meeting held on 24th April 2023 - Approved by all Parish Councillors. Proposed as a true and accurate record by Cllr C Allison. Seconded by Cllr Butroid.
8. Declarations of Interest – Cllr Butroid, 54 Field Lane (item 12)
9. Matters Arising and Review of Outstanding Items
a) Crime Vandalism and Antisocial Behaviour – No police in attendance and no report received. Cllr C Allison reported that the number plates on her car, parked on Front Street, had been stolen. The front plate was later found underneath a stolen car in the village. Cllr B Allison reported that there had been a fire at St Oggs and police and fire services were in attendance.
b) Councillors Update – Cllr B Allison welcomed Cllr Clews and Cllr Carless to the meeting. Moving forward Cllr B Allison hoped that District Councillors could use this opportunity in the meeting to share a summary of full council meetings including any planning and enforcement issues that may be relevant to the parish. Cllr Clews reported that the road was in bad repair on Dog and Duck Lane. It was felt that the Fix My Street app was proving to be successful, and it would be useful to review the requests submitted for Morton.
c) SID Signage – Cllr B Allison distributed the monthly data from SID1 and SID2. The battery of the portable sign (SID1) required charging approximately every 10 days. In the one-month period data revealed that 230,000 vehicles travelled one direction in comparison to the other end of the village where volume was 12% less, motorists cutting down Ropery Road to avoid Morton Terrace. The Community Speed Watch Scheme had been considered, however, there were concerns of sustaining this with adequate volunteers and abuse from motorists. LRSP to complete the Archer test for the areas not covered previously. It was felt that as the data captured from both signs was accurate, consideration should be given to sharing the monthly reports more widely.
d) Parking – student parking continues to be problematic. Cllr Ward enquired about the lack of parking spaces provided at the Morton Store. This had been highlighted to enforcement previously, but no action taken by WLDC.
e) Lagoon – Cllr Youngman reported that she believed Health and Safety had been involved. A deer had become trapped in the lagoon however, locals had managed to rescue it. The low fencing and swing gate that had been installed was inadequate and loose pipes were visible. Clerk to ask enforcement once again for an update and Cllr B Allison suggested it may be useful to contact Blyton Parish Council, as it falls within their parish. Clerk to action.
Cllr Mander left the meeting at 7 pm.
10. Accounts - Financial statement for April distributed prior to meeting. Proposed Cllr B Allison. Seconded Cllr Parry.
11. Burial Ground – Applications for various capital grants through WLDC now open. Clerk to look into the application process following quotes for repair work to carriageway, and also ensure that burial ground was not being used for recreational purposes.
12. Planning Matters – no planning applications received for the period. A decision was awaited regarding the agricultural tie on 54 Field Lane, however, due to a backlog this would be delayed.
13. Playing Field and School Facilities – Mrs Lucille Middleton was welcomed to the meeting. Cllr B Allison proposed that Cllr C Allison be elected as Playing Field Representative. Seconded by Cllr Ward. It was resolved that Cllr C Allison would be the Parish Council representative for the Playing Field Committee and help move forward with the new committee.
14. Item for Inclusion on the next Agenda
a) Confirmation of meeting dates
b) Warping drain
c) Insurance and asset register
d) Bus Shelter
e) Annual Governance Accountability Return
Cllr B Allison requested that consideration be given to appoint a Community Assets Representative who could be a point of contact for the Clerk and oversee the assets of the Parish Council. Cllr Gott was proposed by Cllr B Allison. Seconded by Cllr Butroid. It was resolved that Cllr Gott be Community Assets Representative for the ensuring year.
15. Date and Time of Next Meeting – Monday 12th June 2023 at 6.30pm, Community Room. Cllr B Allison to liaise with Clerk regarding future dates which would potentially be the second Monday of the month excluding August were there would be no meeting.
The meeting closed at 7.42 pm.