March 2025 DRAFT Minutes
Croft Parish Council
Minutes of the full Council Meeting held at Croft Village Hall on Monday 3rd March 2025, commencing at 7pm. These are notes of the meeting until approved by the Council as a true and accurate record.
Present:
Cllrs A Coxall (Chair), C Drury (Vice-Chair) G Bowser, N Dennis; and Clerk - J Sargent.
Public Forum
There were no members of the public in attendance.
To receive a report from District Councillor C Drury
Cllr Drury advised contacting several officers at ELDC such as the dog warden and planning enforcement officers to follow up on concerns in Croft including a possible breach of planning and dog fowling issues.
To receive a report from County Councillor S Nutman
No written report provided, nor was Cllr Nutman in attendance.
With no further comments, it was resolved unanimously to move into formal session.
69. Welcome from the Chair of the Council.
The Chair welcomed all present, thanking them for their attendance.
70. Apologies
It was resolved unanimously to accept apologies from Cllrs N Cooper and S Gould.
71. Declarations of Interest
None received.
72. To confirm the minutes of the Council meeting held on Monday 3rd February 2025.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the minutes as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
73. To approve the list of accounts submitted for consideration for January.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the list of accounts. The Accounts Report to be included as an attachment with these minutes.
74. To receive updated bank reconciliation for January.
The Clerk provided the bank reconciliation for information purposes only, to keep Councillors up to date with the financial status. The Bank Reconciliation Report to be included as an attachment with these minutes.
75. To receive notification of any planning permissions, refusals, or amendments.
a. Ossian Transmission Infrastructure Project
The planning notice was circulated via email with Councillors prior to the meeting. This is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). Councillors suggested that this would be pushed through, regardless of whether or not they provided feedback to the Planning Inspectorate.
76. To receive a report from:
a. The Chair
Cllr Coxall advised that there were not many bookings in the Village Hall. The Hall needed more bookings to make it financially viable. Cllr Coxall expressed concerns that the Council might have to consider selling the Hall in the near future due to the difficult financial situation.
b. The Clerk
The Clerk advised that Mayor of Skegness Town Council had been in contact to request permission to wear his Chains of Office within Croft’s parish boundary. No objections were raised. The Clerk to contact Skegness Town Council confirming approval.
77. To receive an update on the 2023-24 internal audit report.
The Clerk advised of some progress and hoped to complete the jobs before the end of the financial year and the end of year audit. The Clerk to provide a full progress report at the next meeting.
78. To receive an update on the installation of a bench in memory of Sid Dennis.
Cllr Drury advised that no other quotes had been received and recommended proceeding with the metal bench that can be customised. Cllr Drury to email the invoice to the Clerk to arrange payment. A location to be confirmed within the park. The Clerk to research a quote for a concrete base for the bench. It was resolved unanimously to purchase the metal bench.
79. To consider policies:
a. Communication Policy
b. Councillor Vacancies Policy
c. CCTV Policy
d. Customer Service Charter
e. Community Engagement Policy
The Clerk circulated the policies for review via email prior to the meeting. Cllr Coxall ran through the policies suggesting some amendments. The Clerk to double check and make the corrections. The Clerk advised that all policies were adapted to Croft from LALC templates and are to be reviewed for updates bi-annually. It was resolved unanimously to adopt all policies tabled for consideration.
80. To confirm meeting dates for 2025-26.
The Clerk provided provisional meeting dates from April 2025 to March 2026, with 9 meetings as requested by Councillors at the previous meeting. It was resolved unanimously to confirm the meeting dates for 2025-26.
The Chair of the Council closed the meeting at 7:45pm.
………………………………………………………………………………
Chair of the Council - Cllr Coxall
Signed………………………………………………………………………………..
Clerk to the Council and RFO - Jack Sargent
7th April 2025