2023 Annual Parish Meeting

As advertised The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Tuesday 16thth May 2023 at 7:00pm in Tallington Village Hall followed by the Annual Parish Council meeting and the May Council Meeting. The Meeting will receive reports from the Parish Council (see below) the Village Hall & Playing Field Association, Herons Trust, the Neighbourhood Watch and our County and District Councillors, and there will be the opportunity to raise any issue of concern to the village.

Parish Council’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting

INTRODUCTION

The Council aims to make the village a good place in which to live, with a healthy and safe environment, and pleasant and peaceful surroundings.  This report summarises the way the Council has tried to achieve this in the past 12 months. 

PARISH PLAN

The Council continue to monitor the conclusions in the parish plan and where possible implement improvements in the village. A continuing theme that repeats in the Plan is “to encourage further social cohesion and friendly community spirit”.

VILLAGE HALL & COMMUNITY

The Council is grateful to the Committee of the Village Hall and Playing Field Association (a registered Charity) for maintaining the village hall and playing field.

Kings Coronation events. The Wheelbarrow Coronation Garden competition was well supported. As was the Coronation party on the 8th May. Thanks to all those that have made these events possible including the Knitted crown on the village post box that provided many a smile (thanks Shirley).

Playing Field

Thanks to a substantial grant from the SKDC prosperity fund (part of Levelling up monies) additional infant play equipment will be installed on the Playing field this summer with the old wooden equipment removed. An application has also been made for monies to repair the stone walls around the playing field.

The Parish Council takes responsibility for the insurance of the village hall, playing field and play equipment. The Council are grateful to the Village Hall and Playing Field Association for contributing to the insurance premium. 

Lottery monies for a children’s holiday play scheme were obtained by the Parish Council in 2022.

During the last year the Council gave £500 to the Church to help maintain the graveyard and £500 to the Village Hall and Playing Field Association to help maintain the village hall.

Social Media / Updates/ Website

The Council will continue to use the church “Towers and Spires magazine” to publish updates and important information for residents. T & S is distributed free to all households every month. 

Regular updates, agendas and minutes of parish council meetings are posted on the Council Website regularly.

The Parish Clerk maintains the Council website at https://tallington.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/

The Tallington village hall Association also has a Facebook page and can be contacted at ‘tallingtonvillagehall@gmail.com’. 

Newsletters to all households are issued as and when necessary.

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT

The centre of Village life is the Village Hall and playing fields. Bookings for the Hall are on the increase. The Table tennis club continues. The Warm Hub in Feb/March was well received. The hall is available to hire and is available for village residents to use for social events for young and old. Other events are held on an ad hoc basis in the village hall and details of all events can be found via the village hall Association Facebook page and on the 3 village notice boards. Bookings can also be made via tallingtonvillagehall@gmail.com

Thanks to Adele for keeping the Mobile Post Office going on Tuesdays 2- 4pm throughout the last year in the village hall. Please do use this service if you can.

The Residents of Tallington Lakes now make up a large part of the village and are warmly invited and encouraged to participate in Village activities (i.e., Parish meetings, Village socials etc.).

Millennium Green

The Millennium green is legally registered with ‘Fields in Trust’ and protected as open space for residents to enjoy in perpetuity without fear of unwanted development. Please remember that the green should not be used for ball games, as has recently been the case. 

This year in association with the residents of RedHouse paddocks 2 metres of edging is being cut by the residents with the remainder cut as required so as to maintain a meadow grassland appearance. It should be noted that it was always intended to be maintained as an open space, rough-cut and not a lawn finish. A new contractor has been engaged to do the cuts and cut back the hedgerows. The infestation of rabbits is also being addressed.

In March the Parish Council with the aid of the LCC Volunteer scheme and Balfour Beatty carried out partial repairs and levelling to approximately 230 metres of path. The Council have now been successful in obtaining a substantial grant from the SKDC prosperity fund (part of Levelling up monies) to carry out further work to these paths and the 200 metres of footpath that runs along the route of the old canal basin (eventually to be adopted by LCC as route of footpath no 4) to include new wooden edges and fine granite topping. This will also raise the height of the footpath in places to alleviate the effect of sporadic flooding.  

Green areas and Trees

The Council is still seeking to obtain free ‘native species’ trees to plant on areas it has responsibility for, primarily along the footpaths on the Millennium Green and will work with residents to ensure these are sited appropriately. We had been offered free trees from eforest.co.uk and are along with other parish councils seeing if we can together accept the minimum 150 trees required. Further sources of trees will be considered.

Please contact the parish Clerk if you would be able to assist in any subsequent tree planting activity.

Speeding in the village

The speed of traffic (especially along Main Road and Bainton Road) continues to be a cause for concern. The passive speed signs that were installed on lampposts in the village some years ago will be renewed and along with the speed indicating device that is moved to different locations have shown some benefit but further action is needed and volunteers are being sort to carry out speed checks in the village under the Community Speed Watch scheme.

Fast or Superfast Broadband 

Fast or Superfast broadband is available in the village via a green cabinet in Bainton Road as “fibre to the cabinet” from BT. Or via “Gigaclear” who have installed “fibre to the home” availability via access points at the entrance to every home in the village.  Gigaclear has installed free Wifi in the village hall. 

Bypass & Closing the railway crossing 

Closing the level crossing and By Passing the whole village continues to be the aspiration of the Council. The Council continues to explore every opportunity to leverage funding from any source for this and continues to work with all parties (LCC, Network Rail, SKDC and Land owners) to examine opportunities as they present now and in the future.

Defibrillator

A defibrillator is located next to the entrance to the village hall. Instructions for access and use are clearly displayed on it.

Drainage and Flooding issues

Following the historic problems of surface water flooding on the roads and the February 2021 issues with blocked drains, with continued pressure from the Council Anglian Water has over the last year in partnership with LCC carried out some repair works to the drainage systems in the village however it is clear that more work is yet required. Anglian water has also carried out alterations to a number of private properties and the care home surface water drainage systems to avoid surface water draining into the foul sewers.

Anglian water has again asked that we make all residents aware of their Keep it Clear campaign  to help avoid future blockages.

SKDC have recently taken ownership of the green spaces originally created by Taylor Wimpey at the entrance to the St Lawrence way housing development. The Council have received assurances from SKDC that they will now tackle the historic lack of maintenance including the overgrown ditch and hedges along the Main Road and on Casewick Lane opposite Hawthorn Lodge that Taylor Wimpey had failed to maintain. 

Welland River Flood defences

Further work has been carried out by the Environment Agency to repair the flood valves on the waterside next to Bainton Road Bridge. This follows the extensive repair works in 2021 to over 700 metres of flood bank from the waterfall to Copt Hill. Considerable effort and expenditure were applied by the Environment Agency to relocate existing badgers and repairing the areas of rabbit damage. There are still outstanding issues, which the Parish Council are working with the Environment Agency to get resolved. 

Development/planning applications

The Council receives copies of all planning applications within its boundaries and is invited by SKDC for comment.

CRIME 

There is a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. (Volunteers required please). There have been reports of a daytime distraction burglary in the last few weeks. Can all residents remain vigilant and report any unusual activities vehicles loitering. 

COUNCIL FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION 

The Council made grants of £500 to the Village Hall and £500 to the Church to help maintain the graveyard.  As summarised in the accounts at the end of this report, the Council’s other expenditure related mainly to ground works on Millennium Green and insurances that the Council must carry, the subscription to the Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils (which is an invaluable source of advice to parish councils) and other necessary administrative expenses adopted for 2022/2023. The Council Precept for this coming year 2023/24 is £8,400 (an increase of £700), equal to a % increase on a band D property of 4.4% to £23.40

The Council and its Meetings

The Council currently has five councillors with two current vacancies. The Council usually meets bi monthly during the year on a Tuesday although extra meetings are occasionally called.  Attendance generally has been good and we meet in the village hall with many residents taking time to attend. Wendy Gray continues to act as Parish Clerk in an efficient and professional manner. The Council also appreciated the regular attendance and wise advice of District Councillors, Rosemary Trollope-Bellew, and Kelham Cooke along with County Councillor Ashley Baxter. Representatives of national agencies and local firms are invited and do attend from time to time.

Residents wishing to be kept informed of news and meetings or wishing to be considered for one of the Councillor vacancies are invited to contact the clerk Wendy with their email details.       wendy7wansford@gmail.com

Philip Sagar
Chairman

Wendy Gray
Clerk

for and on behalf of the Council
May 2023
 

GRIT SALT, SAND & SANDBAGS.

Is available - FREE TO RESIDENTS.  Collection from Village Hall Car Park.

Bring your own containers.