2025 Minutes

BISHOP NORTON & ATTERBY PARISH COUNCIL

Record of the Parish Council meeting held in the village hall on Monday 10th March 2025 at 7.30pm. 

PRESENT: Councillors: Cllr Suggit (Chairman,) Cllr Widdop, Cllr Townsend, Cllr Freeman, Cllr Dean, Cllr Guy, Cllr Thody and Jayne Moore (Clerk.)

Public Question Time: There were 4 members of the public in attendance.

1. Apologies for absence: None.  

2. Record of the last Meeting: 

13th January 2025 – Minutes proposed (TD) and seconded (RT), all agreed.  

3. Matters arising: None that aren’t covered in the agenda.

4. County & District Councillor Reports: 

District and County Report: 

Cllr S Bunney was in attendance and provided the following report: 

We have a County election on 1st May.

Cllr S - Thank you Cllr Bunney for joining us regularly and raising issues on several occasions and improving wellbeing locally. Non-political Council has not been in attendance and yet to see another councillor at any of our gatherings. 

May 1st will be in that brave new world, wherever that take us, hopefully that County and District will not park things and shed their responsibility. Our parishioners in attendance are certainly here to listen to matters digestate is you could touch on that in your update. 

March 19th is the pre-election period. Where politics is suspended and a possible gap for a few weeks, the 2 strong issues; A15 and Hemswell AD plant. 

Local Government form – now due to come in 2028, no earlier than that, may affect the district in next 3 years but not affect the county council. 

The mayoral authority – mainly looking at transport and things, may have some impact on A15. 

Fully aware of concerns around the environmental issues of AD spreading. Reported to Rachel Cross, request for timeline is important. The important thing is Biotech which in theory being piped up to Lagoons then spread at AM Duguid. There needs to be more control on that and the company needs to be held accountable as well as Duguid farms. 

The County Council environmental group, who are the ones monitoring the work on the site. Concerns raised on the food waste going through, CC have now commissioned the food waste from next week for small businesses and domestic next year. Any issues need to be picked up again in May.

They are very concerned about the environmental effects and the lorries travelling on small roads. Biotech said they haven’t had any complaints, this was corrected. 

WLDC – go directly to Rachel Frost to report concerns (Andy Gray is the manager.) Not sure if Rachel has come out, but it was hoped she could come out and Biotech and A M Duguid would accept an invitation to a PC meeting. 

Cllr Bunney - I would suggest that at the APM this be a topic of conversation to face the situation. Could also ask Rob Gillett from WLDC, he is in charge of the food waste collections so could aid in the issue. If not possible at the next meeting an extraordinary meeting to beheld. 

A M Duguids are contracted to do the work, we are lucky to have a local farmer to do this on our behalf. Biotech is a private company and they need to know there is an issue here.

Hemswell Cliff has also had an issues with flies, referring to the actual AD plant. 

Cllr S – I find it strange that Biotech do not recognise complaints as it is on the planning with WLDC. Cllr Bunney said this directly and as it is expanding, we need to get on top of it before. 

Cllr Bunney is quite happy to write to them to share our concerns. 

Cllr S – The PC is still trying to find ways to monitor and identify detectors. In WLDC resilience the team has seen change. 

Cllr Bunney – you could put this in your emergency plans under health. Another thing is who will pay for those detectors. The person dealing with that (District Councillor) has a vested interest. Whether the company would put detectors in? 

Cllr Suggit – We will start with the ammonia detectors, once they hit a certain threshold they become a health/ resilience matter. Still concerned about the bio-hazard, although not this may specifically identified, may come into food waste and increased.

Cllr Suggit – Can we CC you in emails to keep an audit trail. We are getting more parishioners feeding in and not just the PC. This was agreed.

A15 – Another accident reported yesterday. Not much of an update from before, it is closed an awful lot and a lot of accidents occurring. The natures of the injuries are important and the registration. 

There were two fatalities before Christmas. They have done some more work on that and the number of accidents recorded in the last 10 years is very similar to the previous 10 years to that. It is a consistent issue. What they have discovered is the nature of those accidents has changed, original cars overtaking and too fast and therefore a driver issue which was causing the difficulties. The last 10 years has involved a lot more with the HGVs. The argument becomes much greater as the nature has changed. The A15 feeds into the A1 (Grantham,) we can use that as a parallel argument in line with the similar issues occurring on the A15. One of the advantages of the joint mayoral authority is transport/ roads will become more prevalent. The concern is also cars joining onto the A15 into heavy HGV traffic. 

Steve Bachelor who is the head of road safety partnership certainly said we haven’t mentioned the A15 today and wanted to know. 

Cllr Suggit – You told me about the A15 and statistics, I did note that they were going back to 2015, that was when the HGV speed limit went from 50mph to 40mph. Statistics previously was that this had reduced the number of accidents involving HGVs and cars and there were few cars trying to overtake. Where that is interesting for the A15 is the number of accidents has gone North on the A15. We will look at everything they present to us and query it. 

Cllr Bunney – We need to make sure they make improvements and keep pushing for it. 

Cllr Suggit – Fixing the orbital road around Grantham for £20,000,000 that may come back to the County. 

Food waste – 4th bin will not be arriving until April 2026. 1 small bin will be inside the home and 1 larger one outside. They would be happy to show you a bin. What to line them with is an issue and whether these should be provided or not. Another change in that from 2026 all plastics, whether soft or hard, will go into the blue bin. Nearly a third of the country collect food waste already.  

Last thing is assuming unitary authorities are coming is where does WLDC lie with the structure, in Scunthorpe or Grimsby or does it go into another area. Today they have put out 2 suggestions, North and South split or separation of Lincoln, West Lindsey and Boston. A lot more work needed.  

Cllr Suggit – If you have an issue it is becoming more and more impossible to get hold of someone. Our Post box was knocked down and took 23 minutes to speak to a human. 

Cllr Bunney was thanked for his attendance and left at 20.07pm. 

5. Declarations of interest; to receive any declarations of interest in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011: 

Item 10 (Pay Committee) - Cllr Dean

Item 11 (Allotments) – Cllr Suggit, Cllr Townsend and Cllr Freeman.

6.  Planning Applications: None received since last meeting. 

7. Community Resilience and Flooding: 

a) The WLDC letter had 3 items: 

1 - flooding – regurgitated that the culvert was inadequate and need sorted. 

2 – Us putting steps into the ditches to get down and manually clear the ingress and get water through the culvert. Can we put the tire design and do we need planning? These designs were also sent in. I haven’t had an answer yet but continue to follow it. 

David Lee – Has had a reply from Edward Leigh, a non-event, he forwarded a letter from Richard Fenneck, it denies all knowledge of any problem whatsoever. According to him he is not in possession of any drainage issues. Having checked fixed my street and internal system it does not require attention but organised a highways officer to come out to look. I have not been made aware by any Highways officer visiting but have posted 2 videos to show what exactly what happens to that road when it floods. Had to commission more flood gates but the main issue is one main access road should not be flooded. 

Cllr S – I don’t know how much other Parish Councils write to WLDC. We write often and do we get filed as a nuisance. 

David Lee – Several years ago, they did bring large concrete pipes to replace the ones that are too small, put on the South side if the lane and then they were there for a week or so and put in another 9 inch pipe on the North side and the South side was left untouched, despite this being the issue side. This was believed to be just after the 2007 floods, this should be recorded somewhere at County, which contradicts Richard’s comment on no knowledge of the issue. 

Cllr S – have written to Adrian about the issues on Well Street and the drainage issues. 

Neil Flear – When we were forced to go on mains drains they threatened to fine us.

3) Cllr Suggit wrote in December and again in January and again when Ady Selby was handing over to Rachel Savil. I am confident they have done something about it and addressing the question raised. I am aware there are other detectors. The smaller farmers are pressured by taxation, increasing contracting and this is evidenced already – where a medium tractor would do one job, now 4 mega tractors are sent. Living in the country a smell is expected but Digestate is another smell entirely, I am aware of the mix of smells and some as found them at the unpleasant stage and others have had physical issues such as snore nose and throat. To continue ‘banging the drum,’ we can’t cry wolf but have to give them something to go on and get something to measure it and not just monitor it. 

8. Playing Field improvements: 

a) Grant Funding – Cllr Bunney was in touch with Cllr Suggit and was asked to contact Claire Morris. 

We must have a clear undertaking that the grant can be spent by the end of March 2026. 

It was asked if the quotation had changed and had we got the legal permission to undertake the project on the land. 

If the Parish Council pays £4000 towards the project, that would give us a grant of £20,275. 

Proposed by Cllr T and seconded by Cllr T, unanimously agreed. 

John Dickinson (field owner) is unwell at present and all we can do is say we have the existing play area under the Section 106. He has given his consent for the project to go ahead.

It was agreed to do the project in an incremental scheme and do it in stages.  

b) Mole Infestation – Cllr Freeman reported that they have gone and the new company has been a success. 

9. Finance update: (See RFO finance report): 

Clerk circulated the report beforehand. No comments. 

10. Pay Committee:

a) Report – Happy to put up one salary point. LALC website – website performance for them to provide. When you look at living wage and in line with cost of living suggest that.  The subcommittee has made a decision on this, and the rest of the council approved. 

b) Re-election of committee members for 2025-2026: 

As this is the first would members be willing to stand for the next period. Cllr T and Cllr To agreed. 

11. Allotment review:

Some vested interests raised. Waddingham used to have allotments but sold them off. Our parishioners were being pushed out due to this. 

Cllr T – I think we should be servicing the people of this parish and then can go to further afield.  

There isn’t any water down there and there are issues. Running an allotment requires an investment in finance and time etc. Perhaps have a maximum time if someone is a non-parishioner, such as 5 years. 

Essentially, we have a waiting list but anyone joining the list that anyone joining, first offering will go from anyone to Bishop Norton or Atterby it will be offered to the first in the secondary list from outside of the Parish. 

Proposed by Cllr D and seconded by Cllr Guy, all voted. 

12. Drainage/ ditch clearance outside the allotments and flooding on Stonepit Lane:

Cllr F mentioned the ditch up until the horse field right up to the last houses (Stonepit Lane.) It is atrocious but the ditch is that full that the water is flooding Stonepit. 

The culvert caused the ditch to fill up but the ditch was already full and already water spillage there. So the allotments are flooded as a result. 

The allotment ditch does need clearing but up near the village ditched of poor state. 

Cllr S – Is there an optimal depth? Neil reported down to the stone bed. 

Cllr T – Could we pay for the ditch to be cleared? It isn’t very deep, but the ditch is full of debris and hedge cutting. 

Cllr S to discuss with field renter and in turn with the landowner. 

13. Grass strip in front of playing field: 

The signs are up and promising. Cllr Freeman reported cars have continued to park on there. Someone parked to use the play area and visit the adjacent cottages. 

Village hall signs are clear to stipulate only for the village hall so may be conflicting.

Monitor for the meantime.

David Lee – Glentham Road the verge on the right going to Glentham has been devastated by farm traffic. Then they go onto the grass verge, and it won’t be recovered unless the farmer rectifies it. Seems to be when they have spread digestate. 

Cllr S to look at verges. 

14. Village flower boxes - procurement and base update:

These have been ordered, and 7-8 weeks lead time. The bases will be installed in due course.

Cllr T to repeat the notice in the Triangle.

15. Feedback on speed signs past playing field:

Clerk to chase WLDC on ‘slow down children playing’ signs for outside the playing field area. 

Thank them for the speed awareness signs outside the Old Schoolhouse.

16. Defibrillator at Atterby: 

Cllr S has spoken to Colin and he is happy to house the defibrillator. The electricity costs roughly £10 per annum. He would prefer to be contacted in the first instance by email. The site of the defibrillator to be decided upon contact. The application form is fully online, and cost is £640.00. Cllr T to find out Colin’s full address. 

In the Triangle having a segment on where the defibrillators are within the Triangle villages.

17. Correspondence: 

None that haven’t already been sent out.  

18. Items for next Meeting: 

Odour matter, flooding, playing field improvements, grass strip in front of the playing field, Feedback on speed signs past playing field, ditch clearance on Stonepit Lane.  

19. Date of next Meeting: Monday 12th May 2025 (Annual Parish Meeting at 7.00pm, Parish Council Meeting to follow at 7.30pm.)

Chairman thanked all in attendance and meeting closed at 9.08pm.

Chairman signed………………………………………. Date: ……………………….