03-25-25 TC MINS

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF LOUTH TOWN COUNCIL
HELD IN THE OLD COURT ROOM, THE SESSIONS HOUSE, LOUTH
ON TUESDAY 25th MARCH 2025
The Deputy Mayor, Cllr. D. Hobson (DH) (in the chair).

Present Councillors: J. Baskett (JB), L.M. Cooney (LMC), J. Drake (JD), H. Filer (HF), G.E. Horton (GEH), Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders (Mrs. JMS), D. Moore (DM), K. Parsons (Mrs. KP), P. Starsmore (PS).

Councillors Not Present: Mrs. E. Ballard (Mrs. EB), M. Barnes (MB), Mrs. P.F. Watson (Mrs. PFW), D.E. Wing (DEW).

The Town Clerk, Mrs. L.M. Phillips, the Town Clerk’s Assistant, Miss S. Chitauro, Community Beat Serjeant, K. Palmer, Mrs. E. Maddison, East Lindsey District Councillor, R. Jackson, and 25 members of the public were also present.

Public Forum
• A lady spoke of her support of Mrs. E. Maddison’s proposal for a play park off Park Avenue.
• A gentleman also spoke of his support for the play park project. He felt that the road on Park Avenue needed resurfacing and shared concerns about the safety of the area in its current state.
• East Lindsey District (ELDC) Councillor, R. Jackson, expressed her support of the play park proposal which she felt was necessary for the area. She said that she had received letters from residents of the area expressing their support for the project. She informed the meeting that there would be £4,000 available from District Councillor grants which would be accessible to the Town Council and community groups. She notified that some of the 30mph speed limit signs bought by Louth Town Council had been damaged and needed replacement. She continued that ELDC had put credible proposals for a two-tier government reorganisation, with two unitaries proposed to take over Lincolnshire.
• Speaking in her capacity as an ELDC Councillor, Cllr. Mrs. JMS divulged that, regarding Section 106 agreements, she had discovered that ELDC received less per household than other areas in the partnership. She explained that ELDC did not have adequate staffing to deal with the matter and did not have the funding to acquire the necessary staff, however there would be a member of staff available to take calls every Thursday.
• A Councillor informed the meeting that the Trinity Centre would be holding first aid courses on 1st April 2025 and at a second date which had not been finalised.
• A gentleman gave an update regarding the Save Wood Lane campaign, informing attendees that Anglian Water had removed their objections to the proposed 3G pitch at Wood Lane, and that the planning application for the pitch was due to be heard at the ELDC Planning Committee Meeting on 10th April 2025. He shared his hope that the Town Council would support a judicial review if the application was passed.

T68. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. Mrs. EB and Mrs. PFW.

T69. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
The following dispensations were made:
a. Cllr. LMC – item 9 due to a connection with Imagine Louth.
b. Cllr. GEH – item 6 due to working with Lincolnshire Police.
c. Cllr. PS – item 16 due to his partner working for the Environment Agency.

T70. Town Clerks Remarks
The Town Clerk informed the Council that:
• The comparable quotes for the work recommended in the first year to the Sessions House had not yet been received.
• Neither the lease with the London Road Sports Partnership or the Deed of Surrender had not yet been signed.
• The grant applications for 2025/26 would go live from 1st April 2025.
• Sexual and General Harassment Training still needed to be undertaken by two Councillors.

T71. Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that the notes of the Council Meeting held on the 14th January 2025 be approved as the minutes.

T72. Committee Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm receipt of the minutes and adopt the resolutions contained therein of the following Committee Meetings:
a. Planning Committee – 10th December 2024
b. Planning Committee – 14th January 2025
c. Planning Committee – 4th February 2025
d. Governance and Finance Committee – 10th December 2024
e. Community Resources Committee – 29th October 2024
f. Personnel Committee – 22nd October 2024

T73. Crime and Disorder
Community Beat Serjeant, K. Palmer started by informing the Council that she had no updates regarding funding and that there would be unlikely any update until August at the earliest. She then addressed questions that had been submitted by Councillors before the meeting, the first of which asked what the police were doing in relation to the drug activity at St. James’ Avenue. K. Palmer informed the meeting that the illegal activities were not being reported and shared that only three reports had been made over the last year, one of which led to an individual being stopped and searched, for which police needed a high rationale to carry out. She urged attendees to report any illegal activity as more reports would lead to more officers and resources being pushed into the problem area. K. Palmer then addressed a question which asked what was being done by the police to keep women and girls in Louth safe. K. Palmer provided some statistics for Lincolnshire police, sharing that Lincolnshire Police ranked 1st in the country for charging rates, which were at 90% since November 2024. She divulged that the Lincolnshire Crown Court conviction rate of 82.4% ranked 9th nationally, and that Lincolnshire placed 3rd in the country for domestic violence conviction rates. She then disclosed that the convictions for rape were 60.4% but that the figure fluctuated due to small number of reports. She furthered that the levels of medium-to-high risk offending had dropped by 17%, that the number of domestic homicides had dropped from 11 to two and that initiatives in the area such as Pubwatch had also led to the level of nighttime violent crime dropping. K. Palmer shared with the Council that there had been more police patrolling the streets due to funding from the previous government and hoped that the funding would be continued for another year, allowing police to patrol hotspots for crime. She informed that the police were running an initiative called OP California in conjunction with licensing, enabling licensees to use a machine which indicated whether an individual had been in contact with drugs, she also mentioned the Ask Angela scheme which was running in conjunction with Pubwatch. She confirmed that the police were doing more to stop high risk offenders from coming into the county by marking and identifying their cars. K. Palmer went on to discuss Louth in general, informing attendees that the Shopwatch scheme had been running for over a year and shared that the detection rate for November was 33%, December was 44%, January was 85% and February was 50%. She said that shops were receiving individualised packs to encourage reporting. She then addressed anti-social behaviour, which was approached in stages. She stated that there were 32 people on stage one with four pending, six on stage two with two pending, one on an unacceptable behaviour agreement, one on a criminal protection notice and one on a criminal behaviour order. K. Palmer then disclosed that the Louth police team consisted of herself, one PCSO, two PC’s and one seconded PC who was likely to leave in May. A councillor asked why the police had not applied for funding for more officers like other towns in the county, to which K. Palmer replied that they would need to go through the PCC’s office for funding and that she assumed other areas received private funding. She explained that police funding in Lincolnshire was dependent on deprivation in the area and that Louth was not considered as deprived as other towns. One councillor asked what had happened to Neighbourhood Watch. K. Palmer said that it was not something that police were involved in or had the resources to operate. She explained that social media was more commonly used as it was easier and quicker to convey a message. Another councillor spoke of the potential 3G pitch proposed for Wood Lane, informing K. Palmer that the planning application proposed a 4.5m high and 100-yard-long wooden fence at the side of the pitch. He voiced his concerns regarding drug taking and antisocial behaviour which was already taking place at the site which he felt would only get worse once the fence was erected. He believed that the police should have voiced their objections to the plans. K. Palmer responded by stating that the police were aware of antisocial behaviour taking place at site and that officers carry out hotspot patrols of the area, but unfortunately police had not been consulted on the application. The Town Clerk asked whether the police would consider submitting comments of objection if she provided K. Palmer with the details of the application, to which K. Palmer confirmed that she would. A councillor then asked K. Palmer whether there were any areas of concern or increased crime in Louth. K. Palmer responded that social media was becoming a concern for online crime, which had increased by 127% in 10 years. She reported that there was also an issue with drugs, however that was not dissimilar to other areas. She also imparted that there was indeed antisocial behaviour in the town, but that it was not of a huge scale. A councillor conveyed concerns about witnessing several drivers in the town smoking cannabis. K. Palmer reassured the councillor that the Louth police team had carried out stop-searches of motorists and were in the process of arranging a cross-boarder operation with Humberside Police for stop checks of vehicles. Another councillor expressed concerns over speeding. K. Palmer reassured the councillor that the police were aware of speeding issues and that a Roads Policing Unit was in place for traffic accidents and stop-searches. She urged the Council to report speeding violations and informed them that they could do so online, as it would give the police a better picture of what was happening in the area and where patrols were needed. A final councillor asked K. Palmer whether the police would find an ANPR camera useful, to which she confirmed that it would be, particularly if located at the Fish Shambles or A16. The Councillor then asked whether the police were aware of thefts that had been taking place at Westgate. K. Palmer confirmed that they were indeed aware of the thefts and that they knew who may be involved. She explained that one stolen vehicle had been recovered. As there were no further comments, DH thanked K. Palmer for her attendance and time.

T74. Co-option
The Town Clerk informed the Council that there had been two applicants for co-option however one had withdrawn their application and the other had not arrived at the meeting.

T75. Proposed Play Park, Off Park Avenue, Louth
The Council received a presentation from Mrs. E. Maddison regarding reinstating a play park on the land off Park Avenue. She asked that the Council consider taking ownership of the land from Gleesons and adopt the project at its current stage, carry it forward to fruition and install the play park. Mrs. Maddison felt that Louth urgently needed more recreational, green spaces and that the park was vital for Louth’s growing population in a particularly deprived area of the town. She explained that she had met with the Senior Programme Manager for Local Growth and Grant Funding who had assured her that he would support the securing of a grant for the development of the park through the ELDC Investment Fund, which would be open for applications at the end of April 2025. She shared that Gleesons were willing to gift the land to Louth Town Council but were willing to remain responsible for the attenuation pond, maintaining the area and its grass cutting, and assured the Council that no planning permissions were required for the land. She asked that the Council consider taking ownership of the land from Gleesons and adopting the project at its current stage and carry it forward to fruition, installing the play park. The floor was opened for questions from councillors, many of whom voiced that they were firmly in support of the project but felt that it would be more successful if it was managed by a community group or trust rather than the Town Council, as the Council was limited in its capabilities and there would be more funding opportunities and help available to a properly constituted community led group. Several councillors agreed that the Council would provide assistance to the group, and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that the Council would form a Working Group consisting of Cllrs. HF, LMC, DM, JB, PS, KP, JMS in conjunction with Mrs. E. Maddison to further investigate the establishment of a play park off Park Avenue, the findings of which would be brought to an Extraordinary Meeting of the Town Council on 8th April 2025 to be discussed further.

T76. Rate Relief
The Council received an application to ELDC for rate relief from Imagine Louth, a community learning and play centre for children aged 0-12 years old. After discussion, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED, to support the application and grant delegated authority to the Town Clerk to sign the necessary paperwork.

T77. King Edward VI Almshouse, School and Educational Charity
After discussion, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that the Council would elect Cllr. PS to the above body.

T78. Asset Register
The Council reviewed its asset register. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the Asset Register.

T79. Meeting Dates 2025/26 and Committee Structure
The Council reviewed the provided draft of scheduled meeting dates for 2025/26. After discussion it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to dissolve the Community Resources Committee and amalgamate it and all its responsibilities to the Town Council from May 2025. It was also RESOLVED to commence Planning Committee meetings at 6pm three times a year from May 2025.

T80. Purchase of Trinity Allotments
Following a proposal by Cllr. DH, which was seconded by Cllr. PS, it was RESOLVED to move into closed session at 9.26pm in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 in order to discuss information regarding a third party, commercial, confidential and or legal nature in relation to Trinity Allotments. After discussion, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to progress with the purchase of the Allotments and grant delegated authority to the Town Clerk and Deputy Mayor / Chairman of the Community Resources Committee to progress the matter. It was then proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to move out of closed session at 9.34pm.

T81. Payment for Trinity Allotments
The Council noted that advice was still pending from the solicitor on the matter. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to follow the advice once received. It was then noted that if full payment was required in respect of the annual rent of the Trinity Allotments it would be a total of £995.59, calculation based on the 2024 payment of £967.53 plus 2.9% RPI for 2024.

T82. Citizen’s Advice Lincoln and Lindsey – Funding Contribution
The Council noted that it had approved an amount of £1,000 in the 2024/25 budget for the release to the above as per the Council’s powers under s142(2A) of the Local Government Act 1972. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to release the funds.

T83. Environment Agency
The Council noted that the annual maintenance contribution for May 2024 to May 2025 for the Louth Flood Alleviation Scheme was due and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the payment of £16,394.81.

NB: Cllr. PS did not vote on this item.

T84. Biodiversity Policy
The Council received a draft Biodiversity Policy. After review, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the policy for use.

T85. Action Plan 205/26
The Council received and reviewed the drafted Action Plan 2025/26 and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve for use.

T86. Training and Development Policy
The Council received details of training undertaken in 2024/25. They then reviewed the Training and Development Policy and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the policy for use.

T87. Safeguarding Children Policy
The Council reviewed the above policy and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to amend the policy by relocating the information on the last page to the first page and approve for use.

T88. Dignity at Work Policy
The Council reviewed the above policy which contained some slight amendments. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the amended policy for use.

T89. VE Day 80th Anniversary
a. The Council received an update on the Royal British Legion (RBL) plans to commemorate the above. The Town Clerk imparted that the RBL had obtained road closures for celebrations taking place on the evening of 8th May 2025 and had requested use of the electricity box situated at the War Memorial and the Town Councils beacon. After consideration, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the use of its beacon and electricity supply at the War Memorial and grant the RBL a contingency fund of £250 to cover any other costs needed.
b. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the purchase of a VE Day 80 Flag at a cost of approximately £45 to be flown outside the Sessions House on 8th May 2025.

T90. Mayor’s Charity Account
The Council noted that from 13th May 2025 Lloyds would change the above to a Community Account which would attract a monthly charge and day to day banking fees. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to close the account and amend the Mayor’s job description, removing the expectation that the Mayor is to raise funds for charity. NB: A Mayor would still be able to raise funds for charity if they wished but it would be up to them to organise and oversee in a way that would not bring the Council into disrepute.

T91. Hubbard’s Hills
The Council received an update on activity at Hubbard’s Hills since December 2024. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the Hubbard’s Hills Memorial Trees and Plaques policy and to ratify the actions of the Town Clerk, Chairman and members of the Hubbard’s Hills working group, approving expenditure on emergency work to trees as a result of the recent tree report.

NB: It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to suspend Standing Orders at 10pm.

T92. Closed Session Items
Following a proposal by Cllr. DH, which was seconded by Cllr. PS, it was RESOLVED to move into closed session at 10.02pm in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 in order to discuss information regarding a third party, commercial, confidential and or legal nature in relation to:
a. Old Mill House – Council received an update and draft documentation from its solicitor and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to serve notice on the property.
b. Insurance – it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to delegate authority to the Town Clerk and Cllrs. DH, Mrs. KP and PS to investigate quotations for insurance and approve once received.
c. Julian Bower – Council received recent valuation details and after discussion it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to investigate the prospect of a solar farm and the likelihood of it obtaining planning permission.
After the discussion, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to move out of closed session at 10.44pm.

NB: Cllr. GEH left at 10.02pm.

T93. Next Meeting
It was noted that the date of the next scheduled Town Council meeting would take place on 20th May, which would be the Annual Town Council Meeting.

The Meeting Closed at 10.45pm.

 

Signed_______________________ (Chairman) Dated_________________________