BULWICK PARISH COUNCIL 470
MINUTES OF MEETING 24/06/2021, 18.30 St Nicholas Church, Bulwick
PRESENT: Councillors J Taylor (Chair), H Fisher (Vice Chair), M Beaton, L Vaughan, J Sanderson
(1) APOLOGIES None
(2) DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST FOR AGENDA ITEMS
There were no declarations of interests.
There were no changes to the members of Registers of Interests.
(3) MINUTES The minutes of the extraordinary meeting on 22/06/21 were duly approved and
signed by the Chair.
Proposed Cllr Sanderson Seconded Cllr Beaton
(4) MATTERS ARISING The Chair notified the Council of his forthcoming meeting with a Parish Council Clerk
serving various Leicestershire villages Vice Chair Fisher will also attend the meeting
and they both hope that they will receive good guidance on the role of (and indeed
finding) a Clerk for Bulwick Parish Council.
(5) MEETING OPEN FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
There were 22 members of the public present.
(6) BULWICK PARISH COUNCIL INTRODUCTION
The Chair opened the public meeting by welcoming all those in attendance and
introducing himself and the new Bulwick Parish Council. All Councillors addressed
the public with a brief speech about themselves and their hopes for the Bulwick
community.
The Chair invited the public to ask questions.
(7) VILLAGE CENTRE One villager asked why the Village Centre was currently closed and highlighted the
need for a public venue, with outdoor space, to give the community a space in which
to gather. The Chair proposed that finding a solution to this issue should be the first
objective of the newly-formed Parish Council and requested a show of hands from the
public who felt that this should take top priority to which the vast majority (16 people)
responded with their hands up.
Phillip Davies, Parish Priest, advised the Chair that there would be a Bulwick Village
Centre Committee meeting on 12th August 2021 (time and venue tbc) to discuss the
best use of the £10,000 community grant received by the PCC to remedy the
structural issues currently rendering the Village Centre unfit for public use. Philip
welcomed all those in attendance to join this meeting. The Chair and Philip agreed to
meet prior to this. All agreed that the PCC and the BPC will work together to find a
solution.
Alma O’Neill, Church Warden, said she was looking into re-opening the Village Centre
and suggested that if the community wished to use the outside area in the meantime
then, although the grass has been cut, they would need to clear the moss on the
pathways and cut process of clearing the building. She suggested that the community
needed to start planning village celebrations for next year’s Platinum Jubilee (or
Coronation).
(8) COMMUNICATION & TRANSPARENCY
A member of the public asked how future PC meetings, agendas, minutes and
finances would be communicated to the villagers. Councillors gave the website
address (www.bulwickpc.org.uk) and the location of the village notice board (next to
the post box) and suggested to those with a Facebook account to join the Bulwick
Community Facebook page. The Chairman concluded that NCalc will guide the
council to help communicate with villagers effectively and all information, including
financial records, would be made available for the public on the website, facebook
page and village notice board in the meantime.
Ideas can be communicated via the contact page on the website and the councillors’
contact details are published on the website. The Chair commented that
suggestions and complaints will be taken very seriously but asked the public to be
patient while a Clerk is being found.
(9) FUNDING A member of the public asked how the Parish Council was funded.
The Chair explained that the current precept is low with two semi-annual payments of
£1,200 each and Councillor Beaton, as Treasurer, would be working on a much more
adequate level of funding for the village.
(10) OTHER FINANCES A member of the public asked what the current balance was and the Chair confirmed
this to be ‘at just over £3.000’. Accounts will be confirmed and made public via
www.bulwickpc.org.uk next month.
One resident (of 54 years) asked if traditional events to raise funds for the village
could be reinstated and another resident suggested that one reason most people
move to a village is for the community spirit and such events. Councillor
Fisher agreed and offered to research the legalities and possibilities surrounding
modern-day fundraising.
(11) AOB No other business was discussed.
(12) CLOSE OF MEETING (19:19)
The Chair thanked the attendees for coming and asked the public to
visitwww.bulwickpc.org.uk or to check the local notice board for contact details of
councillors if they needed to make contact before the next Parish Council Meeting
date is announced.
(13) NEXT MEETING
Signed a true record
Julian Taylor, Chairman