2025-26 Minutes

Open Forum

There was no Open Forum, and the meeting was formally opened at 19.30

141

Apologies for absence, acceptance of Apologies & noting of resignations received

141.1

Apologies were received from S Broadbent, (personal) L Lowe (work commitments)   B Gunner(personal) Resolved: that the apologies be accepted.  Apologies were also received from District Cllr B Dobson

142

Declaration of Interest – To receive Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary and Other Interests, as set out in Chapter 7 of the Localism Act 2011 and the nature of those interests relating to any Agenda item

142.1

No one declared any Disclosable Pecuniary and Other Interests on any matter on the agenda. 

143

Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on the 3 December 2025 (Min25-07)

143.1

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on the 3 December 2025 be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

144

To receive a report from the County and District Councillors on matters relating to Thurlby

144.1

County Cllr K Redfern was able to report the following:

1. Regarding the large pothole by McDonalds on the A15 he was in Thurlby last week and noticed the pothole and was going to report it. On his way back after noticing that 20 people had report it that day, he saw that the pothole had been repaired. He was advised that the repairs had lasted 6 days and the hole was once again there . He had spoken to Highways and as the pothole was within a short distance from the roundabout there were restrictions in place that meant that the road would have to be closed. That in itself was a problem in that they did not have the equipment for a 5-way traffic light system. He was asked to chase this matter up as the pothole was a danger to road uses. The other problem was cost and that the work could take some time.
2. Regarding the flooding at the crossroads on the A15 at Thurlby as this was on the main road there were again restrictions which meant the road would have to be closed for a possible 6 days. Anglia Water would like to know what was causing the problem and were hoping to use a camera to check the state of the pipes under the road  before they committed to a large expense.
3. Regarding the request from a resident that the barriers be removed from the footpath from Northorpe to Beck Way LCC had ascertained that it was not their responsibility as it was on private ground. This meant that the residents of Beck Way who were paying a management fee should get in touch with Longhurst’s Housing Association to have the barriers removed. Cllr Daines said that she would undertake that work as she lived in Beck Way.

144.2

District Cllr Dobson had sent a report as follows:

1.         As predicted last year, the rainfall was quite low during 2025 that the statistics showed we would get an increased amount at the end of the year and early in 2026. So far, we don’t appear to have had the devastating floods in our region as experienced during previous years although there is still more rainfall to come. We have some 100+ sandbags stored (thanks to SKDC) just in case. It was the first time in a few years wading through flooded areas of my ward. Let’s hope it stays that way. Work has started on the junction High Street/A15 to reduce the size if not completely eradicate the lake that forms there. I believe this will be finished by the end of the week.

2.         Last year we had a total of 501mm (19.7inches) of rainfall which was below average as I mentioned in a previous report that it was considerably lower than most previous years. January has already seen a marked increase with 62.5mm (2.46 inches) of rainfall which is likely to continue throughout the coming month(s). The rivers are full of torrent flows of water. It is powerful so please take care along the banks.

3.         Devolution continues to occupy most of the senior staff at SKDC alongside the members. Personally, I wish services could be transferred to the district councils or a combination of no more than two of them to manage things locally. The county is one of the country’s largest in area and a massive task for just one authority to deal with.

4.         We have not received any planning applications on future housing or solar farms of yet. Our Neighbourhood Plan that we created and had approved has basically been ignored although it is legally the voice of our village. We spent over three years of hard work to get this adopted and it has now been ignored. The planning person at SKDC ignored and even refused to take our Plan into consideration. Thousands of pounds which we managed to get through a grant, and probably thousands of hours (collectively) to prepare our Neighbourhood Plan. I have not heard anything from Allison Homes; probably because they have some huge developments to deal with elsewhere.

5.         As vice-chairman for culture and leisure overview and scrutiny committee, I am currently engaging in raising the awareness of importance of wellbeing in our communities. This includes tackling inequalities in sport and physical activity which enhances the wellbeing of our communities. There are so many important advantages of taking part in the variety of sports and leisure that is available to us in our area, helping to promote the extensive health benefits for people of all ages. If anyone has any questions on what is available or needed, please let me know. One need is for more cycle paths, especially the continuation and improvement of the one between Bourne and the Deepings along the A15. Bourne and the Deepings have the highest percentage of people with diabetes in SKDC; I in 4 suffer with mental health issues.

6.         The rivers are full of almost torrent flows of water. It is powerful so please take care along the banks. I’ve witnessed several near misses where people and dogs have been close to falling into the water.

145

Clerk’s Report and correspondence received

145.1

The Clerks Report had been circulated and explained that he had received various emails from NALC, ICCM and various playground equipment providers but if anyone wished to see copies, they can be forwarded on. After the agenda was posted several other emails were received as follows:

1. Parish council(s) committee notification - planning application regarding planning reference number: S23/1978 LCC reference:  Pl/0070/23 

development: for sand and gravel extraction with restoration to agriculture, recreation and nature conservation, the creation of new public footpaths, the

erection of associated plant and infrastructure and a new/altered access from the A15 location: Thetford house farm, Baston. The above planning application will be reported to the Planning and Regulation Committee on Monday 9 February 2026.  The meeting will be held at County Offices, Newland, Lincoln, LN1 1YL and is due to commence at 10:30am.  The audio and video of the meeting will be streamed live via the Council's website and a link to this stream will be available on the dedicated meeting page for this meeting which is https://lincolnshire.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=138&MId=5807

2. Action for Hedgehogs: A Ready-Made Biodiversity Solution for Your Council - Hedgehog House Package. The Clerk was to make enquiries as to the cost etc.
3. A resident asking if we had an Allotment. The Clerk had replied saying we had not but were still investigating if any land was available for purchase.
4. An email from Mark Thomas a Trustee of Lawrance Park regarding Lawrance Park Parking Pressures and Request for Parish Council Support. The proposal we are currently investigating is the potential use of a small parcel of land at the Northern end of Lawrence Park directly adjacent to the field, currently owned by South Kesteven District Council, to operate as an overflow car park. Would the Parish Council be willing to support this proposal, either collectively or through individual councillor statements, and I invite your input into the impact statement that will be submitted to South Kesteven District Council during peak periods only. Importantly, this would be developed and managed entirely at the expense of the Lawrence Park Association. It was agreed we would support this proposal.

146

Planning applications: 

146.1

To consider any Planning Applications received – there were no planning applications to consider.

146.2

To note Planning Applications approved: S25/1179 - Installation of solar farm comprising ground mounted solar photovoltaic panels, including mounting systems, inverters and transformers, electrical substation, underground cabling, stock proof fencing, CCTV, internal access tracks and associated infrastructure for a temporary period of 40 years at Land at Northorpe Fen Farm North of Fen Road

S25/2409 - Proposed upgrade to existing radio base station installation. Land at the Grange Main Road Thurlby

S24/2201 Proposal: Change of use of land from agricultural use to mixed agricultural and equine use, and the erection of a new tractor shed to replace a small shelter previously sited on the land. Location The Stables 50 High Street Thurlby

After the agenda was posted another planning application had been approved which was S25/2161 Proposal: Change of use of camping/event field to dog day care centre at Park Wood Lodge Park Wood Road

146.3

To note any Planning Applications refused or withdrawn: S25/2178 -  Proposal: New single storey dwelling with integral garage and parking at 22 The Green Thurlby- refused.

146.4

To note any Application appealed or any decision made regarding an appeal:  none to note

147

To confirm Expenditure

£40.00 – B M Champness (use of home as Office January)

£574.46 – B M Champness (Salary January)

£51.20 – Elaine Reynolds (salary January)
£114.50 – Thurlby PCC (insert in Village Link)

£244.80 – Bourne Skip Hire (bin collection 4 weeks in December)

£244.80 – Bourne Skip Hire (bin collection 4 weeks in January)

£518.94 – LALC  (annual fee payable after 1/4/26)

£204.00 – LALC (Training Scheme payable after 1/4/26)

£45.78 x 6 – BT (broadband charges) (DD August, September, October, November, December and January )
£39.09  x 6 – BlueCom Services (monthly support subscription) (DD) August, September, October, November, December and January )

[] denotes those payments paid between meetings, which have been approved by the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Parish Council or at a previous meeting but not listed

147.1

Resolved: that the payments be approved with approval given for payments to be made to BT and Bluecom Services for February and March 2026

147.2

Since the agenda was posted one more invoice had been received which was

£1055.000 – T & G Sleight (cutting grass verges)

Resolved: that this invoice be paid as well

148

To discuss the bank accounts for December 2025 and January 2026 and for the bank reconciliations to be signed as a correct record

148.1

The Clerk has prepared a bank reconciliation for December 2025 and January 2026  which had been circulated in advance. He also sent reports from Scribe showing what money had been spent or received as well as a budget report. Resolved: that the bank reconciliations be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

149

To discuss the date and time for the Annual Parish Meeting, who we invite to address the meeting and the date and time of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council

149.1

The Clerk explained that as this was not a year of an election, we could have the meetings in May. The first Wednesday of the month was 6 May 2026. Resolved that both meetings would take place on the 6 May. The Annual Parish meeting would start at 7 p.m. Invitations would be sent to The County Councillor, the District Councillor, the Vicar at St Firmin’s and Lawrance Park. All would be invited to give a report of the activities of their organisation dealt with in the last year. They would be asked to limit their talk to 5 minutes. As for the Annual meeting of the Parish Council this would start at 8.30 p.m. after refreshments.

150

To further discuss future requirements of the Reactive Sign

150.1

There was nothing further to be discussed and the Clerk was asked to remove this item from future agendas.

151

To consider the data received from the reactive sign

151.1

Cllr Bill had submitted before the meeting the data he had obtained from the Reactive Sign

This report covers both data obtained for Chapel Lane and Swallow Hill.

During December, the unit was positioned in Chapel Lane and monitored traffic in a southbound direction; this follows November's data for northbound traffic. The period covers both school term time and holidays.

From the data it would appear it is very similar to the northbound, with the exception there is slightly more traffic in the morning presumably going to work, etc. During 'school time' Monday to Friday there is an increase in both the daily and peak AM count compared to data for the school holiday period. However, the holiday period does include Christmas and the New Year, and this should be taken into account. An average speed of 22.3mph was recorded during the period with 4.16 & 3.86% travelling at speeds 32.14 & 32.11mph above the limit for the 5- & 7-day periods respectively. A maximum speed of 45mph was recorded.

During January the unit was positioned on Swallow Hill recording traffic in an outbound direction. 

Compared to the previous result there has been a 6.4% increase in the 5-day count but a decrease of 4.8% in the 7-day period. The peak counts however show a slight increase in all cases. The AM peak time remains 08.00 -09.00 & with the PM time moving to 16.00 -17.00hrs. The average speed is slightly down to 26.8mph (from 27.8mph) with the average speed for those above the limit very similar at 33.76 & 33.66 mph with those travelling at these speeds down to 31.58 and 32.51% for the 5 & 7day periods. A maximum speed of 75 mph was recorded at 10.25 hrs. which is up from 60mph. 

This data was recorded during January as opposed to December for the previous years and this should be taken into consideration when comparing the results

Further details can be found on the Thurlby Parish website.

Thanks to be recorded to Cllr Bill for undertaking this task every month.

152

To discuss Assertion 10 and whether the Parish Council is compliant and if not to discuss what is required to be done.

152.1

The Clerk had received notice from Scribe that they were holding a Webinar on the 15 January 2026 and as it was free he had signed up to attend . Unfortunately, he was unable to attend for personal reasons, but Scribe had sent him a typed copy of the meeting which had been circulated to all.

Key Compliance Requirements

To be Assertion 10 compliant, a council must be able to demonstrate that it has taken proper steps to ensure digital and data compliance, which includes: 

• Council-owned domain: The council must operate using official email addresses and a website on a domain it owns (e.g., clerk@yourcouncil.gov.uk or .org.uk), rather than personal email accounts like Gmail or Outlook. The use of a .gov.uk domain is strongly recommended.
• Website accessibility: The council's website must comply with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.
• IT Policy: The council must have an up to date, adopted IT policy that sets clear expectations for the use of technology, cybersecurity, and data management by members and officers.
• Data Protection and UK GDPR compliance: The council must demonstrate adherence to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This includes processing personal data lawfully, maintaining a clear understanding of what data is processed, and conducting data audits and relevant training.
• Transparency Code: Continued compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Local Government Transparency Code

What was clear from the webinar was that the Clerk's address must be generic - clerk@, townclerk@, or manager@ - we call it ‘role-based’. This ensures that when personnel change, the point of contact for the public remains consistent. It is not a legal requirement for everyone in the council, including all the councillors to have a .gov.uk email address. At the moment, this is simply not true and is a widely regurgitated inaccuracy. It was agreed that we were almost compliant in that we had in place a council owned domain and our website met the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard. We did not have a Council IT policy and a Date Protection Policy. The Clerk explained that in his opinion the requirements were way over the top for small councils like Thurlby but if we had to be compliant, we had to have the policies in place. This was accepted and that we would have to be compliant and they we should have the appropriate policies in place.

153

To approve and adopt the Council IT policy and the Date Protection Policy

153.1

The Clerk had circulated two draft policies in respect of the above, one was from LALC and the other was a policy adopted by another Parish Council. Resolved that they be adopted with small amendments,

154

To discuss an annual pay increase for the Litter Picker

154.1

The Clerk explained that we had not Agreed a wage increase for the Litter Picker although when calculation the budget for 2026-27 it was calculated that there would be in the region of a 3% increase. The National Living wage in April would be increased to £12.71 per hour whereas the litter picker was being paid more than that.  Resolved:  that the salary be increased to £13.50 per hour.

155

To receive an update on the Cemetery to include grass cutting, maintenance and burial fees

155.1

Cllr Thomas was able to report that all is in order .He had moved the wreaths from the grass and placed them on the headstones and generally tided up.

The Clerk said that he had encountered a problem where the regulations only explained that the fees for non-residents for a burial would be increased but with no mention of the cremation fees. He was asked to put this on the March agenda so the matter could if necessary be rectified. Regarding the enquiry that had been made they should be told of our intention to increase those fees next month.

156

For any Councillor to produce a written report of any meeting that he/she has attended as a representative of the Parish Council

156.1

 Cllr Thomas was able to report that a complaint had been made about a sensory play equipment which was considered loud and intrusive. The matter had been referred to the Environmental Office at SKDC and BBC Look North had been out to film the alleged problem. He had had a meeting with the Environmental Officer and explained that the equipment had been modified to not be so loud. This seemed to be acceptable although the resident making the complaint was asked to keep a diary of when the noise could be heard inside their house.

Cllr Thomas also explained that the person who looked after the accounts for Lawrence Park had had a suspected heart attack and this had caused a problem in that no one could access their bank accounts. He had approached the Clerk to ascertain if the second instalment of the grant had been paid and was told that it had. They had now resolved the problem, but it was suggested that in future when a request was made for a grant, we pay it but to retain £1000 in case they needed to use these funds to make payments, until the end of the financial year. If at that time money was still available that could then be paid in March.

157

To consider what information should be placed in the Village Link

157.1

It was agreed that the Clerk would draft a report for the Village Link. This would be sent to all for approval before going to print.

158

Members Questions - reminder only questions given to the clerk a week in advance will be answered.

158.1

There being no other business the meeting was duly closed at 20.58

159

The date of the next meeting – to be held on Wednesday 4 March 2026 at 7.30 p.m. in the Lawrance Park Social Room, Thurlby