2026 Parish Council Meeting Agendas

Minutes of The Annual Langtoft Parish Council Meeting on

Monday 11th May at 7pm in the Village Hall

Present: Cllrs.  Bev Farrington (Chair), Brian Branch, Yvonne McCulloch, Liz Jarman & Richard Carter

In Attendance: Cllr Vanessa Smith and Amie Fenech-Parish Clerk.

26/27 - 01        Election of Chairman

1. Cllr. Bev Farrington was proposed as Chair. Cllr. Farrington accepted the nomination and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Proposed Cllr. McCulloch, Seconded Cllr. Branch and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED.

26/27 – 02       Election of Vice Chairman

1. Cllr. Julian Tatam was proposed as Vice Chair. As Cllr. Tatam was not present at the meeting, acceptance of the role and signing of the Declaration of Acceptance of Office was deferred.
2. Proposed Cllr. Farrington, Seconded Cllr. Jarman and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED. Action - Cllr. Tatam to sign the Declaration of Acceptance of Office as Vice Chair at the next available opportunity.

26/27 – 03      Confirmation of Parish Councillors and signing of Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

                        The Council confirmed the current membership of the Parish Council for the 2026/27 year. It was noted that, as this was not an election year and no councillors were newly elected or co-opted at the meeting, further Declarations of Acceptance of Office were not required.

26/27 – 04      Apologies:

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. Julian Tatam, Darren Scott, Kevin Payne and Rosemary Trollope-Bellew. These apologies were unanimously accepted.

Cllr. Chris Palmer was not in attendance, and no apologies had been received.

26/27 – 05      Disclosure of Pecuniary Interests.

                        None declared.

The meeting was adjourned at 7.05pm for the public forum.

Public Forum:

No comments

The meeting reconvened at 7.07pm

26/27 – 06      Minutes: To approve the minutes of:

1. 7 April Parish Council Meeting

The minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 7 April 2026 were approved as a true and accurate record. Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. McCulloch and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED. The minutes were signed by the Chair.

26/27 – 07       To receive reports from

1. County and District Councillors

West Deeping Quarry objection has been successful, and this site will not progress. Baston quarry extension has been agreed, Greatford quarry is also back on the list. Cllr Smith noted her concern around these sites, especially as they will exit on to the A15.

SKDC community funding workshop in Baston on Wednesday 13th May.

2. Police Reports are received and circulated and made available on website/noticeboard upon receipt.

Not received. Action: Clerk to request the Police Reports.

26/27 – 08      To receive any updates or reports from Working Groups or Committees.

1. East End Pond
2. Cemetery

The Cemetery Report was received and noted. It was noted that the cemetery is being well maintained and that both war graves are being kept weed free. The Council considered the maintenance items identified in the report, including areas affected by gravedigger activity, cutting back the holly bush, removal of the box hedge affected by box blight, pigeon fouling on the footpath and memorial stones, cleaning the bin, and replacing the damaged storage box.

The Council agreed that removal of pigeon fouling should be actioned regularly.

Action: Clerk to prepare an action list from the Cemetery Report and circulate it to councillors for approval before sending it to Nigel. Council agreed that removal of pigeon fouling needs to be actioned regularly.

3. Amenities
4. Community Engagement
5. Speeding Working Group             
6. Penfield to receive report

The Council received and considered the Penfield report. The Council discussed carrying forward £1,200 of unspent funds from 2025/26 into 2026/27. It was agreed to defer this item to the next meeting, when Cllr. Tatam is expected to be in attendance. Action - To add the Penfield budget carry forward item to the next agenda.

26/27 – 09      To review, agree and adopt the Regulatory Documents (all documents available on the website)

The Council reviewed and agreed to adopt the following regulatory documents, all of which are available on the website:

1. Standing Orders
2. Financial Regulations
3. Fixed Asset Register
4. SKDC Code of Conduct
5. Risk Assessment
6. Document Retention Policy
7. All existing policies, with no new policies identified as required at this time.

Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. Jarman and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED. Action – clerk to publish these on the website.

26/27 – 10      To review and confirm insurance provision for the forthcoming year

The Council reviewed and confirmed the insurance provision for the forthcoming year. Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. McCulloch and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED.

26/26 – 11      Finance 25/26 Year End

1. To receive, consider and resolve acceptance of the accounts.

The Council received and considered the 2025/26 year-end accounts. The Council resolved to accept the accounts. Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. Farrington and unanimously in favour - RESOLVED.

2. To consider recommendations or matters arising from the internal auditor’s narrative report
3. To receive the Annual Internal Auditor’s Report 2025/26
4. To complete and sign the Annual Governance Statement 2025/26
5. To receive and sign the Accounting Statements 2025/26
6. To receive and consider the bank reconciliation 2025/26
7. To receive and consider the explanation of variances
8. To agree the dates for the period of public rights

Items b) to h) were deferred as the Internal Audit Report had not yet been returned. It was agreed that these items would be brought to the next meeting, with the aim of approving them on 27 May 2026. Action: Clerk to add the deferred year-end finance and AGAR items to the agenda for 27 May 2026, subject to receipt of the Internal Audit Report.

26/27 – 12      Current Year 2026/27

1. To confirm Audit Procedures for 2026/27

The Council considered the audit procedures for the 2026/27 financial year. It was agreed that internal audit arrangements would include both a half-year and full-year internal audit. Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. McCulloch and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED.

2. To agree an extension to the Locum Clerk’s contract to 17th July 2026

The Council agreed to extend the Locum Clerk’s contract to 17th July 2026.

Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. McCulloch and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED.

3. To confirm salary scales for:

• To agree the pay scale and weekly hours for the permanent Clerk/RFO role as per the job evaluation and agree for the role to be advertised

The Council considered the job evaluation and agreed the pay scale and weekly hours for the permanent Clerk/RFO role. It was agreed that the role would be advertised at NJC pay scale point 29 for 12 hours per week.

Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. Farrington and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED. Action: Clerk to progress advertising the permanent Clerk/RFO vacancy on the agreed terms.

• Gardener/Handyman in accordance with the NJC SCP

The Council reviewed the pay arrangements for the Gardener/Handyman role. It was agreed that the current pay arrangements remain appropriate and no change would be made at this time. Proposed by Cllr. Carter, Seconded by Cllr. Farrington and unanimously in favour-RESOLVED

4. To confirm budgetary payments such as salary and HMRC payments, direct debits, mowing contractors, grapevine, grant expenditure, insurance, staff and councillor expenses if these fall between meeting dates.

The Council confirmed that routine and budgeted payments may continue to be made between meetings where required.

5. To receive Financial Report for the period April 2026 with bank statements.

The Financial Report for April 2026, together with the bank statements, was received and approved. The Financial Report and bank statements were checked and signed by Cllrs. Carter and Farrington.

6. Resolve Payments as per annex 1

The Council resolved to authorise the payments as per Annex 1.

7. To Note Income received as per annex 1

The Council noted the income received as per Annex 1.

26/27 – 13      To confirm Parish Council Meeting dates for 2026 and propose meeting time.            

7th July, 15th September, 27th October and 8th December. To consider meetings starting at 6.30pm.

                        Council agreed to remain at 7pm and confirmed the meetings above.

26/27 – 14      Planning Applications received since last meeting and any updates of existing planning.

1. Decided:

S26/0227 - Replacement of existing rear door to rear northeast elevation at ground floor level with new painted timber door - Stonehouse Farm 24 West End Langtoft Lincolnshire PE6 9LS – Granted

26/27 – 15      Training. To consider Code of Conduct training for all Councillors, as per required by SKDC Code of Conduct agreement.

Council agreed to progress with this. Action – clerk to arrange for training.

26/27 – 16      To formally note Correspondence received from last meeting. 

The Council noted correspondence from Alicia Kearns MP regarding ongoing concerns about speeding on the A15 through Langtoft. The MP confirmed that she had reviewed the Council’s previous resolution seeking a consistent 40mph speed limit between the Bourne roundabout and the Market Deeping roundabout and recognised the Council’s position that the current variation in speed limits along the corridor lacks consistency.

The Council noted that Alicia Kearns MP had begun discussions with National Highways, Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire County Council Highways, neighbouring parish councils and relevant county councillors, with the aim of building a coordinated case for improved road safety on the A15. The Council also noted the request for any further local evidence, including resident testimonies, incident details, additional speed data and potential support for a petition.

Proposal: To continue engagement with Alicia Kearns MP and relevant partner organisations in support of improved safety measures and a more consistent speed limit on the A15. RESOLVED. Action - Cllr Farrington to progress engagement with Alicia Kearns MP and neighbouring parish councils, and to coordinate any further evidence or resident testimonies in support of the Council’s position.

Correspondence was received from Deeping Rangers FC and Deeping Sports & Social Club regarding their project to secure partial funding for a new community 3G facility. The Council considered the request for support and agreed not to provide support at this time. RESOLVED.

Hyde and Mossop Charity - The Council noted that the Hyde and Mossop Charity have approximately £27,000 available following the sale of a field. It was noted that the Charity has explored potential funding options, including replacement blinds for the Village Hall, sensory equipment for the school, and play equipment.

The Council discussed potential community benefit and suggested that provision of accessible play equipment for disabled users at East End Park would be beneficial to the village. Alternatively, the Council considered that another item of play equipment for East End Park would also be a suitable use of funds.  Action - Cllr. McCulloch to liaise with the Hyde and Mossop Charity regarding possible funding for accessible play equipment, or other suitable play equipment, at East End Park.

26/27 – 17      To receive Items for Future Meetings

                        No items were raised.

Closed at 8.11pm

Annex 1

Payments

*Payments already made

Receipts