9 March 2026 - Ordinary Meeting Minutes UNADOPTED
UNADOPTED Minutes of the Ordinary Parish Council Meeting Monday 9th March 2026.
Present: Parish Councillors: Cllr. J. Roberts (Chair), Cllr. R. James (Vice-Chair), Cllr. G. Jago, Cllr. T. Horsfield, Cllr. A. Horsfield, Cllr. S. Everatt. Member(s) of the Public (MoP):1. Clerk: E. Raymond.
Public Forum
The Chair opened the public forum
i. A resident expressed concerns over the poor state of the road along Church Street, due to the amount of loose grit still on the road after several ‘resurfacings’ presenting a particular hazard to cyclists and horse riders. The resident asked the PC to raise the matter with LCC Highways.
ii. A member raised concerns that a new ‘spring’ had surfaced toward the top of Bunker's Hill due to heavy rainfall over winter, and also commented on whether the culvert on the corner of Brook Street needs attention. Suggested the situation should be monitored and reported via FixMyStreet.
The Chair thanked the member of public for attending and convened the Parish Council meeting at 7:05 pm.
AGENDA
66-3/25/26 WELCOME The Chair welcomed all members.
67-3/25/26 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE –All members present. Apologies received from County Cllr. C. Reeve and District Cllr. Paul Howitt-Cowan.
68-3/25/26 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATION REQUESTS – None received.
69-3/25/26 NOTES - To consider and resolve to approve the Minutes of the Ordinary PC meeting and the PC Personnel Committee meeting, held Monday, 19th January 2026 and to sign as agreed minutes.
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Ordinary PC meeting and Personnel Committee meeting held on 19th January 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
70-3/25/26 CLERK’S REPORT INCLUDING REVIEW OF ACTION ITEMS– To receive the clerk’s report, including review of action items and update of correspondence/communications, outstanding matters and items dealt with under the Scheme of Delegation.
Action Items (from PC meeting of 19/01/2026)
- School bus stop on Harpswell Hill. The clerk raised the issue with Stagecoach regarding possible safety improvements. Email from Stagecoach (19/02/2026) apologised for the lack of update and will be chasing the matter with the Customer Engagement Team.
- Paperwork following the Co-Option of Cllr Everatt returned to WLDC. Details added to PC and WLDC websites.
- 2026-2027 Precept Request submitted to WLDC.
- PC policy revisions completed and updated on PC website and internal spreadsheets
- WLDC Community Grant of £3k received 17/02/2026. Order placed for 2 x Elan City Evolis Vision, delivered 27/03/2026. Commission and set up prior to installation on mounting poles to be provided by LRSP (date TBC).
Other Volunteer litter picking in Hemswell took place on 14/02/2026 collecting a total of 25 bags of rubbish in just two hours. Thanks were expressed to Cllr. James for running the event. A further date was agreed for 14/03/2026 as part of the Great British Spring Clean event organised by Keep Britain Tidy.
Clerk’s Report Regular duties, follow-up actions, circulation of news/emails, flyer for responsible dog ownership distributed to all residents.
Correspondence
- WLDC green waste subscription renewed for 2026-2027 for the green bin in the cemetery.
- Discussion with WLDC staff re: dog waste enforcement options and a request for additional litter-picking equipment.
- Cadent’s H2East Pipeline from Humber to Nottinghamshire. NSIP - Scoping Document Vol 2. PC has been identified as a consultation body. Deadline for comments 03/04/2026
- Parish Grass Cutting Agreement (LCC) (Agenda Item 71-3/25/26a).
- Grant Application forms received from PCC and VH (See agenda Items 71-3/25/26 b and c).
- Quickline Communications notice for wooden telegraph pole at Hemswell Park Homes. Invited comments from Park Homes. Clerk will respond under Scheme of Delegation.
Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) - Financial transactions/bookkeeping. Clerk seeking insurance quotations for policy renewal 1st June 2026. LTA with Gallagher ends this June.
Burial Clerk
- Liaison with funeral directors and plot marking for interment – January 27 2026.
- Liaison with the coroner and updating of cemetery records.
- Build and installation of drying/storage area and hard standing under the water tap in the cemetery grounds.
RESOLVED TO NOTE the review of action items and clerk’s report.
BUSINESS MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION: Supporting documents circulated ahead of the meeting.
71-3/25/26 a. To review and discuss the plans and terms of the LCC Parish Agreement for Grass Cutting 2026-2027.
Supporting documents were circulated to members for consideration before the meeting. Members discussed the grassed areas included in the scheme and the financial benefits of remaining in the scheme to help offset the cost of parish grass cutting incurred by the PC. Having agreed that the current contractor met the requirements of the agreement and could undertake any unforeseen/additional work, members resolved to accept the LCC Parish Agreement.
RESOLVED to ACCEPT the LCC Parish Agreement for grass cutting for the 2026-2027 season. ACTION: Clerk to complete and return the LCC agreement on behalf of Hemswell Parish Council.
71-3/25/26 b. To consider a Grant Application submitted by All Saints PCC to support the cost of churchyard grass cutting for 2025-2026 season.
Members were reminded of the allocated Grant/Donation budget for the current FY of £1200.00. Members reviewed and discussed the application in terms of allocated budget, benefit to the community, value of previous grant awards and resolved to grant the full amount requested of £600.00.
RESOLVED to AWARD a grant to the value of £600 to support the cost of All Saints churchyard grass cutting. ACTION: Clerk to liaise with All Saints PCC to complete paperwork as per the Grant/Donation Policy.
71-3/25/26 c. To consider Grant Application forms submitted by the Hemswell & Harpswell Village Hall Committee to support the cost of:
i. Playground grass cutting (2025-2026 season).
Members reviewed and discussed the application in terms of allocated budget, benefit to the community, value of previous grant awards and resolved to grant the amount of £600.00 against the requested amount of £850.00
RESOLVED to AWARD a grant to the value of £600 to support the cost of grass cutting in the VH playground. ACTION: Clerk to liaise with the VH Committee to complete paperwork as per the Grant/Donation Policy.
To consider the Grant Application form submitted by the Hemswell & Harpswell Village Hall Committee to support the cost of:
ii. The purchase of the village Christmas tree (Dec 2025).
Having allocated the full current FY budget to support grass cutting, the clerk advised members of funding available under LGA 1972, s 137, for expenditure on purposes that directly benefit their area or inhabitants when no other specific statutory power exists. The donation of £80.00 sought by the VH Committee did not exceed the annual limit per elector (£11.10 for 2025/26). Members reviewed and discussed the application in terms of benefit to the community and the value of previous donations toward the Christmas tree and resolved to award the full amount of £80.00.
RESOLVED to AWARD a donation of £80.00 for the village Christmas Tree under LGA 1972, s137. ACTION: Clerk to liaise with the VH Committee to complete paperwork as per the Grant/Donation Policy.
71-3/25/26 d. To review and resolve to approve revisions to the following PC Policies/Procedures:
i. Scheme of Delegation (V1.3). ii. Data Protection (V1.1)
iii. Document Retention & Disposal (V1.2) iv. Safeguarding (V1.0). v. Complaints (V1.0)
Members reviewed the five listed documents and had no amendments other than updates for version control/review.
RESOLVED to ADOPT the policies listed under 71-3/25/26 d. ACTION: Clerk to update as appropriate, publish to the PC website, and update the policy spreadsheet.
72-3/25/26 FINANCIAL MATTERS The RFO presented a summary of the financial report circulated to members. Receipts and payments summary for the period 18 January – 8 March 2026
Bank Account Balances as follows: Current Account: £2348.77. Instant Access (Savings) Account: £12,922.37 TOTAL CASH IN BANK = £15,271.14
Expenditure for the period included regular staff costs, email domain and bank service fees, PAYE, Elan City Speed Signs, and LALC Annual Membership fee.
Income for the same period included bank interest, Interment Fee, and WLDC Community Grant.
The Precept for next FY (£12,200) will be due from WLDC on 1st April 2026. Unity Trust Bank Services charges will increase from £6 to £7 per month commencing March 2026.
VAT currently standards at £1276.27 for reclaiming in the current FY. RECONCILIATION Cllr. Jago undertook reconciliation of the Current and Instant Accounts for the period Oct-Dec 2025 in Feb. 2026. EOY reconciliation will be undertaken in preparation for the AGAR submission (< 1 July 2026). EXPENDITURE OVER £100.00 Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities (DCLG 2014) requires Hemswell PC to publish a list of all payments over £100 (NET). Details of these payments can be found on the Parish Council website.
73-3/25/26 PLANNING MATTERS None Received.
74-3/25/26 REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS - Invitations to receive reports extended to County & District Cllrs., Village Hall Committee, and other external agencies and sub-committees as appropriate.
The clerk read the report provided by Mr Bill Barker, VH Committee Chair. The report is available on the village notice board and the PC website. No other reports received.
75-3/25/26 DATE OF NEXT MEETINGS – To resolve to agree the date and time of the:
i. Annual Meeting of the Parish – Monday 18th May 2026 - 6.30 pm.
ii. Annual Meeting of the Parish Council – Monday 18th May 2026 - 7.15 pm.
Meeting Closed: 19:50 PM
UNADOPTED