2026 Parish Council Minutes

UNADOPTED MINUTES - Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council - Monday 21st September 2026  

Present: Parish Councillors:  Cllr. J. Roberts (Chair), Cllr. R. James (Vice-Chair), Cllr. A. Horsfield, Cllr. T. Horsfield, Cllr. SA. Everatt   Member(s) of the Public (MoP):2. In attendance: District Cllr. P Howitt-Cowan,
Clerk: E. Raymond.   

Public Forum   

The Chair opened the public forum.

i. Village Hall committee members summarised the minutes from the VH meeting on 07/09/2026, reporting that private bookings were slow but increasing. Upcoming community events include: Macmillan coffee morning, Harvest supper, Halloween event with refreshments and a pumpkin trail, games night with a visiting pizza van, and Christmas wreath making. Maintenance and repairs to the village hall are ongoing, thanks to volunteers. The committee is also seeking external advice and funds to refresh or replace some playpark equipment while maintaining the green space for community events. A recent RoSPA inspection was completed. Next VH Trustee meeting on 20th Oct 2026. 

ii. A report submitted by County Cllr. Chris Reeve was read by the clerk referred to matters on Local Government Reorganisation.

iii. A comprehensive report by District Cllr. Paul Howatt-Cowan had been circulated to members.  Cllr. PHC provided a summary of key points, including the impact and cost of LGR, parish and district council elections due in May 2027, and positive results from the 2026 WLDC Churches Grants. The Cllr. stressed the opportunity to apply for grants in the parish areas and rural areas.

The Chair thanked those present for attending and providing reports and convened the Parish Council meeting at 7:16 pm. 

AGENDA

20-9-26/27    CHAIR WELCOME 

21-9-26/27    APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies received and accepted from Cllr. G. Jago. All other members present. Apologies received from County Cllr. Chris Reeve.

22-9-26/27    DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATION REQUESTS – Cllr James declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to agenda item 6b.

23-9-26/27    NOTES - To consider and resolve to approve the Minutes of the ordinary PC meeting held Monday, 20th July 2026 and to sign as agreed minutes. RESOLVED that Minutes of the PC Meeting be approved and signed as a correct record.

24-9-26/27    CLERK’S REPORT INCLUDING REVIEW OF ACTION ITEMS– To receive the clerk’s report including review of action items and update of correspondence/communications and outstanding matters and items dealt with under the Scheme of Delegation. 

Actions Arising (from 20/07/2026)

• Beck Volunteer Tidy Up– the event planned for August was postponed with a new date to be agreed, re-publicised and to take place before the village Halloween event.
• Elan City Evolis 2 Device –Elan City have been contacted re possible ‘late triggering’ of one of the devices. The clerk provided location images & GPS data to Elan City seeking a solution. LRSP have agreed to help investigate/adjust the device’s ‘line of sight’ to identify the issue to allow the clerk to follow up with Elan City.
• Village Speed Indicator Device recharged and moved to Bunkers Hill. Data from Church St. (exiting village) shows good compliance with the 30 mph limit (avg. speed < 22 mph), despite a max speed of 42 mph recorded on 8 July, 09:05 am.
• Policies and Procedures updated and published to PC website (ongoing).
• Cllr. Tracey Horsfield updated members following a long, but productive meeting with Mr .Steve Batchelor, Senior Manager, LRSP, and County Cllr. Chris Reeve regarding traffic and speeding concerns on the B1398, Middle Street, Hemswell. Cllr. Reeve has been providing speed data from Middle Street to LRSP over several months; the latest data recorded a vehicle travelling at 110 mph, highlighting the seriousness of the problem. Cllr. Horsfield was grateful that concerns of residents and the PC were now being taken seriously by LSRP, with positive outcomes from the meeting including: highlights around the existing 50 mph speed signs, 50 mph roundels painted on the road, a 7-day data analysis for comparison with Hemswell speed devices, and a request for a police van camera enforcement unit at some point. The Chair and members thanked Cllr. Tracey Horsfield for her perseverance in achieving the original speed reduction from 60 mph to 50 mph and for her determination to achieve further speed-reduction measures along the road.

Clerk’s Report Regular duties, follow-up actions from previous meeting, circulation of relevant news/emails, policy revisions.

Correspondence

• The clerk has sought a quote from a grass contractor for hedge cutting of internal perimeter hedges. Suggested approach Limestone for assistance with external and top hedge to assist with quote.
• Central Lincolnshire Housing & Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) was summarised and circulated to members. No foreseeable impact on Hemswell Parish.
• Resident letter – see agenda item 6a.

Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) Financial matters, attended webinar on new digital AGAR requirement (2027 reporting), preliminary budget preparations.

Burial Clerk  Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial (EROB) arranged and issued.

RESOLVED to NOTE the Clerk’s Report.      

BUSINESS MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION: Supporting documents circulated ahead of the meeting.

25-9-26/27 a. To consider matters of street parking, driveway and vehicle access in Hemswell Village.

Members discussed correspondence from a resident regarding street parking and the problems it causes on roads not originally designed to accommodate the current level of vehicle ownership. The resident’s letter had been forwarded to County and District Councillors for advice.

The PC acknowledged the resulting safety and access issues, including obstructed driveways, reduced visibility along streets, difficulty accessing or walking along narrow footpaths and potential impact on essential and emergency services, with limited passing and parking opportunities, including for daily school buses. Members were also mindful that many properties in Hemswell have limited alternatives to street parking. Concluding that the PC has no powers to change parking arrangements, it wished to remind residents that considerate parking remains key to maintaining safe access for residents, pedestrians, road users, and essential services.

Correspondence from County Cllr. Mr Chris Reeves was shared with members, confirming street parking is a growing problem in rural villages and that because the vehicles are legally parked (under current regulations), Lincolnshire County Council can take no further action other than encouraging considerate parking practices. Cllr. Reeve also outlined the difficulty and costs of introducing and enforcing restrictions such as yellow lines or providing parking bays.

Members asked the Clerk to include an article in the next PC newsletter highlighting the impact of inconsiderate parking and encouraging residents to keep the village’s narrow streets safe and accessible. RESOLVED to RESPOND to the resident in writing and sharing County Cllr. Chris Reeve’s response. ACTION: Clerk to write to the resident, enclosing Cllr. Reeve’s email and to write an article for the next PC newsletter.

25-9-26/27 b. To consider PC consultation and involvement with equipment refurbishment/improvements to the village hall playground. 

Cllr. James outlined the history of the village playing field and its transfer to the Village Hall Trust. Although the Trust bears the inspection, maintenance and insurance costs, the field is considered by most residents as a village asset. A recent RoSPA inspection identified maintenance needs, prompting proposals to refurbish or replace equipment with options suitable for a wider range of ages and abilities.

New installations would be limited to the field’s perimeter to retain space for Mayday and other village events. Suggestions included clustered benches to create a sociable seating area. On behalf of the Village Hall Trust, Cllr. James is researching suppliers, grants and suitable equipment and seeking residents’ views. Cllr. James advised the Village Hall holds approximately £10,000 in earmarked reserves for maintenance, repairs and running costs. The District Councillor advised that grants may be available for the Village Hall and playground.

The Chair thanked Cllr. James for leading this initiative and requested details of the Village Hall’s financial position to inform future discussions. The clerk outlined the powers available to the PC to provide financial support where appropriate. Cllr. James will continue leading the work for the Village Hall Trust and update members.

RESOLVED to NOTE the initiative and await updates or requests for PC support. ACTION: Village Hall Trust to provide financial information when appropriate.

25-9-26/27 c. To consider a proposal to reduce grounds maintenance around kerbed memorials in Hemswell Civil Cemetery. The clerk presented a proposal (previously circulated to members) to install heavy-duty weed-suppressant membrane and limestone chippings, retained by bullnose edging, between selected kerbed graves in the older south-east section of the cemetery. This cost-effective measure would improve safety, access and the appearance of the ground around the memorials while reducing manual weed clearance where grass-cutting equipment cannot operate. The proposed work and expenditure are permitted under Article 4(1) of the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977. Estimated materials and labour costs discussed, being in the order of £300–£400. VAT would be recoverable on materials.

RESOLVED to APPROVE the proposal, purchase the materials and undertake the work. ACTION: Clerk to arrange purchase of materials and arrange the work.

25-9-26/27 d. To resolve to approve revisions to the following PC Policies/Procedures:

i. Publication Scheme (V1.1)    ii. IT & Cybersecurity Policy (V1.0)  iii. Reserves Policy (V1.1) 

Members had no revisions or comments regarding the policies for review but noted compliance with Assertion 10 under its IT and Cybersecurity Policy.  RESOLVED to APPROVE the policies (i-iii) listed above. ACTION: Clerk to publish revised policies and update the PC website and policy spreadsheet.

FINANCIAL MATTERS  

26-9-26/27 a. To receive the financial report and approve/ratify payments.  

Receipts and payments summary for the period 18 July – 21 September 2026. Bank Account Balances as follows (as at 20th September 2026) No uncleared transactions. Balance confirmed by RFO.

• Current Account: £2329.69
• Instant Access (Savings) Account: £20,100.17.
• TOTAL CASH IN BANK = £22,427.36

Interest on the Instant Access Savings Account remains at 1.95% Gross / 1.96% AER. The PC Finance Committee will be asked to consider transfer of monies from the Instant Access Savings account to a notice account to attract higher interest rates (32-day notice account available with no min. deposit), attracting 2.70% Gross / 2.73% AER.

Expenditure for the period included regular staff costs (July & August salaries), HMRC PAYE, grass cutting services (July, August, September), additional internal audit fee, PC email/domain fees, bank service fees, village hall hire.

Income for the same period included a cemetery EROB fee of £195.00.

An internal transfer of £2000.00 (working capital) was made from Unity Savings to Unity Current Account during August 2026.

VAT paid during this period amounted to £75.31 across eligible transactions (e.g., domain fees). No VAT has been reclaimed yet in this period.

Bank Reconciliation for the period July - September 2026 will be undertaken in October 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.

RESOLVED to NOTE the RFO report as a true and accurate record.

26-9-26/27 b. To review the 2026/2027 budget monitoring report.

Members considered the RFO’s advisory document and were asked to identify potential expenditure, savings, budget allocations and reserve adjustments ahead of the November meeting, when the 2027/2028 budget and precept will be agreed. Members agreed that any precept increase should be kept to a minimum while accounting for inflation and protecting earmarked and general reserves.

RESOLVED to NOTE the report. ACTION: RFO to produce proposed budget report and spreadsheets to inform budget and precept setting for the FY 2027/2028. 

27-9-26/27       PLANNING MATTERS  None Received

28-9-26/27       DATE OF NEXT MEETING  – To resolve to agree the date and time of the next Ordinary PC meeting as 16th November 2026, 7:00 pm at the Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall.

Meeting closed:  20:08 pm

UNADOPTED