June 2026 Minutes
MINUTES OF ANCASTER PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 16 JUNE 2026 AT 7.30PM IN THE PARISH HALL.
Present. Cllr Sayer (Chair) Cllr Leighton (Vice- Chair)
Cllrs Palmer, Hollick, Barker, Rock, Clarke, Fleming, Pearsey and
Ferguson
In Attendance.. District Cllr Stephens and Denise Gascoyne Parish Clerk
Public Forum. None.
The meeting began at 7.30pm
1.Chair’s Welcome.
The Chair Cllr Sayer welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2.Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence with valid reasons had been received from Cllr Dr Entwistle. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved that apologies for absence with valid reasons be accepted from Cllr Dr Entwistle.
3.Declaration of Interest.
As Cllr Fleming had sent her apologies for the Annual Meeting she signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and Disclosable Pecuniary Interest Form. One copy would be retained by the Clerk and the other forwarded to Democratic Services at SKDC.
b. Cllr Pearsey Item 7(b).
4.To approve and accept as a true record the notes of the Annual Meeting and Parish Council meeting held on 19 May 2026. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to accept as a true record the notes of the Annual Meeting and Parish Council Meeting held on 19 May 2026. These were signed by the Chair.
5.Report from County Cllr Martin and District Cllr Stokes and District Cllr Stephens
a. Cllr Stephens told the meeting that Cllrs had been undergoing training recently and gave a brief overview of SKDC.
6.Chair Update.
a. The Planning and Scrutiny Committee met on the 15 June and voted in favour of the 40mph speed limit through West Willoughby. Cllr Martin was thanked for his statement which was extremely helpful. Hopefully, the signs will be installed as soon as possible.
b. The Chair reported he had received an email from SKDC Environmental and Waste stating they are robustly pursuing the appropriate legal avenues regarding the potential illegal waste site off Water Lane.
c. The potential meeting with Highways re Wilsford Lane was deferred until the next meeting.
d. The wooden poles for broadband apparatus had already been installed in the village.
e. Cllr Sayer confirmed the potholes on Station Approach would be repaired by the end of the financial year.
7.Planning.
a. S26/0868 Planning application for single storey extension to rear of existing dwelling 4 Paddock Close. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to make no comments on this application.
b. S26/0178 Planning Appeal for erection of dwelling Beechwood House West Willoughby. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved as no comments had been made on original application, none would be made on the Planning Appeal.
8.Highways/Policing/Speed Watch.
a. Cllr Palmer told the meeting he was still hoping to get a Speed Watch group together. He would report back to a future meeting.
9.Parish Clerk Update.
a. The Tech guy attended the meeting and was hoping to install gov.uk emails for all Cllrs. Unfortunately, due to no internet in the village hall, this proved impossible. He would send a video to the Clerk to be distributed and hopefully everyone would be able to install themselves.
b. The Clerk had not pursued grants for Solar Speed signs. She said she would make it a priority before the next meeting.
c. The Clerk had taken photographs of the bus shelters to apply for the grant. She would contact the original company and report back.
d. The Clerk confirmed that Cllr Fleming had been added to the Emergency Plan Working Group.
10.Correspondence.
a. LALC e-news. Circulated to all Cllrs.
b. LCC Town & County Newsletter. Circulated to all Cllrs.
c. SKDC Extraordinary Cabinet Meeting, Circulated to all Cllrs.
d. ICCM Journal Summer 2026.
e. LCC Minerals and Waste Local Plan Consultation 15.06.26 to 31.07.26 – this was discussed and it was agreed no comments would be sent at this time.
f. Latest EMR Train Timetable – circulated to all Cllrs.
g. LALC Annual Report - circulated to all Cllrs.
h. Railwatch
11.Cemetery/Newton Meadow/Orchard.
a. No update.
b. Up to five free trees were available for planting early 2027. Cllr Hollick would discuss this with Cllr Ferguson and Andrew Newton and report back, as there are dead trees in the Orchard.
12.Grass Cutting/Grounds Maintenance.
a. No update.
13.Parish Hall.
a. Four quotations had been received for a Fire Alarm System at the village hall. These were discussed. Out of the four only one had visited the parish hall. They had quoted for a Hardwired System and a Wireless System. Cllr Dr Entwistle in an email had said she would prefer the Hardwired System. Cllr Sayer agreed to enter into discussion with the company to confirm all details. He would report back to the next meeting. it was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to award in principle the Contract to Comprehensive Fire and Security.
b. It was proving quite difficult to get a contractor to replace the ridge tile on the parish hall. Cllr Sayer would continue to explore options.
c. Notification of the SKDC Community Fund had been received. Cllr Sayer had sent an ‘expression of interest’ for £15000 for solar panels on the village hall roof and £20000 to refurbish the upstairs room. You could only request one. After a brief discussion, it was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to request the £20000 to refurbish the upstairs room.
14.Reports from Cllrs.
a. Cllr Dr Entwistle in an email had said EMR had increased the number of trains stopping at Ancaster. The Clerk had forwarded the last timetable Item 10(f) to all Cllrs.
b. Cllr Palmer asked where the bench outside the cemetery had gone. It did not belong to the Parish Council, and the foliage may have hidden it.
c. Cllr Ferguson suggested we laminate the details of the Booking Secretary and place in the notice board, as she had noticed many people asking who the Booking Secretary was on Facebook. This was agreed by all Cllrs.
15.Playing Field.
a. The Playing Field committee had held a meeting recently. They were obtaining quotations for Play equipment (Section 106 monies) and would also send an ‘expression of interest’ to the SKDC community fund.
16.Finance.
a. The Bank Reconciliations, Bank Transfers and Cashbook to 31 May 2026 had been circulated to all Cllrs. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to accept the Bank Reconciliations, Bank Transfers and Cashbook to 31 May 2026. These were signed by the Chair.
b. The Approval List for Staff BACS Payments had been circulated to all Cllrs. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to accept the Approval List for Staff BACS Payments amounting to £1572.92 and authorise the Clerk to make the payments.
c. The Approval List for BACS/DD Payments had been circulated to all Cllrs. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to accept the Approval List for BACS/DD Payments and authorise the Clerk to make the following payments.
|
Local Authority Tech. |
|
£192.00 |
|
Amazon |
Printer ink AN |
£36.09 |
|
A Deptford |
Defib Parts Sudbrook |
£193.14 |
|
British Gas |
Electricity Village Hall |
£41.32 |
|
Pet Waste |
Dog Bin Emptying |
£117.60 |
|
SKDC |
Trade Waste |
£28.16 |
|
Tidy Gardens & Grounds |
Grass cutting |
£902.40 |
d. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to appoint TJ Bookkeeping as the Internal Auditor for 2026/2027.
17.Training.
a. LALC Training Schedule June 2026 – circulated to all Cllrs.
18.Policies
a. New/updated policies had been circulated to all Cllrs. It was proposed, seconded and
Resolved to adopt the following new/updated policies, and copies would be added to the website.
• Accessibility Statement.
• Disciplinary Procedure.
• Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy.
• IT Policy.
19.Date of Next Meeting.
a. The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 21 July 2026 at 7.30pm in the parish hall.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.45pm
Chair ……………………………
Ancaster Parish Council
21 July 2026