March
Fosdyke Parish Council Meeting Minutes
https://fosdyke.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk
Minutes of the Meeting of Fosdyke Parish Council
Meeting Details
- Date: March 3rd, 2026
- Time: 7.30 PM
- Location: Fosdyke Village Hall
Attendees
- Councillor A Mowton (Chairman)
- Councillor M Kilburn
- Councillor J Rushworth (Vice-Chairman)
- Maxine Warr – Clerk, Courtney Glenn – Admin
Also Present
- 9 Members of the Public plus BBCllr Cantwell
The meeting began with introductions. An explanation of where all fire and emergency exits are given. It was also noted that the meeting was being recorded.
PUBLIC FORUM
The Coffee Morning group asked the PC if there were any items required that would benefit the Village. The group make around £50 profit each week and would like to put this to good use. They were pleased to provide the star for the Christmas tree and would like to make a similar contribution this year. The Chairman warmly thanked them and said the Coffee Morning was a good asset for the Village and their offered will be considered.
23/26 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs Houssain and Overell.
24/26 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
No declarations of interest were made relating to any of the agenda items.
25/26 MINUTES
The minutes of the February 3rd were presented – Cllr M Kilburn proposed, Cllr Rushworth seconded and it was resolved by the Council that the Chairman sign them.
Matters arising – all matters on the agenda
RESOLVED: that, the minutes of the meeting held on 3rd February are approved as a true record.
26/26 PLANNING
Outer Dowsing- it was noted that the application for the offshore wind project has been approved by the Secretary of State. No further contact had been received from Outer Dowsing.
27/26 POLICE REPORT
It was noted that 1 item of criminal damage and arson in Hiltons Lane was listed for December
28/26 CLERK and ADMIN SUPPORT REPORT
- Brown Waste Bins – The subscription for 3 bins for the Gardening Club have been renewed and the bins will be collected from All Saints Church.
- VAT Return – a refund of £3197.81, covering April 2023 – March 2025, has been received.
- The Community Governance Review has been agreed by BBC and consultation on the increase of councillors, from 5 to 7, will take place between 9 March and 3rd April.
- Highways updates – The potholes on the A17, by the glasshouses, had been fixed on the westbound side but the eastbound side was still breaking up. This is being reviewed and will be addressed promptly, as the holes are over 40mm. There are no updates on Mill Lane or Green Lane. The moss overhanging the footpath near the notice board is ongoing and the collapsed verge on Mill Lane/Wash Road is being investigated.
An item reported at the January meeting was corrected – the layby near Fosdyke Bridge should have single yellow lines not double, however this has still not been actioned.
A streetlight that is permanently on has been reported several times and listed as fixed but is still on all day. This will be investigated
Cllr Mowton had spoken to the Environment Agency regarding the wearing away of the banks by unregistered 4x4 riders. They have agreed to investigate.
- Quickline box – there had not been a response from residents regarding screening the box, so it was agreed to leave the box uncovered at present.
29/26 FINANCE
- The financial statements and bank reconciliation were received and accepted.
RESOLVED that, the following invoices are approved:
M Warr – salary for February - £362.40
C Glenn – salary for February – £80.25
M Warr – garden waste subs - £135.00
HMRC – January PAYE - £106.60
LALC – Yearly Training Subs - £ 130.00 (£ 26.00 VAT)
A refund has been received following the end of the Tesco Mobile contract – £11.39 (DD)
- Pruning the Christmas Tree
Two quotes were considered (the third contractor did not reply to the request to quote) and it was agreed to accept the quote from BM Arboriculture & Garden Care to do formative pruning work on the large Christmas tree, to make more of a uniform conical shape, remove 2 out of the 3 top leaders again to aid with shape and remove all waste. Total price £350.
A decision on trimming the other trees will be made in the autumn.
RESOLVED: that, a quote of £350, to carry out formative pruning on the Christmas tree, is accepted from BM Arboriculture & Garden Care.
30/26 COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH
Cllrs Mowton, Kilburn and Overell recently attended a training session, and it is understood Cllr Overell had also recruited additional volunteers, although he was not present to confirm this. Potentially, there will be three teams available to operate the scheme. Cllr Rushworth agreed to ask Sutterton PC if they would loan their gun and a budget of £200 was set to cover equipment. Areas for screening will need to be approved.
RESOLVED: that a budget of £200 is available for Community Speed Watch equipment
It was noted that posts would be needed for the solar speed reaction signs and these will cost £200 each. They should be installed on grass verges and Members thought either end of Old Main Road would be good locations. It was understood a survey of the area would take place soon.
A discussion took place on the speed of vehicles using Wash Road. Although this is an unrestricted road it is felt to be a totally unsuitable limit and representations will be made again to ask for a reduction. It is unclear when the last speed review took place and this will be investigated.
31/26 LITTER
A lengthy discussion took place on ways to combat litter in the Village. It was noted that additional bins would not be an option at present, as BBC is reviewing collection services. It was noted that Sutterton PC employ a litter picker, and this proves very effective. A suggestion was made to enlist volunteers to operate a ‘womble’ service. It was mentioned that reinstating the newsletter may be a useful recruitment tool. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
No decision was made, but the litter issue will be revisited at a future meeting.
32/26 CEMETERY
It was agreed to pay the legal costs (approx. £2K) occurring from a transfer from BBC to Fosdyke PC for the two cemeteries. It was noted that ownership of the closed churchyard would not be transferred so this would be a maintenance agreement. There may be a charge relating to consecrated ground, which could account for part of the cost.
RESOLVED: that Fosdyke PC would pay the legal costs relating to the transfer from BBC of ownership of the new cemetery and maintenance of the closed churchyard.
33/26 POLICIES 2026
RESOLVED:
That, a GDPR Data Map and Donation Policy were adopted for 2026
34/26 LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOSTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MATTERS
LCCllr Lock could not attend.
BBCllr Cantwell updated on several items:
BBC have set the budget, and a Band D property will have an increase of £7.83.
88% of the Fosdyke properties are Band A to C, so the increase will be less.
Police funding has been received from the government so there will not be any local redundancies during the next three years.
Cllr Cantwell will be operating his councillor grant scheme again and this will be £200 towards each village project.
10 Councillor surgeries will be made in 2026 – two in each village and a poster is available on websites and noticeboards.
The delayed winter hub scheme will roll out for this year from December.
Mill Lane will not be fully repaired this year and possibly not in 2027 either.
Some concerns had been raised regarding section 134 notices and the implications for the compulsory purchase options, but these had been ironed out with Outer Dowsing.
35/26 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
The following items were identified – Speed Watch and Newsletter.
36/27 NEXT MEETING
It was agreed to defer setting the date and venue for the Annual Parish Meeting until next month.
The date of the next monthly meeting was confirmed as Tuesday 7th April 2026, 7.30pm at the Village Hall
Meeting closed at 8.55pm
Signed………………………………………………..Date……………………………….