Fosdyke Parish Council Meeting Minutes

https://fosdyke.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk

To view the signed copy of the minutes please click the link below:

https://fosdyke.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/113/signed-minutes-december-clerk-s-report

Minutes of the Meeting of Fosdyke Parish Council

Meeting Details

• Date: December 2nd, 2025
• Time: 7.30 PM
• Location: Fosdyke Village Hall

Attendees

• Councillor A Mowton (Chairman)
• Councillor M Houssain
• Councillor M Kilburn
• Councillor K Overell
• Councillor J Rushworth (Vice-Chairman)
• Maxine Warr – Clerk, Courtney Glenn – Admin

Also Present

• 6 Members of the Public including Cllr J Cantwell

PUBLIC FORUM

Several highways’ issues were highlighted, including speeding on Fosdyke Bridge and Wash Road and the ongoing crumbling of Mill Lane. There were also problems highlighted of the road surface breaking up on Wash Road into Mill Lane. Green Lane was also mentioned again. Members of the public were encouraged to continue to report items on Fix My Street and Cllr Lock will be kept informed of all complaints. However, it was noted that the priority is for major roads to be repaired.

Cllr Kilburn brought up the problems with tractors speeding through the Village once again and it was agreed to contact the farmers to remind them of the rules.

             All other items mentioned were included on the agenda.

             Public forum ended.

25/74   The meeting began with introductions from the Chair. An explanation of where all fire exits and emergency exits are given.

25/75   APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

All councillors were present.

25/76 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

Cllr Mowton declared a prejudicial interest in any matters relating to allotments, as he is an allotment holder.

25/77 MINUTES

The minutes of the November 4th were presented – Cllr M Houssain proposed, Cllr M Kilburn seconded and it was resolved by the Council that the Chairman sign them.

RESOLVED: that, the minutes of the meeting held on 4th November are approved as a true record.

Matters arising – Remembrance Service

It was agreed that the service at the war grave was a fitting tribute. A donation

 will be made to the Royal British Legion in lieu of purchasing two poppy wreaths.

25/78   PLANNING

New plans – B/25/0244 - Statutory Consultation Notice under section 42 of the Planning Act 2008 and the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedures) Regulations 2009 to Boston Borough Council for project EN020036 for the proposed Grimsby to Walpole Project (the Proposed Development) at Grimsby to Walpole

The Chairman said he attended two public meetings regarding the application and although this proposal did not directly affect Fosdyke there would be several knock-on effects. A lengthy discussion took place and many objections were raised. The main objection was the loss of prime agriculture land and the detrimental effect on the economy of the area. In addition, if this proposal is agreed it could a set a precedent for future similar developments.

RESOLVED: that, Fosdyke Parish Council would object to the application, as they feel the loss of prime agriculture land would be extremely detrimental, not only to the farmers, but to the wider economy of the area and the country. In addition, if this proposal was agreed it could set a precedent for future similar developments.

25/79   POLICE REPORT

It was noted that 1 crime of anti-social behaviour was reported in Whitecross Gate in September. It was agreed to set up a record of crimes to monitor any patterns.

25/64   CLERKS REPORT

The clerk presented a report (attached), and the following items were resolved:

That,

• A stamp would be purchased to record approval of invoices.
• The contract with the accountant would be terminated at the end of the financial year and the payment of salaries be brought ‘in house’ through the HMRC RTI tools from 1 April 2026.

25/81   HIGHWAYS

            To receive an update on highways matters including:

• Thompsons Lane – it was noted that LCC will take no further action on the request for a ‘stopping up’ order.

It was agreed that the PC will keep a log of all highways complaints to enable them to be followed up if there is no resolution.

25/82   FINANCE

• The financial statements and bank reconciliation were received and accepted.

RESOLVED that, the following invoices are approved:

M Warr – salary for November - £362.40

C Glenn – salary for November - £45.53

M Firth – grass cutting October - £115.34

Tesco Mobile – contract for November - £12.57 (DD)

• A draft budget for 2026/27 was presented and discussed, a number of items were added, and a final draft will be circulated ahead of the January meeting. The precept will also be set at the January meeting.

25/83   ALLOTMENTS

            There were no items to discuss.

25/84   CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

The lights and star have been safely installed on the tree, but it has become evident that the tree needs attention as well as the electrical box. Mr Glenn presented a detailed report to the Council outlining points for discussion. (attached) It was agreed to obtain three quotes from an arboriculturist in the new year and contract the services of an electrician. Cllr Overell agreed to store the star and make a housing box. The coffee morning group were warmly thanked for their donation towards the purchase of the star.

RESOLVED: that, early in the new year three quotes will be obtained regarding pruning works to the Christmas tree.

25/85   QUICKLINE

It was noted that the rollout for the Village should be completed in the next 3 months. The ‘wrapping’ of the box will be chased.

25/86   COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE REVIEW

Members felt that the number of councillors should be increased to reflect the interest expressed by residents in the Parish Council. Therefore, it was agreed to make representations to BBC for a Community Governance Review to increase the councillor quota from 5 to 8. It was noted that this may not happen until the next election. Proposed by Cllr Houssain and seconded by Cllr Rushworth.

RESOLVED: to make representatives to Boston Borough Council to carry out a Community Governance Review with a view to increasing the number of councillors for Fosdyke from 5 to 8.

25/87   LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL AND BOSTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MATTERS   

            LCCllr Lock was not in attendance.

            BBCllr Cantwell gave a verbal report updating matters from last month. Most of the items are ongoing, including the Police panel and the local government reorganisation. The setting up of the winter hub warm spaces is progressing well. It is hoped to use village halls and he has invited representatives from organisations such as AgeUK and Lincs Digital.

            The street cleaning rota for rural areas will be available shortly and will include weed spraying.

Cllr Cantwell also suggested this may be a good opportunity to approach BBC about taking over the cemetery. He will send a contact link to the Clerk.                                                                                                                  

25/88   NEXT MEETINGS

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Tuesday 6th January 2026, 7.30pm at the Village Hall

     The meeting calendar for 2026 was confirmed as follows:

     3 February – 3 March - 7 April - 5 May – Annual Meeting

             2nd June – 7th July – August - No Meeting - 1st September        

             6th October - 3rd November - 1st December

             The date in April for the Annual Parish Meeting will be confirmed in due course.

At the end of the meeting the Chaiman reflected on an eventful year and thanked the public for their consistent attendance and interest in the Parish Council. He felt that there was now an opportunity to move forward with optimism and confidence. He wished the Village a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Meeting closed at 21.12.

EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC It was resolved, in accordance with Section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 that the public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business, as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during this item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, and further that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons set out in the report.

Confidential Item – RESOLVED, that, the post of admin officer would continue for the next six months at 2 hours per week on Spinal Scale 10 - £13.91 per hour. Hours and pay rate to be reviewed in June 2026. A new job description will be issued.

Signed………………………………………………..Date………………

Clerk's Report

Clerks Report December 2025

As this is my first Clerk’s report, I would like to thank the Councillors for their warm welcome and put on record my thanks to Courtney for the handover and well-kept paperwork. It is much appreciated.

This is a brief update of items I have dealt with and plans for the next few weeks:

Parish Finance – the Scribe subscription has been cancelled, making a saving of £273.60. The accounts have been transferred to an Excel spreadsheet and will be available to the councillors monthly, along with a bank reconciliation.

Invoices – all invoices should be signed off by two councillors and if cheques are used the stubs should also be signed. There could be an option of buying a stamp for the invoices or attaching a front sheet.

Staff Salary Payment - Currently the staff salaries are calculated by Walker and Quinn Accounting at a cost of £24 per month. I would recommend that this is taken back ‘in house’ from the start of the next financial year. The reason for not changing beforehand, is because it is quite problematic to make a change to the HMRC tools mid-year.

Website – I am in contact with Steve about updating info on the website and he will let me know when it’s done. There will be more to update when the relevant council polices have been reviewed.

Policies – I hope to bring a list of policies next month for review or adoption. Some councils like to nominate a smaller number of councillors to review polices before they come to full council.

I think that is about all for this month, but hopefully next month the info won’t be quite so dry!

Maxine Warr

Christmas Tree Report

CHRISTMAS TREE

There are a number of issues regarding the Christmas Tree and the electrical supply.

1) The most important is the Councils electrical distribution cabinet containing the transformer and sockets for the tree lights and star. The cabinet is in a very poor condition and although it has been temporally secured for the duration of this seasons light display once these are removed on Saturday 10th January the services of an electrical engineer will be required. As an interim measure, depending on future decisions regarding the existing tree, the electrical supply to the Councils cabinet should be disconnected in the electrical companies cabinet.

2) The issue with the tree is more complex in that the tree has now grown to such an extent that the teleporter used to install the lights cannot reach the top of the tree. The tree also has multiple top leads, presumably from previous trimming, leading to the shape of the tree being most unlike a Norway Spruce. I would suggest a competent arboriculturist be engaged to advise if it would be possible to trim the tree to a more manageable size and shape. If this is not possible it may be necessary to remove the existing tree and plant a replacement.

3) Depending on the decision on the future of the tree if it is retained the secure erection of the star needs to modified to make it easier and safer to erect in future years. This will require an additional 3.5 metre length of steel box section with base plate. This will enable the complete pole unit to be erected without the necessity for someone to climb the trunk of the tree. The cost of this should not be excessive.

4) The storage of the star and its poles needs to be addressed. Currently the lights are compact enough to be stored in a relatively small plastic box and have been kept for the last few years by Martin Heathcote. As the star is 1 metre in diameter with 2 1.5 metre poles and a 3.2 metre steel pole, plus the possible additional in item 3 above, I consider it would be inconsiderate to expect Martin to store these also.

5) Dependant on the decision regarding the future of the existing tree a replacement electrical cabinet needs to be installed in a suitable location by a competent electrical engineer.

Denis Glenn. 2nd December 2025.