Unapproved notes of the meeting held 13th January 2026
Minutes of the Meeting of Partney and Dalby Parish Council held 7pm 13th January 2026 in the Victory Hall, Partney
Present: Cllr Jacqueline Oliver (Chair) Cllr Beth Dawson Cllr Caroline Hewlett Cllr J Hunton Cllr Mick Lovelock Cllr E Middleton Cllr Andy Ratcliffe Cllr Packa Risi Cllr Sue Sargeant
Also in attendance: Jane Slaymaker – Parish Clerk
There was no Open Forum.
1. The Chair opened the meeting at 7.02pm, welcomed everyone to the meeting and wished councillors a happy New Year.
2. There were no apologies.
3. There were no declarations of interest.
4. It was resolved to accept the minutes of the meeting held on 11th November 2025 as a true record and the Chair signed the minutes.
5. The County and District councillors did not attend.
6. Finance
a) It was noted that the current account stood at £880.63 and the reserves/interest account, £5,808.72
b) The bank reconciliations from November and December were checked and signed by cllr Middleton.
c) Bank transfers from the interest account to the current account: £500 on 12.11.25, £3,780 on 03.12.25 and £500 on 8.12.25 were noted.
d) It was resolved to subscribe to Sophos for cyber-security software at £38 per annum.
e) Two tenders were received and considered. It was resolved to appoint AGS Groundcare as the grass cutting contractor for March to September 2026. The terms to be renewed for a further two years if required by the Council, with an RPI increase. The Clerk to follow up the references provided.
f) It was resolved to accept the following budget for 2026/27:
Salary £2,571
Office supplies £30
Bank account fee £51
Insurance £320
Subscriptions £508
Financial audits £120
Data protection ICO £40
Training £180
Asset maintenance £400
Village Grounds maintenance incl planters £840
Cemetery Grounds maintenance £1,050
Cemetery water rates £90
Newsletter £300
Defibrillator fund £50
Emergency planning fund £50
Victory Hall hire £220
Annual Parish Meeting refreshments £5
Speed Watch Equipment £300
Office equipment replacement fund £150
£7,275
g) It was resolved to set a precept for 2026/27 of £6,565.00
h) It was resolved to approve the following payments:
19.11.25 Doxdirect newsletter printing £73.67
08.12.25 Paul Lock Ltd Laptop, Windows 11 Pro and set up £591.25
08.12.25 Clark’s Clerical Service Mid Year Internal Audit £60.00
08.12.25 The Shed Man 50% deposit for bus shelter £3,780.00
09.01.26 Lloyds bank fee £4.25
31.01.26 Salary £175.11 (LGA 1972 s.112)
09.02.26 Lloyds bank fee £4.25
28.02.26 Salary £175.11
13.01.25 LALC annual membership £164.04
13.01.25 LALC Annual Training Scheme £156.00
i) To note any income received since the last meeting:
09.11.25 Interest £5.56
09.12.25 Interest £4.36
07.01.26 HMRC Tax refund £820.85
7. Planning Matters
a) No planning applications had been received since the last meeting.
b) No planning decisions and/or appeal notifications had been received since the last meeting
8. Village Matters
a) Highways Update
Cllrs Lovelock and Sargeant met with County Cllr Brookes and a Highways representative in November. Chapel Lane is due to be looked at in 2027. The pathway towards the cemetery will be scheduled for resurfacing. The path to the garage will be scheduled for resurfacing. The pit at the garage will be investigated regarding drainage. Speeding issues were raised. Residents are encouraged to report highway concerns via the Fix My Street website. The Clerk was asked to obtain an update for the next meeting.
b) Designation of Partney as a ‘large village’
Cllr Grover was unable to attend the meeting and no update regarding the designation of Partney as a ‘large village’ in the 2018 Local Plan was available.
9. Internal Council Matters
a) District Councillor Grant application
It was resolved to reconsider the application for the District Councillor Grant Scheme. An application will be made for the cost of providing the village newsletter, purchasing equipment required to participate in the Speed Watch initiative and purchasing plants etc to improve the environment, assessed at £800.
b) District Councillor attendance record
It was resolved to formally write to the Monitoring Office of the District Council regarding the District Councillor’s attendance record. Cllr Grover had not attended a meeting since January 2025 despite being invited to each meeting. Councillors were concerned that the parish was not being represented and information from the District was being missed.
c) Partney street lights
It was resolved to request that LCC keep the midnight switch off for the streetlight columns in Partney. Cllr Risi reported that crime date indicated there had been one reported incident for Partney in the last 12 months.
d) Internal Audit
The Internal Auditors mid-term audit was received. There were no action points required.
e) Parish Plan Update
Cllr Lovelock reported that the footpath asset survey had been completed. There were no issues and the paths are clear. Cllr Sargeant reported that the locations for Speed Watch were being identified and required verification. Additional signage and Hi-Viz jackets were still required to be purchased. Cllr Risi reported that fly-tipping had improved. The A roads have become more littered. Cllr Sargeant has spare green litter bags at her home. Cllr Oliver had a response from Lincoln Diocese regarding the use of part of the Glebe Field as a play area. Savills, the land agents, had no proposals in the short term but the idea was not ruled out long term.
f) Cllr Ratcliffe updated on the Emergency Action Plan. The Headteacher is to make contact with a date to move it forward.
g) Footpath between the Victory Hall carpark and Maddison Lane
Cllr Risi stated that the footpath is shown as being ‘discharged’ on the planning website (along with the landscaping condition). The original s106 agreement had been withdrawn. The Clerk is trying to obtain further information from ELDC.
h) Monthly Cemetery checklist
The Cemetery checklist was received. A tidy up session is to be arranged.
i) Training Record 2025
j) The annual Training Record for publication on the Council’s website was received. The Clerk to include the Speed Watch training.
k) Cemetery Risk Assessment
l) The Cemetery Risk Assessment was reviewed and accepted. There were no amendments.
10. Correspondence
A reply from the Environment Agency confirmed that whilst the Partney Beck is classed as a main river, the landowner is responsible for keeping the beck clear.
11. Clerk and Councillor Reports
Cllr Oliver confirmed that the location for the bus shelter had been marked out on site in agreement with the owner of the Red Lion Inn. Cllr Risi reported that the school had installed a new lighting system where all lights are off at 23:00 hours. The Clerk was asked to write thanking the school for this change which is in keeping with the darker skies initiative. The Clerk reported that Pride in Place funding had been confirmed to purchase a replacement defibrillator for outside the Victory Hall and that BHF advised keeping the current defibrillator marked as available despite the pads being out of date (and unattainable). An anomaly in the HMRC PAYE figures resulted in the Council owing money to HMRC. Cllr Middleton is helping the Clerk to rectify the situation.
12. The date of the next meeting of the Parish Council will be 10th March 2026.
The meeting closed at 8.37pm.