Unapproved notes of the meeting held 12th May 2026
Unapproved notes (subject to change) of the Annual Meeting of Partney and Dalby Parish Council held 7pm 12th May 2026 in the Victory Hall, Partney
Present: Cllr Jacqueline Oliver (Chair) Cllr Beth Dawson Cllr Mick Lovelock Cllr E Middleton Cllr Sue Sargeant
Also in attendance: Cllr Brookes - County Councillor, Jane Slaymaker - Parish Clerk
No members of public were in attendance.
1. It was resolved to elect Cllr Oliver as Chair and the signed Declaration of Acceptance of Office was signed and retained by the Clerk.
2. It was resolved to elect Cllr Lovelock as Vice-Chair.
3. There were no members of the public present, so the Open Forum did not take place.
4. Apologies were received from Cllr Hunton and Ratcliffe. These were accepted.
5. No declarations of interest were received.
6. It was resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10th March 2026 and the Chair signed the minutes.
7. County Councillor Brookes congratulated Cllr Dawson, who had received a certificate and gift for her 50 years service as Parish Councillor at the Annual Parish Meeting, held earlier. All the councillors present supported the comments made by Cllr Brookes; that the dedication and commitment made by Cllr Dawson was remarkable. Cllr Brookes reported that LCC Infrastructure and Road Sign Team would supply a timetable for the new bus shelter. The new household Waste Food Caddies are expected to be delivered in October. A decision regarding the Local Government reorganisation is expected in July. The re-topping of the footpath to Partney Fuel Station has been included in the schedule for work but no date is available yet. Cllr Brookes had been unable to find out why Maddison Lane had road closure signs for a period but no work undertaken. It is likely that different contractors were used for the signs. Cllr Lovelock asked about the provision of a blue badge parking bay outside a property. Cllr Brookes reported that this was not something LCC offered partly due to parking in a marked bay being unenforceable. The Chair suggested that she approach Partney school to make them aware, in case the drivers causing access issues were from the school.
8. Finance
a) The financial position was noted: £7,427.78 in the current account and £7,113.64 in the interest/reserves account. The bank reconciliations up to 9/04/26 were checked and signed by Cllr Middleton.
b) It was resolved to approve renewal of Council’s insurance with Zurich at £287.01. Quotations will be sought from other providers in 2028 in line with the Internal Auditor recommendations.
c) It was resolved to approve the schedule of direct debits paid by the Council: ICO, Wave, Lloyds
d) It was resolved to transfer of £5,000 from current account to interest/reserves account
e) It was resolved to approve the bank mandate: Cllrs Middleton, Oliver and Sargeant being co-approvers.
f) It was resolved to approve the following payments:
12.03.26 Partney, Dalby & Dexthorpe Victory Memorial Hall hire charge 25/26 £235.00
21.03.26 Amazon bus shelter planters x2 (grant money) debit card (LGA 1972 s.111) £67.98
30.03.26 A Cannell village grounds maintenance (Highways Act 1980 s.96) £120.00
30.03.26 A Cannell cemetery grass cutting March (Local Government Act 1972 s.214) £150.00
09.04.26 Lloyds bank fee £4.25
20.04.26 ICCM Membership £110
20.04.26 Cloud Next Ltd email hosting £59.98
20.04.26 Victoria Clark End of Year Internal Audit £43.50
21.04.26 Countryside Plants Ltd plants (grant money) debit card (Highways Act 1980 s 96) £31.92
29.04.26 Amazon litter pickers (LGA 1972 s.111) £19.49
24.04.26 Wave cemetery water DD £5.74
05.05.26 A Cannell village grounds maintenance - April (Highways Act 1980 s.96) £120.00
05.05.26 A Cannell cemetery grass cutting April (Local Government Act 1972 s.214) £150.00
05.05.26 Countryside Plants Ltd plants (grant money) (Highways Act 1980 s 96) £47.91
05.05.26 Countryside Plants Ltd plants (grant money) (Highways Act 1980 s 96) £50.35
09.05.26 Lloyds bank fee £4.25
12.05.26 Easy PC accountancy software £60
31.05.26 Salary £214.30 (LGA 1972 s.112)
30.06.26 Salary £214.30
g) Income received since the last meeting was noted:
09.03.26 Interest £1.39
09.04.26 Interest £3.02
22.04.26 ELDC Precept £6,565
9. AGAR Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2025/26
a) It was resolved to approve the cash book income and expenditure 2025-26 statement.
b) It was resolved to approve the asset register for publication.
c) The annual Internal Auditor report was received, there were no recommendations and it was resolved to approve publication on the Council’s website.
d) The Balance Sheet for the year end 31st March 2026 was received and it was resolved that it be signed by the Chair and the Responsible Finance Officer.
e) It was resolved to approve the Annual Governance Statement (Section 1 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR)) for financial year 2025/26 and the Chair and the Parish Clerk were authorised to sign it.
f) It was resolved to approve the bank reconciliation, variance analysis and the Annual Accounting Statement 2025-26 (Section 2) and the Chair was authorised to sign Section 2.
g) It was resolved to approve the Certificate of Exemption and the Chair and Parish Clerk were authorised to sign it. The publication of documents on the parish council’s website to meet obligations specified in the Council’s Publication scheme, Transparency Code and Accounts and Audit Regulations were approved.
h) It was resolved to approve the commencement date for the exercise of elector’s rights of inspection of the accounts to be exercised as 3rd June to 14th July 2026.
10. Council Reserves
It was resolved to approve the allocation of Council Reserves of £8,890:
Ring-fenced covid grant £2,476.73 remaining. General reserves £5,252, Defibrillator Fund: £100, Emergency Planning Fund: £50, Office Equipment Replacement Fund: £150, Street Furniture Replacement Fund: £100, Cemetery Maintenance Fund: £761. The Clerk stated that money could be moved between these Reserves if needed.
11. Planning Matters
a) Planning application ref:00516/26/FUL - Erection of 1 no. dwelling. Land adjacent Birchwood Cottage Skegness Road Partney was considered. Councillors felt that more information was required. The Clerk to respond to ELDC.
b) No planning decisions and/or appeal notifications had been received since the last meeting.
12. Village Matters
a) Highway issues were mostly discussed during the County Councillor report. It was noted that white line painting had been redone. One pothole had been repaired on Hardings Lane. Further potholes required attention.
b) Correspondence from a resident, sent to ELDC and their response, concerning highways littering was noted. Councillors wished to thank P Risi for raising concerns with ELDC about the level of littering.
c) It was agreed that the Parish Plan Councillor allocations for Housing, Broadband and Littering be looked at in the July meeting.
d) An LCC consultation for ‘no waiting’ restriction on approach from roundabout to Partney Fuel Station was noted. Councillors thought this was a good idea but wondered how it would be enforced.
e) Cllr Sargeant provided an update on the Speed Watch initiative. Frustratingly, despite chasing by Cllr Sargeant and the Clerk, the locations for Speed Watch, sent in March, have not yet been verified by the Co-ordinator.
f) Possible village projects were considered should additional funding become available. The Council resolved to look at acquiring a Speed Indicator Device (SID) for the Dalby Road where the 60mpg becomes a 30mph. County Cllr Brookes asked that details be sent to him as it is hoped LCC might be introducing a funding pot for community projects.
g) The Clerk reported that the PCC intend to place the village interpretation panel in church when they erect a new noticeboard in its stead.
13. Internal Council Matters
a) It was resolved to re-adopt the Council’s Standing Orders.
b) It was resolved to re-adopt the Financial Regulations.
c) It was resolved to re-adopt the Debit Card policy.
d) It was resolved to re-adopt the Council’s Code of Conduct.
e) It was resolved to re-adopt terms of reference for a Staffing Committee.
f) It was resolved to re-adopt the Risk Management schedule.
g) It was resolved to allocate Councillor responsibilities: Cemetery – Cllr Sargeant, Safeguarding – Cllr Oliver, Website – Cllr Lovelock, Finance – Cllr Middleton, Speeding – Cllr Sargeant.
h) It was resolved to agree a schedule of meetings for 2026/27: 14th July; 8th September; 10th November; 12th January (precept); 9th March and 11th May (for the Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Meeting of the Parish Council). Councillors for the Drop-in Sessions at the Coffee Morning would be considered at the July meeting. The Chair offered to do the July session.
i) It was noted that the updated password list to be kept in a sealed envelope was passed to the Chair.
j) It was resolved to re-adopt the Accessibility statement. It was noted that the website has been recently tested for accessibility by the Clerk using Silktide.
k) It was resolved to re-adopt the Publication Scheme.
l) It was resolved to advertise the Councillor vacancies and consider applicants at the July meeting
m) The Cemetery checklist had been previously circulated and was noted. Cllr Sargeant reported that during the Village Tidy Session, the ground had been levelled and grass seeds sown. The water standpipe was working. The bench is in need of a clean. Excess bulbs from the village planters will be planted along the cemetery wall. The railings and gate require repainting next year.
14. Correspondence
The Crisis and Resilience fund sent details about the heating oil fund (in noticeboard). National Grid Eastern Green Link 3&4 sent through the latest consultation. Keep Britain Tidy advertised No Such Thing as the Poo Fairy posters for £150. The Police and Crime Commissioner are seeking volunteer custody visitors (in noticeboard).
15. Clerk and Councillor Reports
Cllr Sargeant reported on the May Councillor Drop-in Session. Concerns were: Maddison Lane overgrown hedge; footpath between Victory Hall carpark and Maddison Lane is overgrown; disabled parking space; Hardings Lane corner – no street lighting; unnecessary Maddison Lane road closure; bins left on pavements restricting access; Chapel Lane and footpath – uneven surfaces; Hardings Lane – parking issue; odours from slurry; riparian responsibilities for the beck. The Clerk reported that National Grid confirmed that they only own the rectangle of land where the substation is situated and have no fencing obligations. They stated that the substation is safe and does not require a fence but the landowner may choose to fence it. Interest in the County Grass Cutting Agreement was registered in March, however details were sent too late to be included on this agenda and will be put on the July agenda. The Clerk had registered possible locations regarding the local flood alarm system, agreed at the last meeting. The grass contractor had asked if additional village grass cuts would be required. This will be looked at when the contract is reviewed in January. Solitary bees have built nests in the bus shelter noticeboard for the second year. An item about a solitary bees nest to be included on the July agenda.
County Councillor Brookes left the meeting.
16. It was resolved to exclude the press and public from the meeting uder Section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, as applied by Section 100 of the Local Government Act 1972. The Clerk’s appraisal, which took place in January, was discussed. The Clerk had been provided with a copy of the appraisal. No issues were recorded.
17. The date of the next meeting of the Parish Council is 14th July 2026.
The meeting closed at 8.37pm.