Annual Parish Meetings

The Annual Parish Meeting was held on Tuesday 6th May 2025, 7:10pm at St Vedast Church, Tathwell LN11 9SX.   There were seven parishioners present. The ELDC Ward Member Cllr Adam Grist was absent and did not provide an annual report.

 

1.  Welcome. Cllr Mr Lou Fear chaired the meeting.  Also in attendance were Parish Councillors Rowena Larkin, Jo Walsh, Steve Samuel, John Stainton, Kim Larkin and John Williams.  Also present were Elizabeth Hairsine, Roy Hairsine and Nadine Must, the Parish Clerk. Apologies were received from Cllr Jerome Higgins-Commowick and Russell and Jean Howard.

 

2.  To receive the previous minutes held 7th May 2024.  The minutes of the parish meeting held in 2024 were approved as a true record and signed by the Chair.

P:JW; S:SS

3.  Annual Report of the Chair of Tathwell and Haugham Parish Council.  Cllr Mr Lou Fear pointed out that Parish Meetings are not parish council meetings.  It is the residents’ meeting giving you the opportunity to meet your Parish Councillors, hear what the Parish Council has done in the last year. In addition, District & County Councillors are invited along with representatives from other areas of the community for their annual update.  Notices and agenda are posted on the two notice boards, on the parish council website and on the Tathwell Village Community page in Facebook.

 

3.1 Parish Council continue to meet every quarter here at St Vedast Church at 7:30pm.  He thanked all fellow parish councillors for continuing to give their time and efforts for the benefit of the village.  Not many members of the public attend the meetings but emphasised that residents are always welcome to attend to let the parish council know of any village issues they want addressed.  The Council cannot promise to resolve the issues but will work with the relevant authorities to address them.  Both the ELDC and LCC Ward members rarely attend parish council meetings but have been supportive on request including a £250 grant from ELDC to purchase a bench to be placed outside Cornerways at Thacker’s Lane. The merger between the two parishes remains unresolved.

 

He also thanked the parish clerk for the efficient administration of meetings and keeping the Councillors up to date with what needs to be considered and decided upon.  

 

3.2 Council Structure.  The Council now has a full complement of eight parish councillors. The Council co-opted Kim Larkin and Jerome Higgins-Commowick last August 2024.

 

3.3 Policies continue to be reviewed and updated when necessary and have adopted those which are considered good to best practice.

 

The Parish Council also now has a General Power of Competence giving power to do anything that individuals generally may do as long as no laws are breached.

 

All parish councillors also have a dedicated email address purely for parish council business which complies with legislation. However, there is now a requirement that the main contact for the parish council (which is the parish clerk) should have a gov.uk email account. The Council is waiting for Lincolnshire County Council to decide if they are able to supply this account associated with the parish council website which they provide.

 

3.4 Speeding Traffic continues to be an issue.  Meetings were held with the previous LCC Ward Member and a Highways Officer last February. Unfortunately, the 30mph signs can’t be extended as they would not meet the required criteria set out in the Highways regulations but LCC would consider putting up a 40-mph sign on the approach to the village down Poverty Lane at the location of the current Tathwell sign.  The Parish Council is considering registering with the Community Speed Watch Campaign to avail of 30mph passive notices and also purchasing a speed indicator device to alert drivers of their speed and will welcome residents’ views on that.

 

3.5 Planning.  There were three planning applications involving two properties considered during the year. Both have now been approved by the district council.  A major consultation by the National Grid to erect pylons along the coast has been controversial and residents have not been in favour.

 

3.6 Amenities.  The Parish Council continues to hire a portable loo for the whole duration of May for church visitors and the Arts Festival.

 

The annual litter picking event took place last March and this year the event was registered with the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign which provided 100 bags.  There were 50 bags of rubbish collected and thanked all the volunteers who supported, collected and disposed of as well as those who put bags in the bus shelter.  

Royal Mail finally repaired the postbox at Haugham after months of persistent emails from the parish clerk for them to get it done.

 

The two defibrillators at Tathwell and at Haugham are monitored regularly to ensure that they are in working order.

 

The Parish Council continues to grant the two churchyards of Tathwell and Haugham with £300 per annum for the upkeep.

 

Remembrance Day was marked again with a short gathering at the War Memorial. Cllr John Williams laid a wreath on behalf of the Parish Council.  The railings around the War Memorial need attention but have been cleaned to make it presentable for the service. It was pleasing that more than 30 people attended last November’s event including a former RAF Officer.

 

For this financial year, the Council wants residents to have a say on possible parish amenities that the parish council can apply grants for.   East Lindsey District Council has grant available of up to £25,000. 

 

This concluded the Chair’s report and thanked the attendees for listening and hope they find the rest of this meeting worthwhile.

 

4. Annual report of the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO), Nadine Must.  The RFO reported that receipts for Financial Year 2024/25 were £4,293 and payments totalled £5,042.  Most of the spend was as budgeted except for the overspend on assets due to the purchase of a recycled bench for Haugham.  Total reserves at the end of the financial year were £780.  A VAT reclaim of £126 will be submitted.  The precept for the current year has been received totalling £4,831 from an agreed budget spending of the same amount. The precept per property band for the current year was presented to show the difference compared to that of last year.

 

The Annual Governance and Accountability Return had been reviewed by the Internal Auditor and the Council will sign off the return at the meeting which follows. The Council is eligible to certify itself exempt from a limited assurance review and will submit a Certificate of Exemption.  The notice for the exercise of public rights will be published by 3rd June lasting until 14 July.

 

5. Annual Report of St Vedast Church Committee.  The Churchwarden sent his apologies but reported that the latest Church news was delivered to most residences either by hard copy or by email and on the private parish page on Facebook back in April. The report included the following.

 

Services are followed by refreshments and a chance to meet and chat with friends and neighbours.  The spring service was held on Sunday 27th April at 11.00am. and was fortunate that Revd Karen Gooding was able to lead the service. She is part of the Louth Team, but very supportive of village churches and this was her first Sunday service for Tathwell. It is expected to have six services a year at Tathwell.

 

The Diocese is trying to recruit a clergyperson to oversee and support the Louth area rural parishes, which is badly needed, although Tathwell cannot expect to receive much more in the way of leading services. Inevitably, nearly all services will be led by lay people (with support), and retired clergy. This, in turn, means that some of the routine jobs needed to run churches will need to be shared. 

 

The Electoral Roll for the (3 church) parish is being renewed and is open to any resident who is baptised, and a Church of England member.   A healthy number on the roll demonstrates support for the church in the village and aids obtaining outside funding.  If anyone would like to be added to the roll, to call the Churchwarden who will bring a form. 

Other Activities.  The food bank collections continue to come in, and are much appreciated at Louth. There are quite a number of people, particularly those living alone, who need other small items to help them cope, including pet food, even soaps etc. All these little things are necessary, and they can be a strain on tight budgets.

The arrangements for the Art Exhibition (23 - 26 May) continue apace, and any help is much appreciated. This is an important event for the church and village, and provides an opportunity to meet and work together.

 

The Church Recording Group are hoping to come during the summer, which will provide more information about the historic church contents/ memorials etc.

Church Building. The two projects (west door replacement/ tower brickwork; and heating) are progressing. Planning for the heating is now in the final stages, having obtained approval in principle, and will now await builders for the west door etc.

 

Churchyards.  The late frosts, fortunately, kept the grass growth down, but they have not deterred the snowdrops, and now the ever-increasing areas of primroses. The Church is thankful for the moral and financial support received from the Parish Council.  Help will be much appreciated as there will still be some work needed at Tathwell before the Art Exhibition and to contact the Churchwarden on jrbh@btinternet.co or 01507 604717.

 

6. Annual Report from the Wightman Trust.  The Parish Clerk reported that the annual return to the Charity Commission does not need to be submitted until October and there was no income nor expenditure at the site.  A copy of the title deeds has not been obtained. Cllr Jo Walsh will action.

 

The trees, fences, gate and gateposts need to be monitored for any repair or replacement needs.  Cllr Higgins-Commowick volunteered to monitor the trees and the parish council will discuss a maintenance plan at the next meeting in August.

 

7. Village Initiatives to pursue for grant funding.  A few suggestions were put forward including a village logo, a replacement marquee to use for events, entrance gates at each end of the parish.  It was agreed that Cllr R Larkin will do a poll to gauge the interests of residents on what they prefer and any other proposals they may suggest.   

 

8. Open Forum.  

8.1 Parking in front of the War Memorial.  A concern was raised on the continued parking at this junction. It was noted that the parking was due to building works on the property opposite.

8.2 Traffic on Thacker’s Lane leading to Chaplin’s Yard.  Vehicle traffic has doubled in recent months and large vehicles have damaged the verges.  There was also concern that the 30 mph speed limit ends before the dangerous bends where there are still properties further along. It was agreed to report to LCC Highways.

The meeting closed at 8:05pm and attendees enjoyed some refreshments.

 

 

Proposed:  

 

 

Seconded:  

 

 

Signed:

Chairman

 

 

Date: