Draft Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting 11 May 2026
The Annual Parish Meeting was held on Monday 11th May 2026, 7:15 pm at St Vedast Church, Tathwell LN11 9SX. There were five parishioners present.
1. Welcome. Cllr Mr Lou Fear chaired the meeting. Also in attendance were Parish Councillors Rowena Larkin, Kim Larkin and John Stainton. The Parish Clerk Nadine Must took the minutes. Apologies were received from Cllr Steve Samuel and Russell Howard. The Chair mentioned that the annual parish meeting is a residents’ meeting as opposed to a parish council meeting. It is organised at least once a year and gives residents the updates of what the Parish Council and other authorities have done in the last year.
2. To receive the previous minutes held 6th May 2025. The minutes of the parish meeting held in 2025 were approved as a true record and signed by the Chair.
P:RL; S:JS; All in favour
3. There was no Report from ELDC Ward Member. Cllr Adam Grist did not attend.
4. There was no Report from LCC Division Member. Cllr Alex McGonigle was not present.
5. Annual Report of the Chair of Tathwell and Haugham Parish Council.
5.1 Meetings. 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. He introduced the other parish councillors who were present at the meeting.
He noted that not many residents attend the meetings but 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.
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.
5.2 Council Structure. Three Councillors resigned last year but a co-option nomination was for consideration at the annual meeting of the parish council which followed after the parish meeting. There will still be two vacancies to fill to get a full complement.
5.3 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.
The main contact email for the parish council via the parish clerk is now a gov.uk domain to comply with legislation projecting professionalism, authority and good governance. This was provided free of charge by one of the website providers dealing with local authorities. The main contact email for the parish council via the parish clerk is now a gov.uk domain to comply with legislation projecting professionalism, authority and good governance. This was provided free of charge by one of the website providers dealing with local authorities.
All parish councillors also have a dedicated email address purely for parish council business which complies with legislation.
The Parish Clerk continue to maintain the website where you can find all parish council documents including minutes and agendas.
5.4 Planning. There were three planning applications and one tree preservation order considered. (1, fence for dog exercise yard at land adjacent to Bluestone Heath Road; 2 Church Lane House, Haugham to extend paddock into domestic curtilage; 3 – Closed landfill site to retain a leachate tank and compressor shed; TPO – Ash Removal at Church Lane House, Haugham). All have been approved by the relevant authorities.
There was no decision yet on the Grimsby to Walpole Northern Grid Upgrade.
5.5 Amenities. The Parish Council bought another bench with grants received from ELDC and Lincolnshire Wold Countryside Service for the cost. The bench which is currently outside Cornerways property will be moved further up the lane where there is better scenery.
A portable loo has been hired for the two weeks in May for parish and church visitors during the Arts Festival.
The annual litter picking event was held in March. He thanked Cllr Samuel for his organising efforts and all the volunteers. More than 30 bags of rubbish were collected. The event is always well supported as various people collected and disposed of as well as those who put bags in the bus shelter. It was reported that there was fly tipping of bathroom furniture near the field entrance at Raithby Road. This will be reported to East Lindsey District Council.
The two defibrillators at Tathwell and at Haugham continued to be 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.
The trees in Wightman Corner have been trimmed and tidied up. However, the fence posts are broken and may need to be removed. Cllr Kim Larkin volunteered to check and do what was required. He will also strim the area and clean the bench to tidy up for the Arts Festival.
The state of the Boules pitch was discussed and it was proposed to dispense with the pitch as no one was using the facility. It will revert back as a car parking space. This was unanimously agreed at the meeting.
P:LF; S:RL; All in favour
Remembrance Day was marked again with a short gathering at the War Memorial. The Vice Chair Cllr Rowena Larkin laid a wreath on behalf of the Parish Council.
The Parish Council will be submitting a grant application to East Lindsey District Council for a new marquee and entrance gates. These were the two priorities that resulted in the residents’ survey back in the summer.
This concluded the Chair’s report and thanked the attendees for listening and hope they find the rest of this meeting worthwhile.
6. Annual report of the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO), Nadine Must. The RFO gave a PowerPoint presentation of the annual accounts for the financial year 2025/26. The receipts were £5,232 and payments totalled £5,381. Most of the spend was as expected except for the purchase of a recycled bench at Cornerways. This was not budgeted for but the cost was covered by grants from ELDC and Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service. Total reserves at the end of the financial year were £630. A VAT reclaim of £118 will be submitted. The precept for the current year has been received amounting to £4,976 from an agreed budget spend of £4,927.
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 followed. The Council can certify itself exempt from a limited assurance review The notice for the exercise of public rights will be published by 1st June lasting until 14 July.
7. Annual Report of St Vedast Church Committee. The Churchwarden sent his apologies but reported that the only current church matter is the Art Exhibition on 23-25th May. It was reported that there is a ticketed supper on the Friday. More volunteers will be welcome.
8. 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.
9. Open Forum. There were no matters put forward.
The meeting closed at 7:39 pm and attendees enjoyed some refreshments.
Proposed:
Seconded:
Signed:
Chair
Date: