Parish Council Minutes of Meetings 2025-2026

Minutes of meeting of Huttoft Parish Council held on Monday 12th January 2026 at Huttoft Village Hall commencing at 7:00pm

PRESENT: Cllrs. P Lapczuk (Chair), R Walker, R Ganney, R Ward, N Sylvester and V Lee

IN ATTENDANCE: M Rudd (Clerk) and 7 members of the public

4927.   WELCOME:

Cllr Lapczuk welcomed Councillors and members of the public to the meeting.

4928.   APOLOGIES:

Cllr C Meaker (Huttoft Parish Council), Cllrs G Marsh and S Devereux (ELDC).

4929.   PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:

A resident raised concerns about the volume of noise coming from the mill on Sutton Road and the number of HGVs parking in and around the mill very early in a morning whilst waiting to enter the mill.  HGV vehicles are parking on the corner Alford Road / Sutton Road making it dangerous for other road users to navigate the junction, often leaving their engines running creating considerable noise.  As the mill has expanded, the noise and traffic problems are becoming more of a nuisance for local residents.  Cllr Lapczuk said the Parish Council would write to the mill owners to ask if they could address the problems.

4930.   DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATIONS:

None.

4931.   MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 10TH NOVEMBER 2025 TO BE APPROVED:

Proposed, Seconded & RESOLVED that the minutes, having been circulated and read, were approved and signed by the Chair.

4932.   CLERKS REPORT ON OUTSTANDING MATTERS:

The Clerk noted that the Archer Survey conducted on A52 had been received.  Cllr Walker talked Councillors through a summary of the report’s findings.  Whilst some speeding was noted through the 30mph zone, the percentage falls short of that required for speed cameras to be installed.

4933.   FINANCIAL MATTERS:

(a) Payments for Approval:     

Clerks Salary (10 November 2025 – 11 January 2026) - £508.68

SCIS UK Ltd – Gov.uk email (2 months) - £7.92

HP Printing Costs (2 months) - £12.98

Waterproof Covering for Ride-on-Mower - £15.99

LCC 3no. 30mph Passive Road Signs - £30.00

David Roberts Timber – Post for Litter Bin- £35.00

Proposed, Seconded and RESOLVED to approve payments.

(b) To note the Financial Monitoring Report and Bank Reconciliation to 31 December 2025 and to authorise the Treasurer to sign the report:

The Clerk noted that the Wood Chipper, inherited as part of the transfer of assets from Huttoft Playing Field Association at no cost to the Parish Council, had been sold for £200.

The allotment field, owned by the Parish Council, off Sea Lane had been valued in December 2025 at £25,000.  This would now be added to the Parish Council Asset Register.

Noted by Councillors and signed by the Treasurer

4934.   TO APPROVE THE PARISH COUNCIL BUDGET AND PRECEPT FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 2026/2027:

Cllr Lapczuk took Councillors through the proposed budget for the next financial year.  The Parish Council has taken a prudent financial approach over the past two years to improve the overall finances of the Council.  Investment in new grass / maintenance equipment had been made and obsolete assets sold.  Some increases in costs were anticipated such as insurance and the Clerks salary, which were largely out of the control of the Council.

It was proposed to set the overall budget at £10,300 for the next financial year.  This was an overall increase of 3.67% (or the ‘Band D’ equivalent increase of 2.13%)

Proposed, Seconded and RESOLVED to approve the budget and precept for 2026/2027.

4935.   TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING PARISH COUNCIL POLICIES:

(a) Financial Regulations 2025 – Appendix 2: Councillors Allowances & Mileage Expenses

(b) Data Protection Policy

(c) Records Retention Policy

Proposed, Seconded and RESOLVED to approve the policies.

4936.   TO APPROVE THE GRASS CUTTING TENDER AND PROCUREMENT TIMESCALES:

Cllr Lapczuk updated Councillors on the changes made to the handyman job description following changes that have occurred this year.  The tender would invite prospective candidates to apply for the role for an initial period of 12 months which, subject to successful completion of the work, would be renewed for a further 12 months.

The tender would be advertised w/c 19 January 2026 for a period of 2 weeks on the Parish Council noticeboard.  Prospective candidates will be assessed w/c 9 February, with the formal approval of the tender made at the Parish Council meeting on 9 March 2026.

4937.   TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVE BODIES:

(a) ELDC – No report.

(b) LCC – No report.

(c) Friends of St Margarets Close – the Christmas Carol Concert had been a huge success and very well attended.  New heaters had been installed in the church. The next focus will be on reinstating the tower.

(d) Huttoft Village Hall – a grant bid has been made to refurbish the toilets and the Village Hall Committee need to raised £2500 towards the costs.  The Christmas Carol Concert held at the Village Hall was well attended including pupils from Huttoft Primary School.

4938.   HUTTOFT PLAYING FIELD:

(a) General Update – new trees, donated by the Woodland Trust, had been planted in the playing field.  A site visit was carried out by the contractor in mid-November to assess the work required to fence the children’s play area, carry out repairs noted in the RoSPA Report and install new equipment as part of the GRASSroots funding bid.  The Parish Council is awaiting the formal quote.

(b) GRASSroots Grant Interim Impact Report – report to December 2025 noted by Councillors

(c) Financial Monitoring Report – report to 31 December 2025 noted by Councillors.

4939.   HUTTOFT CAR TERRACE:

Cllr Walker took Councillors through his report.  The North Car Park has been closed due to a build-up of sand and the South Car Park has been partially closed.  This has meant visitors were parking on the double yellow lines over the Christmas period.

LCC Highways have confirmed that damage to Sea Lane caused by recent construction work in the area will be repaired under the contractor’s contractual obligations once the weather improves.

4940.   ANY OTHER MATTERS:

Cllr Sylvester raised concerns regarding the state of the A52 north of the village despite the recent repairs and asked the Clerk to log concerns with LCC.

Cllr Walker stated that the ‘Deer’ signs promised by LCC on Sea Lane still hadn’t been installed and asked the Clerk to chase LCC.

Cllr Lapczuk noted the ongoing issues with poor drainage on A52 Sutton Road was causing flooding to some houses and asked the Clerk to raise with Cllr Beecham (LCC).

4941.   DATE OF NEXT MEETING:

Monday 9th March 2026 – Parish Council Meeting at 7pm in the Village Hall.

4942.   THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THE MEETING CLOSED AT 7:45pm