October 2026 Minutes
The Parish Council meeting was held on Monday 12th October 2026 at 7.00pm in the Jubilee Hall, High Street, Heighington.
Present:
Councillor Buckley-Jones
Councillor Catterson
Councillor Farrington
Councillor George
Councillor McCaig
Councillor Raphael
Councillor Trafford (Vice Chair)
Councillor Watkinson
Councillor Yeates
Clerk – Elaine Atkin
LCC/NKDC Councillor Carrington
Absent:
Cllr Sockell (Chair)
NKDC Councillor Goodwin
NKDC Councillor Harrington
There was 1 member of the public present.
Cllr Trafford took the Chair for this meeting.
Public participation
There were no questions.
115/M/26 To receive and accept apologies, where valid reasons for absence have been submitted to the clerk prior to the meeting.
Apologies and a valid reason for absence had been received from Cllr Sockell. It was proposed by Cllr George, seconded by Cllr Yeates and resolved to accept these.
Apologies had also been received from NKDC Cllr Goodwin.
116/M/26 To receive Declarations of Interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and receive Requests for Dispensations.
There were none.
117/M/26 To approve as a correct record the notes of the meeting held on Monday 14th September 2026 and for the chair to sign these as the agreed minutes.
It was proposed by Cllr Yeates, seconded by Cllr Buckley-Jones and resolved to approve the September minutes. These were duly signed by the Chair.
118/M/26 To receive reports from County and District Councillors (for information only).
LCC/NKDC Cllr Carrington gave the following update:
- Cllr Carrington attended our Friendly Faces event last week and is happy to publicise this on social media if we want.
- Attended a meeting at Grantham Barracks on behalf of NKDC in relation to Armed Forces.
- Two solar speed signs have now been installed in Canwick.
- A resident has asked (via Cllr Carrington) if we would consider having a speed sign on Branston Road.
- Cllr Carrington’s LCC grant is still available, so there is an opportunity to apply.
- There has been a meeting on the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, which is currently under review. A Scoping Consultation is coming up (running from 22 October to 3 December).
- Concern over the implications of the new NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework).
119/M/26 To note the list of correspondence and meetings since the September council meeting.
This was noted.
At this point the Chair agree to bring forward agenda item 14 (To feedback following further investigations of the requests made by Heighington Cricket Club (as per September’s Full Council, minute 106/M/26).
120/M/26 To feedback following further investigations of the requests made by Heighington Cricket Club (as per September’s Full Council, minute 106/M/26).
A representative from Heighington Cricket Club was invited to speak by the Chair, and they gave the following update:
- A positive site meeting was held with Cllrs Trafford and Sockell.
- The Club contacted NKDC Licensing Officer and have obtained details of the requirements for a Club Premises certificate. The Club believes that it can meet the requirements.
- A councillor queried whether the Club would be permitted to sell the alcohol – NKDC had said this would not be an issue.
- Alcohol would only be available to members and their guests. (Guests would be made members with two days’ notice).
- The Club will know members’ ages, so age verification should not be an issue.
It was proposed by Cllr Farrington, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved to agree to the Club applying for a Club Premises certificate.
The member of public left the meeting (7:22pm).
Financial matters:
121/M/26 To approve the monthly accounts for September 2026, including List of Payments, Summary of Receipts and Payments and Bank Reconciliation.
The September bank reconciliation had been checked and signed in advance by Cllr Watkinson.
Bank balances at the end of September were: Co-op current £5,000.00, Co-op Instant Access £55,241.12, Unity Trust current £27.834.00, PSDF £48,000, Unity Trust Instant Access £41,227.94.
There were no questions, and it was proposed by Cllr Raphael, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved to approve the accounts, as presented.
122/M/26 To note overtime worked in August and paid in September.
There was no overtime in this period.
123/M/26 To confirm council’s decision regarding the future of the bus shelter on the High Street.
It was confirmed that Cllr Carrington’s LCC grant (up to £3,000) is still available, however this is time limited. (It was further confirmed that although Cllrs Buckley-Jones and Sockell had previously emailed Cllr Carrington with a draft funding request for feedback, the council had not formally applied for this grant, via the defined process).
It was proposed by Cllr Watkinson, seconded by Cllr Buckley-Jones and resolved to replace the bus shelter, and to put in a formal application for the LCC councillor funding (including design and rough costs including installation). The replacement bus shelter project will need to involve LCC as the landowner, the bus company, NKDC Conservation Officer and potentially NKDC Planning.
Parish Council funding for this project was not discussed.
124/M/26 To consider a resident request to re-instate a dedicated dog waste bin on Edward Barker Road, next to the existing litter bin.
During discussion it was determined that having two bins (separate dog waste and litter bins) as requested, at this location will not necessarily remove the issue of smells if we have extreme heat as we had this year.
It was proposed by Cllr George, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved to confirm that we sympathise with the smell issues experienced by the resident this summer however we believe that the existing dual-use bin should be sufficient and therefore do not plan to install a separate dog waste bin at that location.
125/M/26 To consider replacement of various damaged tables at Jubilee Hall, replacing them with smaller tables that are more manageable to handle.
It was proposed by Cllr George, seconded by Cllr Farrington and resolved to purchase 5 small tables, to replace the damaged ones, which have now been removed from circulation.
126/M/26 To consider purchase of a second sand bin for Jubilee Hall, to replace the sandbags currently stored on a pallet.
It was proposed by Cllr Yeates, seconded by Cllr George and resolved to purchase a further sand bin, with hasp and padlock, and fill it with sand. To be located next to the existing sand bin in the Jubilee Hall front car park. This will be funded from unallocated reserves.
127/M/26 To retrospectively approve expenditure of £1068 (including VAT) plus Land registry fee (to be determined) for solicitor fees to get the Almond Avenue lease registered with Land registry.
It was proposed by Cllr Raphael, seconded by Cllr Watkinson and resolved to retrospectively approve this expenditure.
128/M/26 To confirm that Council signed up to a two-year internal audit service from LALC in 2025, covering both 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years and that LALC will assign an internal auditor who meets the criteria of independence and competence as defined in the Practitioner’s Guide.
This was proposed by Cllr Buckley-Jones, seconded by Cllr Farrington and resolved.
130/M/26 To consider co-option application(s) for the current vacancy.
No applications had been received.
131/M/26 To receive an update on previous actions.
The update was noted.
132/M/26 To receive an update on chafer grubs, moles and Ragwort on council land, and groundwater levels.
There was no update on groundwater levels. Cllr Trafford reported that there is no evidence of birds digging up chafer grubs yet and that there are signs of moles on the bottom field at Potterhanworth Road.
The update was noted.
Planning Matters and Tree Works:
133/M/26 To consider tree works applications received from NKDC (including those considered between meetings)
a. 26/1068/TCA. Notification of Intended Works to Trees in a Conservation Area.T1 – Silver Birch – Reduce by up to 2m all round and thin by approx. up to 10% to avoid future crossing branches. Surgery, 7A High Street, Heighington.
Considered offline – Council had no comments.
134/M/26 To note the planning applications received from NKDC for consideration (including those considered between meetings).
None received.
135/M/26 To note planning decision notices from NKDC.
a. 26/0875/HOUS. Demolition of conservatory and erection of a single storey side extension. 26 High Street, Heighington. Application approved.
b. 26/0876/LBC. Demolition of conservatory and erection of a single storey side extension. 26 High Street, Heighington. Application approved.
The decisions were noted.
136/M/26 CLOSED SESSION. To resolve to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960 for the following staffing items on the grounds that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
It was proposed by Cllr Watkinson, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved to move into closed session.
LCC/NKDC Cllr Carrington left the meeting (7:50pm).
137/M/26 To consider a recommendation from Employment Committee regarding provision of an emergency contact outside normal operating hours.
It was proposed by Cllr Watkinison, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved to:
- Confirm the insurance requirement.
- Find out how other parish councils deal with out of hours contact.
- Meet with all staff to discuss and get their input.
- Pay an honorarium to staff who have previously held the emergency phone.
- Arrange a further Employment Committee meeting before November’s Full Council.
138/M/26 To consider a recommendation from Employment Committee regarding risk assessment actions for the Caretaker/Handyperson.
It was proposed by Cllr Watkinson, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved to:
- Confirm with the Caretaker/Handyperson what activities require a Risk Assessment.
- Source example Risk Assessments for these activities (via LALC, Worknest, HSE as appropriate).
- Ask the Caretaker/Handyperson to review and amend the Risk Assessments as appropriate, paying overtime for any time required outside normal working hours to complete this task.
- Set a deadline of completion prior to December’s Full Council meeting (14th December).
139/M/26 To consider a recommendation from Employment Committee regarding support required for activities identified as suitable for in-house delivery by the Caretaker/Handyperson.
It was proposed by Cllr Yeates, seconded by Cllr George and resolved that:
- A clear inventory should be taken of all tools and equipment that the Council currently owns.
- Council will provide tools as required for general maintenance tasks that the Caretaker/Handyperson can undertake i.e. tasks that fall within their competence and capacity.
- Where possible all the tools required for a task should be identified before the task is undertaken.
- Where council does not already own the tools required for the tasks as above, these will be purchased, with a suitable budget allocated for this.
- Office staff will have delegated authority to commission an external contractor (subject to the restrictions defined in Financial Regulations) for any tasks where the Caretaker/Handyperson does not have the competence and capacity, or where one-off specialist tools or equipment are required.
140/M/26 To consider a recommendation from Employment Committee on the effective day-to-day prioritisation of Caretaker/Handyperson duties.
It was proposed by Cllr Catterson, seconded by Cllr Raphael and resolved that:
- The Clerk will set the Caretaker/Handyperson’s tasks and priorities on a weekly (daily if required) basis. This will include confirmation on expectation and timescales for completion of the tasks, taking account of any constraints or capacity issues identified in conjunction with the staff member.
The Chair closed the meeting at 8:40 pm.
Please be advised that these are notes of the meeting taken by the Clerk and cannot in any way be regarded as the official minutes of Council proceedings until they are approved and signed at the next meeting.