December 2025 Minutes
SWINESHEAD PARISH COUNCIL
Parish Council Office
1 & 2 North End
Swineshead
PE20 3LR
Chairman: Councillor Carl Gibbard
Clerk: Diane Fairweather
Minutes of the Meeting of Swineshead Parish Council
Held on Tuesday 16th December 2025
At Swineshead Community Hub, 1 & 2 North End, Swineshead PE20 3LR
Present:
Councillors Carl Gibbard, Chair, Sean Trafford, Vice Chair, Roy Hilton, Joanne Hudson-McKenzie, Andy Lawrence, Dave Lemon, and the Clerk. Borough Cllrs Evans and County Cllrs Daish and Lock.
Updates from Lincolnshire County Councillors:
Paul Lock:
Is also dealing with Quickline. Dealing with Children’s services and Youth justice teams. Hopefully, there will be a major overhaul of LCC I.T.
Stuart Evans
Update from James Cantwell on Emergency Plane. There is five Parish Councils involved, and are officially Joint Villages Emergency Team. Received funding for training and emergency equipment.
1.Chairman’s remarks:
Chair had spoken with Councillor Cantwell on the emergency planning, will attend a future meeting to give updates and to get Swineshead involved.
Continued issues with Quickline with some residents. Chair had spoken with them and if anyone else hears of other problems please pass to Chair.
2.Apologies for absence: were received and accepted from Cllrs M. Brookes, N. Campbell, P. Parnell, C, Trafford, R. Welberry and Borough Cllr Welberry.
3.To Co-Opt New Councillor – error from last agenda
4.To receive declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011 – being pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest in agenda items. Cllr Gibbard as owner of Council Offices.
5.To approve as a correct record, the notes of meetings held on Tuesday 18th November, proposed Cllr Trafford, seconded Cllr Lawrence and to authorise the Chairman to sign as official minutes.
6. Clerks outstanding matters and correspondence:
Gov.uk emails. @swineshead-pc.gov.uk approved. I would normally have cllrc.gibbard@
All agreed formats. Clerk to send list to all text passwords individually.
Ed Morton had made site visit. Play area grounds works. Not necessarily the gapping but the curling up. Cut back 100mm perimeter but will be a permanent fix. Can overlay with carpet service, sand fill every now and then, must be silicone grain which is smooth and not course. Wet pour, would require removing the whole surface but will be ten times more than cut and fill. Ed is getting me quot. or the cut and fill and the car pet cover for January meeting.
Correspondence:
A greater Lincolnshire for All 18/11
Marie Curie, advising how the PC can help with donations.
10. Financial matters:
i) To approve payment as per schedule
PAYEE SERVICE AMOUNT
Lloyds Bank Service Charge Oct £4.25
EE Mobile £11.02
Methodist Church Library Rent £150.00
Friends of St Mary’s Archive & Community Hub £200.00
Gillrange Limited Community Hub & Council Office Rent £350.00
BT Broadband £54.42
N Bush Payroll £17.00
Staff Clerk’s pay, pension &PAYE £1493.70
Steve Holland Maintenance £455.00
On proposal from Cllr P. Parnell, seconded Cllr D. Lemon and with no objections, all resolved to accept the above payments.
Ann Fletcher, the internal auditor, unfortunately has to withdraw her services. Clerk suggested auditor that has been completing Donington and Kirton, Sue Inns. Proposed Cllr A. Lawrence seconded Cllr P Parnell.
Precept figures must be submitted to BBC by 30th January. Clerk to put figures together next meeting but need to know if there are any projects to be considered.
Band figures from BBC will not be available until late December, to help calculate any increases if precept is increased.
Mobile contract ends next month. Agreed to renew.
11. Town and Country Planning Act 1990. To consider and make observations on planning applications received and to note planning approvals, refusals, enforcement complaints, and appeal decisions advised by Borough Council.
B/25/0464 Barbridge Farmhouse, Low Grounds - change of use of existing stables to create a family annexe. No objections.
12. Councillor’s and village reports, actions & updates:
SUBJECT ACTION
Swineshead Community Emergency Plan & Local Villages Resilience & Emergency Group Nothing further to report.
Play Area Update from Cllrs Parnell & Trafford. There Is a space for a climbing wall which would protect some other equipment from the footballs. Climbing wall £4259 installed or an alternative up and over rope ride at a cost of £1417. Spoken with Katie at Triton Knoll, closing date 1st Feb and usually not inundated with applications in this round early in the year. No match funding required.
Conversation with Ed Morton regarding the damaged floor areas. Three options. Cut away, make good and fill, but it will not be a long-term fix. Carpet over the whole area. Wet pour which is likely to be ten times more expensive.
Swineshead Benevolent Foundation:
Swineshead Village Hall, Lease Renewal Still with solicitors which has now been changed. Various documentation to the prepared. Village Hall will be paying the account.
Parish Council updates on:
Community Hub
Library
Village Archive PC Office is being used for community events, so is part of the community hub.
Clerk held meeting 19th November with Margaret. Still unhappy that the Grant for Community Hub finance is being used to make payments to other groups and less to library. Touched on difficulties with Youth Club and relevant policies and qualifications required. Sue Ogden is leaving in September; replacement vicar has been named. Statistics down again, there is a significantly high percentage in transaction online. Mentioned why they are not open more with the staff they have. It is felt not the best position in the village.
Original idea was to provide facilities, but there is still no structure. For the benefit of all there needs to be a framework/constitution and confirmation of who is responsible for what. Insurance, Finances, GDPR PAT testing etc.
13. Dates for the next meeting 20th January
The meeting closed at: 8.25 p.m.