2025 Full Parish Council - Minutes

October 2025

Washingborough Parish Council

 

 

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 15th October 2025 at 6.00pm in the

Community Centre, Small Hall, Fen Road, Washingborough, Lincoln. LN4 1AB

 

 

Present:

  • Cllr G Peck (Chairman)
  • Cllr Mrs B Bland
  • Cllr A Fraser
  • Cllr R Harrington
  • Cllr Mrs L Hannam
  • Cllr Mrs A Nixon
  • Cllr A Redgrift
  • Cllr Mrs L Simons

 

In Attendance: Miss K Broddle (Clerk) and Mrs E Salter (Assistant Clerk).

 

Also Present: Cllrs I Carington & C Goodwin (NKDC) Cllr L Cawrey (LCC).

 

Members of the Public: There was one member of the public present.

 

  1. Public Forum: None.
  2. Reports from LCC and NKDC: LCC Appended. NKDC – Local Government reorganisation & new food recycling.

 

41. Localism Act 2011 requirements:

  1. Apologies and reason for absence were received and accepted from Cllr Mrs Skelton.

No apologies were received from Cllr Mrs J Aspinall.

  1. Declarations of interest: None.
  2. Applications for dispensation: None. 

 

42. Draft notes of the Parish Council meeting held on 17th September 2025 were proposed,

      seconded and resolved as the minutes.

 

43. Matters raised at Public Forum: None.

 

44. Clerks Report (for information only).

  1. To note the email from Anglian Water regarding the Elsham to Lincoln pipeline project.
  2. To thank those that attended and kindly donated to the Macmillan coffee morning. The amount raised was £231.
  3. To note the information from NKDC regarding the new food waste collection scheme.
  4. To note that the Lincolnshire sports facility study had been completed by the clerking team.
  5. To advise that Cllr Matthews (LCC) has accepted our invite to the Annual Parish meeting on 4th March 2026.

 

45 To receive the notes from the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on 8th October 2025 and to resolve the following recommendations:

 

  1. It was proposed, seconded and resolved to not increase the hire charges for the Community Centre for 2026/27.

 

  1. It was proposed, seconded and resolved to increase the sporting facilities charges by £5 per facility for 2026/27.

 

  1. It was proposed, seconded and resolved to increase the annual charge to the Bowls Club to £520 for 2026/27.

 

  1. It was proposed, seconded and resolved to increase the charge to the Tennis Club to £960 for 2026/27.

 

  1. It was proposed, seconded and resolved that the project for 2026/27 is the replacement of the entry door of the community centre.

 

46. To discuss and resolve the following:

  1. To invite NKDC to attend the Annual Parish Meeting on 4th March 2026, to inform residents about the new food waste recycling scheme being introduced in April 2026 – It was proposed, seconded and resolved to send an invite to Nina Camm, from NKDC to attend the meeting.

 

  1. To reinstate the coffee mornings, to include charity fundraising – this was discussed and due to the poor take up previously, it was proposed, seconded and resolved not to reinstate the coffee mornings.

 

  1. The co-option of Mr A Wright to the flooding working party – it was proposed, seconded and resolved to co-opt Mr Wright to this working party.

 

  1. The draft questions for the flooding multi-agency meeting were noted with changes required to a moving forward approach before the meeting on the 22nd October.

 

  1. New Environmental Policy – it was proposed, seconded and resolved to adopt this policy.

 

  1. To consider requesting that St. Johns Church hold a dedication service for the Christmas tree – it was discussed and agreed not to request a service, as previous services had not been well attended.

 

  1. The following policies that have been reviewed, with no updates or amendments needed:
    1. Freedom of Information
    2. Press and Media
    3. Public Participation
    4. Records Retention

It was proposed, seconded and resolved to accept the above reviewed polices.

 

  1. Volunteers for the Christmas Craft Fair – It was advised that help will be needed for this event and the clerking team will contact Councillors for further information regarding help.

 

  1. Police Forum – It was advised that during August 66 crimes were reported, 44 of these were in Washingborough and Heighington.

 

  1. The email from the St. Johns Church, advising that the burial ground is nearly at capacity – Council were advised that there is no mandatory obligation for them to provide a burial ground.  It was proposed, seconded and resolved not to look into providing a burial ground. It was noted that this had been discussed previously and the PCC had been advised that the Parish Council would not look into this.

 

  1. The invite from the Witham Valley Group to attend their AGM – it was proposed, seconded and resolved for Cllr Peck to attend this meeting.

  

  • An update on the Longstongs Delph/Bridge:

Following a meeting with a grant provider, we have been advised of the following details:

Planning permission would need to be applied for and the following would be required -

a. Ecology Study

 b. Arboricultural survey (as a number of trees would need felling and roots removing)

c. Environmental Agency Permit (as work would be within 5m of a watercourse)

d. Fully accessible on both banks to all – this means the bridge would need to be longer and 3m wider. This means that the IDB would not be able to maintain, or get their cutting equipment down the bank side

                 e. The likelihood of grant funding is nil.

                Following this information and the lack of participation by residents Council proposed,

                seconded and resolved not to look any further into the replacement bridge.

 

 

       47.  Planning Matters.

  1. To resolve any comments on the following applications received:

    i.      25/1143/TCA: Washingborough Hall, Church Hill – T4 Sycamore – fell.

                                    The Council do not wish to comment on this application.

                    ii.      25/1247/TPO: The Bungalow, Church Hill: T3 – Yew – crown lift

                                    The Council do not wish to comment on this application.

 

  1. To ratify comments on the following applications returned under Clerks delegated powers: 
  1. 25/148/TPO: Pitwood House – work to trees. 

The Parish Council had no comments to make on this application.

ii    25/1150/PMNAT: Land at Lincoln Road and Ferry Lane - Application for a non-material amendment, vary to the wording condition 20 to allow extended opening hours during the Christmas period, re planning permission 22/0362/FUL (erection of a new food store (Use Class E) with associated new access onto B1190, parking, servicing, drainage, landscaping and habitat area as well as highway works and creation of new access in adjoining field). The following comments were returned to NKDC: “The store is open long enough, it’s residential and staff have homes to go to as well. Most people are in bed by 10.00pm and they are opening for openings sake. Tesco in Lincoln and BBH close at 10.00pm because they don’t get customers.”

“Whilst I do not have major concern, I think residents may have. Maybe meeting them in the middle and possibly agreeing to the 7.00am start but keep the 10.00pm in place may be a better outcome for all parties.” Three other Councillors had no comment to make.

All comments were proposed, seconded and resolved.

 

 

  1. To note the decisions from NKDC on the following applications:
  1. 25/0859/adv: Land at Lincoln Road and Ferry Lane - Approved.

 

 

 48.   Financial Matters.

  1. The payment schedule for October 2025 was proposed, seconded and resolved and the salaries were noted.
  2. The accounts and budgets for September 2025 were noted.
  3. The Unity Trust Bank statement for September was noted.
  4. The Community Infrastructure Levy allocation, regarding planning application 22/0362FUL of £2775.05 – Land at Lincoln Road/Ferry Lane was noted.

 

 

 49.   To resolve moving into Closed Session (Public Bodies Admission to Meetings Act 1960).

 

 

 

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 7.14 pm

 

Washingborough Parish Council

County Council Report 15 October 2025

 

Local Government Reorganisation

Engagement activities have now concluded for residents, businesses and council

staff. In total, over 2,600 people took part in the engagement process – online

surveys and events – this is in addition to those activities undertaken by the districts

across Lincolnshire.

The county council will share the results once the analysis has been completed.

The next steps are to finalise the draft business case proposal. This will be

discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board meeting on 20

November.

There is an extraordinary meeting of the full council to discuss local government

reorganisation on Friday 21 November.

Lincoln Road

Notices have been put out informing residents of the Traffic Regulation Order for the

Section 278 works on the stretch of road between The Orchard and Church Hill. The

period of restriction will be from 20 October to 14 of November. I sent the notice of

this to the clerks on 11 September and I also put it on Facebook.

This is to enable the necessary reconstruction of the road to facilitate access and

egress to the proposed Sainsbury’s site.

I understand that diversion routes for vehicles and pedestrians will be signposted – if

they haven’t been already.

Anglian Water

On 17 September, I attended the Flourishing Communities Scrutiny Committee at

NKDC. We had presentations from Anglian Water and the Black Sluice Drainage

Board and Humber and Upper Witham Internal Drainage Board. Even though I

represent Washingborough on the county council, not North Kesteven, I still took the

opportunity to question Anglian Water and the Upper Witham IDB about the events

leading up to the most recent flooding events affecting Washingborough and what

remedial actions are being put in place to mitigate future events.

It is the IDB’s view that lack of funding remains the greatest obstacle to mitigating

future flooding and continues to lobby government for a more robust funding model

that takes into account the responsibility of highland districts to pay a fair share of

the costs. The IDBs also wanted it noting that they are not statutory planning

consultees and, therefore, are not able to comment on planning applications in a way

that would result in better schemes that don’t create future flooding events.

 

Anglian Water denied that there had been a release from the Canwick Sewage

Treatment Works that lead to raw sewage contaminating farmland on Canwick Fen,

as well as the Water Rail Way and playing fields. They did admit to a ‘spill’ from the

subsidiary works just off the B1190, which is downstream from where clear signs of

sewage were reported at locations across the village.

Great Northern Terrace Waste Site

I understand from the new portfolio holder for waste at the county council that the

team are currently looking at the provision, accessibility and opening times of all

waste sites across the county. I don’t have any timescales for you, but I will let you

know as soon as I hear something about Great Northern Terrace.