Annual Parish Meeting 2026

Croft Parish Council

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council held at Croft Village Hall on Monday 6th July 2026, commencing at 7:00pm. These are notes of the meeting until approved by the Council as a true and accurate record. 

Present:
Cllrs C Drury (Chair), N Dennis (Vice-Chair), G Batten, A Coxall, S Drury and S Gould; County Councillor J Brookes and Clerk - J Sargent.

There were two members of the public in attendance. 

1. To elect a Chairperson of the Council for the forthcoming term of office. 
Cllr Coxall opened the meeting and asked for nominations, not wishing to be nominated again. Cllr C Drury was proposed and seconded, with no other Councillors nominated, it was resolved unanimously to duly elect Cllr Drury as Chair of the Council.

Cllr C Drury chaired the remainder of the meeting. 

2. To receive the Chairperson’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
Cllr C Drury and the Clerk signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office. 

3. To elect a Vice-Chairperson of the Council for the forthcoming term of office.
Cllr N Dennis was proposed and seconded, with no other Councillors nominated, it was resolved unanimously to duly elect Cllr Dennis as Vice-Chair of the Council.

4. To receive the Vice-Chairperson’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
The Declaration of Acceptance of Office was signed by Cllr Dennis and the Clerk.

5. Public Forum
Resident 1 complained of noisy dogs and inconsiderate use of a swimming pool at a property on Croft Lane. The resident advised that there are 8 dogs which are usually outside all day, barking constantly causing a noise nuisance to neighbours. The resident also complained that the property has been known to have up to 7 vehicles parked on the street. The resident advised this added strain to the existing parking issues on Croft Lane. The resident queried the Planning Permission for the swimming pool. 

Cllr C Drury to write to Planning Enforcement to investigate. The resident provided copies of correspondence with ELDC to Cllr C Drury. 

To receive a report from District Councillor C Drury
Cllr C Drury reported that details of Local Government reorganisationare due to be released soon and that public toilets are being revamped in Wainfleet and Spilsby. Cllr Drury also contacted the Environment Agency regarding local water courses including the River Lymn about blockages and a large amount of weed growth in the river which needs to be cleared. 

To receive a report from County Councillor J Brookes
Cllr J Brookes reported that the Men’s Tour of Britain will be coming to Lincolnshire with stage 1 in the Lincoln area and stage 2 starting in Boston, going through East Lindsey, finishing in Skegness; average speed cameras have been installed on the A52; a primary school visited the County Council’s offices and participated in mock debates and that Councillor grants are now available. 

Cllr Brookes also reported that the potholes on Low Road have been filled, acknowledged that the road is collapsing and will push the Highways Dept to improve the surface in its entirety. Cllr Coxall advised of additional potholes on Church Lane. Cllr Brookes recommended reporting to fixmystreet and asked for the report reference to follow it up. 

6. Welcome from the Chair of the Council.
The Chair welcomed all present, thanking them for their attendance. 

7. Apologies
No apologies received from Cllrs G Bowser and N Cooper.

8. Declarations of Interest
None received. 

9. To confirm the minutes of the Council meeting held on Monday 2nd March 2026.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the minutes as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

10. To approve the list of accounts submitted for consideration for:
a. March.
b. April.
c. May.
d. June.
With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the list of accounts. The Accounts Report to be included as an attachment with these minutes. 

11. To receive bank reconciliation for:
a. March.
b. End of Year.
c. April.
d. May.
e. June.
The Clerk provided the bank reconciliation for information purposes only, to keep Councillors up to date with the financial status. The Bank Reconciliation Reports to be included as an attachment with these minutes.

12. To receive an Accounts Summary through to the fourth quarter of the 2025-26 financial year:
a. Treasurers Account.
b. Reserve Account.
c. Combined Accounts.
The Clerk provided an Accounts Summary through to the fourth quarter of the 2025-26 financial year, included as attachments with these minutes; no questions were raised. 

13. To receive a budget review for the fourth quarter of the 2025-26 financial year.
The Clerk provided a budget review for the fourth quarter of the 2025-26 financial year, included as an attachment with these minutes; no questions were raised. 

14. To approve the Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2025-26.
a. To approve section 1, points 1 - 10 of the Annual Governance Statement for 2025-26.
The Clerk read points 1-10, it was resolved unanimously to agree to points 1-8 and 10 as correct and mark point 9 as N/A.

b. To approve section 2, Accounting Statement.
The Clerk explained the figures on Accounting Statement. It was resolved unanimously to accept the Accounting Statement and submit to the external auditor.

The Clerk advised that the dates for the period for the exercise of public rights for inspection of the accounts are 7th July to 17th August 2026.

15. To appoint bank signatories. 
The Clerk advised that 2 previous Councillors were still listed as the Council’s signatories and updated paperwork submitted to Lloyds had not been processed. It was resolved unanimously to appoint Cllrs C Drury, N Dennis and G Batten as bank signatories. The Clerk to submit new paperwork to Lloyds. 

16. To approve a schedule of regular payments for 2026-27.
The Clerk provided a copy of the schedule of regular payments. It was resolved unanimously to approve the schedule of regular payments for 2026-27.

17. To approve direct debit payments to BT.
It was resolved unanimously to approve direct debit payments to BT for the WiFi in the Village Hall.

18. To approve the insurance renewal.
It was resolved unanimously to approve the insurance renewal for 2026-27 and requested to provide quotes for 2027-28.

19. To consider payment for grass cutting and maintenance works to the caretaker from April to June.
Cllr C Drury asked for the caretaker to submit timesheets and suggested payment of the current hourly rate. It resolved unanimously to pay the caretaker for hours worked as well as for wear and tear of their equipment. 

20. To receive notification of any planning permissions, refusals, or amendments.
a. Planning Application 03188/25/RVC at Kartworld Leisure. Decision Notice - Withdrawn.
b. Application reference 00799/26/RVC | Planning Permission ref. no S/039/02462/13 for the erection of 4 no. dwellings, on Land North of Pumping Station Croft Lane.
c. Planning Application 00948/26/ADV at Marsh Farm Simons Yard.
All planning notices were circulated with Councillors prior to the meeting, with feedback provided via email in line with the Council’s Scheme of Delegation. Where required, a response was submitted to ELDC, which can be viewed on ELDC’s planning portal or a copy can be provided by the Clerk.

21. To receive the end of year audit report. 
The Clerk provided a copy of the end of year audit report, with work ongoing to move to a .gov.uk email address to comply with the AGAR.  

22. To receive an update on the installation of a bench in memory of Sid Dennis.
No update to report

23. To review policies:
a. Standing Orders
b. Financial Regulations
c. Schedule of Delegation
d. Code of Conduct
e. Complaints Procedure 
f. Reserves Policy
g. Risk Management and Risk Register
The Clerk advised that there were no updates to the policies listed for review. It was resolved unanimously to adopt all policies tabled for consideration.

24. To review Committee Terms of Reference:
a. Staffing Committee Terms of Reference.
b. Grievance Committee Terms of Reference.
The Clerk advised amending the Terms of Reference to have a quorum of 2 rather than 3. It was resolved unanimously to accept the suggested amendment. 

25. To appoint members to:
a. Staffing Committee.
b. Grievance Committee.
The Clerk recommended appointing 3 members to each committee where possible, not including the Chair of the Council on either. It was resolved unanimously to appoint only Cllrs N Dennis and S Gould to the Staffing Committee (due to only 5 members available) and Cllrs G Batten, G Bowser and S Drury to the Grievance Committee.

26. To consider applying for a funding through Lincolnshire County Council’s Bus Shelter Grant Scheme, for refurbishment to the bus shelter on the A52.
Cllr Coxall suggested removing current the bus shelter on the A52 and replacing it with a new Perspex shelter. It was resolved unanimously to support the removal of the current brick shelter and installation of a new shelter. The Clerk to contact LCC about the viability and provide quotes for the removal and installation of a new shelter. 

27. To receive a copy of the Action Points list.
The Clerk provided a copy of the Action Points list to keep Councillors up to date with work on previous resolutions. The Action Points list to be included as an attachment with these minutes.

28. To resolve to exclude the public and the media to discuss confidential matters in accordance with The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960.
It was resolved unanimously to exclude members of the Public and Media to allow the Town Council to discuss confidential matters.

29. To consider quotes for the grass cutting contract.
The Clerk contacted 5 contractors to request a quote for the contract and receiving only one quote. It was resolved unanimously to offer the contract to the one company who submitted a quote, until the end of the year and then review in November. 

30. To consider Staffing Matters.
All staff require contracts and appraisals; to be arranged. 

The Chair of the Council closed the meeting at 8:08pm.

Signed…………………………………………………………………………………
Chair of the Council - Cllr C Drury

Signed………………………………………………………………………………..
Clerk to the Council and RFO - Jack Sargent

7th September 2026