2026 Minutes (Full Council)

Wainfleet St Mary Parish Council,

Annual Parish Meeting Monday 11th May 2026

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of Wainfleet St Mary held in The Community Hall at 6pm on Monday 11th May 2026.

These are draft minutes to be approved and resolved in the 2027 Parish Meeting.

The meeting was attended by members of the Public and 7 members of the Council together with the Clerk, and ELDC Councillor W Bowkett

Cllr C Alexander, Chair of the Parish Council, presided.

Welcome and Apologies – The Chairman welcomed Councillors and the public to the meeting. Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr M Rendall.

Chairman’s Introduction and report - Cllr C Alexander welcomed all to the meeting and introduced the detailed Annual Report to the meeting and thanked all Councillors, Officers and Volunteers for their work and contribution over the last year.

Chair’s Annual Report - Wainfleet St Mary Parish Council

It has once again been a privilege to serve as Chair of Wainfleet St Mary Parish Council over the past year. As always, our parish has demonstrated the strength, kindness and resilience that make this such a special community.

Throughout the year, the Parish Council has continued to manage and support a wide range of responsibilities and community activities, while also responding to the ongoing challenges presented by changing weather conditions and the increasing demands placed upon rural communities.

One significant area of work this year has been the review and modernisation of the terms and conditions relating to our agricultural holdings. The Parish Council owns approximately 80 acres of land which are let to local farmers, and after a lengthy but important process, we are pleased to have completed the issuing of updated tenancy agreements and contracts. This work has helped ensure clarity, consistency and good management for the future. Our sincere thanks go to Willsons Land Agents for their immense support, professionalism and patience throughout this process.

The Council has also undertaken a thorough review of the safety and condition of our children’s play park. Ensuring that the play area remains safe, compliant and enjoyable for local families is extremely important to us. We extend our grateful thanks to Trev for all of his hard work and support in helping the Council meet the necessary safety regulations and standards.

Following periods of particularly heavy rainfall during the year, drainage issues were identified across some areas of Parish Council land. In response, a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to identify the worst affected locations, and commission improvement works where necessary. Special thanks go to Mick, Pat and Annie for leading this important work, helping to assess the affected areas and ensuring that the completed works were carried out to a high standard.

To further support this work, we now benefit from a monthly drone survey report kindly provided by Mike. This footage has significantly improved the Council’s ability to monitor the condition of the land, identify developing drainage concerns and better understand the impact of changing weather conditions. It has become a valuable tool in helping us support our local farmers and manage the land responsibly. We are extremely grateful to Mike for providing this service and expertise.

The Community Hall Committee continues to deliver an outstanding programme of activities and events for residents of all ages, making the Community Hall and Mr Chamberlain’s field an important focal point for parish life. We remain immensely grateful to Mr Chamberlain for continuing to allow the field behind the hall to be used for the benefit of the local community.

The range of activities organised and supported by the Hall Committee continues to grow from strength to strength. The Luncheon Club remains hugely popular and continues to provide an important opportunity for friendship and connection within the parish. The annual Village Show remains a highlight of the community calendar, and this year preparations have also been underway for the first Picnic in the Park event.

In the lead-up to Christmas, the community once again enjoyed Tea or Breakfast with Santa for local children, alongside the annual trip to Woodthorpe Garden Centre for a Christmas lunch attended by Luncheon Club members and volunteers. It is also wonderful to see increasing numbers of bookings for the hall, marquee and field for community groups, celebrations and events. Our thanks go to Walnut Care, the Friendship Group, Young Farmers, Mums of Wainfleet and everyone who has used and supported these facilities throughout the year.

During the summer months, many residents also took great pleasure in seeing horses grazing on the field, along with the arrival of two foals which brought delight to so many within the parish. Once again, we extend our sincere thanks to Mr Chamberlain for agreeing to the grazing arrangements and for helping to create something that brought such visible enjoyment to the local community.

As Chair, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to all members of Wainfleet St Mary Parish Council for their continued commitment, hard work and dedication throughout the year. My thanks also extend to the members of the Community Hall Committee, those who lead on specific areas of work on behalf of the Council, and the many volunteers who give their time so generously to support parish activities and events.

It would be impossible to name everyone individually, but what continually stands out is how active, helpful and community-focused the people of our parish are. Whether through volunteering, organising events, supporting neighbours or simply contributing positively to village life, so many people play a part in making Wainfleet St Mary a welcoming and caring community.

A special mention must also go to John Seymour, Father Aiden and Wainfleet St Mary's Parish Church for continuing to serve as such an important and valued part of our community life.

Finally, thank you to everyone who contributes in ways both large and small to the continued success and wellbeing of our parish. I look forward to continuing our work together in the coming year.Top of Form

The Chair welcomed and invited East Lindsey District Councillor Wendy Bowkett to make her report.

For East Lindsey it has been another busy year, my last year’s District Councillor grant was £4000, and I have given donations to Wainfleet Town Council, £1000 for the metal gate at the park and £500 towards the Xmas decorations. Wainfleet St Marys parish council £500 towards last year’s summer show. Wainfleet community Halls Friendship Group £500 towards payment of the hall. Wainfleet United football £500 towards equipment and lastly £1000 to the Museum for planters.

This coming year I have a further £4000, this can be to nonprofit organisations, so I look forward to helping local groups so please spread the word.

Local government reform is still going through, all districts, county and the Greater Lincolnshire councils have drawn up proposals and have been submitted to government, it is expected a decision will be made by July to what proposal has been excepted. The new council has a year to prepare before they take control which would be 2028. Elections for the new council would be in 2027, if that went ahead district elections would not happen

Grass cutting has commenced on the riverbanks on both the relief channel and the steeping and the weed cutting through the channel will be later in the year, a date to be confirmed. Surveys on the culverts on Spilsby road have taken place we are waiting for the next meeting of the River Steeping steering group to take place to hear the results.

Repair works to the riverbank/ footpath on the Low Road, has yet to start and I would urge anyone with concerns to email highways at the County Council.

The A52 resurfacing work which should have commenced last June, is still waiting to be done and is in a dreadful state along with the safety measure and the average speed cameras, again please keep reporting on fix my street as this unacceptable.

The Heating oil support fund is still available for eligible residents, please email crf@lincolnshirecf.co.uk 01529 572575. To be eligible you have to earn below £36,000 have less than £6000 savings, if you are eligible, you will receive a voucher of £300 towards your oil.

The new food waste collection will be starting in the Autumn in East Lindsey you will be notified before the start date and a kitchen caddy, and a kerbside caddy will be provided to each household along with steps and support if needed.

I would like to thank you for your continued support and as usual any issues please get in touch.

The Chair thanked everyone for their introductions and reports and asked the Clerk to present the Financial Statement for the year.

Finance report – The Clerk read out the detailed annual finance reports giving a full account of monies received and submissions included in the Annual Governance statement which will be presented to the full Council meeting following on at 7pm for approval. All the figures are available on the WSM web site and public rights apply from 2nd June to 10th July inclusive.

Public Suggestions and Concerns – Mention was made of the current grass cutting by the EA along the Steeping banks which while understood it was necessary for flood prevention and management it was felt the timing was not ideal and will have disturbed the ground nesting birds – could a revised timetable be considered by the EA to avoid the loss of nesting birds. ELDC Cllr WB confirmed the EA carried out this necessary work 3 times a year from May to October to ensure flood management and management of the banks of the Steeping. The timings are at the behest of the EA only.

A suggestion was made with regard to the consideration of utilising volunteers to receive training in the use of a Speed Gun – Chair CA confirmed the Council had considered this earlier when speeding concerns were noted along Low Road and St Michael’s Lane – the training is welcome – however it is the difficulty in finding volunteers to put themselves forward to do this and it was for this reason the scheme had not been followed through when originally initiated. Instead monitoring with the assistance of the Road Safety partnership placed cameras to observe the traffic speeds on both roads which led to an indication speeds were in the main being observed thus no further action could be taken.

Malicious and criminal damage had occurred at the new Resting Woods burial site with a motorbike rider cutting up the ground and circling within and on the wooden pagoda building – the area has no gates to allow visitors to wander in and out as they wish and to encourage the public to enjoy the wildflower planting. CCTV is now installed and any footage of the rider will be shared to the police, the Council and East Lindsey to allow identification and prosecution.

The Chair expressed disappointment one individual felt it appropriate to treat this area as a racetrack and assured the resident WSM would support in any way they can.

FlyTipping continues to be a problem – residents are vigilant and do report to FixMyStreet or pass forward to the Clerk who then reports – it is not a problem in only St Mary’s – it is rife everywhere – residents can do their bit by ensuring any waste carriers they contract with are correctly registered as waste carriers – any waste that can be traced back will result in fines for the resident who contracted with the carrier company for not ensuring they were fully licensed as well as the contractor themselves. These fines are substantial.

Public discussion.

The public had no further issues or concerns to raise and thus the Chair moved to close the meeting if no further comments.

Close of Meeting – Chair C Alexander thanked everyone for contributing and closed the meeting at 18.30.

I confirm these minutes are a true record of the Annual Parish Meeting held Monday 11th May 2026

Signature...................................................................................... Chair WSM Parish Council

Date...................................................................................................