Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting Monday 19th May 2025
Wainfleet St Mary Parish Council
St Michaels Lane, Wainfleet St Mary,
Lincs. PE24 4HB
Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting of Wainfleet St Mary which took place on Monday 19th May 2025 at 18.00 in the Community Hall, St Michaels Lane, Wainfleet St Mary, PE24 4HB.
These are draft minutes and subject to amendment until approved at the next Council Meeting in June 2025.
Public
1 member of the public:
1. Councillors Present: Cllr M Rust (MR); Cllr A Proctor (AP); Cllr C Alexander (CA); Cllr T Ward (TW); Cllr J Ward (JW)
. In the absence of the position of Chair and Vice Chair Cllr C A was nominated to open the meeting – Proposed Cllr PA, Seconded Cllr JW – Unanimous vote to approve and resolve.
2. Election of Chair
Nomination for Chair for 2025 was proposed as Cllr CA – Proposed Cllr JW, Seconded Cllr AP – Unanimous vote to approve and resolve.
3. To receive the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Chair.
The Declaration of Acceptance of Office was signed by Cllr C Alexander and Parish Clerk M Clarke.
4. Election of Vice Chair.
It was proposed to defer the election of a Vice Chair until the 2 vacancies have been filled
Proposed Cllr AP, Seconded Cllr JW – unanimous vote to approve and resolve.
5. Public Forum –
Members of the Public invited to make statements and/or ask questions – Information received reference the services at WSM Parish Church – Clerk will ensure information is provided on the WSM web page and also shared on FaceBook Parish Council page.
6. Public Forum - LCC and ELDC Councillors invited to submit their report – Apologies received – ELDC report from Cllr WB was read by Chair Cllr CA.
Chair - apologies from Wendy....this is her report-
Firstly, my loss at the county elections which everyone will obviously be aware of. The Pinfold Richard from Highways has confirmed the IDB are pricing this up, I hope the funding then can be found to complete the job. A52 average speed cameras, things seem to be moving forward, I look forward to an announcement in the near future - as long as funding is not withdrawn. Resurfacing on Boston Road, Wainfleet St Mary will take place from 30th June, also Main Rd Friskney from the same date. Silver Street and Market Place, Wainfleet will be resurfaced from the 28th July, this has been hard to get in this year’s budget, but I managed to persuade it was much needed.
The Beach ban in Skegness for dogs on the main central beaches has taken effect, please look for the signage. Age UK Lindsey has now closed, for any help please contact the main branch on 03455564144. All the fishing platforms and steps are now installed on Wainfleet Bank.
Kindest regards - Wendy
LCC Councillor MH is undergoing intensive training and sent apologies for not being able to attend.
7. To Receive and Accept Apologies for Absence where valid reasons have been given.
Cllrs P Garrard, Cllr M Rendall, ELDC Councillor W Bowkett, LCC Councillor M Hume. Proposed Cllr TW and Seconded Cllr MR – Council resolved to accept.
8. Declarations of Interest.
No declarations declared.
9. Accepting and Resolution to accept the Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting 13th May 2024, to General Council Meeting of Monday 14th April 2025, to include the closed minutes and Tuesday 29th April 2025and the General Meeting Minutes from the Meeting Monday 8th April 2024
The Minutes of the Parish Meeting 2024, and Monthly Council Meetings including the closed session minutes of the 19th and 29th April were agreed as a true record by all Councillors present - Proposed Cllr MR and Seconded Cllr TW – Unanimously Resolved to approve.
10. To Appoint members to serve on the Working Groups and Committees of the Council
Parochial Church Council – Cllr C Alexander
RBL – Cllr M Rust
Councillor Members of the Hall Committee – Cllr JW, (Chair) Cllr TW, Cllr AP, Cllr CA, Cllr PG and Cllr MR (Vice Chair)
Chair and Members of the Staffing Committee – Chair Cllr JW – committee members Cllr CA and Cllr AP
Agricultural Working Group – Chair Cllr MR, members Cllr AP and Cllr PG
Play Area – Cllr TW – following attendance at an in-depth training workshop addl members, new check list and terms of reference are required – Cllr JW and Clerk will arrange. Volunteer JS offered his services and was warmly accepted.
Jubilee Orchard – Cllr TW, volunteer JS offered his assistance which was warmly accepted.
Community Hall – Cllr PG
Finance and Budgets – Cllr JW, Cllr CA and Cllr MR
Funding Buddies – Cllr CA, Cllr JW and Clerk
Open Spaces – Full Council
Planning – Full Council
Policies and terms of reference – Cllr JW and Clerk
Emergency and Resilience Group – Chair Cllr CA in the first instance – supported by the Clerk.
All of the above were Proposed, Seconded and approved to Resolved by all Councillors
11.Working Group Reports
Agricultural Holdings – Date to be agreed to meet Willsons to start the process of drawing up revised Farm Business tenancies for all plot holders – Clerk and Chair will attend and report back for the June meeting. Letters of confirmation have been sent to successful parties and also to the unsuccessful applicant. Drone reports have been received and will be emailed to all Councillors for consideration.
Play Area – Cllr TW presented his report with recommendations from the Training Session. Council will discuss further and look at a terms of reference document and revised Inspection Report for consideration at the June Meeting. Clerk will check the terms of the Council Insurance to assess the level and scope of cover.
Jubilee Orchard – all in order. Some edge trimming and a litter pick – grass is cut by WSM Contractor.
Open Spaces – Overhanging tree on Boston Road obstructing pathway reported by Clerk for trimming back
Community Hall – Cllr PG will present monthly report when back from leave.
12. Clerks Report - The Friendship Club as part of Age UK Lindsey has ceased to exist – their last invoice of £90.00 was paid 15th April.
Newsletter is distributed
Show schedule has nearly gone to print.
Fence painting PayBack scheme submitted and acknowledged. Further contact once a date has been agreed.
Chasing up the Social Isolation bid – it got lost but has now been found.....fingers crossed. The window has closed but hopefully ours will still be considered as we were there before the date of closure....just depends on what is in the kitty.
Repairs to Marquee frame completed – R Gething – and marquee now up and ready. Invoice from Wells to be agreed.
Young Farmers continue to meet – but likely to peter off a bit in the Summer due to outside activities.
Hall is booked for Wainfleet Bounce – Wednesday 20th August – a project for the children of both Wainfleets in conjunction with Group Together – funded by Platform – field only – the hall is not required. Booking form and events insurance in place.
British Gas need to replace the meter – date to be agreed.
VE Day raised £181.20 which with the grant of £500 and the foodstuff from Tesco means the event was put on with very little expense – well done team....full steam ahead now for the Village Show. Thanks have gone out to FB to everyone who contributed and individually on Messenger to the cake bakers....and a card to Tesco Community Champion - if I have missed anyone please tell me and I will rectify.
LALC News again has mentioned the move to a .gov.uk email address – next years External Audit will have a tick box to indicate if good practice of a domain owned email is in situ – whilst it is not mandatory it is recommended as good practice but there will be a cost – funding is now exhausted so it will be an expense to be borne by the Council – not having one will mean a comment on the External Audit that WSM is not fully compliant – or words to that effect – if you would like to explore costs over the next 10 months in preparation for next year I can get some together for next meetings....we have a .gov.uk web courtesy of LCC so it will be just an email address.
This is the LALC response to an enquiry I raised as to their guidance as to the best way to proceed....Each year the parish council has to complete an AGAR and publish it. For the AGAR for financial year ending 31st March 2026 Proper Practices outlined in the Practitioners' Guide will ask local councils to assert if they comply with new Assertion 10 already listed in the Practitioners' Guide for 2025-26 (see attached.).
The council has to decide what it wants that assertion to be as at 31st March 2026. If they don't want to comply then it will be a 'No' in the AGAR for assertion 10 and if they do comply it is a 'Yes'. It is part of the Proper Practices that every council will report on. Whether it is law or not is irrelevant.
All that proper practices require is for the council to assert in the Annual Governance Statement if they are compliant or not. If a council decides to make a false statement then the external auditor may be asked by taxpayers or electors to look into that an that cost is £360+ per hour.
13. Hall Committee report.
Hall Chair Cllr JW presented the Hall Committee report – Minutes of the meeting of the 16th are available on the web for interested parties. The report is attached as an Appendix to the Minutes.
14. Finance and Bank Accounts
The accounts from April and Year End were approved and agreed unanimously.
The financial statements, reconciled accounts, internal audit, and variance reports were presented to the Council for scrutiny and agreed.
The Asset register had been reviewed with changes explained and approved. One amendment was required to confirm the acreage of the Allotments on the Asset Register being 85 acres and not as currently shown as 87. Clerk will check and update before submitting to the external auditor.
Proposed Cllr AP, Seconded Cllr TW – All in agreement - Council resolved unanimously to accept the AGAR and the Chair Cllr CA signed to confirm.
15. Grazing of the Hall Field.
Permissions have been sought and agreed and grazing is now permitted. Cllrs CA and JW will liaise with the fencing as it is installed
16. Planning No applications received other than correspondence from National Grid promoting the meetings for their proposals.
17. Review of Official Policies to include Revised Standing Orders and new Financial Regulations
The S/O and Financial regulations have been reviewed and updated by Cllr JW and Clerk and are produced on the web for all Councillors to view and approve. Council happy to accept the recommendation to approve – Proposed Cllr Ap, Seconded Cllr TW – unanimous vote to accept and resolve to approve.
18. Correspondence
Letters of resignation had been received and shared round from Councillors IH and Dr CS. Letter of appreciation and regret to be sent to both Councillors wishing them well and to keep in touch. Clerk will arrange.
Response from Mr R Fenwick of Highways with positive news of the average speed cameras along the A52.
Live and Local contact – Hall Committee had reviewed and agreed the hall is not big enough to be able to take advantage of the services offered. Clerk will advise with thanks but not something the Hall can accommodate.
19. To Agree Dates for the Council Meeting for the Year.
Council agreed to continue with the present date of 2nd Monday in each month except for when Bank Holiday falls when the meeting will be a week later. The next Council Meeting will be June 9th at 18.00.
It was agreed the Annual Parish Meeting will be held on the same date commencing at 5pm. Clerk will promote and produce the Agenda.
20. Close of the meeting.
Chair Cllr CA confirmed no further business and thanked all Councillors for their attendance and input and closed the meeting at 19.40.
I certify these are a true copy of the Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held Monday 19th May 2025
Signed Chair Wainfleet St Mary Parish Council – Cllr C Alexander.
...................................................................................... Date........................................
Date 19th May 2025
Email: wsmpclerk@btinternet.com
Website: https://wainfleet-saint-mary.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk