2026 Minutes

Minutes taken by the Parish Clerk, Mrs Deborah Money, at the Annual Meeting of Old Bolingbroke with Hareby Parish Council, held on Thursday 21 May 2026 at 7pm in Ramsden Village Hall

Present: Cllr Pam Powell (Chair), Cllr Isobel Godsell, Cllr David Makins, Cllr Caroline Wills-Wright

Also present:  The Clerk Mrs Deborah Money

1. To elect a Chairman for the ensuing year 2026/2027 and receive the Declaration of Acceptance of Office from the Chairman, witnessed by the Proper Officer.

It was resolved to appoint Councillor Powell as Chair for the 2026/2027 municipal year. This was proposed by Councillor Wills Wright and seconded by Councillor Godsell. Councillor Powell accepted the position and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office, which was witnessed by the Clerk in their capacity as Proper Officer

2. To elect a Vice Chairman for the ensuing year 2026/27 and receive the Declaration of Acceptance of Office from the Vice Chairman, witnessed by the Proper Officer.

It was resolved to appoint Councillor Makins as Vice-Chair for the 2026/2027 municipal year. This was proposed by Councillor Powell and seconded by Councillor Godsell. Councillor Makins accepted the position and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office, which was witnessed by the Clerk in their capacity as Proper Officer.

3. To give the Chairperson the sealed envelope containing passwords relating to the operation of the administration of the Parish Council. 

Clerk gave Councillor Powell the sealed envelope.

4. Chair’s Welcome

Chair opened and welcomed everyone to the meeting at 1920 after the Annual Parish Meeting.

5. To resolve to close the meeting for the public forum.

There were no members of the public so no reason to close the meeting.

6. Public forum for a maximum 15 minutes will be set aside for the meeting.

7. To note any apologies and accept valid reasons of absence

Councillor Deal sent his apologies, which were accepted.

8. To receive any declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and consider any requests for dispensations1 in relation to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or any other interests as outlined in the Council’s Code of Conduct 

None

9. To receive and approve the draft notes of the meeting held on 19th March 2026

It was resolved to accept the minutes as a correct record, and the Chair was authorised to sign them. 

10. To receive reports from the County and District councillors

County Councillor Roberts, attended our Annual Parish Meeting, and advised of a grant he has available this year.

District Councillor Grover sent his apologies.

11. Finance matters:  Previously sent to Councillors via email and docuseal, to resolve as correct and authorise payments

a) To formally note financial position: Treasurers £10,083.51, 32 Day Interest £16,100.27

b) Agree Bank Reconciliation and Cashbook, this was signed by Councillor Wills-Wright.

c) It was resolved to approve the renewal of Parish Council’s Insurance with Zurich,  from 01 June 2026- 31 May 2027. 

area items added to the policy.

d) To formally approve any automated, retrospective and future payments to be made:  

The invoices, and payment schedule were sent to all Councillors before the meeting and Councillor Powell and Makins signing the Docuseal, It was resolved to approve payments.

6 14.05.2026 £408.45 £0.00 £408.45 Salary May Clerk

7 14.05.2026 £28.66 £0.00 £28.66 Pension May Nest Pensions

8 28.04.2026 £43.50 £0.00 £43.50 Internal audit Clark's Clerical Service

1 27.04.2026 £368.05 £0.00 £368.05 Salary April Clerk

2 27.04.2026 £4.25 £0.00 £4.25 Bank Charges Lloyds Bank

3 27.04.2026 £28.66 £0.00 £28.66 Pension April Nest Pensions

4 27.04.2026 £15.20 £0.00 £15.20 HMRC PAYE HMRC

5 27.04.2026 £500.00 £43.00 £543.00 LALC Training LA

e) To note any income received since the last meeting

£6712.00 First Payment of precept next payment due about September 2026.

Interest March £25.97

Interest April £24.52

12. AGAR Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2025/2613. Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR)

a) It was resolved to accept the AGAR Certificate of Exemption.

b) The annual Internal Auditor report was received and approved publication

c) It was resolved to approve the Annual Governance Statement (Section 1 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for financial year 2025/26 and authorise signing by the Chair and the Parish Clerk

d) The Accounting Statement for the year end 31st March 2026 was received and signed by the Chair and the Responsible Officer.

e) It was resolved to approve the bank reconciliation,

f) It was resolved to approve the variance analysis 

g) It was resolved to approve commencement date for the exercise of elector’s rights of inspection of the accounts to be exercised 3 June – 14 July 2024.

13. Planning Matters

Planning Town and Country Planning Act 1990.  To consider and make observations on all planning applications received and note planning approvals, refusals, enforcement complaints and appeal decisions advised by the district council.  To include those received from the date of this notice and the day of the meeting.

00125/26/FUL|Planning Permission - Change of use of land to form enlarged garden area, extension to existing swelling to provide additional living accommodation and erection of a garage/cart store and workshop.|Victoria Cottage West Keal Road Old Bolingbroke Lincolnshire PE23 4EX

No Objections

14. Village Matters

a) To receive an update on highway matters

b) Black Horse Shipping Container – The shipping container has now been removed.

c) Village Entry Signs – The Clerk reported receipt of a new quote for the signs. It was agreed that the Clerk will contact the company to confirm whether the price includes the wooden posts; if not, a revised quotation will be requested or, alternatively, a recommendation for a suitable supplier. The Clerk will also ask how long the quoted price can be held while the Council awaits confirmation from Highways. In addition, the Clerk will contact Highways to seek permission to place the signs in the requested locations.

d) War Memorial – Moss and weeds have been removed. Councillor Powell advised that she will attempt to clean a small section of the War Memorial using soap and water to assess the effectiveness of this method 

e) Public Realm/Community Area front of Gas House – An email was circulated to all Councillors prior to the meeting. It was agreed that further information is required, specifically regarding the timescale and the amount of money requested, as no funds have been earmarked in this year’s budget for this purpose. It was also agreed that, should the request be urgent, a grant application form will be issued to the organisation.

15. Internal Council Matters

a) LALC Play Equipment Safety Training – Councillors congratulated Councillor Deal on attending the training course and passing the accompanying exam,

b) Grass Cutting – Councillor Godsell has contacted Andy Jackson, who has agreed to provide a breakdown of his grass cutting schedule on future invoices

c) Wellerslaw Group LLP – The Clerk has received a further invoice from a different member of staff at Wellers Law and circulated the correspondence to Councillors. A new invoice has now been issued, removing the storage charges as a gesture of goodwill and bringing the total to £495.00 plus VAT. It was agreed that this amount should be paid, subject to the Clerk confirming with Wellers Law that the agreement and documentation are correct. Once confirmed, payment can be made.

d) Paperwork for the 2027–29 three year internal audit contract was circulated to all Councillors prior to the meeting. It was resolved to agree the contract, which has been signed by Councillor Powell and the Clerk.

e) There were no amendments from 2025 and it was resolved to adopt the Financial Regulations.

f) There were no amendments from 2025 and it was resolved to adopt the Council’s Code of Conduct

g) To allocate Councillor responsibilities

Councillor Deal - Play Area/Planning

Councillor Wills-Wright – Newsletter/Website

Councillor Makins – Finance

Councillor Powell - Safeguarding

16. To receive correspondence and note any action required

All correspondence within the agenda.

17. Clerk and Councillor Reports (for information only), including a review of actions from minutes and matters that Councillors wish to be brought to the next or subsequent meetings, No decisions may be made under this section, but Councillors may wish to flag up issues

Councillor Makins requested that the inactive defibrillator at the Methodist Church, be removed.

The Clerk noted for the record that this item was brought forward for information purposes only. In accordance with statutory governance rules, no formal proposals, financial expenditure, or decisions could be resolved as the item was not specified on the published agenda.

Item for July Agenda - To discuss and determine the physical removal of the deactivated defibrillator unit from the Methodist Church wall and its subsequent removal from the Council’s Asset Register.

Councillor Godsell submitted her resignation to the Parish Council. All Councillors wished to record their sincere thanks for her hard work, commitment, and the considerable time she has given to the Council.

18. To note the date of the next meeting of the Parish Council 16th July 2026.

Meeting Ended 2030