2026-27 Minutes

Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting of Cowbit Parish Council, held on Monday the 11th of May 2026 commencing at 7:30pm in the Village Hall, Barrier Bank, Cowbit

Present

Members: Trevor Tyrrell, Chris Elliott, Janet Barnes, Jake Mason

Clerk: Angela Harrison

County Cllr: Raymond Condell

District Cllrs: Andrew Woolf

Residents: 11

1. Election of Chairman and signing of the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Eric Fragale was nominated by Chris, seconded by Jake, and members voted unanimously that Eric would be the new Chairman of the Parish Council.  As he was not in attendance, the Declaration will be signed at a later date.

Chris passed on Eric’s gratitude and said that he was saddened not to be at the meeting.  He said he felt honoured to follow in Trevor’s footsteps, as he has steered us through difficult times.

Thanks and applause were given to Trevor for his many years of service as the Chairman.

Trevor thanked everyone and spoke briefly about work that has been undertaken during this past year.  He advised that the new village sign was supposed to have been painted before being put up and that the PC have employed a consultant to work on the scheme of upgrades to the park but that  there was no update for this meeting.

2. Election of Vice Chairman and signing of the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Chris Elliott was nominated by Trevor, seconded by Janet and members voted unanimously that Chris would continue as the Vice Chairman for the ensuing year.

Chris thanked everyone for their support.

In the absence of the new Chairman,  Chris Elliott chaired the meeting.

3. Co-option of Sam Cooke to the vacant seat. 

Chris proposed that the Parish Council co-opt Sam Cooke into the vacant seat.  Jake seconded and Members voted unanimously to co-opt Sam Cooke onto the Parish Council.

Sam joined the members at the table and signed his acceptance of office.

4. Chairman’s welcome and Public Forum.

Chris Elliott welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited comments or questions from the floor.

 A local resident, Dorothy, asked why the Council had spent money on resurfacing the Pastures when other roads were in a far poorer condition.  She mentioned in particular, the old road to Crowland.

 Cllr Condell was invited to respond and stated that it was stone-chipped as part of the Council’s programme of works to extend the condition of the road for 4-5 years as a preventative measure, and encourage everyone to report Highway issues via FixmyStreet.

 With regards to the old A1073 he advised that the costs to fix it ranged from £2-5M up to £12M for a proper fix.  At the meeting with Highways Officers, District Cllrs and Members of the Parish Council, it was agreed that no-one wanted to see the road permanently closed, and that all wanted the road fixed properly.  The Officers will meet again with the Cllrs in September to discuss their considerations and decision.  If repaired, it will take 1-2 years before it will reopen as they will need to raise the funds and liaise with the landowners either side, as the open ditches will need to be piped and filled.  The PC will keep residents informed.

 Cllr Andrew Woolf spoke to echo thanks to Trevor for his many years of service as the Chair of the Parish Council and congratulated Eric and Chris on their selection.

 He made members aware that fly tipping on the rugby pitch side of the A16 appears to be coming back.  District and County are aware.

 Marcus Pell also  expressed his thanks to Trevor for his chairmanship, then asked whether the PC could contact Stagecoach regarding the 37 bus route which has changed due to the road to Crowland being closed. He would like the bus to use the same route as the school busses, which go up Backgate, along Barrier Bank where there are 3 bus stops on the way to Spalding.  Currently anyone wishing to catch the bus have to get to the one temporary bus stop on Stonegate.

ACTION: Clerk to write to Stagecoach.

 Trevor added that the PC had previously lobbied Stagecoach, but to no avail.

 Marcus also raised an issue with the bin by the memorial bench outside the village shop, which is not being emptied by SHDC.

 Members confirmed that when it was installed it was agreed that the shop would empty the bin.

ACTION: Clerk to write to SHDC to get the bin added to their weekly clearance.

 A gentleman named Mick spoke about the speeding traffic on Mill Drove North and stated that there had been 50 vehicles in the ditches and many accidents.

 Cllr Condell responded to say that the speed limit had been reduced to 50mph, albeit only the section by the crossroads.  He advised that he had pushed for it to be reduced to 40mph, but had been outvoted.

 A gentleman named Mark asked whether mirrors could be put up on the junctions of Mill Drove South and Stonegate.

 Trevor replied to advise that no mirrors would be erected by local authorities, as they are deemed dangerous.  Mirrors can only be placed on private land and the landowner would then be responsible to maintain it and ensure it is clean, as they could be deemed libel for any accidents.

 William Tyrrell spoke about the new village sign, stating that his family had received a lot of negativity due to the pumpkins crafted on the top which has caused real damage to his family’s reputation.  He requested that the pumpkins be removed from the sign as some of the comments that he had seen were libellous. He said that he would pay for them to be removed if necessary.

 Janet stated that the new sign was designed to represent the past, present and the future of the village.

 Trevor made it clear that he had not been in favour of the pumpkins on the new sign, and Jake also stated that he didn’t like them either, but both had been outvoted.

 Members agreed that the pumpkins could be removed and replaced with daffodils.

ACTION: Janet Barnes

 A lady named Anne commented that she felt the PC could have engaged with the community before the sign was erected, so that it wasn’t such a shock when the new sign went up.  She thanked the Clerk for answering her questions on Facebook and providing her with a link to the PC’s website.

 Members advised that the PC already publishes Minutes and Agendas on its website, and puts articles in every edition of the Elloe Oracle, which is delivered to every household.  For every meeting, the Clerk also creates an event on the Cowbit Village Facebook Page and adds the meeting agenda to it.

 Anne replied to say that Social Media is another way that the PC could communicate with residents that don’t read the magazine or visit the council’s website.

 It was agreed that a Parish Council Facebook Page would be setup to assist and modernise the way the PC engages with the community.

ACTION: Clerk

5. To receive and approve apologies for absence.

It was resolved to approve the apologies received for Eric Fragale.

The Clerk added that she had also received apologies from Cllr Anthony Casson.

6. To receive Declarations of Interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and to consider any requests for dispensations.

There were none.

7. Minutes of the March meetings to be approved and signed as a correct record and any matters arising, (not covered on this agenda).

Members resolved to approve the Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting and the General meeting, both held on the 9th of March, and the Chairman signed them as a true record.

8. To review and resolve PC representation on the following Committees and outside bodies:-

a. Playing Field/Pavilion

Jake Mason and Sam Cooke

b. SHPVCS (South Holland Private Voluntary Car Scheme)

It was agreed not to appoint anyone to this as the service doesn’t appear to be used by residents of the village, and it costs the PC a substantial amount to join the scheme.  The Call Connect service has been seen to be used in Cowbit, so that is an alternative.

It was resolved to ask the community via the new Facebook Page.

ACTION: Clerk

c. Village Hall Committee

As this has always been a role for the Chairman, it was agreed that Eric would attend future meetings along with Trevor.

9. To review and resolve to adopt the Council’s Standing Orders and Financial Regulations.

Members reviewed the document and resolved to adopt the updated versions of the Council’s Standing Orders and Financial Regulations.  Moved by Trevor and seconded by Chris.

10. To review and resolve to adopt the Council’s Asset Register.

Members reviewed the document and resolved that this was a correct and true record of the Council’s Assets and it was resolved to adopt it as such.  Assets with a value of £171,016.00 were moved by Chris and seconded by Trevor.

11. To review and resolve to accept the quote to renew the Council’s insurance policy.

It was resolved to accept the renewal quote from Clear Councils of £1,103.77 Moved by Trevor and seconded by Jake.

12. To review and adopt the Council’s Complaints Procedure.

Members reviewed the document and resolved to adopt the Council’s Complaints Procedure.

13. To review the Council’s Subject Access Request (Freedom of Information) and Data Protection  Policies.

Members reviewed the document and resolved to adopt the Subject Access Request and Data Protection policies.

14. To review the Council’s Media Policy, (currently under review by NALC).

Members reviewed the document and resolved to keep the current Media policy and to look to adopt the new version from NALC once published.

15. To agree the meeting dates for this financial year.

Members resolved to set the meeting dates for this financial year as follows: -

13/07/26, 14/09/26, 09/11/26, 11/01/27 and 08/03/27 which will also be the date of the Annual Parish Meeting (APM)

16. 2025/26 External Audit: 

a. To approve and sign Section 1 – Annual Governance Statement

Members resolved to approve the Annual Governance Statement - Section 1 which was moved by Jake and seconded by Trevor.  The document was signed by the Chairman and the Clerk.

b. To approve and sign Section 2 – Accounting Statements

Members resolved to approve the Accounting Statements in Section 2 of the AGAR which was moved by Chris and seconded by Janet.  The Chairman signed the document.

17. To receive the Clerk’s report on matters outstanding.

 New Village Sign: To be taken down, painted and the pumpkins replaced with daffodils.

 Cows for the entrance/exit of Stonegate from the A16 roundabout: Members and Clerk met with Highways Officer on the 28th of April to evaluate the sites.

 Graham Simpson (Highways Officer), approved the sites and the Clerk is awaiting the application form for the official Licence.

 Also awaiting confirmation from Cllr Condell as to whether this project has been chosen for his volunteer scheme.

 Cllr Condell added that he would forward an email that he’d sent to Trevor but had not yet received a reply.

 Village Information Boards: These are being worked on by Janet and Trevor.

 Funding for Improvements to the Field and Equipment: The Clerk has emailed Tim Wall for an update on the progress and is awaiting his reply.

 Clerk advised that she has submitted an application to the UKSPF for funds to make the Pavilion accessible to wheelchair users, their carers and parents with young children.  Deadline for submission was 12/05/26.

Correspondence

 James Bowman asking whether the PC would endorse the Flag of the Fens.

 Members were happy to do so.

ACTION: Clerk to reply.

 Keep Britain Tidy Campaign ‘There’s no such thing as the Dog Poo Fairy’ regarding Dog Poo.  Spring offer of 10 x A3 laminated signs and 5 x 21cm vinyl, circular bin stickers for £150 + VAT

 Members agreed to purchase a pack – Chris moved and Trevor seconded and Jake offered to put them up.

ACTION: Clerk to order and to email Cllr Anthony Casson to ask when the enforcement officers have/will be in Cowbit.

18. To receive the bank reconciliations and Summary Report.

The bank reconciliations and Summary Report were received with thanks.

19. To review and approve the list of invoices for payment received after the last meeting.

It was resolved to approve payments of £2,176.21 + VAT made up of general monthly costs.  Moved by Chris and seconded by Janet.

The Chairman signed the Clerk’s expenses sheet.

20. Police matters and to receive the online Police report.

The Chair read out the following report which outlined the incidents reported in March 2026.

A total of 10 Crimes were reported, as follows: -

21. To discuss Highway matters and to receive the CSW report.

The Chairman read out the latest CSW report.

05.03.2026

Stonegate            30mph          26 checked 2 over limit fastest 51mph

11.03.2026

Stonegate            30mph          30 checked 1 over limit fastest 43mph

19.03.2026

Stonegate            30mph          29 checked 3 over limit fastest 39mph

26.03.2026

Stonegate            30mph          25 checked none over limit

01.04.2026          

Stonegate            30mph          28 checked 1 over limit 36mph

17.04.2026

Barrier Bank        40mph         17 checked none over limit

24.04.2026

Stonegate             30mph          39 checked 4 over limit fastest 40mph

The Chairman commented that even though the main road from Crowland is closed, the figures show that the scheme is having a positive effect.

22. To discuss any Planning matters and agree a response to any new applications.

Applications received since the last meeting

Reference Location Proposal

H01-0386-26 36 THE PASTURES COWBIT SPALDING PE12 6FL Removal of rear conservatory and erect single storey extension

H01-0314-26 110 BARRIER BANK COWBIT SPALDING PE12 6AQ Two Storey Rear Extension & Alterations

Members resolved that as they could see no reason to object, they would support the applications.

ACTION: Clerk

23. To discuss the idea of planting blossom trees throughout the village.

This agenda item had been requested buy Eric, who wasn’t in attendance.

 Janet explained that the idea was to plant blossoming trees along Barrier Bank.

 Members questioned the idea of planting them along the roadside and questioned who would retain responsibility and ownership of the trees?

 It was stated that Highways would need to give their consent

 Trevor advised that the tarmac goes underneath the verge, which is why the grass is dying back, so tree roots would not take.

 After discussion, members agreed that it would be better to plant the trees in the park.

 Chris stated that the Woodland Trust are giving away free blossom trees ready to plant in November.

 It was resolved that this item be added to the next meeting agenda.

24. Items to be included on the next meeting’s agenda. 

Blossom trees for the park.

25. To confirm the date of the next meeting, provisionally set as Monday the 13th July 2025. 

The date was confirmed.

Meeting closed at 20:55

“In Committee”

The Public & Press to be excluded from the meeting in accordance with the provision of Section 1 (2) of the Public Bodies (admission to meetings Act 1960).  The items to be discussed being of a confidential nature.

26. Clerk’s Annual Salary Review.

Members resolved to move the Clerk up 2 scale points and to give her 1 extra hour per week to administer the PC’s Facebook Page.