Minutes 2025

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Draft Minutes of the Sutton Bridge Parish Council Meeting held 19:00hrs Tuesday, 28 October 2025, in the Curlew Centre Bridge Room, Sutton Bridge.

Present: Cllr T Baldry, Cllr C Brewis, Cllr M Booth, Cllr J Kirby-Fox, Cllr T Judd, Cllr S McLaughlin, Cllr M Middleton, Cllr M Pitt, Mrs. C Smith, (Clerk), Mrs K Croxford (Admin Assistant), County Cllr R Woods

Absent: Cllr D Cook, Cllr M Philpott and Cllr A Scarlett. Members of the Public: Two

Unless otherwise stated, actions are to be undertaken by the clerk. 

25.223. Apologies were received from Cllr A Scarlett.

25.224. Declarations 

i. Cllr Middleton declared an interest in agenda item 9.04 (min ref: 25.231.iv) as she had an involvement with the distribution of the crosses.

ii. Cllr M Booth declared an interest in agenda item 14 (min ref: 25.236) as a family member was a tenant of the Parish Council.

25.225. Public Representations.

i. A member of the Public asked if the sign on the East Bank could be cleaned. This would be reported to LCC. 

25.226. It was resolved to approve the minutes of meeting held Tuesday 23 September 2025 they were signed by the chair.

25.227. There were no Police matters.

25.228. Chairs report

i. Cllr Middleton thanked Councillors and Mr R Middleton for all their help with cutting back the brambles near Flint Gate.

25.229. Clerk’s Report

i. Cllr R Woods had offered to clean the War Memorial however this was not in need of a clean at the moment, but we would be in touch when it does. He would attend Long Sutton Remembrance Service this year and Sutton Bridge Remembrance next year. He had been informed that we hold a Memorial Service each year at the Propeller Memorial on the East Bank.

25.230. District and County Councillors Reports

01. There was no report from County Cllr R Wood

02. Cllr C Brewis reported on the following SHDC (South Holland District Council) matters

i. He was saddened to hear of the recent Hurricane in the Caribbean and the recent heavy rainfall.

ii. As of yet there had been no decision received from the recent planning appeal for the mobile asphalt plant.

iii. He had taken County Cllr R Woods around the village to look at potential problems; it was hoped that the vegetation along the old A17 would be cut back

iv. There had been a report of fly tipping at Wingland.

v. NLIDB (North Level Internal Drainage Board) and the Environmental Agency were urgently monitoring the sea defences 

vi. A new hospital was due to be built at the Queen Elizabeht Hospital in Kings Lynn, once the new car park was built 

03 Cllr M Booth reported on the following SHDC (South Holland District Council) matters

i. Harecoursing was now upon us, please do not approach but ring 999 immediately.

ii. From January 2026, new rules were being brought in for purchasing and using rodenticides. 

iii. The District Council had undertaken a housing stock survey and had inspected 83% of properties. New rules had been brought in for landlords to deal with damp and mould problems. If anyone has any problems, please contact the District Council https://www.sholland.gov.uk/article/22642/Damp-and-mould

iv. Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns was in partnership with the EA

(Environment Agency) contacting government over funding due to ineffective sea defences.  

25.231. Financial Matters

i. It was resolved to approve the September cash book and bank reconciliation.

ii. It was resolved to approve payments to 29 October 2025 as circulated at Appendix A. Cllr Kirby Fox and Cllr Scarlett would authorise bank payments. 

iii. Receipts: Firework Event £ 770.00, Burial Ground £ 406.00, Farm Business Rent £ 4408.80, Garden Allotment Rent £115.31, Bank interest £244.07 and a Bank transfer from the savings to the current account of £30,000 were noted

19:16hrs Cllr Middleton left the meeting as she had declared an interest in the following agenda item.

iv. It was resolved to approve a donation of £100.00 to purchase sixty-five crosses with poppies and place them on the War Graves in St Matthews Churchyard.

19:17hrs Cllr Pitt left the meeting

19:18hrs Cllrs Middleton and Pitt returned to the meeting

25.232. It was resolved to contact the Councillor Volunteer Scheme and ask for help to tidy up the Memorial Park and Arnie Broughton Walk. 

25.233. It was resolved to find out costs involved with opening and closing of the Curlew Centre Toilets, and to contact SHDC for further information on what services they will continue to provide.

25.234. It was resolved to accept the transfer of land in Princes Street and Lime Street Park from SHDC to the Parish Council at a cost of £1.00 each.

25.235. Fence Boundary

i. Following a request from a neighbour to share the cost of a 6ft fence on the boundary of the Memorial Park, councillors discussed the matter. It was resolved not to contribute to the cost of the fence.

25.236. Allotments 

i. It was resolved to approve the request for an allotment in the new area at the Wrights Lane allotments. 8

ii. Cllrs considered the request from a tenant to erect a fence at the allotments. As the neighbouring plot would now be occupied, it was questioned whether the fence was still required. The Admin Assistant will contact the tenant to make further enquiries.

25.237. Firework Event 5 November 2025

i. The clerk reported that letters had been sent to residents informing them of the event, a poster had been put on social media and the Notice Board. 

ii. The Fair would bring a few more pieces of equipment and set up on the Tuesday evening, there would be no parking in the Curlew Car Park. The Constitutional Club had agreed to allow parking for disabled vehicles on their premises.

25.238. CCTV

i. A CCTV report had been circulated to members detailing the costs involved, this highlighted that capital installation costs would be in the region of £9000.00 - £11,000 and monitoring and operations over a 5-year period would be £30,786,94. It was resolved not to proceed with the project. 

25.239. Woodland trust 

i. The clerk reported that the hedge plants from the Woodland Trust would be due from around the 4 to the 14 November 2025.

ii. It was unclear how many different species of hedge plants would be received. Cllr Brewis reported that the ground was still too dry for full planting. It was decided to temporarily heel in the plants at the Garden of Rest Wildflower Area until they could be fully planted. Cllrs Kirby-Fox, McLaughlin, Middleton, and Pitt would meet on Sunday 2 November at midday to dig a trench for this. Two members of the public also volunteered to assist.

25.240. Councillors Surgery

i. The next surgery would be on the 8 November 2025 – Cllrs Booth and Brewis.

25.241. Correspondence

i. An invitation from Fenland District Council had been received to a Christmas Carol Service on Friday 5 December 2025 at 18:00 hrs, details were passed to Cllr Middleton.

ii. A request for support from LIVES had been received. It was resolved to allocate a charitable donation budget for next year. 

25.242. Planning Applications

Cllr Brewis declared an interest in the following agenda item as a member of the District Council planning committee and did not participate in the vote

i. H18-0914-25: Land rear of the post office, 159 Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge: Erection of pair of semi-detached dwellings:  No comment. Cllr Brewis abstained from voting 

ii. H18-1006-25: Bridge House West 2 Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9UA, 2 replacement windows. It was resolved to support. Cllr Brewis abstained from voting 

iii. H18-0984-25: Barn View, Hospital Road, Wingland, PE12 9YR: Single Storey side extension. It was resolved to support. Cllr Brewis abstained from voting

iv. H18-0971-25: Crosskeys Swing Bridge, Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge: Carry out mechanical and electrical upgrade. It was resolved to support 

v. H18-0974-25: Crosskeys Swing Bridge, Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge: Proposed mechanical and electric upgrade. It was resolved to support 

vi. H18-0966-25: 20 Wharf Street, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9UF: First floor rear extension and demolition of conservatory. It was resolved to support.

vii. H18-0953-25: Maze Farm, Hospital Drove, Long Sutton, PE12 9EN: Demolition of existing barn & erection of one dwelling. It was resolved to support. Cllr Brewis abstained from voting.

viii. H18-0936-25: 185 Avenue Farm Road, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9QF: Demolition of existing agricultural building and erection of 2 storey 4 bed dwelling. It was resolved to object due to the original planning application was only for a barn conversion and the new development was outside the planning boundary

ix. H18-0922-25: Land between East Bank/ Gunthorpe Road, Walpole Marsh PE14 7JJ: Installation of access track and associated development. No comment. Cllr Brewis abstained from voting.

20:48hrs Cllr Booth left the meeting.

25.243. Planning Decisions – Councillors noted the planning decisions made by South Holland District Council as listed below:

i. H18-0743-25: 5a Kinderley Close, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9PZ: Proposed single storey side extension: Approved

ii. H18-0713-25: Land rear of Post Office, 158 Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge: Details of scheme to deal with contamination or pollution of controlled waters: Refused

iii. H18-0622-25: Gunthorpe Road, Walpole Marsh, PE14 7JH: Installation of solar farm and battery storage facility with associated infrastructure: Refused

25.244. Committee Reports 

01. New Pavilion Committee

i. Cllr Middleton reported that at the last meeting, discussions were held regarding moving the project forward, including the possibility of obtaining a Public Loan if alternative funding could not be sourced elsewhere

20:50hrs Cllr Booth returned to the meeting

ii. It was agreed that further quotes would be sought by putting the work out for tender to obtain cost estimates.

iii. Last week, some committee members and the Clerk visited Wisbech Hockey & Cricket temporary modular building, which is scheduled for sale next year. Unfortunately, it did not meet the committee’s requirements. To obtain funding from the Football Association, the building must have a minimum lifespan of over 25 years; as this building was older, it was deemed unsuitable for funding purposes.

iv. It was resolved to approve the new location of the Football Club container which would be placed at the side of The Curlew Centre in the Memorial Park.

02 Open Spaces, Burial & Allotments 

i. Cllr McLaughlin expressed her thanks to those who had attended the allotment inspection on 19 October 2025. It was noted that some trees required pruning and some plots were uncultivated; however, after speaking with three tenants, no issues were reported at present.

03 Events  

i. The Christmas Tree had been ordered and was due to arrive on 27 November 2025. It would be installed in the Curlew Centre car park.

ii. The Christmas Tree lights would be switched on during the Christmas Fair on 7 December 2025, which would also include carols and crafts at the event. Unfortunately, a Father Christmas could not be secured, so storytelling with Santa would not be able to take place.

04.Youth Club

i. Cllr Brewis reported that things were moving forward with Sutton Bridge Youth Club, he had been to UALS and Westmere Schools to gain support for the project.

25.245. There were no outside body representative reports

25.246. Public participations

i. A member of the public reported that the milestone along Bridge Road needed to be painted and vegetation growing around the milestone at Fields Farm Road needed to be cut back. This would be reported to LCC.

25.247. Next date of Meeting – Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 19:00hrs

25.248. It was resolved to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s.1(2).

21:05hrs Two members of the public left the meeting.

25.249. There were no quotes for work

25.250. Staffing Matters

i. The clerk reported that the outside operative had handed in his resignation. As agreed at the last Personnel meeting the job vacancy would now be advertised.

25.251. Burial Ground 

i. Correspondence concerning placement of items left in the burial ground were noted.

ii. The clerk reported details of a Memorial Stone amendment to allow a memorial vase in line with current guidelines.  

The chair closed the meeting at 21:20hrs.

Appendix A