23 June Council Meeting
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Draft Minutes of the Sutton Bridge Parish Council Meeting held 19:00hrs Tuesday, 23 June 2026, in the Curlew Centre Bridge Room, Sutton Bridge.
Present: Cllr T Baldry, Cllr C Brewis, Cllr M Booth, Cllr D Cook, Cllr P Eggett, Cllr T Judd, Cllr J Kirby – Fox, Cllr M Philpott, Cllr M Pitt (Chair), Cllr Scarlett, Mrs. C Smith (Parish Clerk), Mrs. K Croxford, (Admin Assistant).Seven Members of the Public: Absent: Cllr M Middleton
Unless otherwise stated, actions are to be undertaken by the clerk.
26.128. Apologies were received from Cllr Middleton
26.129. There were no declarations of interest.
26.130. There were no public representations.
26.131. Co – Option
i. Mr Dickson introduced himself to members and explained that he had a strong local interest in Sutton Bridge, having moved to the village seven years ago.
ii. Mr Eggett introduced himself to the Council and stated that he had a personal interest in addressing speeding issues within the village and was keen to contribute towards finding solutions.
iii. Miss Fetcher introduced herself to the Council and explained that she was an advocate for the village's young people. She expressed her commitment to securing a youth centre for the village.
19:10hrs Seven members of the public left the meeting.
iv. It was resolved to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s1(2)
v. It was resolved to Co -opt Mr P Eggett to the Council.
19:15hrs Seven members of the public entered the room and the meeting was resumed.
26.132. It was resolved to approve the minutes of meeting held Tuesday 26 May 2026 they were signed by the chair.
26.133. Police matters
i. The Clerk had informed the Police of reports of anti-social behaviour in the village, and they had confirmed that neighbourhood policing resources would focus on Sutton Bridge for a period of time. An email was subsequently received confirming that dispersal orders had been issued for 18 and 19 June, and again for 19 and 20 June. One public order offence was recorded, and three dispersal notices were issued.
ii. Cllr Booth commented that speeding continued along New Road and asked if this could be reported to the Police and if the SID (Speed Indicator Device) could be moved to New Road. The clerk reported that this was being done.
26.134. Chair’s Report
i. The Chair expressed sadness at the passing of the late Mr David Wilkinson, a Long Sutton councillor who had contributed greatly to Long Sutton and surrounding communities.
ii. A meeting was held at the Curlew Centre with Sir John Hayes and Mr Colin Jackson regarding reports of asylum seekers being housed in the new apartments on the former Bridge Hotel site. The meeting was well attended by members of the public and the district council, and it was noted that there was strong representation in support of Sutton Bridge and recognition of its place within Lincolnshire.
iii. Congratulations were expressed to all those involved in the Playzone project, construction of which had begun the last week.
26.135. Clerk’s Report
i. Tree Works – A member of the public had reported a tree in distress in the Memorial Park, this had been reported to the tree officer at SHDC we were waiting for further instructions. A tree report was to be undertaken during this year.
ii. Clerk IT – The clerk reported that her laptop had failed, an IT specialist was looking at it to see if it could be repaired and trying a Bios update to see if this would work.
iii. Old Toilet Block – The old toilet block had been cleared today, and the space was now much tidier.
iv. U3A Open day– An open day would take place in the Memorial Park on the 7 July 2026 13:30 to 16:00 hrs if anyone would like to go along.
26.136. District and County Councillors Report
01. There was no County Councillor report.
02. Cllr C Brewis reported on the following SHDC (South Holland District Council) matters.
i. A petition had now gained four hundred signatures over the opposition over the asylum seekers in the new Bridge Hotel apartments.
ii. A small grant would be given to Sutton Bridge in Bloom and for the Flower Festival in the Church.
iii. Queen Elizabeth Hospital had received recognition for helping patients being discharged sooner.
iv. He had attended a presentation over the new Waste Collections, a new timetable for collections would be sent out soon.
v. The new hedge in the Memorial Park had been watered, and he was grateful for members of staff clearing the weeds to help the plants grow.
03. Cllr M Booth reported on the following SHDC (South Holland District Council) matters.
i. Following a meeting held last week, the Leader of the District Council confirmed that, following contact with the Home Office, the proposed asylum accommodation remains under active consideration, its status is still live.
ii. Five new waste bins with different-coloured lids would be introduced in October. Meetings had been scheduled to allow district councillors to present specific cases for waste collections from private roads and other areas causing concerns.
iii. King Charles III Coastal path was looking overgrown, this had been reported and had now been cut back.
26.137. Financial Matters
i. It was resolved to approve the May cash book and bank reconciliation.
ii. It was resolved to approve payments to 24 June 2026 as circulated at Appendix A. Cllr Kirby - Fox and Cllr Scarlett would authorise bank payments.
iii. Receipts had been circulated and were noted see Appendix B.
26.138. The next Councillor surgery would be on the 11 July 2026 – Cllrs Cook and Pitt. Cllr Judd reported that five members had attended the surgery last month with reports of anti-social behaviour and speeding. It had also been asked if the posters for the circus and the fair could be removed.
26.139. It was resolved to appoint Cllrs Cook and Kirby- Fox as representatives on the Blanks and Phillips Charities.
19:30hrs A member of the public left the meeting.
26.140. Playzone
i. The clerk reported that construction had started on the 15 June 2026, and the project was hoped to be finished by August. The role for Playzone Co-Ordinator had been advertised; a member of Active Lincolnshire had offered to help with interviews.
ii. There had been a small groundbreaking ceremony to publicise the event at the start of the project, and an opening event was planned for September 19, 2026.
iii. The Football Target Wall would need to be relocated and renovated. It was resolved to delegate to the Open Spaces Committee the decision regarding its new location in the Memorial Park.
26.141. Correspondence
i. LALC –The LALC AGM would take place via zoom on the 9 July at 19:00hrs. If anyone would like to join the meeting, please let the clerk know.
ii. PKF Littlejohn – An email had been received from PKF Littlejohn to acknowledge receipt of the audit.
iii. LCC – Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) were preparing the Lincolnshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan that will form the key to the delivery of sustainable minerals and waste development in the county up to 2042. The consultation runs from 15 June to 31 July 2026 for further information on the consultation please contact.
https://www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/mwplan-2026
26.142. Planning applications
i. Cllr Brewis abstained from voting on the applications as he was a member of the planning committee.
ii. H18-0554-26: Adj. to 185 Avenue Farm Road, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9QF: Demolition of existing agricultural building (with class Q approval, ref HI18-0314-25) end erection of two storey four bed dwelling. Cllr M Booth commented that he had been advised that this was to be a conversion farm building to dwelling, he would discuss this with the planners and report back to Council with the application details.
26.143. Planning Decisions – Councillors noted the planning decisions made by South Holland District Council as listed below:
i. H18-0311-26: Adj. Rose Cottage, King John Bank, Walpole St Andrew PE14 7JS: Erection of two self-build dwellings and garages. Proposed single storey rear extension: Outline Refusal
26.144. Committee Reports
01. Pavilion
i. The clerk reported that the last meeting had been cancelled as Sir John Hayes had a meeting on that day with the Football Foundation.
ii. Ninety-Eight football interest surveys had been completed and returned from Westmere school. Thank you to all that took part in the survey.
20:00hrs Standing orders were suspended to allow member of the public to talk on the following agenda item.
02. Open Spaces, Burials and Allotments.
i. A member of the public raised concerns regarding the Council’s policy on floral tributes and reiterated a previous request, made at the last Open Spaces Committee meeting, for the Rules and Regulations to be amended to allow families to undertake self-maintenance of their relatives’ grave plot.
20:15hrs Standing order were resumed.
03. It was resolved by a majority vote to amend the rules and regulations to include this as circulated.
26.145. There were no representations from members of the public.
20:07 hrs Six members of the public left the meeting.
26.146. It was resolved to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s.1(2).
Cllr M Booth declared an interest on the following Farm Business Tenancy agenda items as a family member was a tenant, he did not participate in the vote.
26.147. The clerk updated members with information on the tenant of the Farm Business Tenancy.
26.148. It was resolved to keep the Farm Business rent the same as last year and issue a notice to review the rent next year.
26.149. It was resolved to accept the quote to move the Children’s sign in the burial ground, reposition the target wall in the Memorial Park and cut back the branches in the Curlew Centre car park at a cost of £570.00.
26.150. Staffing and Administration Matters
i. The clerk reported on staffing matters relating to covering the holiday hours for the outside operative.
ii. It was agreed that the clerk could store Little Sutton Parish Meeting files on the one drive and a small charge would be made to the meeting.
The chair closed the meeting at 20:30 hrs.