Minutes 2026

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Draft Minutes of the Sutton Bridge Parish Council Meeting held 19:00hrs Tuesday, 27 January 2026, in the Curlew Centre Bridge Room, Sutton Bridge.

Present: Cllr T Baldry, Cllr C Brewis, Cllr T Judd, Cllr J Kirby-Fox, Cllr S McLaughlin, Cllr M Middleton, Cllr M Philpott, Cllr M Pitt, Cllr A Scarlett, Mrs. C Smith, (Clerk),

County Cllr R Woods ,  Two Members of the Public:

Absent:  Cllr D Cook

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

26.001. There were no apologies

26.002.There were no declarations.

26.003.Public representations

i.Public Toilets – a member of the public reported that the toilets were closed one day in the week at 9am when it was expected these would be open. The meeting discussed the closed toilets and agreed to review creating a post to open the facility at weekends. This would be on the next agenda.

ii.Dog Fouling – It was reported that dog fouling had been found near the one-stop shop and at the Memorial Park. It was noted that there was only one dog warden for the district, but evidence of any problems could be forwarded to them.

26.004.It was resolved to approve the minutes of meeting held Tuesday 16 December 2025 they were signed by the chair.

26.005.Police matters

i.A break in at an allotment shed and the release of their chickens was reported to the Police by the allotment holder. The Police decided this was a civil matter and did not respond.

ii.It was noted that there were cars parked on the zebra crossing, photographic evidence of this should be forwarded to parking enforcement LCC.

26.006.Chair’s Report

i.Cllr Middleton reported that she had visited a modular building supplier in York and was continuing to look for the best value building for the Pavilion Project. She also reported that following the Football Foundations disappointing news that a grant of only £50k would be available she had visited Sir John Hayes in Westminster to review the project and funding arrangements. A further meeting with Sir John and the Football Foundation would be arranged. An update on the temporary building had also been provided, and contact had been made with the vendor and the haulier.

ii.Cllr Middleton discussed the costs of the project; it was agreed that the level of public loan should be decided by Council decision. It was agreed that a public consultation was a priority and this needed to be presented, this would be on the agenda for the next meeting.

26.007.Clerk’s Report

i.Sutton Bridge Wombles -. Cllrs discussed the removal of the wombles bins and were disappointed this had happened. It was reported that Long Sutton Parish Council had objected to the tyre bins and this had precipitated their removal. Sutton Bridge Parish Council asked Cllr Woods to look into the matter as they were in full support of the Wombles and very grateful for their work in the community.

ii.Princes Park & Lime Street – The clerk reported that the conveyancing was going ahead.

iii.The fair - would like visit in April, it was agreed to allow the visit and charge £320 fees.

iv.Damage to fence - the clerk reported damage to the fence near the notice board, this had been reported to the police. The clerk would ask the outside operative to repair the wires.

26.008.District and County Councillors Reports

01.County Councillor R Woods reported on the following LCC (Lincolnshire County Council) matters.

1. Fly tipping, incidents had been reported and cleared.

2. Library – the contract with Greenwich Ltd would operate for a further 5 years. The importance of this service was recognised by LCC.

3. Local Government Review – the LCC proposal had been sent off, consultation by Government would begin in February.

4. Highways – Cllr Woods had received issues from residents via social media, he had met with highways and addressed problems including drain covers, potholes, surface water and establishing clearways in the bus stops and near the Anchor.

02.  Cllr M Brewis thanked Cllr Woods for his work and reported on the following SHDC (South Holland District Council) matters.

i.   Asphalt Plant – thank you to Sir John and all involved in the response to the planning application.

ii.  LGR – this may have an impact on the next elections with Cllrs terms extended until after the results of the review are known.

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

i.Renters’ rights- it was noted that the removal of section 21 starts on 1st May, tenants will not be given notice without good reason.

ii.South Lincs Partnership – predicted savings of £47M had exceeded plans of £42M.

iii.Lutton Leam - £2.6M investment on refurbishing the riverbanks and sluice gates had gone ahead.

iv.Withington St – it was noted that furniture and refuse had been left out in Withington St, Cllr Booth agreed to take this up with Waste control services.

26.009.Financial Matters

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

ii.It was resolved to approve payments to 27 January 2026 as circulated at Appendix A. Cllr Kirby - Fox and Cllr Scarlett would authorise bank payments.

iii.It was resolved to get the drains rodded in the front car park as a starting point to establish what the problem might be.

iv.Precept – Cllrs received the draft budget recommended by the Finance Committee and resolved to set the precept at £110,000.

26.010.It was resolved to establish a Steering Group for the Playzone and appoint Cllrs Kirby-Fox, Philpott and Scarlett.

26.011.It was resolved to charge £30 fee and approve a catering van to use the Curlew Centre car park on the 15 August 2026.

26.012.It was resolved to approve the request for Tequilla Circus to use the field, Tequila would be informed of the restricted parking and use of the field due to the construction of the PlayZone.  

26.013.Councillors Surgery

i.The next surgery would be on the 14 February 2026 – Cllrs Kirby-Fox and Pitt

26.014.It was resolved to appoint Cllr Philpott on to the Open Spaces committee

26.015.Correspondence

i.Easter Afternoon Tea – An invite from the Chairman of Fenland District Council for an Easter afternoon Tea on Thursday 26 March 2026 at 14:30 hrs in the Council Chamber at Fenland Hall.

ii.Fenland District Council Civic Events – 3 July 2026 Chairmans Civic Reception, 17 September 2026 Charity Coffee Morning and 4 December 2026 Community Carol Service.

iii.Project St Thomas – Support services for cancer survivors and patients based in Spalding please contact project.stthomas@dioceseofnottingham.uk for further information.

26.016.Planning applications

i.Cllr Brewis abstained from voting on the applications as he was a member of the planning committee.

ii.H18-1269-25: 8a High Street, Sutton Bridge, Conversion of shop/residential into 3 self-contained units: It was resolved to support the application.

iii.H18-1274-25: Gunthorpe Road, Solar Farm, Land South of Gunthorpe Road, Walpole Marsh, PE14 7JH:  It was resolved to object to the application to remove the condition to improve the junction.

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

i.H18-1083-25: The Pavilion, Memorial Park, Sutton Bridge PE12 9SA: Proposed Sports Pavilion: Approved

ii.H18-0966-25: 20 Wharf Street, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9UF: First Floor Extension: Approved

iii.H18-0914-25: Land rear of the post office, Sutton Bridge: Erection of pair of semi-detached dwellings: Approved

26.018.Committee Reports

01.New Pavilion Committee – this item was discussed under Chair’s report.

02.Open Spaces – the clerk updated the meeting that grave owners had been invited to a meeting to discuss the placement of items on graves.

26.019.Outside body representative reports

01.Youth Club – Cllr Brewis reported that a review of existing venues was being undertaken to see if there was any suitable accommodation. Holbeach Academy had also agreed to circulate letters to families with information regarding the establishment of a youth club. He was also pleased to report that permission had been granted to use the Artwork promoting the Youth Club that had been used previously.

20:55hrs    Members of the public left the meeting.

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

26.021.There were no quotes.

26.022.Staffing Matters

i.The Clerk reported that bereavement leave for a member of staff had been authorised.

The chair closed the meeting at 21:30 hrs.

Appendix A