2026 Minutes

ANNUAL MEETING OF OSBOURNBY PARISH COUNCIL

Held on Wednesday 6th May 2026 immediately after the Annual Parish Meeting

1. Appointment of Chairman:  Cllr Jackson was proposed to remain as Chairperson by Cllr North and seconded by Cllr Bide.  Cllr Jackson accepted the motion.

2. Acceptance of Standing Orders and Chairperson:  Relevant paperwork was signed.

3. Appointment of Vice Chairman:  Cllr Bide was proposed to remain as Vice Chairman by Cllr Baldwin and seconded by Cllr North.  Cllr Bide accepted the motion.

4. Apologies:   Cllr Dixon

5. In attendance:  Cllrs Jackson, Bide, Baldwin, North, Wright and Lamb.  County Councillor Whitacker.  Mrs King Clerk.

6. Minutes of the previous meeting, held on 4th March, already circulated, were agreed. Proposed Cllr Wright, Seconded Cllr North.

7. Signing off the 2025/26 Accounts.  Mrs King informed the meeting that the 2025/6 acccounts had been duly audited and found to be in order.  Mrs King informed the meeting that the balance of accounts held by the Parish Council on 31st March 2026 totalled £35,371.46.  All councillors felt that there was a sound system of internal control in place and were happy to sign off the 2025/26 audit.

8. Member’s Disclosable Pecuniary and Other Interest forms to be updated as necessary.  No councillors indicated that any updates were necessary.

9.  Chairman/District Council Report:  Cllr Jackson’s report is attached to these notes.  Cllr Bide asked whether any progress had been made on the Parish Council Gov.Uk emails.  Cllr Jackson and Mrs King to progress.

10. County Councillor report:  Cllr Whitacker advised that the new administration for Lincolnshire County Councillor had been in place for a year and had already made savings of £38m.  Asked where the savings had come from Cllr Whitacker advised that the new Pot Hole Probe was proving far more efficient than the old way of filling pot holes.  All existing pot holes tha the new administration inherited have now been filled.  Grantham Road in Sleaford is due to be resurfaced in July.  The Grantham Southern Relief Road should be completed in 2029.  1.7 million illegal cigarettes have been seized.  

11. Clerk’s Report:  Mrs King reported that as at 30th April 2026 the Parish Council Accounts were as follows:

Parish Council Account: £8,766.81

Cemetery Account: £7,042.90

Fixed Term Account: £25,000.00

Mrs King advised that £1,244 had been transferred from the Cemetery Account to Parish Council Account for works carried out in the cemetery.  A precept of £6,200 had been received.  A VAT refund of £300 to be claimed back.

Mrs King had already submitted the Spring/Summer newsletter for Councillors to read.  It was agreed that this would be distributed.

Mr Ian Neville, Church Warden, has requested that he be able to hold a couple of churchyard tidy days, prior to a wedding later in May.  This was agreed.  Mr Neville had also asked whether a rail could be fitted alongside the steps leading from the churchyard to the main road.  Councillors looked at this following the meeting.

12. Village Hall Open Evening.  This was held in March, highlighting events that take place in the village hall and highlighting local businesses.  All felt it had been a success.

13. Defibrillator.  Due to the fact that batteries are no longer available for our old defibrillator, the school very kindly donated their defibrillator which was not currently being used.  This is now in place and on The Circuit.  Mrs King had found a company who would take the old defibrillator but Cllr Jackson said he would ask Andrew          if he had any ideas of what to do with it.

14. Update from The Hub:  Cllr Lamb said that attendance is growing and that there are 6 or 7 people attending each week.  

15. Community Speed Watch:  2 new volunteers are undertaking training and already two watches have taken place with another one booked in for tomorrow (7th May).

16. Proposed new bus stop:  No further progress made, due to the work needing to take place in a conservation area.

17. Village tidy Day:  Very well attended by 27 volunteers.  Cllr Bide said that work is still needed on the footpath behind the school and he will put this on Fix My Street.

18. Aswarby Estate:  No report from Aswarby Estate, although they had sent preliminary plans for work at Fern House Farm.

19. Community Resilience & Emergency Plan:  All in hand.  Cllr Jackson needs to discuss with Silk Willoughby Village Hall Committee.

20. Donations:  no donations have been requested.

21. Correspondence:  No correspondence has been received which has not been discussed.

22. Payments since last meeting:

Tidy Gardens & Grounds: £1,020.00

Bank Charges: £4.25

Osbournby Village Hall £18.00

Mrs D Scott (Audit) £35.00

Tidy Gardens & Grounds £708.00

23. Dates of Future Meetings:

Wednesday 1st July 2026

Wednesday 2nd September 2026

Wednesday 4th November 2026

There being no further business the open meeting was closed at 7.55 and the public forum left.

Confidential Business – Closed Section

This part of the meeting was to look at land on The Drove next to the new development and the Section 106 money of £57,000 which will be paid to the Parish Council on the sale of the 7th property.

The Parish Council had undertaken a land search with the Land Registry and the land is not registered.  The Parish Council were advised that there could be a few possible reasons for this, the main one being that the land was purchased before 1986 and has not been sold, remortgaged or registered since that time.  Prior to 1986 it was not a legal requirement to register property with HM Land Registry.

Cllr Jackson had sought legal advice and been informed that as the Parish Council had not maintained the land they had no legal right to it.

Cllr Wright said that previously he had rented that land and the then football field and had paid rent to the Aswarby Estate.

It was agreed that Cllr Jackson would discuss with Mr Mark Jones of the Aswarby Estate that they register the land and provide the Parish Council with space for a play area.

The Meeting closed at 8.10