Minutes and Agendas 2026

HELPRINGHAM PARISH COUNCIL 

clerk@helpringhamparishcouncil.gov.uk 

helpringham.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk 

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CLERK’s NOTES FOR MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 11th FEBRUARY 2026 

PRESENT: Councillors: Geoff Hotchkin (Chairman), Julie Frizzell (Vice-Chair), George Frizzell, Steve Waterfield, John Pittock, Adam Young. 

Clerk/RFO: Judy Pittock 

County Councillor David East 

NOT PRESENT: Councillor Mark Robinson 

TEN MINUTES PUBLIC FORUM 

No members of the publish were present. 

155/26 WELCOME REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN 

The Chair welcomed members to the meeting. 

156/26 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 

It was resolved to accept the apology for absence from Cllr Mark Robinson. 

157/26 SIGNING OF THE MINUTES 

It was resolved to accept the Clerk’s notes of the last Parish Council Meeting held on 15th January 2025. 

158/26 DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST & DISPENSATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LOCALISM ACT 2011. 

No declarations were received. 

159/26 REPORTS FROM COUNTY and DISTRICT COUNCILLORS 

• District Councillor Jackson had submitted a report which was noted and is attached HERE. 
• County Councillor David East drew attention to surveys available for completion on the LCC Lets Talk Lincolnshire website and that the County Council had kept the increase in Council Tax at the lowest rate possible. 

160/26 CLERK and COUNCILLOR’S REPORTS ON OUTSTANDING MATTERS 

The following updates were noted: 

• Remembrance Memorial maintenance – Cllr John Pittock reported that English Heritage had approved the cleaning of the plaques using the recommended product. The work had been delayed due to the poor weather. 
• Little Hale Rd Cemetery gates and Old Cemetery railings – the Clerk has requested two quotes for this work. 
• Speed awareness sign battery – members discussed the possible reasons for inconsistent charging. Cllr Pittock suggested that the solar panels may need cleaning. Cllr George Frizzell agreed to clean the panels and continue to monitor the battery levels. 
• Installation of playing field bin and replacement seats (by the school) – it was resolved that the Clerk should obtain quotes to have these installed. 
• Noticeboard repair – it was agreed that Cllr Pittock may remove the noticeboard for varnishing and installation of the new pinboard backing. A local sign maker has agreed to supply a metal name plaque with an estimated 15 year lifespan. Alternative arrangements for displaying notices will be sought while the noticeboard is out of use. 
• Christmas tree – no response has been received from the Christmas Tree Committee regarding the proposal to plant a permanent tree. It was also noted that the Christmas tree was still in place on the Green. 
• Pinfold rent contract – a revised contract was discussed and it was resolved that Cllr Julie Frizzell and the Clerk would review the draft before issuing it to the current users of the Pinfold for consideration. It was resolved that the nominal increase in annual rent would take effect from 1/4/26. 

161/26 INTERIM AUDIT 

The interim audit report was considered. 

• The auditor had noted that the updated NALC Model Standing Orders recommended the use of gender-neutral terminology e.g. ‘Chair’. Cllr Hotchkin expressed a preference to regain the title ‘Chairman’ and it was resolved to continue using this term 
• It was further resolved that the Clerk should write to the auditor thanking her for the time, care and professionalism demonstrated during the audit and to seek clarification regarding publication requirements for expenditure over £100.00. 

162/26 POLICIES FOR REVIEW 

Members discussed policy requirements and the review of existing policies. It was resolved that the Council would support the use of a Minute recording app by the Clerk at future meetings. It was also resolved to adopt the following: 

• IT Policy
• Recording and Filming Meetings Protocol
• Training and Development
• Risk Register

163/26 FINANCE 

63/26.1 It was resolved to accept the following documents presented by the RFO for the period 1/4/25-11/2/26:

• Bank Reconciliation HERE
• Actual v Budget figures HERE

163/26.2 It was resolved to approve payments presented at the meeting: 

163/26.3 The following Direct Debit payments since 15/1/26 were noted: 

163/26.4 The following receipts since 15/1/26 were noted: 

164/26 Village Trees 

• A quotation had been received from P&P Tree Services for the removal of the dead cherry tree on the junction of East Street and Hale Road. It was resolved to accept the price of £240.00 plus VAT. 
• The Circle of Trees project had confirmed that the site on the East Street junction was an ideal location for a tree. It was agreed that the replacement tree should ideally be another cherry, however advice would be taken from the Project’s ecologist. The Clerk will also seek confirmation that relevant tree protection will also be provided. 

165/26 CEMETERY 

Cllr George Frizzell reported: 

• One interment in plot V10 since the last meeting; 
• Forthcoming interments in plots S18, I30 and I29. 
• Memorials for plots J12 and I37 remain in progress. 
• Following a query from the Coop Funeral Services, it was confirmed that there are no restrictions on the type of urns/caskets used for interments, and that an aluminium urn is acceptable. 
• Cllr Frizzell has completed a comprehensive register for all the Exclusive Rights of Burial (ERB) granted across all the Helpringham cemeteries. He proposed that future discussion considers reducing ERB timescales. 
• CJP Garden Services had quoted £32/cut for the verge on Station Road (where the bollards are located), in addition to the existing grass cutting contract price. It was resolved to accept this quote and that the Clerk would prepare an addendum to the current contract to reflect this change. 

166/26 HIGHWAY MATTERS 

Cllrs Hotchkin and George Frizzell attended village walk round on 9/2/26 with Rowan Smith (LCC Highways). Two representatives from Burton Pedwardine Parish Meeting were also present. Issues discussed included: 

• Flooding outside Knott Hall Gardens (Station Road); 
• Reinstatement of bollards (Station Road verge) and how installation can be improved; 
• Poor pothole repairs and general condition of Scredington Road; 
• Dip in the carriageway near Station Road railway bridge; 
• Road subsidence on B1394 Hale Road adjacent to the beck; 
• Road through Burton Pedwardine to the A17 
• Contractors failing to remove temporary signage; 
• Lack of communication from LCC Highways; 
• Insufficient gulley cleaning/maintenance. 

Due to budget constraints no firm commitments were made. It was agreed that all issues should either be raised with Cllr East or reported via FixMyStreet. It was resolved that the Clerk would write to Cllr East summarising the matters discussed and request investigation and improved transparency regarding future Highways works. 

Extenstion of 30mph Speed Limit – Station Road 

Members discussed requesting an extension of the 30mph limit beyond the railway bridge due to potential safety risks arising from: 

• Recent development beyond the existing speed limit; 
• Slow moving vehicles requiring use the whole of the carriageway to access and egress the HGV yard; 
• Substandard visibility near the railway bridge. 

It was resolved that the Clerk write to the Senior Traffic Engineer at LCC requesting a Road Safety Audit with a view to extending the speed limit on Station Road to a suitable point beyond the railway bridge. 

167/26 MATTERS AFFECTING THE VILLAGE/CORRESPONDENCE/ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA 

167/26.1 Village Matters: 

• Community Emergency Plan – no update to the plan was reported. The Clerk will explore compiling a list of volunteers willing to use their 4x4 vehicles/farm machinery to help when required. Cllr Young will attend the next Resilience Forum Cluster Session. 
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Volunteering - due to insurance and safeguarding constraints, the clerk will approach other village organisations regarding opportunities. 

167/26.2 Correspondence: 

28/1/26 – LCC National Highways Survey – Cllr Julie Frizzell had completed this. 

167/26.3 – Agenda Items for next meeting: 

• Lincolnshire Local Government Restructuring and the impact on Parish Councils 
• Purchase of a laptop for the Clerk 
• Cloud storage solutions. 

168/26 Date and time of the next meeting: 

THURSDAY 12th March 2026 commencing at 7pm, Memorial Hall, Helpringham. 

The meeting closed at 8.55pm. 

A printable copy of the minutes can be found here