March 2026 Minutes
Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Fenton & Torksey Lock Parish Council, held on March 23rd 2026 at The White Swan, Torksey Lock
Present:
Parish Councillors: A Woods, D Canning-Hall, P Smith, T Davies, L Nemeth
District Councillor: Cllr. R Pilgrim
7.00pm – Public Forum: Two members of the public were present
A member of the public questioned why an item on the agenda was being discussed after a decision had already been made on the subject in December 2025 and was therefore subject to the six-month rule. It was explained that under Standing Orders a request could be made, in writing, by three Councillors to have the item revisited. As such a request had been received it had therefore been added to the agenda for further discussion.
Item:
12. CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME: - In the absence of Cllr. Davies the Vice Chairman Cllr. Woods Chaired and welcomed all to the meeting.
13. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: - Cllr. Davies. It was RESOLVED to accept Cllr. Davies reasons for absence.
14. CO-OPTION OF COUNCILLOR: - Neil Jupp applied to join the Council. It was RESOLVED to co-opt Neil to the Council and he was welcomed by the Chairman.
15. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATION REQUESTS – Cllr. Jupp – meeting room
16. MINUTES - It was RESOLVED to accept the minutes from the meeting of February 23rd 2026 as a true and accurate record.
17. CLERK UPDATES
i. Exemption certificate has been sent to PKF Littlejohn for 2024/25 AGAR. There may be charges for
chase up emails & letters
ii. The Path through the fence between the White Swan and the walkway is a public footpath. Clerk to pursue with LCC footpaths
iii. Clerk has undergone 3 further sessions of training
iv. Cllr. Training is available. Clerk to check Cllr. Email addresses are up to date on LALC website so they can receive training bulletins.
v. Awaiting audit date from LALC
vi. Still awaiting access to bank account – Online system not set up for PCs. Bank suggest filling in paper form and emailing it to them.
vii. Still awaiting access codes from HMRC to download PAYE tools and set up payroll.
viii. Clerk has investigated increase in insurance. It was explained by the insurance company that they had no competitive quotes to offer so had only offered the one. Clerk has explored other insurance options and has found considerably lower prices. To be investigated further prior to budget setting later in the year.
ix. Speed indicator devices – Clerk awaiting call back from LCC.
x. Internal Audit – Terms of reference to be agreed with LALC – It was RESOLVED to accept the two year option. Final cost will be subject to level of audit required and lack of audit in 2024/25. Currently £222 base rate.
18. BUSINESS MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION – To consider and review:
i. Parish Grass cutting contract - Two quotes received from Krinkles: Quote 1 £193.00 plus VAT Per year for one year, Quote 2 £208.00 plus VAT Per year for three years. (All VAT is recoverable).
The section of grass on the corner by the White Swan public house has been added to the contract, other areas to be added as identified through the season.
The Clerk advise, in the current economic climate that the three year option would seem more beneficial in the long term. As it is too late in the year to get other quotes, and as the work had been of a good standard in the previous year, it was RESOLVED to accept the three year option.
ii. Kettlethorpe grass cutting contribution agreement - There is some confusion as to which parts of the Cemetery or Churchyard the residents of Fenton & Torksey Lock Parish are eligible for for reduced burial fees. Clerk to enquire further prior to a written agreement being put in place.
iii. Review, approval & Adoption of Policies – documents circulated prior to meeting
a) Complaints Policy
b) Vexatious & abusive policy
c) Data Breach policy
d) Reserves Policy
It was RESOLVED to accept and adopt the policies as presented. All to be added to the website
iv. Newsletter – Draft copy circulated prior to the meeting
Cllr. Liked to look and idea of the newsletter and were happy for it to be developed further. There was a question over how many needed printing. Clerk to prepare finished newsletter and investigate number of households. Article re parking in Fenton to be added.
v. Defibrillator in Torksey Lock - It was RESOLVED to add the defibrillator at the White Swan in Torksey Lock to the WLDC maintenance scheme as per the one in Fenton at a cost of £114 for 2026/27.
Clerk to investigate bleed kits for possible inclusion in defibrillator cabinets
vi. Annual Parish Meeting – Date for annual Parish meeting required – Appended to next meeting
vii. Security Equipment – For security it was RESOLVED to purchase a fire bag (cost £30 -£40) to house documents and an external storage device (cost around £90) to back up Council files.
viii. Meeting Room(s)
The issue of meeting room for the Parish Council meetings had been raised and agreed at the Dember 2025 meeting. However Cllrs. Woods, Canning-Jones and Smith had proffered a letter to the Clerk asking that this decision be reviewed. They had raise an objection to the meetings being held in a public house where alcohol was being served.
The Clerk clarified that their Standing Orders allowed for meetings to be held in a public house if no other venues were available within the Parish at a reasonable price, as long as no alcohol was consumed at the meeting by Councillors.
A discussion followed as to alternative venues to the White Swan in Torksey Lock. Two alternatives were offered – the Golf Club and Kettlethorpe Village Hall. Discussions followed as to the suitability of either venue and that of the White Swan.
The Clerk reminded the Councillors of their responsibilities under section 25 of the Localism Act of 2011 towards guarding against any predetermined decisions, and also of their obligations under their Code of Conduct.
The Chairman allowed a member of the public to comment on the issue being discussed. They are the owner of the Carpenters Arms in Fenton where they are currently looking to renovate the function room at the rear of the main building. They offered the use of function room, once restored, free of charge for the Council to hold meetings.
In order to remove any bias and potential accusations of predetermination it was RESOLVED that the Clerk would look into all the options presented and report back at the next meeting.
19. FINANCIAL REPORTS – To receive the financial report and approve payments.
RFO Report 19/03/2026 – February 2026
|
ITEM |
DESCRIPTION |
COMMENT |
ACTION |
|
1. |
Monies in bank as of 28th February 2026 |
Community Account = £223.50 Savings Account = £16,507.49 Total = £16,730.99 Bank reconciled to 28/02/2026 |
|
|
2. |
Bank activity |
Bank charges Feb 2026 = £4.25 Interest on savings account Feb 2026 = £7.46 |
|
|
3. |
Paid invoices & expenses |
Kettlethorpe PCC – Church grass cutting contribution - £1,238.67 |
|
|
4. |
Outstanding invoices & expenses |
LALC – Subscription 2026/27 – £189.48 LALC – Training scheme 2026/27 – £156.00 Clerk expenses – SLCC membership - £126.00 |
|
|
7. |
Income received |
None |
|
|
8. |
Income outstanding |
None |
|
|
9. |
VAT |
To date - £1,767.14 |
To be reclaimed together with 2024/25 VAT at year end |
Bank Reconciliation:
|
Feb-26 |
||||||
|
Balance B/fwd |
01/02/2026 |
£1,462.17 |
£16,500.03 |
£17,962.20 |
||
|
Income |
£0.00 |
£7.46 |
£7.46 |
|||
|
Plus income |
£1,462.17 |
£16,507.49 |
£17,969.66 |
|||
|
Expenditure |
£1,238.67 |
|
£1,238.67 |
|||
|
Minus expenditure |
£223.50 |
£16,507.49 |
£16,730.99 |
check |
||
|
In Bank |
£223.50 |
£16,507.49 |
£16,730.99 |
check |
||
It was RESOLVED to accept the RFO report as a true and accurate record.
It was RESOLVED to accept the payments as listed on the payment approval form-
a. LALC Subscription 2026/27 - £189.48
b. LALC training scheme 2026/27 - £156.00
c. Clerk expenses - SLCC membership - £126
20. PLANNING MATTERS – No applications to consider
21. CORRESPONDENCE – circulated prior to meeting – Nothing to report
22. ONGOING MINOR ITEMS AND AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING
Allotments
23. DATE OF NEXT MEETING – To resolve to note the date of the next Ordinary meeting as Monday 27th April 2026
Meeting Closed 8.10pm