2026 Minutes

Parish Council Meeting

7:30pm on Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Harlaxton Village Hall, 3 Church Street, Harlaxton, NG32 1HU

Minutes

1. Meeting Opened: 19:30

2. In Attendance: Cllrs Wicks, Phillips & Cartlidge

3. Apologies (Non-Attendance): Apologies from Cllr Smith. Also from District Cllr Leadenham. Cllr Clawson and County Cllr Vernon not present.

4. Declarations of Pecuniary Interests: Cllrs Wicks acknowledged membership of the Harlaxton Sports and Social Club [HSSC]. Cllr Cartlidge acknowledged membership of the HSSC and Village Hall committee.

5. Resolution to approve minutes of Parish Council Meetings: Extra PCM of Tuesday, 10 February 2026;. Agreed and signed

6. Public Forum (15 Minute Presentation/Discussion): No Villagers. Cllr Cartlidge raised that he had been approach by a villager on the High Street having difficulty in access and egress due to car parked opposite, as well as concerns about vehicles parking on the footway. It was agreed that this is not a matter for a Parish Council and the villager should report their concerns to SKDC Traffic Wardens and LCC Highways.

7. Update from County Councillor Vernon: No attendance and outstanding

7.1. Update on LCC meeting from 12 December

7.2. Update on gulley on Trotters/High Street Junction

7.3. Update on unfixed pothole opposite Trotters Lane on A607

8. Update from District Councillor Leadenham: Apologies for absence accepted. No current update.

8.1. Update on Regulation 18 proposal by SKDC [Land to the west of The Drift]

9. Planning Application S26/0307 Section 73 variation of Condition 2 & S26/0398 Drainage Condition 3, Ref the land to the west of The Drift [ref James Perry of Elba Homes]

The Parish Council has submitted several comments to SKDC on both applications, and these are publicly visible. LCC Highways had submitted a no objection to the use of the ditch as surface water drainage, citing that the riparian responsibility for the maintenance of the ditch is that of the adjacent farmland. Councillors expressed their dismay that there had not been more engagement from the villagers who would be affected by flooding, should such events arise in the future. The Parish Council had approached Anglian Water [AW] and, under the Freedom of Information Act [FOI], had been provided with detailed, redacted reports regarding recent events at the pumping station at the bottom of The Drift. These reports had been submitted to SKDC Planning. The Environment Agency [EA] were also approached and replied that they were not aware of any events. It was agreed that the FOI reports from AW must be sent to the EA and LCC Highways.

10. Finance

10.1. Remittance/Invoices/Expenses: 50% of the precept [£12604.50] has been received. Recently paid invoices include the grass cutting contract £636 inc VAT for March 2026, the contractor who cleared the overgrown brambles and sloes £1600 plus VAT [less than the £1800 budget due to not cutting back to the hedge], payroll calculations £62.50 for March to May 2026, fencing to the south of the HSSC car park £612.72 inc VAT, 2nd visit to clear weeds behind the HSSC car park fence £180 inc VAT, car park signage £34.98, accountancy software for 2026 £446.40, and expenses for the Annual Meeting of the Parish £113.57.

• The pending invoice for grass cutting April 2026 £636 inc VAT was discussed and withheld. Concerns were raised about missed/incomplete areas: between HVH and 28 High Street, verge adjacent to Coneygree, verge on High Street between Obelisk and Pond Street, and Coffin Walk – notably the overgrown holly near the church. It was agreed to arrange a walk-around with the contractor to confirm the scope and identify missed areas.
• The Link Magazine invoice for Feb 2026 was discussed, and following their redistribution to the whole village following their delivery error, it was agreed to pay this. Cllr Wicks noted that Cllr Cartlidge had paid for the reprint of the Village Voice, and they must send this to Village Link for reimbursement.
• Npower had previously sent invoices for an unmetered supply at CV13 0EZ, which the Parish Council had rejected. They have now sent a statement regarding the billing for the correct unmetered supply to the former telephone box, now the information point. However, they’ve also sent a set of invoices and credit notes for the same period that don’t align with the statement value and differ by 2p. It was agreed that no payment would be made and to continue requesting corrected invoices and records.
• Cllr Wicks presented an expenses Claim from Cllr Cartlidge for the previous provision of A3 paper to Harlaxton Manor for them to print the Village Voice in 2025, printer ink, A4 paper, and 2 bags of Postcrete for siting the West End waste bin. A total of £188.26. Cllrs Wicks and Phillips agreed that these had been agreed over previous meetings and that this should be paid.

10.2. Community Cleaner: It was noted that they had recently been provided with additional protective gloves and hand cleaner, but the SKDC bags had stopped being delivered. SKDC had been approached to resume providing litter picking and waste bags. The minimum wage was increasing from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour, which Payroll has captured. The current contract is for 2 hours per week and includes duties of litter picking around the village and emptying bins at the entrance to the Manor on Manor Drive, the entrance gate on the A607, and the footpath down the High Street. Additionally, they had been emptying the Play Area bin and recently the new bin on West End. It was agreed to offer a 15% increase in time, from 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes, and to provide a new litter-picking stick.

10.3. Review accounts 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 & AGAR: The end-of-year balance to 31 March 2026 was £24,430.41. The 2026 income was £27,651.07, with a planned expenditure of £31,500, recognising a drawdown on reserves. However, due to savings throughout the year, the 2026 expenditure was £28,951.13, resulting in only a £1,300.06 drawdown on reserves. The draft AGAR and an explanation of variances were presented, along with the change in the value of the fixed assets following the revaluation of the HSSC and HVH buildings for insurance purposes. It was agreed to approach the previous auditor to ask if they were prepared to carry out the 2026 internal audit.

11. HSSC:

11.1. Harlaxton Village Fayre, Saturday, 5 September 2026: Cllr Smith had asked that the Parish Council consider making a contribution to the Village Fayre on Saturday for a band. It was noted that the Parish Council had previously donated up to £100 for the A1 and A3 signboards used to promote the event. After discussions, it was agreed that the Parish Council would contribute £250 towards the signboards and band.

11.2. Accessible WC: Cllr Wicks has received three quotations for the work, ranging from £32k to £41k, some of which are noted as estimates rather than quotes. Cllr Wicks to continue with the Grant application. Work ongoing.

11.3. Pothole Repairs: Cllr Cartlidge noted an increasing number of potholes in the Manor Drive car park. It was agreed that this would be a volunteer-led repair exercise with a budget of £150 for the bags of macadam and spray tack coat.

11.4. Car Park White Lining: In principle, layout option 2 has been adopted, but two additional wider accessible spaces need to be incorporated. It was agreed to both seek quotes from contractors and to consider options for this to be a volunteer-led exercise. Future work to be deferred until the potholes are repaired.

12. Manor Drive Sports Field Hire: Enquiries received from a villager interested in hiring for archery, and from various junior/youth football teams. Answers from the archery group are pending. Layout for possible football pitches pending agreement with Harlaxton Cricket Club, who maintain the Manor Drive Sports field. For football, it was agreed to adopt a £18-£20 cost per session.

13. Pearson Gregory Field Working Party: The Working Party terms of reference were discussed and agreed. Cllr Wicks to reach out to the parties interested in joining the working party. All correspondence via PC email account only. Cllr Phillips would also like to join the working party. Enquiry received from the Grantham Amateur Radio Club [GRAC] to use the field. No objection, subject to agreeing on field parking only during the summer months. Agreed a range of £5 to £10 per session to ensure fair proportionality regarding the use of fields.

14. Highways:

14.1. Community Speed Watch: Thanks were given to the volunteers for their ongoing commitment and efforts.

14.2. SID: This has been relocated from the High Street to The Drift. Thanks were given to Jane and Douglas Brown for their ongoing support.

15. HVH Licence Agreement: Need to follow up with the HVH committee.

16. Bowls Club Licence Agreement: This was signed by Cllr Wicks on behalf of the Parish Council and now runs for 10 years from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2036.

17. James Murden Book: Without knowledge of the previous sale price, it was agreed to sell this at £2 per copy, with proceeds going to the village play areas, as intended by the author. The Village Shop has agreed to sell the booklet. Cllr Phillips agreed to have this available at the May 2026 garage sale. Cllr Wicks to follow up with The Manor.

18. Trotters Lane Sand Bin: Cllr Wicks to purchase.

19. Manor Drive Flooding Insurance Claim: Ongoing. Agreed to revert to the ombudsman again.

20. Any other business: Cllr Phillips removed unauthorised advertising in the Information Point.

21. Next scheduled Meetings

Annual Meeting of the Council - Wednesday, 27 May 2026 at 7:30pm in the Village Hall

22. Closed Session [if required]: None.

23. Meeting closed: 21:36