April 2025 Minutes
The Meeting was chaired by Adrian Clark, Chairman of Skillington Parish Council.
1. Apologies for absence: received from Cllrs C. Vernon (LCC), and B. Green (SKDC)
2. Notes of the Annual Parish Meeting on 3rd April 2024 were agreed and signed by Cllr Clark. The Chair asked for.any comments.
3. Report on the Parish Council: The Chair addressed the meeting and reported on activities for the previous year:
3.1 What is the Parish Council? The lowest tier of local government with various Duties and Powers including litter collection, cemetery management, mowing verges and common grassed areas. What the PC cannot do: refuse or grant planning applications. It is, however, informed of all applications and can make comments. It cannot mend potholes, but reports them to Highways.
3.2 Membership: The Council has seven councillors: The Chair: Adrian Clark; Vice-Chair: Paul Elston; Cllrs Emily Clark, Neville Clark, Bronwyn Hedley, Mike Jackson and Roseanne McKee. During the course of 2024-2025, ………Cllr E. Clark joined the Council. There are currently no vacancies. The next Election is due in May 2027. ………Councillors serve a 4-year term. Cllrs David Bellamy, Ben Green and Charlotte Vernon were thanked for their ………continuing support, who had served on the PC for many years.
3.3 The Chairman reported on matters of interest in the past year: He first thanked the District and County Councillors for their work during the year.
3.3.1 The website has been transferred to a Council based website with the help of LALC.
3.3.2 Progress has been made on the cemetery extension. The land had now been transferred. Hedging has been offered by Cllr Clark and must be completed very quickly.
3.3.3 The Fish Well has deteriorated, so we have asked for the repair to be completed as soon as possible.
3.3.4 The Drift: Work to introduce a Traffic Regulation Order, and repair it for the future protection of The Drift.
3.3.5 The PC will bid for funding to create a community orchard in the lower part of the paddock. We need to confirm the measurements for fencing.
4 Planning Committee: The Clerk read through the Report of the Planning Committee to 31st March 2025:
The Planning Committee usually consists of the Chair and two Councillors, currently the Chair Cllr Clark, with Cllrs Elston and N Clark. The Parish Council monitors any applications from within the Parish or, in the case of large developments, in the vicinity of the Parish. The Committee confers and prepares comments relevant to ‘material planning considerations’ on all planning applications relating to buildings and trees in Skillington, within the context of the Local Plan and the criteria for approving or otherwise, development as set out in Skillington’s Neighbourhood Plan. Comments are normally collated and returned by the Parish Clerk. Anything considered problematic can be referred to SKDC’s Planning Committee to be ‘called in’ for focussed consideration. During the period 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025 the applications (all of which were granted) were:
* One Environmental Permit Consultation.
* Four applications for tree surgery or felling, all of which were granted.
4. Parish Council Finances: The unaudited accounts of Skillington Parish Council for the year to 31st March 2025 were available for inspection; the Chair referred to the Income & Expenditure schedule comparing the year to 31st March 2025 with the previous year.
4.1. Income from the Precept of £5,250 was an increase of £100 on the previous year. Parish Council budgets showed a deficit, due to reduced cemetery income.
4.2. Total income of approximately £9200 includes the ‘real’ income mostly from the Precept, paddock rent and cemetery income; all other income is reimbursement of work carried out on behalf of County or District Council. Income from the Cemetery was lower than usual.
4.3. Expenditure during the year was £12354; this includes employment of the Clerk, mowing, street cleaning and care of the churchyard and cemetery, in addition to some one-off costs, including Solicitors fees for the land transfer.
4.4. The deficit of around £3100 for the year was due to reduced income from the cemetery.
4.5. Outlook for 2025/26: The Precept is to increase by a small amount, which should cover general cost increases. The LCC mowing reimbursement may not cover grass cutting costs every year, depending on the season. We expect to break even in 2025/26.
………………Thanks: The Chair expressed his thanks to all the Parish Councillors; to Cllrs Bellamy, Green.(SKDC) and Cllr Vernon (LCC) for their continued support throughout the year, attending almost all the Councils’ …………………………….meetings. The Clerk was also thanked for her work throughout the year.
5. Vacancies on the Parish Council: There are currently no vacancies.
6. Matters Raised from the Floor: None.
The Chair thanked everyone for attending the meeting.
The meeting closed at 6.45 pm.
The next Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Monday, 6th April 2026 at 6.30pm at Skillington Village Hall.