2026 Full Council Minutes

18 March 2026 Full Council Minutes

Minutes of Full Council meeting of Bardney Group Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Silver Street, Bardney on Wednesday 18th March 2026.

Present:

Chair

Cllr Mary Corbould

Councillors:

Cllr Robin Darby, Cllr Frank Bates, Cllr Barry Percival, Cllr Brian Lintin, Cllr Ian Fleetwood, Cllr Mollie Brown, Cllr Kirstie Clarke and Cllr Peter Waddington.

Also present:

No Clerk/RFO

2 members of the public were in attendance.

At 7:00 pm the Chair welcomed everybody.

MOP 1 - asked the Council’s permission on behalf of the Village Hall Committee to install security cameras at the Play Park. This is due to a recently purchased item of equipment (Zip Wire), which has since been damaged at a cost of £200. The Village Hall Committee have already sought advice from West Lindsey District council about installing this and the Police. Cllr Frank Bates said he thinks the public should be consulted prior to installing anything. MOP 1 said The Police had previously been consulted and agreed a camera could be installed. Other cameras were already installed at several other Playparks in West Lindsey & Lincoln. Any footage from the park will go directly to the Police.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood proposed this on condition that the Village Hall Committee are solely responsible for it, seconded by Cllr Mary Corbould and a majority vote agreed. MOP 1 asked if this could be put in writing to the Village Hall Committee.

MOP 2 - asked if this CCTV is installed, could it also be used to monitor the use of electric scooters/motorcyclists. They were advised at present to report any concerns to the Police.

At 7:10 pm, the Chair declared the meeting open.

26-45	Appointment of Minute Taker for the meeting Action: Cllr Kirstie Clarke volunteered.
26-46	Election of Chairman and Proper Officer Responsibility Action: Cllr Ian Fleetwood nominated Cllr Mary Corbould which was seconded by Cllr Mollie Brown. There were no other nominations. Unanimous vote in favour.
26-47	Election of Vice-Chairman. There were no nominations so deferred to the next meeting.
26-48	Fire safety announcement. There was no planned fire practices planned for this evening.
26-49	Apologies for Absence. To receive and accept apologies, where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Clerk prior to the meeting, in accordance with LGA 1972, Sch 12, para 40. Cllr Liz McTernan was unable to attend, and their reasons were made know to the Council. The Council accepted the reasons for absence from Cllr Liz McTernan. Absences were noted for Cllr Martin Hare – Cllr Robin Darby stated that Cllr Martin Hare had contacted him during the afternoon to register his apologies
26-50	Declarations of Interest. To receive declarations of interest and to consider dispensation applications in relation to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. No declarations of interests were made.

26-51

Exclusion of the press / public.

It was discussed and decided that press and public should be excluded for points 26-65 and 26-66. Cllr Mary Corbould proposed and Cllr Ian Fleetwood seconded, with a unanimous vote in favour.

26-52

Minutes of previous meetings.
a) Full Council Minutes of meeting 21st January 2026 - proposed by Cllr Ian Fleetwood, seconded by Cllr Kirstie Clarke with a unanimous vote in favour.

b) Full Council Minutes of meeting 18th February 2026 - proposed by Cllr Ian Fleetwood and seconded by Cllr Brian Lintin with a unanimous vote in favour.

c) Allotment and Cemetery and Committee 18th February 2026 - These had not been seen by the Committees yet so would be discussed at their next meeting.

d) Personnel and Review Committee 25th February 2026 - These had not been seen by the Committees yet so would be discussed at their next meeting.

26-53

Chairman’s remarks.

Cllr Mary Corbould thanked the Council for the vote of confidence in her. She said she would do her best in this position. She also apologised if there were any errors in the Minutes/ paperwork. She stated that it was a lengthy agenda for the meeting today so hoped everyone had read the emails pertaining to this. Cllr Mary Corbould advised that before this meeting, a great deal of preparation had to take place which was undertaken by Cllr Ian Fleetwood which she thanked him for. He had found numerous errors previously, including the Cemetery records, which are legal documents which Cllr Ian Fleetwood was trying to correct. There were also errors in the accounts which were also corrected by Cllr Ian Fleetwood. Cllr Mary Corbould also noted the allotments accounts were also in need of rectifying, some of this has been done but a closer reign needed keeping in the future.

26-54

County Council / District Councillor’s Report.

There was no update from the County Councillor as Cllr Trevor Bridgwood was not present. Cllr Ian Fleetwood reported that West Lindsey District Council had agreed their budget and there will be an increase of 2.9% to Council Tax. Cllr Ian Fleetwood also pointed out that Councillors could comment upon the current Local Government Review taking place and have their say in whether they wished to join up with Lincoln City Council or one of the other five options.

Cllr Peter Waddington asked for clarification on the recently issued food waste bins. Other Councillors advised that leaflets were issued inside the bins delivered. Cllr Ian Fleetwood also advised him there was further advice on the West Lindsey District Council webpage. Cllr Peter Waddington asked about parking on the grass/ pavement beside the road. He was advised if it was an obstruction that Lincolnshire Police should be consulted and any other issues to the Lincolnshire County Council.

26-55

Finance:

a,b,c & d

Accounts were discussed and Cllr Mary Corbould advised these had been worked on by Cllr Ian Fleetwood and were now correct. Cllr Kirstie Clarke asked if it was possible to have one larger spreadsheet. Cllr Ian Fleetwood advised this can be looked at in the next financial year along with different accounting programs. For the last two years the Clerk’s had used Excel spreadsheets to do the accounts. Cllr Ian Fleetwood recommended that Easy PC may be more beneficial to use to keep the accounts more accurately or perhaps Scribe although this was much more expensive. He also advised we need an Internal Audit during the Spring which would be done by an external organisation. Last time we used LALC. Cllr Ian Fleetwood suggested we again instruct LALC to carry out a new audit. Cllr Robin Darby questioned whether we were still using Blossom Bookkeeping for the payroll system and pensions. Cllr Ian Fleetwood confirmed he had spoken to Blossom Bookkeeping today to sort this out and rectify outstanding payments (documented as Nest payments on the ‘unreconciled accounts spreadsheet’).

Cllr Mollie Brown asked if payments had been sorted now for the previously outstanding invoices. Cllr Ian Fleetwood advised at present the bank had been working and also mentioned at present there were only three Councillors who can pay/authorise invoices and said if anybody would like to help with payments in the future to let him know.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood thanked Cllr Mary Corbould who had set out all Allotment invoices and Cllr Frank Bates has distributed some of these directly to Allotment Holders - Some payments are now coming in.

Cllr Mary Corbould reported that the Portacabin will be going to the Primary School, however no invoice had been raised for this, so an invoice has now been sent.

Cllr Barry Percival proposed we accept these Accounts and Financial Reports which was seconded by Cllr Kirstie Clarke with a unanimous vote in favour.

26-56

Grant Funding: to confirm all Grants considered at the last Council Meeting can be paid in line with Council Policy.

This had been looked at again by the previous RFO and Cllr Mary Corbould and Cllr Ian Fleetwood and they are satisfied that the grants could be awarded for this year. Cllr Mary Corbould proposed we pay these grants. Cllr Robin Darby asked if the Grant for Bardney & Potterhanworth Dog Club had been withdrawn. Cllr Ian Fleetwood said that the application had been discussed last month and was now submitted in the same form as the others and all applications had more information than grants made last year which were acceptable to the Council.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood proposed that the Grants were accepted. Cllr Kirstie Clarke seconded. A vote was taken with one Councillor voted against and one Councillor abstaining, but with a clear majority. Following the vote Cllr Ian Fleetwood said they would be paid tomorrow.

26-57

Bardney Play Park Equipment Report.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood said that the roundabout had been installed in the last few days, which was being funded by the Play Park Committee. Mr Laughton is trying to finalise the last piece of equipment and once this is done it will then be invoiced to the Bardney Group Parish Council and paid so that the VAT can be reclaimed. Cllr Robin Darby asked if the Play Park Committee still existed as he was told it had gone back to the Village Hall Committee. Cllr Ian Fleetwood said he couldn’t answer that as he hadn’t asked the question. Cllr Robin Darby also said he couldn’t see on the accounts spreadsheet where we had set the £17,000 aside. Cllr Ian Fleetwood said that the balance had been previously agreed but added that it would be deeply unfair to now rescind this money and deprive the Community. Cllr Robin Darby refuted this is what was meant. Cllr Ian Fleetwood stated that he had offered all Councillors full access to accounts and information but very few had shown interest. Cllr Robin Darby would like a future involvement in the accounts however this would need to be arranged around his employment. Cllr Brian Lintin proposed that the council ringfence the £17,000 to pay for the play equipment. Cllr Robin Derby seconded this. A unanimous vote was in favour.

25-58

Use of St Oswald’s Field: to consider a request from Panthers Football Teams to use space on the field for car parking for a major tournament they are organising at the end of August.

Bardney Panther’s football team has requested to use this field for a Football Tournament at the end of August 2026. Cllr Mary Corbould said we would gain some of the entrance fee proceeds for the use. In addition to this, one of the members of the Bardney Panther’s parent group has suggested, as he works for a drainage company, that they are willing to clean out the ditch between the Playing Field and St Oswald’s free of charge. Cllr Ian Fleetwood has discussed this with the Village Hall Committee Chairman, and they are happy with this as long as any waste removed was disposed of by the volunteers.

Cllr Kirstie Clarke proposed we accept this offer which Cllr Frank Bates seconded. This was a unanimous vote in favour.

26-59

Grass cutting contract.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood acknowledged the current grasscutter is doing an excellent job around the village. As we don’t have a Handyman at present, the current grasscutter will be carrying out some additional jobs around the village, the paths, around the cemetery, the bound and other areas until we say otherwise or another Handyman is employed – this arrangement was working during last Autumn. Cllr Robin Darby asked if we have set up a contract with the grasscutter. Cllr Ian Fleetwood said a previous agreement was set by the previous Chairman and that now the grass has started growing his will need doing. Cllr Robin Derby asked if a backstop was placed on this. Cllr Ian Fleetwood said the money for the grass cutting was currently coming out of the budget heading for Handyman’s salary. Cllr Frank Bates proposed a backstop on this work was agreed until the end of the grass cutting season this year which was seconded by Cllr Robin Darby. Which was voted on unanimously.

26-60

Southery speed radar.

This has been out of operation for some time because it needed charging. The previous Handyman has now returned the charger to the Parish Council today. A person in Southery has a current Certificate for working at Height and would be willing to remove the device to be charged and would then return to the post. Cllr Frank Bates proposed this which was seconded by Cllr Brian Lintin with a unanimous vote in favour.

26-61

Planning Applications: to consider local applications

Chestnut Homes: WL/2026/00228 reserve matters for phases 3b and 3c to erect 117 dwellings providing details of appearance, landscaping layout and scale. Variation of 6 of condition planning permission 143986
50 Station Road, Bardney WL/2026/00267 to erect a rear extension

No comments were made about either application.

26-62

Ratification of telephone contract.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood said we had an old contract which was costing £40 per month. No one knew where this phone was. The previous Clerk had set up a different contract on a rolling 30-day period. (Virtual numbers) which has an 01522 number. The Parish Council could get an 01526 number instead of this. Cllr Ian Fleetwood has checked the previous calls log of the virtual number between October and today and there were around a total of 25 calls during this time. (three of which were Cllr Ian Fleetwood’s!). Cllr Ian Fleetwood suggested we cancel the £40 a month contract and change for a short time to an 01526 number and monitor how many calls there are. The cost for this would be around £8.75 per month. The Council would also need to modify all the phone numbers on the website/ stationary etc. Cllr Molly Brown asked if we needed to have a phone number on stationary or if it was a requirement. It was noted by Cllr Ian Fleetwood that contact numbers needed to be included.

Cllr Robin Darby proposed that we finish the £40 a month contract and start with the virtual numbers 01526 number which was seconded by Cllr Ian Fleetwood with a unanimous vote in favour.

26-63

Ratification of Website. Cllr Fleetwood has been updating the website. It is not perfect, but it is a lot better than it was previously.

Minutes, hours of opening, names of Councillors etc. are now available. There is still some work outstanding. This has been a useful exercise because several pieces of information have come to light including discovering that the insurance for the lawnmower has expired. This will need to be sorted out.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood suggested that instead of swapping to a new system we remain with the current one, which costs nothing apart the domain name (which is paid on an annual basis).

Cllr Robin Darby said we had previously agreed that we would move to a new Supplier Cllr Ian Fleetwood said the previous RFO /Assistant Clerk had not provided the new Supplier with any information. Cllr Mary Corbould said we really need to wait until we have a permanent Clerk so suggested we stick to the current system until the staffing issue is resolved. Cllr Kirstie Clarke proposed that we stay with the current system until a new Clerk is in place which Cllr Kirstie Brown seconded with a majority vote for - Cllr Robin Darby voting against.

26-64

Ratification of Stackmail.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood said he has resolved a lot of the issues with Stackmail, and again it was discussed that we remain with the current Stackmail system until a permanent Clerk is in post. Cllr Kirstie Brown and Cllr peter Waddington thanked Cllr Ian Fleetwood for sorting out their Stackmail so they now receive emails.

Cllrs voted unanimously to keep the current system at present.

TO RESOLVE TO MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PUBLIC BODIES (ADMISSION TO MEETINGS) ACT 1960 DUE TO THE CONFIDENTIAL NATURE OF THE BUSINESS TO BE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO THE FOLLOWING MATTERS

Cllr Mary Corbould asked the Members of the Public to leave and thanked them for coming. Cllr Robin Darby pointed out that there were certain legal requirements which should have been read out before asking the public to leave. Cllr Ian Fleetwood noted that these had not been read out for numerous meetings previously and asked why it was being brought up at this meeting. Cllr Robin Darby said we should take a vote to agree to ask the members of the public to leave. It was agreed to add these to the next agenda and Cllr Robin Darby said he would look back through previous minutes and find the wording and send it to Cllr Kirstie Clarke to include in the Minutes.

26-65

P & R committee report.

Cllr Robin Darby acted as Chair at the previous meeting. He said he had not received any emails with updates on the meeting.

Cllr Ian Fleetwood has acted as conduit to applicants for the current Clerk/RFO vacancy. This has been advertised with LALC, Lincolnshire County Council and on the village noticeboards with a copy also on Facebook pages.

There had been several applications for the one position of the Clerk/RFO. Cllr Ian Fleetwood suggested that these applications be discussed at the next P&R meeting on Wednesday 25th March 2026 to decide who the Parish Council might like to invite for interview. A few of the applicants have already been enquiring what is happening.

It was also discussed whether anybody else was interested in joining the P&R Committee as the current membership was quite small. Cllr Mary Corbould and Cllr Peter Waddington said they would like to join. Cllr Mary Corbould said she would produce an Agenda for the next P&R Committee meeting including the statement about going into closed session.

26-66

Cemetery confidential matters.

Recent historic issues were discussed and highlighted and are now being correctly recorded.

Cllr Mary Corbould expressed her thanks to Cllr Ian Fleetwood for all his hard work in this area. He has spent a lot of time correcting and amending these records, which are legal documents. Cllr Kirstie Clarke also thanked Cllr Ian Fleetwood for all his hard work for all the areas of Council work he has carried out with regards to the accounts and Cemetery issues.

26-67

Date of the next meeting.

The next meeting is confirmed for Wednesday 15th April 2026 @ 19:00hrs.