Draft APM May 26
SWINSTEAD PARISH COUNCIL
Draft Minutes of the of the Annual Parish Meeting.
Thursday 21st May 2025, 20.00pm in the Village Hall
Cllr L Underhill Chairperson, Cllr K Vardy Vice Chair, Cllr M Hoodless, Cllr M Robinson & C Hatch (Clerk)
1.0 To agree the Minutes of the 2025 Annual Parish Meeting. The Minutes were agreed and signed by Cllr Underhill.
2.0 Chairmans Annual Report of the Parish Council. Cllr Underhill presented the annual report which is attached at the end of these minutes.
3.0 District and County Councillors' Reports. Neither were in attendance.
4.0 Financial report for year ending 31st March 2026. The Clerk presented the end of year report to the Councillors, the annual audit having been completed, the accounts were accepted unanimously.
5.0 Electors’ concerns. One resident attended the meeting who raised concerns about the condition of the roads in the village. The Councillors confirmed an engineer from Highways is scheduled to visit the village to survey the condition of the roads and pavements later this year.
Website https://swinstead.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/
Chair’s Annual Report May 2026
I would like to begin my report by thanking my fellow Councillors for all their hard work throughout the past year. I feel that we have worked well together as a cohesive team to uphold the best interests of the village.
We are indebted to our hard-working Parish Clerk Chris Hatch. His help and advice have been invaluable on all matters, and he has kept the books in perfect order giving a detailed financial report at each meeting. As well as seeing to Parish Clerk duties Chris tends and fills the village planters, looks after the Jubilee Orchard and far more besides. We are very grateful to him for all that he does for the Parish Council and for the village.
I would like to thank County Councillor Charlotte Vernon and District Councillor Nick Robins for their attendance whenever possible at our meetings. We have found their help and advice so useful.
As in previous years thanks go to Gail and Steve Clarke, our parish cleaners, for keeping our streets and verges free from litter. I would like to thank Jan and Dave Andrews and Alice Hill on behalf of the Council for watering the village planters at the Creeton Road and Corby Glen Road entrances and thank Margaret and Simon Longbone for weeding the village cross island.
Parish Council topics, concerns, and projects over the past year:
• Defibrillators: A defibrillator has been installed in the telephone kiosk in the centre of the village and another at the allotments. With the original one at the village hall that means a defibrillator is easily accessible from anywhere in Swinstead.
• Potholes: Swinstead is on the list for a promised road, pavement, and pathway inspection from an SKDC Highways Engineer to assess the need for repairs within the village.
• Flooding: We are pleased to report that the perennial flooding issue on New Estate Road has been dealt with and new underground pipes now direct excess water into the field soakaway.
• The Village Cross: Having consulted an expert from Lincolnshire’s Historic Monuments we were pleased and relieved to hear that our village cross is considered to be in better repair and condition than most. Our cross is thought to date back to the 12th Century and still continues to significantly mark the centre of the village today.
• Donations: On behalf of the village donations from Parish Council funds have been made to the Church, and to Johnny Hawkins for mowing the Bourne Road Green.
• Speeding: An Archer Survey Test was carried out to monitor the speed of traffic through the village. The results proved that there were actually very few incidents of vehicles exceeding the 30mph. By displaying several new 30mph signs around the village it is hoped that those few would be reminded to observe the speed restriction. The survey revealed that the average speed of traffic was 24 mph.
To round off my report on a financial note, we raised the precept from £3363.00 to £4000.00 for the current year. All statements of accounts and minutes of Parish Council meetings can be found on the Swinstead Parish Council page of the SKDC website which is maintained in compliance with the Transparency Code by the Parish Clerk.
Liz Underhill
Chair
Swinstead Parish Council.