November 2025 Minutes
Minutes of the Keelby Parish Council Meeting
Held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 4th November 2025 commencing 7:00pm.
Those Present: Councillors T Wright (Chair), M Turner, R Bedwell, K Beedham, T Bentham, E Darwood, R Dannatt, and
In Attendance: Cllr Lawrence. There were no members of the public were present.
1. To receive apologies and reasons for absence – Ref 25/161 – Cllr M Soar, Cllr Bean, Cllr Bierley
2. To receive dispensations and declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011 – being any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of interest - Ref 25/162 – none
3. Public Question Time – Ref 25/163 – no public present
4. County Councillor’s Report - Ref 25/164
Cllr Bean had advised that permission to top the trees on Riby Road has been given and should take place before March 2026. He wished to thank Cllr Bierley for his help with this. He is still chasing highways regarding the removal of the Walnut Trees on South Street.
Cllr Bean shared road closures at Church Lane and Cotham Gardens. It was noted that the white lines on Stallingborough Road have now been done but the cats’ eyes are still missing.
5. District Councillor’s Report - Ref 25/165
The report from Cllr Bierley had previously been circulated. Cllr Lawrence had nothing further to include.
6. Councillor vacancies/ Co-option of councillor – Ref 25/166
Cllr Wright advised the council that he had been approached by someone wanting to join the council, so he has been invited to the December meeting.
7. To approve the minutes of the Parish Council Meetings held on 7th October - Ref 25/167
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that these minutes are a true record of the meeting and were signed by the Chairman.
8. Clerk’s Report – Ref 25/168
Clerk reported that a replacement pedestrian mower had been purchased at a cost of £400 as the old one was not repairable. The additional poppies for the lampposts have been purchased, and all the poppies have been fitted with thanks to Cllrs Turner and Cowie. The new noticeboard has been installed and has been well received by residents. There is now just the plaque to fit. The gully cleaner has been to the village. The lowering of the basketball net is ongoing. The volunteers have cleared the library yard. Clerk to send a letter of thanks to them. The salt bins in the village have all been checked and the ones requiring a refill have been notified to LCC. Angel Gowns have sent in their constitution which has been circulated so the grant to them is on the payment schedule for approval. The painting of the cenotaph railings has now been completed and look good so that completes that project which again has been well received. The railing planters will be reinstated in the spring. Mrs Moorcroft has kindly agreed to sponsor the plants and compost. Cllrs Dannatt and Beedham have agreed to water them. The farmers who own the land next to the KSA have had the hollow tree inspected. The report says that the root system is alive and serving the tree adequately. The clerk has asked for a copy of this report and asked if Brookdale could also provide us with their opinion. It was decided a Tree Policy would be useful. Cllrs Cowie and Darwood to prepare one for the next meeting. The new Christmas Tree on the village green has been sponsored by 2 local businesses, Paw & Co Freedom Field and Calstore. The tree is arriving on Thursday, so it was agreed to request volunteers to help with the planting. A quote has been received of £325 net to install a permanent power supply to the tree for the lights. It was resolved to proceed with this. It was thought that residents may want to contribute towards the new community seating area. It was agreed that a Facebook poll would be done to test the water on this. It was agreed that the Santa Run banner could be placed on the play area railings.
9. To approve the Cemetery Policy - Ref 25/169
The policy had previously been circulated. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve this policy. A complaint had been received regarding some broken plant pots caused by strimming at the cemetery. The handyman has been notified of this. Our cemetery policy clearly states that all floral tributes must be placed on the grave and not on the surrounding grasses areas, no free-standing vases are permitted, and all grassed areas must be kept clear. The clerk has prepared a Parish Council update 8 on the cemetery which will be published shortly that gives general information on the cemetery.
10. Alice South – Ref 25/170
Information surrounding Alice South has previously been shared. The Chairman explicitly requested that a detailed minute of the discussion was recorded for the benefit of the public record. At the March 2023 parish council meeting a (then)councillor (and trustee of the charity) read from the Alice South governance document (last will and testament of the late Alice South and AN Other) which confirmed that land was left to the village and in the possession of the overseers of the parish. The land is to be let by the parish officers and the proceeds used for repairs to the church or more generally paid into the overseer’s account. The wills state that the money raised should be used for the poor and needy of the village. It says the Parish Office is responsible for nominating trustees. The Parish Council then appointed 2 trustees Susan Knight and Peter Briggs for a period of 4 years. (March 2023 to March 2027)
The actions taken at this previous meeting were discussed and it was agreed that it is the trustees who have delegated responsibility for the running of the Charity. It was also thought that the parish office and parish officers would be the parish council although the parish office could also be the church. When the trustees have been contacted for updates, they have said it is nothing to do with the Parish Council and only very limited information has been shared. Discussions took place regarding this. It was proposed that nothing further is done until 2027, however we should write to the trustees to say we would like to receive regular updates, see more visibility of their activities and remind them that in March 2027 the trustee appointments will be reviewed. This proposal was seconded. A vote was taken, 7 for and 1 abstention. RESOLVED. A secondary issue was raised as follows: It is generally felt by the Parish Council that the residents of Keelby are not aware of the existence of this charity. When raised with the trustees, they advised they weren't prepared to advertise the charity widely as they would be inundated with applications; this stance was challenged by a number of Councillors. A proposal was received to not do anything about advertising the charity until 2027. This was seconded. A vote was taken. 3 in favour, 4 against 1 abstention. NOT RESOLVED. A second proposal was received that we should write to the trustees and notify them that we plan to discharge our accountability and intend to notify the village of the charity and its purpose though issuing a general update on the matter. A request was made to amend this proposal to ask the trustees to publicise to the village the charity and its purpose. A vote was taken on the revised proposal. 4 in favour, 3 against 1 abstention. RESOLVED. Should the trustees not agree to this, the matter would need to be reviewed again by the Parish Council.
11. Financial Matters – Ref 25/171
The payment schedule was checked by Cllr T Bentham. It was RESOLVED to approve the payments. Cllr T Wright signed as Chair
Date Supplier Description Cost
14/10/25 Karl Sowter Painting of cenotaph railings £400.00
17/10/25 A&L Machinery Ltd Supply of Cobra Mower £400.00
20/10/25 TPM Plumbing & Heating Commercial boiler check £222.00
22/10/25 Crowders & Sons Ltd Christmas tree £270.00
30/10/25 Staff Costs October £1198.40
30/09/25 Angel Gowns Grant £450.00
04/11/25 Royal British Legion Wreath £20.00
04/11/25 Royal British Legion Donation for lamppost poppies £100.00
16/09/25 Wickes Gravel and concrete £41.10
17/09/25 Post Office Stamps £6.96
02/10/25 Wickes Concrete £31.60
07/10/25 Caistor Garden Machinery Strimmer line £75.00
11/10/25 Amazon Cable ties £11.98
31/10/25 Groundboss Grass cutting October £144.00
28/10/25 Engreen Renewables Ltd Alarm testing & replacement lights £828.34
01/11/25 Ledbury Fabrication & Welding Repairs to water tank £930.00
01/11/25 Ledbury Fabrication & Welding Fitting sheets to bin store KSA £586.00
03/11/25 Fuel Genie Fuel for October £109.78
31/10/25 Beck cottage Wood Design Noticeboard £1438.00
03/11/25 R Dannatt Post mix £7.14
Asset register review – still ongoing
To approve the precept estimate for 26-27 – the clerk had previously circulated a proposed budget. The chair asked to raise some things that have come up since the budget had been prepared that may have an impact on the amount we set. A grant application has been received from the village hall committee for £1000 in the 26-27 financial year. £1000 was in the budget in 24-25 but it was left out of the 25-26 budget as it was not claimed the previous year. CIL money of £7083 has now been received which was not included and the clerks training for CILCA which was deferred from last year due to the cost also needs consideration. The clerk is also the clerk at Great Limber so they have been approached for a donation which is likely to be in the region of 25% of the costs. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to include £1000 for the village hall. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to also include the CIL money and CILCA training This would make the precept £29358 which is an increase of 2.63%. This is an estimate the final figure will need to be submitted in January.
12. Parish Matters - Ref 25/172
• Public Seating area on village green – Cllr Turner reported that now the noticeboard and Christmas tree are in place he will get a technical drawing done and obtain quotes for the work.
• Self-set trees on South Street – Concerns were raised as to whether these trees are self-set as they are an equal distance apart and one has a supporting stake. LCC have looked at them and agreed that they could be removed. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to leave this until the outcome of the meadow is known.
• Hedge cutting on the village green – Cllr Bentham has looked at this and there is not enough room to get a tractor in so will need to be done by hand. Clerk to get two more quotes.
• Mirror installation opposite Cissplatt Lane – Thanks were given to Cllr Dannatt for installing this.
13. To receive reports from external organisations - Ref 25/173
• Sports Association – Cllr Turner reported that the water tank repairs have been done and the work on the bin store has been completed. The emergency lighting is now up to the correct specification. On the overflow car park nails have been found on 2 occasions. The football club were congratulated for winning the Lincolnshire FA Media Volunteer of the Year and they were Highly Commended for the Community Impact Award. Cllr Dannatt said that he still has outstanding work. The external lighting still needs to be done and two need to be turned into PIR lights which will come on automatically. The cowling above the player entrance needs re-installing. Cllr Wright will replace this. The main fuse board has a broken door so this needs to be done before the test is done. Cllr Wright confirmed that the PAT testing had now been done. There is a door frame to replace and one to repair, signs to be put up. The cost for this work is £2300
• Village Hall – Cllr Bentham reported that as they had now lost Rascals the income has been greatly reduced which is causing some problems, hence their application for financial support.
• Library & Youth Club – Cllr Beedham reported the weeding of the yard has now been done. Clerk to ask the handyman if he can move it to the compound. There has been an access audit and the ramp going up to the front door is non-compliant, but nothing further needs to be done at this time. A new PIR light has been fitted and fluorescent strips put on. The library has had 2 new volunteers, and 41 people attended the Halloween youth club.
• Allotments -– Cllr Cowie reported that he had met with the allotments and their main concern was the fencing. 6 fence posts need replacing and the perimeter fencing will need replacing within the next 5 years. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to spend up to £150 to carry out the minor repairs to the fencing.
14. Correspondence - Ref 25/174
A thank you email has been received from the family thanking us for allowing their family member to be buried in the cemetery. Cllr Bentham said he had received comments saying they believed that we should pay for the repairs on the memorial stones. This will be considered again in 5 months’ time when the decision can be re-visited. A thank you letter has been received from Mrs Peacock thanking us for the donation towards the pensioner’s party. An application has been received from LCC. They are proposing to disestablish the footpath that currently runs from Maple Avenue to the Barton Street through the houses and re-establish the footpath as it stands now. It was agreed that we have no comments on this. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to purchase a gift card for the value of £25 for the North’s Christmas lights raffle.
15. Planning applications and decisions received, update on ongoing applications – Ref 25/175
DM/0898/25/AG Erection of grain and farm machinery store at Granville Farm, Keelby Road, - there were no comments.
DM/0455/25/FUL Planning for solar farm construction at Riby Road, Stallingborough. There were concerns around the batteries used for storage and the use of agricultural land for solar panels. It was proposed, seconded to oppose this application. A vote was taken 5 for and 3 abstained. RESOLVED Cllr Dannatt to reply to this and share the response with councillors
16. Items for consideration at the next meeting – Ref 25/176
Tree policy
17. Date and time of next meeting - Ref 25/177
Tuesday 2nd December at 19:00 in the Village Hall.
The meeting closed at 21:02