April 2026 Minutes
Digby Parish Council
Notes of the PARISH COUNCIL MEETING held on Wednesday 8th April 2026 at 7pm, in Digby War Memorial Hall.
Present - Cllr J Bourne (JB); Cllr G Garton (GG); Cllr D Green (DG); and Cllr M Lewington (ML)
In attendance – Mrs A McDonald, Clerk and Proper Officer.
Public Forum
There was one member of the public present, but they did not wish to speak.
District & County Councillors' Matters
Apologies were received from both County and District Councillors.
As the Chairman was not present, it was proposed by GG, seconded by ML that JB Chair the meeting
1.Chairman’s Opening Remarks. (26/049)
a) Welcome.
Cllr JB took the chair and welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Apologies for Absence & Co-option (26/050)
a) Apologies.
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr Snowden (HS) due to planned family commitment and Cllr Groves (KG) due to illness.
b) Vacancy to be filled by Co-option.
There was one applicant for the vacancy. Mrs L Miller has registered an interest in the position.
It was proposed by JB, seconded by GG and all agreed to accept Mrs Millers application.
Mrs Miller was present and was invited to join the meeting. Cllr Miller (LM) completed the Declaration of Acceptance form. The Register of Interest form is to be completed and forwarded to the clerk and NKDC.
3. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest & Applications of Dispensation (26/051)
a) Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest.
4. Signing of the Minutes (26/052)
a) It was proposed by GG, seconded by JB and all agreed the minutes of the Parish Council
meeting held on Wednesday 12th March 2026 be signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
5. Planning Matters (26/053)
a) Planning Applications Received.
26/0308/PNH – 3 Vicarage Close, Single storey rear extension 5.3m in total length from the original wall, eaves height 2.45m and maximum height 3.54m
The application had been distributed to the council prior to the meeting. There were no comments or objections.
b) Decision Notice Received.
26/0070/HOUS – 33 Chestnut Close, Replacement of existing fencing, gates and trellis. Approved by NKDC
Springwell Solar Farm – Notice of the decision by the Secretary of State confirms the granting of development consent.
6. General Parish Matters (26/054)
a) Purchasing of a New Defibrillator.
Notification has been received stating we were unsuccessful in the bid for a free defibrillator from the British Heart Foundation. After some discussion it was agreed the old outdated defib needed to be replaced and it had been budgeted for. The Clerk had circulated details of a selection of defibrillators. It was proposed by JB, seconded by ML and all agreed to purchase a IPAD SP1 fully automatic defib and an external lockable cabinet for £1,708.00. Arrangements for the installation will be made on receipt of the equipment.
Action: The Clerk to place the order for the defib and obtain a price for the installation.
b) Village Hall Footway Lighting.
Several bulbs are now unserviceable and a whole row of lights keep tripping the electricity. JB agreed to look into this and report back for the next meeting.
c) Annual Parish Meeting.
The Clerk confirmed the invites had been sent out and several have already responded. Groups that cannot attend have sent reports to be read out.
d) ‘No Dog Fouling’ signs.
NKDC Environmental Officer has visited the village and put up several signs in prominent locations and also provided 3 signs for the village hall garden. GG agreed to attach them to the gates of the hall garden. It was agreed to request an additional 4 signs for other locations around the village.
Action: The Clerk to request the 4x signs.
7. Highways (26/055)
a) Highways issues.
JB stated the road sides from the railway bridge to Digby Fen need repairing. This will be reported on FixMyStreet.
DG reported the damage to the barrier on the bridge is to be repaired by LCC.
GG has reported the fly tipping of building rubbish on the Rowston Road on FixMyStreet.
8. The Village Hall (26/056)
a) Minutes from the latest Meeting of the Committee.
Copies of the latest minutes and financial statement had been forwarded to the councillors prior to the meeting. There were no comments.
9. Drainage (26/057)
a) First Cut of the Beck.
The Clerk confirmed the first cut is expected to take place from the middle of May, depending on the weather.
10. Playing Field, Play Areas and Village General (26/058)
a) Monthly Inspection of Play Equipment.
GG confirmed he will be carrying out the inspection.
b) Update on the Ruskington Lions using the pitch.
The Lions confirmed they are now organised for pitches for the rest of this season, but would like a price for using the pitch from Aug 2026 to June 2027. It was proposed by ML, seconded by GG and all agreed the fee would be £210.00 for year 2026-27.
Action: The Clerk to notify the Ruskington Lions manager of the fee.
c) Update on the progress with the Bowls Club lease.
Due to other commitments this is still to be progressed.
Action: The Clerk and JB to complete the amendments.
d) Update on street light No.1 on Beck Street still being unserviceable.
We are still waiting for a response from the County Councillor.
e) To schedule the cutting of the bowls club hedge.
It was agreed the hedge should not be cut until September. In the meantime, the clerk will obtain quotes from local contractors for the work and present to the council at a later meeting.
Action: The Clerk to obtain prices for cutting the Bowls Club hedge.
f) Fund Raising – Bingo event.
The Clerk confirmed £80.40 was raised at the Bingo evening organised by the Friends of Digby School (FODs) to go towards the new play equipment. It was agreed to send a message of thanks to the FODs for their very kind contribution.
Action: The Clerk to send the message of thanks.
g) Acknowledgement of Grant.
The Clerk confirmed the parish council have received notification of successfully being awarded the grant of £86,390.00 for the new play equipment, from the FCC Communities Foundation. There are several stipulations to complete before the award is paid out.
i) To agree to pay the third-party fee of £9,286.93 to release the funding agreement and register with ENTRUST via the FCC Communities Foundation.
It was proposed by ML, seconded by DG and all agreed the Clerk to make the payment.
Action: The Clerk to make the Third-party payment of £9,286.93.
ii) To confirm Cllr K Groves as the authorised person to sign the FCC Communities Foundation electronic Funding Agreement.
It was proposed by JB, seconded by ML and all agreed that Cllr Groves be authorised to sign for the grant funding agreement. It was confirmed Mrs McDonald, as Parish Clerk was authorised as the secondary contact. It was proposed by LM, seconded by GG the letter detailing the authorisation be sent to the FCC Communities Foundation.
Action: The Clerk to send the letter confirming the authorisation details.
iii) To confirm the grant is to be paid directly to the contractor on completion of project.
It was proposed by ML, seconded by LM and all agreed the grant should be paid directly to the contractors.
Action: KG to confirm with FCC to pay the contractors direct.
iv) To plan the promotion of the grant.
KG is to commence the promotion plan, it was suggested as well as the noticeboards, the Parish Magazine, the Digby and Ashby Facebook pages and NKDC free newspaper could be places to promote the success of the grant.
11. Allotments (26/059)
a) Updates from the Allotment Committee.
JB reported the vacant plots had now been filled.
12. Finance (26/060)
a) Bank Balances and Approval of the Bank Reconciliation.
PC Acc 45,657.30
Allotment Acc 7,495.43
Mary Gresswell Trust 5.58
b) Income.
Income received since the last meeting included
Precept 30,920.00
Donation – for play equip fund 80.40
c) Approval of the Payments.
It was proposed by GG, seconded by JB the following payments are made.
Salaries/Expenses TBN -Still waiting for the payroll details to arrive
Lloyds bank charges 4.25
Greensleeves – lawn treatment 71.00
NKDC Brown Bins 110.00
LALC Annual Training Scheme 174.00
d) Sign off the accounts for 2025-26.
The Clerk presented the end of year accounts to the council. It was proposed by ML, seconded by DG that all was in order and the chairman sign the account book.
13. Correspondence (26/061)
a) LALC Newsletter - Distributed to all councillors.
b) NKDC Newsletter - Distributed to all councillors
c) County Cllrs Newsletter – Distributed to all councillors
d) LALC Webmaster – current webmaster leaving 17th April, LALC will be covering the website maintenance.
e) NKDC Empty Homes Project– posters have been placed in the noticeboards
f) Lincolnshire Police are recruiting cadets from 1st April.
g) NKDC Youth Support Forum – request information on any activities planned for 11 to 18 yr olds.
h) NKDC – the next Parish & Town Council forum is planned for 30th June
i) Rail Network – Safety warning at pedestrian rail crossings of freight using the tracks on Sundays
j) Saferplay – digital system to manage public play equipment inspections. It was agreed this was not required.
k) NKDC Partnerships Team – shared info on funding opportunities.
14. Dates of Future Meetings (26/062)
Parish Council Meetings for 2026 – Second Wednesday of the month – 13th May, 10th Jun, 8th Jul, 12th Aug, 9th Sep, 7th Oct, 11th Nov, 9th Dec.
Annual Parish Meeting, 22nd April 2026.
Annual Parish Council Meeting, 13th May – prior to the normal monthly full council meeting.
15. Any Business to Note for the Next Agenda (26/063)
To be notified to the Clerk.
16. Closed Session (26/064)
For confidential items in accordance with the Public Bodies Act 1960, if required.
Not required.
20.21 hrs - There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed.