September 2026 Minutes
Digby Parish Council
Notes of the PARISH COUNCIL MEETING held on Wednesday 9th September 2026 at 7pm, in Digby War Memorial Hall.
Present - Cllr H Snowden (HS), Chairman; Cllr J Bourne (JB); Cllr G Garton (GG); Cllr D Green (DG); Cllr K Groves (KG) and Cllr M Lewington (ML)
In Attendance – Mrs A McDonald, Clerk and Proper Officer.
Public Forum
6 Members of the public present
A resident confirmed once the speed radar camera is calibrated the existing members of the team are happy to continue with their volunteer work.
Concern was expressed about the silt build up in the Beck and flood risk in light of recent news regarding possible heavy rainfall this winter. A request was made for the parish council to find out if a supply of sand bangs could be obtained and stored in advance of any flooding. It was agreed to contact the County Council.
District & County Councillors' Matters
There were no District or County Councillors present
1.Chairman’s Opening Remarks. (26/134)
a) Welcome.
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
As many of the members of the public were interested in item 9. Drainage (26/142)a)
GG Proposed moving this item to the start of the meeting, it was seconded by JB and all agreed.
9. Drainage (26/142) a) To discuss the response from EA regarding The Beck site meeting and decide how to progress.
The correspondence received from EA had been distributed prior to the meeting. It provided information and links on how maintenance of the Beck could be carried out. In principle it was agreed the work to desilt areas of the Beck is needed to help the flow of water and possibly reduce the risk of flooding but none of the responsible authorities have budgets for this work. It was agreed the parish council would commence investigating the cost involved but would need help in completing the application forms.
The Chairman opened the meeting for the public to speak.
Two residents stated to progress this process, they would complete the forms and forward them to the council. The residents also confirmed they would look into how the residents of the Beck could help contribute financially to the work and hoped there would be some support from the parish council. It was agreed this would be looked into.
Action: The EA permission forms to be completed and the parish council to look into the amount of money that could be available for the work.
The majority of the public then left the meeting
The Chairman closed the public session and the full council meeting continued.
2. Apologies for Absence & Co-Option (26/135)
a) Apologies.
There were no apologies as all councillors were present.
b) Co-option of a new member onto the Parish Council.
An application to join the parish council has been received from Mr D Long. It was proposed by DG, seconded by ML that Mr Long be co-opted onto the Parish Council.
Action: The Clerk to notify Mr Long and arrange for all the paperwork to be signed and sent to NKDC.
3. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest & Applications of Dispensation (26/136)
a) Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest declared.
4. Signing of the Minutes (26/137)
a) It was proposed by GG, seconded by ML and resolved to accept the notes of the Parish
Council Meeting held on Wednesday 12th August 2026 as a true and accurate record.
5. Planning Matters (26/138)
a) Planning Applications Received.
No plans were received.
b) Decision Notices Received.
No decision notices were received.
c) NKDC Acknowledgement received of comments sent by Digby Parish Council regarding the Application 26/0575/FUL – Substation off heath Lane Navenby.
6. General Parish Matters (26/139)
a) Compensation Refund.
Notification has been received that The British Heart Foundation have awarded the Council compensation of £95.40 for the issues and delays when ordering the new Defibrillator.
b) Community Speed Watch Team.
The head of the team can no longer continue with this work, but as discussed in the public session the rest of the team are prepared to continue.
Action: Clerk will check on the calibration of the speed radar gun and pass the equipment back to the remaining members.
c) Anti-virus for Parish Councils Laptop.
The current anti-virus is up to date.
7. Highways (26/140)
a) Highways Issues.
There were no new issues to report.
b) LCC Winter Grit Bin Filling.
The councillors agreed to check the village grit bins and will notify the Clerk if they need to be added to the LCC grit bin filling list.
c) Update from recent FixMyStreet requests.
i) The subsidence on Fen Road has been acknowledged and work has been reported as scheduled.
ii) The obstruction of path to school – LCC confirmed they are taking action
iii) The overgrown hedge on approach to railway bridge – LCC are going to monitor. It was agreed DG and GG will re-report the issue as it is getting worse.
iv) North Street tree root lifting kerb – it has been notified it is scheduled for work
v) Overgrown hedge Pinfold - this has still been not cut back – it was agreed to report to LCC on FixMyStreet.
8. The Village Hall (26/141)
a) Minutes from the latest meeting of the Committee.
A meeting has taken place and as soon as the minutes are received, they will be distributed to the councillors. ML reported he attended the meeting and the large triangle shaped window in the hall is due for replacement including work on the flat roof area of the entrance. No date for the commencement of this work is known yet.
9. Drainage (26/142)
a) Response from EA - The Beck site meeting and decide how to progress.
This item was discussed and action noted at the beginning of the meeting.
b) Responses to LCC on Telemetry Devices and Flood Relief Channel Maintenance.
The response received via County Councillor Kendrick did not satisfactorily answer to issues raised. LCC confirmed a contract with the IDB to maintain the Channel is in place but after the last meeting JB contacted the IDB and they confirmed that no maintenance plan has been received. It was agreed if no satisfactory confirmation of the contract is received from LCC, a Freedom of Information request is made requesting to see the exact maintenance schedule for the Flood Relief Channel by IDB on behalf of the LCC.
In response to the telemetry device for the North Drain, it was agreed to re-prompt our County Councillor to request this is replaced as a matter of urgency.
Action: The Clerk to write to County Councillor Kendrick to initiate our requests.
10. Playing Field, Play Areas and Village General (26/143)
a) Monthly Inspection of Play Equipment and the Annual RoSPA Report.
The monthly inspection was carried out by HS. HS reported several of the bins missing bins liners
The annual report from RoSPA on the outdoor exercise equipment was forwarded to all the councillors prior to the meeting. There was nothing of concern from the report.
Action: The Clerk to report the missing bin liners to NKDC Environmental Agency.
b) Opening Ceremony for the New Play Equipment.
A provisional date of Fri 23rd Oct has been set for the opening. The whole of Digby Primary school has been invited and the Friends of Digby Primary school have agreed to help. County Councillor Kendrick has applied for grant on our behalf to fund the opening ceremony. It is planned to provide refreshment at the playing field if budgets allow.
The Clerk had forwarded the draft for the new signage to the councillors. The cost was quoted as £143.99 exc.VAT but does include delivery. It was proposed by HS, seconded by KG and all agreed to purchase the new sign
Action: The Clerk to place the order for the sign. Further plans for the official opening will continue to be made during the month by the play equipment group.
c) Bowls Club Lease.
The lease has been signed by the Chairman of the Parish Council and the Bowls Club Secretary. A copy of the lease will be held by the Parish Council and a copy was given to the Bowls Club.
11. Allotments (26/144)
a) Allotment Committee.
JB confirmed no meeting has taken place recently.
b) Advertise the Allotment Field,
As Moor & Sons have given notice, it was agreed to advertise the availability of the field on the village noticeboard. The avert is for a short-term agricultural lease and not available or suitable for livestock/animals.
Action: The Clerk to place the advert on the noticeboard.
12. Finance (26/145)
a) Bank Balances and Approval of Bank Reconciliation
The bank balances were reported as :
PC General Account 25,343.15
Allotment Account 6,559.26
Mary Gresswell Trust Acc 5.58
Copies of the bank reconciliation were distributed to the councillors and approved.
b) Income.
Income was received from British Heart Foundation - £95.40. This amount is included in the reported bank balance.
c) Approval of Payments.
It was proposed by JB, seconded by ML and all agreed the following payments are made.
Salaries/Expenses 840.02
Lloyds bank charges 4.25
Malcfirth – Aug grass cutting 646.38
RoSPA – Play Equip Annual Inspection 123.60
Cloud Next – Gov.uk host 59.98
Cloud Next Home Hosting 60.00
d) LALC information on Segregation of duties - discuss appointment of Financial Administrator as per the Practitioners’ Guide 2026-27 if required.
This information was discussed by the council. It was acknowledged the council would consider appointing a Financial Administrator if/when the need occurs. Currently the role of Chairman and RFO are carried out by separate individuals and there is not a need to appoint a Financial Administrator.
13. Correspondence (26/146)
a) LALC Newsletter - Distributed to all councillors.
b) NKDC Newsletter - Distributed to all councillors
c) County Councillors monthly report
d) NKDC – Consultation on special expenses in relation to the maintenance of closed churchyards.
e) Feedback requested on announcement of merging Lincolnshire Community Health Service NHS Trust and United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to create a new single NHS Trust.
f) LCC Public Notice – The B1191 at RAF Digby speed restriction to change to 50mph.
g) NK -Talkplanning -Review of Central Lincolnshire Plan – the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) has now been published. The councillors have been made aware of the areas around Digby that have been put forward for consideration.
14. Dates of Future Meetings (26/147)
Parish Council Meetings for 2026 – Second Wednesday of the month – 7th Oct, 11th Nov, 9th Dec.
15. Any Business to Note for the Next Agenda & Councillors Reports (26/148)
GG noted the Village Hall lawn will need attention. Grass seed will be needed to fill in the patches formed by the recent very hot and dry spell
The maintenance of the Bowls Club Hedge needs to be confirmed – The Clerk to speak to the Bowls Club chairman.
16. Closed Session (26/149)
For confidential items in accordance with the Public Bodies Act 1960,
At 20.30hrs the Chairman declared the meeting go into Closed Session.
The new 2026-27 National Salary Award pay scales for the Clerk as from 1st April were discussed and approved including an increment for the Clerk
20.49 – There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed