Louth Town Council
The Sessions House, Eastgate,
Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 9AJ

01507 355895
clerk@louthtowncouncil.gov.uk

To the Members of the Town Council of Louth:

You are hereby summoned to attend a Robed meeting of Louth Town Council and its Planning Committee which will be held on Tuesday 20^th January 2026 in The Old Court Room, The Sessions House, Eastgate, Louth at 7pm.  The business to be dealt with at the meeting is listed in the agenda below.

There will be a 15 minute public forum between 6.45pm and 7.00pm when members of the public may ask questions or make short statements to the Council, and your attendance is requested during this period. 

Please note, any public, wishing to speak in the public forum may do so on items which appear on the agenda or may ‘sit in’ on the meeting(s).  It would be much appreciated if any member of the public wishing to speak would please contact the Town Clerk, by emailing clerk@louthtowncouncil.gov.uk in advance of the meeting to discuss attendance arrangements.  Written representations are accepted, rather than attending in person. 

Just prior to the commencement of the meeting at 7pm there will be prayers or other religious observance, which will last for approximately 5 minutes.  Anyone not wishing to participate may leave the room at this time.

Immediately following this a maximum of ten minutes will be set aside for the meeting to receive reports from elected Members of Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council. 

Members of the public should note that they will not be allowed to speak during the formal meeting.

Mrs. L.M. Phillips
Town Clerk
Dated this 14^th Day of January 2026

AGENDA

 

TOWN COUNCIL

(Chairman: Cllr. D. Hobson,  Vice Chairman: Cllr. Mrs. K. Parsons, Membership: All Cllrs.)

1. Apologies for Absence
   To receive apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Town Clerk at least one hour prior to the meeting and consider accepting reasons, where requested to do so.
2. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
   To receive declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act, 2011 – being any pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interests and any written requests for dispensation received by the Proper Officer under section 22 of the Localism Act.
3. Town Clerk’s Remarks
4. Minutes
   To approve as a correct record the notes of the Council Meeting held on 18^th November 2025.
5. Committee Minutes
   To confirm receipt of the minutes and adopt resolutions contained therein of the following Committee Meetings:
   1. Planning Committee – 21^st October 2025
   2. Planning Committee – 18^th November 2025
   3. Governance and Finance Committee – 21^st October 2025
6. Mayor’s Announcements

7. Co-option
   Council to consider candidates for co-option onto Louth Town Council and resolve as necessary.

8. Precept
   Council to consider recommendations from the Governance and Finance Committee, who reviewed budget and Earmarked Reserve (EMR) proposals on 9^th December 2025, that it approve the following:
   1. Draft budget 26/27 for day to day expenditure and EMR’s (attached) which results in:
      90. a precept of £377,090.17 being levied in 2026/27 which equates to an increase on 2025/26 of £27,171.53 and an annual cost to a band d ratepayer of £62.73.  (Council to note that these calculations are based on current 2026/27 tax base figures); and
      91. EMR’s being topped up from General Reserve and not via the precept.
   2. Earmarked Reserves Report, which explains the purpose and level of existing and proposed EMR’s and details how each individual EMR should be treated.
   3. Council to delegate authority to the Clerk to complete the necessary forms and submit to ELDC, the Collection Authority.
9. Park Avenue Play Park
   Following previous discussion on the above when the following was agreed:

“Louth Town Council would maintain its original resolution to take no further action until a) the Park Avenue Play Park group had successfully achieved charity status; and b) the group had successfully received funding.  Further, it was RESOLVED that the Council should seek confirmation from the landowners, through the group, that they would fulfil their promise of completing the necessary work to the land and when all of the above were achieved the draft Heads of Terms should be revisited.”

Council to consider an email regarding the above which requests that Council agree to assume responsibility for the ongoing management and maintenance of the site and asset, placing this in writing for ELDC; and agrees that the process to transfer the land into Louth Town Council’s ownership can be commenced.

10. Accessibility Statement
    Council to review and approve its website accessibility statement for use. (Attached).  Council to note that the website has been checked for compliance by an independent specialist company.  (Report also attached).
11. ELIF Pride in Place Essentials Scheme Grant
    Council to note that it has been successful in acquiring match funding from the above in the sum of £1,000 for signage at Hubbard’s Hills. Council to approve that this offer be accepted and note that the project must be completed for funds to be claimed by the deadline of 13^th March 2026 .

12. Town Centre Retail
    Following the informal meeting of Councillors on 9^th December 2025 to discuss the above. Council to:
    1. Receive and approve a list of action points arising therefrom.
    2. Form a Town Centre Retail Working Group and appoint members (proposed Terms of Reference attached).
    3. Note that its second grant application to the Pride in Place Fund was unsuccessful but approve that the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership should meet with working group members to discuss, with a view to submission of an amended application in the future.
13. Emergency Plan
    Council to note that following approval by the Lincolnshire Community Resilience Officer it should now formally approve that the attached be adopted as a dynamic document for use by the Louth Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
14. Lincolnshire Pension Fund Contribution Rates
    Council to confirm that it accepts the contribution rates, as set out in the attached report.

15. Next Meeting
    To note that the next scheduled meeting of the Town Council will take place on 10^th February 2026.

 

 

 

PLANNING COMMITTEE

(Chairman: Cllr. P. Starsmore, Vice Chairman: Cllr. D. Moore, Membership: All Cllrs.)

1. Apologies for Absence
   To receive apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Town Clerk at least one hour prior to the meeting and consider accepting reasons, where requested to do so.
2. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
   To receive declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act, 2011 – being any pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interests and any written requests for dispensation received by the Proper Officer under section 22 of the Localism Act.
3. Minutes
   To approve as a correct record the notes of the Planning Committee Meeting held on 9^th December 2025. (Attached).
4. Applications received by the Local Planning Authority
   To consider and make observations/ratify comments already submitted by the Planning Working Group to meet deadlines, on all planning applications received including those listed in the schedule (PA/Schedule 01-20-26). (Attached).
5. Planning Correspondence
   Committee to receive planning decisions, enforcement complaints, appeal decisions, temporary road closures etc., as advised by the District and County Council. (Attached).
6. Proposed Work to Trees
   Committee to ratify comments submitted by the Planning Working Group in relation to the applications received below:
   1. Proposals: T31, T32, T33 – Lime – Re-pollard, cutting back to previous pollard points. Location: 17 Horncastle Road.  Reasons: T31, T32, T33 – going over neighbours property.  Comments: No comments submitted.
   2. Proposals: T1 – Willow – Fell. Location: Linkage Community Trust, Riverside House, Ramsgate Road, LN11 0NH Reasons: T1 – A mature willow with almost 90 degree lean towards the office/conservatory.  2 rot pockets on east and south side approximately 0.5 meters since last time works were done in 2023, to try to elevate and weight the main stem/trunk has moved lower to the floor going west direction.  (Once felled will replace with new tree).  Comments: No objection in principle, happy to support the tree officers decision but would request the trees be replaced with willow or alder.
7. Next Meeting
   To note that the next scheduled meeting of the Planning Committee will take place on 10^th February 2026.