05-26-26 ATC MINS

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF LOUTH TOWN COUNCIL
HELD IN THE OLD COURT ROOM, THE SESSIONS HOUSE, LOUTH
ON TUESDAY 26th MAY 2026

The Mayor, Cllr. Darren Hobson (DH) (in the chair).

Councillors Present: T. Ball (TB), Mrs. E. Ballard (Mrs. EB), J. Baskett (JB), J. Drake (JD), H. Filer (HF), G.E. Horton (GEH), Mrs. H. Hunt (Mrs. HH), Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders (Mrs. JMS), D. Moore (DM), Mrs. K. Parsons (Mrs. KP), P. Starsmore (PS), T. Tapsfield (TT).

Councillors Not Present: H. Steer (HS), D.E. Wing (DEW).

The Town Clerk, Mrs. L.M. Phillips, the Town Clerk’s Assistant, Mrs. S. Chitauro-Adlard, the Front Desk Administrator, Miss A. Crook, the Mayor’s Serjeant, Mrs. S. Dykes, the retiring Mayoress, Mrs. S.J. Hobson. the retiring Mayor’s Chaplain, Reverend K. Dally, the 2026/27 Mayor’s Consort, Mr. J. Parsons, the 2026/27 Deputy Mayor’s Consort, Mr. B. Starsmore, the 2026/27 Mayor’s Chaplain, Reverend R. Mansfield, Mr. T. Marris, LCC Cllrs. Catton and Hastings and 13 members of the public were also present.

T1. Election of Town Mayor (Chairman)
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED by vote of the Council that Cllr. Mrs. KP should be elected Mayor of Louth to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2027.
a) Declaration of Acceptance of Office
Cllr. Mrs. KP read aloud and signed the official Declaration of Acceptance of Office witnessed by the Town Clerk and took the Chair.
b) Mayor’s Address
The Mayor, Cllr. Mrs. KP felt honoured to take on the role of Mayor and thanked her fellow Councillors for trusting her to lead the Council and serve the community over the next year. She thanked her husband for his support, her parents for the guidance they had provided over the years, and finally thanked her friends, family and neighbours.
c) Vote of Thanks to the 2025/26 Mayor
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that a vote of thanks be given to the Mayor of 2025/26, Cllr. DH, along with thanks to his wife, Mayoress, Mrs. S.J. Hobson. Cllr. Mrs. KP presented the replica of the Arms of the Town to Cllr. DH.
d) Reply of the Retiring Mayor
Cllr. DH felt privileged to have been Mayor, serve the community and represent the Council. He reflected on the many highlights he’d experienced and had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the amazing work of the incredible citizens of Louth. He appreciated the ongoing support from his fellow Councillors, particularly those who had offered additional support during times of personal challenge. Cllr. DH felt that being Mayor was a pleasure but acknowledged that the role could not be fulfilled without a support network, particularly those in the office who had helped behind the scenes. He thanked Rev. K. Dally and was grateful for the Reverend’s work as his Chaplain, especially at his recent Civic Service, and thanked his wife, the retiring Mayoress Mrs. S.J. Hobson for her unwavering support. Cllr. DH finally gave thanks to Mrs. S. Dykes, who was appearing as the Mayor’s Serjeant for the final time before retiring from the role. Cllr. DH spoke of Mrs. Dykes’ supportive, kindhearted, dedicated and enthusiastic service and said that she would be sorely missed. Mrs. Dykes thanked everyone for their support and was honoured to have held the title of the country’s first and only female Mayor’s Serjeant, adding that she had thoroughly enjoyed her time in the role. Cllr. DH presented her with a token of his and the Council’s appreciation. He announced that he would like to present a replica of the Arms of the Town to Mr. T. Marris for his 45 years of work in the community which started in 1981 after opening his shop in Louth town centre, leading him to become a part of the Louth Chamber of Businesses for over 25 years and serving as the organisation’s president for 13 years. Mr. Marris had been pivotal in establishing and organising many events which remained eagerly anticipated in Louth’s annual calendar, such as the Christmas Market and Classic Car Show. Additionally, Mr. Marris had also been involved in the Louth Regeneration Partnership, chairing the organisation for 16 years, as well as serving time on the Council and acting as the Mayor of Louth twice in the years 2003/04 and 2010/11. Cllr. DH shared that Mr. Marris had worked tirelessly over the course of 16 years alongside the United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust to raise funds for an MRI scanner at Louth hospital, which had completed over 42,500 patient scans. He thanked Mr. Marris for his years of contributions to the community of Louth, acknowledging that Mr. Marris had directly played a part in improving the quality of life of thousands of residents in and around the town. In his response, Mr. Marris said that it was an honour to serve as Louth’s Mayor twice, as well as receiving the award, and thanked his wife for her support throughout the years. He said that, without the support and involvement of the community, he would not have been able to raise the funds for the MRI scanner. Mr. Marris thanked Cllr. DH for his service as Mayor over the years, particularly during the difficult Covid times, and thanked the Council and all others who had trusted and supported him, believing that he could not have achieved his success without them.
e) Appointment of Chaplain
The Mayor confirmed that the Reverend Robert Mansfield had kindly agreed to act as her Chaplain for the year 2026/27.

T2. Election of Deputy Mayor
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that Cllr. PS be elected Deputy Mayor to hold office until the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2027.

T3. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. HS and DEW.

T4. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
a) Cllr. DH – Item 12 as a member of East Lindsey District Council (ELDC).
b) Cllr. GEH – Item 12 as a member of ELDC.
c) Cllr. Mrs. JMS – Item 12 as a member of ELDC.

T5. Council Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve as a correct record the notes of the Council Meeting held on the 14th April 2026.

T6. Committee Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm receipt of the minutes and adopt the resolutions contained therein of the following Committee Meetings:
a) Planning Committee meeting held 24th March 2026.
b) Governance and Finance Committee meeting held 3rd March 2026.
c) Personnel Committee meeting held 10th February 2026.

T7. Committees of the Council
On a proposal by the Mayor, seconded by the Deputy Mayor, it was RESOLVED to re-establish the following Committees of Louth Town Council, confirm membership, terms of reference and delegated authority as contained within Standing Orders:
a) Planning Committee (P), all members.
b) Governance and Finance Committee (G), all members.
c) Personnel Committee (H), 7 members (not to include Mayor). It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to elect Cllrs. JB, Mrs. EB, JD, GEH, DM, JMS, and PS to the Personnel Committee for the 2026/27 Council year.

T8. Louth Town Council Governance
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm that the Council’s Governance Documents, e.g. Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, Code of Conduct and all of its other policies and procedures, particularly those relating to Risk Management, GDPR, Freedom of Information, Complaints and Employment, had been reviewed in year, as per the attached schedule.

T9. Town Clerk
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm delegated authority to the Town Clerk as contained within Standing Orders and Financial Regulations.

T10. Representation on External Bodies and Arrangements for Reporting Back
The following representations were noted:
a) Louth United Charities – 2 Cllrs each with a 4 year term – Cllrs. Mrs. KP and Mrs. JMS.
b) King Edward VI Almshouse School and Educational Charity of Louth – Cllrs. PS and Mrs. JMS.
c) Louth Navigation Regeneration Partnership – Cllr. JD
d) CCTV Partnership – Cllr. Mrs. EB and the Town Clerk.
e) LALC Management Committee – the Town Clerk.
Councillor representatives noted that reports back to the Council were requested.

T11. Council’s Membership of Other Bodies
It was noted that the Council was a subscriber/member or associate of:
a) Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils (LALC)
b) National Association of Local Councils (NALC)
c) LALC Annual Training Scheme
d) Historic Towns Forum (free associate)
e) Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
f) The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management
g) Rural Market Towns Group
h) Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC)

T12. Arrangements with Other Organisations
It was noted that the Council had arrangements with other organisations e.g., leases/agreements in respect of:
a) Old Mill House (lease with private tenants/their mortgage company).
b) Wayleave (with Northern Powergrid re. poles located on Council land at Julian Bower).
c) Grasscutting (agreement with LCC that the Council will cut amenity grass verges in the town).
d) Legal representation (letters of engagement with Wilkin Chapman Rollits).
e) Land off London Road (lease with Louth Athletics Club).
f) Julian Bower Field (grazing licence with private individual).
g) St. Aethelheard’s Chapel (occupation agreement with local branch of Greek Orthodox Church).
h) Sessions House (agreement with LNALS re. storage space at SH).
i) Flood alleviation Scheme (agreement with Environment Agency to contribute financially annually).
j) Trinity Lane, London Road, Mount Pleasant Allotments (lease with Louth Cottage Garden and Allotments Assoc.).
k) Land off London Road – Astro Turf Site (lease with LRSP).
l) London Road Sports Partnership (agreement that Council will contribute annually to a maximum of £20,000).
m) CCTV (maintenance contract with ELDC).
n) St. James’ Church – clock and external lights (LTC pay for clock repairs and electricity to run it and lights).
o) War Memorial (agreement with ELDC that it will pay for electricity and LTC will maintain the asset).
p) Market Place Electricity Box (transferred from ELDC. LTC responsible for all supply energy costs, all statutory testing and public safety).

T13. Register of Assets
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm that schedules of land and assets were reviewed and adopted by Town Council on 24th March 2026.

T14. Insurance
Council noted that its arrangements for insurance cover for 2025/26, of all insured risks were reviewed and resolved upon at the meeting held 20th May 2025.

T15. Meetings of the Council
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm that the dates of the meetings of Louth Town Council and its Committees for 2026/27 were as reviewed and adopted on 10th February 2026 and authorise the Town Clerk to issue summons accordingly.

T16. Bank Signatories
The Council noted signatories as follows:
a) Lloyds Account – Cllrs. Mrs. EB, Mrs. KP, DH, JMS, PS.
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the following Cllrs. as NS and I Account signatories:
b) NS and I Account – Cllrs. Mrs. EB, Mrs. KP, DH, JMS, PS.

T17. Financial Matters
a) Bank balances
Council noted its bank balances were as follows:
i. Lloyds Treasurers Account (balance on statement 1 at 30th April 2026) – £377,533.03.
ii. Lloyds Deposit Account (balance on statement 1 at 30th April 2026) – £166,652.51.
iii. NS and I Account (balance on last statement, numbered 15 as at 18th February 2026) – £144,560.77.
b) Orders for payment
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the list of tabled payments made in April 2026.

T18. Date of Next Meeting
It was noted that the date of the next scheduled Town Council’s Planning and Governance and Finance Committees would take place on Tuesday 9th June 2026 when the Chairmen/Vice Chairmen and working groups of those Committees would be elected/established.

The Meeting Closed at 7.56pm

 

Signed_______________________ (Chairman) Dated_________________________