09-15-26 TC MINS

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF LOUTH TOWN COUNCIL
HELD IN THE OLD COURT ROOM, THE SESSIONS HOUSE, LOUTH
ON TUESDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 2026

The Mayor, Cllr. Mrs. K. Parsons (Mrs. KP) (in the chair).

Councillors present: J. Bakewell (JB), J.K. Baskett (JKB), T. Ball (TB), Mrs. E. Ballard (Mrs. EB), G. Cummings (GC), J. Drake (JD), H. Filer (HF), D. Hobson (DH), G.E. Horton (GEH), Mrs. H. Hunt (Mrs. HH), Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders (Mrs. JMS), C. Matthews (CM), P. Matthews (PM), D. Moore (DM), I. Steer (IS), N. Steer (NS), T. Tapsfield (TT), D.E. Wing (DEW).

Councillors not present: P. Starsmore (PS), H. Steer (HS).

The Town Clerk, Mrs. L.M. Phillips, the Town Clerk’s Assistant, Mrs. S. Chitauro-Adlard, the Mayor’s Serjeant, Miss A. Crook, The Mayor’s Chaplain, Reverend R. Mansfield, representatives from St. James’ Church, Mr. A. Leonard, Ms J. Fletcher, Mr. D. Elkington and one member of the public were also present.

Public Forum
• Cllr. DEW thanked the Council for their support over recent months.
• Cllr. Mrs. JMS reported that Local Government Reorganisation plans had been halted and that the original proposals may not come to fruition. She continued that the May 2027 elections would cover only District and Parish Councils, excluding the shadow authority. Cllr. Mrs. JMS also noted that upcoming changes to ELDC’s planning constitution would give Planning Officers final authority over most applications, although LTC was expected to remain a consultee. Finally, Cllr. Mrs. JMS shared that a report on S106 agreements had recently been published.
• Cllr. HF voiced concerns over several recent wasp stings in the vicinity of Hubbard’s Hills. The Town Clerk confirmed that she was aware and maintenance staff had met with a complainant and were investigating the situation.
• Cllr. GEH reported that several residents had raised concerns about recent changes to bookings at the waste and recycling centre. Cllr. Mrs. KP replied that the Town Clerk had circulated information about the issues to Councillors recently.

Prior to the commencement of the meeting, the Mayor’s Chaplain, Rev. R. Mansfield, said prayers.

T64. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. PS and HS.

T65. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
The following declarations of interest were made:
a. Cllr. GC – Item 15 as treasurer for Louth Run For Life.
b. Cllr. Mrs. JMS – Item 3 as an associate of St. James’ Church and Item 14 as a member of ELDC.

T66. Presentation from St. James’ Church Representatives
Ms J. Fletcher, Church Warden and leader of the St. James’ Church restoration project, gave the Council a brief presentation, describing the Church as a major town asset which hosted a wide range of local and national events and celebrations. It had recently been discovered that the roof’s lead covering was in worse condition than expected. Architect Mr. D. Elkington explained that the lead was thin and had split through fatigue. Re-roofing modules had been developed, and the first stage was to obtain diocesan consent for the repairs. Mr. A. Leonard advised that ELDC had agreed to help fund the project’s second phase once funding for the first phase had been secured. The representatives therefore presented a quote from Donald Insall Associates in the sum of £18,772.26 inc. VAT to obtain initial stage plans and documents for the renewal of the lead roof and some stonework. These documents could then be used to obtain the consents needed for the work to begin. After receiving the quote Councillors discussed the matter. The Town Clerk cautioned that there was not a specific power that the Council could use to undertake this work except for S.137. She explained that S.137 gives Councils the ability to spend a limited amount for purposes for which they have no other specific statutory power. The amount of money that could be spent under S.137 was capped, the amount being set annually in line with inflation. The amount in 2026/27 was £11.60 per elector, Louth’s electorate being approximately 13,622. She warned that Council needed to be mindful that it already used this power to incur expenditure for other items and that the Council needed to be in agreement that the amount spent was commensurate with the benefit to the community. Councillors considered this and agreed that the work needed to renovate the Church roof was much needed and the benefits to the community would far outweigh this cost. It was subsequently proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to a) award St. James’ Church £18,772.26; b) write to ELDC confirming the Council’s grant and express the hope that ELDC would also contribute; and c) issue a press release announcing the Council’s decision to award the funding to St. James’.

T67. Reports/Updates from District and County Councillors
There were no further reports to be made in addition to those discussed in the public forum.

T68. Town Clerk’s Remarks
The Town Clerk informed the Council that:
• Arrangements for the transfer of ownership of the land at Park Avenue to LTC for use by the Park Avenue Play Park Group was slowly progressing. Searches had been carried out on the land with no concerning results. The Council’s solicitor was awaiting draft Contract and Transfer documents from Gleesons. Once the documents had been received, he would look to progress as soon as possible.
• Civic Sunday was to take place on 27th September. She reminded Councillors to confirm their attendance with the Mayor’s Secretary as soon as possible.
• Plans for Louth’s Remembrance Parade and Armistice Day Commemoration were ongoing. The events were to take place on Sunday 8th November and Wednesday 11th November respectively and Councillors attendance was to be requested via formal invitations, to be distributed soon.
• The sale of Old Mill House had been completed.

T69. Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that the notes of the Town Council meeting held on 25th August 2026 be approved as the minutes.

T70. 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 – 28th July 2026.
b. Governance and Finance Committee – 9th June 2026.

T71. Mayors Announcements
The Council received a list of the Mayor’s engagements from 26th May 2026 to 15th September 2026 and heard a short presentation from Cllr. Mrs. KP about the events she had had the honour of attending during her first few months as Mayor. She felt it had been a pleasure to meet the many people who were passionate, helping those in need, entertaining and keeping Louth’s history alive. Some of her highlights included learning more about Louth’s history through the work of Louth Museum and the Civic Society, particularly through their Waging Peace exhibition which detailed Ghandi’s visits to Louth. She continued that the arts had been a recurring theme in recent months, participating in the Louth Postcard Festival, sitting for a portrait by a local portrait group and attending many music events which included the Piano Festival organised by Allegro Appassionato, the Choral Society, Louth Men’s Choir and many more. Cllr. Mrs. KP thought it would be remiss of her not to mention the recent Men’s Tour of Britain bike race which came through Louth and which was an event that attracted many visitors. Finally, she wished to thank Reverend Mansfield, Councillors, the LTC staff and her Consort, James, for their support over her first few months of Mayor and looked forward to continuing to represent Louth Town Council both in the town and beyond.

T72. Financial Matters
a. Bank Balances
Council noted bank balances as follows:
i. Lloyds Treasurers Account (balance on statement 5 as at 31st August 2026) – £367,870.88.
ii. Lloyds Deposit Account (balance on statement 5 as at 31st August 2026) – £166,652.51.
iii. NS and I Account (balance on last statement, numbered 15 as at 18th February 2026) – £114,560.77.

b. Orders for Payment
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the below list of payments made in August 2026:

Payment Ref Supplier/Payee Description Payment Total Date Paid
PC25 B&M Bin liners £1.98 03/08/26
PC26 Morrisons Dish cloths £0.79 03/08/26
PC27 TJ Jones Stationery £3.00 06/08/26
PC28 B&M Stationery £3.48 06/08/26
PC29 Morrisons Stamps £14.40 07/08/26
OP757 SCIS UK Ltd Adobe subscription £649.51 07/08/26
OP758 Smith of Derby Ltd Work to St. James’ clock £216.00 07/08/26
OP759 Louth Building Supplies Supply’s for HH £144.25 07/08/26
OP760 Warwood Interments Ltd Gravedigging x2 £900.00 07/08/26 OP761 The Little Cleaning Co. July cleaning £356.16 07/08/26 OP762 D. Salkeld Ltd Town centre watering July £630.00 07/08/26
OP763 S.G. Rance Gilding on Mayor’s board £20.00 07/08/26
OP764 GRS Signs Ltd Garden of Remembrance plaque £25.52 07/08/26 OP765 Paul Riddel Skips HH skip July £300.00 07/08/26
OP766 Glendale Countryside Ltd July grass cutting £5,634.30 07/08/26
OP767 Allinson Print Ltd Stationery £77.00 07/08/26 OP768 John Darke Ltd July fuel £69.73 07/08/26
OP769 LALC Training £30.00 07/08/26
OP770 Chris Fairburn MOT Centre Work to van £40.48 07/08/26
DDYUCH5 Yu Energy St. James electric £19.33 10/08/26 DDYUCEM5 Yu Energy Cem electric £35.66 10/08/26 DDYUSH5 Yu Energy SH electric £216.55 10/08/26
DDTEMKT5 Total Energies Market Place electric box £28.15 17/08/26
PC30 B&M Bin liners £1.98 18/08/26
SC5 Lloyds Service charge £8.50 18/08/26 DDAWSH5 Anglian Water SH water £8.00 20/08/26 DDAWCEM5 Anglian Water Cem water £36.00 20/08/26
DDAWHH5 Anglian Water HH water £403.00 20/08/26
DDEONHH5 E.On Next HH electric £57.93 21/08/26
DDEDFCEM5 EDF Energy Cem gas £14.65 24/08/26
DDEDFSH5 EDF Energy SH gas £46.84 24/08/26
OP771 The Little Cleaning Co. August cleaning £400.68 24/08/26 OP772 Paul Riddel Skips HH skip August £300.00 24/08/26
OP773 SCIS UK Ltd July IT support £48.00 24/08/26
OP774-778 Staff Staff payments £8,771.16 24/08/26 OP779 HMRC PAYE/NIC £2,820.67 24/08/26
OP780 LCC Pension Fund Pensions £2,772.31 24/08/26
DD1COMSH5 Onecom SH 2x phone line and Wi-Fi £95.33 28/08/26
PC31 Amazon Flags and bunting £74.30 28/08/26

T73. Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) 2025/26
a. It was noted that the Council’s External Auditor had completed its limited assurance review of LTC for the year ended 31st March 2026.
b. The Council received the Notice of Conclusion of Audit and noted that it had been posted on the Council’s website and noticeboards to meet legislative deadlines.
c. The Council received and noted Section 3 – External Auditor Report and Certificate 25/26 and noted that it had received an unqualified audit, with the External Auditor finding no issues on which to make comment.

T74. Internal Audit 2026/27
After consideration it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that Louth Town Council should continue its joint internal audit arrangement with Mablethorpe Town Council and Alford Town Council, agreeing that the internal auditors were independent, suitably qualified and competent to act as internal auditors for LTC and that the scope of the internal audit was suitable. It was noted that Skegness had withdrawn from the arrangement.

T75. Local Government Pay Claim 2026/27
Council noted that an agreement had been reached on the above and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to implement the changes, as per staff’s contracts, from 1st April 2026.

T76. Release of Effluent into the River Lud
Upon a proposal by Cllr. Mrs. JMS, seconded by Cllr. TB, it was RESOLVED that the Council would contact Anglian Water to address its concerns and request an explanation as to why sewage was released into the River Lud in town centre locations on at least two occasions since August.

T77. Town Centre Heritage Grant Scheme
Cllr. Mrs. KP reported that Cllrs. Mrs. JMS and GEH had previously circulated correspondence about heritage funding available to Louth. Following this, a walkaround of the town centre took place with ELDC Cllr. A. Leonard, LTC Cllr. Mrs. KP and ELDC Heritage Officer Ms E. Wales. Cllr. Mrs. KP explained that Town Centre Heritage Scheme grants supported local businesses in improving their shop fronts and that, following the scheme’s success in Horncastle, where its panel included local Councillors and officers, LTC was invited to nominate representatives. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that Cllr. NS and Mrs. KP should be put forward to represent LTC on the Town Centre Heritage Grant Scheme panel.

T78. Budget Setting
It was noted that Councillors should submit written details to the Town Clerk of projects they would like to be included in the budget for 2027/28, together with costings, no later than 31st October 2026.

T79. Next Meeting
It was noted that the date of the next scheduled Town Council meeting was 6th October 2026.

The Meeting Closed at 8.29pm.

 

Signed_______________________ (Chairman) Dated_________________________