02-10-26 TC MINS
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF LOUTH TOWN COUNCIL
HELD IN THE OLD COURT ROOM, THE SESSIONS HOUSE, LOUTH
ON TUESDAY 10th FEBRUARY 2026

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

Present Councillors: T. Ball (TB), Mrs. E. Ballard (EB), J. Baskett (JB), J. Drake (JD), G.E. Horton (GEH), Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders (Mrs. JMS), D. Moore (DM), Mrs. K. Parsons (Mrs. KP), P. Starsmore (PS), D.E. Wing (DEW).

Councillors Not Present: H. Filer (HF), H. Steer (HS), Mrs. P.F. Watson (Mrs. PFW).

Leader of Lincolnshire County Council (LCC), Cllr. Mr. S. Matthews, LCC Cllrs., N. Hastings and T. Catton, the Town Clerk, Mrs. L.M. Phillips and the Town Clerk’s Assistant, Mrs. S. Chitauro-Adlard were also present.

Public Forum
• Cllr. GEH brought Councillors attention to the flooding issues reported to him by concerned residents of Stewton Lane and informed the Council that both East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) and LCC were aware of the issues and that there was a scheme of work in progress to address the problem, and that a new scheme was in the process of being designed.
• Cllr. Mrs. EB discussed the potholes on many of Louth’s roads, disclosing that she had received many complaints about them and requested the LCC representatives present at the meeting address the issue.
• Cllr. Mrs. JMS spoke of a blocked drain on Westgate.
• Leader of LCC, Cllr. Mr. S. Matthews introduced himself to the Council and informed them that LCC would be spending an extra £4 million on roads, with £2 million to be spent on potholes. He said that the money would also be spent on drains and preventative measures against blocked drains which caused flooding, which in turn caused road surfaces to break down. Cllr. Matthews imparted, however, that the money for the roads would only be granted if LCC improved the services they provided. He said that LCC had covered more road surfaces and covered more potholes in the last 9 months than ever before, and that they were coming up with new techniques and plans to address the issues with the roads but acknowledged that the time of year would always have an adverse effect on the roads due to the weather. Cllr. Matthews appreciated that the roads in Lincolnshire were in a bad state but felt that they were not the worst in the country and assured the Council that the Highways team were working on them. He encouraged the use of Fix My Street, and to contact LCC Cllrs. Hastings and Catton for updates on reports if not automatically received. Cllr. JMS felt strongly that the quality of the road repairs needed to be improved, to which Cllr. Matthews replied that LCC had insurance requirements as well as a legal requirement of 14 days to fill in a pothole of a certain depth, which is why road repairs were sometimes rushed and not of good quality. He also disclosed that those completing the works to the road were employed by Balfour Beatty, not LCC. He continued that less than 25% of potholes were reported via Fix My Street and that most were discovered via LIDAR, which was a device fitted to a car to detect potholes when driving on roads.
• LCC Cllr. Catton gave an update on a pothole outside of Esso Garage and confirmed that issues on Stewton Lane had been reported to LCC Highways. He said that Church Street pinch point was still a work in progress, and that Newmarket had been included on LCC’s full road resurfacing programme, along with two other roads in Louth.
• LCC Cllr. Matthews added that LCC were trialling new equipment for potholes and divulged that they were also testing new tarmac materials.
• The Town Clerk informed the Council that LCC Cllr. Hastings had contacted her to confirm that new bus shelters would be erected outside County Louth Hospital and at North Holme Road.

T127. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. HS and Mrs. PFW.

T128. Register of Interests
Councillors were reminded to review the content of the Register of Member Interest forms, to complete and submit new forms to the Town Clerk to reflect any required changes, with interests being declared in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

T129. Declarations of Interest / Dispensations
The following declarations of interest were made:
a. Cllr. Mrs. KP – Item 9 as a member of Louth and District Lions.

T130. Town Clerk’s Remarks
The Town Clerk informed the Council that:
• The Project Groundwater online meeting was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 11th February from 10am.
• It was identified that the two pumps which circulated hot water through the building were 20 years old and at the end of their lives. It was a worry that one could break at any moment which would mean no heat. The Town Clerk confirmed that, in conjunction with the Mayor, as per Financial Regulations, she had ordered two new pumps to be fitted at a cost of £1,871.67.
• Louth Male Voice Choir had been in touch to thank the Council for their grant. They had confirmed that they were trying to involve more of Louth’s youth in their Young Musician of the Year Competition and hoped that new links with KEVIGS music department would encourage more local musicians.
• Following last year’s Remembrance Parade, a number of improvements were required for 2026 arrangements, such as specific medical cover for the event, plastic barriers rather than metal barriers, more volunteers, cordoning off the entire area around the War Memorial where the parade stands to protect both paraders and members of the public, and different arrangements at the meeting point. These changes would have cost implications, and, whilst this was foreseen and the 2026/27 budget had been increased, the budget may be strained.

T131. Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that the notes of the Council Meeting held on 20th January 2026 be approved as the minutes.

T132. Committee Minutes
It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to confirm receipt of the minutes and adopt the resolutions contained therein of the Planning Committee meeting held on 9th December 2025

T133. Deputy Mayor Elect
Cllr. PS was nominated to fill the position of Deputy Mayor Elect in 2026/27 and it was subsequently proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that Cllr. PS should be recommended to fill the position for 2026/27. Council noted that:
a. The Deputy Mayor historically ascended to the position of Mayor in the following Mayoral Year (May 2027).
b. Candidates were expected to fulfil the role of Mayor as per the Mayoral job description.
c. The position of Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2026/27 would be subject to a formal election at the Annual Town Council meeting on 26th May 2026.

T134. Meeting Dates 2026/27
After receiving the draft schedule of meeting dates for 2026/27, it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the schedule for use.

T135. Louth Christmas Market
The Council received confirmation from Louth Lions that it had agreed to take over the running of the Louth Christmas Market in 2026 and discussed the Lions request for Council support in their organisation and running of the event. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that Louth Town Council would:
a. Support the event by promotion through LTC’s social media.
b. Encourage shop retailers to open on the day of the market.
c. Underwrite the event to a maximum of £2,500.
d. Organise an event to officially switch on the lights of the Christmas tree prior to the Christmas Market.

T136. Investment Policy
Council reviewed its investment policy, and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to approve the document for use, with the amendment that the Council was in agreement that its total exposure to local investments would not exceed £100,000.

NB: Cllr. Mrs. EB and GEH voted against the resolution.

T137. Grants
Council reviewed its decision made in 2025 to receive grant applications year-round, and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to continue the arrangement into 2026/27, with any overspend of the Grant budget to be taken from General Reserves.

T138. Cemetery Fees
Council reviewed the proposed Cemetery fees for 2026/27. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to defer making a decision until after discussion of the fees along with the Cemetery income and expenditure figures, had taken place at the next scheduled FOG meeting.

T139. Amenity Grass Cutting
Council noted that LCC were to update the terms and conditions of the above agreement. The Town Clerk thought the changes may only be to ensure that grass cutting by the Council was carried out around the same time that LCC’s grass cuts took place. LCC were to re-issue all agreements. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED to delegate authority to the Town Clerk to sign and return the agreement, if reasonable, so that quotes for 2026/27 could be sought to allow for consideration and notification to contractors before the start of the grass cutting season.

T140. Co-option Policy
Council reviewed its co-option policy, and it was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED:
a. To approve the policy for continued use.
b. That letters of application be made available in the confidential area of the website prior to the meeting for viewing by Councillors.
c. That Councillors send the Town Clerk suggestions for questions to be added to the policy and the questions deemed most appropriate for the candidates to be asked during co-option.

NB: Cllr. GEH abstained from voting on this item.

T141. Next Meeting
It was noted that the date of the next scheduled Town Council meeting was 10th February 2026.

The Meeting Closed at 8.37pm.

 

Signed_______________________ (Chairman) Dated_________________________