2026 Minutes

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council held at Carlton Scroop Village Hall on Monday 11 May 2026.

Councillors present:

Alan Thomas, Jo Worrell, Bridget Hankinson, John England, Harry Baines, Jack Baines

In attendance:

Jackie Britten-Crooks   Clerk/RFO

Also present: 1 member of the public

Meeting commenced at 7.45pm

1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN & DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

It was proposed by Cllr England, seconded by Cllr Hankinson and Resolved that Cllr Thomas be elected Chair to the Parish Council. Cllr Thomas duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

2.  ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIR & DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

It was proposed by Cllr Thomas, seconded by Cllr Hankinson and Resolved that Cllr Worrell be elected as Vice-Chair to the Parish Council. Cllr Worrell duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office. 

3.  WELCOME BY THE CHAIRMAN

The Chairman welcomed Councillors and the member of the public and thanked them for their attendance. There was a plea for assistance from the Chairman to help spread the workload of the Council more evenly among Councillors. 

4.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Cllr Hands sent his apologies with valid reasons which were duly accepted and Resolved. 

5.  DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST & REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATION

Cllr J Baines and Cllr H Baines declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to a planning appeal matter for 1a The Lodge, Carlton Scroop.

6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

It was proposed by Cllr Worrell, seconded by Cllr England and Resolved that the Draft Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 16 March 2026 be adopted as the Official Minutes of the meeting. The Chair signed the Minutes.

7.  ANNUAL RETURN

7.1 Members considered the Internal Audit Report for 2025/26, which had been circulated by the Clerk prior to the meeting. The matters raised were discussed and it was considered the Council had performed well in its governance and procedural requirements, with just minor improvements required, some of which have already been implemented. 

7.2 Section 1 of the Annual Governance Statement had been circulated to Members in advance of the meeting, and they confirmed their agreement to each question. It was proposed by Cllr Worrell, seconded by Cllr Hankinson and Resolved to approve the Annual Governance Statement. 

7.3 Members considered the Annual Accounting Statements contained in Section 2 of the Annual Return, which had previously been circulated along with supporting documents. It was proposed by Cllr Thomas, seconded by Cllr Worrell and Resolved to approve and sign the Accounting Statement. 

7.4 Councillors agreed that the Parish Council  is an exempt authority by virtue of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 and it was proposed by Cllr Hankinson, seconded by Cllr J Baines and Resolved to declare exemption. 

7.5 It was proposed by Cllr England, seconded by Cllr H Baines and Resolved to approve the public rights notice dates, commencing 3 June and ending 14 July 2026. 

Action: The Annual Governance Return and Certificate of Exemption to be signed by the Chairman and Clerk, the Certificate of Exemption to be returned to the External Auditor and the Annual Governance Return and supporting papers to be posted on the website.

8. REPORTS FROM DISTRICT AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS

A Report received from County Councillor Bamford was received and published within the Minutes of the Parish Meeting held immediately prior to the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council. 

9. PARISH PLAN

Councillors agreed to defer consideration of the Parish Plan actions for 2026/27 to the next meeting. In the meantime Councillors would make suggestions to bring to the next meeting and further efforts would be made in locating a definitive parish map. 

10. CLERK’S REPORT

Cllr England proposed a vote of thanks to the clerk, Florence Hill, who was present at her last meeting for the Parish Council. Cllr Thomas seconded and it was unanimously agreed to express gratitude for the outstanding services Miss Hill had provided during her employment at the Council.

11. FINANCE

11.1 Income noted:

11.2 Payments made

Payments to be made

11.3  It was proposed by Cllr Worrell, seconded by Cllr England and Resolved to approve the April bank reconciliation. 

11.4  It was proposed by Cllr Thomas, seconded by Cllr Worrell and Resolved to approve the budget monitoring statement. 

11.5  It was proposed by Cllr Thomas, seconded by Cllr Worrell and Resolved to approve the reinvestment of £10,000 into a 6 month fixed deposit savings account. 

12. PLANNING

It was noted that 1a The Lodges, Carlton Scroop was successful on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. 

13. HIGHWAYS

Cllr H Baines raised an issue concerning heavy vehicles struggling to navigate the narrow sections of road on the A607. 

14. CEMETERY

There were no reports in regard to the Parish Council burial ground. 

15. JUBILEE FIELD

There were no reports in regard the Jubilee Field.

16. COMMUNITY UPDATES

Councillors reported the following requirements:

The Speed indicator device is faulty.

The village gates require painting and repair.

The benches are in need of timber treatment.

Cllr Thomas to see if volunteers will come forward to carry out some of the tasks. 

17. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

It was proposed by Cllr Worrell, seconded by Cllr Hankinson and Resolved to adopt the latest model Standing Orders and Financial Regulations.

18. CORRESPONDENCE

There were no items of correspondence to note. 

19. APPLICATIONS FOR THE POSITION OF COUNCILLOR

A resident responded to the casual vacancy notice and his application was considered by Cllrs. Following a short introduction by the applicant, it was proposed by Cllr England, seconded by Cllr H Baines and Resolved to co-opt the resident to join the Parish Council. The Declaration of Acceptance of Office was signed and Cllr Cooper joined the Meeting. 

20. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

13th July 2026.