2025-26 Minutes

Timberland and Thorpe Tilney Parish Council Meeting Minutes (Draft)

Date Monday 15th September, 2025

Start time: 19:00

Close: 20:38

Meeting Location Timberland Village Hall

Attendees:

PC Councillors Lenton (Chair), Audis, Thompson-Ayerst. 

Clerk – K Harvey

Apologies for Absence: PC Cllr D Nash, PC Cllr Slater, PC Cllr Ayerst, District Cllr A Whittle, District Cllr S Lawrence

1.

Parishioner open forum

Two parishioners attended the meeting. Both expressed interest in the vacancy of parish councillor.

Action: Clerk to contact both parties with further information and arrange informal meeting to discuss the role further.

Action: Clerk has contacted ‘Wild Fen’ to ask for further information regarding their proposal to purchase land in the Timberland area.  Update: Awaiting reply, action complete.

2. Apologies for absence

PC Cllr D Nash, PC Cllr Slater, PC Cllr Ayerst, District Cllr A Whittle, District Cllr S Lawrence

3. Declarations of interest

Nothing to declare

4. Minutes of previous meeting

Minutes of meeting held on Monday 21st July 2025 were approved.

Proposed: Cllr Audis, Seconded: Cllr Thompson-Ayerst.  All Agreed

5. District & County Councillor remarks

Cllr Kendrick attended the meeting; he has advised that there is a consultation going ahead for traffic lights to be put in place at the crossroads at B1202 and the A15.

There are current ground works and drainage surveys taking place in a number of local areas, Scopwick and Metheringham being mentioned. Ongoing drainage investigations in Timberland.

Cllr Lenton has asked if Cllr Kendrick can help the PC to progress with the damaged footpath / culvert on the way to Walcott.

Action: Cllr Lenton to forward Cllr Kendrick all emails regarding damaged culvert.

6. Planning

Nothing to report

7. Highways

• The clerk has contacted the resident at 4 Martin Road, Timberland and the tree has been trimmed so this action is closed.

• The temporary signs on Fen Road have now been removed.

• Cllr Thompson-Ayerst has advised that Timberland Fen Road has a temporary road closure. This will be posted on the PC Facebook page.

8 Standing Parish items

8.1 Timberland Green

• Clerk has investigated the insurance for the PC. The insurance that covers the green isn’t clear on play equipment so requires further investigation.

• The football nets are being chewed by wildlife. They will be removed for the winter in the next few weeks. The PC will decide on what action to take in the spring.

• The basketball back board was removed as damaged/broken. Replacement of like for like is approx. £50.00. A parishioner may be able to replace this for free.  Action: Cllr Lenton to investigate options and confirm costs.

• ROSPA inspection has been completed. The report has been received and there are some advisory items but nothing that is of immediate concern. Cllr Audis will look to work through the list and anything that requires any spending will be reported back to the PC for approval.

• The PC are still considering the replacement of the shelter on the green.

Action: Clerk to add Shelter and basketball back board to the next PC meeting agenda.

8.2 Timberland Village Hall

Nothing to report

8.3 Family fun Day 2025

• The FFD committee have provided the PC with their accounts in and out. This will be reported in the financial section of the meeting.

• Cllr Lenton asked Cllr Thompson-Ayerst whether she was prepared to lead the planning for a FFD in 2026.  She will review and decide in the coming weeks.

8.4 Grounds & dyke maintenance

• Cllr Audis will send the clerk the final figures for the grass cutting invoice.  

Action: Cllr Audis.

• Cllr Audis has trimmed and tidied the hedge by the footpath on Bayfield Road has overgrown.

• The PC will request another trim of hedges behind Bayfield Estate in the spring. 

Action: Clerk to ask if the Bayfield Estate path way can be trimmed again

• The dykes alongside Church Lane and Timberland Green are overgrown again.  They continue to be an ongoing discussing. Cllr Audis has started to rake out the dykes that approach the green.

Action: Clerk to send Cllr Lenton the previous letter to the affected houses so we can adjust wording and resend.  Action ongoing.

8.5 Emergency Planning

Clerk to try and get an update from Anglian Water regarding the drainage inspections and what they are doing next and report back to PC.

8.6 Social media

• The Clerk has received suggestions from Cllr Thompson-Ayerst on email.  Cllr Lenton added observations on issues with the current website during the  and has agreed to forward these on email for review by all. 

Action: Cllr Lenton to email issues to the cleark and copy all PC councillors.

Action: Clerk to discuss with website co-ordinator.

Action: All PC to review the website and send suggestions to the Clerk for updating – on going action

• The PC needs to buy more minutes of webmaster support. 

Action: Clerk to forward cost and scales of the minutes to purchase for website to the PC.

8.7 Parish Council

• There is still one vacancy for a PC. 

• The PC has been contacted by 2 parishioners about the vacancy.  See item 1 above for details.

8.8 Human Resources

LALC have now released the annual salary increase.  The clerk’s salary has been recalculated at the new rate, and backdated pay to April 1st 2025 has been calculated.  These have been applied in the finance section below. The litter picker salary was increased on 1st April 2025 to the national living wage £12.21 and has been implemented since that date

8.9 Correspondence

• The Clerk has received notification that the black thorn trees at the path behind Bayfield Estate have rooted and are encroaching gardens. The PC have asked for further details which will be passed to LCC for support in resolving.

Action: Clerk to follow-up and send details to LCC.

• PC clerks have received official notification from LALC that all PC’s need to have gov.uk emails. There is a requirement for the audit company and will need to be in place before June 2026.

Action: Clerk to find out further information on gov.uk emails – the cost and requirements.

• Cllr Audis requested that all emails the clerk receives be forwarded in full to all councillors.  Following discussion it was agreed that the clerk will use her discretion and items of importance can be sent/forwarded in full.

9 Finance Status Update

9.1 Accounts Status / Finance update

• Bank Balances reported by the clerk as follows: Community Account £4752.15, Reserve Account: £9531.64 (includes £2,978.46 CIL money), Family Fun Day Account £2620.08

• Cllr Lenton has provided the financial tracking spreadsheet, and the PC is on track with spending for the FY

9.2 Payments for Approval

The following payments were discussed and agreed by the PC.

Proposed Cllr Ayerst, Seconded Cllr Thompson-Ayerst.  All agreed.

9.3 Community Infrastructure Levy

• A donation of £1000 was approved by the PC via an email discussion and has been sent (and received) to St Andrews Church. The PC has have received thanks from them and are now going ahead with critical internal roof repairs.

• The Clerk has created a CIL wish list and will circulate so it can be added to.

Action: Clerk to follow-up.

• For the volunteer work in the village there is several items the PC need to provide.  Cllr Lenton has investigated best prices as follows:

 Large bag of gravel for village green/church gate: £77.50 (from Eclipse)

 2 x caps for fence posts: £27.60 (from Peak Oak)

 2 x 5 litres Ronseal fence stain: £17.60 (from Toolstation)

 3 x wire brushes: (£7.60 from Amazon for a pack of 4)

Total for approval £130.30 (inc VAT).  The PC has approved this spend which will be taken from CIL funds.

Proposed Cllr Audis, Seconded Cllr Thompson-Ayerst.  All agreed

• The notice board at bottom of village green is unfit. Cllr Lenton reported that the cost of replacement Perspex would be in the regions of £37.25. The post at the village hall notice board also needs replacing, the cost for this is an 8x3 post at £7.29.  The PC approved this spend which will be taken from CIL funds.

Proposed Cllr Audis, seconded by Cllr Thompson-Ayerst.  All agreed.

• The PC recognised that the offer of volunteer work was no etended to other organisations on the round.  All agreed that future offers will be extended to all each of the Village Hall, the Chapel and St Andrews Church. 

10 Supplementary Items

10.1 Bus Service

• The regular bus service was stopped some time ago in Timberland due to lack of demand. There is a call connect bus.

Action: Clerk to provide call connect up to date timetable.

10.2 Drainage survey for Church Lane

Action: Clerk to keep chasing Flood team and Anglian Water for updates.

10.3 Village Container Keys

• A parishioner has donated a new key safe and will survey the container to see if there is a suitable place to mount and will report back to PC.

10.4 Remembrance Sunday

• The PC has 12 large red poppies to site around the village on the run up to Remembrance Sunday.

• The PC has agreed to purchase the wreath and six more large poppies.

• Cllr Lenton and Cllr Audis have offered to put poppies up in the village.

• Cllr Lenton has agreed to lay the wreath at the Church service.

Action: Clerk to advise PC of costs for the above, seek approval and get general approval.

10.5 Footpath to Martin

• Cllr Slater has identified that the footpath from Timberland to Martin looks to be very overgrown and possibly not the regulated width.

Action: Clerk to discuss with Cllr Kendrick and request assistance to rectify the issue.

11 Meeting Close

Meeting closed at 20:38