Full council meeting minutes 2026

CHAPEL ST LEONARDS PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE FULL COUNCIL MEETING

Present:             Cllr C. Jude, (Chairman), Cllr C. Briggs, Cllr F. Stevenson

In attendance:    Jacquie Hough (Assistant Clerk)

Members of the Public:  9

Chairman’s Welcome

Good evening,

On behalf of Chapel St Leonards Parish Council, I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone attending this evening's meeting and thank you for taking the time to be here.

The Parish Council is committed to conducting its meetings in an open, fair and respectful manner. We welcome constructive engagement and value the views of our residents, recognising that everyone has the right to express their opinions. We will treat everyone with courtesy, dignity and respect throughout this meeting, and in return we ask that the same courtesy and respect is shown to councillors, officers, members of the public and all those in attendance.

Thankyou.

Public Forum

A member of the public stated that there is a broken bench on Ancaster Avenue opposite Buckingham Drive next to the bus stop.  The clerk replied that she would investigate this.

There was a discussion regarding the road markings at the village junction and cars parked dangerously on the roundabout and outside the shops interfering with the cars and buses access.

A member of public enquired about the contract regarding grass cutting and asked if the grass cutting could be carried out by the Chapel St Leonards Council rather than a contractor. The Chair, Cllr C. Jude replied that it would not be cost effective.  A member of the public stated that the contract for grass cutting had been put out to tender, and all processes had been met as it would be in the future.  The Chapel St Leonards Parish Council is very happy with the present Contractor. The tenders for next year will be advertised on the notice boards, the webpage and with LALC.

A member of public wished to thank Cllr C. Briggs, the operatives, members of staff and councillors and all those involved for a very successful Family Fun Festival weekend and was very pleased to see that the festival was keeping with the tradition of Chapel Village.

FC/01/09-26         Chairman’s Welcome

The Chairman, Cllr C. Jude welcomed everyone to the Full Council Meeting.

FC/02/09-26      Apologies for Absence

Cllr J. Sieradzki and Cllr C. Naylor with valid reasons.

FC/03/09-26     To receive Declaration of Interest in agenda items under the Localism Act 2011 – being any pecuniary interest in agenda items not previously recorded on Members’ Register of Interest.

None declared.

FC/04/9-26      To receive and approve the draft minutes of the Full Council Meeting held on 8 June 2026, Extraordinary Meeting of 23 June 2026, Full Council Meeting of 13 July 2026 and Extraordinary Meeting of 5 August 2026.

The minutes of the 8 June 2026, 23 June 2026, 13 July 2026 and 5 August 2026 were unanimously approved and signed by the Chairman, Cllr C. Jude.           

FC/05/09-26     Standpipe for Chalets Update.

The works have been completed and will soon be connected to the mains water.

FC/06/09-26     Solar Speed Device Locations Update

Councillors met with LCC to decide sites where the solar speed devices will be located at three roads:  Ancaster Avenue x 2, Skegness Road x 1 and St Leonards Drive x 1.  The Chapel St Leonards Parish Council will purchase four metal posts from LCC at a cost of £200 each.          

FC/07/09-26     Committee Updates

1. Environment and Amenities

The village green and surrounding areas are well kept with the planting. The three metal benches on the amphitheatre have been sent away for powder coating so that they will be low maintenance.

2. Finance

The finances are stable.There is £14,087.50 in the current account and £80,264.62 in the Savers Account.

The Chairman discussed improving pedestrian safety along beachfront walkways by installing new lighting.A grant will be applied for.

3. Events

The Chair of the Events Committee read out an email that she had sent to Members of the Chapel St Leonards Parish Council:

‘Good morning,

Very much a team effort especially Jackie, Val and the operatives…the organisation was amazing and everything seemed to run like clockwork…

Thank you to Vice Chair Jenny for opening the event…I have it on video!Was a great speech.

The entertainment provided by Andy at Popcorn Media was also fantastic and was enjoyed by all!

The Chapel Belles were brilliant also the Alford Morris Dancers too… added to the entertainment and worked well which were also enjoyed by all.

Stall holders all happy with the weekend also and hoping to come back next year!

Here’s to planning the event for next year!!

Any new ideas welcome so get your thinking caps on!

Well done to each and every one of you …. Big thank you from me!!

Kind regards

Councillor Caroline Briggs’

FC/08/09-26   

 Chairman’s Report

Chapel St Leonard’s Parish Council 14th September 2026

Over the past two months, the Parish Council has continued to work hard to deliver services, maintain our village and support our community throughout what has been an exceptionally busy summer period.

Firstly, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to our Clerk, Val, for her continued dedication, professionalism and commitment to the Council and our community. I would also like to thank our Assistant Clerk, Jaquie, for her continued support and hard work. Thank you both for everything you do.

Special recognition must also be given to our Parish Operatives, who work tirelessly throughout the year to keep our village clean, tidy and well maintained. Their commitment is particularly evident during the busy summer season, when Chapel St Leonards welcomes thousands of visitors.

Much of their work takes place behind the scenes and can easily go unnoticed, but it makes an enormous difference to the appearance and upkeep of our village. On behalf of the Council, I would like to thank them for their continued hard work and dedication.

I would also like to extend our thanks to our volunteer litter pickers. Their dedication, community spirit and willingness to give up their own time to help keep Chapel St Leonards clean and welcoming is truly commendable. Their efforts make a significant difference, and we are extremely grateful for their continued support.

Summer Events

This summer has certainly been a busy and successful one for Chapel St Leonard’s, with a number of fantastic events taking place across the village.

The Carnival Weekend was once again a tremendous success and was enjoyed by residents and holidaymakers alike. I would like to place on record our thanks and congratulations to the Carnival Committee and everyone involved in organising and delivering such an important event for our village.

I would also like to give special recognition to the Parish Council Events Committee, led by Councillor Caroline Briggs, for delivering a hugely successful Summer Festival.

Despite the weather very nearly forcing us to call the event off, the Committee, Office & Operatives persevered, and thankfully the festival was able to go ahead. It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying The Green, supporting the Summer Festival and, importantly, visiting and spending money with our local businesses.

Events such as these demonstrate the fantastic community we have and the importance of continuing to provide activities that bring our residents, visitors and local businesses together.

As everyone will be aware, we made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s firework display due to the exceptionally dry weather conditions and the associated safety warnings and guidance at the time. Public safety had to come first.

The display has, however, been rolled forward to next year, and I am sure our Events Committee will soon begin planning for our Summer Festival 2027. Following the success of this year, I look forward to seeing how we can make next year’s festival even bigger and better. No pressure Caroline!

Chapel St Leonard’s Village Hall

I would also like to congratulate the current Village Hall Committee on the successful completion of the Village Hall roof.

This has been a long and, at times, difficult journey. The current committee worked quickly to bring the project to completion, building upon the considerable work undertaken by the previous Chairman Christine, the previous committee and Cllr Roger Dawson who began the process and worked to establish the funding and arrangements necessary to move the project forward.

I would also like to echo and place on record context from an email (with consent) recently received by Saul Farrell (Group Manager – Local Growth & Funding Delivery South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership) which I feel appropriately recognizes the collective effort that has gone into achieving this result:

“It has been an iterative process but a successful one.”

“The effort across the community has been impressive. Going from no roof and £13k in a stalled grant after a major setback to a full replacement for £43k in eight months is a major and unusual achievement.”

“From the significant work that Charles and Christine undertook to secure first half of the cost from ELDC and their dedicated and successful work to secure the remainder via public/parish finance, to Mr Wildash’s extremely generous private loan/contribution and sheer determination to complete the job. The drawdown of the grant happened in short time, against the odds.”

“In my view, even with some of the heat and debate, this is a great example of a community pulling together to bring a valued hall back into use.”

Those comments demonstrate just how much work has gone into this project from both the past and present committees, alongside the Parish Council, ELDC, funders and members of our community.

For completeness, I would also like to place on record that the Parish Council’s offer of financial assistance through the proposed loan remained available to support the Village Hall project.

However, due to the necessary process involved and the further information and approvals required in relation to the Charity Commission, it became apparent that the process could not be completed within the deadline attached to the other available funding. Unfortunately, this meant that the Parish Council loan route could not be concluded within the necessary timeframe & was not required by the current committee.

Nevertheless, alternative arrangements were successfully secured, enabling the project to proceed and the available funding to be drawn down within the required timescales.

I would particularly like to give special thanks and recognition to Councillor Roger Dawson for the considerable amount of time and effort he has personally dedicated to the Village Hall project.

Over approximately eight months, Roger has spent many hours working alongside the funders, myself & the previous Village Hall Committee in securing the necessary third-party funding in order to meet the sum needed to complete the roof.

A considerable amount of this work has taken place behind the scenes, involving ongoing discussions, correspondence and liaison between the various parties. His determination and commitment to seeing the project through deserves to be recognised and formally placed on record please.

Thank you, Roger, for the time, effort and commitment you have given to helping achieve what is ultimately a fantastic result for our community. Despite the challenges, deadlines and considerable work involved, the community came together and found a way forward.

Whatever difficulties or disagreements there may have been along the way, the important thing is the outcome: the Village Hall roof is now complete.

As Chairman, I am extremely proud of the work carried out across our village over what has been a very busy summer.

From our Clerk and Assistant Clerk, our Operatives and volunteers, through to our councillors, committees and the many people within the wider community who give up their time, there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into making Chapel St Leonard’s the village that it is.

As we now move towards the winter months, our attention is already turning to the future. We are beginning to plan a number of projects for the New Year and are actively looking at potential grant funding opportunities that could enable the Parish Council to deliver further projects to enhance, improve and invest in our village.

I am also pleased to report that the Council has already placed an order for new speed awareness signs, which we are now awaiting installation of at locations throughout the village.

Road safety and speeding are understandably important concerns within our community, and this investment is another example of the Parish Council taking positive and practical steps to improve Chapel St Leonard’s for residents and visitors alike.

There is always more that we can do, and I am keen that we continue to look positively towards the future, seek opportunities for external investment and ensure that Chapel St Leonard’s continues to be a village that our residents are proud to call home and that our visitors want to return to year after year.

Thank you for your time.

Charles Jude Chairman Chapel St Leonard’s Parish Council

The Chairman, Cllr C. Jude asked the Clerk, V.A. Worley to read out D Cllr Roger Dawson’s email as requested by him.

‘To the Chair and Members of Chapel St. Leonards Parish Council and all residents of Chapel St Leonards: 

Unfortunately, I am unable to attend tonight's meeting of the Parish Council due to a conflicting commitment. Charles kindly gave me advance sight of his Chairman’s Report, including his comments regarding the successful project to repair the Village Hall roof, and I concur wholeheartedly with his assessment of this significant achievement.

On behalf of East Lindsey District Council, I would like to pass on congratulations and thanks to everyone involved in bringing this project to a successful conclusion.

I congratulate the previous village hall committee and their chairperson, Christine Young, for their work and commitment in obtaining the grant funding that laid the foundation for this success. I also congratulate the current village hall committee and its chairperson, David Wildash, for raising the additional funding required to implement the project.

I also wish to record my thanks to Chapel St Leonards Parish Council, the former chairperson Pam Robinson and the current chairperson Charles Jude, for their leadership and unstinting efforts to assist the Village Hall Committee throughout this process.

My thanks also to Saul Farrell and the other officers at ELDC, and to County Councillor Danny Brookes and Cavan Collins and his colleagues at Lincolnshire County Council, for their advice and cooperation that helped make this project possible.

Repair of the village hall roof is truly a great community achievement that demonstrates what can be accomplished by volunteers, councillors and officers at all levels of local government working together. 

As an East Lindsey District Councillor for this ward, I am pleased to have been able to help the Village Hall Committee and I look forward to continuing to support their work to ensure that the village hall fulfils its role as an inclusive community hub providing a warm welcome to all residents and visitors of Chapel St Leonards.

With best wishes,

Roger 

Cllr Roger Dawson, 

Member, East Lindsey District Council

Chapel St Leonards Ward’

FC/09/09-26     Clerk’s Report

1. To approve the Finance List of Outgoings and Incomings for the Chapel St Leonards Parish Council for June, July and August 2026.

The Finance Lists for June, July and August were approved and signed by the Chairman, Cllr C. Jude.

2. Policies to be adopted:

1.  Health and Safety Policy to be adopted.
2.  Risk Assessment Policy to be adopted.

The Clerk had sent the Health and Safety Policy and Risk Assessment Policy to the members of Council prior to the meeting.  It was Resolved unanimously by the Council to adopt the policies.

FC/10/09-26    Planning – to consider new planning applications as a Statutory Consultee and to note Planning Authority decisions.  PROPOSAL:  Planning Permission – Erection of a replacement boundary wall with piers and pedestrian gate to a maximum height 2.2m.  LOCATION:   Oaklands, Skegness Road, Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire, PE24 5UQ.

Observations are requested no later than 27 July 2026.

Application Reference:  00930/26/FUL

No objection by the Council.

FC/11/09-26         Date and time of next Full Council Meeting

Monday, 12 October 2026 at 7.00pm.

The Full Council Meeting concluded at 8.00pm

FC/12/09-26         CLOSED SESSION

To resolve that under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reaso9n of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted, specifically relating to:

1. Staffing Matters

It was Resolved unanimously by Members of the Council to approve a 3.3% salary increase for all staff members effective from and backdated to 1 April 2026.

It was Resolved unanimously by Members of the Council to approve the realignment of the Clerk/RFO’s (NJC) PayScale to accurately reflect the job description, scope of role, and responsibilities effective from 1 October 2026

These are draft minutes until approved at the next full council meeting.