2026 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

Notes of 24th September 2026

FISKERTON PARISH COUNCIL

Chairman: Cllr Adrian Walker          Clerk: Sharon Johnson

E: clerk@fiskerton-lincs.org.uk  Tel: 07707 807894

 

Notes of the Meeting of Fiskerton Parish Council held on Thursday 24th September 2026 at 7:00pm in Fiskerton Village Hall.

Present:Chair: Cllr A Walker. ​Councillors: Cllr L Matthews, Cllr C Hill, Cllr M Pothecary & Cllr C Darcel

In attendance: Sharon Johnson, Clerk/RFO; C/Cllr T Bridgwood

5 Members of the public attended

Minutes

  1. Open Session: General discussion regarding the paddock
  2. Apologies for absence: Cllr M Palmer
  3. Declarations of interest: None
  4. Minutes of meetings held on 13th August 2026, EOM 4th September and EOM 18th September 2026: It was RESOLVED to accept the minutes as a true record.
  5. Reports of the District and County Councillors: C/Cllr T Bridgwood reported that Lincoln Household Waste Recycling Centre is moving on an online booking system. Gainsborough Christmas lights will be on 20th November 2026 from 3pm – 8pm. D/Cllr C Darcel reported that his motion to discuss future flooding in West Lindsay area will be reviewed this month.
  6. Vacancies for co-option: The Council noted 2 vacancies for co-option and considered any applications received. None
  7. Chairman’s report: Cllr A Walker noted monitoring devices had been seen in the fields behind the village hall and that farmers have only ploughed half of the fields this year.
  8. Clerk’s report: None

FINANCE AND BUDGET

 

  1. August 2026 payments ratified as set out in Appendix 1.
  2. Schedule of regular payments for September and October 2026 noted as set out in Appendix 1.
  3. Non-regular accounts for August: It was RESOLVED to approve the following

a. Overtime payment to Clerk at rate 1.5 per hour for paddock project

b. PFK audit fee £252

c. Wreath £25

d. Christmas tree - preapproved amount of £226.60

e. Solicitor fees £2,519.20 plus HM Land Registry fee and SDLT.

f. Auction Fee £2100

g. Clerk Networking day £17.50

h. WLDC formal pre-application advice planning fee

 

  1. Noted LGPS pay increase agreement of 3.3% and approve back pay from 1st April 2026
  2. Noted - AGAR 2025-26 PKF Littlejohn LPP External auditor’s Report as circulated via email and available online
  3. Budget - To consider ideas for 2026 – 27. Cllr’s to give consideration in preparation for next meeting.

PURCHASE OF THE PADDOCK

It was RESOLVED that, under Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A, the following items relating to the paddock acquisition be moved into closed session.

The Council considered that the business to be discussed involved confidential financial information and commercially sensitive negotiations, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure

  1. To receive progress update
  2. To consider solicitor report and advice
  3. To consider public consultation and RESOLVE maximum bid
  4. To RESOLVE method of bid

PLANNING

  1. Noted Blacksmith Road Chapel Lane amendment order for prohibition of waiting. Closes 4th November.

PLAYPARK

 

  1. ROSPA recommendation deferred to next meeting. It was also noted the new piece of equipment is currently being installed. Playpark inspection – Cllr M Pothecary to do September to November and Cllr L Matthews to do December to February.

 

ALLOTMENTS

  1. No updates – Water source to be researched.

 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & ACTIVITES

  1. YMCA Rural Outreach Youth Club pilot sessions: No longer running due to YMCA inflexibility on contract terms.

HIGHWAYS

  1. Pedestrian safety on the road to Five Mile Bridge: Ongoing

 

MEETINGS:

  1. Matters for inclusion on next agenda: ROSPA report

 

Date of next meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 5th November 2026, 7 – 9pm, Fiskerton Village Hall.

 

Meeting closed to the public at 19:50

 

 

  1. IT WAS RESOLVED TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC AND PRESS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE FOLLOWING CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS.

Members of the public and press will be required to leave the meeting at the stage

 

  1. Disputed allotment reinstatement charge discussed, deferred to next meeting for further investigation

 

PURCHASE OF THE PADDOCK

  1. Councillor were update with the progress of the Paddock
  2. Solicitors advice was discussed, no action required
  3. . The Council reviewed the results of the public consultation and RESOLVED with 4 Councillors for, and 1 against, that the maximum bid it is willing to offer for the paddock is £250,242. Members noted that while support for acquiring the land in principle was very high (~97%), cumulative responses showed around 50% support for a maximum price of £250,000, with materially lower support for higher amounts. The Council also recorded that a pre‑auction offer of £75,000 had previously been rejected by the Church Commissioners, and that the 2025 market appraisal valued the land at approximately £20,000 per acre, which informed the decision. Cllr C Darcel requested that it be recorded in the minutes that he considered the maximum bid should be £150,000

 

20:36 Cllr C Darcel left the meeting

 

 

Council also RESOLVED, if the PWLB is not approved or, if they had not reached a decision on the loan by the auction date then a maximum bid of £85,000 would be placed and financed through council’s reserve fund.

 

     18. It was RESOLVED to place bid by proxy

 

 

Please be advised that these are notes of the meeting taken by the Clerk and cannot in any way be regarded as the official minutes of council proceedings until they are approved and signed at the next Parish Council meeting

 

Miss Sharon Johnson Clerk/RFO to Fiskerton Parish Council      

Date: 25/09/26