Meeting 5th October 2026

EDINGALE PARISH COUNCIL

DRAFT MINUTES
Meeting of the Parish Council
held on Monday 5th October 2026
7.30pm, at Edingale Village Hall

Members present: Cllrs Baughen, Cliffe, Mason (Chairman), Meikle.
Present: 0 Members of the Public, 1 guest, Mrs Pritchard (Clerk).
147/26 To receive and approve Apologies. Apologies received from Cllr Layland, Maskery and Startin. The Council RESOLVED to accept the apologies.
148/26 To receive any Declarations of Interests. Cllr Cliffe raised an interest for agenda item 159/26 Village Hall grant application.
149/26 To approve the draft minutes of the Meeting of 1st June 2026. It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Monday 7th September 2026, having been circulated, be confirmed, and signed as a correct record.
150/26 To adjourn the meeting, to hold the public session (15 minutes), to reconvene the meeting.
151/26 To receive County and District Councillor Reports. Cllr Bennion updated the Council on progress regarding mobile signal improvements for the villages and recent discussions held with MP Sarah Edwards. Action: The Council will contact Staffordshire County Council and Atlas to request a further update on the Edingale project. He also reported on developments relating to the Local Government Re organisation. In respect of Chetwynd Bridge, the funding bid now lies with the Department for Transport, with emerging possibilities including a light rail option and a park and ride scheme. The Local Plan Advisory Group for the Packington Farm proposal has held its first meeting; it is no longer feasible to deliver the required 15,500 homes through a single new settlement of 5,000, and a new call for sites has been issued. The next meeting will take place on 11th November, and Cllr Bennion confirmed he will continue to advocate for a balanced settlement.
152/26 To receive the Clerk’s Report. The Clerks report was noted.
153/26 To consider any Planning matters. None.
154/26 To consider wildflower seeding areas. A proposal to double the size of the Blakeways wildflower area was considered. The Council RESOLVED to approve the extension of the wildflower area, up to a maximum cost of £150. Action: Clerk to contact the Village Gardeners to arrange the works
155/26 To consider visibility issues on Hatchett Lane. Agenda Item Deferred. The Council RESOLVED to defer this agenda item to the November meeting due to the absence of Cllr Layland. Action: Clerk to contact SLCC to enquire whether other parish councils have purchased a mirror and to seek feedback on what worked well and what did not.
156/26 To review the SPCA briefing – Protecting Clerks and Council Staff from Third-Party Harassment. ACTION: The Council reviewed the SPCA briefing on protecting clerks and council staff from third party harassment. The Council RESOLVED to explore measures to strengthen staff safety and operational resilience. Actions:
• Clerk to enquire whether the Council can lock the door after the public participation session has concluded.
• Clerk to review existing policies, including the Vexatious Complaints Policy, and develop a risk assessment model.
• Councillors to review Standing Orders and consider the powers available for suspending a meeting if required.
• Any instances of online harassment are to be reported to the Council going forward.
157/26 To consider Brownfield Land Register update. The Council discussed the call for sites from Lichfield District Council. The update was NOTED.
158/26 To consider adequate provision for Parish Council elections. The Council RESOLVED to review the Election Fund earmarked reserve as part of the draft 2027/2028 budget, noting that Parish Council elections are scheduled to take place in May 2027.
159/26 To consider the Edingale Village Hall grant application. The Council RESOLVED to approve the application.
160/26 To consider the next steps in engaging with the Village Hall Committee and other appropriate organisations to determine longer term ownership and / or responsibility for playground repairs and maintenance. The Council RESOLVED that two councillors will join a working group with two representatives of the Village Hall Committee to develop proposals for consideration by both organisations.
161/26 To review the Community Fund 2026. The Council NOTED that £620 has been received from Staffordshire County Council, to be used towards the purchase of the new noticeboard. The Council expressed its thanks to County Councillor Dougherty for securing this funding.
162/26 To receive Councillors’ Reports and questions.
Support Staffordshire – to review the subscription in the draft budget 2027/28
BKVC – full list of winners/ runners up has been provided
Hedge Cutting
163/26 To receive Correspondence. The correspondence was NOTED.
164/26 To approve the September Bank Reconciliation. It was RESOLVED to approve the bank reconciliation.
165/26 To approve payments on the October Payment Schedule. Staff Costs: salary, expenses, pension, PAYE £554.70; Scribe: finance software £28.80; Microsoft 365: Software £8.49; CPRE (DD) £3; The Village Gardeners, Grounds Maintenance September £685.84; Edingale Village Hall: 2026/27 Grant £3,000, Room Hire 2026/27 £220, Room Hire Parish Network Meeting £50; The Parish Noticeboard Company: Noticeboard £1488; RESOLVED to approve the payments. Cllr Maskery to authorise.
166/26 To confirm date of next meeting. Monday 2nd November 2026.
There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 21:03