BRETBY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE ORDINARY PARISH MEETING HELD
TUESDAY 17th MARCH 2026 AT 7:30 pm
AT ST WYSTANS CHURCH, BRETBY
Present: Cllr Toone (Chairman), Cllr Falder, Cllr Ballington, Cllr Meyrick.
In Attendance: Mrs J Storer – Clerk, Cllr Lowe, Cllr Benfield (from 7:33pm), Cllr Haines (from 7:33pm)
25/1234 Apologies
Apologies were noted from Cllr Haines and Cllr Benfield who will be attending late.
As a quorum was established, the Chair commenced the meeting.
25/1235 Variation of Order of Business
The order of business was amended to allow reports from Cllr Benfield and Cllr Haines once they arrive.
25/1236 Declaration of Interests:
Cllrs considered their obligations relating to declaration of interests, no declarations were received.
25/1237 Public Speaking
- Members of the Public and Council to comment on any matter
None present.
A summary of when the footways were cleaned was provided by a resident and read to the meeting by Cllr Ballington. The carriageway remains covered in debris
All the gullies are full and Cllr Ballington has submitted a complaint about the lack of attention to the gullies.
- County Council and District Council members to raise any relevant matter.
This will be taken later in the meeting once the Cllrs arrived.
c) Parish Council Members declaring an interest other than Disclosable Pecuniary Interest wishing to make representation
None were raised.
25/1238 To approve the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council held on 12th January 2026
These were circulated, read, approved, and signed as a correct record by Cllr Toone.
7:33pm Cllr Benfield and Cllr Haines arrived.
Standing Orders were suspended to allow Cllrs to address the meeting.
Cllr Benfield informed that the potholes on Bretby Lane has been fixed and he has written to Staffordshire County Council requesting repairs to be undertaken at the roundabout on Bretby Lane. Work has been undertaken but the condition of the road remains poor.
Newton Lane was closed for 2 week whilst the drains were cleared and temporary repairs have been undertaken, Cllr Benfield has complained to the CEO at DCC about the state of repairs, the timing and information of the works. Also noted that if the gullies were attended to in the autumn then much of the problems experienced over the winter could have been avoided.
He has also chased DCC about the ongoing concerns around the lights at nurseries, DCC visited the site at 7am when no lights were on, Cllr Benfield will try to get DCC back in the autumn to observe the concerns around the lighting.
Ashby Road road signs, DCC Highways reports they could not find the faults to the road signs reported at the last meeting. Cllr Ballington will provide further details and photos to Cllr Benfield.
Cllr Lowe informed the new food waste regulations come into effect on 1st June 2026 and food caddies will be issued to all households this April. SDDC anticipated a low take up and usage of the caddies of around 17%. SDDC has invested in smaller vehicles, and is hiring extra teams to carry out the food waste collections. No information has been received about the future of brown bins
Environmental Health has invested £50,000 in cameras in the campaign against rural fly tipping.
Street Cleansing and Street Scene have merged. Cllrs reported being impressed by the speed of the removal of flytipping on Watery Lane.
Tracy Bingham is now Asst CEO, as Dr Ives is working on the loca government review (LGR).
Cllr Haines reported the Local Plan Part1 is back for consultation due to modifications.
Mowing of Bretby Lane, the Green and other areas have already had the first cut but other areas such as Watery Lane, Knights Lane and Newton Lane are not mown in the summer when they requires it most, Cllr Benfield will obtain a mowing schedule and what is hoped to be achieved by SDDC by starting the mowing so early.
The Highways Dept is attending a meeting at Repton on 26th March to explain and to provide a rational why the works are scheduled and why diversions are as such.
The Chair returned to Standing Orders.
25/1239 To determine which items if any, should be taken with the public excluded.
No items were deemed necessary to be taken with the public excluded other than that listed on the agenda.
25/1240 To receive the Chairman’s Announcements
There was no report.
25/1241 To receive the Report of the Clerk
This had previously been circulated, and no matters were raised.
25/1242 Governance
a) Risk Register update
There are no recommended changes to the risk register.
b) General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
No changes are recommended and there are no reports of any breaches.
c) Parish Council elections, vacancies, and co-options
There are three vacancies on the parish council, and no expressions of interest have been received.
d) To adopt the following policies
- Scheme of Delegation
- Co-option
- Grant awards policy and application form
RESOLVED to adopt the policies without any amendment.
e) To receive an update on the website’s readiness to be 2.2AAA compliant
Website is completed and compliant. Information about visits to the website will be provided to the next meeting.
25/1243 Drainage, flooding, and highway issues
The matter was discussed earlier in the meeting.
1. DALC – Various circulars and information
2. Resident – copied into emails about sweeping of pavement
3. DALC – Webinar on Local Government Reorganisation (Wednesday 18 March 2026 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm) Online forum – free to attend.
All Cllrs have been circulated with the information prior to the meeting.
25/1245 Finance
(a) Accounts for Payment
Accounts passed for payment
| BACS | Staffing – Feb | £169.34 |
| BACS | HMRC – Staffing NI and PAYE (Feb) | £45.40 |
| BACS | DCC – Pension contribution (Feb) | £59.77 |
| Charges | Service charges (Jan) | £4.25 |
| BACS | Staffing – March | £169.34 |
| BACS | HMRC – Staffing NI and PAYE (March) | £45.40 |
| BACS | DCC – Pension contribution (March) | £59.22 |
| Charges | Service charges (Feb) | £4.25 |
| SLCC | Membership fee | £86.02 |
For approval
| Mrs J Storer | Expenses | £42.48 |
| Mrs J Storer | Reimburse software licence renewal for payroll | £72.00 |
Money Received
| Deposit interest | Jan 2026 | £1.58 |
| Deposit interest | Feb 2026 | £1.40 |
Balance at bank @ 28.02.26
Deposit account £3,103.05– interest rate 0.50%
Current account £5,634.43
(b) To consider any requests for funds made under S137 – none received
25/1246 To consider Planning Applications
No applications have been received.
A complaint about the felling of trees at 70A Ashby Road East has been submitted on 26th February 2026 but no response have been received.
Cllr Lowe explained Biodiversity Net Gain.
25/1247 Consultations
None received.
25/1248 Items for information only
(a) To receive reports from Meetings attended.
Cllr Ballington will attend the DALC session on the reintroduction of beavers.
24th February 2026 – SDDC planning Forum – no report.
(b) Notification of Forthcoming meeting – Area Forum dates to include
18th March 2026 – Online forum on reorganisation of Local Government (DALC)
(c) Training Sessions – All DALC circulars have been provided to all Cllrs
Cllrs are still to complete the training relating to Prevention of harassment and to provide certificates to the Clerk.
25/1249 Date of next meeting
The next Ordinary parish council meeting will be held on TUESDAY 5th MAY 2026 at 7.30pm at St Wystan’s Church, Bretby.
This will also be the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council which will commence at 7:15pm
There being no further business, the Chairman thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 8:12pm.