2025 Minutes

Notes from 15-minute public forum on 12 November 2025
There were no members of the public present. 

07:05pm The Public Forum was closed, and the Parish Council Meeting began. 

Minutes of the meeting of Old Leake Parish Council held on Wednesday 12th November 2025 at 7:00pm at Old Leake Community Centre.

1/11/25 To receive and accept apologies and approve reasons for absence 
Present: Cllrs David Dickason, Tom Ashton, Neil Booley, Guy Bull, Matt Harrison, Paul Skinner and Sam Wild.  
Also Present: Community Member Walter Seekamp and Parish Clerk Rebecca Herberts. 
Apologies: Cllr Sandra Pickett

2/11/25 To receive reports from representatives on outside bodies:
a.    Borough Councillors – The full report is enclosed with the minutes.
b.    County Councillor – There was no report from the County Councillor. 

3/11/25 To receive declarations of interest under the Localism Act 2011 and consider any requests for dispensations 
There were no declarations of interest. 

4/11/25 Notes of the Parish Council meeting held on 08 October 2025 to be approved and signed as the minutes
It was resolved that the notes previously circulated be approved and signed as the minutes.

5/11/25 Clerk’s Report
a.    The Clerk reported that the existing lamp post poppies could not be located. Andrew Welch, Chairman of the Boston & District RBL Branch, kindly donated approximately 30 lamp post poppies. As the Remembrance Day service was held in Old Leake, it was agreed that the donated poppies would be displayed along Church Road. This arrangement will be reviewed for 2026.
It was resolved to donate £50.00 to the Royal British Legion in appreciation of the poppies and to send letters of thanks to Andrew Welch and to Mark Whitehouse, who volunteered to assist the Clerk with installing and later removing the poppies.
b.    Information regarding the War Memorials Trust, and the potential availability of funding for repairs and maintenance, had been passed to the Clerk following concerns about wire around the war memorial causing damage.
c.    An email had been received from Citizens Advice requesting a donation. It was resolved not to make a donation on this occasion and to continue prioritising support for local groups.

6/11/25 Chair’s announcements and any relevant updates 
The Chair reported that Cllr Sandra Pickett had submitted her resignation from the Parish Council. The Chair wished to formally record his sincere thanks, on behalf of all members of Old Leake Parish Council, for Sandra’s long-standing commitment and many years of dedicated service to the parish. Her contributions, involvement in community matters, and consistent support of council activities were noted with appreciation. The Council expressed its best wishes to Sandra.

7/11/25 To consider applicants for co-option onto the Parish Council 
There had been no new applicants. 

8/11/25 Financial Matters:
a.    To authorise payments
It was resolved to authorise the following payments:
Date    Payee/ Creditor    Amount ex VAT     VAT      Total Expenditure 
             Reclaimable      Non reclaimable     
12/11/2025    Staffing Costs (Salary, HMRC, NI)    £2,161.77    £0.00    £0.00    £2,161.77
12/11/2025    Clerks Expenses (Broadband & Postage)    £37.30    £0.00    £0.00    £37.30
12/11/2025    Haines Watts - Payroll     £23.00    £4.60    £0.00    £27.60
12/11/2025    November Village Litter Picker    £150.00    £0.00    £0.00    £150.00
12/11/2025    Royal British Legion - Additional donation    £50.00    £0.00    £0.00    £50.00
12/11/2025    OLCC - Meetings    £21.00    £0.00    £0.00    £21.00
12/11/2025    OLCC - Young Peoples Project October    £236.24    £0.00    £0.00    £236.24
12/11/2025    YMCA Youth Provision Oct 2025-Sept 2026    £15,959.00    £0.00    £0.00    £15,959.00
12/11/2025    LALC Webmaster    £90.00    £18.00    £0.00    £108.00
12/11/2025    BT Group    £63.10    £12.62    £0.00    £75.72
     Totals     £18,791.41    £35.22    £0.00    £18,826.63

b.    To report bank balances 
Confirmation of the mandate change had been received on the day of the meeting. The Clerk will now carry out monthly bank reconciliations. 
Bank balances as of 30/10/25:
Bank Account    Balance
Business Current    £77975.58
Business Reserve 1    £1301.11
Business Reserve 2    £628.61

c.    To receive an update on the bank mandate  
The mandate change had been confirmed. The Clerk, along with Cllrs Guy Bull and David Dickason, now had access.
It was resolved to add Cllrs Neil Booley, Matt Harrison, and Paul Skinner to the mandate.
The Council discussed moving away from NatWest; alternative banks will be investigated by the Clerk and Cllr Matt Harrison.

9/11/25 To note CCTV updates and image requests 
Images and footage had been requested by the Police regarding an incident at the Community Centre main entrance doors.

10/11/25 To receive a report from the Recreational Area Working Group, resolve actions and expenditure for issues raised:
a.    Washdyke: A resident had contacted the Council with concerns regarding damage to the play equipment. It was confirmed that quotes are currently being sought for suitable replacements.
b.    Furlongs: Nothing to report. 
c.    Enos Wood: Nothing to report. 

11/11/25 Highways Matters: 
a.    Receive issues requiring maintenance/repair: A quote had been received from BBC for reports to a streetlight on Old Main Road – Old 55w Sox lantern replaces with new 18w LED lantern £350.00 + VAT. It was resolved to request that this work be carried out. 
b.    To receive reactive speed sign data: The signs would be taken down for charging, and the cable suggestion from Unipart Dorman would be checked.
c.    To discuss setting up a Community Speed Watch scheme: Ongoing, with a view to setting up in the New Year. A resident had submitted a list of 30mph speed violations on Chapel Road; this information will be forwarded to LCC Highways and Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
d.    Cowbroads Lane: The team installing the HGV restriction signs had been redirected to emergency work. Installation was rescheduled for 13 November 2025, subject to the same risks.

12/11/25 To note an update regarding the young people’s service provided by OLPC
a.    Youth Club timings had changed: Juniors 5:00pm–6:30pm; Seniors 6:30pm–8:00pm.
b.    The youth service providers reported they were short of volunteers. Anyone interested should contact the Parish Clerk (clerk@oldleakepc.gov.uk).
c.    Youth Club attendees had expressed interest in obtaining a table tennis table, pool table, and television for gaming. It was resolved that the Clerk would look into funding options.

13/11/25 To note an update regarding Old Main Road MUGA
An email from LCC confirmed that legal fees will not be waived for the MUGA transfer. These fees will be added to the budget for final consideration at the next meeting.

14/11/25 To note the advertisement for the General Maintenance Contractor and agree next steps
Four expressions of interest had been received. Discussions will continue with Wrangle Parish Council, and meetings with interested parties will be arranged.

15/11/25 To note an update regarding the co-op building
An additional viewing will be scheduled within the next 2 weeks. The estate agent confirmed there had been steady interest. Collation of costs for required works is ongoing.

16/11/25 To discuss a Skateboard Park 
Wicksteed had provided various options; the Clerk had requested pricing. Some young people had also expressed interest in a bike track. This will be discussed as part of youth engagement.

17/11/25 To consider a shelter for the Play Area on Furlongs Lane 
Cllr Neil Booley was looking into quotes for a plastic style shelter and concrete base. The Clerk will investigate funding options.

18/11/25 To discuss the mosaic in the Bus Shelter on Church Road 
The Clerk will contact The Boston School of Mosaic to confirm a date for them to inspect the mosaic, subject to councillor availability.

19/11/25 To discuss Storage options for records/paperwork
This was ongoing. 
 
20/11/25 To discuss setting up gov.uk email addresses 
Some of the Councillors confirmed they still needed to access their new gov.uk emails. 

21/11/25 To discuss the noticeboards 
Cllr Neil Booley will remove the broken noticeboard. The Clerk advised that discussions will be held with the landlord of The Butchers Arms regarding placement and colour prior to finalising the order.

22/11/25 To discuss the Parish Council’s involvement in the Community Centre’s proposed Youth Disco and Engagement Event
It was noted that the YMCA, who run the Youth Club, will attend the event to assist. The Clerk and some councillors also volunteered to help on the evening.

23/11/25 To discuss the draft budget for the year ending 31 March 2027 
The Clerk reported that, having only recently gained full access to the bank accounts, further financial updates are required. It was agreed to chase BBC for an update on previously requested streetlight works.

24/11/25 Planning applications received for a decision at this meeting (All plans can be viewed at www.mybostonuk.com)
Application Number    Location    Development Description    Applicant Name    Registered Date    Information
B/25/0441    Farmhouse, Chapel Road, Old Leake, Boston PE22 9PP    Erection of 1no. Detached bungalow    Smith    03/11/2025    Full Planning Permission

25/11/25 Planning Decisions received from Boston Borough Council 
There were no planning decisions for this meeting. 

26/11/25 Correspondence received, not covered on the agenda
No additional correspondence was received.

31/10/25 Matters for next agenda
No matters for the next agenda. 

32/10/25 Date of next meeting
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on 10 December 2025.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9:03 pm.

Old Leake Parish Update November 2025 
    
Parish update

We both attended the remembrance service organized by the RBL on Sunday the 9th of November. It was a wonderful service with about 50 people in attendance. The state of the war memorial was brought up and Derek, the President of the branch, has provided us with a number for financial help to do works to memorials. I have passed this onto Becca the Clerk. 

Work on the Miniature fencing in Vicarage Gardens is progressing albeit Slowly. There is just one side of the green to be done. Residents are very happy with the work undertaken. 

Our thanks go to the Clerk for arranging for some new poppies to be installed in the village for Remembrance Day. Whilst we fully appreciate the residents of Old Leake, Commonside, have not had any this year, we understand the short notice of these and the lack of supply. We hope that Commonside will be in full Bloom next year. 

The concrete slab has been laid at the MUGA ready for the donated bench to be installed. Our thanks to Judy for the donation of the bench and Martin for undertaking the work. This will provide residents with somewhere to sit and watch others make use of the facility. 

Borough news

 At a Borough level, Boston Christmas festival 2025 is shaping up to be even bigger. New for this year’s 3-day event includes a larger ice rink and ice sculptures by Glacial Art Ice Sculptures (Saturday only) the event runs from Friday the 28th- Sunday 30th November. 

Work continues on the redevelopment of the Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre piling work has now begun on the new front extension. This extension will include new changing facilities and a brand-new Gym. 

In partnership with LCC work is being undertaken with education officers regarding the right thing, right bin initiative. High contaminated areas are to be visited and encouraged to recycle correctly. Advice and information will also be given out to try and help with waste issues. 

Thank you
Cllr Butler