Minutes

Langworth Group Parish Council   

Serving the grouped parishes of Barlings, Newball, Stainton by Langworth and Reasby

E:mail: clerk@langworthgroup-pc.gov.uk

Draft Minutes of the Langworth Group Annual Parish Meeting held at 7.00pm on Tuesday 5th May 2026 in Langworth Memorial Hall

TO BE APPROVED AT THE 2027 ANNUAL PARISH MEEETING OF ELECTORS

Present: Cllr M Herbert (Chairman); Mrs M Vail (Clerk), 6 residents (one arriving at 7.14pm).

Meeting started at 7.05pm.

1. Notes from the Annual Parish Meeting held on 6th May 2025:

RESOLVED to sign these as a correct record.        

2. Chairman’s Report: Cllr Mike Herbert

A report was given by the Chairman (Appendix A).

The Chairman was thanked for his hard work, and it was noted that he would be hard to replace. The Chairman expressed his gratitude for the comments.

3. Clerk/RFO’s report: Mrs Michelle Vail

A report was given by the Clerk (Appendix B).

4. Reports by local County and District Councillors:

C/Cllr T Bridgwood gave the following verbal report:

* He had undertaken a village visit along with an LCC Highways Manager to look at various issues.  Subsequently, LCC have committed to improvements on Barlings Lane.

* He requests that matters be reported via Fix My Street, and to advise him if they are not actioned promptly so that he can follow up.

* On flooding matters, he has seen some positives with the mapping and is pleased that LGPC had received a positive response from Anglian Water who, it seems, will be relying on the mapping to inform their decisions. 

D/Cllr T Bridgwood gave the following verbal report:

* The Government’s decision on the Local Government Review is expected in July 2026 following the current consultation, which will then give a much better idea of the future.  WLDC had not put an option forward but had submitted a list of requirements for consideration.  In response, WLDC has been advised that it will receive a visit, which is deemed to be a positive outcome. 

* WLDC has an £8million budget to be spent before the formation of the unitary organisation, of which half will be allocated outside of Gainsborough.

A report was given by D/Cllr M Palmer (Appendix C).  Additionally, she reported that:

* Lea Crematorium has an Open Day on 30th May 2026.

* Fires in waste collection vehicles are on the increase, with vapes contributing largely to this.  Consideration is being given to setting up separate collections, but there would be a cost to this.

* WordFest will be coming to Nettleham.

5. Local Organisations reports:

Reports were received from the Langworth Memorial Hall Committee (Appendix D) and St Hugh’s Langworth and St Edward’s Barlings (Appendix E).

6. Parishioners Items:

No matters were raised.

Meeting ended at 7.34pm.

Ms Michelle Vail, Parish Clerk, Langworth Group Parish Council                         26th May 2026

APPENDIX A

Chairman’s Report for term 2025/2026

Until recently Langworth Group Parish Council has maintained a full complement of Parish Councillors. Councillor Hazel Stilgoe-McCombe recently resigned due to personal circumstance and is intending to move away from the Langworth area. Hazel was instrumental in developing the Emergency Response Plan and introduced the Speed Watch campaign to the Council.  We thank her for her many efforts and contributions and wish her well in her future endeavours.  Hopefully, this evening we will be able to backfill the current vacancy.  It is worthy to note that we don’t have a lot of turnover with Councillors. People usually join us and stay until personal reasons dictate otherwise; indeed it is remarkable that we have some Councillors that have been with us for over 10 years and more.  As Parish Councils go, we are a stable, consolidated and a friendly group of individuals who are encouraged and able to express our opinions whilst also willing to listen and consider the opinions of other people.  As you would expect, we have not always agreed on matters, but we have always come to a consensus of opinion and have accepted the democratic outcome.  Councillor’s contributions are invaluable and I would like to express my gratitude to each and everyone.  Councillors give up their personal time to come together each month to discuss issues affecting us.  We try to resolve problems and generally help the community as much as we are able to do.  Councillors are rarely thanked or appreciated for what they do but yet they continue in a public service for which they receive little recognition.  

I would also like to express my thanks to our County and District Councillors. We very much appreciate that they frequently attend our meetings and often provide us with valuable insights and information from County and District Authorities.  Considering how busy these ladies and gentlemen are within their areas, we are very grateful for their time that they give to us.  Details about how the District Council will operate in the future within a new Unitary Council are still being discussed and the outcomes are not yet known, however we hope that we will get continued support from our representatives.

I also would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to our Parish Clerks Michelle Vail and locum Andrew Everard.  Andrew and LALC have been able to provide additional support whilst Michelle was recovering from serious illness. It was only in Michelle’s absence that we realised how much we missed her and that we are privileged to have her back again. Parish Clerks are essentially the ‘engine’ of the Council, ensuring its lawful operation, managing its finances, preparing meeting agendas, and implementing decisions. Without their hard work this Parish Council would not be able to function. We are blessed indeed to have such excellent people working with us.

Council Tax - Post Covid, post austerity, post cost of living crisis, I think that many people in our community have been hoping for some long-awaited signs of improvements.  However, locally it doesn’t feel like much is happening and many in our community are still struggling more than they rightly deserve.  Inevitable it results in complaints and a general feeling of dissatisfaction. For example, the flooding issues have not been resolved and the footpaths and roads continue to deteriorate. Costs are rising and incomes are struggling to keep up with the demands of the cost of living.  I recognise that this is a national issue, but it seems to us in Lincolnshire, that we cannot even maintain the infrastructure and services that we once had.  In Langworth and nearby villages we see precious little of our taxes being used to maintain or improve things for us locally.  The Parish Council’s finances are regularly and routinely scrutinised.   I ask residents to keep in mind that even though the Parish Council’s contribution forms only the smallest percentage of their Council Tax bill, all of it is spent locally for their mutual benefit.  Unlike, within the County and District organisations, Parish Councillors do not get paid and their work is voluntary

Planning - Planning applications have been noticeably low this year.  The majority of applications have been about property extensions and rebuilds.  No new major housing development applications have been received.  Plans for the 20 proposed dwellings on Barlings Lane will not be happen and the developer, Swallow Hill Homes is in the process of selling the land.

We still don’t have a Neighbourhood Plan and the Parish Council has struggled to get people to help in its production.  Its importance should not be undervalued especially in the light of the proposed changes in the Local Plan and pressure from Central Government to build more properties.  If we are not careful, we may end up with housing developments being proposed in our area, that are locally opposed but are being supported and pushed through by the planning authorities.  We have to do more than we are doing on the Neighbourhood Plan as it could be our only way to influence development in our area.  

Recent news is that the dilapidated and recent focus for street art that is the New Station Inn, which anyone passing will recognise as a blot on our landscape, is in the process of being sold with the intention of converting it into a dental surgery.

Flooding – Apart from more meetings and expressions of intentions to conduct detailed risk assessments and monitoring, very little has changed locally that would mitigate the risks of more flooding. Weather patterns have changed, flooding events have become frequent and as it stands, future flooding in our area seem inevitable. My opinion has not changed from last year in that it seems that the Environment Agency, Lincolnshire County Council and Witham 3rd Drainage have no commonly agreed local action plan to deal with and prevent flooding for us. The only thing that we can directly do as a Parish Council is to have an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) in place which is keyed into LCC’s Emergency Services.  It won’t stop the flooding, but it will hopefully help those people who get caught up in these tragic events. The ERP has been completed and will be desk top tested soon.  

I believe that dealing with the Anglian Water sewerage problems associated with high water events on Scothern Lane are a realistic goal for the Parish Council to pursue. 

Play Area – The play area outside of the Memorial Hall is inspected regularly, and annually by ROSPA.  Although it does comply with safety standards at the time of installation, it is in need of continuous maintenance and some equipment renewal.  Decades ago, this Parish Council agreed to develop this play area and that ongoing commitment to it remains.  With the help and advice of our new Play Area Parish Champion we have put to one side aside funding and have a plan to provide essential maintenance.  We are also looking into replacing some of the older and worn equipment.  

Langworth Local – The Editor of the Langworth Local has now resigned. Although the Parish Council was not directly involved in its production, like other Parish Councils we did provide financial support. That commitment remains, but since no one has come forward to take the Editors role, it seems that the Langworth Local is finished.  This represents a problem for the Parish Council as it was used as a means of conveying information to residents.  This Council is actively considering using social media as a means of quickly communicating information in the future.

Many thanks go out to Hazel Stilgoe-McCombe who was the Editor of the Langworth Local.  Additionally, many thanks go out to Mr Clive Buttress and his team of volunteers who delivered the magazine every month to households. Residents are also thanked for their past support and ability to provide local information and articles to the Editor.

Other Items of Note – 

* Since the successful deployment of 2 Speed Indicator Signs on the A158, two new ones have been purchased and are waiting installation.  These will be moved between sites on Barlings Lane, Stainton By Langworth, Scothern Lane and opposite Mountain Motors on the A158.

* Last year, the Council supported the repair of the Lychgate roof situated at the cemetery on Barlings Lane.  The Church organised repairs to the woodwork. The work is now complete.

* Forestry England are currently developing a new large woodland which will be situated adjacent to the lay-by on the A158 (around 1 mile NE of Langworth) moving down towards Hardy Gang Woods

* Community Speed Watch has not operated this year and requires more volunteers who will then need some training.  Hopefully this initiative will happen in 2026/2027.

APPENDIX B

CLERK/RFO’S REPORT

* First and foremost, I’d like to thank everybody for their support and good wishes during my illness.  Every little gesture really meant a lot and helped to carry me through.  Whilst I did do some work in the background throughout my illness, additional thanks must go to our Chairman, Cllr Michael Herbert and to our Locum Clerk, Andrew Everard, who took on the extra workload and greatly lessened the pressure on me.  I undertook a phased return to full work duties from October 2025. 

* We said goodbye to Cllr Hazel Stilgoe-McCombe, representing Barlings parish. Her active contribution to Parish Council life will be greatly missed.     

* The Parish Council has commented on several planning applications this year. 

* We have Parish Champions, who are individual Councillors, who continue to monitor and champion specific areas and responsibilities  

* We have contributed financially to repairs to the church lych gate

* We have purchased 3 benches to replace old, worn-out ones.  These are part funded by the receipt of £900.00 in Councillor Initiative Fund grants (3 grants of £300) from each of our 3 District Cllrs, whom we thank for these generous donations.

* The Parish Council has received £ 1,408.92 from Lincolnshire County Council towards grass cutting of the verges in the Group’s parishes.  This contributes towards the total costs of grass cutting, which came in at £5460.56 last year, and allows the Parish Council to undertake more cuts than the three that the County Council would offer us, helping to keep the village in a tidy condition. 

FINANCES

Spend Against Budget 2025 – 26

The agreed budget for 25/26 was set at £34,272.31. As of 31 March 2026, expenditure stood at £30,696.02.  Whilst there were some overspends within some individual budget heads, namely on the services of a Locum Clerk, purchase of a Gov.UK domain + email addresses, play inspection training, and printer ink, this extra expenditure was offset by underspends in other areas, namely grant expenditure and equipment maintenance. Overall, the budget was underspent by £3576.29.

Audit:

The 2025 – 26 accounts are currently with the internal auditor for auditing and signing off.  Once this is complete, they will then be examined by an external auditor. This year, the external auditor has chosen us as part of their annual random 5% sample to be subject to an Intermediate Review, as opposed to our usual Basic Review, which in essence means a more thorough audit requiring us to submit additional documentation.  As the audit report becomes signed off, the accounts paperwork will be posted on our website.

APPENDIX C

REPORT FROM D/CLLR MAUREEN PALMER

Much has happened over the last year, but these are some of the main things.

After a vote of no confidence in the Leader and Deputy Leader a new administration group made up of Conservatives, Independents, Liberal Democrat’s, and Reform councillors took control of the Council.

Local Government Reorganisation [LGR] is a Central Government directive to change Lincolnshire into two Unitary organisations. At the moment there are four proposals on the table, and a decision is due in November. This will mean that West Lindsey District Council and its Councillors will no longer exist as we know it. The election for new councillors is due to take place in May 2027. This is a LOCAL election and NOT general elections.

West Lindsey put in a bid to purchase RAF Scampton and have passed the first phase meaning they now have to give a proposed development plan. A motion is on the agenda for Full Council on the 13th May so hopefully there will be a positive update after that.

The Churches Festival is taking place over two weekends. 9th/10th May and 16th/17th May with around 120 churches taking part across the district.

The National Planning Framework is out for consultation. The two main changes that are relevant to our area are: if a planning application is within a settlement boundary it will be granted and if it is outside boundary, it will be refused except in exceptional circumstances.

The Central Government food waste collection has been successful apart from a few minor hiccups. Over 60 tonnes of waste per week is being collected across the district.

APPENDIX D

Langworth Memorial Hall Committee 

We have a new Chair, Ben Bowser.  The old Chair is now a Trustee. 

It has been a busy year for Langworth Memorial Hall with private bookings and events.  We have a fabulous Committee group that pull together to make events happen.

Weekly events: we have coffee morning and line dancing. 

Monthly events: we have Bingo and Quiz which are super popular, with many villagers from Langworth and surrounding villages attending. 

The summer fete was a success.  There was also an auction this year which was popular and brought new faces.

The Produce Show and Craft Show went ahead but unfortunately this was our last year due to experienced committee members leaving, and it not making a profit.

Lest We Forget linked up with the Remembrance at the war memorial which was well attended.

On top of this, there’s been a Jumble Sale which always does well.

Ben, our new Chair, carried out an auction to raise money to replace the church notice board on Langworth Memorial Hall grounds, he raised £700.00. 

Plans are well in place to continue these through 2026.  All are welcome to Langworth Memorial Hall and if you haven’t been for a while please come along.

APPENDIX E

St Hugh’s Langworth and St Edward’s Barlings

Annual Report for the year 2025/2026

PCC MEMBERS

Members during the year were:

Incumbent: Reverend Jess Bellshaw

Churchwardens: Mr Chris Bason (Lay chair/Churchwarden Barlings)

Mr Frank Burnett (Churchwarden Langworth)

Representative to Deanery Synod: Mrs Fiona World

Rev Carol Bason

       Rev Canon Penny Green (Treasurer)

Miss Annette Pigrum

       Mr Ben Bowser

Review of the year

The Benefices of Barlings and South Lawres work together to enable worship to take place across the area every week. 

* St Edward’s Barlings host a service of Holy Communion on the second Sunday of the month all those in attendance travel from other churches.

* St Hugh’s Langworth host a service of Holy Communion on the fourth Sunday of the month which is supported well. 

* There are currently 16 people on the electoral roll, 4 list Barlings as their home church and 12 list Langworth.

* Usual Sunday attendance at both Barlings and Langworth is 18 with many coming from nearby villages.

* Langworth hosted a Carols by Candlelight this year with 22 people in attendance.  

Finance

* The only source of income to the church is the generous giving of the church congregation and I am happy to report that the PCC of Barlings and Langworth has once again managed to pay the diocese the Parish Covenant of £2800 in full. I am grateful for the financial giving of members of the church and community both to the church itself and charities it supports.

* Last year we were pleased to be able to support the restoration of the lychgate this was only made possible by the generous donations of individuals from outside the village.

* Last Autumn at the request of the neighbour to the Barlings Lane Churchyard we carried out £1200 of work to the trees and hedging. We continue to be thankful for the Parish Council providing the grass cutting.

* Due to tight finances neither church was able to carry out work from the 2024 QI inspection. Barlings has an estimated cost of £24,600 to restore, with £8640  worth of work being suggested for within the next 12 month. 

* Langworth has an estimated cost of £4500 to restore, with £1620 worth of work being suggested for within the next 12 months.

Worship, Discipleship and Learning and Occasional Offices

* Barlings: 1 baptism, 1 Marriage Blessing, 1 funeral, 1 burial, a burial of ashes and 1 service at the Crematorium

* Langworth: 1 funeral and 1 burial

* 20 people from across the churches went to Launde Abbey on an overnight retreat

* We held a number of discipleship courses including The Unanswered Prayer course by Pete Grieg and The Practicing the Way course by John Marc Comer. 

Thank you to all who have given so generously and served so faithfully. Together, trusting in God’s provision and guided by the Spirit, we look ahead with hope to all that God is calling us to be and to do in the year to come.

Revd Jess Bellshaw April 2026