Annual Council Meeting – 20th May 2026 7.30pm
LITTLE EATON PARISH COUNCIL
clerk@littleeatonparishcouncil.org.uk
Minutes of the Monthly Council Meeting held on
Wednesday 20th
May 2026 at Little Eaton Village Hall.
PRESENT: Parish Councillors D Howard (Chair), R Brown, S Caines, A Done-Johnson,
J Reid, P Rowlinson & K Shankland
IN ATTENDANCE: Parish Clerk
26/019 Election of Chair – The first item of business transacted was the election of a Chair. Councillor Rowlinson proposed and Councillor Shankland seconded that Councillor Howard be re-elected as Chair. There being no further nominations, it was resolved that Councillor Howard be elected as Chair of the Parish Council for the period to the next Annual Meeting of the Council. Councillor Howard signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and took the Chair.
26/020 Election of Vice-Chair – Councillor Brown proposed and Councillor Reid seconded that Councillor Rowlinson be re-elected as Vice-Chair. There being no further nominations, it was resolved that Councillor Rowlinson be re-elected as Vice-Chair of the Parish Council for the period to the next Annual Meeting of the Council. Councillor Rowlinson signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
26/021 Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J Bush.
26/022 To receive declaration of Members Interests – None.
- Public Speaking – (15 Minutes)
A period of not more than fifteen minutes will be made available for members of the public and Members of the Council to comment on any matter.
If the Police Liaison Officer, a County Council or Borough Council Member is in attendance they will be given the opportunity to raise any relevant matter.
There were no members of the public in attendance at the meeting.
County Councillor Hart’ was unable to attend the meeting but sent Annual Reports in respect of Derbyshire County Council and Erewash Borough Council, which are attached to these minutes.
County Councillor Hart also provided an update on the most recent Ordinary Meeting. There was little of major significance to report, although a number of Cabinet posts have changed hands. There was also a challenge for the position of Deputy Leader, and Cllr Reaney subsequently lost his post.
Cllr Hart’s portfolio has been renamed Communities and Safety. However, as the portfolio is largely dominated by health matters and includes oversight of the Director of Public Health, she is unsure why health is not reflected in the title. She intends to raise this point at Full Council. The portfolio previously covering potholes has also been retitled and is now simply Highways.
There is also a new Director of Children’s Services in post.
Borough Councillor Eddy was unable to attend the meeting but provided the following update.
May is Erewash Walking Month, with a wide range of organised walks taking place across the Borough. Further information is available on the Borough Council’s website: Erewash Walking Month | Erewash Borough Council
The new Community Grants for 2026–27 are now live, and full details can be found at Community Grants 2026–27 | Erewash Borough Council.
Erewash Borough Council’s financial position is better than previously anticipated, and an additional £4.5 million has been allocated to the Erewash Investment Fund. Unfortunately, this funding does not appear to significantly benefit the parished areas. The press release can be viewed at: Erewash Investment Fund set for major boost. Councillor Eddy will continue to press for fair investment in parished communities.
26/024 Variation of Order of Business – None.
26/025 To consider a resolution to close the meeting for public participation under the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 – Not applicable.
26/026 To confirm the minutes of the monthly meeting held on 22nd April 2026. All agreed that the Chair be authorised to sign the minutes of the monthly council meeting held on 22nd May 2026 as being a true and correct record.
26/027 Chair’s Annual Report
The Chair gave his Annual Report, which is attached to these minutes.
26/028 Appointment of working group members – The appointment of Councillors to the various working groups was agreed as follows:
- Environmental Action Group – Councillors Reid, Brown, Caines, Done-Johnson, Rowlinson & Shankland
- Finance Group – Councillors Brown, Howard & Caines
- Footpaths – Councillor Bush
- Highways – Councillors Howard & Reid
- Park & Open Spaces Group – Councillors Brown, Bush, Done-Johnson, Howard, Reid & Rowlinson
o Sub-Groups
- Churchyard – Councillors Howard, Done-Johnson & Reid
- Pavilion – Councillors Brown & Howard
- Play area & Youth Facilities – Councillors Done-Johnson, J Reid & Rowlinson
- Planning – Councillors Brown & Caines
- Snow Warden – Clerk to ask Elliott Poyser-Darby if he would be willing to continue in this role
- Speed Watch – decision deferred
- HR/Recruitment – Councillor Howard & Shankland
- Village Hall Committee – Councillors Brown, Bush, Caines, Done-Johnson, Rowlinson & Shankland
- Bates Trust – Councillor Shankland
26/029 Review of Working Group Terms of Reference – The terms of reference of the working groups were circulated to members for review, including new terms of reference for the Finance Working Group. All terms of reference were agreed.
26/030 Review of Standing Orders – The Standing Orders were circulated to members for review. All resolved that no changes were necessary to the Standing Orders and they should be re-adopted for the next 12 months.
26/031 Review of Financial Regulations – The Financial Regulations were circulated to members for review. All resolved that no changes were necessary to the Financial Regulations and they should be re-adopted for the next 12 months.
26/032 Review of updated Risk Assessment and Business Continuity Plan – A revised Risk Assessment and
26/032 Continuity Plan were circulated to members. It was resolved to accept the changes to the Risk Assessment and Business Continuity Plan and adopt them for the next 12 months.
26/033 Review of revised Code of Conduct – A revised Code of Conduct was circulated to members. It was resolved to accept the changes to the Code of Conduct and adopt them for the next 12 months.
26/034 Review of Publication Scheme – The Publication Scheme was circulated to members for review. All resolved that no changes were necessary to the Publication Scheme and it should be re-adopted for the next 12 months.
The updated policies will be published on the website.
To receive updates on actions from the Minutes
25/157 the review of Little Eaton’s Neighbourhood Plan (NHP) – Following a meeting between Councillors Brown and Howard and Erewash Planning Policy Officers, Councillor Brown will produce a schedule of the amendments that the Parish Council is wishing to make to its NHP and why. This will be circulated at the next monthly meeting prior to submission to Erewash Planning Policy Officers.
25/176 the refurbishment of the Sports Pavilion – The Chair stated that he had contacted another company regarding obtaining a quote for the works, but was still awaiting a response.
26/035 Report of the Parish Clerk – none
26/036 To receive Working Group Feedback (except if the issue is elsewhere on agenda):
• Village Hall
- The next meeting is next week.
• Park Group
- The Council is still waiting to hear whether it has been successful in its applications for funding for the accessibility swing.
- Councillor Reid stated that the side entrance to the Playground has now been closed and the refurbished roundabout has been reinstalled ready for the Playground Inspection tomorrow. Thanks were expressed to Simon Downing for advice and transportation of the roundabout.
- Unfortunately the slide has had to be closed due to corrosion, however the village blacksmith is hopeful that it can be repaired.
• Churchyard Sub-Group
- The Rotary Club continued their work at the churchyard last week and Bottle Brook have been asked to clear the waste from the site.
- Next step is to build up the fourth side on the old compost bin ready for conversion into a flower bed once approval has been received from the Church.
- Finance
- The next finance meeting will be at the end of June to discuss the first quarter’s actual income and expenditure against budget.
- Environmental Action Group
- There was a good attendance by families at the last litter pick, helped by the strong promotion from the school.
- The next scheduled litter picks will start at 10am on the following Sundays:
- 7th June – starting at Croft Corner
- 5th July – post Carnival at the Park
- 2nd August – starting at Outrams Wharf
- 13th September – starting at the Town/Gangway
- Volunteers are continuing to water the newly planted trees on Millenium Way, as they have to watered regularly for the 1st 6 months after planting.
- Councillor Reid proposed that that the Parish Council order more children’s hi-viz jackets and gloves and 5 more hoops from the Hoare Lea Carbon Offset All agreed.
- Councillor Reid also proposed spending some of the grant money on a self-services litter pick station on the back of the Noticeboard at Croft Corner. All agreed.
- Footpaths
- Footpath 10 just off Vicarage Lane is still blocked by the fallen tree. It was noted that DCC has written to the landowner requesting that they remove the fallen tree blocking the footpath.
- It was noted that the Footpath between Windy and Vicarage Lanes is becoming overgrown. Councillor Caines stated that he is willing to strim the path if he can borrow the Parish Council’s strimmer.
26/035 Finance –
- Payments for April totalling £10,450.02 were circulated to members for approval. All agreed that the payments be approved and the accounts to which they relate paid.
| Date | Name | Description | Net | VAT | Gross |
| 5.5.26 | LEVH | Venue hire April | £34.50 | £0.00 | £34.50 |
| 5.5.26 | LEVH | monthly meeting room hire April | £23.00 | £0.00 | £23.00 |
| 26.4.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Maintenance – St Peter’s Park x 2 | £656.00 | £131.20 | £787.20 |
| 26.4.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Maintenance – VH Car Park | £61.50 | £12.30 | £73.80 |
| 26.4.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Mowing Millenium Way x 2 | £258.00 | £51.60 | £309.60 |
| 26.4.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Maintenance St Paul’s Churchyard | £123.00 | £24.60 | £147.60 |
| 26.4.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Full cut w/o waste removal | £512.50 | £102.50 | £615.00 |
| 11.5.26 | ICO | Annual Data Protection fee | £47.00 | £0.00 | £47.00 |
| 31.5.26 | Gallagher | Annual Insurance – Yr 2 of 3 yr contract | £5,964.10 | £0.00 | £5,964.10 |
| 30.4.26 | J W Cleaning | Toilet Cleaning – April | £200.00 | £40.00 | £240.00 |
| 30.4.26 | Screwfix | Roundabout refurbishment | £16.82 | £3.36 | £20.18 |
| 2.5.26 | Screwfix | Roundabout refurbishment | £19.28 | £3.86 | £23.14 |
| Date | Name | Description | Net | VAT | Gross |
| 28.4.26 | Toolstation | Roundabout refurbishment | £9.61 | £1.93 | £11.54 |
| 12.5.26 | Toolstation | Roundabout refurbishment | £35.33 | £7.06 | £42.39 |
| 13.5.26 | Toolstation | Refund on roundabout refurbishment | -£17.38 | -£3.48 | -£20.86 |
| 12.5.26 | Toolstation | Roundabout refurbishment | £9.57 | £1.92 | £11.49 |
| 18.5.26 | Toolstation | Galvanising Spray for Playground fence | £5.57 | £1.12 | £6.69 |
| 14.5.26 | Amazon | Plugs for Playground fence | £4.29 | £0.00 | £4.29 |
| 24.4.26 | Waterplus | Water – March | £180.78 | £23.02 | £203.80 |
| 26.5.26 | Waterplus | Water – April | £665.32 | £82.07 | £747.39 |
| 22.5.26 | G Turner | Clerk’s May Salary (Net of tax) | £605.75 | £0.00 | £605.75 |
| 22.5.26 | HMRC | Employee’s Tax & NI | £151.40 | £0.00 | £151.40 |
| 22.5.26 | HMRC | Employer’s NIC | £51.02 | £0.00 | £51.02 |
| 3.5.26 | Ebay | Key safe for Cricket Club | £38.54 | £7.71 | £46.25 |
| 18.5.26 | Moorleys Print & Publishing Ltd | Spring newsletter printing | £303.75 | £0.00 | £303.75 |
| TOTAL | £9,959.25 | £490.77 | £10,450.02 |
- Receive and note the Annual Internal Audit – noted.
- Approve Annual Governance Statement 2025/26 – Section 1 of the Return was approved and signed by the Chair and Clerk.
- Approve Accounting Statement 2025/26 – Section 2 of the Return was approved and signed by the Responsible Finance Officer and Chair.
- To note the Variance Analysis 2025/26 – noted.
- Approve Bank Reconciliation at 31 March 2026 – approved.
- To note the dates for publication of unaudited AGAR – the dates for publication of unaudited AGAR were noted and set to commence on 3rd June and end on the 14th July.
26/038 To consider the payment of members’ allowances – It was agreed that members allowances will not be paid during 2026/27.
26/039 Planning Applications
Application Ref: PA/2026/0279 – 24 Station Road, Little Eaton DE21 5DN – Proposed ground floor rear extension
It was agreed that Councillor Brown will look at the planning application and determine whether the previous comments still apply.
26/040 Arrangements for the CPR training from Belper District Community First Responders – It was noted that Belper & District First Responders will be holding a fun and informative session on defibrillator use and life saving CPR on Monday 1st June at 7pm in the Village Hall.
26/041 To consider parish council projects and funding: Crowdfunding; Village Investment Fund – Allocated funding – deadline for applications September 20026; Village Investment Fund – Special Projects – deadline for applications June 2026; Bates Trust; and Members Grant Scheme – Councillors discussed the sources of funding currently available to the Parish Council and it was agreed to look into the possibility of putting in an application to EBC’s Village Investment Fund – Special Projects, for the creation of a MUGA and further funding towards the Accessibility Swing at St Peter’s Park. The Clerk will check whether a specific location for the MUGA within the Park is required prior to the application.
Councillor Done-Johnson agreed to set up a Go-Fund Me for specific special projects, as they are identified.
26/041 To consider a motion from Councillor Reid that the Parish Council looks at the feasibility of adding the old Village Green at the junction of Station Road and Duffield Road to its maintenance schedule.
Councillor Reid stated that EBC have not mowed this section so far this year and he suspects that the land is actually owned by the Parish Council. Councillor Reid therefore proposed that the Parish Council takes over the cutting of that piece of Village Green. A quote from Bottle Brook for an initial tidy up of the land of £100 and then £30 per cut for each cut was circulated to members. It was agreed to:
(i) check who owns the piece of land; and (ii) ask the WI if they would be willing to contribute towards the mowing of grass as their planter is on the plot and is becoming hidden by the grass.
26/043 Correspondence for Action – none.
26/044 Correspondence for Information
Erewash Walking Month continues, full details can be found on Erewash Borough Council’s website
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 9.10pm.
Annual Report – 2025/26
Derbyshire County Council
Cllr. Carol Hart
A very different Annual Report from me this year. Having been the Cabinet Member for Health & Communities for the previous 8 years, after the election in May, 2025 Reform took control of Derbyshire County Council and I am now Shadow Member for Health & Communities and in a very small opposition group.
Reform took control of the council with a very large majority. The problem is that many who stood for election did so most probably not expecting the get elected. It became pretty obvious that many new councillors had never attended or been involved in any council work of any kind and also did not realise that most meetings take place in the day. This has caused problems in allotting places on the many committees with a few councillors who have the time having to take positions on several committees and outside bodies. It is also a very steep learning curve as to what you can and cannot do as a local councillor and there have been several challenges on protocol over the year.
The Managing Director resigned and after interviews the new CEO is Neil Cittenden, he had previously been the boss at Alton Towers, absolutely new to politics so going to be very interesting how he copes. Since then another resignation, the Director of Corporate and Transformation stepped down with immediate effect and something like musical chairs taking place in that the Director of Place has moved into this position and Claire Braislford, who has been leading on mostly environmental work, has taken over the Place portfolio which of course is mainly dominated by Highways.
Although Reform had said that they would make big savings if they took control the reality is that the budgets have been squeezed for many years and services cut to the bone so it is proving an impossible take and they actually, after saying the previous CEO had been paid too much actually increased the salary for the new CEO.
Another promise was that all of the potholes would be filled. There was a really good summer and this enabled the crews to catch up. Unfortunately the winter with excessive rain, then snow and frosts all of the good work has been ruined and the roads left in an awful state. EMCCA, with the new Mayor, and extra Government funding has meant that over £60M plus has been spent in the year 2025/26 but as many know there is still much more work to be done. We have been asked, as local councillors, to bid for any roads in our ward to be added to the list for possible work but with over 60 councillors and so many roads in each ward needing work many of us have been disappointed but we will keep fighting. It also seems to be noticeable that most work on roads seems to be taking place in the north of the County.
The good news is that £2.57M has been allocated to reduce flood risk across Derbyshire during 26/27 and Breadsall in my ward has been allocated £85K under the heading Breadsall Village Natural Flood Risk Scheme, watch this apace.
Five Education Centres have been closed and 8 care homes are being sold. A provider was originally going to purchase all 8 care homes but withdrew and rather than go back out into the market DCC have decided to sell them. Unfortunately, the Cabinet Member concerned decided to announce the closure of the care homes when there was still a consultation process happening, this caused them problems as it seemed they were making a decision without waiting the consultation period to end. It was also unlawful.
Reform are doing a review on the SEND provision. This is an area that has been under pressure for a long time but increased vastly after Covid. This area has a big overspend and Adult Care also struggle with provision within the budget.
The Heartland project, a Community Forest contributing to a million trees by 2030 is going well but as the same time a lot of work is happening on felling trees with ash die back.
Since losing my role as Cabinet Member I am now a member of the Health Scrutiny Panel and the Standards and Governance Committee. I am now also a member of the Fire & Rescue Service committee which is not only very interesting but eye opening.
As Reform said they wanted to reduce costs and make savings as said previously they are now finding out how hard this can ben be and they set the Council Taxt at 4.9% just below the maximum without a referendum.
I continue to work here in my ward, attending as many parish council meetings that I can and responding to residents concerns, queries and complaints. It is nice when I receive a thank you email when something positive is achieved but it can be frustrating when however hard I try I do not manage to get the outcome I am requesting. As I always finish my annual report if there is anything I can do help the parish council and residents please contact me at any time and I will always do my best to deliver.
Erewash Borough Council
Annual Report – 2025/26
Cllr. Carol Hart
May 2025 was the Annual Meeting of EBC and the Mayor Making Ceremony.
Cllr. Harry Atkinson was elected to this office, the youngest every Mayor at Erewash.
There were to be 2 major areas of work in the coming year, the submission for the new Core Strategy (CS) and work to commence on the Local Government Reform. The Core Strategy had caused concern in many areas of the Borough as many new sites had been added and many of the proposals involved using green belt land. In West Hallam there was great anxiety about a possible site on Beech Lane.
However, when EBC presented their new CS to the Planning Inspectorate they were very quickly told it was not acceptable and one of the major reasons was that they had no strategy on green belt land and therefore no justification for including these sites. EBC after deliberation decided to withdraw the CS and start a new one, this could take a couple of years and be quite costly. Although the CS was withdrawn it did not mean that developers could not lodge planning applications on any of the sites and it will be interesting to see how these applications are handled as the Government is pushing for more housing, even on green belt.
Local Government Reform looks as though it will happen and EBC, along with other districts and boroughs, City and County will be coming together to look at all of the options. Consultation has taken place on various options and Erewash supported the option of joining with Derby City and South Derbyshire. It will mean the abolition of the districts and boroughs and many residents were unhappy with this but on the soncultation on the options there was no box for ‘none of the above’
There were quite a few motions at the Full Council meetings covering grants to shops for signage being extended to a wider area than just Ilkeston and Long Eaton, agreed, bringing back brown bin being used to recycling over the winter months, refused, challenging planning laws on the hotel in Long Eaton housing asylum seekers, agreed, support for the Stop the Pylons group opposing the massive pylons National Grid want to blot the landscape with, refused and seeking to stop the increase in HMOs, Houses of multiple occupation, agreed.
One other motion was to try and persuade the controlling group who had £8M in the reserves to re-instate the concurrent function to parish councils was turned down but with continued lobbying they did agree to put two grant awards forward for parishes, one was to allocate certain amounts to parishes for them to bid in for, Little Eaton’s amount is £15K, there is also £185K set aside for any of the parish councils to make a bid for a large project in their area, it has to meet certain criteria but certainly West Hallam will be looking to hopefully put a bid in for this grant pot.
A Freedom of the Borough was given to Donald Rose, a war veteran who was 100 years old, he was unable to attend the ceremony at the Town Hall but the Mayor visited his at his care home.
The Chief Executive, Jeremy Jaroszek who had been in post for 2 decades announced his retirement. There is now an interim CEO, Gary Smith who previously held the position of Director of Environmental and Community Services.
The new food waste bins have now been delivered and collections started a couple of weeks ago.
We now move into the last year of this term of office and in May 2027 there will be lots more information on LGR and the fate of EBC.
Chair’s Annual Report
It has been another productive year for the Parish Council, with significant progress made across a number of community projects. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the key achievements and to thank everyone who has contributed to improving our village over the past year.
Playground and Park Improvements
Following feedback from residents regarding the accessibility of the playground entrance, the Council took steps to improve access for people with mobility issues. This work has already made a noticeable difference. The next phase of our accessibility improvements is the installation of an accessibility swing. As these specialist items are costly, the Council has submitted funding applications to Erewash Borough Council and the Bates Trust, and we are hopeful of a positive outcome.
I would also like to extend my thanks to Councillor Reid, for his hard work restoring the roundabout to its former glory. The refurbished equipment, complemented by the new wet‑pour surface, looks amazing and greatly enhances the play area.
A slope has also been added to the pedestrian gate leading from the road into the Park, further improving access for all users.
Churchyard Enhancements
Several trees were removed from St Paul’s Churchyard this year, opening up the site and improving visibility and safety and a new path was laid to replace the worn uneven one.
Derby Daybreak Rotary Club has continued its excellent work in transforming the churchyard into a more tranquil and welcoming space. Their ongoing commitment is greatly appreciated.
Village Enhancements
Croft Corner has undergone a significant transformation with the installation of a cycle rack and new planters. These have now been adopted by the primary school, whose involvement has added to the already superb colour and creativity to the area provided by dedication of Little Eaton in Bloom volunteers. The positive feedback from residents has been very encouraging.
Sustainability and Environmental Projects
A major milestone this year was the installation of a new solar PV system on the Village Hall roof. This investment will substantially reduce the Hall’s carbon emissions and support its long‑term financial sustainability. We are extremely grateful to Hoare Lea for funding this project through their Community Decarbonisation Fund.
The same fund has also supported wider environmental initiatives in the village, including providing litter‑picking equipment for Little Eaton’s Environmental Action Group and new environmentally friendly bins for the Park.
Little Eaton Environmental Group, supported by volunteers from the Canal Trust, also braved the cold in January to plant several new trees along Millennium Way. Their hard work has created a valuable biodiversity corridor, enhancing local habitats and contributing to the long‑term ecological health of the area. The Council is grateful for the dedication of all volunteers involved in this important environmental project.
The recycling hub in the former telephone box went live at the beginning of October and has been a tremendous success. My thanks go to Councillor Reid and Pete Watson for their time and effort fitting it out, and to Carnival for their contribution towards the costs.
Councillor Vacancies – Voluntary
The Council currently has two vacancies which may be filled by co‑option. We encourage anyone interested in contributing to the work of the Council to speak with any Councillor or the Clerk for further information.
Looking Ahead
Following the successful renovation of the roundabout, the Parish Council will now review the remaining pieces of playground equipment to identify where further restoration or improvements may be beneficial. Ensuring the play area remains safe, welcoming, and enjoyable for all users continues to be a key priority.
Over the coming year, the Council also hopes to begin exploring funding opportunities for a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) in the Park. A MUGA would provide a valuable recreational facility for residents of all ages, supporting active lifestyles and enhancing the range of amenities available within the village. We look forward to developing this proposal further as options and funding pathways become clearer.
Closing Remarks
I would like to thank my fellow Councillors, our Clerk, our volunteers, and all residents who have supported the Council’s work this year. The progress we have achieved reflects the strong community spirit that makes Little Eaton such a special place to live. I look forward to building on this progress in the year ahead.
