LITTLE EATON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Monthly Council Meeting held on
Wednesday 24th
June 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
26/045 There were no apologies for absence received.
26/046 No Members declared an Interest in any of the agenda items.
26/047 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 four members of the public in attendance at the meeting as well as County Councilor Hart.
Three people were from Derby Day Break Rotary Club who stated that they, and other members, were disappointed with the Parish Council’s management of the Churchyard. They said that they had worked tirelessly on clearing areas of the Churchyard over the last year or so, but that the Council and its contractor had failed to maintain it effectively and it was now becoming overgrown again. The Chair responded that growth had been expediential this year due to the wet and then sunny conditions. The maintenance schedule had been agreed with the Church some time ago and a huge sum of money has been spent on the Churchyard over the last few years.
The Chair also explained that some areas of the Churchyard are left overgrown on purpose to encourage bio-diversity and align with the Parish Council’s Biodiversity Action Plan. This policy is consistent with other closed Churchyards.
One member stated that her family grave was overgrown and she could not easily access it. Councillor Reid stated that graves that are tended should have an access strip mowed from the path to the grave and maybe the Council had fallen down a little by not spreading word sufficiently wide, that family members should contact the Clerk if they required access to a particular grave. Councillor Reid stated that maybe a sign needs to be placed in the Churchyard to this effect for those families that are not local and don’t therefore know the Parish Council’s maintenance policy.
It was agreed that the Parish Council should also look at placing a notice in the Churchyard explaining its management strategy.
The Chair agreed to walk around the Churchyard with one of the Rotary Club members so that he could see their concerns. He also agreed to speak with the Contractor about the quality of the mowing.
The Rotary Club also asked whether they could use a non harmful weed killer on the paved areas as it was very difficult to keep the weeds under control. The Chair stated that even though it is non harmful people would not realise and the Council would get complaints. The Rotary Club explained that they only want to do targeted spraying where there are persistent and difficult to remove weeds.
It was also mentioned that it was now a year since the Rotary Club had requested a bench in the Churchyard and nothing has moved forward. The Chair stated that he had been in touch with the Church and that he was just as frustrated at the lack of progress but that he had an update from the PCC that he would share later.
It was noted that the Churchyard has been put forward for an award for its management and as part of this there is a visit on 9th July.
The Treasurer of the Senior Citizens Welfare Club attended the meeting to talk about the future of the Club which has been running since the early 1950s. The Members are now dwindling, and it is difficult to attract new members as new retirees have different expectations of how they want to spend their retirement than years gone by.
The Club is therefore asking the Parish Council to consider a proposal that ownership of the hall and land is transferred to the Parish Council, with the hall being repurposed as a community venue with the focus on the elderly.
The Community hairdressers, March Hair are looking to move their business to the hall and there are numerous other users, such as The Players, the History Society, Chair-aerobics and a Therapy Counselling Service for young people, which means running costs are covered.
The hall does require about £5,000 spending on it as the kitchen doesn’t meet current regulations and it is proposed that it be suitably converted so that it can be used as a community hairdressing salon. It is also proposed that a reading room/community drop-in room is created where the History Club can display their images. It is anticipated that the club along with support from the Parish Council and History Club will be able to access grant funding to cover this expense.
Councillor Brown asked for sight of the Deeds of ownership, details of the charity and its finances so that the Parish Council can consider the proposal.
County Councillor Hart stated that a number of cabinet positions changed at the Annual Meeting in Matlock.
The outcome of the Local Government Reorganisation should be known in the next couple of weeks. It’s currently looking like Erewash, Derby City and South Derbyshire will form a Unitary Authority.
The Governance Committee are trying to change the system for public questions and counter questions. Supplementary questions now can be no longer than 1 minute and have to be less than 150 words. This will be discussed at the Governance Meeting being held tomorrow (25th May).
Highways are trialling a JCB potholing machine and the County Council are awaiting the outcome.
Borough Councillor Eddy sent her apologies along with the following update.
The Borough Council held its annual Mayor Making ceremony last month. Cllr Greg Maskalick has been appointed Mayor for the coming year. Originally from the United States, he has made Erewash his home and works locally as a teacher. We wish him every success in his mayoral year. Cllr Burns has been appointed Deputy Mayor. Thanks were also expressed to Cllr Atkinson, the retiring Mayor, who was the youngest Mayor Erewash has had, for his enthusiasm and hard work throughout his term.
Three extraordinary council meetings have taken place over the last two weeks. Gary Smith was made Chief Executive at one and Councillors also voted to make money available for the Community Governance review which will consider making areas that aren’t currently parished, into parish or town councils. The third meeting related to the core strategy, which is being refreshed.
The new grants are live and all the information can be found on EBC’s website using the link Community Grants 2026-27 | Erewash Borough Council. Where possible Borough Councillor Eddy is happy to support an application.
Erewash Borough Council’s finances are not as bad as first thought and a further £4.5 million has been set aside for the Erewash Investment fund. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to benefit the parished areas too much. The press release on the website explains more about who will benefit Erewash Investment Fund set for major boost. Borough Councillor Eddy will continue to push for the parished areas to get their fair share.
- Variation of Order of Business – None.
- To consider a resolution to close the meeting for public participation under the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 – Not applicable.
- To confirm the minutes of the monthly meeting held on 20th May 2026. All agreed that the Chair be authorised to sign the minutes of the monthly council meeting held on 20th May 2026 as being a true and correct record.
26/051 Chair’s Report – The Chair said that he had spoken with a resident who was concerned by the no parking signs on the access road at the side of the Queens Head and also enquiring about the bulky goods refuse truck that used to park up every few months in the village so that residents could get rid of their more bulky items that don’t fit in their bins.
Councillor Hart explained that this service stopped with the change in administration. The Clerk will email the resident to explain this.
The Chair also stated that LEIB are no longer managing the area around the Book Exchange and so he had volunteered to clear the planters on this occasion.
To receive updates on actions from the Minutes
25/157 the review of Little Eaton’s Neighbourhood Plan (NHP)
– Councillor Brown circulated a schedule of proposed modifications to the Neighbourhood Plan to members for review. The changes include updated legal references and the inclusion of references to Climate Change and Greenway. It was agreed to approve the proposed modifications and submit them to Erewash Planning Policy Officers for comment.
25/176 The refurbishment of the Sports Pavilion – No update.
26/042 Consider the feasibility of adding the old Village Green at the junction of Station Road and Duffield Road to the Parish Council’s maintenance schedule
– it was noted that the Borough Council have now strimmed this area, however it is still not known who owns the land. The Clerk will check with the Land Registry whether the Parish Council owns this land and if so, it should take over the management of this area.
- Report of the Parish Clerk – a reclaim for the water lost when the pipe burst in January has been submitted.
26/053 To receive Working Group Feedback (except if the issue is elsewhere on agenda):
• Village Hall
- It was noted that the Village Hall is in a good financial position, with user hours up and the potential of another regular weekly booking.
- The water boiler in the kitchen has been replaced.
• Park Group
- The money donated by the Kitchen Chorus towards the playground has now been spent, with the last bit being spent on new buffers for the seesaw.
- The first of the new litter bins has been installed in the playground. These bins are covered to prevent rubbish being blown from them by the wind or dragged out by the birds. Three others have been ordered for the rest of the park, using money from the Carbon Offset Grant received.
- Unfortunately, the slide is still closed as we are waiting on the blacksmith’s availability. Councillor Reid will contact the Scouts and ask if we can borrow their heras fencing.
• Churchyard Sub-Group
-
- The Chair has finally spoken with someone from the PCC. They have their own plans for alterations at the Church and are concerned that the works that the Parish Council and Rotary Club wish to undertake might impact on their plans. It is expected that the work planned by the Church will be completed by the end of the year. The Chair will speak with the Church further.
• Finance
- A meeting to discuss the first quarters figures against but will take place during July.
• Environmental Action Group
- The new trees planted on Millenium Way have been a challenge to keep watered, especially in the recent hot weather.
- The EAG would like to plant some more trees using the money from the Carbon Offset Grant. The Clerk will let Councillor Reid know how much money is left in the fund.
• Footpaths
- A resident has reported that Footpath 54 is completely overgrown again. It was agreed that the Chair and Councillor Bush will take a look when the weather cools.
26/054 Finance
- Payments for April totalling £6,932.05 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 |
| 18.5.26 | Booker | Blue centrefold paper | £26.99 | £5.40 | £32.39 |
| Date | Name | Description | Net | VAT | Gross |
| 8.6.26 | Online Playground | Seesaw Shock Absorber For Square Timbers | £166.33 | £33.27 | £199.60 |
| 25.5.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Maintenance – St Peter’s Park x 2 | 656.00 | 131.20 | 787.20 |
| 25.5.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Maintenance St Paul’s Churchyard x2 | 246.00 | 49.20 | 295.20 |
| 25.5.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Mowing Millenium Way x 2 | 258.00 | 51.60 | 309.60 |
| 25.5.26 | Bottle Brook Gdns | Maintenance – VH Car Park | 61.50 | 12.30 | 73.80 |
| 24.6.26 | G Turner | Clerk’s June Salary (Net of tax) | 605.75 | – | 605.75 |
| 24.6.26 | HMRC | Employee’s Tax & NI | 151.40 | – | 151.40 |
| 24.6.26 | HMRC | Employer’s NIC | 51.02 | – | 51.02 |
| 12.6.26 | DALC | Annual Internal Audit | 359.00 | – | 359.00 |
| 4.6.26 | LEVH | Venue hire May | 138.00 | – | 138.00 |
| 4.6.26 | LEVH | Monthly meeting room hire May | 46.00 | – | 46.00 |
| 12.6.26 | Kingfisher Direct | Litter bin for St Peter’s Park x3 | 719.62 | 143.92 | 863.54 |
| 31.5.26 | Mark Toms Ltd | Grounds Maintenance – May | 120.00 | – | 120.00 |
| 31.5.26 | Mark Toms Ltd | Grounds Maintenance – May | 145.83 | – | 145.83 |
| 11.6.26 | Booker | Consumables for toilets and refuse sacks | 93.16 | 18.63 | 111.79 |
| 29.5.26 | J W Cleaning | Toilet Cleaning – May | 200.00 | 40.00 | 240.00 |
| 11.6.26 | Toolstation | Screws & raw plugs | 7.98 | 1.60 | 9.58 |
| 29.5.26 | The Playground Inspection Co | Annual Playground Inspection | 96.50 | 19.30 | 115.80 |
| 17.6.26 | Ebay | Toilet cistern blue blocks | 9.13 | 1.82 | 10.95 |
| 18.6.26 | Toolstation | Screws for seasaw buffer | 2.16 | 0.43 | 115.80 |
| 20.6.26 | East Midlands Lawn Care Co (formerly Bottle Brook Gdns) | Maintenance – St Peter’s Park x 2 | 656.00 | 131.20 | 787.20 |
| 20.6.26 | East Midlands Lawn Care Co | Maintenance St Paul’s Churchyard x2 | 246.00 | 49.20 | 295.20 |
| 20.6.26 | East Midlands Lawn Care Co | Mowing Millenium Way x 2 | 258.00 | 51.60 | 309.60 |
| 20.6.26 | East Midlands Lawn Care Co | Maintenance – VH Car Park | 61.50 | 12.30 | 73.80 |
| 20.6.26 | East Midlands Lawn Care Co | Waste removal | 150.00 | 30.00 | 180.00 |
| 24.6.26 | Peak Build Ltd | Excavation re: leak at park in January | 420.00 | 84.00 | 504.00 |
| 5,951.87 | 866.97 | 6,932.05 |
26/055 Planning Applications – none
26/056 To consider a request for financial assistance towards the cost of compost for the planter outside the Pharmacy on The Town.
Councillor Reid explained that the large planter outside the Pharmacy requires the compost replacing and the two volunteers who look after the planter have asked whether the Parish Council will consider paying for it. It will require 10 bags of compost so will cost around £60. Councillor Brown proposed and Councillor Rowlinson seconded that the Parish Council should purchase the compost. All agreed that Councillor Reid will use the Parish Council card to purchase 10 bags of compost.
26/057 To consider a motion from Councillor Howard that the Parish Council submits an application to EBC’s 2026 Village Investment Fund – Special Projects, for the upgrade of Park facilities (MUGA, new equip for park, Public Toilet upgrade and provision of Public Accessible Toilet)
– The Chair stated that he is still waiting for quotes regarding upgrading the toilets and the conversion of part of the store at the Pavilion into an accessible toilet. Councillor Reid said that he had the quote for the MUGA on the Park, but had also asked Playbuild Projects Ltd for a quote for a couple of other toddler items for the playground.
26/058 To consider projects that could be eligible for Y Not Trust funding of up to £500
– Councillor Brown stated that the deadline is 14th August and just wondered if there was a piece of equipment for the playground that we could ask for funding towards, such as the slide repairs. Councillor Ried said that he was going to walk around the park with Playbuild Projects Ltd and put together a wish list with itemised costs so that we can then consider different funding streams.
26/059 Correspondence for Action
- An enquiry has been received regarding hiring the football pitch as well as the Village Hall for a family day in July. It was noted that the park is open to all and cannot be booked by individuals. It was also noted that there is an adult cricket game on that date and the cricket pitch encompasses the football pitch. It was therefore agreed to advise the Village Hall hirer that an adult Cricket Match is being played that day and so it is not advisable to also have organised games on the park at the same time.
26/060 Correspondence for Information
- South mobile library service is still not operating at the moment. DCC are doing all they can to get it back on the road as soon as possible.
- Chesterfield to Willington – Stage 2 consultation now complete and for around 12 to 18 months ground investigation (GI) surveys will be carried out at locations along the route, within the Project boundary.
Where planning approval is granted, new above-ground electricity transmission infrastructure will unlock a dedicated community fund. Share your views on how funding could be used in your area. You can take part by completing the survey online.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 9pm.
