Annual Council Meeting – 21st May 2025
LITTLE EATON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Monthly Council Meeting
held on Wednesday 21st May 2025
at Little Eaton Village Hall.
PRESENT: Parish Councillors Howard (Chair), S Caines, A Done-Johnson, E Jennison-Boyle, J Reid, P Rowlinson and K Shankland
IN ATTENDANCE: Parish Clerk
25/019 Election of Chair – The first item of business transacted was the election of a Chair. Councillor Shankland proposed and Councillor Rowlinson 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.
25/020 To receive apologies for absence – Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Councillors J Bush, and R Brown who were unable to attend due to work commitments.
25/020 Election of Vice Chair – Councillor Reid proposed and Councillor Howard seconded that Councillor Rowlinson be elected as Vice-Chair. There being no further nominations, it was resolved that Councillor Rowlinson be 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.
25/021 To Receive Declaration of Members Interests – Councillor Reid declared an interest in the payment schedule as it contains expenses claimed by him in relation to consumables purchased for the park.
25/022 To consider any applications for Dispensations – none.
25/023 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
Councillor Eddy was unable to attend the meeting but sent a brief update.
Erewash Borough Council held an extraordinary meeting last week to give freedom of the Borough to Donald Rose. The oldest WW2 veteran in the Country who is 110 years and lives in Ilkeston.
There was then a Mayor making and Cllr Harry Atkinson was made the youngest mayor ever at 25 years. Cllr Greg Maskalick was made deputy mayor.
Councillor Hart was also unable to attend the meeting but sent an update.
Richard Hanbury has been chased regarding the current position on the Croft Corner initiative. He says he can assure the Parish Council that the cycle racks will be installed, however he is unable at the moment to provide a definitive date as they have a new system for booking in jobs which has created a temporary backlog.
On DCC activities, Councillors were informed today at Full Council who the Cabinet Members etc., are going to be and which committees members would be allocated to. The role of Civic Chair, has been scrapped and the chair of the authority will now represent the authority at special events. A Vice Civic Chair has been appointed though. They have cancelled the Climate Change committee, but have created 9 portfolios named:- Strategic Lead, Economic Development and Region. Council Efficiency, Net Zero, Health & Communities, Potholes and Highways, Adult Care, Children and Families, SEND and Education and that portfolio has a support member and lastly Business Services.
25/024 Variation of Order of Business – It was agreed to move the update from the Finance Working Group (minute 24/041) to after the Chair’s Report as the minutes from its last meeting contain proposed amendments to the Standing Orders and Financial Regulations that require full council approval.
25/025 To consider a resolution to close the meeting for public participation under the Public Bodies (admission to meetings) Act 1960 – not applicable.
25/026 To confirm the minutes of the monthly meetings held on 23rd April 2025 – All agreed that the Chair be authorised to sign the minutes of the monthly council meeting held on 23rd April 2025 as being a true and correct record.
25/027 To receive Chair’s Annual Report – the Chairs Annual Report was circulated to members and is attached to these minutes.
25/042 Update from Finance Working Group – the draft minutes from the Finance Working Group meeting on 14th May were circulated to members. These recommended changes to the Financial Regulations as followings:
Paragraph 5.6 – change value at which formal tenders are invited from £60,000 to £30,000.
Paragraph 5.8 – change the value at which 3 fixed price quote required from £2,000 to £5,000.
Paragraph 5.9 – change the range at which 3 estimate, which can include online evidence, are required to between £500 and £5,000.
Paragraph 5.15 – no change.
Paragraph 5.18 – change the authorisation of the clerk in cases of serious risk to the delivery of council services or to public safety to from £2,000 to £5,000.
Paragraph 6.9 (i) – change the Clerk’s delegated authority within an agreed budget from £500 to £2,000. (ii) – Clerk’s delegated authority in cases of serious risk to delivery of council services to £5,000. (iv) – no change.
Paragraph 7.1 – insert ‘two councillors’ are necessary to be approve transactions.
It was noted that bank signatories are Councillors Howard, Jennison-Boyle, Reid and the Clerk.
Paragraph 9.2 – increase the limit on expenses on the Council debit card from £250 to £500.
All agreed to accept the changes recommended by the Finance Working Group.
It was also agreed that the Standing Orders should be amended to mirror the changes to the Financial Regulations.
It was noted that the desktop survey of the Pavilion/Village Hall had resulted in an increase in the rebuild value to £2,287,820. The Clerk informed members that she had requested a quote from the insurance broker based on this revaluation but had not yet received a response. It was agreed that it would be a dereliction of the Parish Council’s duties not to increase the insured value to that recommended in the valuation. Due to the short timeframe for renewing the Council’s insurance, it was agreed to pre-approve the insurance up to a maximum of £6,000.
The Finance Working Group also stated that they are currently working on the 2027/28 forecast.
25/028 Appointment of working group members – The appointment of Councillors to the various working groups was agreed as follows:
- Environmental Action Group – Councillors Reid & Brown
- Finance Group – Councillors Brown, Howard, Jennison-Boyle & 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 – Councillors Done-Johnson & Rowlinson
- Planning – Councillors Brown & Jennison-Boyle
- Snow Warden – Clerk to ask Elliott Poyser-Darby if he would be willing to continue in this role
- Speed Watch – Councillors Bush, Done-Johnson, Howard & Jennison-Boyle
- HR/Recruitment – Councillor Jennison-Boyle & Shankland
- Village Hall Committee – Councillors Brown, Bush, Caines, Done-Johnson, Rowlinson & Shankland
25/029 Review the Terms of Reference of the Working Groups – The terms of reference of the working groups were circulated to members for review. It was agreed that the number of councillors on the HR Working Group should be reduced to 2. All other terms of reference were agreed as unchanged.
25/030 Adoption of revised Standing Orders – Revised Standing Orders were circulated to members. All resolved that the Standing Orders should be adopted for the next 12 months.
25/031 Adoption of revised Financial Regulations – Revised Financial Regulations were circulated to members.
All resolved that the Financial Regulations should be adopted for the next 12 months.
25/032 Review of Risk Assessment – The Council’s Risk Assessment was circulated to members for review.
All resolved that regular checks of the Phone Boxes should be added to the Risk Assessment to ensure that there are no broken panes of glass and the doors are operating properly.
25/033 Review of Fixed Asset Register – The Council’s Fixed Asset Register was circulated to members for review. All resolved that subject to the Pavilion/Village Hall value being increased to £2,287,820 the Fixed Asset Register was up to date.
25/034 Review of revised Code of Conduct – A revised Code of Conduct was circulated to members. All agreed that the revised Code of Conduct should be adopted.
25/035 Review of Complaints Procedure – The Council’s Complaints Procedure was circulated to members for review. All agreed that the no amendments were necessary to the Complaints Procedure.
25/036 Consider the adoption of the draft Press and Public Policy – A draft Press and Public Policy was circulated to members. All agreed to adopt the Press and Public Policy.
25/037 Review of Document Retention Policy – The Council’s Document Retention Policy was circulated to members. All agreed that no changes were necessary to the Document Retention Policy.
25/038 Review of Subject Access Request Policy – The Council’s Subject Access Request Policy was circulated to members. All agreed that no changes were necessary to the Subject Access Request Policy.
25/039 Review of Publication Scheme – The Council’s Publication Scheme was circulated to members. All agreed to increase the cost per sheet for printing from 20p to 30p.
Actions from the Minutes
24/179 Update on cycle parking at Croft Corner/Greenway and ways to discourage pavement parking – See update from County Councillor Hart above. The Council needs to obtain permission from DCC to place the planters on its property and so the Council will need to apply for an objects licence. It was agreed that Councillor Howard will ask the primary school whether they would like to adopt them.
25/040 Report of the Parish Clerk – nothing.
25/041 To receive Working Group Feedback (except if the issue is elsewhere on agenda):
- Village Hall
- The new Treasurer has started work and is doing a great job. He will be looking to increase marketing of the village hall to attract more daytime users.
- The Caretaker is making progress on the list of little jobs that need doing.
- The Committee is currently considering a quote received for the re-installation of the alarm system.
- Park Group
- The electrician is looking at the lights in the park which are not working and will continue to replace the bulbs with LEDs when they blow.
- The glass in the book exchange has been damaged. Due to its size, the glass will need to be custom made and therefore it is proposed that a few are ordered so that there are some spares. All agreed.
- The planter outside the book exchange is beginning to rot at the bottom and will need replacing towards the end of the year.
- Following the raiding of the children’s books in the book exchange it has been temporarily closed.
- Churchyard Sub Group
- The tarmac path in the churchyard continues to degrade. A B Camp have said that they will be able to undertake the work in July and are willing to honor the previous quote of £2,200 plus VAT. All agreed to ask A B Camp to undertake the work.
- Finance Group – see above
- Environmental Action Group
- There was no progress on the recycling hub in the phone box during the month.
- The litter pick was well attended with 16 volunteers turning out.
- Footpaths
- There was no update on the blocked footpath on Morley Lane.
25/042 Finance
- Payments for May totalling £5,361.45 were circulated to members for approval. All agreed that the payments be approved and the accounts to which they relate paid. It was noted that a VAT reclaim of £3,334.02 in respect of 2024/25 expenses has been received.
- To consider 3 year insurance renewal proposal – it was agreed that if this option is costs effective it should be pursued.
- Receive and note the Annual Internal Audit – noted
- Approve Annual Governance Statement 2024/25 – Section 1 of the Return was approved and signed by the Chair and Clerk.
- Approve Accounting Statement 2024/25 – Section 2 of the Return was approved and signed by the Responsible Finance Officer and Chair.
- To note the Variance Analysis 2024/25 –
- Approve Bank Reconciliation at 31 March 2025 –
- 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
25/043 Planning Applications – none.
25/044 To consider renewal of the Bowling Club Contract – It was noted that the Bowling Club Hire Agreement expired at the end of March. It was agreed to contact the Bowling Club to inform them that the Council is currently looking at the terms and conditions for a new hire agreement.
25/045 To consider renewal of the Tennis Club Contract – It was noted that the Tennis Club Hire Agreement expired at the end of March. It was agreed to contact the Tennis Club to inform them that the Council is currently looking at the terms and conditions for a new hire agreement.
25/046 To consider the payment of members allowances – It was agreed that the Chair’s allowance should be set at £100 and that no members allowances are to be paid. It was noted that the Chair’s allowance was not claimed last year.
24/047 Correspondence for Action
- Concern for water quality below Denby on Bottle Brook was reported to Parish Council. This has been reported to the Environment Agency requesting that they monitor the water quality. The Environmental Agency has responded that the incident has been logged.
24/048 Correspondence for Information
- SNT are holding a Car Seat Road Safety event in the Village Hall car park on Friday 13th June between 10 and 11:30am
- Email from book exchange volunteers informing the Parish Council that a number of books were stolen from the book exchange recently. Please be vigilant and if you see anything suspicious, please report it to the police on 101 or via their Facebook page.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 9.20pm.
Little Eaton Parish Council – Chair’s report – 21st May 2025
The Parish Councillors
I’d like to express my thanks and admiration to my fellow councillors and the invaluable contribution they have made to village life.
This year has been one of more change on the Parish Council as unfortunately 4 councillors (on separate occasions) found that due to work & family commitments they were unable to continue contributing as much time as they would have liked to PC activities.
I would like to thank Claire Holmes, Richard Scott, Anna Campbell and Elliott Poyser-Derby for their time, energy and enthusiasm over the past few years, their contribution has not gone unnoticed by Parishioners.
Happily, we are nearly at full capacity, Kate Shankland together with Andy Done Johnson and Stuart Caines filled 3 out of the 4 councillor vacancies.
It’s been very satisfying to see new councillors roll up their sleeves and immediately start contributing to discussions and asking how they can assist the PC carry out its duties.
Finance
- Finances are in a healthy state
- Transition from Concurrent & Precept to just Precept has been managed successfully
- Savings have been found on the Facilities management for the Pavillion, which will be invested in 25/26
- Full Set of Accounts for 24/25 and 25/26 budget will be available on website very soon.
- Summary of 24/25 Accounts
- Income £59,821
- Recurrent Expenditure £40,265
- Non Recurrent (Projects) £11,131
- Transfer to general reserves £ 3,598
- Transfer to 25/26 Projects £ 4,827
- A full 3 year budget is also being formulated to manage finance into 2028
- The PC has re-instated Section 137 funds and a grant of £725 has been awarded to LE Carnival for their 100th Anniversary events
Parks & Open Spaces
Maintenance contracts have been extended for 2 more years (25-26) after successful transition to a new lower cost model in 2024. The exception to this was the Millenium Way contract in which a substantial increase was asked for by incumbent and the Parks group sought competitive quotes for much lower cost.
The Park continues to be well used by LE Diamonds, LE Football Club, Duffield CC and a wide variety of community organisations and users. All events, fixtures and training are being managed via a new Google Calendar to ensure clashes are kept to a minimum and the park can be used by parishioners.
Lighting in the Play area and the Park Car Park has been gradually updated to new efficient LED lamps. The Car Park speed ramps have also been replaced with tarmac ramps for longevity.
The Churchyard Management Project has benefitted from some extremely helpful voluntary work from Derby Daybreak Rotary Club, they have cleared vast areas of ivy and shrub which has unveiled gravestones previously completely hidden.
Councillors have had a hard job keeping up with the disposal of all the debris, having taken over 30 One Tonne Bags of green waste to recycling centres.
2 trees that were identified as being unsafe have been removed and the TPO’d Lime tree was pollarded. Several large laurel trees/bushes were reduced significantly to open up more space and light.
The Corner Wall on Vicarage Lane has been rebuilt, the Memorial Garden wall has been repaired and the supporting wall has had coping stones re-appointed. We are hugely grateful to LE WI and their fundraising towards the cost of this work.
A new Friends of the Churchyard group has been set up and is being kept informed of all plans and projects within the Churchyard.
We are indebted to the many Voluntary groups helping us manage the open spaces. We note the work of Little Eaton in Bloom at Croft Corner, Friends of Little Eaton Canal along Millenium Way, The WI who produce fantastic displays at key moments in the year, and Diane Mulvey & Jane Brown who look after the Book Exchange. They make an invaluable and sometimes overlooked contribution to village life and we thank them wholeheartedly for their efforts.
We were also especially pleased to have the Christmas Market organised by The Queen’s Head which started off the Xmas light turn-on festivities at Croft Corner and The Village Hall, again supported by WI and their refreshments. Thanks to all involved.
Footpaths
Councillor Bush has done a fantastic job keeping on top of issues with our vast network of Public Footpaths and Bridleways. The path from Morley Lane to Highfield road has drafted in help from Remedi to clear the correct route alongside the hedge where brambles and other overgrown vegetation has completely covered the path.
Speedwatch Group
The speed watch group has, due to external work pressure found it hard to gather volunteers and coordinators required to undertake sessions. See below for Plans.
Highways & Road Safety Issues
There has been a great deal of disruption to our roads mainly due to the wall repair on Eaton Bank followed by Gigaclear installation along the same route a few weeks later. Barley Close was also closed for some time for Gigaclear to install fibre optic broadband.
Residents asked for, and the PC supported a proposed pedestrian dropped kerb access across Barley Close by the chemist, this enables better accessibility for less able users, mobility scooter users and pushchairs.
Derbyshire CC have asked for suggestions for road improvements and several roads have been submitted as needing significant improvement. We note the repainting of the Zig Zag lines and are working with Police and Erewash BC to visit and educate drivers regarding restrictions.
The PC have put forward plans for Croft Corner to alleviate pavement parking which was well supported by our request for comments from parishioners, Derbyshire CC have also been receptive to the project.
We continue to work with Derbyshire CC and local police re parking issues around the Co-Op and Croft Corner.
Environmental Group
This has been a phenomenal year for the Environmental group, having secure a £20,000 grant for various projects around the village. The Grant will enable the Village Hall Committee to install Solar Panels to help offset soaring power costs. There are also funds available for some additional tree planting, equipment for Litter Picking, funds to help set up a Repair Cafe and to renovate & remodel the Toll Bar Phone box as a recycling Hub.
Their continued work around Litter Picking sessions are being well attended and their recycling hubs is being well used.
Village Hall Committee
The Little Eaton Village Hall committee has seen some changes this past year. A new caretaker, Wayne Beardsley was appointed and he’s managed to work through a long list of maintenance tasks and is always on hand to support users of the hall whenever required.
Sadly, our treasurer, Mark Jennison-Boyle decided to step down and was very patient while we worked to find a replacement. His contributions to improving the overall financial position, improving the online booking system processes have been invaluable and we thank him for his dedication over the past two years.
Pete Watson, a local resident has now joined the team and has hit the ground running.
Bookings have seen a steady increase and are up by approximately 300hrs compared to this time last year.
The focus for next year will be to improve marketing to help showcase the facilities available.
Resident Engagement
Community engagement has been one of the priorities of the Parish Council and we have increased engagement in our Facebook page and use of our website to get information to residents.
The PC Facebook page now has over 400 followers and is increasing its reach and interactions weekly. Thanks to Councillor Rowlinson and previously Claire Holmes for their work in this area.
We have had to change website hosting and have transitioned the website to a new provider due to legislative change and loss of hosting partner. This has meant a change of email address for the Clerk and councillors, and whilst this has had some issues most communication has been uninterrupted.
The PC newsletter is now being printed in colour which has been well received and is gaining readership. Our thanks to Diane Mulvey and her fantastic team of volunteers who distribute the quarterly newsletter.
What’s in the Plans for 2025/26?
Solar Panel Installation at Village Hall
Churchyard path renovation
Croft Corner Cycle storage solution and parking prevention
Recycling Hub at Toll bar phone box
Accessible equipment at Play area
Improved access for play area users
Further tree work in the churchyard, introduction of dead hedges and wildlife improvements
Greenway opening opportunities for the village
Play area improvement plan
Facility improvement projects for Sports Pavillion and Public Toilets
