Meeting 2026

Minutes of the General Meeting of Rippingale Parish Council, held in the Village Hall on Monday 16th February 2026
Present: Cllr T Creek (Vice Chair), Cllr D Warcup, Cllr A Lumb, Cllr Lambord, Cllr Earl, County Cllr M Hill, Ward Cllr K Abel and Clerk L Davies.

Vice- Chairman’s Opening remarks. It is good to see everyone here tonight, and we apologies’ for having to reschedule the meeting. At the last meeting, we had a full complement of councillors, which means that we able to function a lot more efficiently, unfortunately Cllr Nichols, has not been able to devote the time required, and has resigned. However, the Council are still in a great place. With a packed agenda, and hopefully everyone will see that we are making more progress on a lot of fronts with the extra commitment we now have. There are no passengers in the Parish Council. Not only have people volunteering to play a part on the Parish Council, but there have been people who continually step up to help the community, be it emptying dog bins, helping with the newsletter, the hospital car scheme or helping as part of the Emergency Team. These people deserve thanks from all of the community, and we thank them in helping us support the villagers. There were no public questions, comments or representations made for this meeting, so we will go straight into the formal meeting agenda, which has topics that will require a closed session (items 5,6 &15). To make it easier, instead of closing the meeting several times this business will refer after the public responses at the end of the meeting. Please limit these responses to items discussed in the meeting.

Formal Meeting Agenda
1.    To receive Apologies for Absence and approve Reasons Given.  
Cllr Ross has sent his apologies for personal reason. Accepted Resolved
2.    To receive any new Declarations of Interest.
None
3.    To approve the Minutes of the last Parish Council Meeting held on 10th November 2025 & 7th January 2026
Both minutes were approved as a true reflection of the meeting. Resolved
4.    To receive update on new councillors and their acceptance
New Cllrs details have been forwarded to SKDC for updating their records. Clerk will check updated. Resolved.
5.    To receive & accept Clerks resignation.
Closed Session
6.    To discuss and approve Clerks job role for recruiting new clerk.
·    To confirm what statutory actions of the Parish Clerk
Closed session
7.    To discuss Councillor roles and appoint to roles.
It was propose to list the assigned councillors by role and for the council to vote on agreeing these positions.
Finance Supervisor Cllr Creek
Emergency Plan and Flood Warden Coordinator – incl Liaison with SKDC & IDB Cllr Creek
Hedge, Grass Cutting and Village Maintenance Contracts Cllr Earl
Liaison - Row Garden Allotments Cllr Ross
Liaison - Police Forum Cllr Earl
Liaison - Rippingale Parochial Church Council (PCC) Cllr Warcup
Liaison - Village Hall Management Committee Cllr Lambord
Liaison - Village Contracts Cllr Earl
Liaison - Feast Organising Committee Cllr Lambord
Jubilee Playing field, store and play equipment and YETI Cllr Earl
Key Holder: Noticeboard Cllr Ross
Key Holder: Jubilee Playing Field & Portacabin Cllr Lombard
Newsletter (approval by Chairperson) Cllr Ross, with contributions from all Councillors
Accessibility 
Planning applications etc. Cllr Lumb
WMEL Pylons Former Councillor Jones is spearheading this in the community, and we
will assist
General Village Maintenance Cllr Earl and Lambord
Village Welcome Pack Cllr Ross
Agendas and Minutes of meetings Parish Clerk, supported by all Councillors
Voted & agreed. Resolved

Matters arising from previous minutes (not raised elsewhere in this Agenda)
8.    To discuss and review the need to move over to a .GOV emails to come in line with Assertion 10 on the AGAR. 
Although PC members have dedicated inbox away from their personal, the clerk is unsure if this will sufficient for the AGAR going forward. Clerk to speak to Chris Catt for his IT help.

External & Community Group Updates: 
9.    County & District Council Reports – as available.
Cllr Hill informed that the county budget is under review on Friday 20th February, it was at a 5% increase and the proposal is now at a 2.9% increase. There is good news, as LCC will receive the fair funding from central government which is designed to address the imbalance of funding to local government. There will be more money towards flooding and potholes. Potholes are tricky at present due to the weather.  The best way to deal with potholes is to report them using fix my street. He is aware of the on-going flooding issues on station street. He advised that, it is not a highway issue but Anglian water, due to the surface water flow and the volume. SKDC have moved the dyke clearing to earlier in the season to ensure that the dykes are cleared ahead of weather. This is a proactive step forward.

Cllr Abel informed that the food waste caddies are being delivered to properties ready for the commencement  of the collections in late March/Early April. The bin will go out on the black bin collection day, but will confirm this. He also addressed the flooding again with the main drain at Sands Court, looks to be the reasonability of the home adjacent. But this has not been confirmed by the highways. As these feed in to the Anglian water main drain. 

10.    Community Groups & Organisations – 
a.    Village Hall Management Committee – no report submitted
b.    Hospital Car Scheme – Only 2 requests have been completed and 4 drivers who continue to man the scheme. Cllr Creek prosed that Chris Ross is given a small thank you, like the volunteers, as she gives her time to man the scheme. Voted and agreed. Clerk to action
c.    RGAG  - AGM is the 21st February in the Bull Inn, all are welcome. The RGAG have started to erect the first rainfall harvesting station, this was a positive step and guttering was FOC due to a member donating due to up grade at home. It is working well. RGAG records show that there is full plot and half remaining un tenanted. This is positive, may even need a waiting list.
d.    PCC – Cllr Warcup met up with church warden and has received the latest minutes, next meeting is in March which he will attend. 
e.    Police Update – Cllr Earl spoke with PC Wilson who is still our appointed person, although she is on secondment. Nothing to report
f.    Feast Committee – Cllr Lambord – As the feast committee was all new for 2025, there was plenty of positive, but also learning points. It was noted that fund raising for the feast started in the spring and raised fund for the event. Which is why the decision to do the feast bi-annually has been made. So the plan for 2026 is to hold the following events
·    Table top sale – April/May
·    Mini Feast/Dog show June/July
·    Movie Night – August/September
·    Car Boot September/October
These events will be arranged so as not to clash with church or village hall event. Would like to review the constitution that was last written in 2019. Clerk to share with relevant parties.    
g.    Jubilee Playing Field / Youth Engagement Initiative
Cllr Earl & volunteers have been looking in to the current facilities and progressing in the cost of replacing the current building. To be able to resubmit the SKDC fund.  A notice board to share events and to try and engage the youth of the village would be beneficial, where the young people wait for the school bus. Clerk to look into cost and permissions to place new notice board.

Parish Matters:
11.    Newsletter To discuss and review printing quotations
Cllr Lumb presented the cost for like for like, currently Warners are £90 for the 410 copies, the online company approached was £85 delivered. The format has to be in PDF, but a volunteer has state would ensure that the correct format would achieve. It was decided to speak with the editor, to ensure they are happy with any changes. As the cost was a small saving, if the service was not there. Cllr Lumb to report back at next meeting.
12.    Jubilee Playing Field
a.    To receive an update the SKDC Prosperity Fund grant 
Cllr Earl is about ready to submit the reapplication, would appreciate that all have a look at the re-. application. Cllr Earl to circulate application.

b.    To receive an update on the Tesco Community Grant balance
Clerk is unsure where we are with this, but will reach out to Tesco, ensure they have the relevant paper work. 
c.    To discuss and discuss annual playground inspection for insurance purposes. Quotes to have been previously circulated. Clerk to action.

13.    Allotments. 
a.    To discuss the Allotment Water Supply moving away from mains connection to rain harvesting.
RGAG have been gifted old guttering, currently there are now 2 IBC on the lean to and 3 IBC along the shed by the hedge. Which has collected approx. 175ltr from the last rain fall. 
b.    To discuss allotment agreement and cost per square meter change for 1st April 2026
The cost per square meter was agreed to remain unchanged. Cllr Ross was not present so unable state if any changes are required for the tenancy. Clerk is keen to ensure that all information is sent the 1st April and not late as in previous years. Clerk to liaise with Cllr Ross regarding Tenancy.
14.    Hedge
a.    Pinfold Close/JPF border - Clerk to confirm when works are to be carried out
Hedge is confirmed as cut no issues. Invoice to be paid. Resolved
b.    The Pinfold – Hedge cut back - Clerk to confirm when works are to be carried out
As above
c.    To confirm when the Hedge cutting will commence
As Above

15.    Grass Cutting 2026 
a.    To discuss and approve grass contractor for grass cutting 2026.
The grass cutting was not approved due to LCC highway grass cutting process being changed. Also, another contractor has stepped forward wishing to be considered. Clerk to Liaise with Cllr Earl and new contractor. Grass cutting is not going to start early March, like in previous years.

16.    Planning: To receive and consider planning applications:
a.    S25/1695 Conversion of barn to 10 dwelling houses at Manor Farm – Granted.
b.    S25/1685 -30 East Street - Application for reserved matters relating to access, appearance, layout, landscaping and scale - Withdrawn
c.    S25/1654 Class Q Barn Farm: Conversion of a poultry shed into 1 dwelling– Granted
d.    S25/1705 Land to the rear of 16-22 High St - outline planning application for 5 dwellings Approved – But Cllr Lumb is not happy with this decision, as this is not infill. Also need to speak with AW regarding surface water drainage.
e.    S25/1476 – 2 houses at 83 Station Street (Little Farm) – No update
f.    To Discuss request from developer of 13 East St site to lay pipe work across the JPF to main surface water drain from development at 13 East Street. – This has been raised with the enforcement team, who have been out to site. They confirmed that the surface water will be going into Blanchard Close.
g.    To provide an update on the meetings held between SKDC & Council regarding planning applications. 
This was a positive meeting, raising the concerns that the larger companies do not have to comment on developments, but as a village we have plenty of little developments that grouped together would mean that AW should be reviewing the system, especially with the on going surface water drainage which causes flooding within the village. Cllr Warcup is looking into the sales of properties within the village as currently the developers are stating that there is a need for houses. SKDC has the requirement to provide 1000 new properties (a 1% increase in housing stock), which they are behind on providing, currently if all developments proceed, Rippingale would see a 12% increase in housing stock. Cllr Lumb & Cllr Warcup will continue to work on the planning applications. The neighbourhood plan and the admin error of the and/or was raised if this could be changed.  
Other Matters
17.    
a.    To receive an update on National Grid proposal for a pylon route South of Rippingale (WMEL)
No update
b.    To discuss when the meeting between the VHMC & RPC can take place
To be arranged now new Cllr liaison is in place. Cllr Lambord to take up.
c.    To receive an update on the flooding and the emergence volunteer group. 
Cllr Creek There is a lot to report with respect to flooding and the emergency volunteer group.
Fix My Street , Cllr Creek has raised several fixmystreet reports since the last meeting. Gulley outside 86 Station Street is blocked and this will be cleared in the next cleanse cycle. This is not causing a problem so this response is acceptable and it appears to have been cleared now. Manhole at the bottom of Sands Court. This is a long standing issue and has been closed as no further action. Cllr Creek has had subsequent discussions and Cllr Abel is progressing this, however the issue is not as simple as it appears. The 5 gulleys in the national speed limit part of East Street were reported in October. The report was closed stating that the gulleys would be cleaned in the next cleanse. 3 months later and they have not been cleaned. Cllr Creek raised another report, and these should now be cleared in the very near future.
Anglian Water have, as yet, not been able to undertake the lining works they identified as
potentially being of benefit due to funding restrictions and the need for other schemes to be prioritised. This is unlikely to be carried out this financial year. Cllr Creek has registered his disappointment, that, the issues in Rippingale are being kicked down the road, again.
However, AW have been able to take some mitigating actions around the area of Doctor’s Lane where previously we have seen several flooding events affecting one of the properties as well as several discharges from their network into the watercourse which have the risk of impacting the environment. In order to try and combat these they have sealed two of the bases of manholes in this  area to try and prevent groundwater ingress, they have also fitted flooding covers to these, underneath the existing lids, to try and prevent spills from them potentially affecting the watercourse nearby. Additionally they have fitted a non return valve to a property there to try and reduce any instances of flooding on their land. However in the heavy rains a week ago, the flooding in this area
seemed just as before. Cllr Creek has sent pictures and videos to AW and is awaiting their response. Again this is disappointing. Steve Warcup, tried to reduce the flooding and was soaked by an impatient driver for his troubles. The PC would like to thank Steve, who is part of the emergency team, for his efforts. The PC also hope that the inconsiderate driver, was not a member of our community. AW found during their investigations three highways surface water gullies in Dunsby which are connected to their foul system. They are actively working with the highways department at Lincolnshire County Council to gain a resolution to this. LCC had advised a scheme to correct this may take between 12-24 months, however, AW are trying to get a resolution sooner than this.
On a more positive note, overall AW, have found that we have had less instances of discharge from the manholes in this location compared to previous years which indicates that the collective measures taken thus far do seem to be having an impact. They will also continue to work with their colleagues at the councils to continue to try and combat the root cause of this issue which is the excess surface water getting into our systems. As we have seen this is still likely to take time, however this Parish Council will not waver in keeping the pressure up.
SKDC-Whilst the PC realise that the Environmental Officer at SKDC is extremely stretched, we again asked SKDC, during our planning meeting, to provide us with the information on watercourse ownership, that they had committed to. Cllr Abel has also been in discussion with the various points raised during the walkabout. So we are assured that the actions have not slipped between the
cracks. 
Emergency team and Planning we are sure that everyone has been aware, this has been the wettest start a year. In fact across Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire Area, January 2026 recorded an average precipitation of 90mm, equivalent to 172% of the long term average. The PC can only avert surface water flooding by the manual intervention of members of the Emergency Team, who monitor and clear the grilles at the bottom of Grinders Lane and by the Willows. Cllr Creek has reached out to the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum, to see if telemetry devices could be added to these water courses and the watercourses in Doctors Lane. These devices used in conjunction with an App could provide some additional automatic level warning, which would greatly help the team. Again thanks go out to the team for all their efforts in unpleasant conditions.
d.    To receive an update on the VE80 funding 
Relevant paper work has been sent. Awaiting SKDC.
Financial Matters:
18.    Bank Accounts 
a.    To receive an update on the JPFT funds transfer to a new bank
Unfortunately, the transfer of the trust funds away from NatWest to Lloyds, is going to have to be restarted due to the IT error on the application Lloyds are apologetic. Clerk to resubmit application 
b.    To discuss insurance for Trustees on JPFT – as current has not been deem enough. 
Awating Cllr Ross return
19.    Financial Reports:
a.    To receive an update of the Expenditure in Period
Routine payments such as Clerks Salary, Printing of newsletter & village hall hire. Approved and passed for payment.
b.    To review and discuss budget 2026/2027
Budget approved at last meeting, no further action required. Resolved
20.    Close meeting
Public Responses. Items for next meeting and issues/points arising from discussion for future discussion.
Next meeting:   9th March 2026 General Meeting at 7.00pm in Rippingale Village Hall 
Laura Davies - Parish Clerk