Minutes - 2025-26

AMBER HILL PARISH COUNCIL

Parish Address                                                                          PHONE: 07952 555830

38 Milne Green                                                                                 Email: amberhillpc@gmail.com

Swineshead                                                                                       WEBSITE: www.parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/amberhill

PE20 3NP

Chair:  Councillor Mr C Stephenson

Draft Minutes of the Amber Hill Parish Council meeting held on 19th January 2026

Present:               Cllr Chris Stephenson, Cllr Elizabeth Gadd, Cllr Ros Bowler, Cllr Grahame Winman,

                                Cllr Emily Herbert, Cllr Edward Panton, Cllr Jane Webb

Also Present:     N Bush (Clerk), Cllr Stuart Evans (Borough), Cllr Suzanne Welberry (Borough )

Public Forum:    None

Meeting started 7.00pm

26/813: Chair’s remarks.    Cllr CS welcomed everyone.

26/814: Apologies for absence and reasons given. None received.

Cllr Paul Lock (County Cllr) also notified the clerk that he had another meeting but will call in if it finishes early enough.

26/815: To receive any declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011. None

26/816: Draft minutes of the meeting held on 17-11-25 to be confirmed and signed as minutes.  

                It was resolved to accept the above notes as minutes. They were confirmed and signed by the Chair.

26/817: Financial matters: Accounts for payment and budget figures, including report, up to 05-09-25

The LALC invoice has now been received for 2026-27 year £112.48

The budget to date was reviewed with income at 142% due to the addition of the playing field grant and expenditure of 124% to date again due to the playing field expenditure, with all other areas still under budget except Data protection as the increase came through after the budget was set.

Cllr EG checked and confirmed the bank reconciliation. 

The bank balances as follows:

Lloyds Current Account £1,078.64      Lloyds Deposit Account £8,279.11

It was resolved to accept the accounts for payment and pay the LALC invoice on 01-04-2026

Action: Clerk to make outstanding payments including the additional invoice.

26/818 Planning

                B/26/0008 – Variation of condition for B/24/0228 – Land North of Harrisons Drove

                No comments or concerns

B/25/0477 – Proposed conversion of existing agricultural building to 1 no. new dwelling and change of use of agricultural land to form domestic cartilage at Barn North of The Farmhouse, Maryland Bank

No comments or concerns

                Planning Decisions

                B/25/0426 – Replacement chalet Bungalow with attached double garage at Cherrytree  Sutterton Drive

                No decision as yet   

                B/25/0330 –Siting of single storey static mobile home to be used as short- term holiday accommodation at

                Claydyke Farm, Martin Cross Drove  - Approved with conditions 23/12/25

B/25/0341 – Installation of 4 no. biomass boilers/stoves, 2 no. containers and 1 no water tank at Waterside Farm Claydyke Bank – No decision as yet

Action – Clerk to pass comments onto the planning dept.

26/819 Correspondence

The clerk asked about Holland Fen & Amber Hill Parish Hall and the events held there, Cllr RB agreed to send the clerk details of events.   Action Clerk to send details to Cllr Lock.

26/820 Clerks report including police report

Action – None

26/821 Parish email addresses

The Clerk presented 3 quotations for gov.uk emails and domains.

To satisfy assertion 10 of the AGAR  25/26 Parish Councils must have a gov.uk email  address, it is likely that all councillors will also have to have them in the near future.

The quotations were discussed and it was resolved to accept the Active Council quote for the Clerk only at this point and the Councillors at a later date when necessary.

Action – Clerk to contact Active Council and accept the quote and get the gov.uk email in place as soon as possible.

26/822 Review of IT Policy

The Clerk discussed the Model  IT policy which focuses on offices and networks so needs quite a bit of work to adapt for a parish such as Amber Hill, Cllr GW has looked at the policy and has experience writing these so offered to adapt the policy to suit the parish set up. The clerk also discussed that ideally the Council should have its own laptop rather than using the clerks own laptop. The clerk confirmed that she generally only uses the laptop for council work so it was resolved that the Parish Council would purchase the laptop for £100 using the transparency funds.

Action – Clerk to set up laptop for Amber Hill Parish Council use only.  Cllr GW to review and update the IT policy.

26/823 Matters Arising

Cllr S Welberry informed the Council that she site on the Town Council Board which will be dissolved in 2028. This will leave Boston town wards without a council and could risk all of the assets such as the Guildhall being taken over by the Greater Lincolnshire body which could be lost or sold off without the residents of the Borough having a say.  They are therefore consulting on Boston Town Governance with the intention of creating a Boston Town Council where all of these assets would be transferred to.

The first consultation has already taken place, but many of the wider parishes do not seem aware. A 2nd consultation will take place in the next month or so and she encouraged everyone to promote and respond to the consultation.  She offerd that a presentation could be given and it was resolved that this could take place at the Annual Parish Meeting in April 26. 

Cllr S Evans discussed concerns over planning applications as an applicant that received planning consent has now come back to say they can no longer afford to pay the 106 levy which would contribute funds towards schooling and medical services for the increase in residents. Concern is that if this does go ahead this will have implications for the local council budgets and set a precedent.

Boston Borough proposals for the Greater Lincolnshire split were submitted on 28th November. Results will not be known until later in the year.

Action – Clerk to promote the consultation on Boston Town centre wards and arrange for a presentation at the Annual Parish Council Meeting.

26/824 Items for inclusion at next meeting, - None            

   Meeting closed 8.05 pm.

                Date of next meeting 16th March 2026 7pm

Monday 19th January 2026                                                                                      signed Chair