Minutes - Parish Council Meeting - 24 Nov 2025

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SUTTON MANDEVILLE PARISH COUNCIL

including Sutton Row and Lower Chicksgrove

DRAFT MINUTES of a meeting of the Parish Council held at The Stalls on 24th November 2025 at 7.00pm - subject to later approval by Councillors.

PRESENT: Cllr. H. Collins – Chairman, Cllr. M. Charlick - Vice Chair, Cllr. Anna Strang, Cllr. I Lester, Cllr. T. Mockridge, Mrs. J. Childs, Parish Clerk.

2 residents attended

The Chairman welcomed all to the meeting

1. APOLOGIES: Cllr N. Najjar WC, 1 resident.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS: No interests declared.

3. PUBLIC QUESTIONS:

No issues raised.

4. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS HELD ON 15 Sep & 28 Oct 2025:

These were signed by the Chairman as a true record.

5. MATTERS ARISING:

C126 – flooding at Panters - the Chairman expressed concern that the Clerk had not sufficiently explained that the digging and clearing of ditches, grips and run offs on Wiltshire Council owned land on each side of the road, at its lowest point, was a matter of maintenance of existing ditches not the digging of new ones. The Clerk had since written to Highways. Sadly, the prompt response explained the tractor/digger would be required. It had however completed its work this year in SW Wilts so clearance would be delayed until next. A further request on My Wilts would be made.

6.

WILTSHIRE COUNCIL: WILTSHIRE COUNCILLOR'S REPORT:

No report

AREA BOARD /LHFIG: There had been no attendance by SMPC so far this year at Area Board Meetings. LHFIG: two issues remained listed (a) markers to warn of the sharp bend at Lower Chicksgrove - now at the design stage and when completed this would be sent to the PC for approval; (b) access to SM9 from Glasses Lane – quotation awaited from a contractor. Once again the PC was warned not to take any action itself which might risk a collapse of the bank.

7. FINANCE:

• The Chairman undertook to remove former signatories from the PC bank account and to secure access to the account for a second councillor as well as a new bank card to be held by Cllr. Charlick.

• Payments were approved totalling £313.87.

• Expenditure remained in line with budget.

• Cllr. Charlick presented a proposed budget for the year 2026 – 2027. He explained that unallocated funding amounted only to £47.00. Provision had been made for bank charges and a sum placed in reserve for future elections.

• Councillors agreed to request a provisional precept of £2600 for the financial year 2026 – 2027, £100 below the sum requested for the current financial year.

8. NOMINATED ITEMS:

• RIGHTS OF WAY: A resident had thanked Cllr. Strang for the removal of barbed wire from a stile post.

  
  

  The Chairman stated that he would like to look at the discrepancies in ROWs between the routes shown on the WC definitive map and the route on the ground and that he would welcome contributions from Councillors and residents.

  
  

• NOTICE BOARDS: the notice board at Lower Chicksgrove was still in need of attention.

  
  

• THE WALTER ALLOTMENT TRUST: The Chairman reported that he had received an email from the Trust requesting a contribution from the Parish Council for the repair of allotment fencing, damaged in last winter’s storms, and for continuing the good work of improving the currently unused land beyond. The email had been circulated to Councillors prior to the meeting.

  Cllr. Charlick noted that the PC had only a very limited sum of unallocated money, but proposed that the sum of £250.00, long held but never called upon, for Cemetery Maintenance should be made available to the Trust. There was unanimous agreement. The Clerk was asked to inform the Trust and to further enquire about the possibility of the Parish Council being able to make future discretionary grants.

  
  

• HIGHWAYS: The Chairman requested the trimming of vegetation from the salt bin at the junction of Glasses Lane, Sutton Hill and Rectory Road. The Clerk would request the clearance of growth from salt bins on December’s Parish Steward Issue Sheet.

9. PARISH WEBSITE: Cllr. Charlick reported that the number of subscribers continued to rise.

10. PLANNING: P2025/0161, SMAN13 proposed diversion would be heard at the Southern Area Planning Committee Meeting in December.

PL/2025/06326 and PL/2025/06326 at Ham Cross were again under consultation with additional amendments. Councillors believed the Conservation Officer and the Ecology Officer were giving close attention to both proposals and that no further response was required from the Parish Council.

11. CORRESPONDENCE: No further correspondence.

12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS: Concern had been expressed about the ongoing display of an election poster of a political nature. The Electoral Commission advised that all such matter should be removed within a fortnight of the election date.

13. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING:

The next meeting of the Parish Council would be held at 7.00 pm at The Stalls on Monday 9th February 2026.

The meeting closed at 9.00 pm.