DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF BOBBINGTON PARISH COUNCIL

held on Wednesday 21^st January 2026 at 7.30pm at Bobbington Village Hall

Present: Cllr L. Jones (Chair), Cllr M. Snelson (Vice-Chair), Cllr A. Perry. Cllr A. Burton, Cllr J. Stanton (arrived 19:31).

Guests in Attendance: 1

Public in Attendance: 5

Minute Taker & Clerk: Kate Pritchard, clerk@bobbington.staffslc.gov.uk

25/097. Chair’s Welcome: The Chair’s welcome was NOTED.

25/098. Apologies: Cllr S. Hadgett and Cllr M. Slater sent their apologies to the Clerk.

25/099. Declarations of Interest and Dispensations: Cllr M. Snelson raised an interest in agenda item 25/108 airport matters.

25/100. Minutes: It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 26^th November 2025 and 17^th December 2025, having been circulated, be confirmed, and signed as a correct record.

25/101. Severn Trent Water: The Community Flood Officer presented to the Council.

ACTION: Clerk to send 3-word location for the sink hole on Six Ashes Road. Junction off Gospel Ash Rd and Manor Lane – Officer to investigate whether there is any Severn Trent Water responsibility for the surface water drainage system at this location.

25/102. Reports from County and District Councillors (for information only) if present: None.

25/103. Reports from Chairman and Councillors: (for information only): None.

25/104. Clerk Report: The Clerk report was NOTED. ACTION: Clerk to ensure the PCSO attends the anti-social behaviour meeting and Clerk to chase SSDC for an update on the airport earth bund.

Correspondence

• SPCA – training,
• SSDC – Library news and events
• CSW – message of thanks, Commissioner’s Precept consultation
• NALC – The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has informed us of an increase in the Section 137 expenditure limitfor parish and town councils in England for the 2026/27 financial year. The new limit is £11.60 per elector, up from £11.10 in 2025/26. The increase reflects the percentage rise in the retail price index between September 2024 and September 2025, in accordance with Schedule 12B of the Local Government Act 1972. Section 137 of the Act allows parish and town councils to incur expenditures for purposes that benefit their communities when no specific statutory power is available.”

Training

The clerk has submitted the final unit for Certificate in Local Council Administration

Administration

• Airport earth Bund response – “SSDC requested a retrospective application for the retention of the bund in July 2025, however their agent came back to state that the bund was created from the materials which have been removed in association with the approved plans to improve the airport grounds. They did not know whether they intended to keep the bund or not at that point. Works are nearly completed now, and a definitive answer has been requested by no later than 12th January 2026. If they wish to retain the bund, a retrospective application will need to be submitted for the Council’s consideration.”
• Litter Picking Equipment – SSDC will deliver the equipment to the Chair, address details were provided 18.12.25
• Airfield Meeting dates – next meeting to be held 11.02.26
• Cllr emails and Council website domain are in the process of changing to gov.uk with registrar
• Precept for 2026/2027 has been received by SSDC
• The anti-social behaviour on Watery Lane has been reported to the Community Wellbeing and Partnership Officer at SSDC and a few meeting dates have been provided for Councillors
• Parish Council meeting dates were sent to Staffordshire Police

Highways

• Reference 443623 was completed in December – pavement repair on the Six Ashes Rd
• Blocked Drain Six Ashes Rd, request to SCC to reopen the report – “I can confirm that I have been to site recently, and I have seen the gully which is discharging water.  I did discuss this with our Technical Review Officer to ascertain the appropriate action for this site. It is considered that the system is silted up again, and this will cause the gully to surcharge, there is the likelihood a blockage might have occurred owing to the silt build up. We are waiting for detail of an additional gully wagon which we can utilise for sites such as this, as we are not yet due the routine cleanse for this area for some time.

I have added this site for an ad hoc cleanse once we have this available to us.  Which we hope to be over the next few weeks, please do note there will be several sites put forward but this location is on a high priority list.

25/105. Reports from Committee Representatives:

• Corbett School – No report received.
• Bobbington Village Hall – Reported by Cllr L. Jones.

Overview

BVH committees were overwhelmed when after launching a ‘Save our Village Hall’ campaign, 14 guests attended our recent committee meeting with 11 expressing an interest to form a ‘Friends of the Village Hall’ group to help support activities.  This was thought to be a great way of receiving help without anyone having to commit too much time to attend meetings.  We have welcomed one new member to the general committee and received one resignation. As a result, the committee continues to comprise five members.

Our Priorities

BVH continues to focus on raising funds with the following planned activities:

• Go Fund Me Launched – initial target of £5k: https://gofund.me/bf008487b
• 13/02/26 – Quiz Night

In addition, the committee are discussing activities outlined below:

• Quarterly public events
• Sponsorship options for residents and local businesses, including naming convention of the hall
• 100 Club with cash prizes
• Continued promotion of the Hall for external users
• Increase in social media presence
• Liaise with Claverley Village Hall to co-ordinate activities and share ideas and resources

Finances as at 07/01/2026

The current financial status allows us to manage day to day operational costs, but there are insufficient funds to conduct major work.

Bank Balance              £2,140.73

Cash Balance               £50.28

Go Fund Me                £440.00 from 10 donations

Notes

All cash income is from a regular hirer, and most of the outgoings is for cleaning which is carried out prior to an external event and general maintenance.  There are no external hire bookings for 2026.

Our Ask of This Group

As detailed in our November update, the support of the Parish Council is encouraged, from sharing our social media posts, attending planned events, raffle and quiz night prize donations, to local business involvement and assistance with grant applications.

• Holy Cross Church – Reported by Cllr L. Jones.

Holy Cross Church is quiet at present after a very joyful Christmas period. Christingle, Carol service and Crib service very well supported and were very happy village celebrations. The Red Lion provided wonderful refreshments after carol service.

Crib service was a truly wonderful celebration, chaotic, but enjoyed by all, over 100 people from village there.

The Red Lion have organised a Burns night quiz on 25th January, £20 for a table of 4, Haggis will be on menu.

Other events in pipeline and details will be shared once finalised. Services continue to be better supported.

Next services are:

• Sunday 25th January Holy Communion at 10 am
• Sunday 8th February all age worship at 10 am
• Sunday 22nd February Holy communion at 10am

• Community speed watch – Reported by Cllr A. Burton.
• Health and wellbeing – Nothing to report.
• Crime report – Nothing to report.
• Parish Assembly Meetings – Reported by Cllr J. Stanton.

25/106. Highway Matters:

1. Damaged 30 mph sign on Six Ashes Road – Reference 94034
2. Damaged road sign on Six Ashes Road & corner of Crab Lane – Reference 94038

• Road by the Halfpenny Vineyard, breaking up – Reference 94052

1. To raise thanks to Tony Hall from Pegasus grab hire for use of gully sucker to help residents cleanse drains on the Six Ashes. ACTION: Clerk to draft a letter of thanks. Clerk to feedback to SCC and the County Councillor the need for each gully to be mapped and cleansed in Bobbington.

25/107. Public Participation:

A resident raised concerns regarding standing water accumulating in a neighbour’s garden. It was agreed that Severn Trent Water would be requested to investigate whether there is any issue or responsibility relating to the local water or drainage infrastructure.

A resident raised concerns regarding scaffolding currently erected at the Airport which displays advertising. It was queried whether planning permission is required for the scaffolding and associated advertising. ACTION: The Parish Council agreed to seek clarification from the relevant planning authority.

A resident raised concerns regarding the range of businesses operating on the Airport land, including non-aviation activities such as dog grooming. It was questioned whether these businesses are permitted under the site’s planning and aviation-related usage. ACTION: The Parish Council agreed to seek clarification from the planning authority regarding the appropriateness of these uses.

A resident raised concerns regarding a hidden speed limit sign on the Gospel Ash Road. ACTION: The Parish Council agreed to raise the issue with the relevant authorities to ensure the sign is visible.

A resident raised concerns about dangerous parking near the post box at the top of the village, including vehicles parking on the grass.

25/108. Airport Matters:

Cllr A. Perry provided an update on airport-related matters. It was noted that a meeting is scheduled for February, during which an update on the pre-planning application will be requested. The Parish Council also agreed to seek clarification on the associated timescales.

25/109. Planning:

1. To consider new application/s: None.

15. To report decisions on previous applications: The decisions for 25/01001/FUL & 25/00835/FULHH were reported after the meeting agenda was published on 15.01.26

25/110: Tom Butler Cup: Age categories and inclusion of handcrafting were agreed. Date and location to be confirmed. ACTION: Clerk to contact Corbett Primary School; Cllr Snelson to retrieve the cup from the previous winner.

25/111. Local Council Award Scheme: The Council RESOLVED to register for the bronze award.

25/112. Councillors Register of Interest: The Council NOTED all register of interest forms are now received.

25/113. Finance Matters:

1. The Council RESOLVED to approve the payment schedule for December, January, February. Cllr A. Burton proposed, Cllr L. Jones seconded. The motion was CARRIED.

2025. The Council RESOLVED to approve the January Financial Report 2025. Signed by Cllr A. Burton.
2026. The Council RESOLVED to approve the bank statements to 31st December 2025. Signed by Cllr A. Burton.

25/114. Earmarked Reserves: The Council RESOLVED to approve the Earmarked Reserves for 2026/27. £1,850 is earmarked in the Election Fund. Cllr A. Perry proposed, Cllr J. Stanton seconded. The motion was CARRIED.

24/115. Appointment of Independent Internal Auditor: The Council discussed the appointment of the independent internal auditor. The Council RESOLVED to ratify and formally approve the appointment. The Clerk presented a letter from the auditor confirming their independence from the Council. The receipt of this letter was NOTED.

25/116: Policies:

The Council RESOLVED to approve The Publication Scheme.

25/117. Items for future meetings: items were NOTED. To adopt an IT policy, to consider a payroll service, maintenance of the defibrillator at the Red Lion.

25/118. Date of future Parish Council meeting:

Wednesday 18th March 2026, 7:30pm, Bobbington Village Hall

The meeting closed at 20:43 pm.

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