Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on 21^st January 2026

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Eccleshall Community Centre on 21^st January 2026 at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 8.30pm.

    1/26). Present were:-

Councillor R. Taylor (Chairman)                  Councillor R. Langford

 Councillor P. Jones                                         Councillor S. Kean

Councillor G. Dale                                           Councillor C. Wilkins

Councillor S. Perren                                       Councillor B. Delanchy

Councillor D. Hall                                            Councillor D. Hill

Councillor A. Reid                                            Councillor M. Gosling

Councillor C. Ryan-Bloor

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

One member of the public

Borough and County Cllr. Pert.

  2/26).   Apologies

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Mifflin and Feneysey.

  3/26).  To consider Declarations of Interest and Councillor requests for dispensation relating to items on the agenda.

There were no requests to receive, and no declarations of interest were made.

   4/26).   Public Participation:

There was no public participation.

   5/26).   To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 19^th November 2025

The minutes, which had been previously circulated, were agreed and signed.

   6/26).   Report from the Borough Councillor, County Councillor, and police representatives:

Borough and County Councillor Pert provided a report. Updates included:

• Pressure is being maintained on key stakeholders in the planning process and the importance of considering the infrastructure requirements and the cumulative effects of the applications submitted.
• Borough Councillors who may serve on Borough Planning Committees are having to remain objective on the applications within the community, to retain their committee place and ensure they have a voice in the decision-making process, and applications receive a fair hearing.
• Progress on the Wetwood speed reduction project has paused as the officer progressing the evaluation process has left the County Council, and there is currently a freeze on recruitment.
• Pert has requested sight of the surface dressing plan schedule for 2026, to ensure the Sugnall stretch of the B5026 is included.
• Consideration of speed reduction measures by Walton Hall School is still ongoing but also affected by the loss of staff.

   7/26).  Committee Updates:

    Traffic Management:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 7^th January 2026 were noted.

Footpaths:

• No updates to report

Enhancements:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 3^rd December 2025 were noted.

   Policy and Resources:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 3^rd December 2025 were noted.
• Members resolved to approve the recommended draft budget for 2026/27 of £127,219.00.
• It was resolved to approve the recommended Precept for 2026/27 of £98,000. Whilst the increased precept as a percentage equates to a 15.9% increase, for a band D household, the increase in monetary terms will be approximately 49p a month. This percentage is slightly lower than the difference between the two values due to the increased number of properties who are eligible to pay Council Tax in 2026/27. The precept uplift is required to cover increased running costs, to include a rise in the annual insurance premium, maintenance of the newly acquired Beech Road Community Park and the ongoing delivery of essential functions. The increase is also required to cover the planning costs incurred in representations in response to the large volume of speculative planning applications.
• Members noted the awarding of a £750 grant to Eccleshall Rugby Club, towards a refurbishment of the changing rooms.

    Events:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 7^th January 2026 were noted.

    8/26). Update on the events funded by the Borough Council High Street Boost:

Following the success of the Christmas event, which was extremely well attended, planning is underway for the music festival at the end of March. Most of the event will be on the Saturday, around multiple venues. The organisation is in the process of setting up a dedicated bank account, which will form the basis for funding an ongoing programme of events.

    9/26). Biodiversity Update:

• Members received the notes from the working group meeting on the 1^st
• It was previously resolved that the vouchers for the 120 lavender plants would be distributed via the June Showcase – however the optimum planting season is March/April so this will be too late. It was resolved that the amended plan is to distribute the vouchers via a number of local groups and events, to include the half term children’s events run by the library and the church, the scout group, and library users/room hire occupants. Cllr Taylor will enquire about the availability of the library display window to advertise the scheme, along with printed posters and social media. It is a first come first served basis, with sixty plants at Fletchers and sixty at Johnson Hall. As the vouchers will be handed out at different times, a start date will be included on the vouchers, to ensure the plants will be available and that the first to receive the vouchers will not be at an advantage. It was agreed that the £300 plant cost will be paid in full and the garden centres will advise the stock levels and when they are all gone. The council will also pay for the nominal printing of vouchers, which will be 120 plus additional numbers to account for vouchers given out but not used.
• In addition to the ongoing application to install swift boxes at the church, the Carter-Motley family have kindly agreed that either swift or swallow boxes could be installed at Eccleshall Castle. A site visit to determine suitable locations for swallow or house martin boxes at the Community Centre is pending.
• Mifflin is looking into costs for these boxes and bat boxes.
• Members received notes from a Best Kept Village briefing run by the Community Foundation, attended by the Clerk. Meeting attendees raised the issue that there was a large volume of paperwork involved in the application, and for that reason it was recommended that the workload is spread amongst a number of community groups. It was unclear of the value it would bring to the already activity community in Eccleshall, and the application process may detract resources from those activities. It was agreed not to explore this further.

   10/26).  Feedback on the meeting with Staffordshire County Council and Atlas representatives regarding to potential to site a phone mast in Croxton to address an area of non-connectivity:

• Members received a copy of the presentation detailing the issues and the proposal, which would entail the erection of a phone mast, with space that could be leased by any network provider to address black spots in Croxton where there is no signal.
• Whilst a signal is not an issue within the home where wi-fi will provide a network or there is a traditional landline, once the landlines move to digital, a power cut would mean the resident is reliant on the mobile network. Anyone outside who needs urgent help are also disadvantaged due to their reliance on a mobile signal.
• Atlas was clear that the project would require the support of both the council and the residents before proceeding further, as they have no desire to impose an umwanted mast on the community. They have offered to provide a survey for completion by residents to gauge appetite for the proposal.
• The council resolved in favour of exploring this proposal and to distribute the survey.
• It is hoped that future dialogue could include the feasibility of an additional mast to address the black spots in the town centre.

    11/26). Clerk’s report, containing liaison representative updates.

• The Clerk’s report was received and noted.
• Notes were circulated separately from the SPCA AGM, attended by Cllr. Langford. Eccleshall was mentioned as examples of good practice for Beech Road Community Park and for its Footpath walks.

    12/26). Correspondence

• Members noted the introductory email received from the newly appointed Community Flood Officer for Staffordshire within the Water, Quality and Environment team at Severn Trent.
• Borough and County Cllr. Pert advised that a date is imminent at the Community Centre for a public meeting with Severn Trent representatives, to feedback on the local issues and planned improvement works. It is hoped that officers from the County Flood Risk team will also be in attendance.
• The Severn Trent lead pipe liaison team has contacted the council to ask if there are any community initiatives members of their team can attend as volunteers. The most popular suggestion was participation in the erection of the bloom display at the end of May. Other ideas included cutting back of footpath overgrowth, stile repairs and well clearance. The Clerk will advise the team accordingly.

    13/26). Chairman’s Report:-

• The Freedom of the Parish lapel badges have been received and will be distributed to all recipients.
• Work at the library is ongoing, with the aim of running one event per month. Activities to date include:
  • January – cuddly toy sleepover, with ten booked to date
  • February – Children’s half term activities, in conjunction with Holy Trinity Church
  • March – ‘Blood in the Clock Tower,’ a traitor’s style event
  • April – an NHS ‘Things you didn’t know the NHS could do for you’ exhibition in conjunction with the Crown Surgery
  • October – Shakespeare event
  • 2026 is the Year of Reading, and to support this, the library is about to launch a 6-month Adult Reading Challenge, with participants required to read one specific genre of library book a month and write a brief review. There will be a prize draw for all who complete the challenge.
  • The Monday Primary school visits that ran last year will run again in 2026.
  • It was noted that although book issues are slightly down, footfall is up, which is a positive step towards creating a community hub.

    14/26). Financial Matters

• To accept the financial report and bank reconciliation to 31^st December 2025:

       It was resolved to accept the financial summary, which includes the bank reconciliation up to and  including 31^st December 2025.

Payments made since the last full Council meeting were received and noted as follows:

• To approve accounts for payment January 2026:-

Authorisation was sought for payment of the following accounts:

All were in favour, and the accounts will be paid accordingly. Cllrs. Taylor and Reid will process the approvals

    15/26). Items / Date and Venue for next meeting:-

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for the February 18^th 2026, Eccleshall Community Centre at 7.30pm. Suggested agenda item – Community Emergency Planning.

Any additional agenda items can be forwarded to the Clerk for consideration.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.30pm.