Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on 18^th FEBRUARY 2026

 DRAFT

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Eccleshall Community Centre on 18^th February 2026 at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 8.35pm.

   16/26). 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 S. Mifflin                                        Councillor D. Hill

Councillor A. Reid                                            Councillor M. Gosling

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

No members of the public

  17/26).   Apologies:

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Hall, Ryan-Bloor and Feneysey.

  18/26).  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.

  19/26).   Public Participation:

There was no public participation.

  20/26).  To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 21^st January 2026

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

  21/26).   Report from the Borough Councillor, County Councillor, and police representatives:

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

• Stafford Borough Council is undertaking a survey on the night-time/teatime economy of the town centre and what can be done to improve it
• Drop-in sessions at Eccleshall library are ongoing

Cllr. Reid also provided some further information on recent Borough Council activities:

• The budget has been confirmed for 2026/27, to include allocation to support planning enforcement and planning appeals.

  22/26).  Committee Updates:

     Highways and Transport:

• No updates to report

  Footpaths:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 4^th February 2026 were noted.

  Enhancements:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 4^th February 2026 were noted.
• It was resolved to approve the quotation of £530 ex VAT from Keyzors to undertake a full tree survey of Elford Heath to identify any potential hazards and to produce a report of work recommendations.

    Policy and Resources:

• No updates to report.

    Events:

• No updates to report.

   23/26).   Update on the events funded by the Borough Council High Street Boost:

An update was circulated to all members for information. The planning is progressing well, and the music festival will also incorporate street food from local businesses and an outside stage at Olive Italian, to ensure footfall within the town centre trading area. Retail traders have been engaged for involvement and as the promotional material is distributed, further details on offers and activities will be collated.

   24/26).  Biodiversity Update:

• The Lavender plant voucher scheme has now been launched, in conjunction with a ‘Nature at Home’ library window display.
• The next working group meeting will be held on Monday 23^rd Feb at 6.30pm. It was noted that the Biodiversity Action Plan can be updated to reflect recent activities.
• Stafford Borough Council has adopted a Biodiversity Action Plan which will be available on its website.

   25/26).  NALC Local Council Award Scheme, if the council wishes to participate and if approved, agree actions required and costs for application.

• Members received and reviewed a summary of the scheme and the actions and resource required to attain each level of the award.
• Whilst the Council felt that it would be able to meet criteria to attain an award, it was agreed that at present resource would be best prioritised for other activities. The Council would review this in future should the scheme present tangible benefits to the council and community.

   26/26).  To consider the documentation in relation to Community Resilience planning and creation of a Community Emergency Plan

Members were provided with a Societal Resilience Guide issued by Support Staffordshire, a Community Emergency Plan toolkit and examples of plans from other Parish Councils. The plans can vary in style and content considerably between councils, influenced by the size of the council and the level of services they are directly responsible for/have access to and the community makeup. Members noted that there is a wide variety of potential emergencies and part of the plan would be to identify those that would be most pertinent to Eccleshall.

There was clear support to proceed with a plan to support the community, providing signposting to support services and identifying expertise and local community resources that could help in unforeseen emergencies. It was agreed that the production of a suitable plan should be taken forward by a working group. In the first instance, the Clerk would contact the Rural Development and Resilience Manager at Support Staffordshire to invite them to talk with the Council to help with initial guidance on initial steps and what type of plan content would be best suited for Eccleshall before working group members are agreed.

   27/26).  To consider a response to the Local Government Reorganisation Consultation and the differing options proposed

Members received a copy of the document detailing the various options put forward by Borough and County Councils, with the consultation questions and debated some of the proposals put forward. There was no consensus on a preferred option for parish council response, and it was agreed that members put forward their individual responses to the consultation.

    28/26). Clerk’s report, containing liaison representative updates.

• The Clerk’s report was received and noted.
• Notes were circulated separately from recent Allotments meeting. Increased interest means there are only 4 vacant plots at present. The Allotments Association Secretary is kindly helping with the planting of the Japanese Cherry Trees on the Jubilee Playing Field.

    29/26). Correspondence

• There was no correspondence for consideration.

    30/26). Chairman’s Report:-

• The Freedom of the Parish lapel badges have been distributed to all recipients, and all were very well received, with thanks expressed to the Parish Council.
• Work at the library is ongoing, and the Children’s half term activities are going well. The ‘Blood in the Clock Tower,’ traitor’s style event is booked for the 14^th March, at £1 per ticket.

The Adult Reading Challenge has now been launched, for participants to read a book per month, from set genres.

• The Chairman reminded all that the Annual Public Meeting, ahead of the main Community Showcase engagement event, will be at 7pm on the 18^th March, prior to the main meeting. All committee Chairmen are required to produce a brief annual report for circulation.

    31/26). Financial Matters

• To accept the financial report and bank reconciliation to 31^st January 2026:

       It was resolved to accept the financial summary, which includes the bank reconciliation up to and  including 31^st January 2026.

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

• To approve accounts for payment February 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.

• It was resolved to approve renewal of CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) membership at a cost of £60.

    32/26). Items / Date and Venue for next meeting:-

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for the March 18^th 2026, Eccleshall Community Centre at 7.30pm, following the annual public meeting.

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.