Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on 15^th APRIL 2026

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Eccleshall Community Centre on 15^th April 2026 at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 8.20pm.

   49/26). Present were:-

Councillor R. Taylor (Chairman)                  Councillor R. Langford

Councillor P. Jones                                        Councillor S. Kean

Councillor G. Dale                                           Councillor D. Feneysey

Councillor S. Perren                                       Councillor B. Delanchy

Councillor S. Mifflin                                        Councillor D. Hill

Councillor A. Reid                                            Councillor M. Gosling

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

Three members of the public

PCSO Gareth Higgins

  50/26).   Apologies

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

  51/26).  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.

  52/26).   Public Participation:

There was no public participation.

  53/26).  To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 18^th March 2026

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

  54/26).   Reports from the Borough Councillor, County Councillor, and police representatives:

PCSO Higgins provided an update on key areas of criminal activity:

• Information is publicly available at https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/staffordshire-police/eccleshall-and-swynnerton/?yourlocalpolicingteam=about-us
• The next police surgery will be on Sat 25^th April at the Co-Op between 3-5pm.
• PCSO Higgins is also giving a talk on safety and fraud at the Community Lounge session at 2pm on Thu 23^rd All monthly talks cost £1 and tickets are available at the library.
• There have been ongoing incidences of antisocial behaviour at Elford Heath, with cars congregating late at night, disturbing local residents and littering the area. The police are working with the council and neighbours to collate information to identify the offenders. They have installed warning signage and will be patrolling the area.

  55/26).  Committee Updates:

     Highways and Transport:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 1^st April 2026 were noted.

  Footpaths:

• No updates to report.

  Enhancements:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 1^st April 2026 were noted.
• The Clerk advised that Stafford Borough Council declined to quote this year, and there was a lack of alternative providers for consideration. It was noted that the quotation received by Perry’s of Eccleshall was known to be competitive based on previous years quotes from alternative providers. It was resolved to suspend Financial Regulations and approve the quotation of £9,011.20 for 16 weeks watering, 4 days a week, with the option to extend the watering by a further 1-2 weeks at an additional weekly cost.  Hill did not participate in this agenda item and abstained from voting.
• The quotation for tree works at Elford was not available for consideration and will be deferred until the next meeting.

    Policy and Resources:

• No updates to report

    Events:

• No updates to report

    56/26).  Biodiversity Update:

• There were no further updates since the report provided to the Enhancements Committee on the 1^st

   57/26).  SPCA Neighbourhood Governance Pack:

Members considered the Neighbourhood Governance Pack circulated by SPCA as part of the West Midlands CALCs. The concerns raised in relation to the ambiguity of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill in reference to neighbourhood areas and the role of Parish and Town Councils in the proposed structure were noted. It was resolved to write to Leigh Ingham MP to ask for clarity on the proposals, potential impact on local Town and Parish Councils, and request an in person briefing and updates on the plans from her representatives, who are planning to attend a future meeting.

   58/26).  Community Resilience planning and creation of a Community Emergency Plan

Cllrs. Taylor, Langford, Reid and the Clerk met with a representative from Support Staffordshire and the Regional Civic Contingencies planner to understand more about emergency planning and how the Parish Council can help with its own plans that would dovetail into plans in place at principal authorities and statutory services. It was clear parish councils can provide a vital support service with central hubs and networking to link those in need with who can help at a local level. In order to proceed with the project, it was resolved to appoint a working group consisting of Cllrs. Langford, Taylor, Hill, Reid, Gosling and Perren. Cllr. Reid will arrange an initial meeting. The Clerk will circulate copies of the printed documents viewed at the meeting to the full council when electronic copies are available.

    59/26). Clerk’s report, containing liaison representative updates.

• The Clerk’s report was received and noted.
• The Clerk provided printed copies of the nomination forms for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman positions ahead of the May annual meeting.

    60/26). Correspondence

• Thank you letters from Katharine House and Staffordshire Search and Rescue were circulated separately.

    61/26). Chairman’s Report:-

• The Chairman requested articles for the summer newsletter. Articles to be provided are:
  • Garden Butterflies (Cllr. Gosling)
  • Bat Walks (Cllr. Reid)
  • NHS information (Cllr. Hill)
  • Borough Councillor Drop in Dates (Cllr. Jones)
  • Biodiversity updates (Cllr. Langford)
  • Police surgeries (PCSO Higgins)
  • The Clerk will ask Severn Trent if they wish to provide an update on the lead replacement pipe project.
  • The Clerk also asked for suitable cover images.
• Eccleshall Library is hosting an NHS event on the 4^th June from 4-7pm to highlight services that are less well known. The voluntary car scheme will also be in attendance.

    62/26). Financial Matters

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

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

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

• To approve accounts for payment April 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.

    63/26). Items / Date and Venue for next meeting:-

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for the May 20^th 2026, Eccleshall Parish Council, at 7.30pm.

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

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.15pm.