Minutes of Sibsey Annual Parish Meeting 21st May 2025
Minutes of the Sibsey Annual Parish Meeting
Held Wednesday 21st May 2025 at Sibsey Village Hall, Frithville Road, Sibsey
PRESENT Eleven members of the public which included three members of Sibsey Parish Council
The clerk of Sibsey Parish Council was also in attendance who was present to take notes of the meeting.
Sibsey Parish Councillor Ian Watts welcomed everyone to the meeting and relayed that this was a meeting for the parishioners of the village and was only hosted by the Parish Council.
1. AGREEMENT FOR CHAIRMAN OF SIBSEY PARISH COUNCIL TO CHAIR THE 2025 SIBSEY ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
It was proposed, seconded, and resolved that Sibsey Parish Council Chairman Cllr I Watts would chair the 2025 Sibsey Annual Parish Meeting.
2. NOTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD WEDNESDAY 22nd MAY 2024 TO BE APPROVED AS THE MINUTES
After time was allocated for the notes to be read it was it was proposed and resolved to accept these notes as a true and accurate record and thereby signed by the residing Chairman.
3. REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS TO BE GIVEN BY INVITED GUESTS
a. Representative from St Margaret’s Parochial Church Council
Monica Everard, Church Warden for St Margaret’s gave a short report relating to the church See Appendix A
b. Representative from Sibsey Free School
The Headmaster, Graeme Wright sent is apologies for not being able to attend the meeting and therefore forwarded a report to be read at the meeting. See Appendix B
c. ELDC Councillors
Councillor Jones sent his apologies but no report had been forwarded to be read out at the meeting nothing was received from Cllr Ashton
d. LCC Councillor Sean Matthews
No apologies had been received or a report forwarded to be read out at the meeting.
e Police
There was no representation from the Police or any report sent to be read out at the meeting.
f. Reports from any other Outside Bodies
Sibsey Bowls Club gave their report See Appendix C
Gary Limb, Chairman of John Woulds Charity sent his apologies and forwarded the following report that was read by the residing Chair. See Appendix D
g. Sibsey Village Hall Committee
No apologies or report had been sent by Sibsey Village Hall Committee.
h. Northlands Village Hall Committee
Rosemary White sent her apologies and forwarded a report. See Appendix E
4. SIBSEY PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Cllr Watts introduced himself, the Parish Council Clerk and fellow Parish Councillors attending the meeting and thanked them for their work during the year. He also relayed that there are vacancies on the Parish Council.
He also thanked ELDC Cllrs Jones and Ashton for their valued help over the past year.
See Appendix F for his report
5. SIBSEY COMMUNITY AWARD
This year’s recipient of the 2025 Sibsey Community Award is to be presented to Ann Wys for her hard work and contribution to the village, especially with Sibsey Primary School.
6. FOR ANY MEMBERS OF THE PARISH TO SPEAK, ASK QUESTIONS OR MAKE ANY STATEMENTS AND TO CONSIDER ANY MATTERS THAT MAY BE RAISED
No queries or questions were raised.
There being no further business, the Chairman thanked all for attending and the meeting finished at 8.21pm.
Appendix A
St Margarets Parochial Church Council
Rev. Jon Spiers-Davies left us on 18th August 2024 to take up a post as Interim Priest in charge of the Claypole & Saxonwell Groups.
We have since been without an incumbent. We have been supported by The Lay Team from Trinity Church, Boston Rev. Christine Bonneywell for Communion and Nicola Bradbury, Lay reader. Three service have been continuing in our church.
We have seen an increase of parishioners attending service and hope this continues.
We are having increases in insurance and utility bills.
The church continues to be kept beautifully clean by a team of congregational members and supportive villagers, and thanks go to them.
The church yard is kept tidy with the support of the Parish Council.
We have dedicated persons who keep the guttering cleared for us.
We now have anew noticeboard which has been paid for from donations from the families of two loved departed persons from the parish.
Fund raising events have taken place during the year, including Bygones Film Show, Community Choir, Xmas and Easter Fayres/ We have a concert with the Community Choir booked for Saturday 14th June 2025 in the evening.
The Community Library is well supported. It is regularly updated and cleaned. There is also a jigsaw swap. Excess books are sold and also taken to the Hospice for recycling.
We have been raising money to replace the old overhead heaters and also refurbish the organ. The heating is hoped to be installed in the summer. We are waiting for the faculty to be approved first.
Last year we had two weddings in the church and several baptisms.
We do have a vacancy of a Secretary for the Parochial Parish Council. Although we have a minutes secretary at the moment. The need not be necessary be a PCC member or practicing communicant, but they will be required to attend meetings (3 or 4 times a year). If anyone knows of a person who might be willing to take up the position, to contact Church Warden Monica Everard. The post is voluntary.
Monica Everard
Hon. Treasurer and Church Warden
Sibsey & Carrington Group PCC
Appendix B
Sibsey Free School
Operational Status: The school continues to function smoothly, with both staff and children demonstrating dedication and hard work.
Pupil Enrolment: We have welcomed a significant number of new pupils this year, with fourteen enrolments thus far, and we anticipate more in the summer term. However, we have also experienced some departures, reflecting a national trend and an increase in families choosing to home educate. Over the past twelve months, five children from three families have opted for this route. Overall pupil numbers are significantly higher than in September and there were forty-nine applications for Reception places for September 2025, with twenty-five available – reflecting against the national trend of declining numbers, showing Sibsey remains a desirable village and school.
Drop-off and Collection Arrangements: The new arrangements for drop-off and collection have successfully alleviated some of the pressures on parents waiting outside the school and have reduced congestion in the area.
Parking Bay Discussion: We would like to explore the possibility of making the parking bay outside the school designated for school use in the future. This was a topic of previous discussions, and we are eager to collaborate with the parish council to investigate this option further.
Land Development: The land provided by the new development has yet to be officially transferred to the school. We are currently in discussions with Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) and Chestnut regarding the soakaway and access issues. It is important to note that the school will not be able to utilise this land immediately and is awaiting support from LCC for future development, with hopes of becoming a 1-form entry school.
Appreciation for Support: I would like to express our gratitude for the parish council’s ongoing support with various events and projects. I often mention this, but I would like it officially recorded that I believe Sibsey Parish Council is the most proactive council I have encountered—forward-thinking, approachable, dynamic, and deeply community-focused. Thank you for all your continued support for the school.
Graeme Wright
Headteacher to Sibsey Free School
Appendix C
Sibsey Bowls Club
Sibsey Bowls Club was founded in 1935, so this year we are celebrating our 90th anniversary.
Membership - We have twenty-one members, nineteen that bowl and two social members.
Open day - We held our annual open day on Sunday 18 May, with the hope of encouraging people to come along and give bowls a go and hopefully join the club. This tends to be a popular event but getting people to return proves to be a greater challenge.
Season - The green tends to be opened in April and closed in September.
Leagues - We play league matches on Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings. Other leagues are available to join but due to membership numbers, 3 evenings is manageable.
Competitions - Club competitions are run throughout the season. We also run four open competitions, May, June, July and August, where people from other clubs participate. These competitions help to generate much needed funds.
Adam Hodgson
Sibsey Bowles Club
Appendix D
The John Would Charity
The John Would Charity is a small local charity trust whose mission is to provide compassionate financial support for Sibsey Parish residents on those occasions when a little extra help is needed to make ends meet. We are registered with the Charity Commission.
In the last financial year, we helped six individuals with grants amounting to £1,035. These varied from help with heating costs, school trips, education equipment and car repairs.
If you know of anyone who could benefit from our help, please ask them to get in touch with the Chairman, our details are on the Parish Council Website.
As a Charity we are currently looking for a Trustee and a clerk. The Clerk receives an annual honorarium of £250.
If you are interested in either of these positions please contact Mr Gary Limb, 18 Glebe Close, Sibsey who is Chairman of the Trustees
We meet on as necessary basis to discuss any requests we receive for financial help. All requests for financial help are given careful consideration; the grants we provide are not repayable.
Gary Limb
The John Would Charity
Appendix E
Northlands Village Hall
First of all, we would like to pay tribute to our late past Chairman Mr Mark Bedford.
We have had another busy year at the Hall. We have maintained the support of our regular users and continue with ‘Committee organised events.’
Our AGM was held on 19th May 2025. At that meeting questions were raised concerning the proposed playground and the access to this. All present agreed that there should be no direct access to the proposed playground from the village hall premises as the safety risks would be severe.
The Committee warmly thank all involved with the continuing use and maintenance of the Hall.
Rosemary White
Chairman Northlands Village Hall
Appendix F
Sibsey Parish Council
Councillor Ian Watts, Chairman for Sibsey Parish Council relayed the following:
• Though the Parish Council are not Statutory Consultees associated with Planning we are asked for views though these are not usually taken as a local opinion.
• Thank both Village Halls, the Parish Clubs and Organisations for all they do.
• Community Speed Watch have been working hard but are need of volunteers following previous volunteers leaving the group.
• With the backing of Community Speed Watch the Parish Council are considering having SPEC Cameras in the village along the A16.
• The Parish Council are in negotiations in adopting land owned by East Lindsey District Council and hoping to be doing the same with Lincolnshire County Council so that these areas can be more effectively managed.
• Following the recent Devolution Election which means in the future the layer of District Councils will disappear but believe that Parish Councils will remain but unsure if any additional powers and duties will be passed down or be given to another body.
• Support the club at Pymoor Lane
• Manage the Burial Ground at St Margaret’s Church of which the Parish Council are looking at having in the future a Garden of Tranquillity.
• The increase in the precept is to aid looking after the infrastructure and amenities in the parish which include maintenance of grass areas, bus shelters, bins
• Hopefully be able to work closely with both the District and County Councils to provide a better village
• New noticeboards will be replacing the current ones
• No planning details associated with a Play Area at Northlands beside the Village Hall until after the purchase of the land
• Phase 3 of Miller’s Gate planning is out or proportion to the area. These consist of smaller properties and affordable housing.
• Work closely with Sibsey Free School and Friends of Sibsey Free School and will continue to liaise with them with holding the Christmas Fayre.
• Waiting for double yellow lines within Frithville Road due to the constant parking which is causing a controversy for other road users and safety issues
• Pylons and Cabling plans throughout the County especially Sibsey, the Parish Council are hoping that the new Devolution Mayor and Lincolnshire County Council will support the views of the parish
• Tress being planted to keep in conjunction with the required Conservation Scheme.