Parish council

PRESENT:  Cllrs Maciag, Bolton, Hargrave, Downer and Hodson. 

County Councillor Gardener, District Councillor Alban and Cllr Nankivel joined the meeting later.

0093.25 Cllr Maciag, as Chairperson, welcomed those present at the meeting

0094.25 There were no apologies                               

0095.25 There were no declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda

0096.25 No members of the Public & Press were present

0097.25 Minutes of the meeting held on 18^th November 2025 were confirmed as a correct record by Cllrs Bolton and Hodson

0098.25 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk.

               Clerk –

Update on Rural Gigabit Voucher scheme (fibre broadband) – no positive plans as no     provider to invest at present

               Neighbourhood Plan update from Paul Hargrave – documents submitted to Hunts DC

               Remembrance Poppies – may need to purchase additional/replacements for 2026

  Cllr Bolton had enquired of HuntsDC if all households would receive a food waste bin in April and this was confirmed.

***AMENDMENT – Cllr Bolton enquired of HuntsDC whether it was possible to opt out of receiving a food waste bin and told that it wasn’t possible.***

He had reported flooding due to blocked drain at bottom of Gains Lane to Highways Dept.

Cllr Hargrave – the recent Christmas Fair made a profit of £207 and the Sawtry Chorale concert had been very well attended.

A training session for the use of the defibrillator and CPR had recently been held.

Cllr Downer has reported the pothole outside 38 Main Street to Highways Dept.

District Cllr Alban joined – he advised that HuntsDC had chosen Option E for the Local Govt Reorganisation, this being based on potential for population growth in the county over the next few years and the strategic site at RAF Wyton.  
District Council elections will still take place in May 2026

Local Plan – whilst there were no proposed sites in Great Gidding, there were several sites in Sawtry proposed.  Final date for responses is 17^th December.

Cllr Alban left the meeting.

County Cllr Gardener joined and will obtain a definitive answer from Highways Dept regarding the steps that are to be taken with regard to the change in road layout for the AD Unit.  He did advise that CambsCC Planning will next meet on Weds. 11 February (but the agenda is not yet available, therefore this application may not be included).

CambsCC Business Plan is open for consultation and Parish Councils are able to submit comments.

He gave an update on the replacement Highways online reporting service and Cllr Downer requested him to enquire of the Footpath Officer when action may be taken regarding Footpath No 6, particularly the gate to Chapel End.

LHI bids close on 16 January and 20MPH scheme for Little Gidding is still on the list for consideration.

CambsCC are encouraging residents to sign up for Pension Credit

Cllr Maciag  informed Cllr Gardener that Milton Estates have taken action, resulting in CambsCC removing the portion of the school building that encroached on Milton Estates land.  The debris was removed to the rear playground and remains there with asbestos present in that debris.  Cllr Maciag requested Cllr Gardener to contact those departments at CambsCC and request removal of the debris (Head of Education, Head of Environmental Health, Mark Freer of Education Dept).

Cllr Gardener left the meeting.

Cllr Nankivel joined the meeting.

0099.25 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) Bank statements from Barclays Bank will be shared at the meeting (arrived on day of    meeting)

Balance in account as at 4^th December 2025 – £4784.37

b) PAYMENTS – the following online payments were approved by Cllrs Hodson and Hargrave

Who	What for	TOTAL	Invoice includes this VAT amount
Staff costs	Wages for October (41 hours) HMRC National Insurance	£608.44 £28.72	NIL

• Clerk’s working hours for November, a total of 37 hours – Cllrs Hodson and Hargrave approved
• Payroll services have advised that Pay Scales for Clerk were increased from 1^st April 2025.  This Clerk, will remain on scale point 14, hourly rate will increase to £15.31. 
• Confirmation of amount of precept to be applied for as £13000 – proposed and seconded by Cllrs Hodson and Maciag.  See 0103.25 below

0100.25  PLANNING applications and  matters:

              a)awaiting date of the planning meeting at which the Hemington Lodge Road application will be discussed (See County Cllr Gardener report above)

              b) no planning applications received on which the Parish Council should comment.       

0101.25 Local Government Reorganisation – see correspondence and District Cllr Alban’s report

0102.25 Cllr Downer to outline defined dates of publication of Minutes and Agendas –

              Draft Minutes should be sent to Councillors within 3 working days

              Draft Minutes to be published within 14 working days after the meeting date

              Agenda to be available 3 working days prior to the meeting

0103.25 Research findings regarding change to a GOV.UK website had been shared by Cllr Nankivel prior to the meeting.  Parish Councils must comply before the 2026 AGAR is due.  This will be a dedicated Parish Council only website and discussion followed regarding the current village website support that the Parish Council provides.

              DECISION to adopt a GOV.UK website with dedicated email addresses for Clerk and Councillors.   Proposed by Cllr Hodson and seconded by Cllr Maciag

              Clerk will obtain comparative quotes from providers.

              An IT policy must be devised for the Parish Council

              The cost involved in setting up the required website and ongoing support necessitates an increase to the Precept for 2026/27

              Cllr Downer proposed the purchase of a laptop to accommodate the upgrade to Windows 11

              DECISION to purchase a laptop.  Proposed by Cllr Downer and seconded by Cllr Bolton

              Telephone and Broadband provision to the Parish Office – due to issues with the Vodaphone contract, the Clerk will set up a 36 month contract with BT Business Broadband w.e.f. 9^th January 2026.  Replacement router to enable connection.

1. Village Maintenance – 

Recreation Field – ideas of how to create a car parking area – this item held over until January 2026 meeting

0105.25 Correspondence received between 18^th October and 12 December 2025:

              a) NALC newsletters – dated                         Chief Executives Bulletin                   NALC events,

              b)Cambridgeshire County Council –

• Cambridgeshire Matters November edition
• LHI application window is open until 16 January 2026 
• Christmas Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme to families within the parish. The Programme operates between 20 December to 4 January
• Highways events – Whittlesey Straw Bear 17^th January 2026
• Traffic Management Incident report for November
• Information about Capitally Funded Highway Maintenance Schemes
• From Chief Executive (dated 27/11) details of Option A proposal
• Temporary Closure of Winwick Road during January 2026

c) Huntingdonshire District Council –

• Town and Parish Council Newsletter (includes CIL information, LHI bid reminder, Local Plan information, Reorganisation information, 3G pitch for St Ives, Elections 2026, Be A Councillor)
• Notification of revised Waste Collection Days, household Recycling Centre closure dates, Christmas tree recycling and (starting in March 2026) weekly food waste collections
• Press release – Hunts DC support Option E for Local Government Reorganisation
• Press release – Hunts DC takes over the operation of Thursday Market Place in St Neots
• Cambridgeshire Classis Cycle Event – 7 March 2026 – further details
• Consultation document for Resources and Waste Strategy (2025-2031)
• Consultation on Proposed Solar and Battery Storage Project to the NW of St Neots
• Press release – reminder to Have Your Say on the Local Plan (ends 17^th December)
• Waste Education Centre newsletter –  recycling everything!
• Statement of Intent to develop a Defence Cluster for Huntingdonshire

d) Cambs &Pboro Combined Authority – monthly newsletter

e) Cambs ACRE – Staying in Touch newsletter

f) CAPALC – nothing

g) Parish Online monthly newsletter

h) cpft.nhs.uk – activities and services offered by the services

0106.25  Any Urgent Business

In accordance with section 100(B)(4) of the Local           Government   Act 1972 (as amended) the Chair will admit an item of urgent business in order that it can be dealt with at the earliest opportunity provided it has been raised at least 24 hours before the meeting – see items in blue, added 6^th December 2025

0107.25  Items for next meeting:

 Car parking area for Village Hall

 The next meeting will commence at 7.30pm on 20^th January 2026

 in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding. 

Meeting closed at 21.44

Held on Tuesday 21^st October, in the Village Hall, Great Gidding – starting at 7.30PM

Minutes approved at meeting held on 18th November 2025

PRESENT: Cllrs Maciag, Hargrave, Hodson, Bolton, Downer, Nankivell, County Cllr Gardener and District Councillor Alban, the Clerk and 21 members of the public

0067.25 Cllr Maciag, as Chairperson, welcomed those present to the meeting

0068.25 There were no apologies for absence                                   

0069.25 There were no Member’s declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda

0070.25 No members of the Press were present.  Members of the Public were in attendance in respect of item 0074.25b Highways application in respect of Hemington Lodge Road and its junction with B660 – CambsCC application no CCC/25/107/FUL – there followed considerable comment and discussion regarding all aspects of this application, particular concerns were raised regarding the increased heavy goods vehicle and agricultural vehicle traffic that will impact on travel through the village and on the local road network.  Cllr Gardener read out additional notes provided by Planning Dept of CambsCC (these were added to the village website on 22/10/2025) and encouraged both Parish Councillors and concerned residents to attend the planning committee session at which this application will be discussed (Date and details to follow when known).  Parish Councillors will write a response to the application, setting out their objections and highlighting the concerns of parishioners.

0071.25 Minutes of the meeting held on 16^th September  2025 were confirmed as a correct record by Cllrs Bolton and Hargrave.

0072.25 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk.

              Cllr Alban reported:

  He has sent an objection to the planning application regarding the re-aligned access to     Hemington Lodge Road.

Local Government reorganisation – Option E, a standalone Huntingdonshire authority is still an option to be considered.

Civil Parking enforcement is being carried out in towns but has not yet spread out across the whole district.

Clara Kerr, head of Planning Department, will attend a District Wide Parish Council meeting to discuss the next stage of the Local Plan procedure.

Cllr Alban left to attend another Parish Council meeting.

Cllr Gardener reported:

Cambs CC have chosen Option A (Peterborough, Huntingdonshire and Fenland) as the preferred option for the Local Government reorganisation – Cllr Gardener will vote for Option E (Huntingdonshire as a standalone authority).

The revised Highways reporting system is up and running, we should check that all reports have been transferred, are relevant and update them to reflect the current state of any highways issues – anyone can report an issue, it will be assessed/triaged and auctioned accordingly.  Cllr Gardener will hold regular meetings with the Highways Maintenance Manager.

The next round of the LHI scheme is open between 10^th November and 16^th January for bids to be submitted. 20MPH scheme bids are open between 26^th January and 26^th March (Little Gidding scheme remains “on the list”).

Cambridgeshire County Council funds Healthy You, a service that provides free NHS Health Checks for adults aged 40-74 to screen for conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. See https://healthyyou.org.uk/ to book an appointment

Cllr Hargrave:

Over £500 raised at the McMillan coffee morning

38 bookings already for the Quiz and Fish and Chip Supper in November

Clerk – Remembrance Sunday, there are no details yet of a service at Great Gidding.  Poppies will be placed at bottom crossroads.

0073.25 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

             a) Bank statements from Barclays Bank (not yet received)

• Parish Council (everyday) Account  – balance as at 4/10/2025 £8700.29 (includes £500 bequest and £2500 grant)
  • Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/10/2025  £21827.57
  • Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/10/2025  – £211.27

b) PAYMENTS – Cllrs Hargrave and Bolton approved the following payments and clerk’s working hours

Who	What for	TOTAL	Invoice includes this VAT amount	Authorised	Authorised
Staff costs	Wages for August (29 hours) HMRC National Insurance	Up to £500 (figure not available at meeting)	NIL	JRT
Viking	Print cartridges, paper and other stationery	135.59	22.60
Bradgate Grounds Maintenance	Invoice no 3285	253.03	42.17
Karl Morgan Maintenance	Painting of 2 x benches	339.00 (less £23 for paint)	NIL
Julie Trolove	Paint for benches – reimbursement	23.00	NIL
Ady Pendred signs	Noticeboard and installation	1440.00	240.00
CAPALC	Training sessions for 2 x Councillors	150.00	NIL

• Clerk’s working hours for September   – a total of 28 hours – approved, see above
• Review of finance and budget to date, with a view to setting 2026/27 precept – this will be on the November agenda

0074.25  PLANNING applications and  matters:

              a) 25/01714/HHFUL  Two storey and single storey rear extensions 6 Winwick Road Great Gidding Huntingdon PE28 5PB

              DECISION – a retrospective application as this was built some time ago, in the Conservation Area, but does not impact on visual street scene.

              b) Highways application in respect of Hemington Lodge Road and its junction with B660 – CambsCC application no CCC/25/107/FUL

              DECISION –  objection due to increased traffic through village and on local, unsuitable road network, and resulting safety issues

              Copy of residents correspondence (x4) to CambsCC regarding this application was shared with Councillors prior to the meeting

              c) Baptist Chapel – information sent to Tim Alban from the Conservation Officer

              d) School site – Cambs CC (Mark Freer) advised that demolition and dismantling work starts on Monday 20^th October (already started on Thursday 16^th October)

              e) District Councillor Alban has arranged a District wide Parish Council meeting to take place on Wednesday 5^th November, with Clara Kerr Head of Planning in attendance and particularly to discuss the next stage of the Local Plan – Cllr Maciag will attend.

0075.25  Local Government re-organisation. Introduction of option E – to retain Huntingdonshire as a standalone unitary authority. – see Cllr reports above

0076.25 Village Maintenance – 

1. The newt trail (Cllr Downer to report) – he advised that the gate has not been replaced and requested an update from the Footpath Officer – Clerk to send email
2.  Rec ground maintenance – ongoing grass cutting contract.  Contractors had miscounted and carried out 2 extra cuts and requested payment – Cllrs reluctantly agreed.  Bradgate had also suggested that cutting should continue to end of October – over the next few months Cllrs will consider how to manage grass cutting, revise the areas to be cut and frequency of cuts, taking into account users of the Rec Field, and the Winwick Road properties.
3. Noticeboard installed – Clerk has added Hunts DC logo, acknowledged the grant given and will send a photograph as requested by the terms of the grant.  Refund of unspent monies will follow.  (Smartwater on this item)

0077.25 Allotments – Renewal letters were sent out – all paid, except for Plot No 10 which became vacant and has been offered to the first name on the waiting list.  Clerk requested clarification of terms of tenancy, this will be revised and tenant will be advised.

0078.25 Correspondence received since 16^th September 2025 :

              a) NALC newsletters – dated                         Chief Executives Bulletin                   NALC events,

b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters monthly edition

 Traffic Management Centre incident report for roads (4 in Huntingdonshire during last month),

Highways events during coming months – nearest is a Remembrance event in Sawtry. 

Community Food initiative small grants available in respect of food poverty, 

   Local Highways Initiative – 2026/27 expression of interest

  The Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region

Information about replacement Highways asset management system, known as Aurora – clerk has attended online information session. 

Waste Education Newsletter

c) Huntingdonshire District Council –

• Town and Parish Council Newsletter (includes weekly food waste collection from April 2026),
• Request for volunteers for the Winter Gritting season.
• Press release about Paxton Pits Nature Reserve
• invitation to Annual Climate Conference takes place on Wednesday 5^th November at Burgess Hall – looking for attendees and stall holders, 
• next CIL round funding starts 27^th October for applications to be submitted,
• online events to encourage residents to stand in May 2026 polls
• Dr Bike sessions to be held during November

d) Cambs &Pboro Combined Authority – monthly newsletter, includes buses

e) Cambs ACRE

f) CAPALC – adverts for job vacancies

g) Society of Local Council Clerks – advert for a Deputy CEO

h) Parish Online monthly newsletter

i)  Huntingdon Archives – request for return of legal documents loaned some years ago.

0079.25  Items for next meeting:

Review of finance and budget to date, with a view to setting 2026/27 precept

Information Technology – website and email addresses

Rec Field – management of grass cutting, areas and frequency

 The next meeting will commence at 7.30pm on 18^th November 2025

 in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.