2026 January

Draft minutes will be agreed at the meeting on 19 March 2026.

DRAFT MINUTES OF THE SWYNNERTON PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

     Held on Thursday, 22 January 2026 at Hanchurch Village Hall

Councillors in attendance: Cllr R James

     Cllr P Marsh, Cllr N Adams, Cllr N Leeson. Cllr P Cheadle

Stafford Borough Council:  Cllr R James

Stafford County Council:  Cllr S Bagguley

In attendance:  L Davies (Parish Clerk), members of the public

Public Question Time

1. The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2. To consider matters raised by members of the public
   • A resident of Beech, and member of the local road safety action group, spoke about concerns surrounding the recording and subsequent statistics for road accidents/incidents on the Beech Road and the lack of adequate action by statutory bodies to address these problems.
   • Members of a Tittensor Solar Farm Acton Group addressed the meeting to raise the concerns of the local community and request support for opposing the proposed development.A Trustee of Hanchurch village hall raised that the trees surrounding the hall needed to be either cut back or removed and a request was made whether the Parish Council could contribute to the cost of these essential maintenance works. It was agreed to consider this at the March meeting.

3. Reports from County and Borough Councillors
   • Cllr Bagguley provided an update on the road safety changes in Beech.
   • The County Council are proposing a council tax increase of 3.99%.
   • Cllr James stated an increase of 2.99% council tax increase is being proposed by the Borough Council.

Parish Council Meeting

1. Apologies for absence received

Apologies were received from Cllr D Bishop and Cllr T Love.

2. Declarations of interest, to consider written requests from Councillors to grant dispensation (under S33, Localism Act, 2011).

No declarations of interest were noted

3. Approval of the Minutes of the Parish Council meetings held on Thursday 27 November 2025

     The minutes of the last Parish Council meeting were considered, APPROVED and signed by the Chairman.

4. Discuss matters arising from the Minutes not covered in the Agenda

No further matters were discussed

5. Review of the planning committee observations
   • The planning applications received and decided since the last meeting were reviewed by the meeting.

6. Receive the Clerk’s report – correspondence received and progress report on matters not on the agenda
   • The Clerk’s report was considered, and matters noted.
   • The shelter at Swynnerton play area is scheduled to be installed in the last week of February.

7. Financial matters
   • The meeting considered the funding requirement for the year ending March 2027 with reference to the draft budget. It was proposed, seconded and AGREED that the precept requested should not be increased and remain at £34,000.
   • The payments for January 2026 were presented for approval, duly approved and signed.
   • The financial statements and bank reconciliation to 31 December 2025 were considered and signed.

8. Discuss completion of s16 project application for the Tittensor play area improvement project and consider quote and scheme received to date
   • The s106 application was considered and it was AGREED that the Clerk should complete the form and submit to the Borough Council.
   • Should the s106 funds be secured, it was AGREED that the budget for the project be set at £25,000 which would include £22,487 of s106 funding.
   • The quote and scheme received from Sutcliffe was discussed. It was agreed to move ahead to obtain at least 2 more quotes for the project.

9. Consider purchasing bleed out kits for communities in the Parish.
   • The cost of bleed out kits and cabinets are £400 and do not require an electrical connection. Kits have a shelf life of around 4 years.
   • Suitable locations for the bleed kits in Swynnerton, Tittensor and Hanchurch/Trentham were considered.
   • It was AGREED that kits and cabinets should be purchased for the 3 locations and permission to be sought from asset owners of potential locations.

10. Receive and update regarding the proposed mounted solar farm on land south of Beechcliffe Lane
    • The Parish Council has been informed by IG Renewables, planning consultants for the project, that plans for the solar farm have been paused. No further information has been provided. The website for the proposal has also been changed to a holding page.
    • Cllr Marsh stated that the local action group intends to hold a community meeting and requested that the Parish Council provide funds for hire of the village hall. The matter was discussed but the Parish Council did not approve the request for funds. It was noted that the Parish Council understood the community’s opposition to the proposed plans and that consideration on the matter would be revisited when the consultation process recommenced and/or a planning application was received.

• The date of the next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 19 March 2026, 7.15pm at Swynnerton Village Hall

There being no further business, the Chair closed this Meeting.