2025 Parish Council Resolved Minutes

Minutes of the Toynton St Peter Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 24th July 2025 commencing at 7pm
at Toynton Village Hall, Eastville Road, Toynton St Peter

PRESENT    Cllr D Gurney presiding as Chairman
Cllr B Kale and Cllr M O’Driscoll
        
ELDC T Taylor (left 7.54pm)        LCC Cllr M Hume (left at 8.06pm)
Clerk – S Knowles

PUBLIC FORUM
There were two members of the public that asked either the following questions  or made short statements during the time allocated:
•    The dykes with Chapel Lane have not been cleaned and this is causing severe distress to residents especially the amount of flooding that occurs within the area.
•    Concerns raised regarding the erection of the Poultry Units planning application.

1.    REMARKS BY CHAIRMAN
Cllr Gurney welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2.    APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND REASONS GIVEN
All Parish Councillors were in attendance.

3.    TO RECEIVE ANY DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LOCALISM ACT 2011, AND TO CONSIDER ANY APPLICATIONS FOR DISPENSATIONS IN RELATION TO DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS
No declarations of interest were received.

4.    NOTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 23rd MAY 2024 TO BE APPROVED AS THE MINUTES
It was proposed by Cllr Kale, seconded by Cllr Gurney, and resolved to accept these notes as a true and accurate record and thereby signed by the Chairman.

5.    OUTSIDE BODIES REPORT
ELDC Cllr Taylor reported the following:
•    Encourage all  to put their views in regard to the Pylons erection proposal in the county.
•    The Local Government Reform will mean the removal of all District Councils within the County of which will involve the boundaries being rearranged of which a new structure will be formed with fewer councillors with more responsibilities even for more so to Parish Councils.

LCC Cllr Hume reported that she is having difficulty in connecting with Toynton All Saints Parish Council as there does not seem to be any website or local information and no-one has corresponded with her in regard to any request to attend a meeting.

Cllr Hume said that due to the extreme amount of information that she has to relay she gave the clerk a full report (See Appendix A at the end of the Minutes).
According to the Police.uk website
During April 2025 there were no incidents reported.

During May 2025, one incident of anti-social behaviour was reported on or near New Lane.

6.    FINANCIAL MATTERS
a.    Financial Report
The balance of the Treasury Account following deductions  of £8.50 for Bank Charges (June & July 2025) and £47 for Annual ICO Fee and before any payments are made is £8578.94.
    
b.    To approve any payments to be made

It was proposed by Cllr Gurney, seconded by Cllr Kale and resolved that these payments should be made.

7.    PLANNING
a.    Discuss all planning applications currently being reviewed for consultation
One planning application has been received which was being perused by the Planning Forum:
i)    02571/25/FUL – Change of use of land to provide an extension to the existing garden – 98, Main Road, Toynton All Saints of which there were no objections.

b.    Report on any information received regarding Planning Applications
No other information relating to Planning Applications has been received.

8.    HIGHWAYS
Informed the County Councillor that when the resurfacing of the road the speed marking were not repainted on the road of which we had asked the previous County Councillor before to have these reinstalled as believe this is a necessity especially in certain areas within the parish.

9.    PARISH MATTERS
There were no matters discussed.

10.    CORRESPONDENCE
    The following correspondence has been received:
•    LALC e-news 23rd May 6th & 20th June and 4th & 18th July 2025 
•    ELDC Town and Parish news – May, June and July 2025 
•    Grimsby to Walpole: Statutory Consultation Notification 
•    LCC Town and parish council newsletter - June 2025 
•    ELDC Media Release - Popular Lincolnshire coffee shop coming to the Seaview Colonnade in Sutton on Sea 
•    ELDC Media Release - Spilsby Sessions House to be Respectfully Restored and Reopened 
•    ELDC Media Release - Council gives green light for accommodation pod scheme in Skegness 
•    ELDC Media Release - New Seaview Colonnade to open with packed summer holiday programme for Sutton on Sea 
•    East Lindsey and South Holland District Councils launch A Greater Lincolnshire For All - Press Release 
•    ELDC Media Release - The Council Tax Single Person Discount review has begun in East Lindsey 
•    Letter from Witham 4th District IDB re E.A Maintenance Withdrawal - East and West Fen Catchwater Drains  
•    Email re A Greater Lincolnshire for All - Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Lincolnshire 
•    Media Release - East Lindsey District Council Leader issues statement on National Grid pylon consultation 
•    Media Release - The annual canvass process is beginning in East Lindsey 
•    East Lindsey Messenger - Summer 2025 

11.    ANY OTHER MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION ONLY
There were no other matters discussed.    

12.    DATE OF NEXT MEETING
As per previously scheduled the next meeting is Thursday 18th September 2025

There being no further business the meeting finished at 8.13pm
 

Appendix A - LCC Cllr Hume’s report

1              General Issues Raided: Dissolution of the Flooding Committee

Many people have asked me about this, so I thought it would be helpful to give you and update the rationale behind the Council; s decision to dissolve the previous Flooding Committee. I discussed the issue with both the leader of the Council and the Executive Councillor for the Environment, and I have summarised their responses to you.

SUMMARY

The team perceive Lincolnshire County Council to be the lead local flood authority and have engaged in this restructuring process, by dissolving the previous Flooding Committee, and setting up an Environment Scrutiny Committee in its place.

The main point of this change was to enhance efficiency and alight water-related issues, including flood risk management, alongside broader environmental and financial concerns.

Key elements of the restructure include:

Consolidation and Strategic Focus: This means that the new committee provides a single point of scrutiny for all environmental matters, including flooding, to develop clear strategies and policies. This addresses the previous committee’s split focus, as economic development issues are now handled by a separate Growth Committee.

Increased Scrutiny Frequency: The number of annual meetings has increased from four to eight, allowing more comprehensive and more regular oversight. Strategic development and major infrastructure proposals will be scheduled across these meetings, with District Representatives invited for relevant discussions to ensure local voices are heard.

Continued Partner Engagement: Quarterly written reports from partners such as the Environment Agency and Drainage Boards will be circulated to district authorities. Existing operational partnerships will be maintained, reviewed and enhanced to ensure effective environmental protection.

Ongoing Work and Flexibility: All previous committee work will continue, with regular updates from Flood Risk and Water management team on topics like Section 19 Investigations, property flood resilience, capital programs and water resource.

The committee retains the ability to form ‘task and finish groups’ to address specific issues, such as flooding events, ensuring flexibility. Recommendations from the Storm Impact Working Group will also continue to be considered.

Efficiency and Leadership: The restructuring aligns with the council’s mandate to cut waste, reduce debt, and streamline operations. A ‘responsive delivery system’ with strong council leadership, in partnership with other agencies, will address detailed environmental and flood management matters.

The council emphasises its commitment to serving residents and businesses effectively through collaboration with risk management authorities, maintaining a focus on consistent, efficient and effective environmental protection.

Strengths:

• This is more of a holistic approach: Integrating flood management into a broader environmental framework recognises the interconnections of issues like flooding, climate change, and land use, potentially leading to more cohesive strategies, not just in the short term, but for longer term prevention strategies.
• Enhance Scrutiny: Doubling the number of meetings and involving District Representatives should enable deeper, more localised scrutiny, improving accountability and relevance.
• Flexibility: The provision for ‘task and finish groups’ ensure the committee can address urgent and specific flooding issues, mitigating the risk of diluted focus within the broader environment scope.
• Partnership Commitment: The emphasis on maintaining and enhancing partnerships with key agencies like Environment Agency is promising, as is it clear and effective flood management requires strong collaboration.

Concerns:

• Risk of Dilution: The broader environmental scope could divert attention from flooding, a critical issue for our area given the flooding history. The success of the ‘task and finish groups’ in maintaining focus will be crucial – and I will prompt them on a regular basis, to make sure that we are not forgotten, or deprioritised.
• Lack of Clarity: Neither explanation provided any clear details on ‘how’ they plan to demonstrate the efficacy of the project; and precisely ‘how’ partnerships can be enhanced in order to achieve better outcomes. And again, I have written a report (which includes much of the information I have laid out here), for their consideration, so that they can consider concerns, as one of the main areas that suffers with flooding, and come back to us with further detail, to clarify the points that are of concern.

GLOSSARY

• Capital programs are strategic plans that outline how we can invest in long term physical assets, such as infrastructure, buildings, or equipment. These programs typically involve significant, one-time expenditures aimed at creating or improving assts that will benefit the community in the longer term.
• Section 19 Investigations: Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, these are conducted by Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) to investigate flood incidents and determine the responsible Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) and their actions. These investigations are discretionary, meaning the LLFA decides if a formal investigation is necessary based on the severity and impact of the flood. The goal is to understand the causes and responsibilities related to the flood event and to inform future flood risk management. Public record: The results of the investigation are typically published as a Section 19 report, providing a public record of the flood event and the identified responsibilities.

OFFICIAL RESPONSES:

Leader of the Council: “Lincolnshire County Council takes its responsibility as the lead local authority extremely seriously. The opportunity to have a single point of scrutiny on all matters environmental impact provides the opportunity to develop clear strategies and policies for the benefit of residents and businesses. This change will increase the number of meetings held per year from 4 to 8 and focusses the committee on all environmental matters – including flooding – whereas the previous environment and economy committee had to discuss economic development matters that will now be discussed by a separate Growth Committee. And, as previously, committees can still set up task and finish groups to focus on specific incidents or issues – like flooding events – if these are needed.

We are elected to cut waste, reduce the debt and streamline the council. Moving flooding into the Environment Portfolio does just that. Existing operational partnership arrangements will be maintained, reviewed and enhanced to provide the effective environmental protection. Matters of detail will be addressed through a responsive delivery system with appropriate leadership by LCC in partnership with other agencies”.

Executive Councillor for the Environment: “By way of explanation the work of the former committee was reviewed, and it as felt that it could be better served to be considered within the new Environment Scrutiny Committee. This is not to say that we in any way diminish the importance of the work carried out but rather that we are able to ensure that the appropriate focus on the right issues at the right time is given whilst recognising the many links between water and the rest of the work of the Environment Scrutiny Committee.

We will continue to receive programme update reports from partner organisations such as the Environment Agency, Anglian Water and the Drainage Boards on a quarterly basis as we did before and I have asked that these reports be in writing so as to be able to circulate them to the district authorities.

We will also receive specific reports on strategic development work and major infrastructure proposals, and these will be scheduled across the eight meetings of the new scrutiny committee as opposed to the four meetings of the old system. I have also asked that the district representatives be invited to attend these items where their areas are being considered and I believe that this is a much more efficient use of time for all concerned and will be at a more focussed level allowing for better scrutiny.

None of the work from the previous committee is being discarded and we see this as a continuation albeit within a new format, indeed, there will be an update item from the Council’s Flood Risk and Water Management team at each of the eight meetings covering a range of topics such as Section 19 Investigations, property flood resilience, the capital programme and water resource management. We will also continue to consider the recommendations posed from Storm Impact Working Group which had concluded earlier this year.

The Council fully recognises the importance of the work carried out in this sector, across all organisations and within all district authority areas and I can assure you we will continue to work with, and challenge, when necessary, our partner risk management authorities to ensure that the residents and businesses of Lincolnshire are well served by all and in a consistent, efficient and effective way”.

2              Letter from EM Johnson, Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board

I received a copy of this letter forwarded by one of the parishes and immediately passed it on to the Councillor responsible for Environment/Flooding issues, so that he could follow up. If you have not yet had a chance to read it – the gist of it is:

The Board wrote toe the Environment Agency noting they are going to withdraw maintenance on the East and West Fen Catchwater Drains, fir 2025-2026 financial year. They note their reasons as a “significant funding shortfall”.

The Board expressed their concerns about the increased flood risk and they have resolved to fund the maintenance themselves, for one year only, being 2025-2026.

I do not yet have exact dates nor any future detail on this yet. I did chase up my earlier email to the Environment Councillor, and he noted having emailed the on Monday, after receiving my email, but had not heard back as yet. He has sent a further email today, prompting a response and I will update you as soon as I hear back from him.

I have attached a summary/breakdown of the key points of the letter below:

Key Points:

• EA Withdrawal: No maintenance on East and West Fen Catchwater Drains in 2025/2026.
• PSCA history: 8-year partnership with £4million in work delivered.
• Funding shortfall: EA only received 31% of requested DEFRA funds.
• Flood risk: Board highlights risk to lowland areas, referencing Storm Babet.
• Board’s action: Will cover the shortfall for one year only to complete maintenance.
• Reassurance: Board aims to protect communities and reduce flood risk.

Note:

The Board has written to inform stakeholders that the Environment Agency (EA) will withdraw from maintenance activities on the East and West Fen Catchwater Drains for the 2025-26 financial year due to a significant funding shortfall.

For the past eight years, the Board has carried out this maintenance under the Public Sector Cooperation Agreement (PSCA) with the EA delivering around £4million worth of work. However, for 2025-26, the EA received only 31% of the funding it requested from DEFRA, forcing it to re-prioritise and cut back on maintenance.    Despite efforts to  prevent this, the drains in question have been excluded from the EA’s maintenance programme. The Board is concerned about the increased flood risk, especially in light of past events like Storm Babet, which caused overtopping and damage.

To mitigate this, the Board has resolved to fund the maintenance themselves for one year only, ensuring the 2025-26 programme is completed.