Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday, 7th April 2026 at 7pm
Location: Church Meeting Room
Councillors Present and Attendees
Cllr. S. Mathison, (chair) Cllr. J. Richardson (Vice Chair), Cllr. L. Burrows, Cllr. A. Fearnall, Cllr. G. Jones, Cllr. I. Lamping, Councillor. G. Oldroyd, Cllr. K . Roydhouse
Present: Cllr. P. Smith (ERYC), A. Woodward (Clerk and RFO)
No members of the public were present
A minute’s silence was held to remember the life and contribution made to Leven Parish by the former ward Councillor Phylis Pollard.
26/27
1. Apologies
Cllr. D. Robins
2. Declaration of pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests
None
3. Approval of minutes of the last meeting as a true record
Proposed: Cllr. Lamping, Seconded Cllr. Burrows Minutes Agreed
4. Report from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) – Cllr P. Smith
Cllr. Smith outlined discussions being held specifically with Tickton Parish Council regarding the recent accidents and fatalities on the A1035. A meeting is being held on the 26th April which will lead to further discussions with ERYC Highways officers. Cllr Smith will give feedback to this council any conclusions/actions agreed recognizing that issues with this highway directly affect residents and businesses in this parish.
Cllr Smith is seeking clarity on how the new boundary arrangements will impact on Routh Wind Farm Panel representation.
5. Report from the local police team – Humberside Police PCSO Legard
The office did not attend
6. To receive and approve the Clerk’s Report
A -The clerk updated councillors on the year end process and audit which is now underway.
B -The clerk outlined the permissive paths process and the legal requirements associated with them.
C -The clerk will be preparing the chairman’s Annual Report for the AGM in May.
D -It is recommended that Leven does not continue with the Civicely asset management software now the free period has ended as it does not represent good VFM for a small council. It was AGREED to not proceed with a subscription on grounds of Value for money
E -A draft invitation to tender or grass cutting has been shared previously. Cllrs. agreed at a meeting last year to cover both the Jubilee Gardens and the churchyard to potentially achieve VFM. Previously, the Parish supported the church costs via a section 137 grant. The tender return date is 1st May 2026. After a discussion it was AGREED to proceed with the tender process for the Jubiliee Garden only.
F – Two councillors have resigned since the last meeting. Cllr. Towse and Cllr. Hall. The clerk will inform electoral services at ERYC to start the process of recruitment. It was agreed that the clerk would write to the councillors to thank them for there time on the parish and the support they provided
G – Since the last meeting the clerk has spoken to the Community Payback team regarding the use of photos on social media. The service confirmed that it encourages this kind of publicity for the work of the service in local communities. The clerk has agreed in future to share any photos with the service for consideration to allay any concerns related to GDPR.
H – A quotation for insurance for 2026/27 has been received from the current provider. Due to an increase in the precept and asset value held by the Council the clerk has asked this to be reviewed.
I – The clerk requested that ‘in meeting’ training sessions be temporarily suspended during the year end and audit period. It was AGREED to suspend the training events until further notice
7. To consider the Action Tracker and report updates
The tracker was discussed and updated accordingly.
8. To note and, if required, AGREE action related to correspondence
A – Speedwatch – meeting was held earlier on 7th April with the police and the coordinator. A recruitment campaign for volunteers is now being progressed. Online training is available to those that volunteer their time. An active Speedwatch group will assist the Parish in attracting grant funding to address speeding mitigation activity
B – A1035 Road Closures – Have your say – Correspondence received from Tickton PC to seek support other PCs on providing experiences to ERYC Highways of the road issues. It was AGREED that the clerk will write to ERYC to express concerns.
C – HART medibus service – correspondence received seeking a donation to the scheme for its on going service to the community. It was agreed to donate £200 from Section 137 to support the service in Leven.
D – Catwick Bridleway no 1 – Notice of order made by ERYC to temporarily divert the footpath until June 2039.
9. To consider and respond to ERYC planning applications
None received
10. To note ERYC planning decisions
A – An Installation of a motor control centre kiosk and chemical doing kiosk (retrospective) – Yorkshire Water – Agreed
B – Erection of a roadside service facility; comprising a petrol filling station with associated shop and café. Leven Garage, Leven Road. – Agreed
11. Finance
A – To consider the budget monitoring report
Noted and AGREED
B – To APPROVE the bank reconciliation
Noted and Approved
C – To consider and AUTHORISE payments and note receipts outlined in the attached appendix
Payments AUTHORISED
12. To discuss, identify and AUTHORISE training and development
Deferred until after the audit process.
13. To receive and discuss Cllr representatives’ updates as relevant
Cllrs. Fearnall and Roydhouse – expressed ongoing concerns re the governance of the Playing Fields Association. The lack of a formal agenda and action tracker makes the meetings difficult to navigate.
14. To discuss and, if agreed, AUTHORISE expenditure related to the following matters
A – Commuted Sums – The clerk reported that a costing /objectives report has been sent to ERYC re the information boards and that the Parish has now been invited to submit a formal bid. ERYC officers have reported that bids have been received from the Recreation Hall and Sports Hall re capital improvements. Bids are still awaited from both bowling groups. The Chair and the clerk held a meeting with the PFA employee and Playdale regarding the extension and enhancement of the play area. Playdale are now drawing up a plan and associated funding for further consideration.
B – Replacement notice board – Cllr Richardson
Deferred to the next meeting
C – Love Leven Sponsorship 2026 –
It was AGREED that the clerk will contact past sponsors to seek contributions to the summer planting in Leven. A resident has expressed interest in sponsoring an additional planter on Barleygate and discussions are underway.
D – Use of WhatsApp – Cllr. Richardson
It was AGREED that the informal WhatsAPP group will strictly only be used to update cllrs. and seek clarification
E – Church Assets – Cllr. Mathison
A discussion was held regarding the vicarage and the state of the garden. It was AGREED to ask the Community payback team to help sort it out. Cllr. Fearnall agreed to contact them.
15 Date and Time of Next scheduled meeting
Tuesday 5th May in the Church Meeting Room
AGM 6.30pm
Regular Meeting 7pm
Appendix – Finance
Payments
| Month | Who | What | Amount £ inc VAT |
| April | Scribe | Subscription | £37.20 |
| Mar | Adobe | Software | £19.97 |
| Mar | Lloyds Bank | Charge card fee | £3 |
| Mar | Clerk | Salary | £890.93 |
| Mar | Handypersons | Salary | £581.51 |
| Apr | Unity Trust Bank | Bank Charges | £6 |
| Mar | ERYC | Salt Bin Maintenance | £396 |
| Mar | N Power | Festive Electricity Consumption | £1.59 |
| Mar | Scribe | AGAR annual health check | £94.80 |
| Feb | Amazon | Hand Cart lite for litter picking | £149 |
| Feb | Amazon | Lever arch files | £15.68 |
| Feb | Amazon | Litter picker grab | £23.98 |
| Feb | Amazon | Printer paper | £17.99 |
| Mar | Autela | Payroll | £102 |
Receipts
| From | What | Amount |
None
Signed: ____________________________Chair
Date: ____________________________