Annual Parish Meeting minutes - DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VILLAGE MEETING OF TETNEY
Held on the 22nd April 2026
in St. John’s Methodist Chapel school room at 7pm.
Those present: 5 Parish Councillors, 9 members of community groups, 1 parish elector, County Councillor Robinson, District Councillor McMillan and the Parish Clerk.
1. Chairman’s welcome.
Cllr McMillan welcomed everyone to the meeting. He outlined where the fire exits were, that it was a no smoking building and where to congregate should the building be evacuated.
2. Chairman’s report on Parish Council activities.
Cllr McMillan gave a brief overview of the annual Parish Council report which can be viewed on the Parish website in full. www.tetney.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk
3. Reports from County and District Councillors
Lincolnshire County Councillor Robinson reported that;
• LCC has lowest precept in country. £6m extra funding approved for Highways, with £4m for potholes and £2m for drainage. Extra investment to fire service.
• Road and footpath restructuring and dressing to take place within parish and on A1031 at North Cotes. Parking restrictions at various locations within parish to be looked into.
• Lincolnshire mayoral authority approached about funding for improved bus connections.
• All road signs cleaned or replaced. Use “Fix my street” to report any issues.
East Lindsey District Councillor McMillan reported that;
• ELDC worked closely with the Environment Agency to monitor the coast and wildlife after two ships collided in the North Sea.
• 27 new refuse lorries purchased with separate section for weekly food waste collection beginning in autumn.
• ELDC & LCC will be dissolved to form a unitary council in line with government expectation with provisional date set for April 2028.
• £4000 of Councillor community grants awarded to various Tetney & North Cotes groups last year. Grants are available to apply for again immediately via Cllr McMillan.
4. Reports from community groups.
Girl Guiding group
• Rainbows, Brownies, Guides & Rangers provide activities for girls aged 4 -16 years with each group having between 10 – 30 members.
• Camping equipment bought via a grant from District Cllr McMillan allowed the group to go on overnight trips to Cherry Garth and The Deep and to be fully self-sufficient.
• Guides join with the Sea Scouts for water-based activities, 14 girls went to Lincolnshire Poacher last year with 34 going this year.
• Thanks offered to Tetney Leek Club and Cllr McMillan for their financial support and to the wider community in general.
Tetney Playing Field & Village Hall
• Hall is constantly used by wide range of groups. Various events large and small taking place including Todd Fest, 60’s & 70’s fundraising evenings and a dog show. Football team to be started in autumn.
• District Cllr grant put towards swings in play area although proving to be more expensive to install than buy the swings, options are being researched. A new flag pole and flag designed by the primary school to be installed.
• Many large repairs needed including a new roof & ceiling. Fundraising activities planned and grants to be applied for.
• Online survey to ask residents what they want from the hall and to try to increase size of the committee.
Tetney Women’s Institute
• AGM in March saw new committee elected. Currently 17 members and looking to grow numbers. Many longstanding members including a member of 70 years of dedicated membership.
• Various speakers came throughout the year, favourite meeting was on forensics. Speakers planned for coming year as well as crafts, raffles, members night and secret Santa night in December. Annual flower and craft show in July with trophies given to winning entries.
• Lots of outside visits and trips for members to go on and join with other WI groups for trips further afield.
• Annual conference in Lincoln last year had guest speaker linked to domestic abuse which was the national project for the year. This year the national project is “Bystanders being lifesavers”.
St. John’s Methodist Chapel
• St. John’s Methodist Chapel celebrating 150 years this year with special events planned including a dog show, anniversary coffee morning and choral evening.
• Sunday worship is at 10.30am, with 12 members and regular congregation of 14 although don’t have to be a member to attend, doors are open to everyone. A St. John’s magazine is produced quarterly and delivered to 80 residents.
• The Chapel is self-funding through collections and fundraising events held every month, including Beetle drives, quiz nights, bingo, coffee mornings every 1st Thursday of the month and summer/Christmas fairs. All repairs have to be funded by the Chapel with no monies coming from the Methodist circuit.
• The Chapel is a community hub, open to all and has provided a warm space, contact and support to many. A bus trip for 30 was arranged in July to the museum of Lincolnshire Life. Harvest is celebrated with a coffee morning and harvest supper for 40 with an auction of donated harvest goods after, it is well supported by the local farming community. A Christmas meal for 40 invited guests as part of the “Talking together” project has been held annually for 6 years.
St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s Church
• A church has stood on the site since 6th century with Viking knights buried in the churchyard. It is now linked with Holton - le - Clay church with services in Tetney on 2nd & 4th Sundays.
• Activities are held within the church including weekly pilates, tea and chatter and jigsaw afternoons. The primary school children visit annually. Primrose Day was well attended last year as was the ever popular pudding night with soup and as many puddings are you can eat on offer. Street parties within the church have also been arranged.
• The Remembrance service is held in rotation with St. John’s Chapel. A Good Friday service, Crib service are also held annually at the church.
• A fund of £13,000 was left for the church bells by the late Mr Stan Hill. Church bells are easy to find due to churches being closed but the installation is expensive and difficult.
Tetney Leek Club
• Mildly competitive leek growing club which supports the community through fundraising and subscriptions. £800 was given to community groups last year.
• Annual show is held at The Plough on 1st Saturday in September and is a very popular and sociable event with an auction of the leeks, raffle and barbeque. Show open to public and all are welcome.
• The Leek Club was started in 1989 and currently has 26 members.
5. Open Forum – question and answer session with participating community groups and the Parish Council.
Suggestion made about better communication between groups so activities don’t clash. Clerk advised events can be advertised on notice boards and social media.
6. Closing of the meeting
Cllr McMillan thanked everyone for coming and gave thanks to those who had participated. The meeting closed at 8.10pm.
Draft minutes written by Parish Council Clerk, Mrs Susan Booth