Withington Group Parish Council
Meeting Held on Wednesday 10th September 2025
At 7.30pm in Withington Village Hall
M I N U T E S
Present: In the Chair: Paul Andrews (PA); Jonathan Beech (JB); Vicki Brown (VB): Howard Mansell (HM);Tom Nellist (TN); Hillary Holden (HH); Kevin Powders (KP); Ingrid Heatly (IH); Bob Rudd (BR); Sue Rudd (SR); Ralph Barber (RB); Steve Scotcher (SS)
Also: Sophie Glover (Clerk), Ivan Powell (Ward Cllr) who left after item 5.2; Village Hall Chair, Paul Fretten (PF); Wessington Juniors Chair David Pembridge (until 8pm) No Other members of public were present.
The Meeting opened at 7.30pm
- Public open session: 10 minutes was allowed from 7.30pm for members of the public to raise any issues that they would like the Parish Council to consider.
PF lives on Lock Lane and he mentioned that there appeared to be water leaks still causing problems along there.
Action: IP will mention this to Welsh Water.
- To accept Apologies for absence –; Barclay Rogers (BR); Judith Howe (JH);
Simon Dent (SD);
- To receive Declaration of Interests. Nothing declared.
- i.Acceptance of minutes of the:-
July 2025 WGPC meeting minutes.
Proposed: PA Seconded: HH
Acceptance of the Extra ordinary WGPC meeting minutes from August.
Proposed: PA Seconded: TN
They were duly accepted as a true record of the meeting.
ii.Action Points from previous meetings.
- Co-option of new Councillor – No one has come forward as yet, position still up on notice boards, in the Withington Magazine and on WGPC website.
- Clerk to submit Environmental paper to S106 team.- Done
- Meeting with Highways team regarding speed reductions in Preston Wynne and Westhide – WH was held, WH Councillors will suggest a couple of places for ATC’s to be installed and are happy to wait for the expected 6 months for this to happen. Preston Wynne will arrange another meeting.
- HM to get quote for more CCTV cameras – HM met with the engineer. He found that our recorder is dead. They also suggested that we put up some dummy cameras to deter vandals. Clerk to find the invoice to see if it is under guarantee. We are now waiting for a quote for new recorder before considering purchasing additional cameras.
- Clerk to check we have CCTV policy. – We do have a draft one, HM and clerk to go through it and will present it to the November WGPC meeting.
- Open discussion/public forum
5.1 Report from Ward Councillor – Cllr Ivan Powell including responses to his action points:-
IP went briefly through his ward report. Highlighting the work that has gone on in the Childrens services area.
He is awaiting an update on the advisory weight restrictions on the Nunnington Rd.
Withies Rd, Tarmac say that they will finish the job on Friday or the following Monday at the latest.
Traffic calming at the school: IP has noted some white lines on the ground. This work was done by Gregg Speller himself. He still hasn’t put out the tenders and hopes that will happen by Monday.
IP was asked about news on the dairy site in Westhide. IP met with the planning officer and they are waiting to hear from the applicants agent to respond.
Sonas House: the neighbour has been talking with TN. He is keen to find out if the planning was redirected to planning committee. IP said that it had been raised with Kelly Gibbons and rejected as it was felt that all individual elements of the objections had been addressed. PA questioned if the right steps had been taken in order to get an application through to the committee. IP will go back and check that due diligence has been followed. He has also asked that the planning officers go and talk to Mr Beecham.
5.2 Report from local police – update regularly through Neighbourhood Matters emails and will be in attendance this evening
The police had asked us to fill in the top 3 concerns from our parishes, and these were listed as being Speeding on the A465, antisocial behaviour on the playing field in Withington and finally the need for support with traffic calming around the school.
IP had also been requested to chase up the information from the speed cameras on the A465 at Cross Keys.
5.3 Balfour Beatty – Information sheets come out weekly and cllrs can comment on them.
6.1 Planning Applications: To consider comments on applications to be determined by Herefordshire Council as listed below or on the Herefordshire Council Planning website prior to the meeting:-
None at this time.
6.2 Planning decisions made
P240272 – Land North of Whitestone: was approved.
- Withington Fields – Including – Request for financial support for Wessington Juniors to improve the playing surface of the field using the remaining funds from Withington FC. The WJFC Chair explained that due to the very dry weather, the pitch was declared unsafe. The dry weather caused the soil around the drainage pipes to drop down. He asked the PC if they would offer financial support to carry out this work – which will be done by professional pitch groundsmen.
Once they get the pitch playable, they want to engage more with the young people in Withington. With this in mind, he outlined a Christmas event that they were proposing, in order to engage the people from the village. He is also engaging with the village hall to do it as a joint venture with them, WGPC and the football club. A working party has been created to discuss this in the coming months.
It was proposed that the WGPC move the last of the Withington Football Club funds that were gifted to us to provide football to the village to our Withington Field account and to grant it to Wessington Juniors for a contribution towards this top dressing work.
Proposed: PA Seconded: HH
Action: Clerk to move the funds from Parish Savings acct to the WF acct. Wessington Juniors to be paid when funds have been moved.
– Discussion and resolution about playing tennis on the MUGA
Tennis nets have been located, and the meeting was asked if there was any enthusiasm for the WGPC to manage a tennis club. It was proposed that rather than disposing of them, we put out on social media a request to see if any one steps forward to set up a tennis club. It was resolved that we should put it out on the socials to see if there was any interest. Moved to keep them in the village hall for now.
– Discussion about the ownership of the land around the village hall. This was discussed and it was resolved that currently there is no need to follow the matter up.
– Update on the toilet and changing rooms: S106 team have authorised our Ecological plan, we are now waiting for the new contracts officer to start with them.
– Payment for the bins: the parish council have been paying for the bins since 2017. The big bins are used by both the litter picker, the lengthsman and the village hall.
It was proposed that we carry on paying for this financial year and budget to share the cost from next year.
Proposed: RB seconded: PA
Action: Clerk to arrange to split the bill with the village hall in the new financial year.
- Working Parties
- a) on A4103/A465
The Chair said that there had not been much progress in this area. There have been ATC’s on the roads, and generally we are waiting for a report from the roads team in regard to extra signage and SID sites.
Action: Clerk to chase for the report.
- b) School access working group
IH and HM said that very little has happened. Tenders should be put out on Monday and whilst Gregg Speller is shortly going to be out of contract, his replacement will have a very detailed brief to implement. They reported that the red markings should be done in half term.
Action: IH and HM to keep talking with the roads team get this done.
- c) traffic calming in Withington – Already addressed.
- d) Withington Field working group – Already addressed.
- e) NDP: update on current status of the WGPC NDP
It had been resolved that we didn’t proceed with NDP work until we have the numbers from Herefordshire Council about the building numbers for all 3 parishes. Until then, it was resolved that we do not do any further work on the NDP.
WGPC to look at identifying a consultant to assist them with the next phase of the NDP work next year, with the view of building the cost for them into the next precept.
Action: Ask IP What is happening with the amalgamation of Herefordshire and Worcestershire?
- Financial:
a.Balances
Parish Account @ 31.08.25: £14,775.92
WF Acct @ 31.08.25: £ 5,328.12
CCLA savings account @ 31.07.25.25: £15,768.34 Total: £ 35,872.38
b.To approve payments
Cheques to be paid
Parish Acct:- To be paid Totals
Clerks Salary Sept £ 872.94
Clerks Expenses September £ 237.68 £1110.62
This includes payments to Microsoft of £84.99
And Terracycle of £122
HMRC PAYE Sept £ 68.39 £ 68.39
Bank Charges (Aug) S/O £ 4.25
Lengthsman invoices
Invoice TGC3434 Roads Acct £ 587.16
Invoice TGC3446 Bins July £ 112.66
Invoice TGC 3481 Roads acct £ 587.16
Invoice TGC 3482 Bins Aug £ 112.66
Invoice TGC3486 Roads Acct £ 587.16
Invoice TGC3487 Roads acct W’hide £ 293.66 £2,280.46
WVH meeting room Aug and Sept £ 21.00
Withington PCC second part of grant £ 945.00
Back payment of clerks pension (to be approved later) £ 770.89
£ 4,429.72
Internal Transfer: Movement from CCLA to WF acct to contribute to WF pitch improvements – to be approved at the meeting £416.38 Approved
Withington Field Acct:- Already paid To be paid Totals
J Smith litter picker expenses
Pd by standing order Sept £90.00
Terry Griffiths inv 3432 Repairs to play fence £ 750.00
Terry Griffiths inv 3433 H&S check July £ 50.40 £ 800.40
H’fd Council bins £ 197.60
Perfect Grounds inv WF13 £ 329.00
Bank fees (Pd by S/o) Aug £4.25
£ 1,331.25
Total cheques: £ 5,760.97
It was moved that all payments should be made. Payments to be done by RB/IH and PA
Proposed: PA Seconded: RB All cllrs were in favour of making the payments.
c.Receipts:
Interest on savings acct £ 56.41
Wessington Juniors £ 41.66
Drainage grant (part 1) £ 5,511.00
Drainage grant (part 2) £ 1,000.00 £6,609.07
d.Application for Financial Aid: None at this time.
- Drainage Grant: who has projects for the Lengthsman? PW cllrs asked for a drainage grants meeting with the lengthsman on site.
- Lengthsman Scheme – reminder of jobs outstanding and future jobs for the lengthsman. KP and the clerk had met with the lengthsman and gone through the outstanding jobs with him. He has been asked to attend at least 2 meetings each year.
- Foot paths officers reports and identification of work to be done
PW: Kissing gate problem still goes on. It hasn’t been fixed. The gate itself is still in the lengthsmans yard.
Dangerous fence has been marked and left in a precarious position.. Clerk to contact localities to see what is going on.
WH: There are some paths which require signs. Finger posts and signs to be sourced.
W’ton: KP received a letter from ‘open spaces society’ who are a group who go around the country looking at footpaths. They identified a number of Withington issues which KP has passed onto Terry Griffiths. TG has at last started a number of the footpath projects that KP had identified months ago. The OSS mentioned permissive paths, namely the one around Nunnington Court, they pointed out that permissive paths can be taken away by landowners when ever they want to. This effects WT8 and 9. KP has written to the county footpaths officer to ask his advice on making these paths official.
Action: Clerk, KP and SS to source signs and FO’s have volunteered to put them up.
- Discussion on WGPC purchasing lap tops for councillors. Halc have advised Parish Councils that they may need to consider getting laptops for Councillors. This may be prevented if Councillors all set up .gov email addresses.
Action: clerk to circulate the ‘how to set up the WGPC email’ notes and RB /KP’s email addresses so that they can assist.
- Comments on any correspondence received or emails circulated:
Including nuisance parking at Springfield email. – the question was raised, is this a Parish council issue, it was moved that it wasn’t. Equally we have been notified that it is not a police problem.
Action: IP to be asked if he would go and have a talk with the home owner and the taxi company to discuss the problem.
Any projects identified for the electrical grant as circulated? Clerk to look to see if the improvement in the CCTV provision may be covered by this grant.
Tree Warden AGM. No interest was expressed.
- SID: update and feed back from the last couple of months
KP and RB had been out collecting the data from the SID. It takes reading from both directions, but we will switch it round regularly so that drivers think that it has viewed them be they coming from Worcester or Hereford. Data shows 1.6 million vehicles used the road in the last 10 months. Average speed is below the speed limit. 0.08% are going over 70mph. The record speed has been broken, it was 117 mph in the last 2 months. Figures show that seasonal trends are as expected.
- Feedback on training or meetings attended. covered
- Items for Face book site and/or social media for WGPC. Any interest in running a Tennis club? Road surfacing for Withies Rd; Working party for xmas event: PA, HM, IH, KP
- Receive items for the next agenda – (no discussion) Fund raising for Wessington Juniors. Community speedwatch, precept setting.
- PC goes into ‘session’. All non Councillors to leave the meeting. PF left the meeting.
Discussion and resolution to offer amended duties for our litter picker to include a weekly visual inspection of the play items and area. In undertaking these extra duties, the WGPC resolved to increase his hourly payment to £18/hr. As this is dependant on him doing the weekly visual inspections, it was decided that this would not be back dated. Proposed: HH Seconded: IH 11 in favour.
Action: Clerk to talk to Joe and if he agrees, to update his contract , create a reporting sheet and supply them to him and also to amend the standing order.
The clerk left the meeting: There followed a discussion and resolution on back paying clerks pension contributions – as per the information circulated. All present approved the full back payment.
The clerk returned to the meeting.
- Agree time, date and venue of next meeting. 12th November 25 at Withington Village Hall
The meeting closed at 9.30pm
Signed: _________________________ Date: _________________
Dates for 2025/6 meetings:
| 12th November | 7.30 pm start | |
| 2026 | 14th January | 7.30 pm start |
| 11th March | 7.30 pm start | |
| Annual meeting | 13th May | 7.00 pm start |
| 8th July | 7.30 pm start | |
| 9th September | 7.30 pm start | |
| 11th November | 7.30 pm start |