2025 Minutes

Denton Parish Council

Minutes 

All Parish Councillors were summoned to attend a Parish Council Meeting

Monday September 29th 2025 at 

Harlaxton Village Hall, Harlaxton at 7:00 pm

This Meeting was recorded

PCM 2025

Item for Discussion/Resolution

1 Welcome Address from the Chair, Councillor Andrea Leadenham who thanked everyone for attending and reminded all that the meeting is recorded.

2 Attendees:

Those in attendance were: Councillors: Andrea Leadenham, Robert Leadenham, Amy Leadenham and Sue Bellamy (also as Acting Clerk) one member of the public.

3 Councillor Apologies:

Apology received & noted from Councillor Patricia Casement-Thomas & Councillor Nigel Elias. 

4 Parish Council Declarations of Pecuniary Interest. None recorded.

5 Items from District & County Councillors, 

Robert Leadenham & Charlotte Vernon. To be discussed later. 

6 Minutes of previous Meeting - Resolution to approve the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Monday, May 19, 2025. 

7 Public Forum - nothing discussed. 

8 Report from the Parish Clerk including:

a. Community Cleaner Report 

Reports have been received and the usual information regarding litter. Clerk has also checked if any equipment is required by the cleaner & the response was not at the present time. It was suggested that a checklist should be carried out on the Community Cleaners duties & safety. Clerk to check if Councillor Elias would be able to be involved in this. 

9 Parish Council: General (update & discussion) (please note: out of sequence)

c. Status of Denton Village Hall. A quote for the structural survey has been received for £600 (no VAT). 

The survey is to report on the following:

• Observe the overall condition of the visible structural elements,

• Note apparent defects in the visible structural elements, or those which could reasonably be inferred from the surface,

• Consider if there is any immediate risk to structural safety, and

• Where applicable, suggestions for further investigation or remedial works.

It may be necessary after the survey has been completed that a further inspection by a Chartered Surveyor may be required. The Estate will be contacted by Rivergate for access. Councillor Elias had requested to be present but the structural engineer preferred to conduct the survey unaccompanied, this was duly noted. The survey is scheduled to take place on Monday 20th October 2025 & a report would be forwarded to the Clerk in due course. Councillor R. Leadenham suggested that if the survey on the Village Hall was positive & deemed a viable proposition a further Parish Council Meeting would have to be held to encompass all aspects of getting the hall repaired. The precept would have to be raised & approved. Obviously, this is dependant on so many factors which will require further discussion before any decisions are made. Under Community Projects in the budget there is an allocation of £4,000. Councillor R. Leadenham suggested this should possibly be ring fenced, further discussion on this issue should be made. The Council voted to approve the quote for £600.00 from Rivergate. 

a. Play Area 

The Clerk requested and received approval to sign off & approve the plans from Creative Play (which all Councillors have had sight of). Approval was agreed unanimously for the Clerk to sign off on the proposal & forward to Creative Play. It was discussed that when the play equipment is installed daily &/or weekly inspections should be held. A log book should be kept & a member(s) should undergo RoSPA training. Councillor R. Leadenham to check if there is the possibility of joining forces with other parishes in the Belvoir Ward to hold a joint training session. There is a strict timeline from SKDC & this must be adhered to. Creative Play are hoping to complete the project within 2 weeks & hopefully starting the project in December 2025. Obviously, this is weather dependant! The area will be fenced off & access will be requested to used the road past the bungalows. Clerk to check again with SKDC that this is acceptable. This area had been discussed previously as an access road if needed in an emergency. Clerk to draft letter to the residents of Hungate Road regarding the work & Councillor R. Leadenham agreed to be a point of contact should there be any concerns. A Denton Digest newsletter is scheduled so all residents will be aware of the project. 

Out of sequence: item 5.

In the absence of Councillor Vernon not attending, Councillor R. Leadenham was asked by the Chair to update the meeting on his District Councillor report. Councillor R. Leadenham had more dog fouling notices & these were to be put up in strategic areas of the village. Planning issues & concerns from Barrowby residents regarding another housing development & a meeting is planned to address this. Action Group has been formed. Local Government reorganisation is still in talks & no decisions have been made particularly on Rutland. Further consultation is underway. 

9 Parish Council General Cont., 

b. SID & Road Safety - the SID on Belvoir Road is not working. Discussions were whether to repair or replace. Councillor R. Leadenham to check on a previous offer that was available earlier in the year and see if an offer was still available for 2 SID’s. 

i) CSW (Community Speed Watch) Update:

As a result of the CSW a motorcyclist had been recorded travelling through Denton on three separate occasions travelling at over 60mph. Councillor Elias had forwarded to Lincs Police for action. 

ii) Parking issues in Denton namely Denton School and any updates. After further discussion It was suggested that a meeting should be held with the Head Teacher of the School rather than just talking about it as it is not resolving the matter. Councillor R. Leadenham to discuss further with Councillor Charlotte Vernon. 

iii) Lincs CC (Highways) have confirmed that the new speed limits work has been scheduled & should be in operation & completed by the end of November 2025.

c. Update on Denton Village Hall - already discussed earlier in the meeting. 

d. Belvoir Castle

Land Rover Event was covered & monitored by CSW. The events in October are Halloween & Bonfire night in November. 

i) Vale Parish Group

Councillors R. Leadenham & Bellamy attended the meeting held on Monday August 11th at Croxton Kerrial Village Hall. Robust discussions as usual, but most items not relevant to Denton as pertaining to Leicestershire issues. 

ii) Forbidden Forest - debrief from the Clerk & also from Councillor R. Leadenham in his capacity as District Councillor were forwarded to the MBC SAG team & it was requested if the information could be used in the debrief sessions. Councillor R. Leadenham was concerned on safeguarding issues from the large number of “rogue” taxis being used & had requested that spot checks be carried out at Grantham Train Station. This area falls under the jurisdiction of the Transport Police & would require special permission. 

e) Dog fouling - item was discussed earlier.

f) Lighting & Safety of Bonfires by residents after a particularly dry spell of weather was discussed after an incident in the village. SKDC advisory on lighting of bonfires to be put in the next issue of Denton Digest Newsletter. 

g) Lighting suggestion for the footpath between Park Lane and Hungate. After discussion it was decided that small solar lights would be unobtrusive but would light the path sufficiently well. Councillor R. Leadenham to check with SKDC to see if this is a feasible solution. 

h) Requirement for all Parish Councils to move to a council owned domain. Apparently after checking on this - it is at the moment only an advisory notice not compulsory. 

10 Finance & Balance Sheet & funds available to date: 

Bank Balance is £23,626.38. There is £3,000 for the installation of speed reducing gates - it was discussed if this money should be used for a new SID(s). It was agreed it needed further discussion when prices of SID(s) were available. 

i) Councillor’s acknowledged the receipt of an email from PK Littlejohn Auditors that DPC have complied with the relevant statute & regulations regarding the accounts & audit. 

11 Planning Applications.

Section 211 notice to reduce crown of Silver Birch tree (T1) by approximately 2.5 meters to clear BT cables.

Briery House Main Street Denton Lincolnshire

NG32 1JW

Ref. No: S25/1576 | Received: Mon 25 Aug 2025 | Validated: Fri 29 Aug 2025 | Status: Approval given

Renovation of house including but not limited to: reroofing, repointing of brickwork, replacement of windows, removal of internal walls, fireplace and staircase, relocation of bathroom, internally insulate upstairs bedrooms, restore outbuildings

Rose Cottage 125 Casthorpe Road Denton

Lincolnshire NG32 1JS

Ref. No: S25/1223 | Received: Mon 30 Jun 2025 |

Validated: Thu 31 Jul 2025 | Status: Awaiting decision 

Harlaxton - S25/0558

David Wilson Homes

Outline planning application for the erection of up to 200 residential dwellings (Use Class C3) (all matters reserved except for access), access off Swinehill and West End, land safeguarded for a community facility (Use Class F2), public open space with associated infrastructure. - Denied

It was noted that David Wilson Homes have until Christmas to appeal the decision. 

Outstanding decisions:

Keepers Lodge - Caravan & Camping Site at Denton Lane, Harston. Still pending with Melton Borough Council. 

12 Any other business that has arisen. 

The following items were raised by Councillors Casement-Thomas & Elias. 

The following is copied from a message sent by Councillor Elias & he requested it be discussed & subsequently minuted: Responses are in bold:

“I am obviously frustrated by the response I received last night, I would like this publicly minuted. Can the following 4 points also be raised publicly and discussed at this evening meeting”. 

1. Parish council meeting dates should be agreed with the Clerk when all councillors can attend, regardless. There needs to be a calendar of dates for the remainder of the financial year.

Response: This was discussed and agreed that the usual calendar of dates which are normally agreed at the start of the Financial Year had been changed due to the Village Hall not being available. It is important to note that it is not possible to change dates of meetings at such short notice. However; dates have now been made & booked at Knipton Village Hall on the following dates: Monday’s: Nov 10, Dec 8, Jan 12, Feb 9, March 9 & also March 30 to sign the financials for 2025/6.

2. What is happening with the village hall structural survey? Why is this not progressing, what date will the survey now take place?

Response: The structural survey will take place on October 20, 2025, as DPC are having to explore all aspects of taking on the running and maintenance of the village hall & it will have to be a measured approach. 

3. How have we responded to village residents in relation to the village hall survey that was completed, the survey concluding that residents did want to see the hall open. I believe we should keep residents updated on this matter.

Response: A survey was carried out & headed by Councillor Casement-Thomas out & the results were very positive. The results were posted on the WhatsApp group. The Village Hall is always an item for discussion on the Agenda. 

4. Playground , it is fantastic that we have the funding. Has this been announced to village residents, it would be good to involve local residents who have children in the decision making process on what equipment to purchase.

Response: The initial idea of purchasing the play area from SKDC was initially instigated in 2017. SKDC at that time were not agreeable to the idea. However; SKDC finally decided to sell the play area for a £1.00. DPC carried out a village wide survey in August 2021 the results were very supportive & encouraging. In October 2021 we held a meeting in the village hall with a presentation which included the plans from three play equipment companies. The presentation from Creative Play was deemed the most suited for the play area as its equipment was more in keeping with a rural setting. The project stalled somewhat, with no funding being readily accessible. It was also decided from the quotes we received that a huge portion of the project expenditure would be taken up by the removal of the old play equipment. We liaised with SKDC & they agreed to remove the old equipment if DPC contributed to the cost which we agreed to & the old equipment was removed in 2024. In August 2025 we applied for funding and thought it prudent due to time constraints to ask the same three play equipment companies to resubmit their quotes. We applied for funding & were successful. At all times the residents have been kept informed. 

Councillor Patricia Casement Thomas requested that the Parish Council revisit the matter of employing a full time clerk. 

Response: The matter of employing a clerk was duly discussed and noted. It was decided that an advertisement should be drafted & submitted to LALC (Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils) for inclusion on their website in the first instance. 

Christmas Tree

Last year the Christmas Tree was erected in a field on Main Street by kind permission of D&S Farms. This year the Chair suggested that it could be a Christmas event for the village as it will have a permanent site placement with secure footings. A battery will also be installed on a timer for the lights. Further discussions & ideas on this event to be discussed at our next meeting. 

13 New business for the next meeting

14 Meeting close and date of next meeting and also meeting and venue schedule for 2025/6.

15 Closed session if required.