MINUTES – APRIL 2026

Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council of Waterhouses.

Meeting held on: Thursday, April 16th 2026 at 7.30pm in the sports pavilion in Waterhouses.

Present: Cllr Stone, (Chair); Cllr Carr; Cllr Goldstraw; Cllr McCarthy; Cllr Simpson; Cllr Turner;

Also present: Mr C Hinton, (Clerk);

Apologies: Cllr Harvey; Cllr Powley; Cllr Wain;

Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, March 19th 2026 were confirmed as being a true and accurate record, and were endorsed by the Chairman. Proposed: Cllr Simpson; Seconded: Cllr Carr.

Matters arising:

Clerk’s report:
• The clerk reported on the meeting held by Staffs Moorlands District Council on Tuesday, April 14th in relation to Local Government Reorganisation and Locality Plan Development.
The Locality Champion for our parish, SMDC Councillor Lyn Swindlehurst, will be invited to meet the parish council in the near future, to discuss how we can plan to protect the interests of the parish, ready for when the LGR changes are implemented.
• The process of moving to online banking had restarted and will be pursued as soon as possible.
• The clerk now has a new email address, and the council has a new website address, both of which conform to the latest legal requirements.

Holcim Update:
• Cllr Goldstraw reported on the recent liaison meeting that he had attended at the cement works. He advised of a number of changes in personnel at the plant, including a new manager of the Geocycle Plant, who plans to bring a stronger focus on the standards of operation of that unit. Changes were being made to sections of the envirosuite system, to improve its performance.
The clerk was asked to write to the Environment Agency in pursuit of noise reduction. Also, the soiling of Earlsway was a problem that appears to be on the increase and needs to be monitored

Sports Fields;
• Dog-fouling – the public notice advising that all dogs should be kept on a lead had been added to our website. New signs were being produced to be installed at each entrance to the area.
• Signage is also being prepared advising the conditions for authorised parking on the car park.
• An application is to be made to the Football Foundation, seeking grant funding for drainage of certain parts of the Sports Field, a new shed for storage, and new line marking machinery.
• Quotes for the drainage will be obtained by Cllr Carr; Cllr Stone will gather information on sheds
• The tractor needs to be serviced and Cllr Carr will arrange for this in conjunction with Cllr Stone.

Playing Fields:
• The picnic table has been installed in the new area, extra matting will be installed asap.
• Volunteers may be available to assist in the repainting of the original play area.

Grazing Fields;
• The fees for the grazing of the two fields had been received.

Allotments;
• The majority of the fees for the plots had been received. Three plots remain available.

Lengthsman:
• The lengthsman will be asked to attend to a faulty fingerpost in Calton.

Correspondence Recently Received;
• An email regarding the village green in Waterfall was shared and the clerk will respond.

Planning Matters;
• The council received a status report of decisions recently made by the planning authorities.

Financial Matters:
• The latest bank balance, cash-flow forecast and a summary of the year-end were shared.
• The year-end accounts and budget for 2026/2027 will be discussed at the meeting in May, with the Annual return then being completed and submitted in June.
• The budget for 2026/2027 will include funds that may be needed for elections in the new year.
• The following cheques were then requested:
• Clerk; for his work & expenses in March; £574.06
• Caretaker; for his work & expenses in March; £119.40
• Lengthsman; for his work and expenses in February/March; £592.00
• JW Howson; for materials supplied; £42.26
• SPCA: for annual membership, including NALC, £379.64
• Cllr Simpson; for card and gifts for a parishioner £23.47
• HMRC; for payment of PAYE for clerk’s salary; £114.40
Payment of the above was approved en bloc; Proposed: Cllr Goldstraw; Seconded: Cllr Simpson

Highway Matters:
• The recent notifications regarding Public Footpath 104 were discussed and the council recorded no objections to these orders.
• A Definitive Map Modification Order relating to PF1 in Waterhouses was shared.
• Cllr Simpson reported a loose and noisy manhole cover on Earlsway.

Any other business:
• Our PCSO will be holding a further drop-in surgery in the pavilion, on Saturday 18th
• The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 21st at 7.00pm in the pavilion.

Date of the next meeting of the parish council: Thursday, May 21st at 7.30 pm in the pavilion.