MINUTES – FEBRUARY 2026

Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council of Waterhouses.
Meeting held on Thursday, February 19th 2026 at 7.30pm in the sports pavilion, Waterhouses.

Present: Cllr Stone, (Chair); Cllr Goldstraw; Cllr Harvey; Cllr McCarthy; Cllr Simpson; Cllr Wain;

Also present: Mr C Hinton, (Clerk); two members of the public;

Apologies: Cllr Carr; Cllr Powley; Cllr Turner;

Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, January 15th 2026 were confirmed as being a true and accurate record, and were duly endorsed by the Chairman.
Proposed: Cllr Harvey; Seconded: Cllr Goldstraw.

The chairman adjourned the meeting and invited the two residents to speak.
The first parishioner asked the council to consider the introduction of a new bus shelter, on the the same side of the road and near to Parnhams on the A523. A second shelter should be considered near to the Old Crown Inn, and another, near to the bridge, opposite the sensory garden.
Funding for each of these would be need to be found, (and planning permission approved).
The clerk will make initial enquiries into the possibility of these being installed and will also ask if any funding may be made available to address the failing condition of the shelter in Common Lane.
The resident then went on to ask if the surface of the section of the grass verge, situated between Parnhams and the adjacent entrance to the industrial estate could be infilled, to improve its surface for pedestrians attended the gym for physiotherapy. Finally, the resident asked the council to see if the surface of the pathway, in Waterfall Lane, close to the school, could be improved. He cited this as being in a state which is likely to cause falls and injuries.
The second resident asked that pavements in the parish be swept twice a year as they should be.
The clerk will report all of the above to the relevant authorities and will report back to the residents.

Matters arising:

Clerk’s report:
• The clerk provided a brief summary of the various meetings that he had attended in January.
• The clerk confirmed that the precept request had been submitted to SMDC before January 31st.
• He will continue the pursuit of the process of moving to on-line banking.
• He had attended the recent surgeries held by the Local PCSO and had discussed a recent spike in thefts within the parish and the ongoing attempts to reduce speeding in the village.

Holcim Update:
• Chairman Stone had attended a meeting at the cement works on February 16th where the systems of measurement of noise levels were discussed.
• Prior to the meeting, the clerk had written to the plant as requested, to say that the council will continue to monitor escapes of plastic and dust as the plant reopens. The Environment Agency had received a copy of this letter.
Pavilion:
• The need for an increased sense of security has been shared with all concerned.
• The RSPB has booked the pavilion for two mornings in April.
• The acquisition of a new projector screen would be beneficial, along with a wi-fi access.
• The cost of the annual inspection of the fire extinguishers is being explored.
• The annual waste contract with SMDC was approved.
Sports Fields;
• The clerk attended an on-line session hosted by the Staffs FA, on Feb 22nd which confirmed the timing of the grant funding and the phased expenditure under the Pitch Improvement Program.

Grazing Fields; Invitations to tender for the use of the fields had been issued – tenders that are received will be reviewed at the meeting on March 19th.
Allotments;
• Officials of the Allotments Association had met the Flood Risk Team on Feb 10th to discuss using a section of the field for the capture of water to reduce its rate of onward flow.
• The new tenancy agreements for the plots had been issued. A few plots remain empty.
• A quantity of aggregate shavings was agreed, to even out the surface at the top of the track.

Lengthsman:
• The lenghtsman had provided a quote for a replacement window in the bus shelter at the junction of Common Lane and the A523. However, due to the state of the roof, it was felt that an estimate was needed for the whole shelter, before decisions can be made about its repair.
• Two of the three telephone kiosks in the parish, those located in Winkhill and Stoney Lane currently require a lot of attention. As their use is somewhat limited and as they have quite a high market value, the council is unsure if these should be sold and the funds reinvested.
Therefore, the council will canvass the opinions of the residents before making any decisions.

Correspondence Recently Received;
• Waste bins – a resident had asked if an extra litter bin could be installed at the entrance to the Manifold cycle track. SMDC had responded that, after a brief inspection, this did not appear to be needed. The request will be made again in Spring when the route is busier.
• Letters had been sent to the owners of properties near to the bridge to the Old Quarry, advising them of the council’s concerns regarding its possibly dangerous condition.
A letter had previously been sent to the Staffs Wildlife Trust regarding the same issue.

Planning Matters;
The council received a status report of decisions recently made by the planning authorities.
• NP/SM/0226/0138 – 40, Waterfall Lane, Waterhouses – Proposed single storey rear extension to form kitchen/living area. No objections were recorded.

Financial Matters:
• The latest bank balance and cash-flow forecast were shared.
• The following cheques were then requested:
• Clerk; for his work & expenses in January; £634.59
• Caretaker; for his work & expenses in January; £44.00
• Lengthsman; for his work and expenses in December/January; £332.00
• SMDC; for annual waste collection service; £316.48
• DW Banks; for new email and website domain fees etc; £350.00
• Waterhouses Swim Club for notice board; £15.00
• HMRC; for payment of PAYE for clerk’s salary; £153.40
Payment of the above was approved en bloc; Proposed: Cllr Goldstraw; Seconded: Cllr Simpson.

Highway Matters:
• The clerk had accompanied the Cabinet Support Member for the Highways Department on an extensive tour of the parish on February 6th. He was shown many of the outstanding issues, small and large, that have been reported, often many times, but which remain unresolved.
Whilst there has been improvement in the speed of repair of some recently reported items, many of the older issues remain unresolved. The council now awaits feedback as to what will be rectified and in what time scale.
• Cllr Simpson reported a pothole in Stony Lane.

Any other business:
• The Chairman and Cllr Goldstraw had attended an on-line meeting, hosted by Staffs County Council, about improving mobile connectivity in the parish. If the parish wishes to see improvements its signal coverage, the erection of one mast, at no cost to the parish, will achieve this. The council endorsed Atlas Group to commence an evaluation process which will seek the views of the residents before any decisions are made.

Date of next meeting: Thursday, March 19th 2026 at 7.30 pm