The Annual Parish Council Meeting of Hartington Nether Quarter Parish Council was held on Monday, 11th May 2026 at 7.30pm, in Biggin Village Hall.
These minutes can be downloaded in PDF format:
Present: D Currington, W Andrews, S Fletcher, M Heathcote and the clerk, S Hampson. There was one member of the public in attendance and one valid candidate for the casual vacancy on the parish council.
Part 1 non-confidential information
26.5.1 Election of chair person, vice chair person and councillors’ declaration of acceptance of office
Resolved: Mrs D Currington to be Chair Person for 2026-2027
Resolved: Mrs Lovatt to be Vice Chair Person for 2026-2027
The above positions were unanimously proposed and accepted by the other members of the parish council. Mrs Lovatt had previously offered to continue in the role of Vice Chair Person.
Those present completed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of councillors and of Chair Person forms before the Proper Officer, Mrs Hampson.
26.5.2 Apologies and attendance register
Apologies had been received in advance of the meeting from Mrs S Lovatt
26.5.3 Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous ordinary meeting had been displayed on the noticeboard, forwarded to the members and the parish council’s website, in advance of the meeting.
Resolved: To accept the minutes as a true record of proceedings but to amend details of the public in attendance. These were duly signed by Mrs Currington.
26.5.4 Casual vacancy
The one valid candidate completed the acceptance of office of parish councillor before the proper officer, Mrs Hampson and was welcomed to the parish council.
Resolved: the clerk to advise Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC) that the one vacancy has now been filled.
26.5.5 Matters arising and pre-meeting
Items were covered by the agenda.
26.5.6 Update Members’ Register of Interest Forms
These were completed by those present.
26.5.7 Public Speaking Procedures Document
The document was available in the meeting.
26.5.8 Public speaking, not covered by the parish meeting
There was one member of the public in attendance for part of the meeting and the members were advised of the approximate cost of this year’s broadband facilities at Biggin Village Hall.
26.5.9 District Councillor
The District Councillor was not in attendance.
26.5.10 Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2026
The clerk and responsible finance officer (RFO) had prepared the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2026 and had forwarded these to members in advance of the meeting and presented these at the meeting. These had been internally on 5th May 2026
Resolved: to accept the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2026 as a true record.
26.5.11 Internal audit 2024-2025
The internal auditor from East Midlands Audit Services Ltd (EMAS Ltd) had undertaken the internal audit of the accounts and the all the external audit documentation, annual governance statement, the accounting statement, certificate of exemption, bank reconciliation and significant variations compared to the previous year. The internal audit report had been sent to the members in advance of the meeting.
Items to bring before the council reflected some recent changes for all parish councils.
From the internal audit, the parish council needs to:
- achieve a .gov.uk or .org email address before the next audit
- register for data protection with the information commissioner’s office (advisory)
- get a general data protection policy
- update standing orders and financial regulations to the latest version (obtain from DALC)
- check with the website regarding the new email address and the new accessibility requirements.
The clerk had written a new IT policy and a completely new full risk assessment prior to the audit which were fully accepted.
26.5.12 Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2026
This was a repeat agenda item in error (see item 26.5.10)
26.5.13 Section 1 Annual Governance Statement 2025-2026
Resolved: To approve the document and for the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and the Chair Person to add their signatures.
26.5.14 Certificate of Exemption 2025-2026
As both the income and the expenditure figures for the year 2025-2026 were less than £25,000, the clerk and RFO had prepared a Certificate of Exemption from full external audit.
Resolved: To approve the document and for the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and the Chair Person to add their signatures.
26.5.15 Section 2 Accounting Statement for 2025-2026
Resolved: To approve the document and for the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and the Chair Person to add their signatures.
26.5.16 New cemetery fees
Resolved: The clerk and cemetery superintendent will prepare the new fees for the cemetery for the forthcoming financial year in line with those of Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC). These had not been available on DDDC’s website
Resolved: to implement the new figures with immediate effect.
26.5.17 Heathcote Mere perimeter
There was no further update on this.
Resolved: Mr Heathcote to make further contact to progress matters.
26.5.18 Update on affordable homes
There was no further update on this matter.
26.5.19 Tree preservation order
The clerk had contacted Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) again about a tree preservation order on the yew tree at Yew Tree Cottage but an update had not been received from PDNPA.
26.5.20 Items of account, salaries and HMRC, playground insurance/donation, internal audit, mowing contractor, donation to village hall broadband, church clock
| Chq No. | Name | Description | Cost | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cq 1616 |
Mrs S Hampson |
May Internet Provision |
£17.00 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1617 |
S Hampson |
Reimbursement of expenses |
£15.05 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1618 |
S Hampson |
May Clerk’s Salary |
£349.92 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1619 |
Biggin Community Project ’97 |
Contribution to Playground Insurance |
£500.00 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1620 |
Zurich Municipal |
Annual Insurance Premium |
£309.78 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1621 |
B W Coles |
April Mowing |
£264.00 (VAT £44.00) |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1622 |
EMAS Ltd |
Internal Audit Fee |
£60.00 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1623 |
S Hampson |
June Clerk’s Salary |
£349.92 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1624 |
Biggin Village Hall |
Donation towards broadband facility |
£400.00 * |
||||||||||||||||||
Resolved: *to donate a sum of £400 annually to Biggin Village Hall. This payment to cover the broadband costs and meeting hire costs for the parish council.
Liaison had been made with the company responsible for the previous church clock service by the clerk. The clerk had arranged for direct liaison with Mrs Lovatt, but the company had not responded to Mrs Lovatt prior to her holiday and the resident who winds the clock had been given the contact details. The service had not taken place by the date of the meeting.
26.5.21 Planning applications, planning sub-committee, appeals and enforcement
There were no new planning applications. The clerk had contacted PDNPA regarding the gates at Sycamore House but no further information had been received in time for the meeting.
26.5.22 Correspondence, electronic communication and Biggin Community facebook
Details had been forwarded to members in advance of the meeting and included items covered by the agenda plus: Derbyshire County Council (DCC) enquiry regarding adoption of Parwich Lane; Webicious April care report. 6,762 visitors up 30% from last month, 100% reliability (first report received by the parish council) and members were surprised by the data.
From the previous meeting, a discussion had taken place with the family members of the late Councillor, Mrs Coles regarding permission for the parish council to plant roses in a planter, with a plaque, in memory of Mrs Coles. The family were pleased by this.
Resolved: to proceed with a planter near the noticeboard. The family to agree the words for the plaque.
Mr Fletcher reported that the new pads had been fitted to the defibrillator at Heathcote. The redundant pads had been donated to the scouts at Bakewell for training use. It was further reported that the no flytipping sign at Heathcote is down again.
26.5.23 Highways, street lighting, flytipping, grit bin monitoring, dog fouling
There will be a number of forthcoming road closures on the A515 to facilitate pot hole mending. It was reported that the advisory signage for the playground area is inadequate in number and size.
Resolved: to contact DCC regarding additional signage for the playground.
Resolved: Mrs Andrews to find out further information regarding responsibility for Parwich Lane.
26.5.24 Articles for News and Views
Resolved: to report in the next edition that the casual vacancy has been filled.
26.5.25 Items for the next agenda
Tree surgery work, memorial planter, affordable houses, Heathcote Mere perimeter, the church and church clock, external audit, review of policies and new policies, standing orders, financial regulations. Additional items to be compiled by the clerk.
26.5.26 Date of the next meeting
1st June 2026
Part 2 Confidential information
26.5.27 Tree surgery tenders
Two tenders had been received for tree surgery works in Biggin village. These were discussed. One was significantly higher than the other. The question of responsibility for Porridge/Parwich Lane influenced the decision on some identified works.
Resolved: to appoint the contractor providing the least expensive quote but to also advise that works on Porridge/Parwich Lane should not be undertaken at this point until further information can be established regarding responsibility for this lane.
The meeting was declared closed at 9.10 pm
Mrs S Hampson,
Clerk, Hartington Nether Quarter Parish Council
17 May 2026
©Hartington Nether Quarter Parish Council minutes remain draft until approved by the parish council at the next meeting