Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held at Stowe Village Hall on Wednesday 14 January 2026 at Stowe by Chartley Village Hall
Present: Cllrs Byrne(Chair); Adler; Harnett;
In attendance: Mrs S Buxton (Clerk); Cllr Finney by audio; two members of the public
26/001 Apologies
Agreed to accept the apologies of Cllrs Coote, Rayson and Tilston
26/002 Declarations of personal and prejudicial interest on any item on the agenda
None
26/003 To receive applications for Dispensation under the Localism Act 2011
None
26/004 Chair to close the meeting for public session
Issues raised:-
Mr Tom Lyons and Mrs Johnson have passed away recently
Next Solar Public meeting – suggestions for invitees
Drains on A518
Speed on A518
Christmas lighting within parish
Staffing issues
Role of Employment Committee
Location of parish council book made some years ago
Groundworks contractor for SID had not turned up
26/005 Chair re-opened the meeting
26/006 Minutes of the last meeting
Proposed: Cllr Alder; Seconded: Cllr Harnett
Agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 10 December 2025, be signed as a true and correct record
26/007 Matters Arising not on the agenda
Clerk’s Memory Stick and Backup – the clerk reported that seeking advice on what backup with the parish council needed with the use of the Cloud was still ongoing
26/008 Finance
Online banking update and purchasing card – the clerk reminded Cllrs Alder and Byrne that they still needed to logon to the bank and reported that the application for a purchasing card had been sent off
Authorisation of payments December and payment of clerks salary – the clerk reported that the payments approved at the meeting on 10 December 2025, had not been finally approved until 7 January 2026 after several reminders, and that the clerk’s salary had been paid 8 days late
Budget monitoring report and bank reconciliation 31.12.25 – the clerk apologised for not sending this out. It was an oversight as the report had been completed. This would be included on the next agenda
Budget 2026/27, Precept and Band D Council Tax – the councillors reviewed the budget which had been compiled by the clerk following discussions at the last few meetings. Two further items were considered:-£300 for Christmas and £150 for a new printer which could be taken out of the contingency of £1,000.
The proposed budget would result in an increase in council tax for a band D property of £15.28, from £103.56 to £118.84. The precept for 2027/28 will be £23,290.
The clerk had attached the official order from SCC for grasscutting – 8 cuts for the information of councillors. The clerk recommended the council to consider issuing a statement and publicising the decision over the budget so residents were aware
Proposed: Cllr Byrne; Seconded: Cllr Alder
Agreed that the budget be approved as presented, with a precept request to be made to Stafford Borough Council of £23,290.
Authorisation of payments
Proposed: Cllr Byrne; Seconded: Cllr Harnett
Agreed that the following payments be authorised
14.1.26 Blaze Printing Solar printing £ 60.00
29.1.26 S Buxton/LGPS/HMRC Salary/Pension/PAYE £849.18
Proposed|: Cllr Harnett; Seconded: Cllr Alder
Agreed that the cost of the printing be transferred from the Solar account to the Parish Council current account
26/009 Council Administration
Dispensation Procedure Guide
Local Council Award Scheme – Bronze level?
Agreed to carry both of these items to the next meeting due to the limited number of councillors at this meeting
26/010 Solar Farms
Meeting with SBC and Solar Working Party
Two members of the Working Party had met with SBC last week and reported back to the Solar Working Party
Agreed to accept the notes of the Solar Working Party held on 7 January 2026
Three letters have been sent out today to Stafford Borough Council, the Planning Inspectorate and the Health and Safety Executive. Cllr Finney will be providing updates on Roads and Gypsum and communication protocols to the next working party. The chair has emailed the SCC Chief Executive regarding their delay in replying and he has said he will look into this
26/011 Village Amenities
Parish Roads – Cllr Adler has spoken to SCC re: missing signs
SIDS – Cllr Adler has spoken to SCC and once we have a date for installation we just need to let them know
Village Internet – this was discussed at length as some households had been without internet for a month. It is believed vermin in the layby are a contributory factor if not the cause
Proposed: Cllr Byrne; Seconded: Cllr Adler
Agreed that Cllrs Adler and Finney will draft a letter to be sent to SCC Chief Executive Officer, SCC and SBC Councillors, Ofcom and BT Openreach
National Grid – they will be replacing all the electric poles along main road and upgrading the substations in the near future
26/012 Best Kept Village Competition
Cllr Harnett had attended a webinar about the 2026 competition. The emphasis of the competition has changed and is now 70% focussed on community spirit and less on visually attractive villages. There is a new category for under 25s for film making. The deadline for entering this year’s competition is 30 April.
Completion of the application is a very time consuming activity
Councillors were reminded to send any ideas for the BKV competition in Stowe to the clerk before the next meeting
26/013 Planning
Applications Received
25/41286/FUL – Land Adjacent To Acorn Cottage Drointon Lane
Proposed development is described as Erection of Passive House Plus dwelling and associated works
Proposed: Cllr Alder; Seconded: Cllr Harnett
Agreed that the council objects to this application as the road floods, there are drainage issues and it is generally out of keeping with it’s environs.
26/014 Clerk’s Report
Signing of documents re: Lower Farm – this is still work in progress
Dates of Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Parish Council Meeting
Agreed that the Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Tuesday 19 April 2026, at 7.00pm at the Village Hall and the Annual Parish Council Meeting will be on the second Wednesday in May – 13 May 2026
Correspondence – councillors were in receipt of a list of all correspondence received since the last meeting
Deaths – it was reported that Mrs Virginia Johnson from Charley Hall has passed away
Addresses Stowe Lane – it was reported that there has been some confusion regarding address on Stowe Lane with the Cottage and the Annexe, but this has now been resolved
26/015 Items for Future Meetings
Calendar of meetings for 2026/27
Leaflet distribution round the parish
Review of council policies
Parish Council printer
26/016 Date of Next Meeting
Agreed that the next meeting be held on Wednesday 11 February 2026 at 7.00pm at Stowe by Chartley Village Hall
There being no other business the chair declared the meeting closed at 8.45pm