Linton(South) Parish Council
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
On Monday 11 August 2025
At Linton Village Hall
Present: Cllr A Newton (Chair); Cllr C Cresswell; Cllr J Hoyle; Cllr H Sheridan; Cllr R Williams
In attendance: five members of the public and a reporter from the Ross Gazette; Parish Clerk Rich Hunt (remotely)
1) Apologies for absence: Cllrs Bertenshaw, Clark, Gough, Jurkiewicz.
2) Declarations of Interest: None.
3) It was RESOLVED to agree the Minutes of the Parish Council (PC) meeting on 14 July 2025 as a true and accurate record, with Cllr Newton signing as Chair.
4) Clerk’s report: HALC have reiterated the availability of training for parish councillors, with a few free spaces for Linton(S) through the annual subscription. “Best Behaviour” covers the responsibilities of councillors under the Code of Conduct and who they go to for advice if a complaint is made to the Herefordshire Council’s (HCC) Monitoring Officer. The Clerk will ask HALC for a programme of courses to determine which are of interest to councillors. The PC agreed to promote Age UK Wyvern’s Digital Cafes for residents over 60 by displaying posters on notice boards and websites. The Clerk will retain the PC’s current Microsoft package until it expires in early 2026 then review whether an upgrade is needed to enhance remote participation in PC meetings via Teams. The PC will consider as an Agenda item at the next meeting HCC’s new Charter which aims to develop stronger partnership working between councils and enable community action. The next remote Quarterly Stakeholder Engagement Session hosted by Balfour Beatty Living Places, in partnership with HCC, is on 26 September. The next HCC Parish Summit will take place on 7 October, at the Plough Lane offices. Further details will follow. The Baton of Hope, the UK’s largest suicide prevention initiative, is coming to Herefordshire on 2 October as part of a nationwide tour. Details are available on the PC’s website.
5) Public Submissions –
a) Ward Councillor and PCSO were not in attendance.
b) Parish Matters: Parishioners remarked that large vehicles travelling to and from the motorway junction continue to cause damage to the road surface on Cothars Pitch. The Clerk will ask Cllr Bertenshaw for an update on the installation of an “Unsuitable for HGVs” sign. Clear road markings are needed at the potentially dangerous junction of Quarry Lane with the B4221. The Clerk will send an online request to HCC on behalf of the PC. Concerned Parishioners are encouraged to do the same.
6) Planning
a) Current Applications:
(i) 251981 – Land to the north west of Cornflower Cottage, Bromsash: construction of one detached and a pair of semi-detached dwellings with access, car parking, landscaping, and associated works. It was RESOLVED unanimously to object to this application on the grounds that it does not comply with the parish Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). See Appendix A to these minutes.
(ii) 252081 – Lambs Cross, Gorsley: change of use of an existing converted garage building to a mixed-use comprising ancillary residential accommodation. It was RESOLVED unanimously to raise no objection and no comments to this application.
(iii) 252111 – Lambs Cross, Gorsley: signage at front gate. It was RESOLVED unanimously to raise no objection and no comments to this application.
b) Decided Applications: The schedule of recently decided applications was noted.
7) Climate Change Working Group: Planning continues for the Greener Living Show on 18 October in Gorsley Baptist Church Hall, with 17 suppliers participating. The event will be advertised in the
8) Locality Steward and highways matters:
a) Weekly reports were noted. An HCC Traffic Management review of speed limits and parking in Linton concluded that no further action is appropriate.
b) Bromsash speeding issues. No Speed Indicator Device (SID) report was available, but the device is expected to reflect an increase in traffic speed since the recent B4224 resurfacing.
c) Curbing speed of traffic through Gorsley on B4221. The SID is operational again, but the latest report contains only two weeks of data and traffic volume is reduced because schools are on holiday. The key metrics of 83% of incoming vehicles (towards Newent) travelling 40mph or less and 90% of outgoing (towards M50), suggest that the current SID placement is having a positive impact on traffic speed. A West Mercia Police device was placed on the SID pole for a week to measure the accuracy of the SID data. JACS Ltd have provided the best quote for village gates. The Clerk will place an order once specific locations and PC approval have been confirmed.
d) Bromsash House/Fording Lane flooding. The Roads Lengthsman can repair the collapsed drain now that the crop in the field has been harvested.
e) Shutton Crossroads. The Roads Lengthsman has not yet installed the HCC-approved road safety signs. The PC will examine options to deter parking on the grass triangle. HCC does not approve the placement of stones or other objects, as it may contravene Section 148 of the Highways Act 1980, which relates to the unlawful deposit of items on the highway.
9) Public Rights of Way: The PC’s Public Footpath Officers (PFOs) will provide HCC with photographs and contact details via the Clerk to enable issue of ID cards and lanyards.
10) Lengthsman:
a) The Grass Lengthsman. Nothing to report.
b) The Roads Lengthsman. The Clerk continues to chase HCC for payment of outstanding Drainage Grant claims for 2024-25 and will ask the Roads Lengthsman to provide the PC with a view on which areas should be included in the 2025-26 application.
11) Allotments: The PC approved the annual hedge cutting by Winston Gooch in September. Cllr Williams has allayed a neighbour’s concerns about the use of herbicide at the base of the rabbit fence and on the boundary path.
12) Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP): The Housing Minister has responded to parish council requests to reinstate government funding that the government does not consider further financial assistance is required to sustain neighbourhood planning. The cost of producing a new NDP is likely to be in the region of £10,000. Expenditure on a revised plan will depend on the number of changes required but is estimated at between £5,000 and £7,500. The Clerk will investigate options for both reducing the cost and manging it incrementally, but it will be difficult to progress matters far before a new HCC Local Plan is in place.
13) It was RESOLVED unanimously to adopt the updated Code of Conduct for councillors that is approved by HCC and HALC.
14) An updated Data Protection Policy was approved unanimously.
15) Financial Matters:
a) Cllr Hoyle signed the PC-approved Receipts & payments report and reconciled bank statement for 31 July 2025. There was a bank balance of £18,308.55 with a cash balance after outstanding payments and unpresented receipts of £17,448.51.
b) The latest 2025-26 Budget report was approved unanimously.
c) It was RESOLVED to pay: Richard Hunt, Clerk fee & expenses £431.04; GP Property, allotments mowing £99.00; HALC, internal audit £330.00. Cllrs Hoyle and Cresswell signed the invoices.
16) Chairman’s & Councillors’ Submissions & Comments: None.
17) Date of next meeting: Monday 8 September 2025 in Gorsley Village Hall.
The meeting closed at 8:18pm.