Linton (South) Parish Council
Draft Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
On Monday 12 October 2026
At Linton Village Hall
Present: Cllr A Newton (Chair); Cllr M Bertenshaw; Cllr J Gough; Cllr R Williams.
In attendance: Two members of the public; Parish Clerk Rich Hunt (remotely).
1) Apologies for absence. Cllrs Clark, Hoyle, Jurkiewicz.
2) Declarations of Interest: None.
3) Co-option of members: None. The three councillor vacancies and Public Footpath Officer (PFO) vacancy have been advertised via parish council (PC)-approved posters on the PC’s website, via e-mail, in Chimes, on local community Facebook pages, and on parish notice boards.
4) It was RESOLVED that the Chair sign the Minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting on 14 September 2026 as a true and accurate record.
5) Clerk’s report: The Buses4Us Board has turned down the request for a bus stop at Linton. The company has run the route at different times of day to assess viability and has concluded that not only does it miss an existing crucial stop it also adds time that would put out the hourly service. They will keep the request under review and let the Clerk know if an opportunity arrives. Herefordshire Council (HCC) have confirmed that no permission or licence is required to plant native daffodil bulbs on PC or privately owned verges. The PC has five hundred bulbs for planting, and the Clerk has applied for an HCC £250 Microgrant to cover part of the cost. Floodrisk at HCC have acknowledged but not responded to an enquiry about South Herefordshire Golf Club excavating a couple of soakaway channels that drain directly into Fording Lane, and whether permission has been granted for them to do this. The PCSO cannot take action to prevent school parents parking on the roadside outside Gorsley Baptist Church and have suggested that the school asks them to desist. Natural England is currently undertaking condition assessments of Herefordshire geological sites of special scientific interest (SSSI). The PC has agreed that their contractors can carry out a geological survey of Linton Quarry SSSI between October 2026 and January 2027. HALC have not yet announced their training opportunities. At least one company specialising in NDP revision is open to a pre-contract agreement to undertake this work for the PC when the time is right. The Clerk will provide the PC with options and quotes. Community First’s new “Local Knowledge, Local Power” roadshows for councillors are taking place in October and November 2026. The West Mercia Police Safer Neighbourhood Team recognise rural crime, road speeding and poaching as prominent local concerns. Considerable funding has been invested in countering poaching, and the team now has access to a new speed enforcement camera, which allows them to capture high-quality evidence of speeding offences. The PC will consider which roads in the parish could benefit most from this camera and will invite the new PCSO to a future PC meeting. HCC are offering free trees for planting on land owned by the PC, local parks, and schools within the parish. The scheme is funded by ring-fenced sustainability funding for climate resilience. The PC will consider suitable locations. The next Parish Summit meeting is on 13 October. The PC will review a DMMO application to upgrade a restricted byway at North Pole Lane at its next meeting.
6) Public submissions:
a) The Ward Councillor and PCSO were not in attendance and did not provide an input.
b) Parish Matters: None.
7) Planning
a) Current Applications:
(i) 262347 – 2 Field View Linton Road Gorsley: change of agricultural land to residential curtilage to facilitate the siting of a replacement sewage treatment micro station. It was RESOLVED unanimously to make no comment or objection to this application.
(ii) 262529 – Land to the northwest of Cornflower Cottage, Bromsash: variation of condition 2 of planning permission 251981 – revised scheme. It was RESOLVED (three in favour, one abstention) to make no comment or objection to this application as the changes to an already approved application are minor.
b) Decided applications and other matters: The schedule of recently decided applications was noted.
8) Locality Steward and highways matters:
a) Highways: Construction of the passing bays at Cothars Pitch is scheduled for December. The proximity of the passing bays to the M50 and the resultant road safety requirements meant that the road closures needed approval from National Highways for the work to be carried out. Some of the potholes in Linton have been fixed, but others remain. West Mercia Police have launched another Road Safety Grant Fund, and the fund’s threshold has been widened to include applications for grants of less than £5,000. The PC does not have requirements that meet the eligibility criteria, but the Clerk will bring the scheme to the attention of Gorsley School.
b) Bromsash speeding issues. HCC have introduced revised line painting on the B4224 following resurfacing, but the Clerk will ask HCC to also include the buff coloured 30 mph and SLOW patches as promised. More Speed Indicator Device (SID) data is needed before the efficacy of the village gateways and welcome signs can be assessed.
c) Curbing speed of traffic through Gorsley on B4221. The introduction of a pedestrian crossing at Lovers Walk appears to have had a positive effect on the speed of traffic through the village. The Clerk will initiate the next stage of the Parish Charter resolution process to reflect PC opposition to HCC’s decision not to implement a Traffic Regulation Order reducing the speed of traffic from 40mph to 30mph until the road has been resurfaced. This will involve a meeting between the PC Chair and HCC seniors.
d) Shutton Crossroads: No further action at this stage following the Buses4Us decision not to include a bus stop at the location.
9) Public Rights of Way: The Lengthsman has now installed all the eighteen footpath gates included in the HCC grant scheme (see para 10) c)). Native daffodil bulbs can be planted on the sides of footpaths, including on private land providing landowner permission is given. The Clerk will highlight the PC’s achievements on PROW and other issues in the next issue of the Chimes, with the hope that this might attract people to join the council.
10) Lengthsman:
a) The PC accepted the Grass Lengthsman recommendations for PROW strimming. The Clerk will include this in an application to HCC for grant funding. The latest parish maintenance round was carried out on 25 September. All areas were strimmed, and the only extra job was clearing part of a fallen tree in Oxlodge Wood that was blocking footpath LTR21.
b) The Roads Lengthsman has installed all the gates funded by the HCC PROW grant. The Clerk has confirmed the PC requirements for drainage work, and will reiterate the importance of Fording Lane, where ditches are blocked again.
c) Lengthsman Funding Scheme 2026/27: The Clerk has applied to HCC for the higher than quoted residual PROW gate costs (£821). HCC have approved the PROW application for £4,150 which was based on the original quote and submitted before the deadline. HALC believe that ways will be found to keep the core scheme, and perhaps the Local Drainage Fund and the Public Rights of Way grants, for another year.
11) Allotments: The PC approved the annual hedge cutting maintenance. Two thirds of the tenancy fees for the next twelve months have been paid. There are three vacant plots following resignations and another one is likely to become available.
12) Preparations have been made for the parish-wide community Litter Picking event on 24 October, which has been advertised locally. Native daffodil bulbs will be handed in batches of 20 to litter pickers for planting, with the focus on Gorsley.
13) The PC considered Cllr Williams’s Wildfire Ready Herefordshire Summit report and accepted his recommendation to wait for a follow-up meeting with HCC before deciding whether any action should be taken. There is no imperative on parish councils to do so. The PC noted parishioner concerns that relevant authorities pay insufficient attention to tackling fires once they have started.
14) Financial Matters:
a) Cllr Gough signed the Receipts & Payments report and reconciled bank statement for 30 September 2026. There was a bank balance of £29,722.71 with a cash balance after outstanding payments (£5,012.56) and undeposited receipts (£240.25) of £24,950.40.
b) The PC noted the latest Budget reports, one including HCC Grant funding, and one without. The PC also considered a Budget Estimate for 2027-28 which will inform their decision on the annual precept application at the next meeting.
c) It was RESOLVED to pay Richard Hunt, Clerk fee and expenses £491.56; GP Property, allotments maintenance £99.00; PKF Littlejohn LLP, AGAR external audit £252.00; Terry Griffiths Contracts Ltd, PROW gates installation £4,170.00; AGP Garden Services, parish strimming and cutting £192.00. Cllrs Bertenshaw, Gough and Williams signed the invoices.
15) Chairman’s & Councillors’ Submissions: Cllr Bertenshaw awaits HCC’s response to South Herefordshire Golf Club’s excavation of soakaway channels that drain directly into Fording Lane. See paragraph 5.
16) Date of next meeting: Monday 9 November 2026 in Gorsley Village Hall.
The meeting closed at 8:58pm.