SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council
Held at Singleton Village Hall on 11 August 2026
Present: – Cllrs Lee (Chair), Cllr Cholmondeley (Vice-Chair) and the Parish Clerk, Verena Henderson, who took the Minutes. Seven members of the public also attended along with County Councillor Singleton.
| 1. | Apologies for Absence – Cllr Clifford |
| 2. | Open Forum Members of the public again attended the meeting following on from their objection last month to a planning application. The Parish Council had also objected to this planning application as it had completely disagreed with Highway’s summary of how many extra vehicle movements there would be entering and exiting the lane. The Environment Agency had also objected on the grounds of flooding risk, and this would add weight to the residents’ arguments. The residents wondered what would happen next. Cllr Lee said that because the Parish Council and the Environment Agency had objected to this application, then it would go to the Planning Committee rather than be decided by planning officers. All the consultations would be available to be viewed on Fylde Borough Council’s website. Cllr Lee would attend the Fylde Planning Committee meeting and speak on the residents’ behalf. They were welcome to attend also, although they would be confined to talk for only 3 minutes. |
| 2a. | New Parish Councillors The Parish Council welcomed two new members of the Parish Council who had put themselves forward to be co-opted. These are John Dawson Ackroyd and Tracey Angela Davies who will both be representing Little Singleton. The Clerk will forward their details to Fylde Borough Council for them to be formally co-opted onto the Parish Council. The Parish Council now has the full complement of five councillors. |
| 3. | Minutes of previous meeting held on 14 July 2026 and any matters arising – The Minutes of the meeting held on 14 July, having been previously circulated and agreed, were formally signed as a true and correct record by the Chairman. Matters arising:-A price has been received from the Handyman for the repair of the vandalised noticeboard on Mains Lane. This would include removal and replacement of the structural damaged post, noticeboard taken away, cleaned up and repaired where needed, sanded and repainted, new laminated glass fitted to the damaged door and a new lock. Price quoted £352.75. If the pin board at the back of the noticeboard needed replacing this would be up to £45 extra. The other two noticeboards cost the Parish Council well over £1,000 each. Cllr Lee proposed that this quotation be accepted, this was seconded by Cllr Cholmondeley and Agreed. Land to the East of Lodge Lane. The Senior Planning Officer visited the site after the Parish Council raised concerns that hardcore had been deposited there and that significant activity was taking place despite no planning application having been submitted. A report from the Enforcement Officer is awaited. |
| 4. | Police Matters June’s crime report from the Police showed that 5 crimes had been recorded for Singleton Village as follows: – Violence and sexual offences – 2 Criminal damage and arson – 1 Public order – 1 Other crime – 1 The Clerk had reported the vandalism to the noticeboard, and a Police Investigation had been created. Nothing further had been heard from the Police at this time. |
| 5. | Declarations of Interest – None |
| 6. | Planning matters and decisions 26/0425 – Newbrook, Old Mains Lane, Singleton FY6 7LA – Single storey side and rear extension and installation of outdoor swimming pool. No significant observations 25/0343 – 176 & 176A Mains Lane FY6 7LB – Erection of two detached dwellings (revision of scheme approved by planning permission 19/0623 – part retrospective. Nothing significant to add to this application. Planning Decisions: – Newgate, Garstang Road, FY6 8LX – Construction of front dormer – Granted |
| 7. | Traffic and Highways issues County Cllr Singleton submitted his monthly report, as follows: – Work should start on the removal of the metal plate on Station Road during August 2026. Lodge Lane Footway – This had been visited by LCC’s Inspector of Highways, but his verdict was disappointing. He could not guarantee that the work required would rank high enough to make LCC’s next Capital Resurfacing Programme. Cllr Clifford would like County Cllr Singleton to arrange an on-site meeting between affected neighbours and the Inspector of Highways. Cty Cllr Singleton will arrange this. Lay-By outside 128-134 Mains Lane. The speed hump there has been inspected and it had been agreed that the hump is not sufficiently aggressive to serve its purpose. A date for improvement to the hump is awaited. Deployment of VMS at South Lodge, Lodge Lane (this is to monitor speeding). LCC has two smaller trailers and Cty Cllr Singleton will make a request that Singleton can use one of these in the near future. The sink hole by the Old Fire Station has now been filled in by United Utilities. Condition of grass verges on Mains Lane. Since May, the Clerk has been asking LCC to cut this area of grass, which is LCC’s responsibility. Some work has begun, but it is not yet to the standard expected by the Parish Council. In July, the Clerk wrote to the Chief Engineer asking whether the Parish Council could take over grass-cutting for the verges along Mains Lane, Garstang Road East and Lodge Lane, and whether this could be added to the existing Public Realm agreement with LCC. The Parish Council would need to be reimbursed for carrying out this additional work on LCC’s behalf. No response has yet been received as yet, so the Clerk will send a reminder. Forthcoming roadworks: – Miller Crescent – 13 – 17 August – United Utilities; Mains Lane 17 – 20 August – vehicle crossing by 178 Mains Lane – LCC |
| 8. | New By-Pass – This item will now be removed from the agenda. |
| 9. | Update from Fylde Borough Council Local Government Reorganisation – A decision has now been made that there will be four new unitary councils created, replacing all the current 15 authorities. Fylde will now come under Lancashire West, which will include Fylde, Wyre and Blackpool. It is expected that shadow elections for the new unitary councils will take place in May 2027. Existing councillors will remain in post until the new authorities formally take over. Fylde Local Plan – This is now nearing completion, and consultation will commence very soon. |
| 10. | Correspondence Email received from the Conservation Officer at Fylde saying that a heritage crime conference is to be held on 27 November at Blackpool town centre focusing on historic buildings that may be vulnerable to crime or anti-social behaviour. Tickets will be free of charge and invitations will be sent out soon. Noted. |
| 11. | Damaged Noticeboard – Item covered under “Matters Arising”. |
| 12. | Accounts and Any Invoices to pay Email received from the Handyman regarding the planting tubs. He had put notices up requesting people to water them, but most had remained unwatered. As a result, he offered to water all 24 tubs across the parish again at £30 a time. Cllr Cholmondeley proposed that this should be done another couple of times if still necessary, this was seconded by Cllr Lee and agreed. Handyman – two previously agreed watering of planting tubs – £60. First Cut Grounds Maintenance Ltd – Grass-cutting contract – £643.67. Already agreed at Annual Parish Meeting. Litter-picker – 4 weeks – £481.00. Already agreed at Annual Parish Meeting. Clerk – Salary and Expenses for July/August – £405.02. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Cholmondeley. Agreed. |
| 13. | Any Other Business The Parish Council’s bank was conducting a review of all bank accounts and had requested that all forms be resubmitted and certified by a professional person. Forms for Cllrs Lee and Cholmondeley were duly completed and signed by County Cllr Singleton. Forms would be forwarded to Cllrs Ackroyd, Clifford and Davies by the Clerk. |
| 14. | Date and time of next meeting – Tuesday 8 September 2026 at 7.15pm. As there was no further business, the meeting closed at 8.15pm. |
Signed ……………………………………………… Dated ………………………………
Verena Henderson, Clerk to Singleton Parish Council,
Tel: 07530 605 291: email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org