Chairs’ Welcome and Apologies for Absence
Cllr Wright welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Declarations of Interest
None
Approval of Minutes
- Playing Field Committee Meeting held on 23rd June 2026 - approval proposed by Cllr Piper, seconded by Cllr Kewley and approved unanimously as a true record with 3 abstentions (councillors who were not present at the meeting)
- Parish Council Meeting held on 23rd June 2026 - approval proposed by Cllr Castle, seconded by Cllr Piper and approved unanimously as a true record with 2 abstentions (councillors who were not present at the meeting)
Public Participation Session
- Cllr Wright gave an update to the Chair of the Village Hall on the progress of the proposed redevelopment of the Pavilion. The Pre Planning application has now been submitted and a decision should be made by 27th August. The architect has been asked to look into the costing of the project should it be approved. It was agreed that legal advice will have to be taken with respect to the restrictions within the deed of gift with respect to the purpose of the use of the land the village hall sits in before any redevelopment can take place. Cllr Warboys said that he will look into funding options on the Parish Council’s behalf. The Open Day is scheduled for Saturday 1st August.
- Cllr Warboys gave a resume of his report that had been circulated to Councillors prior to the meeting. See Appendix 1
Chair’s Report
Nothing to report, as everything will be covered elsewhere on the agenda.
Clerk’s Report and Outstanding Actions
The completion letter has been received from PKF Littlejohn for the 2024/25 accounts. The 2025/26 have been submitted and awaiting review. The repairs to the zip line are scheduled for Wednesday 5th August. The Clerk will be attending a webinar on Wednesday 29th July for the N2T Community Fund. A phone call has been received from a concerned resident regarding the ponies on the common. The caller was advised that this has been an ongoing situation with various authorities involved. Contact has been made with UK Power Networks to chase up backdated Wayleave payments.
Planning Applications
- Application for Planning Permission - DC/26/02626: Change of use of land to residential and erection of garage at Keswick Lodge, Magpie Green, Wortham, Diss, Suffolk IP22 1RG. Proposed by Cllr Piper that the Parish Council has no objection, seconded by Cllr Neve and approved unanimously.
- Update for Application for Listed Building Consent - DC/26/01392: Retrospective application for a full roof replacement at 2 Hilltop Cottage, Long Green, Wortham, Diss Suffolk IP22 1PW - AWAITING DECISION
- Update for Planning Permission - DC/26/01610: Householder Application - Erection of a two-storey rear extension, replacement porch and internal alterations at Marsh Cottage, The Marsh, Wortham, Diss Suffolk IP22 1PN - AWAITING DECISION
- Update for Planning Permission - DC/26/01844: Full Planning Application (Retrospective) - Subdivision of four blocks of buildings to provide 7no. individual premises with the following changes of use: Unit 1B - Woodworking (B2), Unit 3A - Office (E(g)(i)), Unit 3B - Storage (B8), Unit 4 - Office (E(g)(i)) and associated alterations, Unit 5 - Metal Fabrications (B2), Unit 6 - Storage (B8) and Unit 7 - Storage (B8) with Office (E(g)(i)) at The Rookery, Bury Road, Wortham, Diss, Suffolk IP22 1RB - WITHDRAWN
- Update - Oak Trees, Burgate - NO UPDATE
Member's Consent to Receive Summons Electronically
Councillors all completed their consent to receive summons electronically.
Wortham Pavilion Improvement Update
Most of the update had been covered at minute reference 4.1. Cllr Castle to put together a questionnaire in readiness for the Open Day. Cllr Piper and Cllr Castle, together with Cllr Wright will all be available on Saturday 1st August.
Community Emergency Plan
Cllr Wright and the Clerk had a meeting with a representative from MSDC to discuss completing a Community Emergency Plan. There are lots of risks to consider and it was felt that a plan needs to be drawn up. The plan will need the help of not only the Parish Council and more people would need to be involved. Flyers left by MSDC will be made available at the Open Day and a draft plan will be put together in due course.
Cheque Signatory/Mandate Changes
The current cheque signatories are out of date. It was proposed that the changes be made and that the new signatories be Cllr Castle, Cllr Piper and Cllr Wright - unanimously agreed. Clerk to contact HSBC to make changes.
Nest as a Pension Provider
Cllr Castle proposed that Nest be set up as the Parish Council’s Pension Provider and that the Clerk be registered, seconded Cllr Williams and approved unanimously. Clerk to liaise with Cllr Castle to complete the necessary update with the Pension Regulator and Nest.
Commons Clearance and General Village Upkeep
The area near the Mellis junction has now been cut. Cllr Wright suggested that a schedule be drawn up for a period of 18 months for the upkeep of this area and others around the village. Cllr Piper proposed, seconded Cllr Castle and approved unanimously with 1 abstention. Clerk to liaise with Cllr Wright to draw up a schedule of work.
Quotes for Tree Work Required
2 quotes have been received to carry out tree work on the common. It was proposed by Cllr Castle that the quote from Magpie Tree & Fencing be accepted, seconded by Cllr Williams and approved unanimously. Clerk to contact Magpie Tree & Fencing.
Accounts
Account Balances as of 20th July 2026
- Current Account £32181.35
- Reserves Account £76187.32
- Commons Account £10351.50
Account Payments
- HMRC Interest Payment 22/23 £103.39
- HMRC Interest Payment 23/24 £165.73
- HMRC Charge 25/26 £102.68
- HMRC J Challis February 26 Salary £377.93
- CK Architectural Full Planning Application 1191398-0553 £1500.00
- CK Architectural Pre Application 1193420-0553 £540.00
- Top Garden Services June Grass Cutting 3908 £216.00
- MSDC Dog & Litter bins 2000039984 £618.00
- Garwoods of Suffolk Pollard Willow Tree 1012 £480.00
- Wortham Village Hall Window Cleaning 192 £20.00
- PKF Littlejohn External Audit 24/25 SB20253364 £348.00
- Safe & Sound Mole Control 11973 £60.00
- Wave Water - Pavilion 16816145 £80.65
- J Wright Mileage Expenses June/July £48.75
- J Wright Office Expenses June/July £141.33
- Admin Payments Salaries July Not itemised due to GDPR
- Admin Payments Salaries August Not itemised due to GDPR
- HMRC Salaries July Not itemised due to GDPR
- HMRC Salaries August Not itemised due to GDPR
- HMRC Interest Payment 25/26 £0.07
- J Wright Pre Planning Application Fee - MSDC PAA860285493 £84.00
- MSDC Annual Play Inspection Fee 2026 2000040055 £78.64
Direct Debit Payments
- O2 Mobile Phone £30.00
- Eon Next Electricity Pavilion £69.08
Receipts
- Interest Reserves account £80.07
- Interest Commons account £10.88
- Wortham Bowls Club Rent 26/27 £60.00
- HMRC VAT Reclaim 1st April - 30th June 26 £3905.46
Additional payments/receipts received prior to the meeting.
Income & Expenditure Reconciliation was presented and signed by the Chair. Overtime payments to the Clerk had been authorised by the Chair prior to the meeting. It was proposed by Cllr Williams that all payments be approved en bloc, seconded by Cllr Williams and approved unanimously.
Items from Committees/Working Groups/Councillors
- Playing Field Committee - The Clerk has received an email asking for a Facility Audit from the Suffolk Football Association as it was thought Wortham had hosted a female affiliated game in the 25/26 season. The contact for Palgrave Wanderers was unaware of one and as were any Councillors. Clerk to advise the SFA. The representative from Palgrave Wanderers has made a request for £100 to pay for 2 tonnes of topsoil for the football pitch. No agreement had been formalised for the 2025/26 season for the use of the football pitch and the football club had very kindly given up their time to distribute the planings at the village hall track. It was therefore agreed to pay £100 for the topsoil. Cllr Castle to contact the Football Club.
- Commons Committee - covered elsewhere on the agenda
- Finance Representative - nothing to report
- Employment Committee - meeting to be arranged
- Planning Committee - meeting to be arranged as new Planning Application received prior to this meeting
- Redevelopment of the Pavilion Working Group - nothing to report from the working group and redevelopment covered elsewhere on the agenda
- VHMC - nothing to report
- Rights of Way - The footbridge near Mellis Common and Putney Hall Farm is damaged and cordoned off. Clerk to make enquiries to find out when repair will be carried out by SCC. A footpath leading to Burgate is overgrown. Clerk to liaise with Cllr Neve to ascertain the footpath number and then report to MSDC
- Councillors - Cllr Neve asked if any enquiries have been made about arranging a traffic survey along Long Green. The clerk advised that a fee is payable of between £435 and £485 plus VAT. Cllr Kewley asked if a survey could also be carried out along Church Road due to traffic travelling at high speed. Cllr Neve proposed that surveys be carried out, seconded Cllr Piper and unanimously agreed with 1 abstention. Clerk to liaise with Cllr Neve to determine the best position for the surveys to take place.
Correspondence Received
A resident near to the Primary School raised his concerns about the state of the track and was unhappy with the Parish Council’s decision to put any repairs on hold. A resident is very unhappy with the ponies being on the common and the owner of the ponies driving his vehicle on the common to gain access to them. Councillors noted their concerns.
Items for the Next Agenda
To receive items for the next Agenda
Date and Time of the Next Meeting
Tuesday 15th September 2026 at 7.15pm to be held in Burgate Church Hall
Appendix 1: District Councillor Report
Gislingham Ward
Mellis, Gislingham, Thornham Parva, Thornham Magna, Wortham & Burgate, Wickham Skeith
Better Recycling 57,000 bins and counting. There are still some households that have not received their full complement of bins yet. Please contact me, email below, if you have a missing bin. Households are asked to put their bin out the night before they are due to collect, to avoid the hotter parts of the day the crews are starting as early as possible. W/E 3rd July the new food service collected 180.83 tonnes of food waste across both districts, an 11.7% increase on last week.
Construction of £18m Stowmarket Innovation complete Councillors will be touring the complete centre w/c 6th July. It will be fully open September 2026
Stowmarket hosted Suffolk’s Armed Forces Day celebrations Excellent weather and a helicopter fly past drew hundreds to celebrate this event and reflect on the role the armed services play both past and present
Joint Local Plan Have your say: Residents invited to help shape future of Babergh and Mid Suffolk Residents, businesses, community groups and stakeholders are being invited to help shape the future of Babergh and Mid Suffolk as the councils launch the first stage of consultation on their new Joint Local Plan
Gateway 14 £45 million manufacturing facility opens at Gateway 14 More than 250 local businesses, government officials, suppliers, partners and community representatives gathered today to celebrate the official opening of Assan Panel UK’s new £45 million manufacturing facility at Gateway 14 in Suffolk
Mid Suffolk Disability Forum Mid Suffolk Disability Forum meeting: Wednesday 29 July, 10.30am via Zoom Mid Suffolk Disability Forum is a network of disabled people, families and organisations which works to improve the lives of disabled people, families and organisations which works to improve the lives of disabled people living in the area. Supported by Mid Suffolk District Council, it creates a stronger, collective voice for positive change. Membership is free and meetings are open to all Mid Suffolk residents with any disability, as well as carers, local disability organisations, council and town/parish council representatives. To join email midsuffolkdisforum@btinternet.com and they will be pleased to welcome you.
Health Start Support Families in Mid Suffolk urged to claim Healthy Start support Families across Mid Suffolk are benign encouraged to check if they are eligible for the Healthy Start Scheme - with a recent increase in payment levels putting even more money into the hands of those who need it most.
Heating Residents urged to not miss out on heating oil help Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils have joined forces with local Citizens Advice services to reach residents who may be missing out on financial help with heating oil - having already helped households unlock £100k in unclaimed benefits over the last year.
EcoPower Suffolk Any concerns can be raised at the upcoming statutory consultation which will go to a joint cabinet briefing for member review and amendments in June or July. The Statutory Consultation is anticipated to run from 8th June 2026 to 16th August 2026. Because this is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), although the final decision will be made by the Secretary of State after scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate, local input remains crucial. They note dates may still change.
Norwich to Tilbury (Pylons) MSDC are engaging with National Grid on their proposals for enabling works for the Norwich to Tilbury project, to be carried out before the project is consented. Grid are intending to submit Town and Country Planning Act 1990 applications for planning permission (determined by BDC and MSDC respectively) for temporary construction compound and haul road works at Palgrave and Holton St Mary. The applications are for construction compounds and haul roads, which will be reversed should consent not be obtained. Affected residents and landowners will be receiving letters early next week The expected timetable is: Emails to parish councils Monday 15th June 2026 Letters to residents and landowners to arrive Tuesday 16th June 2026 Public comment period 26th June to 14th July Applications for planning permission to be submitted July Works to commence (if planning granted) Jan/Feb Planning decision on Norwich to Tilbury expected Feb 2027 Babergh and Mid Suffolk NSIP drop in surgery with Bron Curtis 9th July 11-00 - 12.00 Joint the meeting now Meeting ID: 342 374 307 126 43 Passcode: fd3iJ2FW You can find more information on NSIPs in general and projects in Suffolk, including an interactive map, on the Suffolk County Council website. Consultation is now open on National Grid’s community Fund and runs until 10th August National Grid Community Fund £30 million fund available for local and strategic projects.
Grants Pride in Your Place Applications for Mid Suffolk District Council’s Pride in Your Place grant have reopened, offering funding to projects that bolster community pride and celebrate the heritage of towns and villages across the district. I am also receiving applications to my Locality Budget
Rowland Warboys MSDC Cllr, Gislingham Ward rowland.warboys@midsuffolk.gov.uk Tel: 07484184121