Full Parish Council Ordinary Meeting
Meeting Summary
Meeting Agenda
Apologies for Absence
To receive apologies for absence and note apologies not received.
Declarations of Interest
- Pecuniary Interests: To receive Declarations of Pecuniary Interests as declared on the Register of Interests.
- Non-registerable Interests: To receive Declarations of Non-registerable Interests.
- Dispensations: The Clerk will consider and report on any requests for dispensation in line with the Council’s Code of Conduct.
- Gifts & Hospitality: To declare any gifts or hospitality in line with the Council’s Code of Conduct
Public Participation[1]
To hear from members of the public who wish to make representations, answer questions, and give evidence in respect of the business on the agenda. A question shall not require a response at the meeting nor start a debate on the question. The chairman of the meeting may direct that a written or oral response be given.
Cornwall Councillor Reports[2]
To receive and note verbal or written reports from Cornwall Cllr Elaine Kist and Cornwall Cllr Steve Trevelyan and ask questions on the content.
Full Council Meeting Minutes
To receive and resolve to adopt the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 21st January 2026 to allow the presiding Chairman to duly sign.
Committee Meetings Minutes
To receive the minutes of the following committee meetings and approve any recommendations therein:
Human Resources – 26th January 2026
Planning & Licencing – 11th February 2026
Events & Communications – 18th February 2026
Property & Services – 25th February 2026
Clerk’s Report
To receive a report from the Clerk on any matters arising from previous minutes, meetings attended by officers and future dates for the diary. For information only.
Parish Councillor’s Reports
To include an update on any meetings attended by Members as representatives of the Parish Council and future dates for the diary. For information only.
Working Parties
To receive an update from the following working parties and to resolve any action required:
Asset of Community Value Working Party
Century of Change Publication Working Party
Asset Transfer Working Party
To resolve that the Asser Transfer Working Party be dissolved due to project completion
Financial Matters
To approve expenditure payments.
To appoint a Councillor to oversee the authorisation of the electronic payments.
To note income.
To approve any transfers of funds.
To note account balances.
To note the latest bank reconciliation.
Quarterly Reconciliation Check
To receive a verbal report from Cllr Debby Hussey and to resolve any action required.
Internal Control Check & Audit Plan Review
To receive a report from Cllr David Coles and Cllr Tina Patterson on the effectiveness of the system of Internal control and audit plan and to resolve any action required.
Accessibility Statement
To receive the website accessibility statement, to resolve adoption, and to resolve any action required.
Neighbourhood Plan Website
To discuss whether the Neighbourhood Plan website www.ststepheninbrannelparishfuture.co.uk should be taken down following the introduction of Assertion 10 on the AGAR and to resolve action required.
Consultations
- To receive details of, and appoint members to respond to, any consultations received up to the time of the meeting.
- To resolve a response to the Consultation PSPO Renewal (Alcohol Consumption in Public Places) 2026.
- To receive and approve responses to previous consultations.
Outside Bodies Representatives
To resolve the appointment of Members to the following –
Brannel School Community Champion
Coombe Community Hall Trust
Coombe Playing Field
Brannel Room Community Hub
To receive an update on the project ant to appoint members to a working party and to resolve any other action required
Strategic Plan
To review the strategic plan and resolve any action required.
Confidential Matter(s)
To resolve that under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, the public and representatives of the press and broadcast media be excluded from the meeting, and that the live streaming and any recording cease, during the consideration of the following item(s) of business as publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted –
Commercially sensitive legal advice on the draft Terms of Reference for the devolution/transfer of assets from Cornwall Council.
[1] Standing Order 3f: Total time allowed will be 15 minutes (limit of 5 minutes per person) which may be varied at the discretion of the Chairman.
[2] Standing Order 3l: Total time allowed will be 15 minutes which may be varied at the discretion of the Chairman. The reports are for information purposes only.
Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of St Stephen in Brannel Parish Council
held in the Brannel Room, 22 Fore Street, St Stephen
on Wednesday 4th March 2026 starting at 6.30pm.
Present:
Cllr Mike Berryman, Cllr Julie Broad (Chairman), Cllr David Coles (Vice Chairman), Cllr Anne Hartshorne, Cllr Debby Hussey, Cllr Steve Oakley, Cllr Tina Patterson, Cllr David Simpson, Cllr Shelagh Tasker and Cllr Keith Truscott.
In attendance:
Ruth Mills – Deputy Clerk and Cornwall Cllr Elaine Kist.
Cllr Julie Broad welcomed everyone to the meeting. She ran through housekeeping procedures and advised everyone present that if they intended to participate in the meeting, they could be recorded, photographed, filmed, or otherwise reported about. Everyone present was advised that the meeting was being live streamed to Facebook and therefore they should be mindful of the information they shared to ensure compliance with data protection legislation and that the meeting would be managed with the Civility & Respect Pledge in mind.
FPC25/26 Apologies for Absence:
It was
RESOLVED to note apologies from Cllr Nigel Spragg
Proposed by Cllr David Simpson. Seconded by Cllr David Coles. All voted in favour.
FPC26/26 Declarations of Interest:
- There were no declarations of pecuniary interests.
- There were no declarations of non-registerable interests.
- No dispensation requests had been received.
- There were no declarations of any gifts or hospitality received.
FPC27/26 Public Participation:
There were no members of the public present, and no questions had been received.
FPC28/26 Cornwall Councillor Reports:
Cornwall Councillor Elaine Kist spoke on attending the public consultation event held by Gilbert & Goode of plans for Land north of Carkeek Close, St Stephen, parking concerns, fly tipping, pot holes, attending the Parish Council Meet and Greet, and took questions from members.
Councillor Stephen Trevelyan was not present and had not submitted a report.
FPC29/26 Full Council Meeting Minutes:
It was
RESOLVED to adopt the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 21st January 2026 to allow the presiding Chairman to duly sign.
Proposed by Cllr David Coles. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
The Chairman duly signed the minutes.
FPC30/26 Committee Meeting Minutes:
The draft minutes of the Human Resources committee meeting held on 26th January 2026 were received. It was
RESOLVED to approve the following recommendation –
HR07/26 Employment Policy and Procedure Review:
That the amended Absence Management policy be adopted as presented.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. The vote was carried with two abstentions.
Action: Clerk
The draft minutes of the Planning & Licencing committee meeting held on 11th February 2026 were received. There were no recommendations therein.
The draft minutes of the Events & Communications committee meeting held on 18th February 2026 were received. The following recommendation was discussed –
E&C13/26 Community Newsletter:
Members discussed taking on the newsletter to ensure every resident had access to information as members considered this to be an asset to the parish.
The Clerk had advised that the budget/precept press release had not gone to every household and had asked that Members consider this during their discussion.
It was
RESOLVED that in principle the council would like to take on the community newsletter, that the finer details of doing so be investigated, and that it would be delegated to the Events & Communications committee.
Proposed by Cllr David Simpson. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
It was further
RESOLVED that a leaflet drop take place to every household within the parish with the budget/precept press release information and that delegated authority be given to the Clerk to arrange the creation and distribution of the leaflet and that councillors would help with the leaflet drop.
Proposed by Cllr Debby Hussey. Seconded by Cllr David Simpson. The vote was carried with one abstention.
Action: Clerk
The draft minutes of the Property & Services committee meeting held on 25th February 2026 were received. It was
RESOLVED to approve the following recommendations –
BD06/25 Biodiversity Policy:
That
- The Planning & Licensing (P&L) Committee should reference biodiversity in responses to relevant planning applications.
- The P&L Committee should support applications that protect sensitive habitats.
- The pre-application advice policy should be reviewed to reflect these recommendations.
- The biodiversity sections of the Neighbourhood Development Plan should be adhered to.
- The P&L Committee should encourage the use of sustainable drainage systems where appropriate.
- A biodiversity audit should be undertaken, with a budget allocated for every four years.
- The Operations Manager should provide a report at each sub-committee meeting, highlighting any changes or additional funding required to ensure project completion.
- Consideration of biodiversity should be included in Service Level Agreements with contractors.
- Biodiversity considerations should be added to contractor job specifications and tenders.
- A section on biodiversity should be included in the new quarterly e-newsletter.
- Social media posts from the Unitary Authority supporting biodiversity should be shared.
- Closer links with local schools should be developed to support initiatives such as garden clubs.
- Investigations into establishing a community garden should be undertaken.
- Promotion of biodiversity should be included at Councillor Meet and Greet events.
- The Council should lead by example in promoting biodiversity.
- The Council’s grant policies and associated forms should be reviewed to include biodiversity considerations.
- A dedicated page on the Council website should be created to highlight biodiversity and local success stories.
BD07/25 Biodiversity Action Plan
That the Property & Services Committee update the cemetery memorial policy to discourage single-use plastics, encourage recycling, and promote biodiversity through the use of more sustainable materials.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. The vote was carried with one abstention.
Action: Clerk
FPC31/26 Clerk’s Report:
A report had been circulated prior to the meetings which covered the following:
Affordable & Social Housing Meeting – We are still waiting for Ocean Housing to confirm meeting dates.
Co-option – The vacancy following the resignation of Anne Barnes would be filled by co-option. The campaign scheduled for February/March had been pushed back to April due to the cessation of the community newsletter however posts had been put on social media.
Broadband, Nanpean – Broadband installation at Nanpean had been further delayed due to an address query with the Post Office, which was being resolved. The Deputy Clerk advised that
the address was now available on Royal Mail’s address data base and that BT had been notified.
Meet & Greet – The next Meet & Greet event would be on Wednesday 25th March 2026 at Whitemoor Village Hall between 1pm and 3pm.
Get To Know Your Parish Councillors – Some Members had not yet met with the Admin Officer to complete their bios. Please arrange this as soon as possible.
Dog Fouling – The dog fouling campaign had been a great success attracting interest from local media. The signs would shortly be moved to new locations.
Cornish Lithium – Correspondence from Cornish Lithium regarding their statutory consultation had been circulated.
Resident Queries – The parish council office had received a significant high level of correspondence from residents concerning potholes, parking, pavement/road surfaces, the proposed development off Carkeek Close, St Stephen and the Trerice solar farm appeal. All communications had received a response.
Website – The new website had gone live. A verbal update was given at the meeting.
FPC32/26 Parish Councillor’s Reports:
Cllr David Simpson spoke on the Planning Partnership and being on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Fund Panel.
Cllr Mike Berryman spoke on attending the Cornish Lithium meeting on Thursday 5th March 2026 and that he had attended the public consultation event held by Gilbert & Goode.
Cllr Debby Hussey spoke on being on the recruitment panel for the maternity cover and that the interviews had taken place.
Cllr Anne Hartshorne spoke on the Open Day for Whitemoor Village Hall.
FPC33/26 Working Parties:
The Asset of Community Value Working Party had not met therefore there was no update.
Cllr Keith Truscott gave an update on The Century of Change Publication Working Party project.
FPC34/26 Asset Transfer Working Party:
It was
RESOLVED that the Asset Transfer Working Party be formally dissolved as its project is nearing completion and that any remaining actions be delegated as appropriate.
Proposed by Cllr David Coles. Seconded by Cllr David Simpson. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC35/26 Financial Matters:
It was
RESOLVED to approve the expenditure presented in the report circulated prior to the meeting.
It was
RESOLVED that Cllr Mike Berryman would counter authorise the payments.
It was
RESOLVED to note the income presented in the report circulated prior to the meeting.
It was
RESOLVED that the transfer of money from the Lloyds Business Account to the Lloyds Current Account was no longer required as an agenda item as the transfer of funds was covered by council’s Financial Regulations.
It was
RESOLVED to note the bank account balances presented in the report circulated prior to the meeting.
It was
RESOLVED to note the latest bank reconciliation.
Proposed by Cllr Steve Oakley. Seconded by Cllr David Coles. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk and Cllr Mike Berryman
FPC36/26 Quarterly Reconciliation Check:
It was
RESOLVED to defer this item as the check had not been carried out.
Proposed by Cllr Debby Hussey. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC37/26 Internal Control Check & Audit Plan Review:
Review of the Financial Risk Assessment
It was
RESOLVED that no further action is required.
Review of the Effectiveness of the Internal Audit System
It was
RESOLVED to adopt the changes to the internal control checklist as presented.
Internal Audit Plan
It was
RESOLVED that the internal audit plan be updated as adopted as presented.
Proposed by Cllr David Simpson. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC38/26 Accessibility Statement:
It was
RESOLVED to adopt the statement as presented.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr Tina Patterson. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC39/26 Neighbourhood Plan Website:
It was
RESOLVED to decommission the NDP website to ensure compliance with Assertion 10 and accessibility regulation whilst noting that the information was available through the new Council website or the parish council office.
Proposed by Cllr David Simpson. Seconded by Cllr Steve Oakley. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC40/26 Consultations:
- It was
RESOLVED that Cllr David Simpson respond to the Specialist Prevention and Intermediate Care – Have Your Say consultation. Members were advised that this was an error on the agenda as the item had been discussed in January 2026.
- It was
RESOLVED to approve Cllr David Coles response to the “2026 Off Street Parking Places Order” consultation.
It was
RESOLVED to approve Cllr Steve Oakleys response to the “PSPO Renewal consultation“.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr Keith Truscott. All voted in favour.
Action: Cllr David Simpson
FPC41/26 Outside Bodies Representatives:
It was
RESOLVED that Cllr Steve Oakley be appointed as the Brannel School Community Champion.
That the current arrangements for Coombe Community Hall Trust and Coombe Playing Field remain in place until the end of the Municipal Year 2025/26.
Proposed by Cllr David Simpson. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC42/26 Brannel Room Community Hub:
It was
RESOLVED that the Brannel Room Community Hub working party be formed, to appoint the Clerk & RFO along with Cllr Julie Broad, Cllr Debby Hussey and Cllr David Simpson to the working party and to adopt the Terms of Reference as presented.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr Mike Berryman. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
FPC43/26 Strategic Plan:
It was
RESOLVED that no action was required at this time.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr David Simpson. All voted in favour
FPC44/26 Confidential Matter(s):
The Deputy Clerk advised that the solicitors were still consulting with Cornwall Council so there were no documents to review.
It was
RESOLVED to defer the matter to a future meeting.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr David Simpson. All voted in favour
Action: Clerk
The meeting ended at 7.30pm
Signed as a true and accurate record –
Chairman ………………………………….…..
Date …………………………………..….