Meetings

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Meeting Dates 2025 – 2026

  1.  the dates of Peckforton Parish Meetings for 2025/2026, as approved at the latest Annual Parish Meeting are set out below. All meetings will be held at Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall at 19:00.

Tuesday 2nd September 2025  – Ordinary Meeting. 

Tuesday 9th December 2025   – Ordinary Meeting.

Tuesday 10th March 2026        – Ordinary Meeting.

Tuesday 12th May 2026            – Annual Parish Meeting and Ordinary Meeting.

Please see below for the outline agenda for the meeting to be held on 10th March 2026 , and the attachment here for the full document. Agenda 10th March 2026 Parish Meeting

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 19:00 on Tuesday  10th March 2026, at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of Notice – 2nd March 2026

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Agenda – March 2026 Parish Meeting

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.  
  3. Declaration of interests – Residents may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate. It would be helpful if any attendees at the meeting who are not entitled to vote at a Parish Meeting were to make themselves known to the Clerk.
  4. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 9th December 2025.
  5. Chairs Report to include,
    1. Road Speed Issue in Peckforton.
    1.  Estate matters
    1.  Village Hall car park fencing  and other current topics will also be covered.
  6. To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand, and note the financial summary below showing the information to 28th February 2026.
  Projected roundedOriginal EstimateEstimated
 2024-20252025-20262025-20262026-2027
Balance  Brought Forward£1,955.10£1,166.00£1,166.12£2,451.97
Precept£3,000.00£3,300.00£3,300.00£3,630.00
Total Other Receipts£705.00£1,870.00£1,240.00£1,402.50
Staff Costs£1,391.00£761.00£1,530.10£821.88
Interest/rounding£0.00£1.00£0.00£1.00
All Other Payments£3,102.98£2,792.00£1,724.05£3,071.20
Balance Carried Forward£1,166.12£2,782.00£2,451.97£3,590.39
Total Value of Cash and short term investments£1,166.12£2,782.00£2,451.97£3,590.39
Fixed assets£3,779.26£3,779.00£3,779.26£3,779.26
  • The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.

Please find below the Minutes of the December 2025 Parish Meeting

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish held at 19:00 on Tuesday  9th December 2025, at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall. https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-Parish-Meeting-Minutes-9th-December-2025-for-publishing.docx

13th December 2025

  1. Apologies for absence. Cllr. James Pearson of Cheshire East Council ,Mike and Hilary Watson, Penny and Andrew Shearer, Jo and Alan Parsons, Jane Roberts, Alison Barlow, Richard Evans.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   None
  3. Declaration of interests – Residents may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate. It would be helpful if any attendees at the meeting who are not entitled to vote at a Parish Meeting were to make themselves known to the Clerk.   None
  4. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 2nd September 2025. Approved
  5. Chairs Report :-
    1. Road Speed Issue in Peckforton.  

As reported to everyone via the mailing list we had a very good meeting with Highways to review the Speed Management Matrix for lowering the speed through Peckforton to 40mph. The Chair passed on thanks to Jane Roberts, Andrea Percival, Jacquie North and Nick Haigh for their support not only in going through the assessment prior to the meeting, but also for their attendance on the day.
Overall, the meeting with Highways was positive. 

  • To get on the approval list of projects that CEH will consider for their next budget period (2026), we needed to score more than 55 and ideally more than 60.
    • Last time the assessment was done in 2023, we scored 37. This time we scored 66 and the result was Buoyed in no small measure by the number of speed incident reports that have been submitted to CEH. – The community has averaged 4/month since March ’24 and this alone added 20 to the score. Other additions came from:-
      • Support from Local Councilor – (mail from James Pearson) + 5
      • Support from local MP Aphra Brandreth +2
      • Other organisations – Village Hall and PPM Speed Subgroup +5
    • We also asked that Highways give consideration to: – 
      • The fact that although we are no longer on a bus route we do have 2 school buses running twice daily through the village (+2)
      • The following could be considered Tourist attractions (+1)
        • Peckforton and Beeston Castle
        • Buzzard and Elephant/Castle Statue (Inglish Heritage Listed)
        • Wetlands
        • Peckforton sits on the Sandstone Trail
        • It’s the home of the Wesley and Peckforton Oak trees
        • Number of events through the village – trail running, cycling, car rally’s…
    • The chair reported that he understood that CEH would finalise projects for 2026 by the end January, and we should know by mid-end February whether Peckforton has been successful. It’s not a foregone conclusion, as CEH budgets are tight and there are a number of similar requests from across Cheshire East.

                      The Chair reiterated that it remains very important (particularly to end January) that we continue to
                      raise and submit speed related incidents.

  • Cheshire Police Cluster Group update – Following The Chair’s attendance at the Cluster meeting, The Clerk has written to the Police and Crime Commissioner to ask that the local PCSO  presence Sharon Jones is maintained, after the threat that the number of rural PCSOs may be dramatically reduced. See Appendix 1 for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s response.

    • Update on the United Utilities Vyrnwy Aqueduct Modernisation Programme (VAMP).
      The project as it relates to Vyrnwy pipeline installation is completed.
      • The chair was pleased to report that UU had honoured their offer to resurface the Village Hall Carpark and all agreed this has been a great improvement. The Chair has written to those involved at UU to pass on the village’s thanks and the meeting reiterated thanks to UU for their help and support.
    • Peckforton Estate – Land/Area Maintenance
      • The Chair reported that the routine maintenance program is going well with  Stuart doing a good job of staying on top of areas. Further to the resurfacing of the carpark, there will be some additional maintenance required to maintain this and it has been agreed that this will be co-funded by the Parish and the Village Hall. The Chair passed on thanks to the VH Committee for their support.
      • Fencing – The car park, Quarry Bank and the section joining QB to the carpark are now all complete. There remains one section of fencing to do, namely to replace the handrail from the carpark to the Village Hall. The Chair confirmed we have sufficient funds to cover the cost of the materials for this section but we will need to sort a working party to do this in the spring. The  Chair thanked everyone who had given up their time voluntarily to support the working parties doing the fencing. The meeting agreed it was a huge improvement.
      • Sheds on Quarry Bank – The Chair confirmed that another of the residents of Quarry Bank is taking on the end units and will be refurbishing these in the spring. Once again, the Chair confirmed that the Estate has agreed these units will only be offered to residents of QB as they are impacted most by traffic coming and going and that they can only be used for domestic storage, not business.
      • Tree planting/maintenance – We have asked the Estate that trees that have not ‘stood the test of time’ be replaced. Charlotte Heath has confirmed that it is included in Scottish Woodlands planned work and that they have a window between now and the end of March/April to tidy, spray regrowth, and replant where some trees have not grown.
      • Gravel Pile behind The Barns
        On behalf of the residents of The Barns the Chair reported that quite a bit of work has been done, initially to get to the bottom of which farm had stored it there and also to try and get some action in respect of reducing its impact on the community and views. At the time of the meeting the Chair confirmed:-
        • It was handed over to Castleside Farm by United Utilities and Castlegate have signed the necessary paperwork to confirm they have accepted it.
        • United Utilities believe they have exercised their responsibilities in terms of what needed to be done to hand this over and therefore it is a Farm/Estate matter
        • We have approached the farmer at Castlegate (via the Estate) raising concerns about the visual impact and safety of the pile, to ask essentially what his plans were for this, and also to ask if it could be reduced in scale to have less of an impact on the environment/view.
        • The response (via the Estate) essentially indicated the farmer hadn’t got any immediate plans that would either use it or reduce it in size.
        • In response to a petition being raised by residents of The Barns, at the time of the meeting the Chair indicated he was in discussion with both the Estate and UU to try and arrive at a solution that worked for all. All parties were taking the matter seriously.


The Chair was thanked for all his time and effort spent trying to resolve the issue of the mound of waste near to the Peckforton Hall Barns.

  • The Elephant and Castle Planning has been approved and the project is expected to go ahead, with the plan being to move it further down the garden, which may involve taking apart and re-building the Castle.
    • Remembrance and Christmas decorations in the Village. The Parish Meeting has purchased a female figure to add to the male figure that the Parish Meeting bought last year. The Chair shared with the meeting a picture of a location where he had observed poppies being planted around a village memorial and suggested it may be something to consider for Peckforton. It was agreed to try to hold an event tied to Remembrance 2026 to involve children, so that the history of Remembrance day is carried on to the next generation..

The Christmas tree is in place. The feedback on the Peckfortonians WhatsApp group has  been massively positive this year about the Christmas Tree in the Village.
Particular thanks to Claire Darlington and her husband Paul for sourcing and delivering the tree at a very reasonable price and to Nick Haigh, Colin Satham, Mark Salmon and Stuart Murphy for their help putting it up.
The Parish meeting is to buy a new timer to reduce the running hours of the lights on  the tree and improve battery life.

  • Acorns to Oaks This meeting was a great success, many thanks to Stephen and Katherine Hutchinson for their guidance, and to Jane Roberts for organising it. Please see below for a map and some advice about how to grow acorns.
    • Oak Tree at entrance to Bank Cottages.
      CEH have been out and inspected it, they are happy with it as I stands but have added it to their annual list of trees they will inspect going forward.
  • To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand, and discuss the level of Precept to be requested of Cheshire East Council for 2026-2027. Note that the Precept for 2025-2026 was £ 3,300. It is proposed that an additional 10% is requested, to give a precept of £ 3,630 for 2026-2027. Agreed unanimously.
  • The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.  –  There were no other matters raised
  • There was a little discussion about an advertising hording that had appeared in the village, but which has now been removed.

Appendix 1 – Email from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

Dear Clerk and Chair,

Thank you for your recent correspondence on the subject of the internal consultation that the Constabulary is carrying out with its PCSOs.

As this is an operational decision it is a matter for the Chief Constable and whilst the consultation is ongoing you will appreciate that it is inappropriate for this office to comment on the specifics.

However, what I can say is this is part of early budget conversations in preparation for the 26/27 financial year and is only one element of a much wider budget planning discussion for next year. At this point, we cannot say the number of PCSOs that are affected as that work is still ongoing and will be concluded in the new year as part of the budget setting process.

You may be aware that the Commissioner made an announcement in April 2025 about an additional £3m of funding from government to enhance neighbourhood policing. At that point, Cheshire had 251 dedicated public servants in neighbourhoods working as Inspectors, Sergeants, Officers and PCSOs. The budget we are discussing forecasts 326 people working in neighbourhoods as Inspectors, Sergeants, Officers and PCSOs. The precise number of PCSOs as a part of that mix is yet to be decided.  The Commissioner is keen that residents know that he is committed to delivering his promise as set out in the police and crime plan of ensuring a named PC or PCSO for every ward in Cheshire. He also wants it to be made clear, that neighbourhood policing in Cheshire is being strengthened.

The Commissioner will be holding the Chief Constable to account in this area and will continue to scrutinise how community policing is delivered. Additionally, because of the increase in policing numbers he has also requested a review of the 122 wards of the current neighbourhood policing model.

Once the Government announces the funding settlement in late December, the Commissioner will be consulting with partners and the public on his finalised budget proposals before submitting his precept recommendation to the Police and Crime Panel in early February. Following consideration by the Panel, the outcome will be communicated to all partners and residents in Cheshire.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further queries on this matter.

Damon Taylor | Chief Executive | Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner

Planting Oak trees in hedges- main points – From Katherine Hutchinson

Choose the acorns you would like to plant if you have a particular parent tree in mind- or dig up new oak seedlings if you have lots in your lawn/garden and don’t mind which tree they come from.

If starting with acorns DON’T LET THEM DRY OUT, check they SINK (Floating ones don’t usually grow)

Plant them somewhere they will get cold, stay moist but not sodden and not be accessible to mice and squirrels over winter (EG outside in the ground or in a plant pot).

In the early summer take the seedlings which have grown and transplant them into the ground in a place they can be ignored for 3-4 years and then dug up (so no important tree or shrub roots in the area) Plant at least 20cm apart in a row (30-40cm between rows) so that you have room to get a spade between when digging them up. Trees kept in pots tend to grow much slower, and tend to dry out and die in the summer, also the pots are not deep enough so the roots easily curl round and need cutting off at planting.

Leave them alone until they are around 60-100cm tall (don’t worry if they have bifurcated- or aren’t quite straight that will sort at planting)

When you are ready to plant your trees- look for a gap in a hedge where:-

  1. You have permission to plant your tree
  2. There are no overhead cables
  3. Not next to any land drains you (or the farmer) know about
  4. At least 12 long paces from the nearest large (or potentially large) tree.

Dig up your tree on a pleasant day in December or January for best; although February will do the trees don’t do quite as well. The roots are often roughly as deep as the tree is high.

Put the roots into a large polythene bag IMMEDIATELY, as we find very little soil tends to adhere to oak roots, so they dry out easily.

Go to where you plan to plant your tree and dig a square section hole deep enough to take the whole length of the roots (Which tend to be few and grow downwards) Do not be tempted to scrunch up the roots, if you cannot dig the hole deep enough then cut off the bottom of the root to fit (Though obviously this is not best, it is better than scrunching up roots)

If the soil is so sandy it could be a sand pit I tend to make the hole bigger at the bottom and add a bit of leaf-mould compost if you have it, mixed in with the bottom soil with a fork, but with all normal soil (Even if light and sandy) I just put the soil back so that the roots are happy to leave the planting hole.

Put in a tree stake (I buy 8’ stakes and get them from Richard Reeves for around £3.50 each) and bang it down a couple of inches to hold it initially. You want it to be around 50cm into the ground once you have filled up the hole to ground level.

Water in the tree with 5-10 litres of water as you fill up the hole (It is fine if the planting hole is a bit soggy at this stage, you want to make sure the soil is all round the roots without touching the roots more than you have to, which adding plenty of water achieves)

Once your tree is planted, cut off any bifurcated branches even if this means cutting off half of the tree. If not bifurcated then cut off a few lower branches. (The roots will then cope with the transplanting well and these tree tend to do better than other that have not had some branches cut off)

If the trunk is very kinked you can straighten it by taping the trunk to a piece of bamboo cane- but don’t forget to take it off after about 6 months.

Please find below the Notice of the Parish Meeting of 9th December 2025 and the Agenda https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-9th-December-2025-Parish-Meeting.docx

Please find below the Minutes of the September 2025 Parish Meeting https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-2nd-September-2025-Parish-Meeting-final.docx

Please find below the Minutes of the May 2025 Meetings

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2025-Minutes-V30.docx

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-13th-May-2025-Parish-Meeting-V30.docx

Please find below the Minutes of the March 2025 Meeting

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-11th-March-2025-Parish-Meeting-Final-2.docx

Please find below the Chair’s notes for the March 2025 Meeting

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Chairmans-Report-11th-March-Meeting.docx

Please find below the Notice and Agenda for the two meetings scheduled for a week on Tuesday .

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2025-agenda-v20.docx

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-13th-May-2025-Parish-Meeting-v-20.docx

The proposed dates for next year’s meetings are :-

Tuesday 2nd September 2025  – Ordinary Meeting.

Tuesday 9th December 2025   – Ordinary Meeting.

Tuesday 10th March 2026        – Ordinary Meeting.

Tuesday 12th May 2026            – Annual Parish Meeting and Ordinary Meeting.

You’ll see that one of the items for the Annual Parish Meeting is the appointment of a Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting for the year to May 2026.

The current Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting, Neil Dyer, will offer himself for re-election at the Annual Parish Meeting, however  (whilst there is no obligation to do so) , it would be useful for administration purposes,  if any eligible residents of the Parish who intend to offer themselves as  a candidatye for election to the post of Chair  were to make themselves known confidentially to the Clerk before the meeting. 

Potential candidates may like to prepare a brief (say 10 minute) presentation, there is usually a projector available at the venue, but prior notice of a need for this would be appreciated.

There will be two concurrent meetings held on Tuesday 13th May 2025, the Annual Parish Meeting at 7:00 pm, which is a short, essentially formal meeting, with a limited agenda, followed by an Ordinary Parish Meeting, where there will be more opportunity for wider-ranging discussions.

Finally, The Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall Committee have asked me to mention that their Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 15th May at 7.00pm in the Village Hall, and that all residents are very welcome to attend.

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday  11th March 2025, at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of Notice – 3rd March 2025

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Agenda – March 2025 Parish Meeting

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.  
  3. Declaration of interests – Electors may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.
  4.  Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 3rd December 2024.
  5. Chairmans Report to focus on Road Speed Issue in Peckforton. Summary updates on the United Utilities project, Estate matters, the Village Hall car park fencing  and other current topics will also be covered.
  6. To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand.
  7. To note the level of precept agreed by Cheshire East Council.
  8. The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.

The last meeting date for the year 2024 – 2025 will be held on Tuesday 13th May 2025 which will be held concurrently with the Annual Parish Meeting.

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Please follow this link to the minutes of the December 2024 meeting, or see the full text below, https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-Parish-Meeting-Minutes-of-a-meeting-held-on-3rd-December-2024.docx

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Minutes of a Meeting of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish was convened by the Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 19:00 on Tuesday 3rd December 2024, at Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

 8th February 2025                                          

The Parish Meeting welcomed attendance by members of the public. It was noted that attendees who are not electors in the parish were not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

  1. Apologies for absence. Hilary Watson, Colin Statham, Richard Edwards, Sarah and Jimmy Rae, Claire Lincoln, Jo Parsons.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   None
  3. Declaration of interests – Electors may, if they wish, declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   None
  4. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 3rd September 2024. Approved – It was noted that the original draft of the minutes was updated, following comments from a resident of the villagewho raised a concernthat the Village Hall were not formally thanked in the last minutes. We have explained to the individual that the Village Hall Committee along with members of the community were thanked in detail as part of the Chair’s speech at the Buzzard unveiling and as such it was felt this was more than covered. The Chair explained that by way of further thanks post the unveiling the Parish had made a donation to the Village Hall committee to say ‘thanks’, and as such in the last meeting he thought it appropriate just to say thank you to everyone who took the time to come along and support the event. That said, the minutes have been adjusted to reflect the concern.

  5. To receive an update from the Chair on various matters including   
  6. Highways.  Please see the extract from the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.
    Flooding in the village.      Peckforton Hall Lane is still flooded between Manor Farm and Peckforton Hall and has been flooded for some 3 weeks. The Chair has received a report of a near-miss at the bottom of Peckforton Hall Lane, where it meets Stonehouse Lane, when two vehicles skidded, perhaps because of the mud on Peckforton Hall Lane near the flood. It was thought that the excess mud was mostly because of the flood and the large number of very big agricultural vehicles in transit as crops are harvested. It was agreed that the Chair would discuss this with local farmers, Avove and United Utilities to seek their views.
  7. Speed Update. Please see the extract from the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.
  8. United Utilities. Please see the extract from the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes
  9. Developments at the Peckforton Estate. Please see the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.  Peckforton Estate have agreed to contribute £1,000 towards maintenance of the public areas of the village in 2025/2026, and for 2026/2027 as well.
  10. Update on the Elephant and Castle in the village. Please see the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.  There is a temporary brace in place. The owners are hoping to move the statue to firmer ground lower down the hill to ensure that it remains stable for many years.  The meeting’s view was that any constructive plan to stabilise the Elephant and Castle for the benefit of the village would be very welcome.
  11. Village Hall fencing. Please see the extract from the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.
  12.  Woodland retreats. Please see the extract from the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.
  13. Poppies/Remembrance. Please see the extract from the Chair’s report, appended to these minutes.  The Chair was complimented on the purchase of the Remembrance Silhouette and said that he hopes to purchase another (female) one next autumn.
  14. The Chair hopes to collect a Christmas Tree – donated by the Peckforton Estate by the middle of December.
  15. To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand. There were no planning items, the Clerk requested a new laptop for the parish, as the current laptop is operating on Windows 7, is unsupported by Microsoft and is becoming unreliable, which was agreed.
  16. To agree the level of precept to be requested from Cheshire East Council. Clerk discussed the financial projection to the end of the year; the forecast shows a cash balance c. £ 1,600 on 31st March 2025. An increase of 10% to £ 3,300 was agreed, and the clerk was asked to write to Cheshire East Council to request this amount for 2025/2026.
  17. The Chair of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting. Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021
    Mike Watson asked if there was any update on the application for the area to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. – The Chair agreed to look into this and to hopefully have an update for the next meeting.

There being no other items, the meeting closed at 19:58.

Chairman’s Report December 2024 Meeting

  1. Highways
    1. The main focus of the Chair since the last meeting was on the flooding problems in the village.  The Chair reported that a number of emails had been sent to Highways (Roy Cook and Stacey Truman) about the condition of the roads. – In particular Peckforton Hall Lane, The Village Centre and at the bottom of Quarry Bank.
      1. It was confirmed that Highways had prioritised the work to address the floods on Peckforton Hall Lane and at the bottom of Quarry Bank, but at the time of the meeting the Chair did not have an actual date for when the work would be done. The Chair noted that it had been particularly bad on Peckforton Hall Lane the week prior to the meeting with the ice as well. Pictures of this were sent to Highways making the point that in addition to the road being broadly impassible, it was also dangerous to cars and pedestrians alike. Highways (Stacey Truman) noted the concern and again pushed it with the Drain Clearage team for action.
      1. The Chair also put on record his thanks to Steve Roberts and Mandy Salmon for getting on to Muir Homes and United Utilities respectively about the recent flooding on Quarry Bank. The Chair commented he was not sure who came out, but at least for the time being it seemed the problem was resolved. Water was flowing freely through the drain and the flooding had been stopped.
      1. Road Speed Issue
        The Chair reported that the second speed monitoring had not been done despite having sent in more suggestions for where to site the Tagmaster. Apparently, none of the 5/6 locations suggested and photographed were suitable. Despite having asked Highways to explain why, no response had been forthcoming so it had not been possible to suggest alternatives..

That said, Highways (Aki Tsakonas) did report back that he had found the details of 3 speed surveys carried by another department at Cheshire East in Jan 2022. One south of Peckforton Hall Lane; one south of Horsley Lane; and another in the middle. He confirmed he had looked at this data and it supported the case for a 40mph speed limit through the village. Whilst on the face of it this is good news, the case is considered ‘low priority’. As such Highways position is that they would not fund the necessary signage and other speed control measures, and if we were to proceed with it would be at a cost  to the village of +/- £25,000. The Chair has explained to Highways that the Parish doesn’t have this sort of money and as such has requested a meeting to more fully understand why this is the case and what we can do to try and get support from Cheshire East.

As part of this the Chair has again requested (as agreed in our May 2024 meeting), that we jointly complete the Prioritisation Matrix (Highways and Peckforton Community), in the hope this may reinforce the case for action.

  • United Utilities – Vyrnwy Project

Phase 2 work is underway. Most of the pipes for the lining have been delivered to site. At the time of the meeting the actual re-lining hadn’t started but was expected to do so in the next couple of weeks. United Utilities reported that they don’t anticipate much activity before Christmas, but it was expected to move into gear in Jan 2025. They aim to have the work completed by March 2025. Regarding specifics: –

  1. UU will open up the land on the right-hand side of Peckforton Hall Lane (direction Bunbury), to replace the valves in the second line. They have applied to Highways for permission to close the road as a precautionary measure, but do not expect to have to do this.
    1. Reinstatement of the land will take place in 2 steps
      1. Phase 1.  dill commence June 2025 when they will be pulling out the Haul roads etc.
      1. Phase 2. Is seasonal work due to weather conditions and will involve laying soil etc. Reinstatement should be completed around spring of 2026
    1. The Chair reported that he continues to remind UU that the Parish/Village Hall are after some of the gravel from the in-roads they have built to lay in the Village Hall car park… UU have confirmed they do have plans to provide us with gravel but are currently working though landowner meetings to discuss what they want in terms of reinstatement. Once completed, they will be able to provide details of the quantity of gravel remaining.
  • Peckforton Estate Update
    • Land/Area Maintenance
      The chair reported that the program of ground maintenance had gone well in 2024. There remained one item of work on the job list, namely one more cut of the hedges between the Bank and Forestry cottages and Quarry Bank and Hill Lane.
      The Chair was pleased to confirm that following a meeting with the Estate in September it had been agreed the annual contribution towards maintenance would increase from £800 to £1000. This is now fixed for two years.
    • Fencing – The Estate have agreed to fund the fencing to the Village Hall Car Park to the sum of £3,500. The Chair confirmed that with help from Mandy Salmon and Richard Edwards he had scoped out the work and costed it and was therefore happy (subject to no crazy increases in material costs), that this would cover the monies required to complete the work. The money will be paid to the Parish/Village Hall in April at the start of the Estate’s new financial year. Other points of note in respect of the fencing: –
      • Following discussions with Jimmy Rae and Richard Edwards, the chair has agreed with the Estate that the Village Hall should only be responsible for the maintenance/upkeep of the fencing for a period of 15 years (the expected/guaranteed life of the fencing). Thereafter the situation is to be jointly reviewed and provisions for going forward will be agreed.
      • In response to a request for clarification, Holly Shaw has confirmed that there will be no changes to the Estate’s Insurance liability as a result of the fencing.
      • Finally, we will be looking to put together a working party to install the fencing in the Spring.
    • New Woodland Cabins – The Chair reported he had received some initial concerns from members of the community regarding the Cabins. In response he contacted Trotton-with-Chithurst Parish Council (on the South Downs), who entered into an arrangement with UY Recreational in 2022, to get their insights into how it was working. The Chair reported a very positive response which was shared with the meeting (see appendix).
      Holly has confirmed the Estate are considering installing another couple of cabins if things go well with the 1st two.

Holly also confirmed that they have placed a contract with a local agency to do the day to day housekeeping/changeovers for the cabins, but did ask for the Chair to mention that they are in need of someone to do more manual/maintenance if anyone is interested?

  • Other Estate MattersThe tree restocking behind The Barns and to areas down by the old school beyond Horsley Lane will be carried out in Jan/Feb.The Chair raised a concern about the poor maintenance of the new trees in general. Subsequently further work was carried out and it was felt that whilst it had improved around the village hall, the area behind Bank Cottages does not look to have been maintained. Thid will be raised with the Estate.Finally we got the trees down next to Smithy Cottage … Hurrah!!A member of the village has agreed a lease with the Estate to take on and repair one of the sheds on Quarry Bank. If this is successful, the others may be offered up on a similar basis with a peppercorn rent being paid in return for the occupier refurbishing the shed. If anyone else is interested in this then they should let the Chair know.

All in all the Chair reported that he felt we have a very positive working relationship now with the Estate, inviting Edward Tollemache along to the Buzzard opening certainly helped as he was able to see at first-hand what we’re trying to achieve, and whilst it’s not an open cheque book, he is supportive.


  • Other Village Matters
    • Poppies/Statue.
      • The Chair confirmed he had purchased some more poppies to put up around the village and also passed on thanks to Mandy for her help with putting them up.
      • An ‘executive decision’ was made together with the Clerk to purchase a ‘Tommy’ statue for the village green. At just shy of £200 these are not cheap, but it is hoped we will have funds to purchase a second one next year, so we have one either side of the village memorial.
    • Xmas Tree
      It was confirmed we plan to put up a tree again this year and we’re aiming for weekend of 14/15 December. The Estate have confirmed they are happy for us to have another tree and Dave Buckley has kindly offered to help find a suitable.
    • Elephant/Castle Statue
      The chair commend that he thought most people would have seen the bracing that has had to be put in to support the statue. Alison and Mike confirmed they were happy for more of the background/details to be shared with the meeting.
      • In a recent survey (Alison and Mike have one carried out annually), it highlighted that there had been quite a bit of movement of the statue and that remedial action was needed.
      • The outline plan (as at the time of the meeting), was to relocate the statue further down Alison and Mike’s garden onto lower/flatter ground which will be more stable. This also means only one lift of the statue thereby minimising the risk of damage.
      • Work has to be approved by Cheshire East Heritage as it is a listed structure. In principle they are happy for the statue to be moved, but despite this Alison and Mike have to apply for Planning Permission.
      • Finding a company who will take on the ‘lift’ is proving a challenge, not least of all because of the weight/size of the statue.
      • Together with Alison and Mike investigations as to whether any grants may be available  through English Heritage or Heritage England were being pursued..
      • The current support work has been signed off by a structural engineer. It was understood by the Chair that this was for an initial period of 18 months.
      •  Enquiries were made with the Estate to ascertain if they would/could support the project, however they respectfully declined. On balance their reasoning was acknowledged as they cited the problem they have is f they say ‘yes’ to one, where does it end?
    • Working Parties
      Thanks again to Jon Hughes for initiating this this summer. We plan to get this on to a more regular footing in the spring of next year.

The Chair concluded by wishing everyone a great Christmas and all the very best for 2025.

Appendix – Response from Trotton-with-Chithurst Parish Council  in response to request for Feedback on their experience with UY Recreational and the cabins installed in their parish.

Dear Neil,

I’m sorry if I have missed an earlier email – probably like you I receive hundreds of unsolicited emails and do my best to respond to those that are legitimate but I do miss the odd one.

I can certainly reassure you about our experience with these “caravans”. We have not had a single complaint about noise or anything else – despite the initial fears from some neighbours about the possibility of extra traffic on the narrow single-lane road. It seems the people staying there are mainly city-dwelling types on genuine retreats, and it seems they seldom emerge until it’s time for them to go home. The “retreat” in our parish was set up by a family who have owned a woodland property attached to their home for several generations, and they did a good job of discussing their plans with the parish council and their neighbours well in advance. If I tell you that the retreat has been established for over two years now and that the owner has just joined our parish council, that might underline the lack of resistance to what he is doing!

I hope that helps but I am happy to respond further if you need anything else.

All the best.

Please see below for the text of the notice of next week’s meeting or follow this link to the document https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-Dec-2024-final.docx

Notice to the Electors of the Parish of a Meeting of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 3rd December 2024, at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of Notice – 25th November 2024

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Agenda – December  Parish Meeting

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  3. Declaration of interests – Electors may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   

Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 3rd September 2024.

  • To receive an update from the Chair on various matters including
  • Highways.
  • Flooding in the village
  • Speed Update
  • Developments at the Peckforton Estate
  • Update on the Elephant and Castle in the village
  • Village Hall fencing
  •  Woodland retreats
  • Poppies/Remembrance
  • To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand.
  • To agree the level of precept to be requested from Cheshire East Council.
  • The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.

Minutes of the Parish meeting held on 3rd September 2024 – minor update 28/11/24

Please see below for the main items from the updated minutes – for the full updated minutes, please follow the link below for the full document https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-3rd-September-2024-Parish-Meeting-Final.docx

  1. To receive an update from the Chair on various matters including
  2. the United Utilities Vyrnwy Aqueduct Maintenance Project.
  3. developments at the Peckforton Estate.
  4.  the unveiling of the Buzzard.
  5. maintenance of public areas around the village, to include the “village green” and the land around the car park and the lower end of Quarrybank.

Please see Appendix 1 below for the text of the Chair’s report, covering these items.

  • To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand. A planning request ref 24/3053 was received yesterday from the residents of Black and White Cottage, CW6 9TN requesting  a lawful use certificate for use of the flat as independent dwelling for a continuous period of more than four years (more than ten years can be demonstrated) – it wasn’t felt that the Parish Meeting needed to comment.
  • The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.  John Hughes mentioned that there was a very useful village map with house names and some residents’ names, in his previous village – it was agreed to look into putting something on the website and notice board.

Chairman’s Report September 2024

  1. The Buzzard – Update since last meeting
    1. Project now completed
    1. Financial breakdown
      1. In total we raised £3,235.00 for the project comprising
        1. £1,510 from Community Fundraising and ‘donations in kind.
        1. £1,400 from United Utilities
        1. £    325 from Avove
      1. Total Expenditure £3,044.60
      1. Net balance £190.40
      1. Managed to reduce the overall cost by doing quite a bit ourselves e.g.
        1. Budgeted £240 for wooden posts – cost us £77.04 and a morning’s work for the Chair and Rob Sissons (Spurstow local). The Chair formally thanked Rob for his help.
        1. Budgeted £50 for grass replacement – actually, it cost us nothing
  • In general, the chairman felt that the unveiling was a success. It was great to see so many of the community in attendance and at a rough estimate we believe more than 70 people came along. In addition to the chairman extending thanks to everyone involved in making the day a success in his speech on the day, the chair extended thanks to all who took the time to attend. Further the Chair extended thanks to Edward Tollemache for joining us on the day, adding that he felt his attendance was appreciated by all and from a feedback email he received from Edward, he thoroughly enjoyed the day , His attendance also provided an opportunity for the Chair to share with him some of the plans we have for the village and to outline the support we’re looking for from the Estate.
  • Raffle on the day raised £330.00 which meant we could cover the cost of the ‘complimentary wine & drinks (£150), making a further donation to the Village Hall of £30.00, whilst retaining £150.00 to supplement Parish Funds. The Chair also wished to put on record his thanks to Ann and Richard (Smithy Cottage), who were unable to attend but donated £50.00 towards the function.
  • Net-net with the Raffle, balance from Fund raising and the donation, we not only managed to restore the buzzard to the centre of the village, but increased Parish funds by £390.00 – Not a bad result, all in all !
  • Peckforton Estate Update
    • Land/Area Maintenance – Per the May meeting the Chair confirmed that we had received the £800 from The Estate for maintenance of common areas and the program of maintenance was going well.
    • The Chair reported that further to a meeting with Mandy Salmon and Richard Edwards of the Village Hall committee  he had scoped out and costed the work to install the fencing to the Village Hall Carpark and this would be discussed in his next meeting with the Estate. He also confirmed that he had discussed this briefly with Eddward Tollemache and that he had received a positive response. In summary: –
      • Cost if we go for half-round post and rail is +/- £3020 (incl VAT. £2780 without).
      • Cost for Square posts and rails +/- £3650 (£3310 excl VAT).
    • As reported last meeting, the Chair reported that he was hoping we may have some scope within the money to look at starting to clear and re-seed this area, plant a few daffodils, bluebells etc….
    • Update from Holly Shaw, (Land agent with specific responsibility for the Peckforton Estate).
      • 1st thing to say is that Strutt and Parker have been replaced by Knight Frank. Holly Shaw will continue to manage the estate locally and will be transferring to Knight Frank.
      • Tree works behind the barns was happening at the time of the meeting was expected to be completed within a couple of weeks. The Chair confirmed the area will be replanted towards the end of the year with 50% Broadleaf (Wild Cherry and Oak), and 50% Conifers (Norway Spruce and Douglas Fir). This would essentially be the same as was done elsewhere in the village.
      • After three false starts Holly has confirmed that The Smithy cottage trees will be done in May.
      • The weeding and hooking budgeted for the felled areas at Quarry Bank and Forestry cottages will be done when the Felling behind the Barns is complete.
      • Holly is happy to meet with the people looking to rent the Quarry Bank sheds to discuss how an arrangement relating to residents refurbing the shed(s) in return for a peppercorn rent could work. The Chair will set up the necessary meeting to progress this..
      • The Chair reported that he had a meeting 11th September with Holly Shaw and Celia Deeley to discuss plans going forward. Key items as follows: –
        • Fencing of Village Hall car park
        • Replacing fencing in front of Muir Homes
        • What we’ve learned from the maintenance program so far.
        • Possibly the Village Hall Lease.
  • Road Safety Issues
    As reported last meeting, the Clerk and Chair met with Cheshire Highways back in May to discuss the speed issue.
    • Initial speed survey has been conducted. A ‘Tagmaster’ recorder was placed in the village centre with speed monitoring taking place over a week. Speeds in both directions were recorded.

Data from this survey W/c 17th June) suggested:-

  • Total flow for the week was 5,405 vehicles – 676 average per day, with one day hitting 800
  • Flow eastbound and westbound is pretty much the same.
  • Average Speed was +/- 24mph
  • The Average speed at the 85th percentile was c.30.5mph (i.e., 2 standard deviations from the mean)
  • Over the week of monitoring a total of 8 vehicles were recorded above 60 Mph, 17 were above 50 mph and 65 were above 40 mph.
  • The data show that a 40mph speed limit would be appropriate for the traffic in the vicinity of the
      Tagmaster counter.
  • Another speed/data survey would be useful further south from the examined location. Cheshire
      East Highways are to request this to be done in September.  

    The Chair reported that he had reviewed the data and conclusions with Aki Tsakonas Road Safety Team Leader at Cheshire East Council and his understanding was that Highways would be supportive of moving to a 40mph speed limit, but the cost of the signage etc. would be to the Parish’s account. A figure for this from Highways had suggested a cost close to £20,000 for CH Highways to do this.
    Next Steps
  • Complete the second monitor and a meeting will then be set up to then jointly review this.
  • Set up a meeting to jointly (Highways and the Peckforton Community) complete the
      Prioritisation Matrix assessment for Peckforton.
  • Highways to carry out an assessment of the Beeston case for reducing the speed limit against
      the CE Highways Prioritisation Matrix, to see what this showed?
    • Potholes and condition of Roads – The Chair reported that he had walked the length of Peckforton Hall Lane and had provided a detailed list noting and photographing the potholes (as requested by Roy Clark, Highways). In general it seemed these had all been addressed. The Chair reported that he understood repairs had been carried out using Highways Jet Patcher which does a better job of excavating, patching and then re-sealing the road.  
  • United Utilities Update
    • Phase 1 of the work (i.e. the first pipeline) has been completed.
    • The Chair reported that it was expected that Phase two would commence no later than November and there is a suggestion that it may start by the end of September – TBC
    • The work will mirror Phase 1 with a similar number of pipe deliveries, and there is a possibility (dependent on location of the valves on Line 2), that Peckforton Hall Lane will be closed to through traffic – Per Phase 1, this will only be confirmed when they’ve excavated.
    • Post completion of Phase 2 the reinstatement work will commence. – The Chair reported he will stay close to this as the community has been promised some of the gravel used to make the entrances to the excavation works  (as previously discussed).
  • Other Village Matters
    • Working party – Initial one went well and thanks to Jon for getting this moving.
    • We have one planned for this Sunday 6th September, another one in October
    • Will look to form working team to do the fencing if we get support from the Estate.
    • No change on the replacement of the Village sign along Peckforton Hall Lane.

Notice of a meeting to be held on Tuesday 3rd September 2024.

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-3rd-September-2024-Parish-Meeting.docx

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 3th September 2024– at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of Notice – 30th August 2023

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Agenda – September  Parish Meeting

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  3. Declaration of interests – Electors may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  4. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 14th May 2024 and note the proposed dates of meetings of Peckforton Parish Meeting for the year to May 2025, as below. All meetings will be held at Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall at 19:00.

Tuesday 3rd September 2024

Tuesday 3rd December 2024 

Tuesday 11th March 2025

Tuesday 13th May 2025 (to be followed immediately by the Annual Parish Meeting).

  • To receive an update from the Chair on various matters including
  • the United Utilities Vyrnwy Aqueduct Maintenance Project.
  • developments at the Peckforton Estate.

 the unveiling of the Buzzard.

  1. maintenance of public areas around the village, to include the “village green” and the land around the car park and the lower end of Quarrybank
  2. To receive the Clerk’s report, including any planning matters that come to hand.
  3. The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.

Please see here for the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held in May 2024 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-AGM-May-2024-Final.docx

Please see here for the minutes of the Ordinary Parish Meeting held in May 2024 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-May-2024-Parish-Meeting-final.docx

Meetings – Tuesday 14th May 2024

There will be two concurrent meetings held on Tuesday 14th May 2024, the Annual Parish Meeting at 7:00 pm, which is a short, essentially formal meeting, with a limited agenda, followed by an Ordinary Parish Meeting, where there will be more opportunity for wider-ranging discussions.

The current Chair of Peckforton Meeting, Neil Dyer, has said that he will offer himself for re-election at the Annual Parish Meeting, however  (whilst there is no obligation to do so) , it would be useful for administration purposes,  if any members of the Parish who intend to offer themselves for election to the post of Chair  were to make themselves known confidentially to the Clerk before the meeting. 

Candidates may like to prepare a brief (say 10 minute) presentation, there is usually a projector available at the venue, but prior notice of a need for this would be appreciated.

Please see here for the agenda for the Annual Parish Meeting https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2024-agenda-v10.docx

And please see here for the agenda for the ordinary Meeting of the Parish https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-May-2024-Parish-Meeting-v1.docx

Minutes of the Parish Meeting held on 5th March 2024

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish to be held on 5th March 2024 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-5-March-2024-Parish-Meeting-v2.docx

Minutes of the Parish Meeting held on 5th December 2023 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-5-November-2023-Parish-Meeting-final.docx

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-5-November-2023-Parish-Meeting-v2.docx

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 5th December 2023 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of Notice – 18th November 2023

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Agenda –December Parish Meeting

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  3. Declaration of interests – Electors may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  4. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 5th September 2023.
  5. Precept. The Precept for 2023/2024 was £ 2,500, bearing in mind the Parish Meeting’s plans for 2024/2025, and the economic climate, the meeting to consider requesting  a 15% increase (£375), or if considered proper some other amount for 2024-2025.
  6. Chair’s report. To receive an update from the Chair on various matters including:-
    1. The Buzzard
    1. Update on meeting with the Peckforton Estate and it’s agents.
    1. Sandstone Trail – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
    1. Update on road safety issues.
    1. Plans for Christmas.
    1. United Utilities VAMP Update.
    1. Other village matters.
  7. Bunbury and District Scout Group – Save our Scouts campaign
  8. Clerk’s report. To receive the Clerk’s report on various matters including finance and planning requests in the Parish.
  9. Public Comments. The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.

Draft Minutes of the meeting held on 5th September 2023 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-5-September-2023-Parish-Meeting-for-website.docx

Minutes of the meeting held on 11th July 2023 as approved at the meeting of 5th September 2023 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Approved-Minutes-11th-July-2023.docx

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 5th September 2023 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of Notice – 29th August 2023

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Agenda –September Parish Meeting

  1. Apologies for absence.
  2. Declaration of interests – Officers are to declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  3. Declaration of interests – Electors may if they wish declare any interests under the following categories: – pecuniary, outside body, family, friend or close associate.   
  4. Approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11th July 2023.
  5. To receive an update from United Utilities about the VAMP project.
  6. To receive an update from the Chair on various matters including  his discussions with United Utilities, the Peckforton Estate and its agents, updates on the buzzard and any planning matters that come to hand.
  7. To receive the Clerk’s report.
  8. To discuss any plans for maintenance of public areas around the village, to include the “village green” and the land around the car park and the lower end of Quarrybank
  9. The Chairman of the Parish Meeting will give an opportunity for members of the public to bring matters of     interest to the meeting.  Please note that any such matters will be dealt with under the provisions of the Parish Meeting’s Standing Orders adopted on 15th July 2021.

Please find a Word copy of the notice attached here https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-5-September-2023-Parish-Meeting-v21.docx

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Notice to the Electors of the Parish of a  Parish Meeting.

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 11th July 2023 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Date of  Notice – 22nd  June 2023

The Parish Meeting welcomes attendance by members of the public, but note that attendees who are not electors in the parish will not be able to vote at this meeting.

Please contact the Clerk, Chris Jones at peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com with any queries.

Note :

  1. This meeting is held specifically to consider the appointment of  a new Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting, to hold office until the next Annual Parish Meeting, following  John Doyle’s announcement at the Annual Parish Meeting of  his intention to resign as Chair of the Parish Meeting, thus the agenda is intentionally brief.

 Whilst there is no obligation to do so, it would be useful for administration purposes,  if any members of the Parish who intend to offer themselves for the post of Chair  were to make themselves known confidentially to the Clerk before the meeting. Candidates may like to prepare a brief (say 10 minute) presentation, there is usually a projector available at the venue, but prior notice of a need for this would be appreciated.

  • The dates  of Peckforton Parish Meetings for 2023/2024, as set out below, were agreed at the Annual Parish Meeting held  in May. All meetings will be held at Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall at 19:00.

Tuesday 5th September 2023

Tuesday 5th December 2023

Tuesday 5th March 2024

Tuesday 14th May 2024 (Annual Parish Meeting)

Agenda – Special Parish Meeting

  1. To receive any apologies for absence.
  2. To receive the Chairman’s report.
  3. To consider the merits of any candidates who may wish to offer their services as  Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting, and, having considered the presentations to elect a new Chair.
  4. To express thanks to the outgoing Chair, and to accept his resignation.

There will be two concurrent meetings held on Tuesday 9th May, the Annual Parish Meeting at 7:00 pm, which is a short formal meeting, with a limited agenda, followed by an Ordinary Parish Meeting, where there will be more opportunity for wider-ranging discussions.

Peckforton Parish – Annual Parish Meeting – Notice to the Electors of the Parish of an Annual  Parish Meeting.

The Annual Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 9th May 2023 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Please follow the link below for the agenda of the Annual Parish Meeting

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2023-agenda-v30.docx

Minutes of the Annual  Parish Meeting – 9th May 2023

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2023-Minutes-final-with-Watermark.docx

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held immediately following the Annual Parish Meeting on Tuesday 9th  May 2023 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Please follow the link below for the agenda of the Parish Meeting

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-May-2023-Parish-Meeting-v1.docx

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 21st  March 2023 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Please note that this meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday 14th March 2023, but has had to be moved due to a late notice of a conflict with availability of the venue.  Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-March-2023-Parish-Meeting-v21.docx

Please find below the link to the notes of the Chair’s recent meeting with Peckforton Estate

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notes-of-a-meeting-between-Peckforton-Estate-and-Peckforton-Parish-Chair.docx

Elections 2023

Please note that Elections are taking place on 4 May 2023 for all Borough, Town, Parish and Community Councils in Cheshire East, however as one of only 7 (at the moment) Parish Meetings in Cheshire East, this will not apply to Peckforton Parish Meeting, because it is not a “Council” – if you want to know more, please ask!

Cheshire East residents need photo ID to vote at elections in May

For the first time, residents in Cheshire East will need to show photographic ID to vote at this year’s local elections.

Residents are being urged to make sure they are ready to vote in May by checking they have an accepted form of ID.

Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area (EEA) or Commonwealth passport; a UK, EEA or Commonwealth drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card. Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Anyone who does not have one of the accepted forms of ID will be able to apply for free ID online via the gov.uk website or by completing a paper form.

The full list of accepted ID is available on the Electoral Commission’s website, along with more information about the new requirement and details of how to apply for the free ID, at electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID.

Ailsa Irvine, director of electoral administration and guidance at the Electoral Commission, said: “Anyone voting at a polling station in England this May will need to show photo ID before they can be given their ballot paper. It’s important that everyone understands what types of ID they can use, and how to apply for free ID if they need it.

“You can find information about the new requirement and what to expect at the polling station on the Electoral Commission’s website.”

Dr Lorraine O’Donnell, Returning Officer at Cheshire East Council and its chief executive, said: “With elections taking place in Cheshire East on 4 May 2023, it is important that those who want to vote make sure they have an accepted form of ID. It may seem early but checking now means you will be ready to vote in May.

“Residents who do not have one of the accepted forms of ID can apply for free ID either online or by completing a paper application form and sending this to Cheshire East Council’s electoral services team. If you need any help with applying for the free ID or want to request an application form, contact the electoral services team on 0300 123 5016 or email voteridentification@cheshireeast.gov.uk”

Anyone who wants to have their say in the elections this May must also be registered to vote. It only takes five minutes to register online at gov.uk/register-to-vote. Voters wishing to apply to their council for free ID should first make sure they are registered to vote.

Eligible voters can, alternatively, vote by post. It’s easy to apply and you can find out how by visiting the Electoral Commission website.

The requirement to show photo ID at the polling station, is a new requirement, introduced by the UK Government’s Elections Act, which was passed last year and comes into effect for the first time this May.

Peckforton Parish Meeting

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 2nd  February 2023 at Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Please follow the link below for the full notice of the meeting and the agenda

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-2nd-February-2022-Parish-Meeting-v10.docx

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 20th  December 2022 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Please follow the link below for the full notice of the meeting and the agenda

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-20th-December-2022-Parish-Meeting-v21.docx

Please note that the meeting held in August replaced the meeting originally scheduled for 20th September.

Notice of a Parish Meeting to the Electors of the Parish

A Meeting of the Parish is convened by the Chairman of Peckforton Parish Meeting to be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday 23rd August 2022 at  Peckforton and Beeston Village Hall.

Please follow the link below for the full notice of the meeting and the agenda

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-23-August-2022-Parish-Meeting-for-website.docx

Please follow the link below for the full notice of the meeting and an updated agenda. This is essentially the same as the original Notice and Agenda, but contains some updated information in the appendices for developments since 9th August 2022. https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-23-August-2022-Parish-MeetingUpdate.docx

For John Doyle’s Declaration of Interests, as sent to Cheshire East Council, please follow this link https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Doyle-John-Peckforton-Acceptance-for-website.pdf

Following the letter below, the Parish Meeting is very pleased to say that on 14th June 2022, John Doyle was elected as Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting for the period up to the next Annual Parish Meeting, to be held in May 2023

Letter to residents – This letter will be sent by email to those residents on the mailing list, and a physical copy will be delivered to every resident on the latest published Electoral Register (data as of December 2021)

You’ll know that the Parish of Peckforton is one of the best places in Cheshire to live and work, and although it’s a small parish, (“parish” in this context no longer implies any link to a church parish) there are matters that affect us all – safety on our lanes and roads, planning permission and often flooding.

Laurence Woodhouse has been kind enough to Chair the Parish Meeting since May 2021, but has announced that he wishes to retire from the role at the beginning of the next meeting, to be held on 14th June 2022.

Peckforton Parish Meeting has an overall responsibility for the well-being of its local community. As it is the authority closest to the people, the Parish Meeting is invariably the first place people will go with concerns or ideas. We hope that the Parish Meeting represents the full range of parishioners, in terms of location, aspirations, concerns and life-stages, and so is looking for a potential Chair to help ensure that the Parish Meeting really does represent the parish.

Would you consider chairing the Parish Meeting?

By becoming Chair of the Parish Meeting you become someone your community will look to for help, guidance and support, a community leader with the power to influence decisions for the benefit of the people you serve. The Parish Meetings are held for a couple of hours four or five  times a year.

If you would like find out what the Parish Meeting does, have ideas for what it might do, or you have any concerns that you would like to bring to the Meeting, we would love to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact either Laurence Woodhouse, Chair of Peckforton Parish Meeting  (laurence.woodhouse@yahoo.com 07932  687474) or Chris Jones, Clerk to the Parish Meeting. (peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com  01829 260503)

Notice of Meeting Dates

Dates of Meetings:

At the Annual Parish Meeting  held on 13th May 2022 it was agreed to hold quarterly meetings at approximately three month intervals at 19:00 on the following Tuesdays  14th June 2022, 20th September 2022, 20th December 2022, 14th March 2023 and to hold the  Annual Parish Meeting on Tuesday 9th May 2023.

Agendas

14th June 2022 Meeting Notice and Agenda https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-Parish-Meeting-Agenda-14th-June-2022.docx

13th May 2022 Annual Parish Meeting Notice and Agenda https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2022-agenda.docx

11th January 2022 Meeting Notice and Agenda https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-11-January-2022-Parish-Meeting-v3.docx

19th October Rescheduled Meeting Notice and Agendahttps://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Agenda-19-October-2021-Parish-Meeting.docx

Postponement Notice from 7th October 2021 to 19th October 2021https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Postpone-7-October-2021-Parish-Meeting.docx

Minutes 2022-2023

Minutes of the Parish Meeting held on 21st March 2023

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-March-2023-Parish-Meeting-v22.docx

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting 2022 as approved at the meeting of 14th June 2022. https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Annual-Parish-Meeting-May-2022-Minutes-as-approved.docx


Minutes of the meeting of 14th June 2022 as approved at the meeting of 23rd August 2022 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-Parish-Meeting-Minutes14th-June-2022-approved.docx

Minutes of the meeting of 23rd August 2022, as approved at the meeting of 20th December 2022

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-23-August-2022-Parish-Meeting-v30.docx

Minutes of the meeting of 20th December 2022

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-20th-December-2022-Parish-Meeting-v-JD-with-watermark.docx

Minutes of the special meeting of 2nd February 2023

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Minutes-2nd-February-2022-Parish-Meeting-with-Watermark.docx

Minutes 2021-2022

Please click on the link to download a PDF of the minutes to view or print.

Annual Financial Statements 2022

Please find below the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for the year ended 31 March 2022, which was approved at the meeting of 13th May 2022.

2021-22 AGAR Page 1https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Page-1.pdf

2021-22 AGAR Page 2 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Page-2.pdf

2021-22 AGAR Page 3 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Page-3.pdf

2021-22 AGAR Page 4https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Page-4.pdf

2021-22 AGAR Page 5 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Page-5.pdf

2021-22 AGAR Page 6 https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Page-6.pdf

2021-22 Analysis of Variances https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PPM-2022-AGAR-Variance-Analysis.pdf

Notice of the period for the Exercise of Public Rights for 2022 and other information required by the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 is here. https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/or wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-Parish-Meetingl-Exercise-of-public-rights-2022.docx

Annual Financial Statements 2021

Any questions should in the first instance be addressed to the Clerk via peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com

Please find below the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for the year ended 31 March 2021, which was approved at the meeting of 11th May 2021

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-AGAR-Page-1.bmp.

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-AGAR-Page-2.bmp

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-AGAR-Page-3.bmp

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-AGAR-Page-4.bmp

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-AGAR-Page-5.bmp

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-AGAR-Page-6.bmp

Notice of the period for the exercise of public rights and other information required by Regulation 15 (2), Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 is also accessible below.

https://www.peckfortonparish.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peckforton-Parish-Meetingl-Exercise-of-public-rights-2021.docx

Any questions should in the first instance be addressed to the Clerk via peckfortonparishclerk@gmail.com