Grindleton Parish Council Chair’s summary report 2025-2026

The Grindleton Parish Councillors are a consolidated and hardworking team.

Having welcomed our new clerk at the beginning of the year, we are pleased to say the working relationship has gone from strength to strength.

·      We continue to maintain high standards and effective governance. We keep open dialogue with residents via our website, Facebook page and noticeboard and in person at parish council meetings or casually in approaches within the village. Our finances remain stable, in a healthy condition and are monitored closely. We ensure good practice by seeking advice from LALC (Lancashire Association of Local Councils) and NALC (National Association of Local Councils). We also attend Parish Council Liaison meetings to keep ourselves abreast of matters within the borough and have the opportunity to learn from RVBC and other Ribbe Valley parishes. We are keeping a close watch on the progress of the proposed Local Government Reorganisation, to a Unitary Authority.  We have made contribution when appropriate and encouraged residents to have their say too.

·      We monitor and update our Parish Plan and use this to inform our activities throughout the year.

·      HARP remains an ongoing project which remains stalled. Although we believed this may restart in 2025/26, we are now looking towards 2026/2027. We will remain committed to protect our environment as far as we are able within the constraints of the United Utilities entitlements. We will continue to take residents’ concerns to Parish Liaison meetings and writing to relevant bodies within LCC and RVBC where appropriate.

·      We keep an open communication with the local, rural police force; helping to keep residents safe and informed. We had representation at the Rural Wildlife Crime Conference and will feed back information to the residents. We have liaised with the rural police in relation to a specific parking issue and evidence of drug taking in the village. We communicate these and other issues e.g. burglaries.

·      We aim to act as ‘One Village’ in the best interests of all residents and to this end we have a cohesive relationship with other village bodies i.e. Grindleton Primary School, Bowland High School, St Ambrose Church and Grindleton Recreation Ground Charity.

·      We welcome new residents by introducing ourselves and offering a welcome leaflet including contact information.

·      We had representation at both St Ambrose and Harrop Fold churches during the year. Harrop Fold Church invited Parish Council to their anniversary service. A wreath was laid by Parish Council at the Remembrance Day service. We also displayed large poppies throughout the village and soldier silhouettes at the Cherry Trees.

We arranged and led a VE Day commemoration in conjunction with national protocols, lighting a beacon on the cricket field.

·      In response to residents’ concerns a SpID (speed indicator device) was installed temporarily on Main Street, by LCC. We have not received data from this exercise to date.

·      The 2025 Lancashire Best Kept Village competition was held during the summer months. Although we did not win on this occasion, we were commended in a few areas. We employed new lengthspeople, Alex and Kath, to help us keep the village in good order. We are very grateful to the residents who volunteer to water the village flower tubs.

·      Grindleton Parish Council (GPC) continue to monitor road conditions including potholes and drains. These are reported to LCC when repairs/attention are required. The fault reporting app (Love Clean Streets and the online email option) have failed at LCC, but we continue to monitor and find solutions where possible. We also monitor public rights of way and a number of footpaths have been made more accessible due to new kissing gates installed by the LCC public rights of way team. We arranged the renovation of a section of the permissive path along the Brow.

·      Allotment management continues for our very popular village allotments with open dialogue between GPC and tenants.

·      Grindleton Parish Council has provided 4 defibrillators in the village which are monitored and maintained by a resident on our behalf. We are very grateful for this support.

·      Following our aim to connect with the youths of the village, an invitation to Duke of Edinburgh Award student or Scouting/Guiding member was made to carry out a project to renovate the Grindleton Hub/book share. This challenge was taken up by a DOE student and is ongoing.

·      We make an annual donation to ‘The Little Green Bus’ initiative. This is a very valuable service to those in need in the village.

·      During 2025-2026 we have worked closely with B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) to bring highspeed internet to the whole parish irrespective of the location of each residency, for those who requested it.

·      The Christmas Lights Switch On was again a great success. This is a very sociable evening to start the Christmas season. We are grateful for the inclusion of the primary school children singing for us and a representative year 6 pupil to officially switch on the lights. Thanks must also be made to all the support of others; Castle Cement who arranged a high lift machine to enable us to reach the top of the tree to hang the lights, residents who helped to put up the lights, residents who made mince pies and helped with marshalling, Bob at The Rum Fox for the gluwein-kinder punche and nibbles and all the residents who turn out in any weather to support the event.

·      Planning applications were considered on a number of properties and responses returned to RVBC.

My heartfelt thanks, as always, go to all councillors and the clerk for the joint works to make all of the above happen. This council is renowned for being active and approachable. We achieve this through great teamwork. We also benefit from the help of individual residents who volunteer their time and talents; some of the tasks would be impossible to achieve without them. My grateful appreciation goes to those people too.

GRINDLETON PARISH COUNCIL: ACTIVE & APPROACHABLE