Minutes of Codford Parish Council Meeting Tuesday 5th May at 7 pm
Standing Orders were suspended to allow for public participation
Public Participation Public Bodies (admissions to meetings) Act 1960 s 1 extended by the LG Act 1972 s 100. One member of the public attended and addressed the Parish Council regarding a planning application they had submitted to Wiltshire Council.
Standing Orders were reinstated following public participation
AGENDA
1. Present: Councillors T Thornton, N Carpenter, S Dorrington, M Hutching, L Platt, B Smith and D Williams In Attendance: Cllr C Newbury, Unitary Councillor and Karungi Grant, Clerk & RFO
2. Election of chairman LGA 1972 ss 15 & 34 Cllr Thornton was nominated for the office of Chairman for the municipal year. The nomination was proposed by Cllr Smith and seconded by Cllr Dorrington, and Cllr Thornton was duly elected. He signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and took the Chair.
3. Election of vice chairman LGA 1972 ss 15 & 34 The Parish Council did not elect a Vice Chairman. It was RESOLVED to defer the election to the next meeting.
4. Register of interests Localism Act 2011 Councillors were reminded to review and update their Register of Interests held by Wiltshire Council.
5. Apologies for Absence Apologies were received from Cllr C Brayne and S Howe, and accepted.
6. Members code of conduct Councillors were reminded of their obligations under the adopted Members’ Code of Conduct (circulated prior to the meeting) and the expectation to uphold its principles at all times when acting in their capacity as Parish Councillors.
7. POWERS, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Parish Council noted the principal powers and duties of parish councils as set out in the Good Councillor Guide (NALC) circulated prior to the meeting.
8. Dispensations No dispensations were requested or granted.
9. Declarations of Interest No declarations of interest were made in relation to items on the agenda.
10 Exclusion of the Press and Public The Clerk advised that no items required exclusion of the press or public.
11. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the meeting held on 30th March 2026 were approved and signed as a true record.
12. Reports from Unitary Councillor/Councillors/Chair None. Cllr Newbury attended and was on hand to offer advice during the course of the meeting.
13. Matters Arising from previous minutes The Chair reminded Members of the Annual Village Meeting on 11th May, at which he would announce that Codford Village Hall had been registered as an Emergency Hub and provide an update on what this entails. Waste bin – Salisbury Road: The Clerk reported that the sign is now in place. A similar issue has been identified at the waste bin near the Village Green, and the Clerk will arrange for a sign to be installed there also.
14. Finance Matters 13.1. Approval and reconciliation of Parish Accounts Internal Audit Accounts & Audit Regulations 2003 reg 2 Council is asked to approve the accounts. The Bank balance as of the 29th April 2026 is £13,354.04 The bank reconciliation for March was reviewed and signed by Cllr Williams. An error was identified in the summary of the end‑of‑year accounts, which the Clerk will correct. 13.2. Payments LGA 1972 s150 (5) Parish Council reviewed and approve the items of expenditure listed below. Cllr Williams checked the list of invoices: MARCH BANK SERVICE CHARGES £4.25 IDVERDE LIMITED £7.8 SCRIBE ACCOUNTS £37.2 HMRC £36.96 WYLYE VALLEY SCHOOL GRANT £110 IT - SUPPORT £60 MARCH WAGE £663.43 IDVERDE LIMITED £7.80 BANK SERVICE CHARGES £4.25
EMERGENCY HUB GENERATOR & POWER BANK £1121.98 SCREW FIX £247.83 WALKIE TALKIES £230.65 CALOR GAS BOTTLES £168.98 VARIOUS EMERGENCY KIT £125.53 GAS STOVE £90 CALOR APPLIANCE £20.4
APRIL COMMUNITY WEBSITE £29.94 SCRIBE ACCOUNTS £37.2 SW AMBULANCE GRANT £50 NALC TRAINING (CLERK) £42 APRIL WAGE £663.43 PRINTER INK £73.89 PCC CODFORD ST PETERS GRANT £900 CODFORD VILLAGE HALL £3750 SHERRINTON LANE £50 ANZAC WREATH £24.49 13.3. Receipts To note receipt of income Precept £10897.50 13.4 Submission of VAT126 Claim Clerk reported that the VAT126 form to reclaim the Parish Council’s VAT (£3,512.78) for the financial year had been completed and submitted. 13.5. Approval of the asset register. The updated Asset Register was not available for the meeting. The Clerk will follow up and amend it if necessary. The Council resolved to use the prior year’s figures for Box 9 of the Accounting Statements. 13.6. PC Insurance Renewal The PC insurance policy underwritten by Zurich through Community First, is due for renewal on 1st June 2026. Clerk to share the cover details with Cllr Howe to check if there are any amendments to be made.
14. ANNUAL GOVERNANCE RETURN 2025-26 14.1. Consider the Annual Internal Audit Report Council noted and approved the report from the Internal Auditor and resolved the Internal Audit report, which took place on the 26/04/2026. 14.2. Section 1 Approve Annual Governance Statement Council approved the statements presented by the RFO. The Chairman invited Councillors to confirm each response and subsequently signed the Annual Governance Statement. The Clerk advised Council to follow the requirements of Assertion 10 regarding the use of official parish council email accounts. Councillors noted the advice but agreed that, where members are unable to access the assigned PC email, emails would be shared by other Cllrs with those not on the Clerk’s distribution list. 14.3. Section 2 Certify the Accounting Statements 2025/2026 - Annual Year End Accounts Council certified and approved the Accounts. A note was made for the Clerk to amend a typo in the Year End Accounts 14.4. Signing the AGAR Council witnessed the signing of the AGAR by the Chairman and RFO. 14.5. Publish the Audit on the Website Council actioned the Clerk to publish the Audit on the Website. 14.6. To note the dates for the Public to exercise their rights Council noted the clerk’s recommendation that the dates be advertised as 3rd June 2026 to 14th July 2026.
15. Review of Policies and Procedures No changes were made to existing Members Code of Conduct. Council Structure was updated with the new
Councillor’s details, roles and responsibilities.. The following Policies that were circulated prior to the meeting, were approved and adopted: 1. Data Map 2. IT & Device Use Policy 3. Security and Password Policy
16. Planning Application Consultation (Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2015 16.1 Application No: PL/2026/02662 Proposal: Garage conversion and front extension, new front porch extension. Site: Great Crabtree, 45 Chitterne Road, Codford, Warminster, BA12 0PG No objection 16.2 Application No: PL/2026/01391 Proposal: 2 no free standing business sign boards Site: Boyton Old Station, Station Road, Codford, Warminster, BA12 0JX No objection 16.3 Application No: PL/2026/02263 Proposal: Creation of two vehicular access openings in existing listed wall in relation to PL/2026/02268 - Erection of two detached dwellings with new access and associated works Site: Land West of North Lodge, 128 High Street, Codford St Peter, BA12 0NJ Support with reason in 16.4 16.4 Application No: PL/2026/02268 Proposal: Erection of two detached dwellings with new access and associated works Site: Land West of North Lodge, 128 High Street, Codford St Peter, BA12 0NJ Parish Council supports this application and considers the proposal to be a positive and efficient use of the site, providing two appropriately scaled dwellings within the existing settlement boundary. The development would bring the land into active, managed residential use, which is preferable to the site remaining under‑utilised and potentially vulnerable to forms of use that may not align with the character of the village. 16.5 Application No: PL/2026/02538 Proposal: An extension to an existing building to be used as a farm workshop. Site: Auckland Farm, Codford St Mary, BA12 0LY No objection 16.6 Application No: PL/2026/02124 Proposal: Application for Hazardous Substances Consent in relation to proposed warehousing operations. Site: East Farm, Chitterne Road, Codford, Warminster, BA12 0PG No objection
Please note that in planning matters the parish council acts as the consultee of the Principal Authority. The principal authority being the deciding body, parishioners can make their comments directly to the authority.
17. Parish Steward Clerk reported that the parish steward had not attended in April. The scheme does not run in May but jobs will be passed on for him to attend to as and when he can: 1. Potholes: New Road, Chitterne brook bridge 2. Graffitti: St Mary’s kissing gates, The Grove footpath,
18. Bleed kit Cllr Carpenter reported the following: 1. South Western Ambulance Service advised against storing bleed kits inside defibrillator cabinets, as this can cause confusion, and confirmed they would never request that anyone collect a bleed kit in response to an incident. Council agreed to follow the professional advice and not fund the bleed kits. It was further agreed that, should the Village Hall Committee proceed independently, they be advised not to store bleed kits in defibrillator cabinets. 2. Defibrillator awareness training has been booked for 27th May at 6pm in the Village Hall. Cllr Carpenter will circulate the flyers.
19. Cultural Sign on A36
Council considered the proposal from the Woolstore Theatre Committee to explore the possibility of securing a brown cultural sign on the A36. Council agreed to support the initiative in principle but confirmed it will not commit to funding or fundraising for the project.
20. Parish Council Notice Boards Council noted that all Parish Council notice boards require maintenance. The Clerk was asked to prepare a budget for the repair or replacement of all notice boards for consideration at a future meeting.
21. Meetings 1. LHFIG Thursday 18th June 10am; Cllr Dorrington will be attending this meeting. Wednesday 11th November 2026 10am, and Thursday 4th March 2027 10am 2. Warminster Area Board 2nd July 7pm and 19th November 7pm
22. Correspondence Emails to Councillors: - National Highways: A36 Codford St Peter – Road safety improvement scheme (09/04/26) - Parish and Town Councils Guidance 2026 (15/04/26) - Contact from local Tree Surgeon in Codford (13/04/26) - WALC Training bulletin (15/04/26) - HMICFRS PEEL Inspection – progress, accountability and the next phase for Wiltshire Police (11/04/26)
23. Notice of items to be taken into consideration at the next meeting.
Cllr Williams reported a concern an extension build. Cllr Thornton to follow up.
24. Date of the next meeting – 11th May 2026 (Annual Parish Meeting) , 27th July Meeting dates for 2026: 7th September, 19th October and 30th November
Meeting ended at: 9.09pm