Meeting May 2026 (AGM)

The Annual Parish Meeting (Village) was held on Tuesday 21 May 2026 at 7.00 pm at the Village Hall, Ludford.

 

PRESENT:    Chairman Cllr Mrs Ridger  

               Vice-Chairman Cllr Mrs Hunt  

               Cllrs: Mrs Brader & Fisher,

         Also Present: Cllr Fry (ELDC) & 1 Parishioner (Mr Woolley).

 

              Apologies were received from Cllr Dr Lofts & Ms Sullivan (Parishioner).

 

The Minutes of the last Annual Village Meeting held on 8 May 2025 were approved and signed.

 

3.         Matters Arising from Minutes – None.

 

The Chairman expressed her appreciation to the Members for electing her to be Chairman for the last year and hoped she had not disappointed them.

 

The Chairman stated that she felt the Parish Council still had a place in a small village like Ludford and without it, the village would loose the small things within the village and the vital voice the Council used to be heard outside the village at the District and County Council and other legal bodies.

 

The Parish Council continue to try to maximise our budget whilst maintaining promises to keep on with regular cutting of verges, making sure the grit bins are full etc., particularly standing up for need to be able to comment on planning applications, advising Parishioners of where to look for help with issues, as not everyone can navigate the internet. The big one for many of you, of course, is traffic speeding through the village and in all the years as a Councillor, this issue is one that we have continually tried to resolve.

 

The Parish Council is a small group and it has been important that no one person feels overloaded or asked to lead initiatives that they feel are not within their current experience profile or preference. It is always possible to expand your breadth of knowledge, but as a Chairman, I would not ask for any Member to do the impossible. All Councillors, are volunteers and as such, each one needs to get satisfaction from our chosen rolls as a Parish Councillor.

 

The Vice-Chairman (Cllr. Mrs Caron Hunt) is energetic and enthusiastic about conservation, and the countryside. She organises regular litter picks, keeps an eye on the church wall defib, is passionate about our chalk stream clearing and monitoring and, in any spare moment, can be seen out and about with the neighbourhood speed watch group.

 

Cllr Ian Fisher has become the listening ear of his part of the village, with neighbours feeling happy go to him with queries they may not want to come to a PC meeting for. He is usually around and about the village area and has been an involved participant to ongoing schemes.

 

Cllr Mrs Julie Brader is finding her feet as a Councillor, but has lived around the village her whole life and has a vast historical memory of people and events, which is valuable.

 

Cllr Dr. Len Lofts is our “behind the scenes” man and is on the lookout for funding for future projects. He has grand ambitions, which we hope over the next few years he will achieve.

 

I, Cllr Mrs Patricia Ridger, try to fill in the gaps and provide some continuity, having been on the PC since the 1997/8. I liase with other village groups, often attending their monthly meetings. I keep abreast of all the documentation Joyce (the Clerk) sends me, conferring with County Council Officers, as required, fill in on-line forms for Parades and attend relevant training. Confer with County Council Officers when necessary and fill in online forms for Parades etc. I liase with the 101 association for their annual reunion and along with available councillors, lay wreaths of remembrance for 101 in June and Remembrance Sunday in November.

 

Our only paid official is Joyce, the Parish Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer, who brings years of experience to the post, ensuring that the Council is kept up-to-date and legal; online (assisted by her IT expert) and off. Although we pay the official council rate, which is included in our budgeting each year, we get far more than our monies worth.

 

Several other Parishioners willingly assist in ad hoc jobs around the parish such as manning the road closure annually, putting out signs, delivering flyers, keeping verges around the noticeboard and benches tidy and also collecting, trimming and hauling into place the Christmas tree in the churchyard then adding the lights each year. You are all truly valued.

 

More Councillors would spread the load and mean we could aim higher. We hope to have one vacancy filled today, and we have another vacancy, I would dearly like to see filled soon. As a Parish Council we have been discussing ideas and plans to take us to the end of this decade, but we need the backing of you the Parishioners.

 

Thank you all for your support and willingness to help Ludford be the great place it is to live.

 

              Meeting closed at 7.10 pm.