Please find below the minutes for the latest Formby Parish Council meeting. A copy of the minutes is available to download at the bottom of the page.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
20 July 2026
Present: Maria Bennett (Chairman), Derek Baxter, Sandra Baxter, Dawn Brodie, Jill Butler, Karen Cavanagh, David Dutton, Dave Irving, Yvonne Irving, Leo Kolassa, Mike Weild and Paul Wiencke.
In Attendance: Claire Jenkins (Clerk) and 2 members of the public.
28.0 Apologies for Absence
There were apologies received from Cllrs C Appleton, L Brodie and J Riley.
It was resolved to approve the reason for absence for Cllrs C Appleton and L Brodie.
29.0 Members Declaration of Interest
29.1 Cllr K Cavanagh declared an interest in Planning as a substitute member of Sefton Council Planning Committee.
30.0 Public Forum
The meeting was adjourned for this item.
30.1 A resident from Bushby’s Lane spoke to the Council regarding the beach traffic survey that is now available on-line on the Formby Parish Council website. They are not in favour of a one-way traffic system. The resident could see the advantages of restricting parking but would prefer if it was only during the weekends and bank holidays. The resident suggested park and ride could be a solution to the parking problems and suggested that RAF Woodvale or using school playing fields. The Clerk mentioned that this has been discussed at the Beach Safe Meetings which includes representatives from Sefton Council, Highways, Police etc who have said that a park and ride wouldn’t work unless there were parking restrictions on the route to the beach as a bus couldn’t get through if people were still parking on both sides of the roads. The Clerk advised that the survey is to start a “conversation” with residents to gauge opinion which will be used to inform further discussions with the respective authorities.
The meeting was reconvened.
31.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
31.1 Minutes of the Ordinary meeting held on 15 June 2026
It was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2026 were approved as a correct record by a majority of those present and signed by the Chairman.
It was noted that Cllr Cavanagh did not agree with the minute 19.2 and asked to hear the recording of the minutes and said she will apologise to the Council if necessary. The Clerk will contact Cllr Cavanagh to arrange this, if it hasn’t already been deleted.
Cllr Cavanagh questioned whether draft minutes should be advertised on the website before they have been approved. The Clerk responded by informing Cllr Cavanagh that the draft minutes of the previous meeting do need to be published before the next meeting, at which they will be approved or amended.
Post Meeting Note
After listening to the meeting recording the following amendments are noted:
Minute 19.2 Insert after (Further discussion took place regarding West Lane and Brackenway) A resident asked “Why go straight to an Ombudsman? Why go to complaints? Have you met with Sefton Council to discuss? What is the issue?” The Chair responded that we discuss matters with Sefton all of the time.
Insert at the end Cllr Cavanagh stated that “Sefton to my knowledge have never been successfully sued for maladministration or for doing something wrong, because they have lawyers as well and they make sure that what they are doing is watertight. It was 53% and we didn’t have a reasonable chance of success. We can challenge Sefton but the last action the Parish Council took was lost. No council worth its salt is going to put something through planning that is illegal.”
32.0 Matters of Report from Previous Meeting
32.1 To note the survey for residents regarding beach traffic is now available on the Parish Council website.
The Clerk noted that we have received 448 responses so far. 390 have voted in favour of having a Traffic Order in place for restrictive parking on one side of the road. 268 have voted in favour of a Traffic Order in place for a one-way system. 389 have voted in favour of increased fines. The survey will also be included in the next newsletter.
33.0 Chairman’s Report
The Chairman expressed her thanks to Cllr D Irving for everything he has done to organise the 250-year Lifeboat Celebration which was a huge success. The Chairman also thanked the Cllrs who helped out on the day.
The Chairman would like to thank James Comish for the flower display in the village, the flowers in the planters are looking beautiful.
34.0 Planning Applications
34.1 Cllr D Irving expressed concern that the PDC is under threat of housing development, as reported in the Liverpool Echo.
35.0 To discuss and approve the following.
35.1 To note the cost of £606.45 for the removal of the damaged lectern and making good of the pavement.
It was resolved to approve the cost of £606.45 for the removal of the damaged lectern and making good of the pavement.
35.2 To discuss and approve the quotes for the restoration of the old village stocks and cross.
It was resolved to set a budget of £3,000 for the restoration of the old village stocks and cross plus the cost of the wooden elements.
35.3 To approve the expenditure of £10,000 from the earmarked budget for the Chindit “mythical lion head” for the memorial.
It was noted that the memorial is for the whole mythical lion, not just the head.
It was resolved to approve the expenditure of £10,000 for the Chindit “mythical lion”
35.4 To approve a budget of £6,000 for the school Xmas hampers for vulnerable families and biscuits for luncheon club members.
It was resolved to approve the budget of £6,000 for the hampers and biscuits.
35.5 To approve the cost of repairing/replacing the faulty halo light at the fire station crossing.
It was resolved to approve a budget of up to £2,000 of repairing/replacing the faulty halo light at the fire station crossing.
35.6 To approve the purchase of a Christmas tree and dressing of the Christmas tree as per the budget.
It was resolved to approve the purchase of the Christmas tree and dressing of the Christmas tree.
35.7 To approve the expenditure for the Christmas lights switch on event to be held on Thursday 19 November 2026 as per the budget.
It was resolved to approve the expenditure for the Christmas lights switch on event.
35.8 To note the expenditure for the blinds in the office – Finance minutes refer.
It was resolved to approve the expenditure for the blinds in the office.
35.9 To note the expenditure for a cooling unit in the office – Finance minutes refer.
It was resolved to approve the expenditure for a cooling unit in the office.
35.10 To approve the expenditure for a replacement notice board at the Library – Finance minutes refer.
It was noted that the notice board will be ordered when the Governance Review outcome is known regarding the grouping of Formby and Little Altcar Parish Council.
It was resolved to approve the expenditure for a replacement notice board at the library.
35.11 To discuss the upcoming Community Governance Review regarding the proposed grouping of the Formby and Little Altcar Parish Councils.
Members noted that a letter to residents will be distributed in September. Details will be added to Formby and Little Altcar websites.
36.0 Payments
Payments July 2026
- employer expenses – £2,060.36
- Office lease, Sefton MBC – £291.66
- Office phone and broadband, BT – £76.74
- Gazebo 250 events, named person – £110.97
- volunteers refreshments 250 event, The Lunch Hour – £76.00
- summer planting contract & 2 x new planters, JC Landscape & Horticulture – £3,213.36
- removal of broken lectern and repair of pavement, Sefton MBC – £606.45
- S115 license for Chindit Memorial, Sefton MBC – £1,585.00
Total – £8,020.54
Payments August 2026
- employer expenses – £2,060.36
- Office lease, Sefton MBC – £291.66
- Office phone and broadband, BT – £76.74
Total – £2,428.76
It was resolved to make the payments as listed above.
37.0 The following reports were noted (circulated with the agenda):
- Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Group Meeting
- Minutes of the Environment Group Meeting
38.0 Date of Next Meeting:
The next Ordinary meeting of Formby Parish Council will be held on Monday 21 September 2026 7pm, at Formby Library, Duke Street, Formby.
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