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.
Draft minutes subject to confirmation.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
21 September 2026
Present: Maria Bennett (Chairman), Derek Baxter, Sandra Baxter, Dawn Brodie, Jill Butler, Karen Cavanagh, David Dutton, Dave Irving, Yvonne Irving, Leo Kolassa, Joe Riley and Paul Wiencke.
In Attendance: Claire Jenkins (Clerk) and 1 member of the public.
39.0 Apologies for Absence
There were apologies received from Cllrs C Appleton, L Brodie and Weild.
40.0 Members Declaration of Interest
40.1 There were no interests declared.
41.0 Public Forum
The meeting was adjourned for this item.
41.1 A resident asked a question regarding roadworks around Formby. The works are given an end date and then they keep getting extended, who is monitoring this?
The Clerk advised that she had contacted Sefton Highways and had received a response on 9 September to say that they have been closely monitoring the situation in Formby. “The closure on Altcar Road was an emergency sewer repair being undertaken by United Utilities. The works were finally due to be completed today after a few extensions have already been granted, although they have unfortunately overrun and have now identified a further leak together with consequential damage that also requires repair. As a result, we have had to extend the closure again until Friday.
In anticipation of the possibility of the United Utilities works overrunning, we had already advised the contractor doing the proposed S278 remedial works on Liverpool Road that they would need to reschedule should the Altcar Road closure remain in place.
Due to the latest extension to the emergency works, that is now the case and the Liverpool Road works will be rescheduled to avoid the overlap.
We fully recognise the impact and have been actively managing the situation to minimise disruption wherever possible.”
It was noted that previously road work closures were notified in the local papers. It was suggested to ask Sefton Highways if they can notify the Parish Council so that we can publish this information on our social media and for the Cllrs to be aware of and monitor multiple closures affecting Formby.
The meeting was reconvened.
42.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
42.1 Minutes of the Ordinary meeting held on 20 July 2026
It was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2026 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
43.0 Matters of Report from Previous Meeting
43.1 There were no matters of report.
44.0 Chairman’s Report
44.1 There was no Chairman’s Report.
45.0 Planning Applications
45.1 Employment Site
Cllrs discussed the outcome of the Employment Site Planning Application, and it was noted that the application has been refused by Sefton Council. Members noted that since the Local Plan Inspector allowed the site to be allocated there have been changes in the retail provision locally including Home Bargains which replaced a hardware store, the large Sainsbury’s at Kew and the Sainsbury’s Local in Formby. It was noted that the decision notice references the impact that additional retail would have on the village centre and the lack of sustainable transport to access the proposed retail units.
46.0 To discuss and approve the following.
46.1 To approve an increase of £10,000 to the budget for the completion of the Chindit Memorial
It was resolved to approve an increase of £10,000 to the budget for the completion of the Chindit Memorial
46.2 To approve the wording of the plaques for the Chindit Memorial
It was resolved to discuss the wording further at the next Chindit Memorial Meeting and to delegate the approval of the wording on the plaque to the Finance Group.
46.3 To approve the estimate for the plaques for the Chindit Memorial
It was resolved to delegate to the Finance Group.
46.4 To discuss the quotes for the Chinthe and decide which option to approve.
This item was deferred to the next meeting.
46.5 To approve a grant of £350 for Conquest Art – Finance minutes refer
It was resolved to approve a grant of £350 for Conquest Art.
46.6 To approve the purchase of promotional material at an estimated cost of £699.60 to gift to the Formby British Legion Branch.
It was resolved to approve for the Parish Council to purchase the items of promotional material to the value of £699.60 and gift them to the Formby British Legion Branch.
46.7 To approve a letter to Sefton Council regarding S106 funds generated from the Mayflower development in Formby spent on Buckley Hill the sum of £266,000, being repaid and spent on infrastructure needs in Formby.
The Chairman read out the draft letter.
It was resolved to send the letter to Sefton Council regarding S106 funds.
46.8 To approve a survey to residents regarding the old school playing field at Park Road, following a request to Sefton Council which asked for this to be retained as an open green space.
Cllrs discussed the request to Sefton Council to retain this as a playing field. It was noted that there had been an article on social media regarding this which predated the agenda item.
It was resolved to send the survey to residents.
46.9 To receive the External Auditor report for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 and to note that there was one matter brought to the attention of the Parish Council:
The smaller authority has confirmed that the response to Section 2, Box 11 is incorrect and should be “yes”
Finance minutes refer.
PKF Littlejohn have drawn our attention to an error in the response to Section 2 Box 11 regarding Trust Funds. Formby Parish Council do not manage any trust funds; however, the correct response should be “yes” not “no”. In previous years there was a n/a option that was removed this year. The newly worded question was ambiguous, and many Councils have received the same “except for” matter. It is the Clerks understanding that next year there will be a n/a option again.
46.10 To note the Local Government Services Pay Agreement for 2026-2027.
Members noted the Local Government Services Pay Agreement for 2026-2027.
47.0 Payments
August 2026 Payments
- Employer expenses – £2,060.36
- Office lease, Sefton MBC – £291.66
- Office phone and broadband, BT – £76.74
- Newsletter delivery – late invoice, Formby Publishing co ltd – £360.00
- Laptop replacement, John Lewis – £649.99
- Subscription, Gravity forms – £45.16
- Printer ink and supplies, Select Office – £773.82
Total £4,257.73
September 2026 Payments
- Employer expenses – £2,060.36
- Office lease, Sefton MBC – £291.66
- Office phone and broadband, BT – £76.74
- Chindit Memorial part payment, Paul Ennis & Co Ltd – £12,720.00
- External Audit, PKF Littlejohn LLP – £504.00
- Grounds maintenance and watering, JC Landscape & Horticulture – £16,142.66
- Bitdefender antivirus subscription, Bitdefender – £84.99
- Blinds for office, Blinds and Shutters by Bespoke Ltd – £410.00
- Domain renewal, Krystal Hosting Ltd – £12.00
Total £32,375.13
It was resolved to make the payments as listed above.
48.0 The following reports were noted (circulated with the agenda):
- Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Group Meeting
- Minutes of the Environment Group Meeting
49.0 Date of Next Meeting:
The next Ordinary meeting of Formby Parish Council will be held on Monday 19 October 2026 7pm, at Formby Library, Duke Street, Formby.
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