Chapel-en-le-FrithFull Council meeting Minutes 02.06.2026
Minutes of the Monthly Parish Council meeting
held at 7pm on 2nd June 2026
at Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Hall
Present: Cllrs Jason Adshead (Chair), Mike Chantler, Tony Dales, Michaela Daniels, Melissa Drabble, Mark Drabble, Nigel Gourlay, Nick Hill, Philip Ockenden, S Young & Chris Williams
In Attendance: Ms G Turner, Clerk and Mrs E Howe, Assistant Clerk
27/076 Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Jim Perkins
27/077 To make any Declarations of Interests – Cllr Nigel Gourlay declared an interest in agenda items 27/072 and 27/092, as he is an elected member of DCC.
Cllr Nick Hill declared an interest in planning application HPK/2026/0210 as he knows the applicant.
27/078 To consider any applications for Dispensations –None.
27/079 It was resolved under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s1 to exclude members of the press and public from agenda item 27/085 on the grounds that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
27/080 To agree any variations of order of business – It was agreed that items 27/065, 27/067, 27/091 and 27/097 are all connected and so will be discussed consecutively.
It was also agreed to remove items 27/097 and 27/098 from the agenda.
The Chair stated that the aim was for the meeting to finish by 9pm. To allow sufficient time to discuss agenda items 27/089 (a) to (j) and 27/085, the meeting will begin consideration of these items at 8.15pm.
27/081 Police matters – Their current priorities continue to be speeding, parking and anti-social behaviour.
Cllr Tony Dales stated that he was disappointed that no figures had been provided as Councillors had previously indicated that they would like to see incident trends rather than isolated figures.
Cllr Michaela Daniels re-iterated her previous suggestion that the Chief Inspector of North Division be invited to attend a meeting to explain changes to neighbourhood policing. All agreed to invite the Chief Inspector to the next meeting.
27/082 Public Speaking – there were no members of the public present at the meeting.
There were no County and Borough Councillors present at the meeting.
27/083 To approve the minutes of the Annual Council meetings held on 5th May 2026 – Cllr Mike Chantler stated that whilst he agreed the minutes were accurate the decision on item 27/055 to seek specialist support/mediation had been unanimous among those present, which is not reflected in them.
Cllr Nick Hill proposed and Cllr Tony Dales seconded that the Chair be authorised to sign as being a true and correct record the minutes of the Council meeting held on 5th May. All agreed.
27/084 The Chair’s Report – see below.
Member of the Press and Public were excluded from the meeting whilst the following agenda item was discussed.
27/085 To consider the quotes received from businesses offering specialist services which will seek to improve the way the council operates and deal with the underlying issues - following lengthy discussion it was decided that Councillors preferred option was LGRC Associates Ltd, but that the proposal was too broad. It was therefore resolved that Cllr Nick Hill and the Clerk will speak with LGRC/LG regarding a more tailored approach that brings about the desired outcome at the lowest reasonable cost.
27/086 Consideration of Planning Applications notified to the Parish Council
HPK/2026/0204 - 21 Horseshoe Avenue, Dove Holes - Proposed construction of a detached garage. It was agreed that the Council has no objection this application.
HPK/2026/0210 - 19 Horseshoe Avenue, Dove Holes - Single Storey detached building for domestic ancillary use. It was agreed that the Council has no objection this application.
HPK/2026/0163 - Re-consultation raised on 14.5.26 - 21 days (4.6.26) - revised plans received - Walton House Cottage, Unnamed Road from Eccles Road to Coal Yard, Chapel-en-le-Frith - Conversion of stables to provide new dwelling for holiday accommodation use. It was noted that this application was resubmitted due to an error in the applicants’ details and therefore no further comment on the application is required.
It was noted that planning matters take up a significant portion of the Council meeting and that perhaps the terms of reference of the planning committee should allow routine applications to be dealt with effectively by the Clerks with reference to the Neighbourhood Plan, with more complex and/or controversial applications requiring a meeting to be convened. All agreed to re-write the planning terms of reference to this effect.
27/087 Consideration of Planning Appeals notified to the Parish Council – none.
27/088 Comments on any Planning Decision Notices -
HPK/2026/0011 – 34 Horderns Park Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith – addition of a rear extension. Granted
HPK/2026/0089 - 18 Eccles Terrace, Whitehough – single storey rear extension. Granted
HPK/2025/0445 – 7 Station Road, Dove Holes - Alterations to the existing shopfront, including replacement of windows and renewal of external wall finishes. Internal refurbishment works are also proposed to improve the layout and facilities. Granted
HPK/2026/0112 – 32 Brookside Road, Chapel-en-le-Frith - first floor side extension and garage conversion. Refused
27/089 Finance – It was resolved to:
(a) Authorise the schedule of accounts presented for payment totalling £18,335.24 (including VAT).
(b) To note the actual year-to-date income and expenditure against budget – it was agreed that the salaries figure looks high and the Clerk will look into it.
(c) To approve members’ allowances at the same level as 2025/26.
(d) To receive and note the Internal Auditor’s Report for FY025/26.
(e) To approve the Council’s FY2025/26 governance statement with the following exceptions:
The council answered ‘No’ to Assertion 1 because councillors were not satisfied that material budget movements, including the PWLB drawdown and the legal-fees overspend, had been adequately reported, discussed and minuted during the year.
The council also answered ‘No’ to Assertion 2 because councillors were not satisfied that internal controls were adequate in relation to prior authorisation, budgetary control, reimbursement procedures, and the audit trail for expenditure.
The council agreed corrective action, including minuted quarterly budget monitoring, council approval for material variances and overspends, proper prior authority and audit trail for reimbursements, and Councillor Essentials training during 2026/27.
(f) To approve the Council’s FY2025/26 accounting statement.
(g) To note the Variance Analysis 2025/26.
(h) To note the Bank Reconciliation as at 31 March 2026.
(i) To note that the dates for publication of the unaudited AGAR will commence on 11th June and end on 22nd July 2026.
(j) It was agreed to appoint DALC as the internal auditor for 2026/27.
27/090 To consider adopting an Agenda Item Standard Operating System and RAG decision framework – The Chair explained that the purpose of this motion is to help the Council make clear, lawful and practical decisions without unnecessary delay or confusion. It is designed to create a simple and consistent process for preparing agenda items for Committees and Full Council. Following discussion Cllr Gourlay seconded the motion and all agreed.
27/091 The Parish Council agreed to the following Committees:
Amenities
Planning
Town Hall & Assets
Finance
Personnel
Community, Communications & New Projects
27/092 To consider the Parish Council’s response to Derbyshire County Council’s consultation regarding the proposed closure of the Glossop Household Waste Recycling Centre. A consultation letter from DCC was circulated to members. It was agreed that the Paish Council will strongly object to the closure of the Glossop Household Waste and Recycling Centre, as it is likely to increase fly tipping which will affect the countryside between Glossop and Buxton.
Cllrs Melissa Drabble and Mark Drabble declared and interest in this item and took no part in the discussion.
27/093 To consider replacement of the wet pour surface at the memorial playground - due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/094 To consider reinstating the Councils Community awards Scheme funded through Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 - due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/095 To consider changing the IT systems and telephone provision - due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/096 To consider entering into an insurance rate stability agreement for the next 3 years and commissioning a desktop rebuild review of Council properties - due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
To receive updates on Actions from previous Minutes
26/424 To consider the purchase or lease of a commercial van for Park Staff – it was agreed that the parks vehicle working group will circulate a fully costed proposal, including purchase -v- lease costs, insurance, budget line and justification, to Councillors within 2 weeks.
27/009 Peak Cluster proposal – no update
27/052 To consider whether to update the Neighbourhood Plan - deferred to July meeting.
27/064 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that the Amenities Committee is reinstated so that it can focus on the Parks, Medieval Cross and Nanny’s Well. – see agenda item 27/091 above.
27/065 To consider which Councillors wish to sit on each of the Committees until the next Annual Meeting
Cllr Mike Chantler proposed that all Councillors be nominally appointed to the committees to ensure that meetings are always quorate. All agreed.
The following committee members were agreed for each of the committees.
Amenities: Cllrs Jason Adshead, Tony Dales, Nick Hill, Philip Ockenden & Chris Williams
Planning: Cllrs Jason Adshead, Mark Drabble, Melissa Drabble, Nick Hill, Chris Williams & Stewart Young
Town Hall & Assets: Cllrs Jason Adshead, Tony Dales, Michaela Daniels, Mark Drabble, Nigel Gourlay, Nick Hill & Chris Williams
Finance: Cllrs Mike Chantler, Nigel Gourlay, Philip Ockenden, Chris Williams & Stewart Young
Personnel: Cllrs Jason Adshead, Mike Chantler, Tony Dales, Michaela Daniels, Chris Williams
Community, Communications & New Projects: Cllrs Mike Chantler, Tony Dales, Michaela Daniels, Melissa Drabble, Nick Hill & Chris Williams
27/067 Motion from Councillor Chantler that delegated powers and decision making should be returned to the individual committees to allow the allow efficient decision making without all items needing to go to full council for decisions.
Cllr Chris Williams stated that he supports this motion wholeheartedly as the Council risks micro-managing the committees and so disincentivising them so that they give up on doing their job. Councillor Young also gave his support for the motion but added that he thinks a monetary value should also be given to the committees if there is a budget line in existence for the expenditure.
Following discussion Cllr Mike Chantler proposed an amended motion that delegated powers and decision making be returned to the individual committees with a budget of up to £5,000 per item or up to the maximum budget for that spend. Cllr C Williams seconded the motion. A vote took place and the motion was agreed by a majority.
27/068 To consider the recent antisocial behaviour at the Memorial – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/069 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that the Finance & Assets Committee initially look for the historical Bowling Club Health & Safety Report and ensure that all the actions highlighted in it have been actioned – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/070 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that an independent Health and Safety Report is commissioned to include all Parks, the compound and the Bowling Green – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/071 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that if the Health & Safety Report on the Bowling Club is found and it suggests that the footpath needs repairing, the Council goes ahead and obtains 3 quotes for the necessary repairs – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/072 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that they accept the proposal from DCC regarding accepting a 10-year term for the library lease with a rolling break after year one and that Councillors think about how to encourage community groups to use the library more – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/073 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that where practicable the Parish Council supports a local first purchasing policy – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/074 Motion from the Finance & Assets Committee that Full Council considers further the Dove Holes hanging baskets contract and invites the Dove Holes Community Association to a meeting with the Finance & Assets Committee – due to time constraints this item was deferred to a future meeting.
27/097 To review and adopt the Council’s revised Standing Orders – see agenda item 27/080 above.
27/098 To review and adopt the Council’s revised Financial Regulations – see agenda item 27/080 above
27/099 To receive feedback from the Annual Parish Meeting - deferred
27/0100 To confirm the date of the next Parish Council meeting – 7th July 2026 at 7pm.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 9.30pm.
______________________
CHAIR
