Minutes
Minutes meeting held on Thursday 14th May 2026 at Parish Rooms 7pm – 7.30pm.
Present: Chair Nick Leonard, Cllr Matt Powell, Cllr Karen Wheeler, Karen Grimwood (Parish Clerk), 6 members of the public.
- Welcome
- To receive and approve any apologies for absence. Cllr Debbie Kemp
- To approve the Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 8th May 2025 - Approved
- To receive the Chairman’s Annual Report covering the past year and plans for the new year - See attached
- To receive the County Councillor’s report – Due to change of councillor in recent elections no report was received.
- To receive the District Councillor’s report – See attached
- To receive any other reports – See attached report from Gt Blakenham Village Hall and Suez
- To receive questions from members of the public (allow 15 minutes). None
- To note the date of the next scheduled meeting – May 2027
Email: clerk@greatblakenhamparishcouncil.gov.uk | Phone: 07463 329570 | Website: greatblakenhamparishcouncil.gov.uk
Chairman …………………………………………………. Date ………………………...........
Chairman's Report 2026
I would like to start with placing on record my thanks to Chris Chambers. I always found that Chris took us seriously as a parish council, rarely missed a meeting, listened to our concerns and then took the fight to the powers that be. I hope that our new county councillor proves to be as attentive and effective as Chris.
In a similar vein I would also like to thank Adrienne our district councillor. Again she has worked hard on our behalf holding Mid Suffolk District Council and Port One to account for their actions (or lack of them).
I would also like to thank my fellow councillors and Karen our clerk. Debbie, Matt & Karen W all work fulltime and give their time freely inside and outside of council meetings. I would like to think that between us we work together effectively as a team and the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
So what have we achieved in the past year?
On a practical note we have replaced broken street lights on Stowmarket Road, put up solar powered lights for Christmas, arranged for the bus shelter to be repaired, organised for a dangerous tree to be taken down from the churchyard, checked and laid down all unsafe gravestones in the churchyard & cemetery. We have also continued to fund work at the Village Hall and the Bowls Club. We have donated funds to the River Gipping Trust to allow them to continue keeping the river and the river walks clear.
On a governance note our auditors found very little to report on and we have reviewed all the policies etc that we need to. We never forget that the money we spend comes from the pockets of the people of the village and put the maintenance contracts out to tender to ensure that we were getting good value for money.
We have discussed all planning applications in the village and listened to all those who attend the council meetings before agreeing our comments. We cannot control the decisions of Mid Suffolk planners but we can try to let them know what the village thinks.
Which brings me on to Port One... We have met with MSDC & Port One on multiple occasions trying to get them to undertake the legal conditions attached to their previous applications. It was at one of the meetings with Chris & Adrienne when we got Port One to agree to send out the newsletters and hold the public information days at the village halls. Following the information day we conducted a survey to find out the views of the village towards the proposal so that we could properly reflect these. We have attended numerous meetings with other parish councils, MSDC and various experts to try to fight the current application as effectively as we possibly can. Port One are coming to tonight’s council meeting to give us the latest updates but at present we anticipate that Port One will resubmit their application in 6-12 months time having changed it to try to overcome the various objections raised.
We have also attended meetings of the Port One Biodiversity Fund and tried to publicise this fund so that the funds can be used within the village.
We have also met with MSDC & SCC regarding the local government reorganisation – prior to their placing their submissions to the government. On a personal note I am very worried that the new Ipswich and South Suffolk council will be run solely for the benefit of Ipswich and the interests of villages such as ourselves will be sacrificed for the “greater good” of Ipswich.
So what does the future hold?
On a bigger picture we will see what the new administration of Suffolk County Council does and how our new county councillor fits in with this.
Over the next year or so the parish council will continue to fight against Port One’s application or should MSDC planners give it the go ahead then we will work with other parishes to obtain more meaningful mitigation from Port One.
We will continue to try to improve the environment of the village. This may only be planting more bulbs, or working with MSDC to plant some more trees but it would be nice to get grant funding to improve the area around Hackneys Corner.
Sadly the land owners of the allotment have given us notice to quit the allotments by October. Communication with their agents is difficult but we are trying to get clarity as to what they require and to also sign a lease on the wet meadows between Stowmarket Road & the Gipping River.
We are aware of the need for suitable replacement site for the allotments or an extension of the cemetery but these are hard to find but if they do arise then we will try to take advantage of these.
If as expected a planning application for housing is submitted for the field opposite JT Fews then in the absence of a Neighbourhood Plan and given the governments changes to housing requirements etc, we will probably be unable to prevent this but we can strive to make any development the best we can for the village.
Sadly with only 4 councillors who all work fulltime we don’t have the time to create a full Neighbourhood plan but we hope to make progress on a Parish Infrastructure Plan that the planning authority will take into account when considering future planning applications.
Of course many hands make light work so if anybody can give a few hours to the village and join us as councillors then please contact us. There is no particular skill set that is necessary and full training is given so please don’t be backwards in coming forwards. Your Village needs you!
Chairman …………………………………………………. Date ………………………...........
District Councillor Report May 26
Local Elections: 7 May
On Thursday 7th May, polls across the county will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for residents to vote in local elections. In Mid Suffolk, residents will be able to vote for their next Suffolk County Councillor. Results will be promoted by Suffolk County Council on their website and social media channels. In the meantime, relevant information remains on Mid Suffolk District Council website and on their Facebook page.
New Recycling Collections in Suffolk
From 8th May onwards, residents will begin to receive an information pack which includes details on what items can be put in each of their bins in preparation for the new service starting on 1st June. There are digital versions of the information packs on the Suffolk Recycles website.
Port One Legacy Biodiversity Enhancement Fund
The deadline for Mid Suffolk District Council’s Port One Legacy Biodiversity Enhancement Fund has been extended until the end of June.
Community groups that apply for the fund can use it for projects that enhance biodiversity, improve habitats, support community gardens and much more. Details of how to apply can be found on MSDC’s community funding page.
Managing the Risk of Fraud and Corruption
One of the items discussed at the last Joint Audit and Standards Committee (JASC) meeting of MSDC was their annual report on managing fraud and corruption. Internal Audit look at this under the new Global Internal Audit Standards. They have produced a Fraud Risk Register which contains a list of areas where they and Heads of Service believe the councils are susceptible to fraud.
Work on raising fraud awareness is to be furthered through a series of presentations to all Heads of Service and staff responsible for financial transactions undertake a compulsory online e-learning module.
Members of the JASC, including myself, have been offered training on “Countering Fraud and Corruption in Babergh and Mid Suffolk Councils”, to be given by the Head of Internal Audit and a Senior Auditor.
Mid Suffolk Youth Council
A standard letter has been composed and sent out to eight high schools chosen to participate in the scheme and was signed by Keith Scarff, Chair of Mid Suffolk District Council. It informs participants that the Youth Council will meet three times a year, once per academic term. These meetings will be half-day sessions, to be held in person at Endeavour House and they are scheduled to begin in October 2026. Currently positive responses have been received from six of the eight, i.e.
- Claydon, Debenham, Finsborough, Hartismere, Stowupland and Thurston.
No response has been received from Stowmarket and Stradbroke has declined to participate.
Each school is asked to elect three students to participate in the Youth Council. These students should be of varying ages and show an interest in community involvement, leadership and taking action. Students on the council should work collaboratively with other students across Mid Suffolk, represent their peers and share their perspectives and ideas. They will be able to develop communication and problem-solving skills and influence and contribute to local policy and community initiatives.
Code of Conduct and a Safeguarding policies are currently in draft form.