The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated that the meeting had been reconvened following the events of 28 July. She expressed sincere condolences, on behalf of the Parish, to the family of Tim Pailthorpe. She also asked that it be noted the efforts made, initially by the Clerk and the resident in attendance in the minutes before the arrival of the First Responder and ambulance crew. Tim was a great asset to the village and will be sorely missed. It was discussed that a CPR demonstration should be undertaken at the Community Centre. It was also agreed that the Council would write to the First Responder Team and East of Essex Ambulance Team. Proposed Cllr Carlaw, seconded Cllr Giles.

Apologies were received from Cllr Evans. It was agreed that these apologies be accepted. Proposed Cllr Carlaw, seconded Cllr Spencer.

To declare any Disclosable Pecuniary, Pecuniary or non-Pecuniary Interest relating to items on the agenda.

No declarations of interest received.

The Chairman will invite questions and observations from members of the public present. A maximum time of 15 minutes (3 minutes per attendee) will be allowed.

No members of the public present.

Cllr Finch and Cllr Thorogood submitted a report before the meeting which was circulated and noted and sent apologies for their non-attendance due to attending a briefing at BDC. The report included:

• County Council (“ECC”) Update:
  • Highways: The new administration has introduced significant changes to the way Highways issues are managed. The dedicated Highways Buddy system has been abolished, along with the Members’ Highways Scheme. The future of the Local Highways Panel also remains uncertain.
  • Rivenhall IWMF: The Environment Agency’s latest update states emissions from the facility continue to remain within the limits of its environmental permit. Complaint numbers have reduced in recent months although the Agency acknowledges that an emergency shutdown following a power failure in March caused temporary off-site odours. The investigation into previous particulate and ammonia emission breaches has concluded that there was no significant impact on ground-level air quality. Residents are encouraged to continue reporting odour incidents.
  • Anglian Water Low Water Pressure: Residents continue to report low water pressure, particularly in areas at the edge of the supply network. Anglian Water (“AW”) have confirmed that there are capacity constraints within parts of the network. It states that Rivenhall IWMF operates under a regulated water supply agreement; the company also acknowledges that wider infrastructure limitations and periods of peak demand can contribute to reduced pressure.
  • Minerals Local Plan: ECC has not yet announced its preferred mineral extraction sites within the emerging Minerals Local Plan.
  • Local Government Reorganisation: ECC has been granted permission to proceed with its Judicial Review against the Government’s proposal to replace the existing 15 Councils with five unitary authorities. The case will now proceed to a full hearing. It is not currently expected to delay the LGR and, should the challenge fail, will likely result in significant costs to the taxpayer.
  • Essex Climate Action Commission: The new administration has withdrawn ECC’s support for the commission as part of its decision to end the Council’s previous Net Zero Programme. Cllr Thorogood is disappointed by this decision and the Commission is exploring how it can continue independently.
• Braintree District Council (“BDC”) Update:
  • Waste Collection Service: The new system has been in place for 6 weeks. BDC reports that despite some operational difficulties and an increase in missed collections, the new arrangements are performing well overall. Early figures indicate recycling rates have increased significantly, with residents making greater use of recycling and food waste collections. BDC are continuing to improve the service with larger food waste vehicles, analysis of missed collections and performance monitoring. Cllrs Finch and Thorogood will continue to raise residents’ concerns with officers and cabinet member.
  • Draft Local Plan: The Local Plan Sub-Committee meets on Thursday 30 July to consider the results of the Regulation 18 Consultation. No decisions will be made on housing allocations at this stage but councillors will note the consultation responses before work progresses towards the Regulation 19 draft later this year. The consultation generated 1,024 objections for Kings Dene and was the most controversial proposal.

The Clerk also noted that Cllr Thorogood had forgotten to include in the report that the County Councillor Grants have been confirmed and they will be £10,000 per Councillor. Cllr Thorogood intends to give £1,000 to each Parish Council in his division with the remainder going to local community groups.

The report had been circulated prior to the meeting and was noted following discussion. Discussion was held around the SID and recalibration. It will be moved to Feering Hill to see if there is any change and if not, it will be returned to the supplier for recalibration.

Residents’ correspondence: Discussion was held around the email received from the resident asking why the Patient Participation Group held at Kelvedon & Feering Health Centre is not represented by the PC. It was agreed that we would contact the Health Centre to ask for an invitation going forward. A detailed response to the resident will be sent. Discussion was held around the grant application for Team GB representatives, which will be on the agenda for September.

The clerk received an email from Crown Estates to inform the Parish Council that they would not be able to allocate land as they have a live application with BDC. They have suggested we explore the site on Inworth Road. The Clerk confirmed that an email has been sent to the RCCE to ask for a meeting with the housing association representatives and a response is awaited.

To update on planning application number 26/00119/OUT received from Braintree District Council for outline planning permission of 835 homes in Feering.

A meeting has been arranged with Braintree District Council for 24 August 2026 regarding S106. Feedback will be given at September meeting.

Nothing to update.

To receive a report, consider and agree any actions arising from the report on the following:

Nothing to report. This will be removed from the agenda and put back on in January 2027 for further discussion. Proposed Cllr Carlaw, seconded Cllr Mitchell.

An email has been received from Essex Suffolk Rivers Trust regarding potential opportunity to possibly move things forward and for a meeting to be arranged. It was agreed that Cllr Evans and the Clerk should attend the meeting. Proposed Cllr Spencer, seconded Cllr Giles.

Update on grant applications: The new hall windows and doors are being installed and the grant monies will be requested once they have been completed.

Nothing to update.

A report was circulated before the meeting from the Communications Officer and was noted. Discussion was held around this and in particular councillor input. Councillors will feedback to the Communications Officer on the new site and the Communications Working Party should be the initial reviewers of the site and it will then go to full Council.

1. Litter picking group
2. Community Grant Application
3. Norwich to Tilbury Community Fund Report
4. Rivenhall IWMF Community Fund
5. Standing Orders Review following the events of 28 July or other exceptional circumstances
6. Public Participation comments to be addressed from 28 July

There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 21.09 and thanked everyone for attending.