HINTON ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council
Held at Hinton St Mary Village Hall
on Tuesday May 12th 2026 at 7pm
Present:-
Chair Celia Wright (CW)
Councillors Ben Cooper (BC), Jo Curtis (JC), Rob Bartlett (RB)
County Councillor Carole Jones
Clerk Vivian Hitchmough
2026.57 Apologies : Cllr Mark Steggles (MS) Councillors wished Mark a speedy recovery from his accident and looked forward to his return to the Council.
2026.58 The minutes of the annual meeting of the council on Tuesday May 27th 2025 were agreed and duly signed.
Proposed / Seconded
2026.59 Election of Chair – Celia Wright – RB / JC
2026.60 Election of Officers
Vice Chair – Jo Curtis – CW / RB
Planning – Jo Curtis – RB / CW
Village Garden – Jo Curtis – CW / RB
Roads, drains etc – Rob Bartlett – CW / JC
Defibrillator – Ben Cooper – CW / RB
S.I.D. – Ben Cooper – CW / RB
2026.61 Chair’s report
CW thanked all the Councillors, the Clerk and the County Councillor for their contributions and attendance at meetings. She was pleased to welcome Ben, a new young member to the council. CW reported that the defibrillator was purchased in 2016 and the life of the equipment is generally 8-12 years. The type of pad required by the machine has been discontinued but she managed to purchase new pads and a battery pack. There will be a need to purchase a new defibrillator before too long. CW has joined North Dorset Transport Forum to discuss connectivity train links, travel hubs and community transport and her project of using the CR3 bus will provide valuable information as show transport links to the village. The 20mph proposed village speed limit was submitted in February 2025 and in March 2026 the scheme for Hinton St Mary is now out for public consultation and consideration.
2026.62 The Clerk presented copies of the annual return and draft accounts, the Governance statement and the certificate of exemption AGR 2025/26 Part Two. The Chairman duly signed all the necessary forms and the Clerk will return them to the auditors.
2026.63 The risk assessment was agreed for year 2026/27 going forward
2026.64 The Chair closed the meeting at 7.20pm
