Minutes of the Annual Village Meeting held on October 12th 2026 at the Village Hall
Mary Webb welcomed everyone.
Apologies:
Apologies had been received from Mike Vernon and Dianne Adams. The police team also sent apologies as they were not on duty this evening.
Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the last Annual General Meeting of October 2025 were accepted.
Proposed: Peter Stanworth
Seconded: Judi Hibberd
Matters Arising:
Any matters arising had been dealt with.
Chair’s Report:
In the absence of a current Chair, Mary provided a report as follows:
Rona generally started her report by saying the Residents’ Association has had another busy and productive year! This past year has been no less so.
I am here because at the moment we do not have a Chair, possibly because Rona will be hard to follow. I know she would welcome a new Chair and wish them every success in taking the RA forward into new and hopefully exciting areas.
Burton Green was a community that felt somewhat fractured when HS2 arrived and many long-term residents moved away. However, it did not take long for newcomers to become true Burton Greeners and volunteer for roles – not only filling vacancies but also creating new positions to help the community move forward. We are fortunate to have many hardworking residents who quietly carry out essential day-to-day tasks as well as an extraordinary number of creative people, as the recent Made in Burton Green event demonstrated.
My 6-year-old grandson fell in love with the horse -sorry “Granny, it’s a unicorn” I didn’t have my specs on – in Red Lane and the wonderfully coloured dragon at the hall with its children- made scales. Each time I passed along the road there were new magical mystical figures popping up from the verge or hanging in the trees. We had to drive past several times each journey. Just amazing!
I always think that if you need any help in Burton Green there is always someone to offer. With the bridge closed for so long a considerable strain has been put on so many of us, especially on the long journey around to Kenilworth along a dreadful stretch of road. We live in hopes that the opening is now permanent.
RA will again this year be putting up a display on the Coronation verge for Armistice Day. Sadly, after one of the soldier cut outs was stolen, we do now have new soldiers which we chain and padlock to the pole. We shall have our Christmas tree at the end of November with new lights and Christmas cards will again drop through every door in Burton Green following the annual Christmas card design competition at school. I wish all of you could help with the judging – it is quite a memorable and amusing few hours and the children’s creativity is wonderful to see.
Santa will be arriving on his sleigh at some date near Christmas but we don’t yet have the exact date from Westwood Lions. As Santa visits, he will collect for the RA chosen charity which will be decided at our November meeting. Last year we split the collection between Warwick Young Carers and the Warwickshire Air Ambulance. Thank you in advance Westwood Lions for Santa and his sleigh.
A big thank you to Hilary who plants our flower tubs. The ones on the verge have looked so colourful this year in spite of the drought. It is always hard to thank people in public as you can so easily miss someone out. Jenny Jones has offered to mow the verge this year. She follows an illustrious group: Bill Howes, Alison and Jim Fielding, Any Gibbs and recently Hilary Cox and Faith Ward. Alison -thank you for all the cans of water heaved daily across the road to the verge tubs.
The IndieGO Plus bus service is now an established feature of Red Lane, with routes to Kenilworth, Leek Wootton, Hatton and Warwick. The RA was pursuing the route to be extended into Cromwell Lane but it was left until the bridge re-opened. We are now on the case again and hope to bring good news in the New Year.
We continue to report fly tipping and potholes and are keeping a close eye on the speed of HS2 Ltd contractors’ vehicles going through the village, now added to by concrete lorries, in numbers and at speed along Hob Lane. We have recently raised concerns about this with the Parish Council.
HS2 appears to have begun planting. We were promised input into this and an outline plan of what and where there was to be planting – we are still waiting! We are also still waiting for a positive outcome for the proposed meeting with HS2 CEO referencing “the Berlin Wall”.
There always seems to be things to do. Potholes, fly tipping, litter picking, delivering the Bugles, reporting issues, following up on residents’ concerns. In May we planted a commemorative oak in the grounds of the Village Hall – which appears to have survived the drought thanks to daily watering and the new hall hosepipe. Recently, new batteries have been put in our village defibrillators. We have liaised with the police over inconsiderate parking. Our Community Lunch takes place twice a year and the next one is on Friday of this week at 1p.m. where there will be a special toast to our late chair, Rona Taylor.
RA is currently chasing HS2 to have the murals opposite the hall refurbished, the balancing pond at Burrowhill to be maintained, a notice asking Greenway users to use the carpark in Hob Lane rather than block the road at Burrowhill Lane. The RA supported the Village Hall’s application to develop a Pétanque area and submitted an objection to the proposed housing development off Cromwell lane. We are in touch with Hannah Taylor artist i/c of installations along the Greenway. Hopefully, HS2 will be coming along very soon to plant the promised 1000 bulbs along the verges -missing the existing ones as we have a plan of planting.
A plaque that was on a seat outside the Berkswell alms houses has been rediscovered. Thank you to Peter who is now cleaning it up to be put on the verge seat. I had forgotten where it came from but a piece of research from John Webb soon found all the facts, including an article from The Coventry Evening News.
We have handed over past Burton Green ledgers or minute books to Warwick County Records Office. They go back to the first ever meeting of the RA and are all handwritten and of course available to read.
The Bugle is published four times a year, funded by our Parish Council, and is distributed to each household in Burton Green. Hopefully, it continues to inform residents of what is going on. Thank you to all who contribute. We are always looking for interesting items to put in so that it isn’t just a series of reports. So please send in anything about yourself, what you do, a book you could recommend, a gardening tip, a photo – whatever you would like to share with us. Personally, I would love to have some articles from our young residents – what do they want in our village, a success they have had, something about a hobby – anything of interest. And finally, a very special thanks to the team who deliver it to your door.
Earlier in the year we did investigate an electronic Bugle but having canvassed a number of residents it was decided to stick to the paper edition.
There are many more things that we do during the year but hopefully my report has given a flavour of the variety of issues we follow up on. Thanks to those in the village who deliver the Bugle (and we are always looking for residents to go on a reserve list or to cover when our team are away on holiday etc), all those who do all the work on your behalf quietly in the background and most especially the RA committee including Dianne our treasurer, our secretaries Judi and Janet and all committee members and of course all of our residents who make up a very vibrant and supportive community.
Finally, thank you to Adrian for preparing this evening’s PowerPoint presentation.
Election of Committee members:
Janet Hickinbottom, in her role as Joint Secretary, conducted this agenda item.
The constitution requires that the officers and three committee members should stand down. All the officers, Mary Webb, Janet Hickinbottom, Judi Hibberd and Dianne Adams were willing to stand again if approved.
Proposed: Helen Hehir
Seconded: Eileen Nisbet
Unanimously agreed.
Three committee members also stood down and agreed to be re-elected:
Faith Ward, Hilary Cox, Helen Hehir
Proposed: Lesley Tacon
Seconded: Barbara Noronha
Unanimously agreed.
It was reiterated that new committee members or those willing to volunteer for specific projects would be most welcome and should approach a current committee member to discuss this. In particular, the Residents’ Association is looking for a new chairperson.
The Treasurer’s Report was as follows:
Income Expenditure
Grant 4000.00 Bugle printing 1689.98
Residents lunches 1349.00 Resident's lunches 1851.24
Parish Council re banner 69.60 Christmas cards 372.00
Hall hire 107.50
Deposit account interest 5.70 Insurances 406.92
Red Lane tree cutting 120.00
Tubs etc. 120.62
AGM costs 28.45
Oak tree planting costs 199.76
Paint for soldiers etc. 185.50
Audit fee 94.50
Bank charges 51.00
Logo design 100.00
Banner 69.60
Stamps 46.96
HS2 printing 21.64
Competition prizes 40.00
5424.30 5505.67
Excess of Expenditure over Income 81.37
5505.67 5505.67
BALANCE SHEET
Cash Reserves
Current Assets Bank - current 4273.14 Balance b'fwd 5393.92
Bank - savings 1039.41
Excess of expenditure over income -81.37
5312.55 5312.55
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S STATEMENT
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention :
1 Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirement to keep
appropriate accounting records and to prepare accounts that accord with the accounting records
have not been met with, or:
2 To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
S.I.P.Key
09.10.26
Burton Green Village School Update
Stella Villiers, Head teacher of Burton Green Academy, said school was maintaining numbers. It now has 109 pupils with a capacity of 118. The new pre-school has proved popular with 10 places filling quickly and 2 more children recently joined. Building work included a new entrance for the pre-school children and Warwickshire County Council had granted £26000 for ongoing work. The windows in the original school building were to receive secondary glazing but it was proving difficult to find contractors to conduct the work. The windows in the old Y6 room would be replaced. A new doorway will be inserted for Y1 and Y2 pupils to access the front playground from their classroom. It was hoped the work would be carried out after half term.
The school has been contacted along with other local primary schools and two secondary schools to take part in the Greenway Art Project. The School Council will be involved in the Spring term.
Volunteer readers are making a big difference in school as so many children are not heard reading at home. The WI did a sewing project in school last year and plan to do the same again this academic year. The children are very appreciative of this. They also enjoyed participating in Made in Burton Green.
Ofsted inspectors visited the school last week. The official report is not yet available but Stella said it had very positive results.
The school Christmas Fayre will take place on November 27th from 3.30-5.30 and all residents will be welcome.
A question was asked about problems with the burglar alarm at the school but Stella said a new sensor had been fitted and the call out company had been changed. The situation will continue to be monitored.
Village Hall Annual Report
Cheryl Wall, Chair of the Village Hall trustees, provided an update on the Village Hall. She explained that booking s and enquiries remained high, especially for children’s parties. A range of regular users helped to fund the hall’s expenses. Planning permission had been granted for the development of a multipurpose hardstanding area and quotes were currently being sought.
Community events remained popular. A recent quiz night attracted over 80 participants. A plant sale will again be held in the Spring. Burton Green Live is a music event that is being piloted and is an exciting initiative to bring regular live music to the village. There is a forthcoming fashion show costing £10 to include a glass of wine on arrival. A subsidised Christmas lunch is scheduled for December 11th.
Cheryl thanked all residents who support the events. Dianne Adams is stepping down as treasurer. Her hard work has been much appreciated.
A question was asked whether an automatic watering system could be considered. Cheryl said it might be possible for the trees but the grounds were very extensive.
A Coronation Fund had provided 11 fruit trees in the grounds. Cheryl will be writing to the king to thank him. Some shrubs had died during the extremely hot, dry summer but these will be replaced. It is hoped to purchase air conditioning units for the hall and a £5k grant towards this has been received from Warwickshire County Council. It is hoped these will be installed in the Spring.
Russ then gave a comprehensive report of the Hall’s finances.
Russ said capacity of the hall at 80 was being maintained for private hire. This reduced noise levels and kept the hall in good condition. There had been very few noise complaints over the past year. A deposit of £500 was now requested for big parties and weddings to avoid damage to the hall.
The main purpose of the hall is to provide a community resource but private hire was necessary to maintain funding levels. There was still some capacity during daytimes. Most mornings and evenings are booked. There is a discounted rate for local people.
There will be no increase in charges this year. The Hall trustees had decided to pay for some support in managing the Hall’s finances.
Comparing expenditure 2024/25 with 2025/26
We had some unexpected larger maintenance and capital cost issues which contributed to the rise in expenditure:
Woodworm remediation £1800
Floor rejuvenation £1191.30
Replacement industrial fridge £539.98
Replacement of plates for matching sets for events £394.90
These total £3926.18
Comparing like-for-like, excluding large capital or maintenance irregular costs, the hall has maintained a good grasp of expenditure with a rise of 0.37% in day-to-day operating costs.
Comparing income 2024/25 with 2025/26
Hire and Event Takings are down 1.13%, due to being more selective and refusing events that may potentially cause noise issues for neighbours. Event takings are cash, raffles and sales, and are valued at £5874.29 which is 11.59% of our total income compared to 10.88% of last year's total income.
Grants and Donations significantly decreased, this year, however this is due to not receiving the Klargester grant, which skewed the figures, making last year artificially high.
Overall financial performance
For a fair comparison grants/donations have been excluded as we have no influence over them and they are not guaranteed.
The acoustic work for 24-25 has been excluded as has the £3926.18 of maintenance and capital costs of 25-26 as these are not a running costs, they are a one-off cost.
If the maintenance and capital costs of 25-26 are taken into account, the gross surplus for the year is £5137.53.
Our funds and future plans
We have consolidated our funds (£142829.33) as follows:
£115,000 in HTB 12-month Savings at 4.36% - expected interest yield of £3068.37 (Sept 27)
Moved all daily transactions to Barclays Current Account – Balance £27,829.33 (30th Sept)
What we have also done for efficiency:
Moved predominantly to stripe (card payments) for hirers
Built a bespoke finance monitoring tool
Next Action:
Village hall credit cards for teams, to reduce personal expense claims and improve ease of monitoring
Parish Council Report
Cllr Paddy Deeley explained the spending of the Community Infrastructure Levy, a fund held by the Parish Council that comes from developers in the area. The village receives 25% of this money that is collected by the Parish Council. Over the years, £400,000 has been collected and there are timelines within which it must be spent. A survey was sent out to 650 households but only 46 responses were received.
The Parish Council’s agreed responsibilities include Roads and traffic; Pavements; Public transport; and Green spaces and recreation. Different councillors have taken on roles within each topic. More ideas from residents are requested.
Cllr Warwick Webster raised the matter of speeding on Red Lane and suggested the police might be prepared to monitor this now the bridge is open. He said the Parish Council can ask for improvements but decisions lie with the County Council. He felt it might be time to resurrect Speedwatch and asked anyone interested to contact him.
Any Other Business:
Chris Langton mentioned our former postman, Nick. Nick was doing some gardening work but at the moment is a carer for a resident in Red Lane. Chris said we now have two postmen covering CV8 addresses: Phil and Mark but the latter was being replaced by Simon.
Mary was thanked for all her hard work producing the Bugle and for stepping in this evening to manage the meeting.
Date of Next Annual Village Meeting:
The next Annual General Meeting would be held on September 27th 2027 at the Village Hall.
Mary thanked everyone for attending and asked residents to consider joining the Parish Council, the Residents’ Association or the Village Hall committee.
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