21/04/2026
Chair’s Report.
(The report was accompanied by a Slide Presentation)
MOUNTSORREL PARISH ANNUAL MEETING 20TH APRIL 2026
Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Annual Parish meeting.
My name is Megan Pirt and I am the current Chair of Council and it is my pleasure to present a brief overview of the work the Council has undertaken.
A Parish Council is, of course, only as good as the people who volunteer to be Parish Councillors and I would like to thank all the councillors for their service to the village. We all have different perspectives and skills which we bring together to try to make the right decisions on behalf of our community.
The Council is now at full strength with 13 councillors who also serve on differing committees or working groups.
The Planning & policy committee does what it says on the tin and scrutinises planning applications.
Projects & Amenities is far reaching and has in its remit new projects & overall care & improvement of the village.
The MMC committee meet to receive a financial update and report from the venue manager James Nelson, who will present his annual report to you this evening.
The Seaton Road development is overseen by the Sport & Recreation Sub-Committee which also includes representatives from the Football & Cricket Clubs.
The War Memorial Field Trust oversees the care and improvement of the amenities of the Memorial Field.
Individual councillors also serve on the Tarmac Liaison Committee, the Charnwood Road Safety Committee and as trustees on the Education Fund, Community Support, United Charities, the Alms Houses and the War Memorial Field Trust Charities.
I cannot overstate how pivotal our Parish Manager, Ross Willmott and his team are to everything we do. We are very lucky to have them, and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them for all their work. We achieve so much more because of their efficiency, professionalism and enthusiasm.
The Council is in a healthy financial position. Over the last 4 years there have been underspends which have enabled the council to build good reserves to cover unseen eventualities.
Income has increased particularly at the MMC which has meant the Council Tax increase was 0% for this year.
However, with pressures on costs in the last 12 months we do not anticipate such underspends to continue.
The past year has seen improvements to the play equipment on the Memorial Fields soon to be joined by outdoor gym equipment,
Floral displays have been extended and will, going forward, include Castle Gardens and tiered planters outside the library. The bollards on the Green have been replaced and some of the trees there have had a haircut. The path around the Memorial pavilion has been renovated.
Improvements were made to the Christmas lights. It was unfortunate that despite testing, some lights on the Green let us down at the last minute. We have already taken measures to ensure that they behave themselves next Christmas.
The Butter Market tree was a huge success and thanks must go to our sponsors PUBLIC: AW PHYSIO.SUTTON LAND DEVELOPMENT:MR STICH: CASTLE VIEW DAY NURSERY: CURIOUS MAGPIE: COLOURS HAIR & NAILS: PGOGY WEBSTUFF
The Parish rooms and cemetery chapels have been externally decorated and new paths laid in the cemetery and the gates repaired. It is a credit to our staff that we receive many compliments on how well kept the cemetery is.
We continue to support the library which has, thanks to Anne Currie, our library Coordinator and the volunteers offers an ever -increasing range of activities. It boasts one of the highest number of books lent in the county. Recently the library was awarded £5k by ‘Creative Expressions in libraries’ which will be spent to improve the links between the library and the school culminating in art creations.
Maintaining successful youth work initiatives is important and we continue to support our Youth worker Anthony Marvin and his team in his vital work. The scope of the work they undertake is varied and covers many different needs. A few of which you can see on the slide.
Thank you, Anthony and your team for the very real difference you make.
The village responded well to ‘Britain’s Spring Clean’ with almost 80 bags of litter being collected by various groups. The clearing up on Castle Hill after the vegetation was cut back (thank you Tarmac) is such an improvement although this mammoth task was made worse by repeated vandalism.
This behaviour is sadly not confined to one area. Council is actively looking at ways this can be managed and is working closely with the police, and we would urge residents to report any incidents to the police.
The big news is that at long last outline planning for the Seaton Road development has been granted. The cricket pitch is becoming well established. All that rain was good for something. So now begins the hard work of finalising the details and identifying funding for this exciting development.
The Tiny Forest is thriving and the trees when trans planted on to the bund will provide a lovely backdrop to the cricket pitch,
Your village has featured in write ups in the ‘Times,’ the ‘Telegraph ‘and the ‘Guardian ‘as well as other publications.
AI tells us that Mountsorrel is widely considered “a pleasant, family-friendly village in Leicestershire, recognized as a "best place to live" in regional awards. It offers a charming, historic environment with a bustling high street, local cafes, a multipurpose community venue and tourist attractions with a strong sense of community.”.
I am happy to trust AI on their description and agree on all points. During the past 12 months we have enjoyed and supported many enjoyable events such as the Scarecrow Festival organised by the Parents Staff and Friends Association, VJ Day and Remembrance Day, the Christmas Light Switch On, Christchurch’s Christmas Tree Festival the hugely successful Christmas shop window competition and of course the Repair Café who you may have seen on BBC local news yesterday,
The best front garden /planter competition was well received and very difficult to judge. This year’s competition has just been launched for this year and nominations are now being taken.
‘Revival ‘was amazing and we will again have a stall on the Green and will be flying the flag in the parade.
At this point I would like to acknowledge and thank the magnificent Mountsorrel Community Team who are always there to help with events. We can’t thank you enough.
Looking forward, as well as these usual events we will be celebrating the centenary of the War Memorial on August 15th.If you know of any past or serving members of the armed forces, from Mountsorrel please could you let us know. Our thanks must go to Tarmac for their generous support with this event.
Huge thanks must also go to the wonderful library craft group and others who, co-ordinated by Jill O’Neill, have to date produced almost 900 poppies which will form a display on a tree on the Green in time for Remembrance Day. You can find the group on Facebook at Mountsorrel Poppy Display 2026 or pop into the library on the second or fourth Friday in the month.
In October we will be supporting Cancer Research by turning Mountsorrel pink and blue. Many Shops, businesses, organisations, individuals, and the school have already pledged their support. Watch out for details!
Last, but not least we have a new member!
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to our new arrival- our new council van long awaited and much needed. Please give the drivers a wave when the pass by. He will soon be proudly bearing our logo.
But you have listened to me long enough and others are waiting to speak. It is your voice that matters and to that end please remember that we hold regular council surgeries and are delighted to welcome residents to all our council meetings.
That concludes my report. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening. If you have any questions or comments, there will be the opportunity to ask them in the public section later in the meeting.
Megan Pirt
