June meeting 2023

Meeting Minutes

                                                            CALDBECK PARISH COUNCIL

 Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council held in the Parish Hall on Monday 19^th June at 7:30pm.

 Councillors present: Tim Cartmell (Chairman), Norman Atkinson, Paul Doherty, Mark Telford, Alan Tyson, Mike Warren, Alison Young

Also Present: Elspeth MacKenzie, Mike Johnson (Cumberland Councillor) and David McGuffie (Clerk)

1. Apologies

Angela Glendinning (Family), Sue Robson (Family) and David Sutherland (Family) were absent and the Council accepted their apologies.

2. Minutes

The Chairman was authorised to sign the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting, the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council and the Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council all held on 9^th May 2023 as true records.

3. Declaration of Interest

None.

4. Public Participation

Report by Mike Johnson – He explained that the waste collection teams of the three old borough councils all had different terms and conditions. Allerdale’s team was currently on strike and that meant that they weren’t collecting any recycling bins and not all the waste bins each week. Recycling can be taken to Wigton tip. Any waste bins not emptied one week are prioritised for the next. ACAS are coming in to help resolve the dispute.

He added he had asked Highways for a pothole repair programme and for them to return to doing first time fix rather than doing temporary repairs and returning on multiple occasions to fix the same pothole.

He concluded by saying that each of the 5x Cumberland Councillors on the community panel that included Thursby ward would have £6,000 to spend in their ward this financial year with a further ~£30,700 to be spent on projects that the panel agreed upon.

1. Coronation – The Coronation committee thanked the Council for the coins and badges and requested permission to plant a tree on Hesket back green which the Parish Council granted. Cumberland Council had been approached and had given permission to plant a tree on Caldbeck green provided that the Parish Council was responsible for the protection, care and maintenance of the tree. The Parish Council agreed to be responsible for the protection, care and maintenance of both trees.

2. Kentigern’s well – A project to publicise the well may be undertaken by Fell View School.

5. Caldbeck Public Toilets

Repair work has started on the existing toilets. The Council decided to thank the Hodgsons for their land offer for a site but felt that the site was not ideal and the costs were more than it could afford so they would just undertake repairs to the existing toilets.

6. Street Lighting

Beech Cottage update – quote from ENWL awaited.

7. Caldbeck and Hesket Greens

a) Update on Caldbeck Green – Alison presented a report by the Biodiversity Working Group (BWG) to inform the Council about the current state of the 3x plots on Caldbeck Green, ask if the Council wanted the BWG to continue as it was originally a 2 year trial and to present recommendations for the future. The Council thanked them for their work to date and by majority asked them to continue. The Council went through the recommendations in turn.

Plot 1(North of the Bowling Green)

1. Plant 3x silver birch to replace the dead mature birch that was removed in 2022 by CCC. Agreed by majority decision. Clerk to contact Cumberland for permission.
2. Mowing – reduce the mown area. Agreed by majority decision. Impact on grass cutting hours to be calculated and contract variation signed.
3. Graphic board – Install an interpretation board to provide a short history of the Clay Dub, some general information about the management of the Green by cattle, sheep and mown areas, and some text describing the flora and fauna found in the biodiversity plots. Agreed along with £600 for board construction and installation.
4. Drainage – channels to be dug out to improve drainage. Agreed by majority decision. Impact on lengthsman hours to be calculated and contract variation signed.

Plot 2 (Rushes area adjoining pond)

5. Drainage – channels to be dug out to improve drainage. To be undertaken as part of 4. above.
6. Path – cut a new path. Agreed.

Plot 3 (Teardrop area near pond)

No Change

Generally on Caldbeck Green

8. Delay grass cutting – have flexibility in the first cut date to ensure that native flowers are not cut in their prime. Agreed.
9. b) Update on Hesket Newmarket pond by Alison including the planning application for the millennium plot. Part of tree work by pond undertaken 3^rd An extension until 31^st August granted by Cumberland for the remainder. Tree work application for Howbeck Millennium planting still in progress.
10. c) Commons deregistration of part of Hesket Green – suggestion of making a section 16 application to deregister the present car park and land behind the Brewery and register in its place the northern verge leading to Howbeck.The Council agreed up to £500 for a surveyor to produce proper plans so that local and national consultations could be undertaken. After the consultation responses the Council would then need to decide if it wanted to submit an application.

8. Property Matters

a) Car parks – Hesket surface repairs have been made. QR codes for electronic payments is about to happen advised Paul. Paul to look into whether it’s worth adding PayPal as well as QR codes. A question was raised about the byelaws re overnight parking. Clerk to confirm.

b)Property Working Group – 2x wayleave submissions sent to BT for Hesket Newmarket – response is still awaited.

c) Fellside car park – H&H specification required for parking spaces still awaited.

d) Land at Hesket Newmarket. The Council agreed to accept the three offers. Solicitor fees will be £750 + VAT each.

9. Speeding Traffic in Hesket Newmarket and Caldbeck

Traffic speed measuring in Hesket Newmarket and Caldbeck reports received and posted on Council website. Update on enforcement actions awaited.

10. Parish Maintenance (updates since last meeting in bold)

EI/21838– Sign on road near Park End. Requested: 26/10/21, Last followed up: 23/1/23. Progress reported: 23/1/23 New sign installed – Keswick finger to fix

EI/40652 – Beckstones/Stadledykes. Requested: 17/1/22, Last followed up: 2/3/23. Progress reported: 2/3/23 Road closed for investigation.

EI/49466 – Pothole opposite Old Rectory. Requested: 21/2/22, Last followed up: 28/3/22. Progress reported: 28/3/22 Already aware task assigned.

EI/83028 – Blocked gully on The Street, Watery Lonning, Nether Row crossroads. Requested: 26/8/22, Last followed up: 26/8/22.

EI/88867 – Broken bus stop sign. Requested: 5/10/22. Complete

EI/94247 – Blocked Drain on road near Green Close. Requested: 3/11/22 Last followed up 8/3/23: Progress reported – Report received awaiting further assessment.

EI/127095 – Fell Road road edge disintegration – Requested 21/2/23, Last followed up: 2/5/23 Assigned? Have had complete from Highways.

EI/128642 – Potholes at Calebreck – Requested 26/2/23, Last followed up: 22/6/23 Complete.

EI/132671 – Broken sign, nr Muddy Duck. Requested 13/3/23 Last followed up: 3/6/23 Progress reported – broken sign removed, to be either fixed and reinstated or replaced.

EI/138922 – Road Edge at Whelpo – Requested 28/3/23 Last followed up: 5/6/23 Progress reported – road edge rebuilt – complete.

EI/143581 – Bad pothole nr Mouse End – Requested 12/4/23 Last followed up: 21/6/23 Complete.

EI/143591 – Other potholes nr Mouse End – Requested 12/4/23 Last followed up: 21/6/23 Complete.

EI/146937 – Road near pond – Requested 24/4/23, Last followed up: 9/5/23 Assigned.

EI/151954 – Potholes near Caldew House – Requested 18/5/23, Last followed up: 21/6/23 Complete.

EI/155774 – Fly tipping between Parkend and Whelpo – Requested 8/6/23, Last followed up: 8/6/23 Assigned.

Notice boards – New boards installed. Cork tiles need fixed better – double sided tape to be tried.

11. Planning applications and decisions

a) Applications

i) 7/2023/2101Fellside House Farm, Caldbeck, Wigton, CA7 8HA – Silage Clamp. No Objection

b) Decisions notified

i) HOU/2023/0042 The Bungalow, Friar Row, Caldbeck, Wigton, CA7 8DS – granted with conditions – The Planning Commitee on 7^th June voted to approve the application despite representations from both the Council and local residents. Clerk to follow up on Freedom of Information request and to write to Cumberland with a complaint as to the handling of the application.

12. Lengthmans Activities

Norman has generated an activities list.

13. Monthly Accounts 2022-23

i) Approved the receipts and payments since the last meeting, noted bank balances, reviewed budget monitoring report. Also noted John Browns comment on the reconciliation he had undertaken “complete with a completely clean bill of health”.

ii) AGAR update – External auditor has acknowledged receipt and the documents required by Transparency regs have been posted on the Council website.

iii) Footpath money – still held – see below.

Receipts

6 May 2023 – Car Park £66.51

6 May 2023 – Car Park £109.80

7 May 2023 – Allotment rent £16.00

8 May 2023 – Allotment rent £2.00

8 May 2023 – Interest £123.46

17 May 2023 – Car Park £106.32

22 May 2023 – Allotment rent £6.00

23 May 2023 – Allotment rent £14.00

28 May 2023 – Allotment rent £6.00

8 June 2023 – Interest £134.56

9 June 2023 – Car Park £213.06

14 June 2023 – Allotment rent £2.00

15 June 2023 – VAT refund £1,393.46

Payments

12 May 2023 – Internal auditor £50.00

14 May 2023 – Grass cutting £232.50

17 May 2023 – Notice boards part 1 £2000.00

18 May 2023 – Notice boards part 2 £409.33

18 May 2023 – Bollard £21.30

24 May 2023 – Toilets £75.00

24 May 2023 – Entrance repair part 1 £1500.00

25 May 2023 – Entrance repair part 2 £1500.00

26 May 2023 – Entrance repair part 3 £1200.00

29 May 2023 – Bank Charges £5.00

30 May 2023 – Clerk salary £606.85

3/6/23 – Notice boards wood £21.31

Bank Balances as at 16/6/23

Current Account £32,031.51

Deposit account £109,395.59 including £98,627.80 which was for Hesket Lonning footpath and is now waiting donor instruction.

The receipts and payment account is here: https://www.caldbeck.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/RecPay-Jun-23.pdf

The budget monitoring report is here: https://www.caldbeck.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/Bud-Jun-23.pdf

14. Correspondence

To note items of correspondence received since the last meeting:

1. Cumbria Constabulary reports.
2. CALC: newsletters, updates.
3. Lake District National Park: Geoff Davies our area representative will be replaced by Peter Walter.
4. Cumberland Gambling and licensing policies – The Council noted that these are new Cumberland policies to replace the individual policies that the former councils used. There are no substantive changes made to the contents of the former sovereign documents in bringing them together to produce this policy and in principle it is identical to the policies previously in place.
5. Lake District National Park: Housing supplementary planning doc – The Council noted that this revision does two main things.

• It updates the names, contact details etc of the Council’s and planning authorities.
• It replaced distinctive areas with housing markets.

15. Meeting Dates

Upcoming meeting dates – 11^th September, 23^rd October, 4^th December.

16. Date of Next Meeting: 31^st July 2023 in Caldbeck Parish Hall

The meeting ended at 9:30pm