Minutes
1st
July 2019
12297 Unconfirmed Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Silverdale Parish Council held in the Silverdale Institute on Monday 1st July 2019.
12298
Present: Councillors: Chairman – T.G.
(Terry) Bond, Vice Chairman – M.J. (Mike) Fletcher, City and Parish
Councillor J. (June) Greenwell, N. (Nigel) Ribbons, S.
(Stephen) Wales, A.J. (Tony) Houghton and J. (John) Bennett, the
Clerk – L.D. (Denise) Challenor, the Deputy Clerk – G.R. (Gill)
Ribbons, and three members of the public.
12299
Apologies for Absence: County Councillor P.
(Phillippa) Williamson, P. (Phil) Bickerstaff
12300
Declarations of Members’ Interests Relating to any Items
Appearing on the Agenda: none
12301
Minutes of the Previous Meeting The
minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on Monday 3rd June
2019 were APPROVED.
12302
Receipt of Information about Matters Arising from the
Minutes of Previous Meetings, not Covered by the Agenda
12059(1/10/18)
The Clerk had received a reply from the manufacturers saying they
will look into the possibility of whether they can retro fit some gas
strut supports into the noticeboard.
12281 Chairman
Bond reported that following the meeting of the Silverdale Institute,
they would like to have a representative of the Parish Council at
future meetings. Phil Bickerstaff had been approached to take
on this role and was happy to do so.
12284b) The
cheque for LALC had not been sent as there were no places left for
new Councillor training.
12287
Councillor Houghton reported that the defibrillator from
outside the Gaskell Hall has been returned by NWAS. Councillor
Houghton is continuing to resolve the paperwork issues regarding the
new defibrillator. Following the meeting with Mr Iddon it
was AGREED for the Clerk to write to Lancashire County Council
regarding lampposts being used as a power source for defibrillators
in the village. Parking – Councillors noted the response from
Kairen Dexter, the Head teacher of Bleasdale School, to the email
sent by the Council regarding the parking problems caused in part by
Bleasdale School staff and buses waiting outside the library blocking
the path. She states that she will raise the issue of the buses with
the manager of the Transport Company and ask that he speaks to all
the drivers about inappropriate parking. She will also speak to the
staff again about parking; they have tried to solve the issue by
altering the times of the evening staff to come in after the day
staff have left, thereby freeing up parking spaces. They also ask to
use the car park in the Masonic Hall whenever they have meetings
involving more transport, who have, up to date, been very amenable.
12288 Library
Courtyard – The bin has been purchased and installed in the area.
2 picnic tables for the area have been bought from a sale at the Bay
View Garden centre at a cost of £5 each, which was reimbursed from
the funds held by Councillor Bond.
12289 GDPR –
The clerk confirmed that Signatures must be shown on the copies of
the Accounting Statements and Annual Governance Statement displayed
on the website and sent to the External Auditor.
12291 It was
noted that there has been no response from any of the Care services.
12292 Fairtrade
– Councillor Bond informed the Council that it has come to light
that the information given to the Council regarding Fairtrade was
incorrect. It was also noted that the application was from an
individual and not from the W.I. It was AGREED for Councillor
Bond to draft a letter to the W.I. secretary asking if they wish to
take the proposal of Silverdale being a Fairtrade village forward.
A proper proposal, following the guidelines set out by the Fairtrade
organisation, if brought before the Council in the future would be
reconsidered.
12303 Police
Report
There was no representative
from the police present at the meeting. A response from Clive
Grunshaw, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, to the
Council’s letter was considered. There were some positive
aspects noted such as; the Place Based Chief Inspector for our area,
James Martin has given the Council his contact details and is happy
to be a point of contact for information, he has also offered to come
to a future Council meeting in order to discuss Silverdale Parish
Council’s concerns, which would also give him a chance to brief the
Council on the new Rural Policing Team which has been recently
created following a restructure. However the Council feels there is a
lack of relevant and understandable feedback data following a crime.
Although
Lancaster and Morecambe
Policing Team actively engage in Community Speed Watch projects and
the Chief Inspector is more than happy to assist with the setting up
of these community schemes, Mr Grunshaw stated in his letter that
Speed detection vans and equipment are prioritised according to risk
and will normally be used in high risk areas. The Council has
previously been made aware that Silverdale is not considered a high
risk area. It was AGREED for Councillors Bennett,
Houghton and Wales to get in touch with Chief Inspector Martin.
12304 Matters
Raised by Members of the Public for Future Consideration
A resident with concerns
over the Bleasdale buses informed the Council that in his opinion a
risk assessment should have been carried out, the resident also
suggested that the problem may be improved if the buses approached
Bleasdale from the opposite direction. A suggestion was also
made regarding the library area; that perhaps some lighting could be
installed there before the winter months.
A presentation was made by
members of the committee of the Voluntary Driver Scheme, in support
of their application for an S137 grant. The committee were
responsible for The Village Directory, but one of the Healthy Village
groups has shown interest in continuing with and expanding this
publication. However, the Voluntary driver’s scheme is currently
suspended due to there being no replacement for the Co-ordinator.
A voluntary organisation in Preston, who are a registered charity,
can take on the role of co-ordinating drivers in Silverdale but they
require all drivers to have DBS checks at a cost of £50 per driver,
however this also includes a driver assessment by a police assessor.
Some drivers have been able to be funded but to make the scheme
viable another 16 drivers need to be funded. The scheme is
important to the more vulnerable residents of the village, making
sure they have lifts to medical appointments etc.
12305 Report
from County Councillor Phillippa Williamson.
There was no report from
Councillor Williamson although she has been updating the Council via
email.
12306
Report from City Councillor June Greenwell Councillor
Greenwell reported she had attended a lot of training events and
induction meetings, but there was nothing to report on City Council
matters. She continues to work towards forming a ‘Rural Voice’
group within the City Council.
12307
Reports on any Meetings Attended by Members or the Clerk –
Councillor Fletcher reported on a First Responders meeting. Six
interested parties together with himself, Councillors Houghton and
Bickerstaff and Adrian Swenson from Arnside were present at a
discussion group aiming at establishing a First Responders team in
Silverdale. Mr Swenson described his own involvement and experience
as Community First Responder and then outlined the procedure which
was required to formalise the setting up of a Silverdale First
Responders group:
o
Four or five parties to form a team to administer financial
aspects and open a bank account
o
The group to explore and decide on sources of funding
o
The group to arrange for training by NWAS staff
Only when these conditions
have been met will SPC consider release of the funds remaining
following the disbanding of the original Silverdale First Responders.
Councillor Bennett reported
on a meeting with Glenn Swainson at Gait barrows. Mr Swainson
had stated at the meeting that Natural England will have a 5 year
management plan for the site, which will allow them to give more
advanced notice of intended works which will hopefully be a positive
step. Councillor Bennett reported that the site is starting to
recover, some areas look barren but this will allow new Flora and
Fauna to flourish according to Mr Swainson. The issue of disabled
parking being inadequate was raised; there is insufficient room to
turn vehicles around safely in the area at the end of Moss Lane,
especially if there is a trailer attached. Unfortunately there was
little support from Mr Swainson regarding reinstating some seating
near the Mere. Natural England are considering linking a
‘Tramper Track’ from RSPB Leighton Moss to Gait Barrows to
Coldwell Parrock (Arnside and Silverdale AONB).
12308
Planning Matters
(1) It was
noted that the following Planning Applications were dealt with under
the provisions of Standing Order 25:
·
19/00530/FUL 5 Levens Way. Erection of a
single storey front and side extension, demolition of existing
conservatory and erection of a single storey rear extension.
No comments
·
19/00639/FUL Gibraltar Farmhouse, Lindeth Road.
Change of use of attached garage and workshop to form holiday
accommodation, erection of a first floor extension and creation of
associated parking spaces and garden. No comments
·
19/00640/LB Gibraltar Farmhouse, Lindeth Road.
Listed building application for the erection of a first floor
extension, installation of a new roof, rainwater goods, door and
windows, construction of new window and door openings to the front,
removal of internal wall and installation of partition walls. No
comments
(2) The following
Planning Applications were considered:-
·
19/00781/FUL 19 Spring Bank. Demolition of
conservatory, rear porch and outbuilding; erection of two first floor
side extensions, front extension and front porch; construction of
dormer extensions to front and rear elevations and installation of
roof lights to front and rear elevations. It was noted
that this Planning application has been withdrawn
·
LCC/19/0027 Bleasdale House School. Single storey
extension to create a new class base and wheelchair store facing
existing courtyard. It was noted that this Planning
application has been approved.
12309
Clerk’s report of any action (other than consideration of
Planning Applications) taken under the provisions of Standing Order
25:
25(a)
Parish Council Property and Functions – None
25(b)
Non-Parish Council Property – None
The Chairman brought
agenda item number 15 Finance forward to be considered at this point
in the meeting.
12310 Finance
The Clerk made the
Councillors aware that Santander have erroneously removed her as
correspondent. Despite numerous emails and phone calls the
situation has not yet been rectified, so she currently has no access
to the account to check statements.
a)
Not known if any income received.
b) The following payments were authorised cheques signed for the
following accounts:
·
Biobag Ltd. dog waste bags, £231.47, cheque
022049
·
L D Challenor, salary/expenses 3 months, £1114.51
cheque 022050
·
G Ribbons, salary/expenses 3 months, £501.40 cheque
022051
·
HMRC, PAYE for LDC, £252.54 cheque 022052
·
T Lambert, contractor, awaiting invoice £160 022053
·
D Wain, grass strimming contractor, awaiting invoice
·
Envirocare, contractor, £312 cheque 022054
·
P Williams, toilets, £234.17 SO
·
J Bennett, reimbursement, wood, £206.00 cheque 022055
·
T Houghton, travel expenses, £40 cheque 022056
The
cheque for £40 for Councillor Houghton in respect of travel expenses
for himself and one passenger for the meeting with County Highways
was APPROVED and signed.
c) Financial statement for July and accounts to date – the Clerk
reported that Mr Wain, the grass strimming contractor has not used
all his hours to date. Councillors considered the budget.
Road safety had been budgeted for £250, there is no provision for a
SpID, and so this would have to come from the general reserves.
S137 grants will be over budget if the Voluntary Driver Scheme
application is granted. There is money which was given to the
Parish Council on the cessation of the old First Responders group,
which is ring-fenced for the new First Responders should they
reform. Councillor Bennett reminded Councillors that the loan
made to B4RN is due to be paid back with interest later this year,
which will mean an addition of £6850 to funds. Councillor Bennett
also advised the Council that ongoing routine maintenance for the
playground will need a greater amount allowed in future year’s
budgets. Councillors noted that there has been an overall increase in
demands on Parish Council funds so far this year. Councillor
Wales suggested that perhaps local businesses/businessmen could be
approached for donations towards a project like the SpIDs, which are
of benefit to the whole community. It was AGREED to put
this suggestion on a future agenda for discussion.
12311
External Works Chart The pros and cons of the
issue of devolved responsibility were discussed at length.
Councillors were concerned that there may not be funds from County
made available to finance the verge/ hedge trimming, if the Parish
Council were to take responsibility for organising such activities.
In the meeting with County Highways it was indicated that devolvement
may be a possibility but with no guarantee of funding. It was
AGREED to look into the costs and possible repercussions of
devolvement of organising our own hedge/verge cutting for
consideration at a future meeting.
The
Council have been advised that painting of the new unloading area
road markings outside the Co-op was scheduled for September at the
earliest. Councillors agreed that this was too long and
pressure needs to be applied to bring this work forward.
12312
Streetscape
SpIDs
– The Council is in correspondence with Alan Cox of the Safe and
Healthy Travel Team, Lancashire County Council regarding the
permission and advice required for the siting of SpIDs within the
village. One of the Councillors has erected one of the old SpIDs on
his property to gauge the usefulness of the existing equipment.
It has been noted that it works well, traffic is reducing speed, it
needed charging after 5 days, but it is sited on a fairly quiet
road. The SpID could be available to interested parties who
have a suitable site on private land.
Councillor
Bond proposed the purchase of Wheelie bin 20mph stickers. It
was AGREED to purchase 50 stickers initially, for use on the
main roads of Silverdale, to gauge resident’s interest in this
scheme.
Defibrillators
– Councillor Houghton reported that the defibrillator at the
Gaskell hall has been returned. The Council remains in
correspondence with Lancashire County Council with regard to the
matter of defibrillators being sited on and powered by lampposts.
Parking – after discussion
it was AGREED for Councillor Bond to contact David Porter at
City Council planning department with the aim of approaching BT again
with regard to the site at Gaskell close being converted to parking.
Councillor Bond will also contact the National Trust to reinforce to
them the need for parking provision in their 5 year plan for the
area.
12313
Playground matters
·
Action taken on urgent matters – none required this month.
·
New issues – 1) Trip risks identified at the cradle swings
in the toddler’s section and also at the concrete base where the
bench was removed last month. 2) Anti-snag caps are missing in
various places; Parish contractor to relay turf in these areas and
replace anti-snag caps as required.
·
Fitting of the zip wire roller unit and replacement panels in
the multi-unit is scheduled for w/c 15th July 2019.
12314
Correspondence
Receipt
of the following items of correspondence was noted and circulated:
a)
Lancashire County Council write to inform of the creation of an
alternative route to Silverdale Footpath No. 39 (part) Lancaster
City.
b)
SLDC Weekly planning list.
c)
News that B4RN will be supplied to St John’s School free of
charge.
d)
Coastal Footpath information sheet.
e)
Rural services Network. The Council were
dissatisfied with M.P. David Morris’s meagre efforts so far.
There are around 1600 residents in Silverdale with very poor or no
mobile reception, Silverdale has been identified as a ‘Notspot’
and it was felt that this issue should be raised in Parliament.
City Councillor Greenwell will draft a letter and also lobby through
the City Council. On a more local level the Clerk will make
enquiries to Milnthorpe Parish Council to ask how they acquired a
mobile phone mast.
f)
County Cllr. Williamson writes about the clean air
initiative and promotions. Also, about the signage at Nineteen Acre
Lane which there are no plans to change and New Road junction with
Slackwood signage which may be improved over the next 3 months.
g)
Selrap Newsletter.
h)
Cllr. Williamson sent details of a police and Fire service
initiative to invite Volunteers, to train and then provide support
for community events; social action groups and vulnerable people etc.
i)
LALC Newsletter.
j)
Keer to Kent publication
k)
Copy of email to Cllrs. Bond and Bennett regarding
speeding in the village. Councillor Bond has responded.
l)
Copy of correspondence to our City and County Councillors
regarding the gates at the Moss Lane entrance to Trowbarrow.
12315
Community Safety and Resilience Group. – the
generator at the Gaskell hall was deployed during the recent power
cut; this highlighted some potential problems which Councillor
Bennett and his team are working on resolving.
The Council noted that
residents on B4RN should consider having a UPS (uninterruptable power
supply) unit to ensure the continuing availability of their internet
and phone systems in the event of another power cut.
12316 The
Council considered the request for a grant from the Volunteer
Driver’s group. Councillor Bennett proposed a grant of £610 be
given which would provide the necessary funding needed for the
minimum compliment of drivers required for the scheme to resume
operating. This was seconded by Councillor Ribbons and agreed
by the Council.
12317
Items for information (no decisions or actions permitted)
The Clerk circulated details
of a survey by Lancashire County Council. The NHT (National
Highways and Transport) survey will measure public satisfaction with
services across different local authorities. The survey is open
to everyone and can be found at lancashire.gov.uk/roads
12318
Suggestions for Future Agenda Items
1.
Parking
2.
SpIDs
12319
Date of Next Meeting
It was noted that the date
of the next meeting is Monday 12th August 2019, which
is a change from the agenda. Items for the agenda and copies of
reports to reach the Clerk before Monday 5th
August 2019.
SILVERDALE PARISH COUNCIL AGENDA
Councillors are hereby summoned, and members of the public are invited, to attend a Parish Council Meeting on Monday 1st July 2019 at 7.30pm, in the Silverdale Institute, Spring Bank, Silverdale, for the purposes detailed in the following Agenda:
1.
To receive apologies for absence.
2.
To receive declarations of Members’ interests relating to any items
appearing on the agenda.
3.
To approve the Minutes of an Ordinary Meeting held on 3rd
June 2019
4.
To receive information about matters arising from the Minutes of
previous meetings, not covered by the Agenda.
5.
To consider the online Police Report and the Police and Crime
Commissioners letter.
(Emailed
14/6/19)
6.
To hear matters raised by Members of the Public for future
consideration. Note: Members of the Council are not permitted to
respond, except to ask questions for the purposes of clarification
only.
7.
To receive a report of any relevant matters from County Councillor
Phillippa Williamson.
8.
To receive a report of any relevant matters by City
Councillor June Greenwell.
9.
To receive verbal reports from any meetings attended by
Members, or the Clerk (verbal
reports are only acceptable where no decision, or action, is
required).
·
First Responders meeting.
(Please see email of 14/6/19)
10
Planning Matters:
(1)
To note that the following Planning Applications were dealt
with under the provisions of Standing Order 25:
·
19/00530/FUL 5 Levens
Way. Erection of a single storey front and side
extension, demolition of existing conservatory and erection of a
single storey rear extension. (Emailed to Cllrs. 6/6/19)
·
19/00639/FUL Gibraltar
Farmhouse, Lindeth Road. Change of use of attached garage and
workshop to form holiday accommodation, erection of a first floor
extension and creation of associated parking spaces and garden.
(5/6/19)
·
19/00640/LB Gibraltar
Farmhouse, Lindeth Road. Listed building application for the
erection of a first floor extension, installation of a new roof,
rainwater goods, door and windows, construction of new window and
door openings to the front, removal of internal wall and installation
of partition walls. (5/6/19)
(2)
To consider the following Planning Applications:-
·
19/00781/FUL 19 Spring
Bank. Demolition of conservatory, rear porch and outbuilding;
erection of two first floor side extensions, front extension and
front porch; construction of dormer extensions to front and rear
elevations and installation of roof lights to front and rear
elevations.
·
LCC/19/0027 Bleasdale House
School. Single storey extension to create a new class base and
wheelchair store facing existing courtyard.
11
To receive the Clerk’s report of any action (other than
consideration of Planning Applications) taken under the provisions of
Standing Order 25:
25(a) Parish
Council Property and Functions
25(b)
Non-Parish Council
Property and Functions
12
To consider the External Works Progress Report 27.
13
Streetscape
- Lifelink
write about an inspection of the defibrillators. (Emailed to
Cllrs. on 3/6/19) - To
consider parking problems in the village. Bleasdale write in
response to the Council’s letter about parking/transport connected
with the school. (Emailed 19/6/19) - To
decide whether to order wheelie bin speed signs for the village at
around at circa £1 each. - To
consider SpID locations. (suggestions emailed 18/6 & 19/6)
14
Playground
To
receive a report on any urgent actions that have been taken and to
consider any other issues raised in either the Lancaster CC quarterly
or Parish weekly inspections.
15 Finance
(a)
To conduct the monthly check of all money received by the
Council (bank statements to be inspected by a Member who is not a
Bank Signatory, or more than one such Member).
(b)
To record/authorise payment and sign any cheques for the following
accounts:
·
Biobag Ltd. dog waste
bags, £231.47, cheque
·
L D Challenor, salary/expenses
3 months, £1114.51
·
G Ribbons, salary/expenses 3
months, £501.40
·
HMRC, paye for LDC, £252.54
·
T Lambert, contractor, awaiting
invoice
·
D Wain, grass strimming
contractor, awaiting invoice
·
Envirocare, contractor, £312
·
P Williams, toilets, £234.17
SO
·
J Bennett, reimbursement, wood,
£206.00
(c) To
receive the accounts to date and the Financial Statement for July
2019, considering Budget and the extra expenditure which may be
needed for the playground repairs, First Responders and SpID poles &
brackets.
16
To consider the following items of correspondence received since the
last meeting and to determine what, if any action should be taken:
a)
L County
Council write to inform of the creation of an alternative route to
Silverdale Footpath No. 39 (part) Lancaster City. (P Williamson
emailed 28/5/19, post 3/102/19)
b)
SLDC Weekly
planning list. (Emailed to Cllrs 30/5, 5/6, 13/6/19)
c)
News that
B4RN will be supplied to St John’s School free of charge.
d)
Coastal
Footpath information sheet. (Emailed to Cllrs. 31/5/19)
e)
Rural
services Network. (Emailed to Cllrs. 5/6/19)
f)
County
Cllr. Williamson writes about the clean air initiative and
promotions. Also, about the signage at Nineteen Acre Lane which there
are no plans to change and New Road junction with Slackwood signage
which may be improved over the next 3 months. (Emailed to Cllrs.
8/6/19)
g)
Selrap
Newsletter. (Emailed 20/6/19)
h)
Cllr.
Williamson sent details of a police and Fire service initiative to
invite Volunteers, to train and then provide support for community
events; social action groups and vulnerable people etc. (forwarded to
Cllrs 23/6/19)
i)
LALC
Newsletter. (Emailed 20/6/19)
j)
Keer to
Kent publication
k)
Copy of
email to Cllrs. Bond and Bennett regarding speeding in the village.
(Emailed to Cllrs. 25/6/19)
l)
Copy of
correspondence to our City and County Councillors regarding the gates
at the Moss Lane entrance to Trowbarrow. (Emailed to Cllrs. 24/6/19)
17 To
receive a Community Safety and Resilience Group progress update.
18
To consider whether anything can be done to aid the villages
Volunteer drivers scheme to continue. A maximum S137 grant of
£1000 would cover what is needed to continue. (See email forwarded
on 25/6/19)
19
To note any “Items for Information” (no decisions or action
permitted)
20
To receive items for consideration for a future agenda.
21
To note that the date of the next meeting is August 5th 2019 Items
for the agenda and copies of reports to reach the Clerk before 28
July.
Signed:
Denise Challenor (Mrs)
Clerk to the Council.