Drigg and Carleton Parish
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING OF THE
DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 15th May 2023 at 7.00 pm
Attended: John Jennings (Chair)
Andy Pratt (Vice-Chair)
Keith Murray
Suey Browne
Sadie Clarke
Chris Gigg
Karen Warmoth (Clerk)
Apologies: Jimmy Naylor
Jo Whyte
Also attended by six members of the public
1) Introduction and welcome
a) The Chair opened the meeting and welcomed all attendees
2) Speaker: Cllr David Moore
a) Cllr Moore spoke on the current Government Consultation on Managing Radioactive Substances and Nuclear Decommissioning and the urgent need for all local bodies and individuals to respond to this proposed policy which will have a great impact on Drigg and Carleton and Seascale Parishes in particular
i) https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-radioactive-substances-and-nuclear-decommissioning
ii) The consultation closes on 24th May 2023
3) Minutes of last year’s Annual Parish Meeting
a) Minutes: proposed by JJ and seconded by AP that the minutes were a true and accurate record, with all in favour
4) Drigg and Carleton Parish Council Report
a) The Chair read a report on the activities of the Parish Council over the last year. All the activities were captured in more detail in the minutes of the Parish Council meetings
i) Joiners / Leavers: Dave Millington, Parish Clerk for many years, stepped down and was replaced by Karen Warmoth, at first on a temporary basis and then from July 2022 on a permanent basis. Justine Robinson stepped down as RFO in September 2022 and in October 2022, Karen Warmoth took on this role. Chris Gigg was co-opted in December 2022. In April 2023, Keith Hitchen, a long standing councillor with Parish, District and County, gave notice to stand down at the end of his elected term. He was appointed Alderman for his years of service by Copeland Borough Council. Sadie Clarke joins the Parish Council in May 2023
ii) Village maintenance: grass cutting and flower tubs continue, with a wildflower planting scheme to benefit pollinators proposed by a councillor in conjunction with County
iii) Celebration events: Platinum Jubilee celebrations
iv) Planning: CBC Local Plan has been produced; some planning applications were made with drainage being a key issue featuring in most of them
v) Website: maintained by the Parish Council. Please use it to find info on PC activities
vi) Warm Hub: well received and well attended, with over 120 people. Funded by County
vii) Hall improvements: IT screens and proposed stair access to the loft storage space
viii) External bodies: PC represented on Mid Copeland Community Partnership, CALC, LLWR
ix) LLWR / NWS: Liaison Group meet to try and minimise the impact of LLWR on the village
x) LGR: the Parish is now in South Copeland (Millom Without Ward)
xi) General: defibrillators maintained, PROW management along the riverbank
5) Drigg and Carleton Parish Council Financial Report
a) The Financial Report has been prepared in draft and will be finalised and published on the Drigg Community website when the accounts have been audited
i) Total income: £23,390.49
ii) Total expenditure: £21,916.07
iii) Total balance in the PC account: £6,807.99
6) Drigg Charity Report
a) The Chair read a report on the activities of the Drigg Charity over the last year
i) Community events: the Charity supported Drigg Gala, the Bonfire and the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, as well as gifts to senior households at Christmas
ii) Village maintenance: support for grass cutting and clearing the river bank, plus support for the Wildflower project
iii) Community Awards: support for St Peter’s church refurbishment; money to Gosforth Nursery to support an autistic child and supply wet weather clothing; an award to Drigg Young Farmers to pay for transport to a national event; payment towards the labour costs of painting the village hall and preparatory work for the stairs project; and a donation to the Bursary fund
iv) Bursary fund: eleven bursaries were awarded for education and/or training, including four awards for transport costs for those post 16 students who have to pay to go to school
7) Village Hall Report
a) Hall painted: improved the visual amenity of the hall
b) Usage: AP reported that over the last year the hall has increased usage to greater than pre-Covid levels, with a wide range of users from the community
c) Projects: staircase project is ongoing
d) Kitchen: a member of the public praised the modern kitchen and asked for additional cutlery and utensils to be supplied
e) Safeguarding: the hall now has a formal Safeguarding Policy, with appropriate numbers to call displayed in the hall kitchen
f) Thanks: a vote of thanks to KM proposed by AP for managing the hall
8) Close of meeting
a) Meeting closed at 8.20 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
17th May 2023