Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
MINUTES OF THE APRIL 2023 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 11th April 2023 at 7.30 pm
Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)
Chris Gigg CG
Suey Browne SB
Keith Murray KM
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Keith Hitchen KH
Jo Whyte JW
1) Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 14th March 2023
a) Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 14th March 2023 as a true and accurate record was proposed by SB and seconded by AP with all in favour; minutes signed by the Chair
2) Apologies for absence: as above
3) Declarations of interest relating to this agenda: none
4) Financial matters
a) Finance report
i) Balance: the balance on the Parish Council account is £6,532.99
b) Payments out
i) CALC Training: payment of two CALC training invoices of £20 each for Clerk’s training proposed by SB and seconded by CG with all in favour (cheque number 911)
ii) CALC subscription: payment of annual CALC subscription £189.88 proposed by SB and seconded by KM with all in favour (cheque number 912)
iii) Clerk/RFO invoice: payment Invoice1-2023 submitted to Parish Council for Clerk/RFO services for Jan-Mar 2023 for £466.34 (net salary). Payment approval proposed by AP, seconded by KM with all in favour (cheque number 913)
iv) NetWise: resolved that the Drigg Community website is upgraded to increase storage space at a cost of £396 annually. Invoice 2827 received to upgrade the current subscription (15/3/23 – 3/11/23) for £35.11 plus £7.02 VAT total £42.13. Payment proposed by SB and seconded by CG with all in favour (cheque number 914)
c) Funding for Warm Hub costs: ACT funding of £750 for the Warm Hub received
5) Actions and matters arising from previous Council meetings
a) Action 10/1: JJ to organise CG / SB as new signatories – ongoing
b) Action 12/3: AP to follow up with Stuart Kenyon re bench – ongoing (see Minute 8.d.)
c) Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – document review to resume by email – ongoing
d) Action 2/2: Building Control – stay within the current design and comply with Fire and Building Regs – action closed
e) Action 3/1: AP liaised with Liz Nichols, co-ordinator of Planting for Pollinators scheme. No date confirmed as yet for when planting in Drigg will take place – action completed
f) Action 3/2: Highways have given permission to use verges – action completed
g) Action 3/3: Cumberland is unwilling to site or empty random litter bins as they will not solve the litter problem – action closed. Clerk to email the parishioner
h) Action 3/4: PROW repair EI/111274 closed by Highways as they failed to notice the rotten gate post – action closed. CG to re-enter the enquiry now that the Unitary Council is in place
i) Action 3/5: Copeland’s full response to the Consultation has been circulated to all Councillors; AP to summarise bullet points relevant to Drigg and Carleton to enable individuals to respond in layman’s terms
j) Action 3/6: SB to add the response to the Consultation to the Drigg Community website
k) Action 3/7: Clerk to chase Highways re painting cast iron signpost (Ref EI/69687); Highways confirm the sign will be done by a specialist contractor in a future package of restoration works – action closed
Action 4/1: CG to set up a new enquiry re repair of Holmes Lane rotten gate post with pictures
6) Reports from County and District Councillors
a) Cumberland: transfer of powers to the new Unitary Council took place on 1st April 2023
i) AGM in Carlisle on 13th April 2023 where Council officers will be appointed
ii) Cumberland has a seat on the LDNPA which AP may apply for as the only LDNP resident (otherwise AP may apply to be nominated by CALC)
iii) AP will be Vice-Chair of the Scrutiny Board (1 of 5)
iv) Drigg and Carleton will form part of Area 8 to be called South Cumberland
v) Each Area will have 6 councillors representing local parishes plus 4 co-opted local people
vi) Below this will be a Community Panel
vii) Representation may need to be further streamlined as other bodies such as CALC or AgeUK are likely to seek representation
viii) Structure for devolving local powers still in flux
7) Public Participation
a) No members of the public attended
8) Main Business
a) Clerk’s Employment contract: currently under review – to be completed between JJ and the Clerk by email (JW has submitted her comments)
b) Insurance: renewal of policy due on 1st June 2023 at a cost of £1,783.67 (last year’s premium was £1,497.61, so this represents an increase of £286 or 16%). Proposed by AP and seconded by SB with all in favour that the policy should be renewed in May
c) Litter bin: the type of litter left and the layby location suggests a bin would make no difference and drivers are likely to continue to discard items. Cumberland reluctant to install litter bins randomly; cost of emptying them would fall on the Parish Council
Action 4/2: Clerk to notify the parishioner that installing a litter bin would not be feasible
d) Bench: NWS/LLWR delivered the bench in error to a farm in Wasdale. When the bench is returned to the Parish, it will be installed
e) Painting Road Sign: Highways confirmed by email that the Shore Road finger signpost will be painted by a specialist contractor in a future package of restoration works
f) PROW: gate post reported as damaged (Ref EI/111274) but enquiry closed by Highways. Action 4/1 on CG to reinstate the enquiry with Highways now the new Council is in place
g) Beach car park: there are three signs banning overnight parking but they are being ignored. AP to review enforcement with Cumberland Council and local Police Community Support
h) GDF Final Report for Touchscreen project: the second report to the GDF CIF fund reviewing the project’s aims and costs has been submitted, including invoices and bank statements
i) Windscale Rifle Club: an email requesting the support of the Parish Council has been received regarding a local club used by parishioners. The Club is protesting that NWS/LLWR has given the club notice to quit their premises on the grounds that the building is structurally unsound when a survey indicated the building is structurally sound and needs only minor repairs.
The Drigg and Carleton Parish Council support the Windscale Rifle Club in its objection to the eviction notice.
Proposed that the eviction notice is withdrawn and that NWS/LLWR and the Rifle Club should convene a meeting together with independent observers to negotiate a new lease / find alternative premises.
j) Any other Parish matter: a parishioner raised the matter of providing facilities such as public toilets for users of the Coastal Walk. The Parish Council does not have the funds to build, clean and otherwise maintain facilities for non-parishioners. Further concern that such facilities are likely to be the target of anti-social behaviour and encourage wild campers
Action 4/3: AP to contact Cumberland Council re enforcing overnight beach parking ban
Action 4/4: Clerk to draft a letter in support of the Windscale Rifle Club for the Chair to sign
Action 4/5: Clerk to draft a response to the parishioner regarding the suggested public facilities
9) Received communications
a) Government Consultation on managing radioactive substances and nuclear decommissioning https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-radioactive-substances-and-nuclear-decommissioning: 12 week consultation concerning Intermediate Level Near Surface storage at LLWR in Drigg
i) Responses: Copeland has formulated a detailed response. 16 site stakeholder groups asking for an extension to the time limit due to the contentious nature of the Consultation and the timing of it during the Local Government Reorganisation
ii) Town and Country Planning Act: use of TCP would mean it would be much harder to object solely on planning grounds, with no community benefit and no infrastructure update. The matter should properly be considered a National Infrastructure undertaking
iii) GDF: waste could / should be moved safely into a GDF rather than being near surface; Drigg likely to be affected by coastal erosion over the next few hundred years with safety implications for Near Surface Disposal
iv) Parish response: AP to draft a response from the Parish and share the wording (explaining technical terms) so that councillors and members of the public can protest
v) Website: SB to add the consultation link and proposed response to the website (see Minute 5.j. above)
b) NALC: infrastructure levy document noted
10) Planning Applications
a) Lake District National Park Ref 7/2023/4022: Electricity Sub-station off A595, Carleton, Holmrook – extension of existing telecoms pole by 3.5 metres and a flat panel antenna. No objection
b) Cumberland Council Ref 4/23/2096/0N1: Hill Farm, Holmrook – prior notification of proposed general purpose agricultural building. No objection to the development. Query whether felling trees is part of this application? Was a felling licence granted? AP to make further enquiries
Action 4/6: AP to make enquiries whether tree felling licence was obtained by Hill Farm
11) Cumbria Association of Local Councils
a) Report: no meeting since the last PC meeting. AGM due in April
b) CALC Parish Support Officer: new Parish Support Officer for Cumberland is Kate McGibbon (Kate.McGibbon@cumbria.gov.uk, tel. 07918 687490)
c) LDNPA: the seat of the CALC Representative on the LDNPA is vacant. Nominations to be received by noon on Friday 26th May 2023
d) CALC role: CALC intend to remain as one body for Cumbria. Currently deciding how to form an executive (formerly two representatives from each Council) in order to be representative of the whole county. Discussion on the role CALC hope to fulfil; important to re-engage with Parish Councils and tell them how CALC can help, what support is available, what CALC represents, its aims, etc
12) Reports from Representatives
a) GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
i) Near Surface Disposal Consultation: discussed at the Community Partnership meeting, though NWS is part of the NDA group and consequently part of the Consultation so they invited an external Government speaker
ii) Chair: asking for nominations to recruit a new Chair. AP may extend his term as Chair if he chooses. New Chair to be selected in May 2023
iii) Feedback on siting: what hosting a GDF could mean and how the community could benefit
iv) Canadian NWMO visit: due in April 2023. Narrowed 20 communities down to a shortlist of two. The community which failed to host the GDF was awarded money to compensate for their interest. May be a useful lesson in exit strategy for those communities which aren’t chosen, plus recommendations on how to narrow down choices (and how not to). Drawback that it is the developer’s view that’s given, not a community partnership member’s opinion.
France tried to force the community to accept a Government choice for a GDF site but met with opposition and have now reverted to a system of community engagement.
v) Youth engagement: Inspira engaging with younger people at Shackles Off
vi) Community Investment Funding: five applications at the last meeting, funded four and asked for more information for the fifth. Spent half a million pounds of this year’s allocation; three more funding panels with a healthy flow of projects coming forward
vii) Communications: Rob Ward (currently part of the Mid & South Copeland Community Partnerships working for NWS as Operations Manager) to be seconded to NWS/LLWR one day a week to help with communications; likely to cause a conflict of interests if he is on the Community Partnerships and working for NWS/LLWR
viii) Next Community Partnership meeting: 18th May 2023 at Seascale Golf Club at 6 pm
b) GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
i) Drigg and Carleton to be part of South Copeland CP from 1st April 2023; CG to be onboarded as Drigg and Carleton delegate on 19th April 2023 at the meeting in Haverigg
ii) Meeting to be held in Drigg Village Hall on 16th May 2023
c) NWS Liaison: meeting held on 28th March 2023 and minutes shared on the Drigg community website
13) Agenda for next meeting
a) AGM
14) Date of next meeting
a) Meeting closed 9.35 pm
b) Annual Parish meeting to be held on 15th May 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 7 pm
c) AGM and next Ordinary meeting to be held on 23rd May 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 7.30 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
17th April 2023
Summary of New Actions
Action 4/1: CG to set up a new enquiry re repair of Holmes Lane rotten gate post with pictures
Action 4/2: Clerk to notify the parishioner that installing a litter bin would not be feasible
Action 4/3: AP to contact Cumberland Council re enforcing overnight beach parking ban
Action 4/4: Clerk to draft a letter in support of the Windscale Rifle Club for the Chair to sign
Action 4/5: Clerk to draft a response to the parishioner regarding the suggested public facilities
Action 4/6: AP to make enquiries whether tree felling licence was obtained by Hill Farm
Actions ongoing
Action 10/1: JJ to organise SB and/or CG as signatories for the PC bank account – ongoing
Action 12/3: AP to follow up with Stuart Kenyon re bench – ongoing
Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – document review to resume in April 2023 – ongoing
Action 3/5: AP to draft a response to the Govt consultation from the Parish and for others to use
Action 3/6: SB to add the link to the consultation link to the website and the drafted response