MINUTES OF THE JULY 2023 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 11th July 2023 at 7.00 pm
Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)
Chris Gigg CG
Sadie Clarke SC
Suey Browne SB
Jimmy Naylor JN
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Keith Murray KM
1) Minutes of the June Ordinary Meeting held on 13th June 2023
a) Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 13th June 2023 as a true and accurate record proposed by CG 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 £4,799.73 (cheque for £275 to the Victoria Hotel and £2,381.82 for Noticeboards both remain uncleared)
b) Consideration of Payments and cheques payable
i) Clerk’s invoice for services: invoice for the services of the Clerk/RFO from April to June 2023, gross salary £851 plus expenses £35.99. Payment proposed by SB, seconded by SC with all in favour
ii) Noticeboard magnets: part of the noticeboard project, spend pre-approved. Invoice from Viking Office UK paid by CG. Payment to reimburse CG proposed by SB, seconded by AP with all in favour
iii) Portrait of King Charles III: ordered from M2M Prints via Amazon by CG. Payment to reimburse CG proposed by SB, seconded by JN with all in favour
5) Actions and matters arising from previous Council meetings
a) Action 10/1: JJ to ask NatWest to confirm the current PC signatories – subsequently confirmed after the meeting as JJ, JN, KM and KH. KH to be removed – action closed
Action 7/1: Clerk to remove KH as a signatory to the Parish Council account
b) Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – updates ongoing
c) Action 5/2: Clerk reported the broken gate at Drigg Holme to the LDNP again with no response – AP to escalate this report to the LDNP Resources Cttee – action ongoing
d) Action 6/1: Clerk to circulate CLP Actions updated in May 2023 to all Cllrs – completed
e) Action 6/2: AP to investigate whether the Victoria Pub is up for sale to buy as an Asset of Community Value. Pub now being sold as a going concern with interested buyers – action closed
6) Reports from County and District Councillors
a) Cumberland: AP gave his report on Cumberland Council
i) South Cumberland Community Panel: first meeting has taken place. Road sweeping, children’s holiday club, etc arranged – but no activities planned south of Egremont. AP raised issue of rural communities missing out on services. South Cumberland is a large and diverse area with pockets of wealth but also areas of rural deprivation and poverty
ii) December meeting in Drigg: important to secure a large public turnout to show that people are engaged in local govt and there is an unmet need for services in this area
iii) Structure: Community Panel composed of 6 Ward Cllrs and 3 co-opted members; Community Network Panels composed of members of the public to debate key issues
7) Public Participation
a) No members of the public attended
8) Main Business
a) Parish noticeboard: to be delivered 4-6 weeks after payment received
b) Tethera: no update to report as yet
c) PROW: parishioner reported the route across the bridge between LLWR and the railway has been blocked by a landowner. Clerk to obtain a picture and What3Words* reference to report it to Highways
*Post meeting note: lofts.asleep.narrates (east side of the rail bridge); scouted.tapes.powering (west side of the rail bridge)
9) Received communications
i) ACT Transport focus group: email from ACT relating to transport focus groups in the Lake District, part of a research initiative to inform LDNP policy on sustainable travel and transport – forwarded to AP
10) Planning Applications: none
11) Cumbria Association of Local Councils
a) CALC structure: Special General meeting to consider the transitional arrangements for CALC moving to the status of a company limited by guarantee take place on 22nd July at 10 am via Teams – login details available from the Clerk
b) CALC – Copeland District Association AGM: to be held on Tuesday 25th July 2023 at 7 pm via Teams – login details available from the Clerk
12) Reports from Representatives
a) GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
i) Chair’s report: meeting with a French delegation. Visioning sub-committee set up; Allerdale event and visioning work to be shared round all Partnerships. Overseas visit to Finland proposed to see new facility which is ready to start final disposal of spent fuel
ii) Site Evaluation studies: desktop studies considering the feasibility of the siting of the head works, taking into account: Safety and Security / Community / Environment / Engineering Feasibility / Transport / Value for Money
iii) Community Investment Funding: so far £660k awarded this funding year; £340k still available with three panels to go (funding year ends on 10th November 2023)
iv) Engagement: weekly drop-ins at Seascale. Next baseline survey due August 2023
v) Next Mid Copeland meeting: 7th August 2023 at 1 pm in St Mary’s Rooms, Gosforth
b) GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
i) Chair Report: request for a local contact centre was not looked on favourably as NWS operates nationally; the Eskdale Biodome is now open at Eskdale School; LLWR site visit arranged for 15th August 2023; Inspira work with Shackles Off Youth Group was a success and South Copeland would benefit from a similar piece of work engaging young people
ii) Community Investment Funding: 11 awards made totalling £506,444 this funding year (till 13th December 2023); on target to spend the whole £1 million
iii) Engagement: new programme (lags behind the Mid Copeland CP engagement programme); drop in at Ravenglass attracted only 4 people. Urgent action to the developer to upgrade the website. Lively public forum
iv) Minutes: available on the South Copeland Community Partnership website: https://southcopeland.workinginpartnership.org.uk/wp-content/uploads2023/07Minutes-of-the-17th-SCCP-Meeting-14.06.23-DRAFT
v) Next South Copeland meeting: 12th July 2023 at 6.30 pm in Thwaites Village Hall
c) NWS / DCPC Liaison
i) Engagement events in June/July: small uptake; proposed site open day in Sept 2023
ii) GDF update: first emplacement estimated 2050
iii) HGV: regular breach of curfews, complaints about convoys
iv) Traffic: 6 am starts cause heavy traffic at unreasonable hour; traffic and speed check needed. NWS claim no increase in traffic but focus should be on speed and timing of traffic spikes. Traffic at unreasonable early hours is due to NWS not managing their employees working times. The early hours were for the PCM Project, that had a first and back shift. Other employees made personal preferences to start early under the cover of the PCM work. NWS were asked a year ago if they could align their staff working times to the recognised hours pre-PCM works.
Action 7/2: AP to arrange traffic speed / volume check, strip to be located on Old Shore Road (near the approach to the LLWR site)
v) Mineral rights: map shows NWS has bought the mineral rights to Muncaster Land
vi) FOI request (by a parishioner): cost benefit analysis of storing nuclear waste in Near Surface Disposal when a GDF will soon be built – action to report back to the next meeting with costs analysis
vii) Vacancies: website at the end of the liaison meeting minutes for vacancies at the LLWR site (minutes are available on the Drigg Community website)
viii) Next NWS / DCPC Liaison meeting: due on 3rd August at B749 on the LLWR site
13) Agenda for next meeting
a) To consider the legality and potential benefit of setting up a ring fenced reserve fund
b) Approval of the Clerk’s Employment contract
14) Date of next meetings
a) Meeting closed 8.30 pm
b) Next meeting: to be held on 12th September 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 7 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
14th July 2023
Summary of New Actions
Action 7/1: Clerk to remove KH as a signatory to the PC account
Action 7/2: AP to arrange traffic speed / volume check, strip to be located on Old Shore Road (near the approach to the LLWR site)
Actions Ongoing
Action 5/2: Clerk reported the broken gate at Drigg Holme to the LDNP again with no response – AP to escalate this report to the LDNP Resources Cttee – action ongoing
Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – action ongoing