MINUTES OF THE JUNE 2023 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 13th June 2023 at 7.30 pm
Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)
Chris Gigg CG
Keith Murray KM
Suey Browne SB
Jimmy Naylor JN
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Sadie Clarke SC
1) Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 23rd May 2023
a) Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 23rd May 2023 as a true and accurate record was proposed by KM and seconded by CG 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) Letter of thanks:
a) Cllr Jo Whyte: resolution for the Clerk to draft a letter of thanks to Cllr Whyte for her work for the Drigg and Carleton Parish Council and the Drigg Charity, the Chair to sign
5) Financial matters
a) Finance report
i) Balance: the balance on the Parish Council account is £8,068.68 (cheque for £275 to the Victoria Hotel remains uncashed)
ii) Online banking: RFO received approval from NatWest to access the Parish Council account online; PIN and password with card reader pending
iii) Delegated authority: proposed by AP and seconded by CG, with all in favour, that the RFO shall be delegated the authority to manage the PC account online and make those payments approved in the minutes
iv) Reserves: AP to research the legality of retaining a reserve fund in the DCPC account
b) AGAR
i) To approve the Certificate of Exemption: certificate of exemption agreed and signed by the Chair and RFO; the Clerk to send the form to the external auditor Moore
ii) Annual Internal Audit Report: signed by the Internal Auditor
iii) To approve the Annual Governance Statement: 2022-2023 Annual Governance Statement approved and signed by the Chair and Clerk
iv) To approve the Annual Accounting Statement: 2022-2023 Annual Accounting Statement approved and signed by the Chair and RFO
v) Notice of Public Rights resolution to display the AGAR return for 2022-2023 on the website from 1st July 2023 to 11th August 2023 (30 working days)
vi) Auditor feedback: RFO received feedback from the auditor and responded; the internal auditor signed the 2022-2023 Financial Statement and submitted an invoice
vii) Publication of the AGAR 2022-2023: the AGAR 2022-2023 forms shall be displayed on the Drigg community website and the public notice board as required
c) Payments out
i) Information Commissioner: Data Protection fee of £40 requested by an email dated 9th June 2023, paid by cheque 916
ii) Barney’s Support Services Ltd: invoice SI-171 for supply and fitting of new electro pads for the parish defibrillators for £520.13; invoice SI-172 for maintenance of the parish defibrillators for £252. Total of £772.13 paid by cheque 917
iii) Notice Board Company Limited: proforma invoice 7109, Account Ref DRIG01, for £2,381.82 paid by cheque 918
iv) Auditor’s invoice: payment of auditor’s fee of £75 paid by cheque 919
6) Actions and matters arising from previous Council meetings
a) Action 10/1: online account now set up for the PC (PIN and password pending); JJ to ask NatWest to confirm the current PC signatories (they will only disclose this to a current signatory)
b) Action 12/3: bench installed – action completed
c) Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – updates ongoing
d) Action 3/4: PROW repair reported by CG, Highways Ref E1/145277 – action completed
e) Action 3/5: response to Consultation drafted by AP – action completed
f) Action 3/6: response to Consultation added to Drigg website – action completed
g) Action 4/3: signs banning overnight beach parking are not official Cumberland Council signs; Cumberland to review. CG suggested contacting Community Police – action completed
h) Action 4/6: confirmed that a tree felling licence was granted to Hill Farm – action completed
i) Action 5/1: Clerk submitted DCPC response to Nuclear Waste Consultation – action completed
j) Action 5/2: Clerk reported the broken gate at Drigg Holme to the LDNP again with no response – AP to escalate this report – action ongoing
k) Action 5/3: Clerk responded to Seascale Clerk expressing an interest in re-starting Tethera – action completed
7) Reports from County and District Councillors
a) Cumberland: AP gave his report on Cumberland Council
i) South Cumberland Community Panel: AP seeking suggestions for those areas of policy which we need to highlight as being specific to this area and this Parish
ii) Cumberland Plan: looking for key themes which align with Cumberland Council’s plan
iii) Email from SC: email from SC was read out listing her suggestions: no wind turbines or wind farms; no GDF head works; extension of the National Park to cover all the Parish; landscape biodiversity prioritised over development; promote local produce; promote tourism (highway maintenance not part of this remit)
iv) Other suggested priorities: rural public transport; access to education for rural communities; no charges for Sixth Form students to get to school; access to healthcare, including dentistry; more community support such as was provided by the Warm Hub initiative; children’s play area in the Parish
v) Long term view: need to consider how rural villages will survive, so be aware of the benefit of new development (but: avoid second homes, or tax them more highly)
vi) DCPC CLP: other local parishes using the DCPC CLP as a template. Suggested that parishes might apply to Sellafield Ltd, LLWR, etc for admin help in preparing a local plan as part of their social value obligations
vii) Review of CLP: live document subject to ongoing review. A DCPC sub-committee will meet at 8 pm on 11th July 2023 specifically to review and update the plan and feedback ideas into the South Cumberland Community Panel
Action 6/1: Clerk to circulate the latest version of the CLP to all Cllrs
8) Public Participation
a) No members of the public attended
9) Main Business
a) Parish noticeboard: noticeboards ordered, payment of proforma invoice approved in 5.c.iii
b) Closure of the Victoria Pub: loss of a valued village amenity. Suggested that the Parish might consider buying the pub as an Asset of Community Value
Action 6/2: AP to investigate whether the Victoria Pub is up for sale and for how much
c) Windscale Rifle Club: NDA have granted the Club an extension until November 2023. Potential alternative sites:
i) Longlands Farm: few buildings around, local, adequate space, in Mid Copeland search area if applying for potential GDF funding
ii) Windscales Club: used by Shackles Off, a youth group
iii) Falcon Club, Egremont: high energy costs, close to a school
d) Beach: Cumberland Council to investigate overnight parking
e) Bench: now installed
f) Tethera: no update to report as yet
10) Received communications
a) Cumberland Council Licensing / Gambling Review
i) Draft Gambling review: https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/licensing-and-street-trading/other-types-licence/gambling-licenses//
ii) Draft Licensing review: https://www.carlisle.gov.uk/Business/Licences-and-Permits/Current-Consultation
iii) Receipt noted
11) Planning Applications
a) Lake District National Park Authority
i) Housing Supplementary Planning Document https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/473279/Housing-SPD-2023-review-FINAL.docx.pdf
b) Comments by 17th July 2023 either individually or directed to AP
12) Cumbria Association of Local Councils
a) CALC Structure: Special General Meeting to debate the legal status of CALC to take place on 22nd July at 10 am. Result makes little difference to parishes but will protect CALC officers against legal liability for the advice they give to parishes
13) Reports from Representatives
a) GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
i) Seismic data: geologists and engineers hope to be able to analyse and interpret the data collected by the end of May, and complete their interpretation by September 2023
ii) Chair: AP nominated as Chair for a further two years and was duly elected
iii) Engagement: community drop-in held every Wednesday in Seascale Vicarage; Shackles Off Youth Group project ended with a celebration event on 22nd May 2023
iv) Community Investment Funding: balance of £268,846 left if current four applications are accepted; three Panels left until 10th November when funding year ends
v) Next Mid Copeland meeting: 26th June 2023 at 3 pm in Calderbridge Village Hall
b) GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
i) Questions from the public: requested that the members answer all questions raised by the public rather than the NDA, but this was not sustainable
ii) Contact centre: Cllr Moore suggested that the contact centre should be in Cumbria and not Harwell in Oxfordshire
iii) Other Community Partnerships: potential two or three other sites might possibly emerge as GDF Community Partnerships
iv) Desk top studies: borehole drilling requires a Development Consent Order which would take 3-5 years to research and apply for; boreholes most likely to be offshore
v) Allerdale: hard to survey as seismic survey ship cannot access Scottish waters
vi) Theddlethorpe: seismic data already available due to existing oil and gas research; geology is optimal but the community is hostile, with no rail links, therefore high cost
vii) Next South Copeland meeting: 14th June 2023 at 6.30 pm in Kirksanton Village Hall
c) NWS Liaison: next meeting due on 27th June 2023 at 7 pm (May meeting did not take place)
i) Low Level Waste Repository Development Project Open Days: two further Open Days on 20th June 2023 at 5 pm till 7 pm and 7th July 2023 at 1 pm till 3 pm at Drigg Village Hall are planned to explain the development programme to Parish residents (advertised on the Drigg website)
14) 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
15) Date of next meetings
a) Meeting closed 9 pm
b) Next Ordinary DCPC meeting: to be held on 11th July 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 7 pm
c) Parish Council sub-committee meeting: to be held on 11th July 2023 at 8 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
16th June 2023
Summary of New Actions
Action 6/1: Clerk to circulate the latest version of the CLP to all Cllrs
Action 6/2: AP to investigate whether the Victoria Pub is up for sale and for how much
Actions Ongoing
Action 10/1: JJ to confirm current PC signatories with NatWest
Action 5/2: Clerk to report broken gate causing a danger to all those using the path to LDNP again
Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – action ongoing