Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
MINUTES OF THE MARCH 2023 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 14th March 2023 at 7.35 pm
Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)
Keith Hitchen KH
Jimmy Naylor JN
Chris Gigg CG
Suey Browne SB
Jo Whyte JW
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Keith Murray KM [arrived during item 6]
1) Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 14th February 2023
a) Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 14th February 2023 as a true and accurate record was proposed by JW 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 £4,890.98 (plus VAT refund of £1787, updated total £6,677.98)
b) Payments out
i) Hall Stairs project: proposed payment of invoice ref 8008/01 – 15/02/2023 to Whinbarrow Design Services for £930 approved by CG, seconded by AP with all in favour. Cheque number 908. To be reimbursed by Charity donation and Village Hall account as approved in Charity minutes of November 2022 6.b and Village Hall minutes November 2022 5.c.i
ii) Anti-virus software for PC laptop: proposed payment to reimburse SB for McAfee invoice CS3213904778 for £119.99 approved by JW, seconded by JN, with all in favour. Cheque number 910
iii) Warm hub: payment for an invoice to the Victoria Hotel for soup for the Warm Hub at a cost of £275 (of which £46 VAT) was proposed by SB and seconded by JW, with all in favour. Cheque number 909
c) Funding for Warm Hub costs: AP spoke to ACT (managing the project for CCF) re the promised funding. Half (£750) should be paid this week, half at the end of six months (end April), so the Warm Hub will continue till then. Regular attendance with over 100 different people benefitting over the course of the project. In future the project could be managed via the Village Hall committee
5) Actions and matters arising from previous Council meetings
a) Action 10/1: JJ to organise SB and/or CG as signatories for the PC bank account – ongoing
b) Action 11/1: AP to liaise with Julie Friend regarding presentation on community housing led initiatives – likely to change due to the Local Government Reorganisation – action closed
c) Action 12/3: AP to follow up with Stuart Kenyon re bench – ongoing
d) Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – document review to resume in April 2023 – ongoing
e) Action 2/1: Clerk to email parishioner re double yellow lines on Holmrook Hill – completed
f) Action 2/2: AP to confirm with Building Control whether a new planning application is required – ongoing
[KM arrived]
6) Reports from County and District Councillors
a) County: KH reported no new projects as the County Council is winding down. KW has been on the County Council since 2007 and found it gratifying to be a part of their many projects which have made such a difference to the community
b) Copeland: AP attended the last Executive meeting at Copeland Borough Council before the transfer of powers to Cumberland Council. KH is to be awarded the status of Alderman of the Borough, along with 11 others, in recognition of many years of outstanding hard work
c) Cumberland: vesting date of the new Unitary Council is 1st April 2023.
i) AP will be Vice-Chair of the Scrutiny Board (1 of 5)
ii) Drigg and Carleton will form part of Ward 8 in Cumberland
iii) The Local Panel will meet every 8 weeks and will include Parish representatives
iv) CALC will continue in its present format and decide at its AGM in April whether to split into two parts to reflect the two new Unitary Councils or remain one body for the whole county
7) Public Participation
a) Pollinators scheme: a member of the public attended (SC). She has offered to be the local volunteer project lead for the Planting for Pollinators scheme and has applied to the Drigg Charity for funding to extend the planting to other verges in the village
i) Permission from Highways: query whether permission to plant on verges owned by County is needed (not anticipated to be a problem)?
ii) Ongoing management: SC will manage the project voluntarily going forward (anticipated to be low maintenance with a cut / strim once a year)
Action 3/1: AP to notify Planting for Pollinators project co-ordinator that a local volunteer is available to be project lead
Action 3/2: AP to contact Highways and obtain permission to use verges for further planting scheme
8) Main Business
a) Clerk’s Employment contract: currently under review – to be completed between JJ and the Clerk before the April 2023 meeting (JW has submitted her comments)
b) Litter bin: a parishioner requested a bin on the layby opposite the garage at Holmrook. Possible for the DCPC to request a bin from Copeland but there would be an ongoing cost for emptying it. AP to establish cost of bin and emptying charge
c) Bench: to be installed by Stewart Kenyon when the weather improves – still ongoing
d) Deep Time Art Project: Copeland / Arts Council awarded the project to an art installation at Silecroft Beach, Whitcham Parish
e) Insurance
i) Re-valuing the village hall: the Village Hall is currently insured for £822,303.83 and Zurich suggested a review. Resolved that this sum is adequate insurance
ii) Length of contract: the Parish Council is committed to Zurich will 2026 (or pay back the reduced premiums charged)
iii) Adding / removing assets from the policy: two new screens have been added to the policy, and the projector will be removed on renewal (email received one day after the meeting to say this would cost £96 but Zurich agreed to waive this extra fee for the remainder of this policy – renewal due in May 2023)
f) Parish Hall stairs project: payment of invoice for drawings minuted in 4.b.i above
g) PROW: gate post reported as damaged (Ref EI/111274) but County claim the landowner has repaired it. AP to chase up with Cumberland after 1st April 2023
Action 3/3: AP to investigate the cost of a litter bin and the current charge for emptying it
Action 3/4: AP to chase Cumberland re PROW repair Ref EI/111274
9) Received communications
a) Copeland Local Plan 2021-2038: hearings now completed and Inspectors are summing up; plan to signed off in June/July 2023 and will be inherited by Cumberland Council
b) 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 will respond as the lead local authority; Cumberland not yet ready to formulate a response. 16 site stakeholder groups asking for an extension
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 updates
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
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
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
c) CCC Ref EI/69687 Road sign on Shore Road junction with B5344: CCC have closed this matter claiming – wrongly – that the work has been done. Clerk to chase with CCC
Action 3/7: Clerk to chase Ref EI/69687 with CCC as the sign has not been repainted (What3Words: Slipping.Certified.Timed)
10) Planning Applications
a) Copeland Borough Council: none
b) Lake District National Park: none
11) Cumbria Association of Local Councils
a) Report: no meeting since the last PC meeting. AGM due in April
b) CALC Copeland Liaison Rep: Chris Shaw has retired
12) Reports from Representatives
a) GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
i) Nuclear Waste Advisory Association offered advisory support; website details given
ii) Independent evaluation of the Community Partnership not currently needed; to be reviewed in 12 months
iii) Group from Canada attending the April meeting
iv) Youth Engagement lead has started a 6 week project with Shackles Off, to be followed up by working with schools in the search area. Drigg Young Farmers suggested as another community group for youth engagement
v) Land and property in the search area are tracked to monitor local sales trends
vi) Community Investment Funding update: four awards made
vii) Government consultation on near surface storage: implications for GDF to be discussed at the next meeting on 27th March 2023
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
ii) Same issues as Mid Copeland CP re Youth engagement, Canada visit, etc
iii) Funding and communications have staff vacancies
iv) Robust opposition voiced at the public meetings
v) Meeting to be held in Drigg Village Hall on either 16th/18th May 2023
c) NWS Liaison: meeting held on 28th February 2023 and minutes shared on Drigg website
i) BEIS policy: consultation is out and will be live in February; West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group will respond. AP Vice-Chair
ii) Near surface intermediate level waste: 12 week consultation takes place when Copeland BC and Cumbria County Council are both winding down, while Cumberland Council is not yet established with Nuclear officers to examine the proposals in detail
iii) Travel plan: concern that traffic management measures are too vague or not being observed; large waggons travel in convoy (39 last week). Poor driving behaviours with speed limits and curfew times being ignored
iv) Rolling stock: NWS could make far more use of trains, buying rolling stock if necessary
v) Good working relationship between NWS and villagers is being eroded
13) Agenda for next meeting
a) Agenda: items to be submitted three working days before the meeting
b) Overnight parking restrictions: beach car park
14) Date of next meeting
a) Meeting closed 9.15 pm
b) Next meeting to be held on 11th April 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 7.30 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
19th March 2023
Summary of New Actions
Action 3/1: AP to notify Planting for Pollinators project co-ordinator that a local volunteer is available to be project lead
Action 3/2: AP to contact Highways and obtain permission to use verges for further planting scheme
Action 3/3: AP to investigate the cost of a litter bin and the current charge for emptying it
Action 3/4: AP to chase Cumberland re PROW repair Ref E1/111274
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
Action 3/7: Clerk to chase Ref EI/69687 with CCC as the sign has not been repainted (What3Words: Slipping.Certified.Timed)
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 2/2: AP to confirm with CBC Building Control whether a new planning application for the stairs is required – ongoing