MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 2023 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 12th September 2023 at 7.30 pm
Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)
Chris Gigg CG
Jimmy Naylor JN
Keith Murray KM
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Sadie Clarke SC
Suey Browne SB
1) Minutes of the June Ordinary Meeting held on 11th July 2023
a) Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 11th July 2023 as a true and accurate record proposed by KM and seconded by JN 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 £5,132.28 (cheque for £275 to the Victoria Hotel still uncleared; £750 paid in by Voluntary Action Cumbria)
b) Consideration of Payments and cheques payable
i) HMRC: £200 penalty for late filing of PAYE received; Clerk to appeal the penalty. Cheque for £200 raised pending the appeal, approved by CG, seconded by JN, with all in favour
5) Actions and matters arising
a) Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – postponed till next meeting
b) Action 5/2: broken gate already reported by Clerk. Clerk and AP to re-report – ongoing
c) Action 7/1: paperwork signed by two signatories submitted to NatWest to remove KH as signatory to the PC account – action completed
d) Action 7/2: AP to arrange traffic speed / volume check on Old Shore Road. Request is now on Cumberland’s list to provide a counter to log the number of cars and the time of day they are in the village – action completed
6) Reports from District Councillors
a) Cumberland: AP gave his report on Cumberland Council (various documents shared via the website)
i) Green Doctors: free energy advice for residential properties, details of grants available for insulation, etc. See website: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/projects/green-doctor/ or contact Andy Deacon on andy.deacon@groundwork.org.uk tel. 07841 148868
ii) Rural Food and Finance: a new group set up to help with rural deprivation issues
(1) Access to banking and Post Office services
(2) Transport
(3) Internet connection
(4) Affordable housing for first time buyers and for the elderly to downsize and make family homes available
(5) Network support groups
(6) Food bank distribution in rural areas
(7) Rural isolation
iii) Fibrus Broadband: improving connectivity for rural homes in West Cumbria, aiming to tackle digital poverty in rural areas: https://fibrus.com/2023/08/21/fibrus-grants-help-to-tackle-digital-poverty-in-cumbria/. Rollout due in 2024; for details of your area, email paul.cretney@fibrus.com
iv) South Cumberland Community Panel: Priority Survey. Please submit responses to Andy Pratt Andy.Pratt@cumberland.gov.uk or via QR code or online
(1) Health and wellbeing of local residents
(2) Accessibility and connectivity
(3) Supporting children, families and young people
(4) Improving local living environments
(5) Supporting regeneration and improving the economy
v) Cumbria Healthy Start Scheme: offers eligible families financial help with groceries and free vitamins to pregnant women and children up to age 4. Details on website
vi) Transport – Network suggested using Stagecoach school buses in term time only to establish a bus route from Seascale to Barrow (but: Cumberland policy states that all school buses must be fitted with seatbelts, which Stagecoach buses do not have). See website for timetable
vii) Early Years Training programme: click on this link for further information https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/UKCUMBERLAND/2023/09/06/file_attachments/2605712/Early%20Years%20Training%20Programme%20-%202023-24.pdf
viii) Pollinators scheme: 3 members of staff left the scheme when the County Council was disbanded. AP to discuss with SC about how to proceed at Drigg and Carleton (buy seeds and pay a contractor using charity funds for village maintenance?)
ix) Conservation of Drigg dunes: Egremont Wildfowlers who do year round bird counting for English Nature (and litter picking, and sheep rescue) have been denied access to the dunes since NDA bought the land. They are asking LLWR to allow them access to maintain the shallow ponds of the estuary and support the SSSI in conjunction with English Nature. AP to raise the issue with LLWR
x) Cumberland Community Forest Scheme: grants to re-instate fencing, hedges, trees
xi) Greengarth: plans to include a car park (park and ride potential for Sellafield employees to alleviate parking problems in local villages), hotel, office space, rifle club. Multi-parish meeting might be convened to discuss this scheme when planning app is submitted
xii) Coastal re-generation: currently no plans relating to Drigg and Carleton
7) Public Participation
a) Foul smell in Holmrook from Hill Farm:
i) Two parishioners attended to report on a noxious, industrial smell from Hill Farm
ii) Environmental Health have checked the farm and the river (which tested clean)
iii) The smell is due to intensive bull beef farming (livestock are fed crushed barley which produces a smell like ammonia)
iv) The noise of the crusher is another nuisance, as well as the smell
v) Intensive farming (450 animals) makes the smell much worse than the ordinary agricultural smells produced when the farm was managed by the previous tenants
vi) Farmer is trying to reduce the nuisance by limiting times when barley is crushed, using a more distant shed, mucking out into trailers and removing the muck immediately
vii) No breach of any regulations; no escape of toxic materials; no legal liability
viii) Environmental Health have agreed to monitor the farm
ix) Cumberland Council will also monitor the situation
x) Residents’ concerns have been noted, and also that the farmer is willing work with the community to mitigate the situation
8) Main Business
a) Asset transfer: AP discussing asset transfer options with Cumberland Council
b) Parishioner complaints about foul smells: covered in item 7 – Public Participation
c) Drainage survey: has been completed with a camera down the drain. No more jetting to take place in case it damages the pipe. Roots growing into the pipes. Officer’s report claims roots are overgrown at the outlet. Report to be made public
d) Grass cutting: more wildflower planting will reduce the amount of grass cutting needed. Current mowing plan too complex; a cut of one metre strip’s width each side of the road to comply with Highways’ regulations is fine. Highways do two roadside cuts per year. Front of kerbs overgrown with weeds and need to be sprayed. A parishioner has cleared weeds from the front of the Village Hall – letter of thanks to be sent
e) Planters: SC to be asked to research cost of planters and shrubs for around the village
f) Vic metal pub sign: Clerk to ring Gordon at the Vic to ask if he was happy for this rusting old sign to be removed
g) Holmes Bridge: discussed in 5.b)
h) Beacon: to celebrate D-Day80 on 6th June 2024, beacons will be lit across the country. The Platinum Jubilee beacon in 2022 was organised by the Shepherds. AP to enquire if they would be interested in doing a beacon for D-Day80
i) Parish noticeboard: CG has received the noticeboards and organised a joiner to install them
j) Tethera: suggested by Seascale PC that a committee is formed with Reps from each of the three parishes to set up a business model on how this project is to be managed. JJ has agreed to be the Rep on the funding / editorial panel along with the Clerk
k) Clerk’s CiLCA training: the Clerk has registered with CALC for CiLCA training beginning Autumn 2023. Costs are £180 for 6 sessions at £30 each, total £180, approved by AP, seconded by JN with all in favour
l) Parishioner email: notice received from a parishioner about the poor state of repair of a cottage which was used to house Ukrainian refugees. AP contacted the relevant Council Dept. This property is currently on the block list until all repairs have been done and must be inspected before the resettlement programme manager will allocate any further refugees to it. Clerk to respond to the parishioner
Action 9/1: AP to ask if Shepherds would be willing to do a beacon for D-Day80 on 6th June 2024
Action 9/2: Clerk to email parishioner update about cottage unfit for habitation
9) Received communications
i) D-Day80: see item 8.h)
ii) Planning applications received during the summer recess: application references provided for info
10) Planning Applications: no new applications
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. Minutes available from the Clerk on request
b) CALC – Copeland District Association AGM: held on Tuesday 25th July 2023 – minutes available from the Clerk
c) CALC AGM: to be held on 30th September 2023 at 10 am – agenda to follow
12) Reports from Representatives
a) GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
i) Chair’s report: proposed trip to Finland in early November 2023 to see the GDF which is ready to start final disposal of spent nuclear fuel 400 metres below ground, operational by 2024. A virtual session with the community partnerships liaising with the Canadian Nuclear Waste Organisation is planned via Teams
ii) Cumberland Representative: David Moore has stepped down from the role of RPLA. The new RPLA representing Cumberland Council is Sam Pollen
iii) Seascale Parish Council Representative: Cllr Lizzie Mawson has stepped down from the Community Partnership and Cllr David Moore has been voted by SPC as her replacement
iv) Next Mid Copeland meeting: 20th September 2023 at 3 pm in Beckermet Reading Room
b) GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
i) Chair Report: frequency of meetings agreed to be six weekly intervals for the first six months of 2024
ii) Film night: short videos will be shown followed by a Q&A session with experts
iii) Community Forum: pilot community forum on 20th September 2023 with groups of 8 plus a facilitator; NWS staff will be used as facilitators as no-one else was available
iv) Environmental Baseline Studies: explained the process for obtaining a Development Consent Order for boreholes, usually taking 24 months to obtain and involving two public consultations as well as the Test of Public Support
v) Wildlife: a survey will take place over the inshore area from Braystones to the Duddon estuary to gather data on all wildlife
vi) Cumberland Representative: David Moore has stepped down as RPLA on the Community Partnership and Cllr Bob Kelly of Millom has accepted the RPLA role
vii) New members: the CP is seeking new recruits, particularly a nuclear expert
viii) Minutes: available on the South Copeland Community Partnership website: https://southcopeland.workinginpartnership.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/South_Copeland_GDF_Community_Partnership_Minutes_Meeting_8_FINAL.pdf
ix) Next South Copeland meeting: 14th September 2023 in Millom Cricket Club
c) NWS / DCPC Liaison
i) PROW: footpath at the top of the site is not a PROW and does not belong to NWS. The land along the old railway line fence belongs to the railway
ii) Minutes: to be added to the Drigg Community website when available
iii) Next NWS / DCPC Liaison meeting: due on 26th September 2023 at 4.30 pm at Drigg Village Hall
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 meeting
a) Close: meeting closed 9.50 pm
b) Next meeting: to be held on 10th October 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 7.30 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
23rd September 2023
Summary of New Actions
Action 9/1: AP to ask if Shepherds would be willing to do a beacon for D-Day80 on 6th June 2024
Action 9/2: Clerk to email parishioner update about cottage unfit for habitation
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