Drigg & Carleton Parish Council – Minutes – November 2023

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 2023 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE

DRIGG AND CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL

Held in Drigg Village Hall on 14^th November 2023 at 6.30 pm

Attended: John Jennings JJ (Chair)

Andy Pratt AP (Vice-Chair)

Sadie Clarke SC

Chris Gigg CG

Jimmy Naylor JN

Keith Murray KM

Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)

Apologies: Suey Browne SB

Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 10^th October 2023
1. Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 10^th October 2023 as a true and accurate record proposed by KM and seconded by AP with all in favour; minutes signed by the Chair

Apologies for absence: SB

Declarations of interest relating to this agenda: none

Financial matters
1. Finance report
  1. Balance: the balance on the Parish Council account is £3,937.28
  2. Proposed budget: Clerk to make amendments to the first draft

HMRC: Clerk to ring HMRC regarding the Direct debit which hasn’t been used

Consideration of payments and cheques payable
1. Website domain name: 123.reg. JJ to download the invoice and up to £20 pre-approved to pay it approved by JN, seconded by KM with all in favour

Action 11/1: Clerk to update budget proposals for submission to Cumberland for the precept

Action 11/2: JJ to download website domain name invoice from 123.reg

Actions and matters arising
1. Action 1/1: Clerk’s contract – later on the agenda – action completed
2. Action 5/2: the gate is the responsibility of the landowner but the LDNPA will pay 25% of the repair cost – action closed
3. Action 10/1: Clerk to incorporate suggested amendments to the letter. AP to ask MW for the agreement before the letter is sent – action ongoing
4. Action 10/2: Vic metal sign has been removed – action completed
5. Action 10/3: Green Book has been supplied – action completed
6. Action 10/4: Fingerpost signpost registered and on the repair list – action completed
7. Action 10/5: D-Day Beacon registered with the Pageant master – action completed

Action 11/3: Clerk to amend the draft letter to MW

Reports from District Councillors
1. South Cumberland Community Panel: three meetings held, one of which in Drigg, to establish priorities for funding.
2. Consultation: 264 replies to the questionnaire from all the South Cumberland area
3. Bus: a bus service from Seascale to Wasdale is proposed

Public Participation
1. No members of the public came forward

Main Business
1. Hall Stairs project: one quote outstanding. JJ to contact Ian Atkinson
2. Shrubs in tubs: planting wildflowers (former County Pollinators Scheme) and bulbs round the village verges took place on 26^th October 2023; two thousand bulbs still to plant
  1. Gosforth School to help as part of their forest school work
  2. SC to review which plants might be suitable for the side of the Village Hall
3. Mowing contract: SC has indicated the cut / no cut areas on a map for the mower. Church dip verge to be left for the wildflowers and bulbs (scheme may be extended if the planting in this area proves successful)
  1. Next summer grass to be cut one mower’s width (circa 3ft) along all roads and footpaths
  2. Clerk to check if Stewart Kenyon’s contract is due to end and invite him to tender
4. Jubilee Oak tree: AP to ask NWS to supply a block of granite for the oak. SC confirmed the size of the slate plaque as 46 cm x 20 cm by 12 mm
5. Natural assets: it was suggested that DCPC should maintain a register of natural assets in the parish, things which are unique and worth protecting (listed buildings, flora and fauna, SSSI, shipwrecks, geology, etc)
  1. Possible to ask NWS for information from their ecologist?
  2. Survey done annually on the back dunes will provide data

Egremont Wildfowlers survey data could be included

Local History Group input would be valuable
Volunteers needed (possibly discuss with locals at the Warm Hub?)
Consider putting together a sub-committee / working group to move this forward

Tethera: viability of business model for restarting Tethera is under review. Clerk to prepare a short pilot newsletter using Desk Top Publishing to get feedback on whether a cheaper inhouse newsletter just for D&C would be possible / preferable
Clerk’s contract: the Green Book has been supplied by CALC. The Clerk’s contract shall be annotated with “Green Book available via CALC” to ensure the contract refers to the current document. Clerk to request an updated Green Book from CALC annually before the AGM

Action 11/4: JJ to seek a quote for the Hall Stairs from Ian Atkinson

Action 11/5: Clerk to check if SK’s contract is due for renewal and invite him to tender for next year

Action 11/6: AP to ask NWS to supply a block of granite for the Jubilee Oak plaque

Action 11/7: Clerk to produce a pilot inhouse newsletter to review costs, options for copy, etc

Action 11/8: Clerk to print final agreed contract for Chair’s signature

Received communications
1. Planning Appeal: 4/22/2070/0O1 – Land North of Shore Road. Appeal granted; outline planning permission granted
2. Email from Ponsonby Clerk: AP spoke to Cllrs from other local parishes. Collectively the five parishes need a strategy to monitor how the NDA deal with agricultural properties (effectively public land); AP to act as DCPC rep, possibly also SC. Clerk to reply to the Ponsonby Clerk to arrange a date to meet

Action 11/9: Clerk to reply to the Ponsonby Clerk re NDA / agricultural properties

Planning Applications
1. Lake District National Park Authority: none
2. Cumberland Council
  1. App 4/23/2298/0F1 – New House Farm, Drigg: Application for demolition of the house, cattle shed, Dutch barn, stone barn, piggery and outbuildings
    - A landmark local building but no application for a rebuild
    - Demolition should only be allowed if followed by a visually like for like build
    - Bats present so why is demolition still allowed
    - Stone should be re-used on site with a traditional rural building on the same footprint
    - Current drains partially blocked and need to be repaired to avoid flooding upstream
    - Demolition activities should not further damage the drains
    - No need to demolish outbuildings
  2. App 4/23/2315/0F1 – Hill Farm, Holmrook: new sheep shed. No objections at this time

Cumbria Association of Local Councils
1. No new matters to report

Reports from Representatives
1. GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
  1. Finland visit: Chair to report back at the next meeting in December 2023
  2. Seismic data: potentially suitable geology within the Copeland area but seismic data is only part of the site characterisation. Engineering and Safety case teams will now undertake feasibility studies, including investigating the potential volume of host rock

Baseline survey: taken from a demographically representative sample of the adult population, survey show that 56% in Mid Copeland support a GDF with 15% opposed. Net support stands at +41%

CIF fund: 28 grant awards made for a total spend of £999,958. Events to encourage groups to come forward for funding planned in February / March 2024
Next Mid Copeland meeting: 11^th December 2023 at 3 pm in Bailey Ground Hotel, Seascale

GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
1. Film Night: information films and experts at Drigg on Saturday 25^th November 2023 (further details on the Drigg community website)
2. Finland visit: Mid Copeland CP Chair to share his report at the next meeting

Allerdale exit: quantity of geology insufficient, safety concerns

New Community Partnerships: additional CPs under consideration
Newsletter: a new means of communicating information considered
Next South Copeland meeting: December 2023 will be a private meeting

NWS / DCPC Liaison
1. Gun emplacements: these have been boarded up but not by NWS; to be investigated
2. Working hours: no progress on agreement on working hours being properly enforced

Heat map: NWS propose to set up traffic survey

October meeting minutes: full minutes on the Drigg community website
Next NWS / DCPC Liaison meeting: Tues 28^th Nov 2023 at 4.30 pm at Drigg Village Hall

Agenda for next meeting
1. Budget to be agreed for submission to Cumberland Council for the precept

Date of next meeting
1. Close: meeting closed 8.30 pm
2. Next meeting: to be held on 12^th December 2023 at Drigg Village Hall at 6.30 pm
3. New running order to be continued:
  1. 30 pm DCPC
  2. 30 pm Drigg Charity

30 pm Drigg Village Hall Management Cttee (unless time permits earlier)

Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg and Carleton Parish Council
21^st November 2023

Summary of New Actions