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Drigg & Carleton Community > Documents > Minutes > Drigg & Carleton Parish Council – Minutes – November 2024

Drigg & Carleton Parish Council – Minutes – November 2024

Minutes Uploaded on December 19, 2024

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 2024 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE

DRIGG & CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL

Held in Drigg Village Hall on 12th November 2024 at 6.30 pm

Attended:          Chris Gigg                                        CG         (Chair)

John Jennings                                 JJ            (Vice-Chair)

Andy Pratt                                       AP          (Ward Councillor)

Jimmy Naylor                                 JN

Andy McMillan                              AMcM

Martin Clayton                               MC

Sadie Clarke                                    SC

Karen Warmoth                             (Clerk / RFO)

 

Apologies:          Keith Murray                                  KM

 

 

  • Minutes of the previous Ordinary Meeting
    1. Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 8th October 2024. Approval as a true and accurate record proposed by AP and seconded by SC with all in favour; minutes signed by the Chair

 

  • Apologies for absence: Keith Murray

 

  • Declarations of interest relating to this agenda: none

 

  • Financial matters
    1. Finance report
      1. Balance: the balance of the DCPC account is £507.06 (£258.20 owing to HMRC)
        • FR has discussed the amount owing with HMRC; to be reconciled by year end
      2. VAT reclaim: a total of £324.40 VAT was reclaimed in November 2024
    2. Consideration of payments
      1. Domain name: payment of £14.39 to reimburse the Clerk for payment of this 123-Reg.co.uk invoice (only credit card payments accepted) approved by SC and seconded by CG with all in favour
      2. NALC Local Government Services Pay Agreement 2024-25: updated pay scale backdated to 1st April 2024 increased LC1 – 5 from £12.21 to £12.85 (increase of 64p per hour). The Clerk to claim back pay for 69 hours totalling £44.16 with the January quarterly payment approved by CG and seconded by SC, with all in favour
  • McAfee Anti-Virus software: no longer required; subscription to be cancelled providing a saving to the DCPC of £130 per annum
  1. Budget for 2025-26
    1. Precept 2025-26: the Clerk produced a draft budget for the 2025-26 financial year increasing the precept to £3,600 (an increase of £350 or 10.7%); the precept has not been increased in the last 15 years and this increase is to offset rising costs

 

  • Actions and matters arising
    1. Action 9/2: SC to obtain a quote from a builder / Haverigg Enterprises regarding a storage shed – measurements proved this plan is unfeasible – action closed
    2. Action 10/1: Clerk to co-ordinate a site visit to LLWR for all Councillors – action completed
    3. Action 10/2: Clerk to circulate the CLP Actions – action completed
    4. Action 10/3: CG to set up a Working Group to progress the Hall Loft project – action completed (see Parish business minute 8.f) for full report)

 

  • Cumberland Council
    1. Report & Highways
      1. South Cumberland Community Panel
        • Funding still available for small projects up till April 2025
      2. Road closures: currently working at Holmrook; then moving to Muncaster Home Farm to the church entrance to the Castle; then strip of road from the Castle to Broad Oak and the final section at Holmrook outside the Lutwidge Arms
        • Due to complete in February 2025 (with two weeks’ break over Christmas)
  • Corney Bridge: contractor has been engaged and work will go ahead in summer 2025
  1. EV points: Cumberland looking for sites to install more EV points for community use
  2. Unofficial road closures: spate of unofficial road closures recently; Cumberland has fined four utility companies for unlawfully closing the road (no prior notification, no job number, no diversion set up, blocking road users without permission). Report contractors to Cumberland if this happens
  3. Campervan parked in the Smithy Banks layby: no MoT (may be too old to need one?). Owner unknown; regularly moved so not abandoned. AP to raise with Highways
  • Speed signs: any progress on cleaning them? Still in good working order
    • LLWR allocated funds for maintenance but this has not been done
  • Public Participation: no members of the public came forward

 

  • Main Business
    1. EV chargers: Govt scheme to pay for them to be installed
      1. Any maintenance required? Probably not
      2. Need to upgrade electricity?
  • Likely to be on the Village Hall car park so taking up space – may be to our detriment?
  1. May help to secure future bookings for the venue
  2. AP to research EV chargers for Drigg Village Hall
  1. Community Led Plan: a live document under regular review as the situation changes and actions are completed; to be a regular item on the DCPC agenda
    1. Lead name: each Action should have a current Cllr as Lead to be responsible for it; names of those no longer on the DCPC or Drigg Charity to be removed by CG
    2. Cross-references: CG to tidy up those items referring to what has been removed
  • Actions: Cllrs to review the CLP actions and comment by email, reporting briefly to the Parish Council when changes take place
  1. Community support: the Annual Parish meeting is the best chance to update Actions
    • Refresh: update suggested but involves a lot of admin work and ultimate aspirations change very little

 

Action 11/1: CG to update the CLP Actions document and circulate to all Cllrs for comments

 

  1. Overgrown hedge: partially blocking the footpath and the line of sight for cars on the road
    1. AP to approach Home Group again to action this hedge cutting
  2. Cumberland Council “Licence to Grow” contract
    1. Cumberland’s Legal team are working on the document for signature
  3. Solar panels and battery storage
    1. All quotes but one obtained; title deeds of the Village Hall required
    2. Two projects still in contention for this funding
  • Possibility of further funding next year if this application is delayed
  1. South Copeland Community Fund application may be done for disabled access for the hall (electric doors) if the main funding application is delayed
  1. Hall Loft project: Working Group established that a storage shed is unviable
    1. Suggestion to use the showers in the men’s toilets is a better idea, allowing access via a door which could be locked and offer storage space for the safe under the stairway
    2. JJ drew up a plan of how this might work; likely to be expensive but worthwhile
  • MC suggested a carpenter, but the carpenter is busy for five months
  1. Plumber needed first to disconnect water pipes, then a builder to do the block work on the wall, then a joiner for the stair structure
  2. Loft might then be used for battery storage as part of hall energy efficiency project
  3. Need secure access to the loft for contractors if it is to be used for the battery
  • Further discussion by email to secure quotes from tradesmen
  1. Newsletter, December 2024: copy date 28th Nov 2024 and distribution by 10th Dec 2024
    1. Warm Hub flyer to be distributed with the December 2024 Newsletter
    2. Suggested material: Village hall hire and upgrade, Muncaster minibus, Singalong, Carol singing, Muncaster Shed, Drigg Cine films, charity projects
  2. Tubs round the village
    1. Planters delivered and being stored at Boadle Ground for the winter
    2. To be distributed round the village and planted in spring 2025
  3. Beach benches
    1. SC to chase Debbie Pearson of NDA Estates for an update by January 2025 meeting
  4. Funded tree planting: DCPC does not own land for tree planting; verges belong to Highways
    1. https://www.raisecumbria.co.uk/funding-offer
  5. Any other Parish matters: glass plate black & white photographs of Drigg and Irton Parish Councils 1894-95; a parishioner seeks to re-create the picture of Drigg & Carleton Parish Council from the 1894 photo archive. Clerk to liaise with parishioner to arrange a time

Action 11/2: Clerk to liaise with parishioner about the 1894 photo re-enactment

  • Technical difficulties of remote attendance, eg losing connection
  1. Chair to submit a response on behalf of DCPC

 

  • Planning Applications
    1. Cumberland Council
      1. 4/24/2152/0F1 – Retrospective erection of a building to house cattle. Amended application. New Planning Statement, Activities Statement, Odour Impact report, SSSI SCAIL, Manure Management Plan, etc
        • Additional reports given, mitigation of all complaints, meets all legal and environmental requirements
        • DCPC supports this application unanimously
      2. 4/24/2364/DoC – Land adjacent to Partfield House, Drigg. Discharge of Conditions. Change of use of land from woodland for site to provide eight motorhome bays, eight self-contained timber built holiday cabins, site shop/office building, shower/toilet block, bin store with internal access road (resubmission of withdrawn application 4/21/2252/0f1)
        • DCPC supports this application subject to all conditions being met
  • 4/24/2351/DoC – Residential development, land north of Station Road, Drigg. Discharge of conditions submitted for approval: Surface water drainage scheme; Archaeology Report; Construction Method Statement; Footway detail
    • JJ is no longer connected with this matter
    • United Utilities assert that the drainage condition has not been discharged
    • DCPC is neutral on this application since the conditions have not been met
  1. Lake District National Park
    1. E/2022/0232 – Enforcement Order, Land Opposite Orchard View, Saltcoats, CA19 1YY for breach of planning control (change of use). Notice takes effect from 4th December 2024 (subject to appeal) when the land user must:
      • Cease residential use of the land
      • Remove the caravans from the land
        • Noted; no comment required
      • Cumbria Association of Local Councils
        1. CALC Report: Executive meeting on Wednesday 20th November 2024
          1. Open Forum on Teams at 7 pm for members to ask the CALC Board questions
          2. Login details available via CALC or the Clerk
        2. CALC subscription: confirmed for 2025-26 as £214.41 and included in the budget
        3. Policy: the DCPC has a duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace
          1. Clerk to research/draft a policy and adapt it for use

 

Action 11/3: Clerk to produce a Sexual Harassment in the Workplace policy

 

  • Reports from Representatives
    1. GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership: meeting on Monday 14th October 2024
      1. Chair attended an international conference in Vienna to discuss best practices on engagement
      2. Yonder feedback on resident’s survey; update on Seldom Heard audience
  • Visioning forums in Gosforth, Seascale, Beckermet and Thornhill
  1. Newsletter to go out to all Mid Copeland CP households in early December 2024
  2. CIF fund: 22 awards in Year 3 totalling £716,654
  3. Final Panel meeting to consider awards to the value of £280,727
  1. GDF South Copeland Community Partnership: meeting on 16th October 2024
    1. Vote on question of Chair’s Honorarium postponed
    2. Visioning sub-group set up, of which CG is Chair (advice from Mid Copeland CP)
  • Chair recruitment discussed; Operations sub-group looking for a steer from CP
    • Length of tenure
    • Job description
    • Internal/external appointment
  1. PVP scheme presentation by Chris Keenan
  2. Need to increase engagement; more training, advice from Cumberland team
  3. Withdrawal strategy presentation by AP
  • Public question on impact of Headworks site: impossible to answer till site chosen
  1. NWS / DCPC Liaison meeting
    1. No meeting this month
    2. Site visit for Cllrs proved a useful trip
  • Round table discussion on new policy (specifically Near Surface Disposal) with LLWR staff at Pelham House to take place at 5 pm on Friday 15th November 2024

 

  • Matters to be considered at the next Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
    1. Safeguarding Policy to be reviewed: copy to be sent to all Cllrs
    2. Grass cutting contract

 

  • Date of next meeting
    1. Close: meeting closed 8.35 pm
    2. Next meeting: to be held on 14th January 2025 at Drigg Village Hall at 6.30 pm
      1. RSPB: presentation on seabirds nesting on Drigg beach at 6 pm in the Main Hall
        • AP to contact Egremont Wildfowlers
        • Clerk to advertise to parishioners

Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg & Carleton Parish Council
15th November 2024

 

Summary of Actions

Action 11/1: CG to update the CLP Actions document and circulate to all Cllrs for comments

Action 11/2: Clerk to liaise with parishioner about the 1894 photo re-enactment

Action 11/3: Clerk to produce a Sexual Harassment in the Workplace policy