MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 2024 ORDINARY MEETING OF THE
DRIGG & CARLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Held in Drigg Village Hall on 8th October 2024 at 6.30 pm
Attended: Chris Gigg CG (Chair)
John Jennings JJ (Vice-Chair)
Andy Pratt AP (Ward Councillor)
Jimmy Naylor JN
Keith Murray KM
Martin Clayton MC
Sadie Clarke SC
Karen Warmoth (Clerk / RFO)
Apologies: Andy McMillan AMcM
- Minutes of the previous Ordinary Meeting
- Resolution to approve the minutes of the meeting on 10th September 2024. Approval as a true and accurate record proposed by KM and seconded by SC with all in favour; minutes signed by the Chair
- Apologies for absence: Andy McMillan
- Declarations of interest relating to this agenda
- CG declared he had been approached for advice by the Planning applicant’s wife
- Otherwise none
- Financial matters
- Finance report
- Balance: the balance of the Parish Council account is £1,724.10
- First Responders: acknowledged receipt of the payment for their CPR training
- Consideration of payments
- NetWise invoice #3736: payment of £330 + £66 VAT for a total of £396 for website hosting and maintenance from 3 November 2024 to 2 November 2025; approved by AP, seconded by JN with all in favour
- Clerk/RFO invoice: invoice for the services of the Clerk/RFO from July to September 2024, gross salary £293.04 (plus a payment of £415.14 for services to the Drigg Charity for which DCPC will be reimbursed by the Drigg Charity). Payment approval proposed by SC, seconded by KM with all in favour
- Payments outstanding
- DCPC Invoice sent: Drigg Charity billed £415.14 for the services of the Clerk July – September 2024
- Finance report
- Actions and matters arising
- Action 9/1: Clerk to draft a letter from DCPC to the Village Hall Management Cttee giving permission to make improvements to the Village Hall – action completed
- Action 9/2: SC to obtain a quote from a builder / Haverigg Enterprises regarding a storage shed – action ongoing
- Action 9/3: Clerk to order new planters from Earth Anchors (delivery to 1 Boadle Ground, Carleton) – action completed
- Action 9/4: AP to approach Drigg YFC and a parishioner regarding VE80 beacon and celebrations – action completed
- Action 9/5: Clerk to contact the nominated parishioner regarding the Lord Lieutenant’s celebration – action completed
- Action 9/6: Clerk to register MC and SC for CALC training – action completed
- Action 9/7: AP to arrange a LLWR site visit for MC – Clerk currently arranging a site visit for all DCPC – action completed
Action 10/1: Clerk to co-ordinate a site visit to LLWR for all Councillors
- Cumberland Council
- Report
- Cumberland Council: nothing to report
- South Cumberland Community Panel
- List of projects which have been funded announced
- Your Countryside: event on 3rd October 2024 was well attended
- Highways
- Road closures: currently a major issue
- Holmrook Hill: closed from Monday 14th October 2024 from 9 am – 3 pm for three days. AP seeking ways to mitigate the traffic disruption
- LLWR: delivery of large crane postponed due to adverse weather conditions
- Street lighting: lights replaced in Stubble Green
- Wasdale: traffic being monitored in Wasdale by the Lake District National Park Authority to assess whether the shuttle bus scheme has been successful in reducing traffic; no data available to share as yet
- Road closures: currently a major issue
- Report
- Public Participation: no members of the public came forward
- Main Business
- Clerk’s pay: currently paid at Level LC1 – 5 (£12.21 per hour) on the NALC Pay Scales
- Resolved that from 1st April 2025 that the Clerk’s pay shall be moved up to Level LC1 – 7 (£12.63 per hour), proposed by JN and seconded by SC with all in favour
- Net increase to the DCPC, based on 2023-2024 hours worked, would be £93; increase to be factored into the budget proposals in the November 2024 meeting
- Clerk’s pay: currently paid at Level LC1 – 5 (£12.21 per hour) on the NALC Pay Scales
- Clerk’s pay Level to be reviewed annually according to the NALC Pay Scales at the Parish Council AGM from 2026
- Community Led Plan: a live document under regular review as the situation changes and actions are completed
- Actions: Cllrs to review the CLP actions and comment by email, reporting briefly to the Parish Council only when changes take place
- Community support: the actions shall be raised at the Annual Parish meeting for review
- CG to collate amendments by 15th October 2024
Action 10/2: Clerk to circulate the CLP Actions again
- Overgrown hedge: partially blocking the footpath and the line of sight for cars on the road
- AP established that the house is owned by Home Group
- Hedge has not been cut for some years and will soon block the footpath
- Home Group will approach the tenant to ask for the hedge to be cut
- Cumberland Council “Licence to Grow” contract
- Site visit on 20th September 2024: the site visit went very well
- Cumberland Council officials impressed with the site and DCPC plans
- Five year licence agreed for the concreted area; the rest of the site will take longer
- Pre-existing planning condition was for County to remediate the site to grass
- DCPC must take care that no residual liabilities fall on the licensee
- Ecology considerations may forbid the site being dug over, so it could remain as a conservation site – to be considered by Cumberland Planning Dept
- Possibility of liaising with NWS to use the site for their ecology credits
- Solar panels and battery storage
- Application to Haverigg 2 was unsuccessful; the energy audit preparatory work will be used to apply for funds from other sources
- Action with Communities application is on a shortlist of three
- Must be delivered by December to qualify
- Must be over £25k of energy efficient improvements
- Consists of: solar panels on the roof, battery back up, thermal black out blinds, automatic doors, push button taps, zoning of heated areas, new thermostats on radiators, insulated doors, etc
- AP to get two quotes for all goods and installation work, including 10% contingency
- If this applications fails, South Copeland Community Fund will be considered for funding
- Hall Loft project: good idea overall but not currently moving forward
- Proposal to form a Working Group to review the many ideas, their costs, pros/cons, etc
- Important to exploit the space but also to get long term value for money
- New suggestion of a spiral staircase from the Gents toilets (showers are rarely used)
- Suitable for light items and people but not for heavy items
- Would it be worth buying new, lighter equipment to make storage easier (cheaper than building stairs)?
- Can the space provide a return on investment, eg hiring space to external bodies?
- Working Group shall explore every idea and compare the pros / cons / costs
- Anyone who wishes to be part of the Working Group should contact CG
- The Working Group will report back to the DCPC
Action 10/3: CG to set up a Working Group to progress the Hall Loft project
- Newsletter: the 2023-24 agreed funding for three issues has now been exhausted
- Discussed whether to produce additional issues this financial year
- Cost for one page of A4 is £165 for 300 copies; for two pages of A4 £330
- Feedback on the Newsletter has been very good; it is reaching all parish households
- Resolved to seek additional funding to continue producing Newsletters this year
- Tubs round the village
- Planters on order from Earth Anchors with DCPC name embossed on them
- To be delivered to Boadle Ground for storage till March 2025 when ready
- Beach benches
- Debbie Pearce of NDA Properties met SC to discuss this issue
- Benches may be replaced, possibly with a fence to keep the cattle out
- NDA Properties to liaise with the tenant
- Turret boarding has gone; turrets in poor condition (the roof is cracked, subsidence)
- Turrets to be re-assessed for safety
- VE80 Day: 8th May 2025
- AP has arranged with a parishioner to provide a beacon for VE80 Day (DYF to assist)
- Resolved not to buy a VE80 flag; use the generic Remembrance flag instead
- Any other Parish matters: none raised
- Received communications
- Polling Review sent by Cumberland Council – no change for this parish
- Statement of Community Involvement Consultation – 13thSeptember– 25th October 2024
- https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/your-council/have-your-say/statement-community-involvement-sci-consultation
- Councillors are invited to make individual responses
- In response to letter from NWS to CALC (see September 2024 minutes)
- Copy of letter from Millom Without Parish to CALC
- Copy of letter from Millom Without to NWS
- Any parishes in the National Park are not in the search area and therefore not eligible to sit on the Community Partnership (though may be affected)
- AP is the CALC Representative for parishes in the National Park
- South Copeland CP: Letter from the Chair regarding payment of Honorarium
- The South Copeland Community Partnership Agreement forbids the Chair from receiving payment; a vote on this clause is due at the non-public meeting in Millom
- CG is unable to attend and delegated his place temporarily to the Clerk
- Proposed Honorarium is in lieu of expenses; agreed that the Honorarium should be available to the Chair, even if unclaimed
- The South Copeland Community Partnership Agreement forbids the Chair from receiving payment; a vote on this clause is due at the non-public meeting in Millom
- Mid Copeland Community Partnership proposes to put the Chair on the NWS payroll but this would compromise the independence of the role
- Response from Cumberland Planning Dept re 4/24/2281/O01, New House Farm, Drigg
- No further comment from DCPC
- Response from Planning Agent re Ref. 4/24/2293/ON1, Land at Shore Road, Drigg
- DCPC happy with clarification provided and support the application; no further comment
- NALC: new website from 7th October 2024 – new login procedure required
- Details of login procedure sent to all Councillors
- Planning Applications
- Cumberland Council:
- 4/24/2330/OF1 – Creation of a handling system, Land at Shore Road, Drigg Application by Mr Ireland
- Clarification provided to DCPC after the prior notification application
- No further comment; DCPC supports this application
- 4/24/2330/OF1 – Creation of a handling system, Land at Shore Road, Drigg Application by Mr Ireland
- Cumberland Council:
- Cumbria Association of Local Councils
- CALC AGM: Saturday 12th October 2024 at 10.30 am at Newbiggin Village Hall, Penrith
- All Cllrs welcome to attend. Booking required
- CALC AGM: Saturday 12th October 2024 at 10.30 am at Newbiggin Village Hall, Penrith
- Reports from Representatives
- GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
- Refreshed logo and branding, with a demo of the new website to be launched shortly
- NWS Property Valuation Protection Scheme (PVP) details presented
- Those eligible will be recompensed for the actual loss in value on sale
- The PVP panel will assess applications: 2 NWS members, 3 non-NWS
- The CEO of NWS will review the Panel’s recommendations and decide on approval
- PVP scheme remains in place till the Site is chosen or the Partnership is dissolved
- GDF Mid Copeland Community Partnership
- Single UK-wide policy framework recently published
- GDF siting process remains unchanged and is an appendix to the policy
- NWS asked by NDA to consider Near Surface Disposal opportunities
- Business: the Community Partnership aims to engage with local businesses
- Community Visioning: forums held in the search area, plus a drop-in at the Beacon
- Community Investment Fund: total awarded to date is £545,177 (£179,496 pending)
- NWS asked to confirm NDA position on land holdings around Sellafield regarding GDF
- Next meeting: to take place on 14th October 2024, 3 pm, St Mary’s Room, Gosforth
- GDF South Copeland Community Partnership
- CG submitted a report from the 18th September 2024 meeting
- Discussion of PVP deferred
- Flip chart list of points: considered that this system did not reflect what was discussed
- Suggested that a round up of bullet points be approved at the end of the meeting
- CALC: NWS letter to CALC resented by some parishes (see correspondence minute 9.c)
- CALC Rep: AP nominated as CALC Rep to SCCP (he is already Ward Cllr)
- Visioning: to be given a higher priority with a sub-group to be formed
- Honorarium: amending the Agreement to permit it to be discussed at the next meeting
- Next meeting: 16th October 2024 at 5.30 pm at the Guide Hall, Millom
- NWS / DCPC Liaison meeting
- LLWR propose to do more community engagement in January 2025
- Environmental survey to be repeated every 4 months and the report copied to DCPC
- Site visit agreed for all DCPC Cllrs
- Still no clarification on the armed training at Drigg station (CNC / police not involved)
- Matters to be considered at the next Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council
- Community Led Plan: actions to be reviewed. Brief updates to DCPC
- Hall loft project: update from the Working Group
- Budget proposals: to be approved for submission to Cumberland Council in January
- Date of next meeting
- Close: meeting closed 8.43 pm
- Next meeting: to be held on 12th November 2024 at Drigg Village Hall at 6.30 pm
Karen Warmoth
Parish Clerk
Drigg & Carleton Parish Council
12th October 2023
Summary of Actions
Action 9/2: SC to obtain a quote from a builder / Haverigg Enterprises regarding a storage shed
Action 10/1: Clerk to co-ordinate a site visit to LLWR for all Councillors
Action 10/2: Clerk to circulate the CLP Actions again
Action 10/3: CG to set up a Working Group to progress the Hall Loft project