Beckermet with Thornhill Parish Council Mrs S Tucker (Clerk) 3 Wilton Mews s.tucker3@btinternet.com Wilton 01946 820607 Egremont Cumbria CA22 2PJ Minutes of Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 15 th March 2017, 19:00hrs, at Beckermet Reading Rooms 1) Present J Edwards, P Manning, S Meteer, D Humphreys, K Woolley, K Cook, J Smith, D McGhee, S Caddy, S Tucker (Clerk), 2) Apologies N/A 3) To declare any interest in items on the agenda SM on Item 6, Planning permission for the reimbursement of the cost of buying locks / handles for the changing room doors at the Thornhill football club. 4) To consider approvals of the minutes of previous meeting The minutes of the February 2017 meeting were approved. 5) Public participation Jamie Thompson from Thornhill attended the meeting with a view to becoming a Parish Councillor. Paul Turner, Gosforth PC and Conservative Candidate in the May 2017, County Council elections.
6) Finance It was resolved that the following payments should be made: To Pay Comments Amount Sian Tucker Clerk January Salary - 368.30 Internet - 15 Travel - 8 391.30 Beckermet Reading Rooms March meeting 20.00 Mr S Meteer Replacement locks for Thornhill changing rooms 58.96 Copeland Borough Council Planning permission fees for Thornhill football club change room extension (see item 8) 97.50 7) Budget Update The budget report provided by the Clerk was accepted without comment. At 8/03/2017, the Parish Council had spent 12,859.43 (92.7%) of the 13,871.94 precept. In addition 1400 has been taken from the Parish Councils reserves to pay for improvements to the parking area at the Thornhill football ground. The Parish Council noted that it had received an additional income of 2,241.55 which included 1,467.38 of payments made to the Parish Council for utility services used by the Thornhill Football Club and that the costs of these services were included in the 12,859.43 expenditure from the precept. 8) Progress Reports Police Report PC Stuart Burgess sent a report for February / March. No comments were made. Traffic & Highways Report JE reported that he was still awaiting comments from CCC on the schedule and agreed to circulate an updated version after CCC had provided their comments. The Parish Council noted comments made by
CCC relating to lack of funding for improving the Rights of Way in the Parish that were requested in October 2016 and in one case in early March 2017. JE noted that following a recent incident he had reported the need to provide better street lighting on Main Street, Beckermet to Better Highways. Beckermet Roads Update JE reported that CCC had told him that an experimental traffic order was being produced to introduce traffic restrictions on Morass Road and Nursery Road in Beckermet for a 6 month period. The Parish Clerk will shortly be sent a statutory notice that will define the changes. The notice will be made public. The PC agreed that the notice should be published on the website and on notice boards around the Parish. The Parish Council noted that any comments / complaints should be directed to the Cumbria County Council not the Parish Council. The Parish Council noted that representatives of the businesses in Beckermet had submitted a formal complaint to CCC regarding the proposals. The PC had not been signatories to the complaint. After some discussion the Parish Council agreed that it was in the interest of the Parish for the PC to cooperate with CCC on the implementation of the CCC proposals although for the avoidance of doubt the Parish Council wished to record that it did not support the CCC proposals which were in conflict with the outcome of the consultation held in Beckermet in August 2016. The Parish Council had made their position clear to CCC in a letter dated 21st November 2016. Website Update DM reported the website is up to date. Statistics show the most visited pages being the minutes and news. Lengthsman Scheme JS reported the next lengthsman meeting is due to be held on 29 th March. JS has met with the lengthsman to discuss various jobs needing to be done around the Parish including the bus shelter in Beckermet. JS noted that NuGEN had confirmed that they had agreed to support an apprentice for Works4U to support the lengthsman particularly in the Parish. The PC noted the excellent work carried out in the Beckermet playground area following the collapse of the wall late 2016. It was agreed that the lengthsman s work should target maintaining this area to the present
standard. The PC agreed to send a letter of thanks to the owners of Croft Lodge for arranging the improvements to the area during reconstruction of their wall. Action: ST JS and DH had agreed to complete a monthly check of equipment in both playgrounds in the Parish. The PC noted that the condition of the dyke wall outside the Beckermet village school needed attention and ST agreed to write to the appropriate Governor requesting that it was maintained for safety reasons. Action ST to contact school governor. Thornhill Football Club SM led the discussion about a possible provision of a store for equipment belonging to the Thornhill football clubs. The store would be used for equipment belonging to both football teams that use the existing facilities. Discussions had taken place with the teams on their requirements and an initial plan for an annex to the existing change room building had been drawn up free of charge, by a former Thornhill resident, Martin Hogg of MH Architectural Design Ltd. The Council agreed that SM should proceed with seeking planning permission for the extension from CBC and the expenditure of 97.50. SM noted that the estimated cost of the project was not yet known but he would keep the Parish Council up to date with progress and provide details of the costs when they became available as it was hoped that the Parish Council would be making a significant contribution to the overall cost. JE asked SM to convey the thanks of the Parish Council to the Thornhill resident who had carried out the design work. The Parish Council agreed that the work on the car parking area should be completed before any work on the extension starts and that the surface should be finished with rolled plainings. SM / SC agreed to obtain 3 quotes for the plainings and the associated cost to level them out and roll the surface. Action: SM/SC JE noted that since the last meeting it had been necessary to change the locks and handles on the changing room outer door at a cost of 58.96p for the parts required. JE thanked SM for carrying out the work at short notice.
9) NuGen Update PM reported there were no significant updates from NuGen. The next Moorside Technical Meeting will be held on 5 th April. (Please note that since the PC meeting the secretary has been advised that the MTG will not now be held until 9 th May). JE noted that Electricity North West appeared to be planning to do preparation work for the North West Coast Connections project in the Parish later this year despite the fact that there was uncertainty surrounding the NuGEN project. It was agreed that JE/PM would raise this issue with National Grid at the next Moorside Technical Group meeting. Action: JE/PM SM noted that the Parish had been unsuccessful in securing a Green Grant from NuGEN for work at Thornhill. It was agreed that JE would try and arrange a meeting with Trudy Harrison MP after the County Council Elections in May 2017 so that she was fully aware of the Parish Councils concerns about the NuGEN project. 10) Parish Action Plan JE went through the action plan and agreed with Councillors the progress made so far. An updated version of the plan will be issued before the April PC meeting. JS will be having the first meeting of the Steering Group for the Community Led Plan on the 30 th March, 7pm at the White Mare. This will determine the way in which the plan will be developed with help also from ACT who is sending a representative to talk through the process. 11) Planning Applications received The Parish Council has received no planning applications this month. 12) Meetings at which the council is represented PM attended the Sellafield Risk and Hazard Meeting on the 15 th March. KC attended the Sellafield Emergency planning meeting.
13) Councillors reports SC raised the issue of dog waste and litter in Thornhill and requested a new bin at the end of Dent Road, Thornhill. Action: ST to contact CBC SM asked for a letter to be sent to B & C Atkinson expressing the Parish Councils disappointment about the rapid delamination of the external door fitted to the Thornhill Football Club change rooms. Action: ST to write letter to B & C Atkinsons. DH suggested that new signs needed to be put up at the Thornhill playground. Action: ST to obtain prices. SM requested that the Parish Council web site should be checked to ensure all emergency plans were clear to all residents of the Parish. Action: DM to check web site as appropriate. 14) Next meeting The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 19 th April, 7pm at the Thornhill Social Club.