Arnside Parish Council

8th December 2008 

10435 Minutes: of the Ordinary Meeting of Arnside Parish Council, held in the Cemetery Chapel, Silverdale Road, Arnside on Monday 8th December 2008. 

10436 Present: Chairman - Councillor D M (David) Willacy, J (Janet) Bolton, R P (Rachel) Dutfield, R G (Glyn) Jones, T (Terry) Keefe, Acting Clerk - J M (Jayne) Beaumont and 4 members of the public.

10437 Apologies for Absence:  

Verbal apologies were received from Cllrs P E (Ted) Casey and S R (Sue) Hewitt (family commitments) and P C Belinda Friend.

10438 Co-option of Mr Bill Edwards

It was noted that Mr Bill Edwards has been co-opted to the Council and has signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office; he was duly welcomed by the Chairman.

10439 Receipt of Declaration of Members’ Interests relating to any items appearing on the Agenda:

There were no declarations of Members’ interests relating to any items appearing on the agenda.

10440 Minutes of the Previous Meeting:

The minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 10th November 2008 were approved and subsequently signed by the Chairman.

10441 Matters arising from the Minutes of previous meetings:

Cllr Keefe advised that copies of the Parish Plan Report are now available at various distribution points around the village.

10442 Matters raised by members of the Public for future consideration:

A member of the public commented that Black Dyke Road is now looking very tidy.  A member of the public enquired as to why a letter received from the Royal Yacht Association to the Council in April 2007 had not been considered at a Council Meeting and requested to view the subsequent reply made by the Clerk - this matter will be looked into further.

10443 Police Report:

There was no police presence at the meeting and the Chairman therefore reported that: (1) 2 males had been seen taking photographs of property on Red Hills Road, (2) the tide siren box has been externally damaged, (3) a number of cars had been damaged at the Youth Hostel, (4) loud music on the playing field was reported, (5) 2 elderly people have been referred to Social Services, (6) a number of minor incidents occurred on Black Dyke Road due to ice, (7) due to lack of grit on the school bus route during icy conditions, the 0745 bus was subjected to difficulties in driving up hills which almost caused damage to a wall.

10444 Report from County Councillor Ian Stewart:

Cllr Stewart reported on the following: (1) Swinnate Road is not included in the winter gritting schedule, (2) a new grit box has been placed at the top end of Silverdale Road and Cllr Stewart needs to know where further boxes are required, (3) the safety report on roads indicated that during 2005 45 people were killed on Cumbrian roads, with 425 seriously injured and as at October 2008 26 people have been killed with 224 seriously injured, (4) Cllr Stewart would like to see a parking survey done in Arnside during 2009 as, according to a report completed by SLDC, Arnside has been recognised as a large village with no car park, (5) in relation to the road closure at Hagg Wood, it is not appropriate for this to occur for 2 days with an 11 mile detour, (6) a reply is still awaited from United Utilities regarding the flooding problem at Station Field, (7) the cause of the problem with the flooding on Parkside Drive has been located and this will be rectified imminently.

10445 Report from District Councillor Pru Jupe:

Cllr Jupe reported on the following: (1) a meeting had occurred with Cllrs Jupe, Stewart and Tim Farron MP regarding the coastguard situatio; there is a strong view from Bay Search and Rescue that there is a definite need for a boat; Mr Farron has presented a petition with over 1,000 signatures to the Minister of Transport; the lack of boats in Arnside was mentioned in Parliament this week,  (2) there is nothing further to report regarding disabled access at the station, (3) a map has been produced for consideration only of possible sites for local development with the consultation process coming to an end February 2009 - Cllr Stewart confirmed that sometime in January 2009 a drop-in session will be organised for residents, (4) nothing further has development in relation to the multi-wheel facility as Cllr Jupe is waiting for others to come back to her - Cllr Keefe volunteered to arrange a meeting of interested parties in order that progress can be made, (5) a resident has complained that signs on Inglemere are confusing and SLDC are looking into this.

10446 Correspondence:

Receipt of the following items were noted and action determined, by resolution, as indicated:
1. AONB - request for donation,
It was RESOLVED that a donation of £900 would be given.
2. LCR, November 2008,
3. Communities and Local Government consultation doc - codes of conduct for local authority members and employees,
4. Keer to Kent, Autumn/Winter 2008,
5. Waymarker, Issue No 191, November 2008,
6. Clerks and Councils Direct, November 2008,
7. Your Environment, November 2008 - January 2009,
8. Citizens Advice Bureau - request for donation of £50
It was RESOLVED not to give a donation of £50.
9. CCC - info on Community Waste Prevention Fund,
10. CVS, November/December 2008,
11. CCC - notice of temporary road closure at Cemetery Hagg Wood,
12. SLDC - notice of Code of Conduct Training for Clerks and councillors,
13. Lizzie Langston - request for financial assistance for university student taking part in fieldwork conservation project in Honduras as part of Zoology and Animal Behaviour Degree,
It was RESOLVED that the Acting Clerk write to Miss Langston and advise that the EI may be willing to offer some financial assistance.
14. Waymarker, Issue No 192, December 2008/January 2009.
15. SLDC - invitation to stakeholder seminar re strategic housing land availability assessment (SHLAA), 8th December,
16. Lancaster CCC - writes to advise that the CC are undertaking strategic housing land availability assessment,
18. SLDC - notice of register of electors for 2009,
19. Information Commissioner’s Office - advises of the Freedom of Information Act and the Council’s obligation to disclose information to the public, current publication schemes due to expire on 31st December 2008.

10447 Planning Matters:

a). It was NOTED that, under the provisions of Standing Order 25, no applications had been dealt with.
b). It was NOTED that the following applications were considered:

SL/2008/1115 - 10 Parkside Drive - single storey extension to the front and enclosure of car port to form double garage: no objections.
SL/2008/1122 - 2 Parkside Drive - single storey extension: no objections.
SL/2008/1148 - 25 Red Hills Road - two storey rear extension: no objections.
SL/2008/1119 - Spar Shop, 35 The Promenade - conversion of rear store room to dwelling: no objections.

c). It was NOTED that no decisions had been taken by the District Council since the last meeting.
10448 Action taken in accordance with Standing Order 25 (other than Planning):

It was NOTED that the following action had been taken under the provisions of Standing Order 25:

(1) Cheque no 200902 for £184.50 made payable to G Bland in respect of tractor diesel,
(2) Cheque no 200903 for £510.00 made payable to A Woodburn in respect of repairs to playing field wall and hedge cutting on Station Road.

10449 Precept for 2009/2010:

It was RESOLVED that the Precept for 2009/2010 be set at £31,943 which is a rise of 2.5%.

10450 To Discuss Access to the Foreshore:

Residents of Arnside felt that power boating was inappropriate for the village and hence a licence system was introduced in order to permit only the use of sail boats.  It was proposed and seconded that Arnside Parish Council will re-affirm its current policy and practice, will examine modes of issuing permits particularly in the case of casual visitors and will press for all appropriate ways in which to retain a boat and coastguard at Arnside - this was RESOLVED.

10451 Locations for Additional Litter and Dog Waste Bins:

This item will be held in abeyance until January 2009.

10452 Possible Solar or Wind Powered System for Village and Community Halls:

There would be many difficulties with obtaining solar and wind power for the cemetery chapel such as the building facing the wrong direction for solar, too many trees and solar panels being difficult to fit into the roof of the chapel.  The EI have looked into various sustainable features and Cllr Keefe offered to make further enquiries.

10453 Finance:

(1) The Financial Summary for November was received and approved.
(2) The following cheques were authorised and signed:

Arnside WI and Hall Committee - hire of hall for ceilidh £45.00  (904)
P Challenor - backdated salary to 1st April 2008  £109.44  (905)
J Beaumont - backdated salary to 1st April 2008  £166.52  (906) 

10454 Reports from the following committees and/or meetings:

a).  Allotments
Cllr Jones had nothing to report.

b).  Cemetery
Cllr Dutfield  reported that: (1) there had been 2 ashes internments this month and 1 burial, (2) the cemetery plan will be presented at a meeting in early 2009 and it is hoped to make the cemetery into more of a community space.

c).  Cemetery and Cemetery Chapel Advisory Working Group
Cllr Hewitt did not attend the meeting therefore there was no report.

d).  Foreshore
The Chairman reported that: (1) the lack of coastguard boat had been mentioned in Parliament, (2) the tide siren box has been damaged, (3) rubbish has been dumped on the Promenade.
e).  Highways
The Chairman had nothing further to report other than that which had previously been mentioned in County Cllr Stewart’s report.

f).  Playing Field Advisory Committee

Cllr Dutfield had nothing to report.

h).  Playground Working Committee

Cllr Dutfield reported that: (1) grants have been received from Sita and the Foundation for Sports and Arts - approx £37,000 has now been raised, (2) it is hoped that work will soon start on the wall, (3) the new plans need to go to SLDC for planning permission at the beginning of 2009, (4) Cllr Dutfield has written to VAT charities to complain regarding the VAT issue, ie, the fact that APPT are not able to claim back VAT, and may write to Tim Farron MP regarding this.

I). Fairtrade Steering Group

Cllr Dutfield had attended the Fairtrade Steering Group and reported that: (1) the Fairtrade Foundation have requested that a re-worded statement in order that Fairtrade Village status may be progressed.  It was RESOLVED that the following statement be adopted:
Arnside Parish Council supports the campaign for gaining Fairtrade status for Arnside and to raise awareness to support Fairtrade locally as a way to guarantee getting a better deal for farmers and workers in developing countries.  Arnside Parish Council resolves to support the ongoing work of the Arnside Fairtrade Steering group to promote understanding and awareness of Fairtrade in Arnside and to use products with the Fairtrade mark in Council meetings.

j). Any other Committee

Cllr Keefe had attended the AONB Joint Parishes meeting and reported that: (1) the Management Plan is out for consultation but unfortunately the Action Plan, indicting which body is responsible for what, is not at present available, (2) AONB will support the idea of a special rail link to Kendal, (3) there is support for a viaduct footway, as long as it goes somewhere.

10455 Items for Information:

The Chairman advised that the Christmas Tree on the Pier would be put up on Saturday morning.

10456 Date of the next Meeting:

It was NOTED  that the next Ordinary Meeting will be held on Monday 12th January 2009 at 7.15pm  Items for the agenda to reach the Clerk before Friday 2ndst January 2009 and reports to reach the Clerk before Monday 5th January 2009.

 
Jayne M Beaumont
Acting Clerk to the Council