Silverdale Parish Council

Monday 7th June 2021
12825. CONFIRMED minutes of an ordinary meeting of the Silverdale Parish Council held on
Monday 7th June 2021 at 7pm at The Institute, Spring Bank, Silverdale.
12826. Present:
Chairman – M.J Fletcher (Mike), Vice Chairman – J. Bennett (John), City Councillor – J Greenwell (June)
Parish Councillors – T. Bond (Terry), E. Unsworth (Liz), J. Ferguson (Jim), S. Higham (Sue)
Clerk – L.D Challenor (Denise), Deputy Clerk – K. Lambert (Katie)
12827. Apologies for Absence –– Parish Councillor A Houghton, County Councillor P Williamson
12828. Declarations of Members Interests – None
12829. Approval of the Minutes from the Previous Annual Council Meeting- The minutes of the Annual Parish
Council Meeting held online on Thursday 6th May were APPROVED by Council and passed to the Chairman for
signing.
12830. Matters arising from the Minutes of the Previous Meetings, not Covered by the Agenda;
a) 12811 h) Removal of Street Light on Lindeth Road – As yet no comments received from City Council as to
whether a replacement light is to be installed. Council to press for a response.
b) 12814 a) 2. Speeding on Red Bridge Lane – Following response from County Highways, Cllr Ferguson to
submit a comment on the Lancashire Constabulary ‘Do It Online’ webpage regarding the incidents witnessed
on the road to emphasis the dangers on this section. The link to the webpage to be published in the Parish
Jottings inviting villagers to add comments to help build the case for change.
c) 12816 NALC Survey on Installation of 5G Infrastructure – Cllr Bond completed the survey and confirmed
Councils position that as an AONB, Planning Permission would be required before any installation.
12831. Police Report – No report received.
12832. Report of Relevant Matters from County Councillor Phillippa Williamson – No report received.
12833. Report of Relevant Matters from City Councillor June Greenwell – A report was circulated to Cllrs ahead of
the meeting highlighting the changes to the City Council leadership, Cabinet membership and Committee Chairs
noting the replacement of the Conservative Group Leader, who previously was vociferously opposed to the Bay
Unitary Authority and her own appointment to the Licensing Committee. Cllr Greenwell also attended a planning
appeal for Gait Barrows Farmstead which highlighted the need for Silverdale to respond to a request from the AONB
for representatives to join the local decision-making panel for the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme. Cllr
Greenwell is currently trying to find out how this has been circulated amongst the farming community, Cllr’s AGREED
the matter needs to be followed up. Cllr Fletcher can circulate to local farmers if required.
12834. Verbal Reports from any Meetings of Relevance Attended by Members, or the Clerk, Circulated Before the
Meeting and Not Listed Elsewhere in the Agenda
a) Corner House – Cllr Bennett and Cllr Houghton attended a meeting onsite with the owner to discuss how to
maintain the safety along the existing trackway and verge to Woodwell whilst his renovations take place and
its reinstatement once complete. Cllr Bennett to formalize discussions and circulate to Cllrs.
12835. Standing Orders Suspended for Matters Raised by Members of the Public for Future Consideration – two
members of the public were in attendance and raised their concerns regarding the following issues;
a) Fervent disagreement with the Planning Application 21/00412/FUL 25 Townsfield (3/6/21).
b) Inaccurate information on the Gait Barrow signage.
c) Safety concerns over lack of strimming of grass verges.
d) Slow progress of the Lancashire City Planning Department and the difficulty in accessing planning
documents. 25
Signed:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Date:…………………………………
e) The need for a reduction of the Speed limit on Red Bridge Lane.
f) Additional bins required at the bottom of Cove Lane and one on Cove Road.
12836. Planning Matters
a) Planning Applications dealt with Under the Provisions of Standing Order 25 – None
b) Consideration of the Following Planning Applications – None
12837. Clerks Report of any Action (other than consideration of Planning Applications) Taken Under the Provisions
of Standing Order 25 – None
12838. Finance
a) For the monthly check of monies received by the Council, bank statements were circulated to Cllrs ahead of
the meeting and Cllr Ferguson has verified the following;
• £120.00 – Receipt in from Mr & Mrs Yates for the siting of two memorial benches.
• £78,545.15 – to be the balance on the Current Account on 24th May 2021.
b) The payments to the following accounts were approved and required cheques signed;
• British Gas (toilets) – £21.96 BACS
• British Gas (clock) – £19.16 BACS
• Waterplus (toilets) – £71.62 BACS
• Playdale Playgrounds (authorised minute 12815) – £376.70 (net) CHQ:022243
• Steve Lamb (website maintenance) – £150 CHQ:022244
• D Wain (contractor + extra works) – £340 CHQ:022245
• Tony Houghton (reimbursement toilet signs) – £31.46 CHQ:022246
• John Graves & Sons (hedge cutting) – £36.00 CHQ:022247
• Clarkson Electrical Solutions Ltd (toilets) – £189.00 CHQ:022248
• Mrs P Broadhurst (reimbursement bunting materials) – £45.31 CHQ:022249
• Iclean (toilets) – £251.55 CHQ:022250
• Great Oaks (contractor) – £643.20 CHQ:022251
c) It was noted that Lancaster City Council has given Public Toilet Relief of £673.65, the full amount of the
charge, therefore bringing the amount due to £0.00.
d) A new three-year, fixed price electricity contract has been agreed for the toilets and Millennium clock with
EDF Energy to run from the 4th July 2021 to 4th July 2024 paid by BACS in fixed monthly amounts.
e) The Annual Accounts for 20/21 have now been sent to the External Accountant and the period for Public
Inspection will run until 15th July 2021.
f) Cllrs AGREED to the transfer of £10,000 from the Current to the Deposit Account.
12839. Correspondence – Receipt of the following items of correspondence were noted:
a) A resident writes regarding the parking issues and requests details of risk assessments carried out. (Emailed
to Cllr’s 1/5/21) – Cllr Houghton has responded to the resident.
b) SLDC weekly update – 6/5/21, 13/5/12, 19/5/21
c) Rural Bulletin
d) A resident writes to offer to adopt a footpath as requested in April’s parish magazine and offers some
thoughts on parking. (Emailed to Cllr’s 3/5/21) – Cllr Fletcher to follow-up alongside other offers received
following the appeal.
e) Clerk & Council’s Direct publication– copy passed to Cllr Bennett.
f) Trading Standards Alerts from County Council. (Emailed 6/5/21)
g) LALC supplies details of Chairman’s Workshop. (Emailed 7/5/21)
h) An invitation to join the Great British Spring Clean 28/5 to 13/6/21 (Email 19/5/21) – out of time to join
official programme however feel the amount of work already undertaken at The Shore demonstrates the
commitment to the cause by the Parish.
i) A resident writes about the monthly strimming of Cove Lane and the harm it is doing to the wildlife. (Emailed
to Cllrs. 26/5/21) – Cllr Unsworth to respond to the resident. 26
Signed:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Date:…………………………………
j) SELRAP provides a video explaining their goals. (Emailed to Cllrs. 26/5/21)
k) An invitation to take part in the National Youth Census. (Emailed 28/5/21)
l) The Annual Reports for 2020 for the Charities Commission and for the two Archbishop Hutton charities plus
updates. (Emailed 28/5/21)
m) The Blossom Bird café asks for support for their plans to extend opening hours into the early evening and
their menu. (Emailed 1/6/21) – Cllrs AGREED in principle and await formal application. It was however
noted complaints have been raised regarding the increase in the customer waste produced from the café
filling the waste bins and littering the surrounding area. Highways have been approached by Council to
increase the size of the bin to accommodate. Cllr Bond to discuss concerns raised with the proprietor.
n) Morecambe Bay Partnership News. (Emailed 1/6/21)
12840. Playground Matters – Cllr Bennett circulated a report to Cllrs ahead of the meeting
a) Urgent Actions – On Friday 4th June, the Zip wire unit was taken out of service due to failure of the stop
spring mechanism. Replacement parts for the whole of the cable system, including stop springs are already
on order from Playdale and following a request to bring forward the fitting date, they hope to start works on
Monday 14th June.
b) Following LCC’s Quarterly inspection at the end of April, a meeting was held at the Playground on 17th May
by Cllrs Fletcher, Bennett, Ferguson, Higham, Houghton, and Unsworth to discuss the issues raised and
following actions were AGREED;
1. Entrance Gate – closing system adjusted to achieve a controlled closing time of 5 seconds and will
continue to be monitored.
2. Entrance Wall Top Stones – Damaged stones to be replaced and reinforced with a cement rim.
3. Paving at the Entrance Area – To be repointed and cleaned to remove algae/moss.
4. Wall Leading to the Bowling Club – Loose stones have been refixed.
5. Picnic Bench – a replacement bench is to be purchased and siting to be considered alongside additional
benches hoping to be provided by the Welcome Back fund from LCC.
6. Zip Wire – Alternative surfaces for the launch deck are to be considered taking into account the new
requirement for fall protection.
7. Burma Trail Posts – One post does have significant rot at the ground interface and will need to be
replaced. Due to it having support from three other posts, the rot does not pose a risk of sudden collapse.
c) Ongoing Issues;
1. Covid Information Signs – replacements have now been fitted.
2. Suspected Dead Trees (due to strimming) – have been monitored weekly for a number of months and
have not leafed this Spring. AGREED to not be at risk of collapse and have now been marked for felling in
due course.
3. Damage to Trees by Strimming – Despite repeated requests to not strim around the trees, various other
options were discussed to try and prevent further trees from having to be removed. It was AGREED the most
effective way could be to remove 70/100cm of turf from around each tree and replace with chippings. Costs
to be obtained and put forward to Council for consideration.
5. Bench Securing’s – D Wain has been instructed to replace the brackets on two benches as soon as
possible.
6. Ivy Damaged Boundary Wall along Upper Section – Ivy has now been removed. Cllr Bennett to gain further
confirmation as to the walls condition and whether further repairs are necessary. Cllr Ferguson suggested if
repairs are too costly to explore the option of closing off access as an alternative.
7. Deterioration of Wet Pour Surfacing – Various options to resolve this issue are being investigated and will
be brought to Council once obtained.
12841. Working Group Update
a) SPIDS – Formal approval from County Council has been sought to hang a new light weight SPIDS on the
existing infrastructure and is expected to be granted soon. Cllr’s AGREED to the purchase of one SPID. 27
Signed:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Date:…………………………………
b) Notice Boards – No formal proposals yet received from the Communications Group. The matter to be
pushed forward and for formal costings to be obtained once requirements received. Cllr Higham requested
for the access to the board at The Green to be made more user friendly as smaller adults / children have
difficulty reaching.
c) Emergency Plan – Cllr Fletcher to take the matter forward and arrange a meeting with Cllrs to finalise as the
plan needs to be confirmed and submitted in the coming months. Cllr Bennett to arrange the next test run.
d) Welcome Back Street Decorations – The plan is to decorate the whole village with 2km of bunting by the end
of June, an appeal has been sent out by the WI for helpers/makers, materials have been requested direct
with Lancaster City Council from the Welcome Back Fund and Cllr Fletcher has formally requested
permission from County Council to be able to hang it from the street lights.
12842. Streetscape – Strimming of Village Verges and the Protection of Flora and Fauna – County Council contract
the management of the verges out to City Council for four cuts per year. Before Covid, discussions had taken place
with Highways and a plan was put in place on when and where these would take place. AGREED this communication
needs to be re-established to ensure they are working alongside the Grassland Management Plan. Council has
already ensured the areas owned by the Parish are not cut as frequently. The national scheme is to strim the first
meter of the verges to allow the safe passage of Highways then to leave the rest to natural wildflower. Cllr Bond
raised concerns whether there has been a survey of the village trees since being notified of the presence of Ash Die
Back and request this be discussed with Highways at the same time. Cllr Unsworth requested Cllr Bennett to
summarise the points on this pertinent topic for the Parish Magazine.
12843. NALC Consultation on Rural Broadband Provision – Cllr Unsworth has now submitted the response for the
Parish guided by a short online resident’s survey. It has been noted that whilst over half the households are now
with B4RN, funding for the area is still required for the drastic improvements needed in mobile reception.
12844. Visitor Facilities – Cllr Fletcher has no further comments to add at this stage but is hoping to persuade Lucy
Barron of AONB to create separate working groups in order to move issues forward. Will report regularly on
progress. It was also noted that a list has been provided to Lancaster City Council of issues regarding visitor access in
Silverdale that could be alleviated with monies from the Welcome Back Fund.
12845. Toilets
a) £94.04 (net) Quote for Toilet Signage – the two remaining temporary signs purchased by Cllr Houghton to be
used in the interim until the bid for the Welcome Back Funding is confirmed.
b) £469.07 (net) Quote from Clarkson Electrical Solutions – the quotation needs amending slightly and for
specifications to be confirmed before final price is agreed. Possibility it could be covered by the Welcome
Back Fund.
c) Upgrades – As the Welcome Back Fund is for temporary measures only to help with the increase in visitors
as a result of restricted international travel, Cllr Bennett and Ferguson are to compile a list of works needed
to ensure the toilets are safe, secure and hygienic for the increased numbers to the village which will form
part of the bid from the Parish.
12846. Surface Water Drainage Report by Cllr Ferguson – amendments have been made to the report to include the
drain outside the school. Cllrs concerned the matter needs to be pushed firmly with City Council and will raise the
issues in the report when speaking with them regarding item 12817.
12847. Items for Information
a) Neighbourhood App Letter – Issue already raised with Neighbourhood Watch. It is an American company
using the Facebook business model whereby personal data is captured then sold to advertisers.
b) Village Clubs and Societies –Cllr Bond will be organising an event at The Institute in the Autumn to promote
all the clubs and society’s available to join in the village. 28
Signed:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Date:…………………………………
c) NT Bright Agreement Codicil – no response has yet been received from the National Trust following the
written request by Council back in April to obtain a copy of the extract where land can be used for the
community.
12848. Suggestions for Future Agenda Items –
• Chatty Benches – it has been noted that since the plaque’s have been installed the benches are not being
used.
• First Responders
• Condition of Trees Outside the Village Boundary – particularly those on New Road as whilst they are not the
responsibility of the Parish, the safety concerns with regards their condition does affect the residents.
• Network Rail – now would like to meet with the Parish to discuss safety and possible closures of further foot
crossings. Cllr Bennett to report back to Council when further information is available.
12849. Date and Time of Next Meeting – The date of the next meeting is to be Monday 5th July 2021. Items for the
agenda and copies of reports to reach the Clerk by Monday 28th June.

SILVERDALE PARISH COUNCIL

Councillors are hereby summoned, and members of the public are invited, to attend an ordinary Silverdale Parish Council Meeting on Monday 7th June 2021 at 7.00pm, at the Institute, Spring Bank, Silverdale; for the purposes of the following Agenda (N.B. please comply with Covid 19 regulations):
Agenda

1 To receive apologies for absence.

2 To receive declarations of Members’ interests relating to any items appearing on the agenda.
Insert approving & signing minutes
3 To receive information about matters arising from the Minutes of previous meetings, not covered by the Agenda.

4 To receive a report of any relevant matters from County Cllr Phillippa Williamson

5 To receive a report of any relevant matters by City Councillor June Greenwell.
Insert public participation
6 To receive verbal reports from any meetings attended by Members, or the Clerk (verbal reports are only acceptable where no decision, or action, is required).

7 Planning Matters:
(a) To note that the following Planning Application were dealt with under the provisions of Standing Order 25 (b) To consider the following Planning Applications: – None
(b) To consider the following Planning Applications:- None.

8 To receive the Clerk’s report of any action (other than consideration of Planning Applications) taken under the provisions of Standing Order 25.

9 Finance
a) To conduct the monthly check of all money received by the Council and record the balance of the current account to 24/5/21 as £78545.15. (bank statements to be inspected by a Member who is not a Bank Signatory, or more than one such Member).
• Received Mr & Mrs Yates £120 contribution for the bench siting.
Note: Lancaster City Council has given Public Toilet Relief of the full amount of charge which is £673.65 therefore bringing the amount due to £0.00

b) To authorise payment and the signing of cheques for the following accounts:
• British Gas, toilets, £21.96 bacs
• British Gas, clock, ££19.16 bacs
• Waterplus, toilets, £71.62 bacs
• Playdale Playrounds, authorised Min. 12815, £376.70 net, cheque 022243
• Steve Lamb, website maintenance, £150, cheque 022244
• D Wain, Contractor and extra works, £340, Cheque 022245
• Tony Houghton, reimbursement toilet signs, £31.46 cheque 022246
• John Graves & Sons, hedge cutting, £36, cheque 022247
• Clarkson Electrical Solutions Ltd., toilets, £189.00, cheque 022248
• Mrs P Broadhurst, reimbursement for bunting materials, £45.31 cheque 022249
• iclean, toilets, £251.55 cheque 022250
• Great Oaks, contractor, £643.20 cheque 022251

c) To record that three-year, fixed-price contracts with EDF energy has been agreed for the toilets and clock from 4/7/21 to 4/7/24. To be paid at fixed monthly amounts by bacs.

d) To note that the accounts have been sent to the External Account and the period for Public Inspection runs to 15th July 2021.

e) To authorise the transfer of funds of £10,000 from the current to the Deposit Account.

10 To consider the following items of correspondence received since the last meeting and to determine what, if any, action should be taken:
a) A resident writes regarding the parking issues and requests details of risk assessments carried out. (Emailed to Cllrs. 1/5/21)
b) SLDC weekly update 6/5/21,13/5, 19/5,
c) Rural Bulletin
d) A resident writes to offer to adopt a footpath as requested in April’s parish magazine and offers some thoughts on parking. (Emailed to Cllr.s 3/5/21)
e) Clerk & Council’s Direct
f) Trading Standards Alerts from County Council. (Emailed 6/5/21)
g) LALC supplies details of Chairman’s Workshop. (Emailed 7/5/21)
h) An invitation to join the Great British Spring Clean 28/5 to 13/6/21 (Email 19/5/21).
i) A resident writes about the monthly strimming of Cove Lane and the harm it is doing to the wildlife. (Emailed to Cllrs. 26/5/21)
j) SELRAP provides a video explaining their goals. (Emailed to Cllrs. 26/5/21)
k) An invitation to take part in the National Youth Census. (Emailed 28/5/21)
l) The Annual Reports, produced for the Charities Commission, for the two Archbishop Hutton charities (for the year 2020) and an update. (Emailed 28/5/21)
m) The Blossom Bird café asks for support for their plans to extend opening hours and their menu. (Emailed 1/6/21)
n) Morecambe Bay Partnership News. (Emailed 1/6/21)

11 Playground
• To receive a report on any urgent actions that have been taken and to consider any other issues raised in either the Lancaster CC quarterly, or Parish weekly inspections.

12 Working Parties
• Road Safety / SPID’s – To give a progress report.
• Noticeboards – To decide when these will be replaced/repaired especially the one on The Green.
• Emergency Plan – to consider the issue of the procedure; for review and comment and arrange the next test run.

13 Streetscape.
• To discuss the strimming of village verges and whether County Council Highways are protecting flora and fauna where possible.

14 To note that: The response to NALC consultation on broadband provision in rural areas was guided by a short residents’ online survey and has now been submitted by Cllr. Unsworth.

15 Visitor Facilities.
• To give an update on arrangements and consider liaising with other local bodies.
• To note that a list has been provided to Lancaster City Council of issues regarding visitor access in Silverdale that could be alleviated with funding from the Welcome Back Fund.

16 Toilets
• To consider the toilet sign quote of £94.04 net and authorize the expenditure if approved. (Emailed 21/5/21)
• To consider the quote for the electrical works maximum of £469.07 net; decide on the work and approve the expenditure. (Emailed 24/5/21)
• To further the plans to upgrade the toilets with a plan of works, estimated timescale and costs.

17 Surface water drains report (from Cllr Ferguson) – to consider how we take this forward.

18 To note any “Items for Information” (no decisions or action permitted)

19 To receive items for consideration for a future agenda.

20 To note the next Parish Council meeting is on the 5th July, 2021.

Signed:

Mrs L D (Denise) Challenor, Clerk to the Council, 01524 761824