Silverdale Parish Council

4th April 2011

9609 Un-confirmed Minutes of an Ordinary Meeting of the Silverdale Parish Council held in the Silverdale Institute on Monday, 4th April 2011.

9610 Present:  Chairman  –  Councillor T.G. (Terry) Bond, Councillors A.J. (Tony) Houghton, S.L. (Shirley) Mason, A. (Anne) McNaughton, J.S. (John) Taylor and P.N. (Paul) Williams, the Clerk  –  L.D. (Denise) Challenor, the Deputy Clerk  –  S.D. (Sue) Hayward, County and District Councillor S.M. (Sarah) Fishwick, ECSO 7301 Gerald Hurtley and 6 members of the public.

9611 Apologies for Absence:  Councillors A.W. (Arthur) Graves and E. (Eve) Holden and PC 2866 Tony Marsh.

9612 Receipt of Declarations of Members’ Interests Relating to any Items Appearing on the Agenda
 Councillor Williams expressed an interest in agenda items 13 and 17 in that (as a member of the public) he has submitted a tender to clean the toilets in 2011/12 and was employed to clean the toilets in 2010/11.

9613 Minutes of the Previous Meetings
 It was noted that on the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on Monday, 7th March  item 9581 (4) should read “…bus service from Silverdale to Kendal…” and that item 9592 should read “…given that registration is not straightforward as the Council has no deeds for any of the watering places or quarries.” The Minutes were duly amended, approved then signed by the Chairman.

9614 Receipt of Information about Matters Arising from the Minutes of Previous Meetings, not Covered by the Agenda
 The Clerk referred to: (1)  item 9579, regarding the children’s playground, and advised that she received a phone call about signage and asked the caller to put their comments in writing for discussion on the Agenda, (2)  item 9586, regarding the tender for grass cutting, and reported that Envirocare have confirmed their tender price of £300, (3)  item 9591, regarding Silverdale library, and advised that she has written to Ms Julie Bell, Adult and Community Services Directorate, Lancashire County Council (Lancs. CC) and that she will send a copy of the letter to Members for information. It was noted that there is to be a meeting in the library on 5th April which Councillors Mason and Williams (if available) and County and District Councillor Fishwick will attend.

 Councillor Taylor referred to item 9581 (4), regarding cuts to the funding of the bus service from Silverdale to Kendal, and advised that the cuts take effect from 30th April and that Kirkby Lonsdale Coaches are considering operating a service.

9615 Matters Raised by Members of the Public for Future Consideration
 A member of the public spoke regarding the dangers dogs can cause during the lambing season and of problems with dog fouling.

 The Headteacher of Silverdale School spoke about ways in which the children can have some input into the local community e.g. by helping to promote a safe and healthy environment and suggested that one way of having such input might be through the Parish Council.

9616 Update from the Community Police Officer
 ECSO Hurtley reported that: (1)  the police take incidents of sheep worrying very seriously  and will prosecute if necessary; he advised that dogs should be kept under close control (ideally on a lead) when in a farmer’s field, (2)  last Friday alcohol had been taken from a number of young people, the parents of whom will be contacted, (3)  some scrap metal has been stolen from the Woodlands Hotel – there has been a speight of crime involving the theft of scarp metal and diesel oil recently and the public is asked to report any suspicious vehicles, (4)  a house on Stankelt Road has been ‘paint-balled’, (5)  2 plant tubs have been stolen from a house near The Shore, (6)  a bike has been stolen from a house on Lindeth Close.

 It was noted that there had been an incident of camping on The Shore at the weekend and that the Chairman would be meeting with the police, the RSPB and the National Trust to discuss ways of dealing with this issue.

 RESOLVED that the police continue with the same PACT priorities including regular foot patrols of the children’s playground.

9617 Report from County and District Councillor Sarah Fishwick
  County and District Councillor Fishwick reported that: (1)  all the telephone boxes she had   tried using in the village recently were found to be out of order; it was noted, however, that   there had been a power cut. Any phone boxes that are out of order will be reported, (2)  she   has given Highways a list of roads on which there are bad pot-holes, (3)  she will not be   standing for re-election as City Councillor in May.

 9618 Reports on any Meetings Attended by Members, or the Clerk
 1.  AONB Executive Committee
 Councillor Taylor had attended a meeting at which he had been advised that the AONB budget had been cut slightly and that some provision has been made in the budget to contribute towards the funding of a cycleway/footpath on the viaduct should this proposal go ahead.
 2.  Slackwood Farm
 The Chairman reported that 2 more planning applications have been made for Slackwood Farm which should appear before this Council shortly.

9619 Correspondence
 Receipt of the following items of correspondence was noted and any action determined as indicated:
 a)  LALC Minutes of the 224th meeting.
 b)  FLAG Newsletter, No 79.
 c)  Lancs. CC write about their wish to delegate services on highway verge maintenance and public rights of way.
 d)  Glasdon Direct 2011.
 e)  Your District Council Matters publication, issue 23.
 f)  LCR publication, Spring 2011.

9620 Planning
 (1)  It was noted that the following planning applications were dealt with under the provisions of Standing Order 25a and comments made as indicated:
 11/00171/OUT  38 Lindeth Road.  Outline application for the erection of a 2 storey dwelling on land adjacent.  PLANNING OBJECTIONS on the ground that it is back-land development and a query about whether the sewerage disposal is adequate.
 11/00200/FUL  13 Birch Drive.  Erection of a single storey extension to the side.  NO PLANNING OBJECTIONS as long as it is not considered too close to the neighbours.
 (2)  It was noted that no decisions had been advised by Lancaster City Council (Lancaster CC).

9621 Urgent Action Taken in Accordance with Standing Order 25 (other than Planning)
 25(a)  Parish Council Property and Functions
 None.
 25(b)  Non-Parish Council Property and Functions
 None.

9622 Parish Contractor/ Playground Maintenance
 1.  It was noted that the Clerk had written to the newly appointed contractor for the maintenance of the playground, Mr Michael Knight, and advised of the importance of keeping a record of the weekly playground inspection and report back any problems which he is not able to resolve; the record is to be e mailed monthly to the Clerk.  RESOLVED that the Clerk reiterate that the inspections must take place weekly and urgent matters, that the Contractor is unable to deal with straightaway, be brought to the immediate attention of the Clerk.
 2.  RESOLVED that the Clerk ask Mr Knight, in his capacity of Parish and playground Contractor, to list the work he carries out each month.
 3.  RESOLVED that any work requiring additional expenditure be checked by a Member, or the Clerk, before payment is made.
 4.  It was noted that the Clerk has issued Mr Knight with a list of seats owned by the Council.  RESOLVED that the Clerk ask Mr Holgate to update the list to show which benches require oiling (rather than painting or varnishing) and which are made of plastic and to give the approximate date when each bench was last painted etc.
 5.  RESOLVED that the Clerk remind Mr Paul Holgate that weekly inspections of the playground must be carried out until his contract finishes with the Council on 17th May 2011; further RESOLVED that Mr Holgate provide the Clerk with a copy of the inspections for the period 1st March – 17th May.

9623 Tender for Toilet Cleaning
 Councillor Williams left the meeting whilst agenda item 13 was discussed.

 It was noted that 2 tenders had been submitted for the cleaning of the public toilets (from 1st April) as follows: Mr Alston – £5,200 and Mr Williams – £2,100.  RESOLVED to accept Mr Williams’ tender.

9624 Bay Search and Rescue 
 RESOLVED to make a donation of £200 to Bay Search and Rescue in recognition of  their excellent work as described at the Annual Parish Meeting.

9625 Website
 RESOLVED to invite Mr Steve Lamb to continue to maintain this Council’s website for a further 12 months (from 1st June 2011).

9626 Finance
 (a)  Councillor Taylor conducted the monthly check of all money received by the Council and found the records to be satisfactory. It was noted that there had been the following receipts: 1.  £956.60 – BACS payment from Lancaster CC for electrical works to the public toilets; it was noted that this is a duplicate payment and the Clerk is arranging its repayment, 2.  £155 – BACS payment from Lancaster CC for the additional costs for electrical works to the public toilets.
 (b)  RESOLVED to authorise the change of title for the Parish Council’s bank account from “Silverdale Parish Council Silverdale Children’s Playground” to “Silverdale Parish Council” in accordance with the Internal Auditor’s recommendation. A letter requesting the change requires 2 signatures and this was duly signed by the Chairman and Councillor Houghton.
 (c)  RESOLVED to authorise payments and sign cheques for the following accounts:
 Mr A. Bodenham (toilet cleaning supplies)          £28.12  (600480)
 Mr Paul Williams (toilet cleaning & sundries)       £179.55  (600484)
 Mrs Sue Hayward (expenses £109.86 and salary £480)      £589.86  (600485)
 Mrs Denise Challenor (expenses £105.60 and salary £1152)     £1257.60  (600486)
 Mr Arthur Holgate and Son Ltd (Parish Contractor work for the last quarter of 2009/10)
            £1198.50  (600487)
 LALC & NALC (combined annual subscription)       £260.53  (600491)
 FLAG (membership)             £10.00  (600492)
 Gaskell Memorial Hall (Annual Parish Meeting)         £18.00  (600493)
 C. Bantleman, (Newclear drains, toilet blockage)       £144.00  (600494)
 Npower Limited (electricity to toilets)        £132.03  (600495)
 Phs Group (toilet hygiene bins to 25/5/11)          £25.22  (600496)
 Mr James Langhorn (works to public toilets)     £2124.25  (600497)
 Mr Paul Williams (shelving for public toilets)         £35.00  (600498)
 Bay Search and Rescue (donation)         £200.00  (600499)
 
 RESOLVED to:
 1.  defer the authorisation of the payment to Mr Paul Holgate for replacement trees to the War Memorial Gardens (£2,160) pending clarification of the bill by Mr Paul Holgate (it was noted that it had been understood that the trees were to be provided at a discounted price),
 2.  defer payment to Mr Arthur Holgate and Son Ltd for Parish Contractor work for the period 18/5/10-28/2/11 (£3,373.20, cheque 600488) pending receipt of a copy of the weekly inspections of the playground to date,
 3.  defer the payment to Mr Arthur Holgate &Son Ltd for the repair of the bus shelter (£120, cheque 600490) pending the work being checked by Councillor McNaughton.
 
 RESOLVED that the Clerk provide information on all expenses incurred for the public toilets from 1st April 2010 to date at the next meeting of this Council.

 It was noted that the Clerk is getting prices from other contractors who supply hygiene bins in order that their prices can be compared with those of the Phs Group.
 
 (d)  The Clerk explained that whilst the Internal Audit Committee had reviewed the risk assessment in October she had been advised by LALC that the Council must consider the Assets Register, risk assessment and insurance cover (provided by Aon) before renewal. The assets must now be recorded at original purchase price where possible. It was noted that the number of seats insured needs to be increased to 43. The Clerk has written to Aon to enquire about cover for the bicentenary events but has not had a response as yet.

9627 Public Toilets
 (a)  Members noted that Maxigiene had quoted a price of £200 for a Legionella risk assessment and monitoring programme.  RESOLVED that the Clerk check the need for the assessment and monitoring to be done with Lancaster CC. If it is established that the work must be carried out Members RESOLVED that the Clerk obtain more quotes; it was noted that NALC might be able to suggest contractors who could be contacted.
 (b)  Councillor Houghton reported on a meeting with Newclear drains on 9th March when about 100 metres of drains around the area of the public toilets were unblocked. Two main problems had been found: a dip in the pipe at one point and a cracked area/collapsed drain at another – both problem areas are where there are tree roots. Much of the problem appears to be within the curtilage of the British Telecom (BT) exchange.  RESOLVED that the Chairman and Clerk liaise regarding writing to Lancaster CC with a view to setting up a meeting with BT, local residents, other users of the drains and Lancaster CC to discuss the problem.  RESOLVED to monitor the effectiveness of the flush from the newly fitted public toilets.

9628 Items for Information
 1.  Councillor Houghton reported that: (a)  one of the chevron signs at Pool Bridge has been taken down, (b)  he felt it would be useful for the correspondence file to be circulated to Members after every meeting.
 2.  Councillor Williams advised that a number of notices saying ‘no cold-calling’ have appeared in the village.
 3.  Councillor Mason reported that: (a)  a resident has expressed concern about the brightness of the light outside the public toilets which shines into their property and is found to be disturbing, (b)  the reeds at Pool Bridge have become overgrown and are affecting visibility for road users.
 4.  Councillor McNaughton advised that 2 wooden buildings have been erected on land behind the bus shelter on Park Road.
 5.  The Chairman pointed out that this would be the last meeting of the current Council and thanked all Members for their work during their term of office. 

9629 Suggestions for Future Agenda Items
 1.  Review of the expenditure to the public toilets.  (All)
 2.  Representation at the monthly meetings between Ridgway Park School and the police.  (Councillor McNaughton)
 3.  The process for members of the public submitting their application to stand as a Parish Councillor.  (All)
 4.  The co-option of new members from time to time to take part in discussions.  (Suggested at the October 2010 meeting.)
 5.  Green grants.  (Suggested at the August 2010 meeting.)
 6.  War Memorial improvement works.  (Suggested at the August 2010 meeting.)
 

9630 Date of the Next Meeting
 It was noted that the date of the next meeting is Monday, 9th May 2011. Items for the agenda and copies of reports to reach the Clerk before Monday, 30th April. 

 
 Sue D. Hayward
 Deputy Clerk to the Council