Silverdale Parish Council

2nd March 2015
10898 Un-confirmed Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Silverdale Parish Council held in the Silverdale Institute on Monday, 2nd March 2015.
10899 Present: Chairman – T.G. (Terry) Bond, Councillors A.J. (Tony) Houghton, S.L. (Shirley) Mason, K. (Keith) Palmer, N. (Nigel) Ribbons and P.N. (Paul) Williams, the Clerk – L.D. (Denise) Challenor, the Deputy Clerk – S.D. (Sue) Hayward and 7 members of the public.
10900 Apologies for Absence: Councillors H.M.E. (Harriet) Bradfield and A. (Angela) Woods.
10901 Receipt of Declarations of Members’ Interests Relating to any Items Appearing on the Agenda
Councillor Williams expressed an interest in agenda item 12 in that he is employed, as a member of the public, to clean the public toilets and has submitted a tender for the cleaning of the toilets for the next 12 months.
10902 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on Monday, 2nd February were approved then signed by the Chairman.
10903 Receipt of Information about Matters Arising from the Minutes of Previous Meetings, not Covered by the Agenda
Councillor Houghton referred to item 10863, regarding a mobile phone base, and advised that the site to be used is still under discussion.
The Chairman referred to item 10892, regarding the management of trees and brambles in the playground, and advised that the brambles have been cut back and the sycamore saplings have been felled.
The Clerk referred to item 10893, regarding the Christmas lights, and reported that she has contacted the library about the provision of an extra socket in the courtyard.
10904 Matters Raised by Members of the Public for Future Consideration
1. The forthcoming anniversary of the closure of the footpath at Trowbarrow. The member of the public gave the Clerk a copy of his report on the history of the Trowbarrow nature reserve and footpath and requested that the Parish Council bring all interested parties together and present a case to the Lancashire County Council Footpaths and Rights of Way department for a Definitive Map Modification Order to restore the footpath to its ‘right of way’ status.
2. The ceramic panel, which is in place at the Gaskell Hall, is awaiting an information panel to go with it.
3. There is a proposal to move the post office business into the newsagents – this being the only option if the village is to retain a post office. The public is encouraged to comment online in support of the proposed move.
4. It was noted that Lancaster City Council (Lancaster CC) are considering the Woodlands Hotel as a community asset and that part of the Hotel is a private residence.
5. The lid to the dog waste bin on Spring Bank is broken so the bin fills with rainwater and the contents are sometimes blown away.
10905 Update from the Community Police Officer
There was no police representative and their report was not available.
10906 Report from County Councillor Alycia James
Councillor James was not present at the meeting and her report was not available.
10907 Reports on any Meetings Attended by Members or the Clerk
The Chairman reported that Lindy and Barbara from the post office came to see him about the plans to move the post office to the newsagents and wanted to make it clear that it was the post office hierarchy that had approached the newsagents; it is felt that the move will help the post office to survive in the village.
10908 Correspondence
Receipt of the following items of correspondence was noted and any action determined as indicated:
a) The Council are asked to contribute £150 towards the cost of advertising and printing for the Silverdale Open Gardens to be held on 16/17th May. It was noted that the proceeds from the Open Gardens will be divided between St. John’s Hospice and Silverdale Institute. RESOLVED to pay £150 towards advertising and printing costs;
b) Legal Briefing regarding the transparency code for Parish Councils with an annual turnover not exceeding £25,000. RESOLVED that the Clerk look into this as the turnover for Silverdale is close to the threshold;
c) Acknowledgement of the Woodlands Hotel being considered as a Community Asset by Lancaster CC;
d) A resident writes to make the Council aware of the shortcomings of the Silverdale Shuttle service and urges them to impress upon the new operators the need for a reliable service. It was noted that there have been issues with the current contractors;
e) Silverdale Cycle Hire provide a copy of their letter to Ashtrees medical practice about the possibility of using a small piece of their unused land for cycle stands and state that the Council support this. It was noted that the Council haven’t given their support for this location and feel that a cycle stand would be better placed outside the Gaskell Hall where it would be more visible. RESOLVED that the Chairman raise this possibility with the Gaskell Hall committee;
f) Brochure on adult exercise equipment and skateboard ramps.
10909 Planning
(1) It was noted that the following planning application had been dealt with under the provisions of Standing Order 25a, and comments made as indicated:
15/00076/FUL 7 Clevelands Avenue. Erection of a two storey side extension. NO PLANNING OBJECTIONS.
(2) The following planning applications were considered and comments made as indicated:
15/00162/FUL 5 Townsfield. Demolition of extension and conservatory and erection of a single storey rear extension. NO PLANNING OBJECTIONS;
15/00131/FUL Holly Tree Cottage, Cove Road. Demolition of existing utility and garage and erection of two storey extension with integral garage. PLANNING OBJECTIONS on the grounds that the proposed construction is not sympathetic to the properties in the immediate vicinity.

(3) It was noted that the following decision had been advised by Lancaster CC:
Tree Preservation Order no. 544 (2015) Ridgeway Park has been made.
10910 The Clerk’s report of any action (other than consideration of Planning Applications) taken under the provisions of Standing Order 25:
25a) Parish Council Property and Functions
It was noted that approval had been obtained from four Councillors to sign a Wayleaves agreement to install Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) network entering Parish Council property near Burton Well Cottage and exiting Burton Well Scroggs to cross Bottoms Lane adjacent to number one.
25b) Non-Parish Council Property and Functions
None.
10911 Public Toilets
Councillor Williams left the room whilst agenda item 12 was discussed.
a) It was noted that two tenders for the cleaning of the public toilets had been submitted: ATEM – £11,600 and Mr Paul Williams – £2,560. RESOLVED to accept Mr Williams’ tender with effect from 1st April 2015 (until 31st March 2016).
b) The tenders for the refurbishment of the toilets were considered. RESOLVED to accept Mr Mike Murphy’s tender to replace the fascia board with uPVC at £869.45 and Mr Stefan Laws’ tender for preparation and painting at £395.
c) A report on the expenditure of running the public toilets showed that there is still £1,103 remaining from Lancaster CC’s allowance for use towards the cost of the refurbishment.
10912 AONB Donation
RESOLVED to donate £700 to the AONB after receiving the report of work undertaken in the Silverdale area.
10913 Benches
Councillor Houghton reported on the condition of the benches and asked that if anyone sees a recycled plastic bench, which looks to be a suitable style for Silverdale, please would they make a note of the manufacturer’s details and notify the Parish Council.
10914 Broadband for the Rural North
Councillor Ribbons updated Members on the B4RN project – he thanked all the landowners who have given permission for Wayleaves so far, and advised that it is hoped that the network will reach Yealand village hall by Easter. He reminded Members that all of the work is done by volunteers and that once communities start to make a profit everyone benefits.
The Chairman added that he has not received the promised update from British Telecom including a reply about the number of cabinets.
10915 Finance
a) It was noted that no payments have been received since the last meeting.
b) RESOLVED to authorize payment and sign cheques for the following accounts:
Mr Paul Williams (toilet cleaning and sundries) £236.23 (030)
United Utilities (water for toilets) £73.56 (031)
Mr S. Laws (contractor) £166.25 (032)
Envirocare (contractor) £86.40 (033)
AONB (s137 donation) £700.00 (034)
c) Audit matters: it was noted that Mr John Allen will carry out the internal audit for the sum of £100; RESOLVED to amend the number of seats on the risk assessment document to 40; the effectiveness of the internal audit was reviewed and updated to relate to Mr Allen.
10915 Website
RESOLVED not to change the specification for the maintenance of the website and to invite Mr Steve Lamb to continue to maintain it when the contract is due for renewal on June 1st.
10916 War Memorial
RESOLVED to provide a means of holding the Remembrance Day wreaths in place. Further RESOLVED that the Chairman look into possibilities and to contact the War Memorials Trust for suggestions.
10917 Arnside and Silverdale Food and Drink Festival
It was noted that a request has been received for £200 towards hall hire and publicity for a food and drink festival to be held in the Gaskell Hall on 11th July. RESOLVED to pay for the hall hire (£12 an hour) on the condition that entry to the festival is free.
10918 Items for Information
1. The Chairman reported that he has received an e mail from Ms Sue Heise regarding ‘brush-up’ language sessions – she is asking that the Council pay for the hire of the Institute.
2. Councillor Mason noted that comments have been made regarding the site opposite the library which, it is felt, looks untidy.
10919 Suggestions for Future Agenda Items
1. Funding of the Silverdale Institute hall hire for language sessions. (All)
10920 Date of Next Meeting
It was noted that the date of the next meeting is Thursday, 9th April 2015. Items for the agenda and copies of reports to reach the Clerk before Monday, 30th March.

Sue D. Hayward, Deputy Clerk to the Council