Parish Council Meeting Minutes April 2019
May 17th, 2019
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on: Thursday 18th April 2019 at the YIPS Centre, Nelson Gardens
Present:
Cllr Phil James (PJ – Chair)
Cllr Martin Delaney (MD)
Cllr Alan Lingard (AL)
Clerk: Mike Ainsworth (MA)
Members of the Public:
Wyre Cllr Susan Catterall; Cllr Peter Cartridge; LCC Cllr. Matthew Salter; Dianne Hogarth; Mr. and Mrs. Dearnaley
Apologies:
Cllr Carol Berry (CB)
cc:
Parish Councillors; Joanne Porter (Wyre Council); Wyre Cllr Susan Catterall; Wyre Cllr Sue Pimbley; LCC Cllr. Matthew Salter
Meeting opened: 20:00
Meeting closed: 21:15
Agenda
1. Open Forum for the general public
2. Minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 21st March 2019
3. Matters arising from the last meeting
4. New Business:
4.1. Planning applications
4.2. Correspondence
4.3. Carrs Green
4.4. Financial matters
4.5. Wyre-in-Bloom
5. Any other business
Next meeting Scheduled for: Thursday 16th May 2019 at 8pm
Status: APPROVED
Chair: Cllr. Phil James
Date: 16th May 2019
1. Open Forum
1.1. Mr. Brian Dearnaley (BD) advised the Parish Council that his son had offered his services free of charge to clear the path of Footpath No. 15 through a willow thicket at the back end of the Common. His offer was gratefully accepted, though the Parish Clerk noted that any work would need to be carried out at his own risk unless the Parish Insurance was updated accordingly. BD also suggested that the Parish Council might be able to obtain a grant from the Lancashire Environmental Fund and that it might be worth contacting the LCC Countryside Services team.
1.2. Wyre Cllr. Sue Catterall reported that fly-tipped items appeared to have been removed from Woods Lane and Pinfold Lane. Parish Councillors advised that Woods Lane was on the boundary between Wyre Borough and Preston City and it was felt that Preston had proven much more helpful than Wyre, who refuse to remove anything more than 1 metre from the roadside.
1.3. LCC Cllr. Matthew Salter (MS) reported that LCC Highways should by now have attended the highway gullies that had been reported as blocked. Footpath maintenance was ongoing. Cllr. James asked about the water rising in Derby Crescent and MS advised that though it was unclear whether the responsibility to resolve rested with LCC or United Utilities the plan remained that the problem would be resolved ahead of next winter.
1.4. With regard to the request for LCC to fund white paint for maintenance of the Cheshire Railings MS reported that LCC intended to trial a new permanent paint product in the near future rather than continue to use traditional paints and it was agreed that in the meanwhile the Parish Council would provision additional paint if required for this years’ maintenance work.
1.5. Cllr. James also asked MS about the rationale for replacement of some existing lampposts with new LED lighting. MS promised to investigate. In addition Councillors highlighted that highways gullies in Woods Lane need to be cleared out and also that the edges to the black-top in Woods Lane require repair to prevent further damage.
2. Minutes of Last Meeting – approved as read.
3. Matters Arising
3.1. The following outstanding actions were cleared:
2.19/1 – arrange meeting on Common
3.19/1 – to supply solicitor with photographic evidence of current state of track across Carrs Green
3.19/2 – to confirm whether ménage proposal includes floodlighting
3.19/4 – to write to member of public about report of shooting on Carrs Green
3.19/5 – to order two replacement defibrillator pads
3.19/6 – to report reflective way markers at Woods Lane to LCC for repair
3.19/7 – to raise with Create Homes report that vehicles attending site had littered the road with debris
3.2. The following actions were carried forward:
2.19/3 – liaise with solicitor with regard to re-instatement of track across Carrs Green
4. New Business
4.1. Planning Applications
4.1.1. The following applications were approved by Wyre Council:
19/000082/FUL – 6 School Lane
4.1.2. The following application was referred to the Parish Council for comment:
19/00263/COUQ – Prior approval for proposed change of use of agricultural building to
form two dwelling houses under Class Q of the GDPO at Chesham Hill Farm, Pinfold Lane: no comments raised
4.2. Correspondence
MA highlighted the following correspondence to Councillors for consideration:
4.2.1. Preston City Council Planning Dept. / Track across Carrs Green
4.2.2. ‘Fly the Red Ensign for Merchant Navy Day’
4.2.3. Sigma Sports West Coast Classic cycle race – 14th July. It was agreed to publicise this event on the Parish Noticeboards and website
Action 4.19/1 – MA to publicise cycling event on Noticeboards and Website
4.2.4. LALC Spring Conference – 15th June
4.2.5. LCC Public Rights of Way Local Delivery Scheme. It was suggested that the Parish Council investigate the practicality of joining the scheme this year
Action 4.19/2 – MA to obtain details of scheme from neighbouring Parish Council and also to confirm with the Lengthsman whether he felt that he would have the scope to take on the extra work involved
4.2.6. Phone call from Open Spaces Society to remind the Parish Council that the membership premium was due from February
4.2.7. Blackpool Championship Dog Show – request to publicise locally
4.2.8. From Parish Clerk at Treales, Roseacre and Wharles with regard to litter-picking. It was agreed that a litter-picking exercise on the Common might prove a useful exercise and encouraging members of the public to see the Common as a shared responsibility.
4.3. Carrs Green – further to a site visit last week and the discussion earlier in the meeting it was agreed that the first step in development of the Common should be to open up Public Footpath No.15. It was felt that this plus the introduction of Interpretation Panels should be implemented ahead of further public consultation.
Action 4.19/3 – MA to liaise with LCC with regard to practical advice on opening up Public Footpath No.15
Action 4.19/4 – MA to liaise with Wyre Countryside Rangers with regard to content for inclusion on Interpretation Panels
4.4. Financial Matters
4.4.1. The Parish Clerk reported that as neither the income nor the expenditure of the Parish Council in the last financial year exceeded £25K the Parish Council were not required to complete Part 3 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) or submit it to the external auditors for their review. Instead the Parish Council will declare itself exempt from the requirement for external audit and complete the AGAR Part 2 documentation. This consists of a Certificate of Exemption, the Internal Auditors report, plus an Annual Governance Statement and an Accounting Statement.
4.4.2. The Parish Clerk read out the Annual Governance Statement 2018/19, which was approved by the Parish Council and signed off by the Parish Council Chair and by the Parish Clerk.
4.4.3. Payments approved at the meeting: Clerks Salary; PAYE; Clerks Expenses; Lengthsman fees; Open Spaces Society membership fee.
4.5. Wyre-in-Bloom – Cllr. Lingard reported that he had ordered 20% less flowers than previous years after planters on Preston Road had been removed by Create Homes as a result of the building works at that location. He stated that he would also be looking to order new planters at Mill Close.
5. Any Other Business
5.1. Cllr. James asked that the Parish Clerk write to the Bowling Club highlighting a number of issues with regard to the maintenance of the Pavilion and the grounds
Action 4.19/5 – MA to liaise with Bowling Club with regard to maintenance of the Pavilion and the grounds
5.2. Cllr. James also proposed that the Lengthsman be asked to turn over the soil and re-sow with grass the rough soil adjacent to the Bowling Club grounds where an allotment had been established in recent years.
Action 4.19/6 – AL to liaise with Lengthsman with regard to turning over the soil and re-sowing with grass on rough ground adjacent to the Bowling Club