Heversham
Parish Council
Minutes
of Meeting of Monday, 28th January 2002 -7.30 pm in the Athenaeum.
1. Present. R
Parker, G Handley, A Shepherd, R Messenger, A Rimmer,
Councillor Bingham,
Councillor Woof, the Clerk.
2. Apologies
for Absence. E P Johnson, G Capstick.
3. Signing
of Minutes of Meeting of 26th November 2001. Agreed and signed as a true copy.
4. Matters
Arising from the Minutes.
(a) Letter to Cumbria County Council and
South Lakeland District Council about rises in Council
Tax. A letter had been written, but in
the absence of the Chairman it was not known whether a reply
had been received.
5. Playground.
Up to 28th January 2002,
£10,657.00 has been raised or firmly promised. A Neighbourhood Forum
grant application will be considered in
February. The Group presented a range of quotations from
three manufacturers which included the
cost of equipment, installation and safety surfacing.
Council thanked the group for their work
and agreed that it would take over the installation,
beginning with a decision on which
manufacturer to use at its February meeting. It was agreed that
Martin Tyson should be asked if any of
the layouts would make mowing difficult.
Council also agreed to look into the best
method of managing the playground for the future.
6. Street
Lighting at Dallam School.
The Assistant Headmaster explained that
the School were unhappy with the roadside lighting outside
the school. Council supported the need
for more lighting, and the Assistant Headmaster agreed to
see if the County Council’s “safe routes
to school” scheme would be appropriate.
7. Parking
at Crow wood.
A resident had complained about the
difficulty of driving onto the road because of the number of
cars in the parking space. After a
wide-ranging discussion it was agreed that Council could not solve
the problem.
8. Finance.
(a)
Payments: P C Shaw (Clerk’s
Expenses - Dec 2000 to Jan 2002)
£166.84
Athenaeum (Rent) £
10.00
M
Sisson (Refurbishment of St Mary’s Well - see item 12) £285.00
(b) Grass Cutting in 2002: A quotation
had been received from Martin Tyson. It was agreed that
a quotation should also be obtained from
Cumbria Contract Services in line with Council’s Standing
Orders. Action : Clerk to obtain quotation from Cumbria Contract Services.
(c) Audit Regulations: The turnover limit
for Receipts and Payments Accounts has been raised from
£5,000 to £50,000. It is also expected
that a simpler audit regime (involving some self-certification)
will be introduced which will reduce the
cost of the audit to £30 - £50 (from around £200).
Regulations are awaited. The two Trusts
might complicate the situation for Heversham.
9. The
Rural White Paper and “Quality” Local Councils.
A meeting attended by the Clerk in
December had confirmed that there was some enthusiasm for
achieving first level “quality” status
especially from the larger parishes. There appears to be little
enthusiasm for Parish Plans, which
involve considerable work.
Council agreed that it should defer a
decision on any sort of “quality” status until the possible
benefits were clearer.
10. The
Standards Board for England.
A booklet explaining the Model Code of
Conduct had been circulated to Councillors. Council agreed
to accept the Model Code of Conduct
without alteration. A list of Councillors has been requested by
SLDC. A register of interests will have
to be set up and Councillors will have to sign a new
declaration of Acceptance of Office.
Page 2
11. The
Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
It
was agreed that commemorative mugs should be purchased using Leasgill Quarry
Fund income for
2001/02.
Action
: Vice-Chairman to obtain agreement from Milnthorpe Parish Council that income
can
be
earmarked. Clerk to establish the number of children in the Parish and those
attending the
primary
school from outside the Parish.
12. St
Mary’s Well.
Refurbishment
work is now complete apart from fitting a more powerful pump. Council agreed to
cover the cost (£285) in excess of the grant
already agreed from the Leasgill Quarry (£300).
A slightly shorter wording for a plaque
has been agreed with Councillor Bingham.
13. Planning.
(a)
New Applications.
(i) Delville, Woodhouse Lane - application
to alter, extend and build garage supported.
(ii) Panararmer - application to convert
business unit to show room supported.
(iii) Tower View, Woodhouse Lane -
application to build a conservatory supported.
(this
application has now been given approval by SLDC)
(b)
Applications considered previously.
(i) College Green - application for two
extra seasonal caravans approved by SLDC.
14. Preparation
for Parish Meeting.
The
Athenaeum has been booked for Monday 25th March 2002. It was agreed
that :-
(i) Mr Jack Jones, Treasurer of South
Lakeland District Council should be invited to speak
Action
: Clerk to invite Mr Jones.
(ii) there should be an explanation of the final form of the
playground refurbishment, plus
an explanation of the possibilities for
future management.
15 Correspondence
(a) CALC: December/January
Newsletter - noted.
Invitation
to the 2000 Landscapes Conference on 9th February 2002 - noted.
SLDC District Committee
Meeting on 1st February 2002 - noted.
Training
and Seminar Schedule - noted
(b) SLDC: Register
of Electors for 2002 - copies requested by 2 Councillors.
Concessionary
Fares Scheme 2002/03 - changes noted.
Parish
Clerks Newsletter December 2001 - noted.
Minutes
of the Council, Cabinet, Committees and Sub-Committees - noted that Clerk
is receiving copies
from meetings taking place after 12th November 2001.
(c) Cumbria County Council: Winter
2001/02 Newsletter - noted.
(d) Clark Scott Harden: Able to print maps from Ordinance
Survey data - noted.
(e) Removal of streetlight from St Peter’s
Church - Correspondence between SLDC and Secretary to
Parochial Church Council noted.
(f) Charity Commission: November 2001 News - noted.
16. Any
Other Business. None.
17. Next
Meeting. 25th
February 2002.