LOTHERSDALE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of a Council Meeting on July 8, 2004, at 7.30pm in the Club House
Present: Cllr Mike Gover (chairman)
Cllr Michael Binns (vice-chairman)
Cllr Andrew Wheatstone
Cllr Helen Marshall
Cllr Malcolm Willetts
Cllr Pat Fairbank
Cllr Mark Wheeler
Parish Clerk Stephen Cohen
Declarations of interest: Cllrs Willetts and Marshall declared their interests in Lothersdale Community Primary School.
1 To receive and accept apologies for absence. No apologies were received.
2 To approve the minutes of the meeting held on June 10, 2004. The minutes were agreed as a correct record.
3 Guest speaker: Steve Baren, NY Fire and Rescue Service. Mr Baren recommended that the council should purchase fire extinguishers for the community; it would take the fire service a minimum of 13 – 18 minutes to reach the village and then the house or farm had to be located. He requested that building names should be prominently located at the roadside. The council agreed to distribute leaflets offering smoke alarms.
4 Questions from the floor. There were no questions.
5 Clerk’s report (attached). The report was received.
6 Correspondence received/items for circulation
1 Craven District Council: Recycling and waste services guide/Parish Clerks’ Forum/Election results/Invitation to broadband information event July 5 Settle
2 NYCC: Local Government Review summary/Invitation to community conference September 17/Craven Area Committee agenda July 8, Skipton, newsletter/Action for Sustainability newsletter
3 NYPA: Newsletter
4 Y&NYPFA: AGM invitation and minutes (Glusburn)
5 Primary Care Trust: Newsletter
6 Countryside Agency: Conclusive map of registered common land www.countryside.gov.uk/access/mapping
7 Clerks and Councils Direct magazine
8 Local Council Review magazine
7 Reports from County and District Councillors. Cllr Fairbanks said the village was being considered for blue waste paper bag collection. She offered to find out where the dog-waste bins had gone. A new recycling scheme was being considered which would collect tins, paper and glass in one bin.
Cllr Wheeler said the district council has expressed concern at the removal of the chiropody service from Crosshills Medical Centre to Skipton Hospital.
8 Finance
Approval was given to:
Payments:
S.P. Cohen £147.56 + £42.22 expenses
Nest Egg Financial Services £20.00 internal audit fee
NYCC £79.11 Clean, inspect and change 3 lamps
JC Cowgill £187.09 May maintenance, wheelbarrow
JC Cowgill £179.78
Receipts:
Interest £38.92
Balances:
Treasurer £268.36
Money Manager £7915.56
It was agreed to move the balance of the council’s deposit account to Standard Life Savings Account.
It was noted that the Clerk’s salary would increase by 17.5 pence per hour (annual spinal point rise).
9 Planning
Applications received: None
Applications approved: None
10 Parish Plan. Cllr Wheatstone said the results and conclusions of the Parish survey would be known in the autumn.
11 Marquee: It was agreed to charge £50 for a private function within the parish and £100 outside; £25 for a charity function outside the parish and no charge within. In all cases, a £100 returnable deposit would be required.
12 Boundary Committee Proposals: It was agreed to make no response.
13 Speeding survey: Although there had been little change in the average speed of cars through the village, it was agreed to request the removal of centre white lines in the road. This would have the effect of slowing traffic down. The Clerk was also requested to find out what had happened to the speed warning sign.
14 Parish Magazine: It was agreed to consider funding the magazine for one month if the whole village received a copy. The PCC was requested to come back with financial details and also recommended to contact Craven District Council for a grant.
15 Risk Assessments: It was agreed to begin the process of establishing a risk assessment survey. Councillors were requested to consider the hazards in the recreation ground, public seating, street lighting, war memorial and notice boards.
16 Recreation ground: A proposal from the WI for tree planting was welcomed. More information was requested on the type and suggested position/Permission was granted for the school to use the field for sports day/A request for purchase of a hedge trimmer for £99 plus delivery charges was agreed with the proviso that the machine was never used as a chain saw/It was agreed to strim the Pennine Way bench site and for Cllrs Binns to obtain gravel to level the area/It was agreed to set up an advisory committee to oversee the recreation ground. Cllrs Marshall and Willets would be members with 5 other co-opted individuals representative of a wide age range/It was suggested that grass cuttings should be disposed of on the banks of the beck/It was agreed to postpone the installation of signs pointing out the facilities available to visitors/the construction of a barbeque would be placed on the agenda for the recreation ground committee/Cllr Willetts said he had carried out a visual check of the playground equipment and found 3 missing plastic caps which would be replaced. The rubber swing seats were splitting but did not need replacement.
17 War Memorial: The selection of gravel was postponed.
18 Millennium Book: A proposal for ownership of copyright and financial support would be considered at a future meeting after seeing a draft copy of the book. It was suggested that CDC should be contacted for financial support.
19 Minor items for information. It was agreed to contact Mr Burnal Smith expressing concern at the danger posed by hedges overhanging the footpath near the Fold and asking him to trim the hedge by the end of July, after which the council would engage a contractor and invoice him.
Next meetings: September 9 and October 14 at 7.30 pm