Meeting February Agenda

LOWCA PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the parish council meeting held on Wednesday 15^th February 2023 at Lowca Village Hall.

For a point of public note, the meeting was held in the old social club bar area and this will be the normal venue unless entertaining a large public attendance.

The chair declared the meeting open at 7.30pm.

Present: Cllrs Mercia Oliver (chair), S Southwell, D Wrench, S McNee, Mrs R Barwise

K Thinnesen.

Copeland Borough and Cumbria County Councillors: D Banks (CBC)

Apologises. Cllrs Carley Egan, H Thinnesen and Mrs G Troughton, Shadow Cumberland Councillor.

Clerk: Mike Milner.

Members of the public, one present, Lowca school headmistress.

90.00 Apologies for Absence. As noted above.

91.00 Declaration of interest. None

92.00 To approve and accept the minutes of the last meeting held on Wednesday 18^th January 2023, as a true record.

92.01 minutes approved as true record, and duly signed by chair.

93.00 Public Participation.

93.01 Headmistress wanted to book the large hall for the 15^th March, for year 5 and 6 event. She explained the content. However, it being a Wednesday afternoon, that is when the hall has a prior booking. Headmistress to discuss an alternative date with Cllr S S by email.

94.00 Police Matters.

94.01 Clerk had circulated the e-newsletters issued by Cumbria Police.

95.00 Matters concerning District and County Councillors.

95.01 Clerk had received apologises earlier that evening from Cllr G T and would make her comments at the appropriate time in A595 report. Cllr D B had received contact from a resident about the pot holed track that eventually runs through the rail tunnel on to Lowca beach by the footbridge between Lowca and Parton. Copeland BC had repaired the pot holes, craters, much to the resident’s satisfaction. Cllr D B did say there were large drainage channels to allow for drainage of the old mine slag heaps.

95A.00 Applications for development. None.

96.00 Latest A595 report, response by agencies to issues raised with Cumbria Highways.

96.01 clerk had circulated to councillors the email he had sent to Cumbria Highways. He had received an email advising who the local engineer for CCC was and awaited a response.   

Page 307 (1 of 4) signed chairman…………………………………………………….15^th March 2023.

96.02 Cllrs advised that the National Highways team, every Friday, were holding a drop-in session during the morning at Parton Village Hall. Clerk to enquire about the team doing similar in Lowca on Friday evening and then promoting it on Lowca community page.

96.03 Cllr R B advised that the church had elected a liaison officer to liaise with the National Highways team, ensuring services and events at the church during the road closure periods ran smoothly. Chair Cllr M O raised the problem of the main site entrance at the start of the road up to Lower Moresby from the Distington traffic island. Clerk asked for pictures and then he could get appropriate action taken. Health and safety were very much promoted at the site entrance, but on the immediate area outside, the safety off the public was seemingly not as important.

96.04 the issue of pot holes by the church were raised and a plank of wood that appeared to have been left by workers, once the temporary lights by the church were removed. Clerk will raise that with Highways.

97.00 Millennium Garden and Platinum Garden updates.

97.01 Cllr R B briefly updated on the work they are doing in this dormant time of the year. There as some grass strimming and litter picking in the area. Could the clerk chase the Lowca signage; long promised. It was planned to start the task of slowly removing the ivy from the wall’s castellations. A discussion about disposal of the ivy followed and various Cllrs volunteered to put it in their brown bins.

97.02 clerk to contact Copeland about the outstanding work on the shrubs in the Millennium Garden being pruned.

98.00 Lowca Village Hall Committee update.

98.01 Cllr S S advised that after the recent AGM there was a new chair and all the officers posts were correctly appointed. The committee had authorised a professional electrical survey, all completed and building was fully compliant with legislation for a public building. It was noted that the exterior of the build now had sensor lighting activated by movement so pedestrian movement around the building exterior was now much safer.

98.02 it was noted that the heating in the room the meeting was in, appeared not to be working. A gas boiler and heating inspection was necessary. Clerk would contact an appropriately approved company in Workington and organise they make an appointment with Cllr S S.

98.03 Cllr S S advised that there was already additional use of the hall being booked and that the committee proposed to produce a double sided A4 flyer, which they hoped to circulate with the next Lowca Lowdown. Clerk suggested to the Cllrs that as the council was the Custodian Trustee, perhaps they should get the flyer professional printed for circulation with the next Lowdown. Cllr S S proposed that idea, which was seconded by Cllr S M and unanimously approved by the councillors.

99.00 Update HSBC bank account authorisation signatures.

99.01 clerk advised that he had needed to replace the HSBC pin security machine, a dead battery, but that necessitated the need to ring HSBC once in his possession. During that call he had two security questions, passed the first and failed the second.

99.02 He had download the necessary form and got it signed by himself and 2 signatories from 2017, the last time a cheque had been signed. He was waiting to see if that action would resolve his locked and unusable banking facility.

Page 308 (2 of 4) signed chairman…………………………………………………….15^th March 2023.

99.03 He advised that the parish council should provide 4 new signatories and the councillors agreed that the new signatories would be Cllrs Mercia Oliver, Stephen Southwell, Stuart McNee and Ruth Barwise. Clerk to organise the forms and if the account remained blocked, he may well be visiting councillors before the next meeting to get the authorisation actioned.

100.00 Easter edition of the Lowca Lowdown. 

100.01 The Lowdown to carry an update on the A595 road works. The headmistress to supply an A4 page of school news. There would be the usual contribution from the church. The clerk would have no shortage of material, wild flower meadow and new location for parish council meeting.

101.00 Progress reports, clerk.

101.01 clerk had received a report from both a councillor and also a member of the public about the state of a public path on Lowca Lower Brow. Images had been supplied, the track had been badly churned up, a major issue for users. Clerk had forwarded to Copeland Open Spaces team for their attention, as Copeland land.

101.02 following receipt of the Copeland grass cutting contract clerk had now request a 50% payment of £50.85 towards the pathway maintenance from Parton parish council, as agreed, for the path between St Bridget’s and A595. Other issues covered by agenda items.

102.00 Councillor reports.

102.01 Cllr D W will make the necessary arrangements with Copeland for collecting sticks and bags and then promote a litter pick on the village social media page.

102.02 Cllr K T advised she was actively filling in and submitting funding requests for the play area. As the clerk pointed out the Millennium Garden equipment could be updated with a cheaper item, to maintain the requirement of a piece of equipment for local children’s use.

102.03 Cllr R B again pointed out that the school sign going up the hill towards the school has still not been repaired. Clerk to chase. There was also a light on the Millennium Garden pathway not working, so could clerk get that repaired. Also, the light No 37 on East Road by the old warehouse had again stopped functioning. Clerk to report.

102.04 Chair Cllr M O reported there was an issue with a dog fouling the pathway up behind the new houses at the bottom of West Croft Terrace. The clerk was advised of the location of the dog and he would raise the issue with the dog warden.

102.05 All Cllrs were concerned about the damaged, it was broken, that occurred to one of the end glazing panels in the East Road bus shelter. The clerk to obtain a repair cost and the issue to be included in the next Lowca Lowdown.

102.06 Could clerk please chase Highways about the long promised wild deer signage for the road between the A595 to Parton junction with Foundry Road.

103.00 Correspondence.

103.01 Copeland had provided the latest contract for the 2023 season, its total value was £791.02 ex Vat. The question was asked how did that come to the odd 2 pence. Clerk duly ran through all the elements involved and the councillors approved its acceptance.

103.02 all other relevant information documents had been circulated to councillors.

Page 309 (3 of 4) signed chairman…………………………………………………….15^th March 2023.

104.00 Payments for approval

IntPay 265 M Milner, clerk, £236.44, salary £211.24, expenses £25.20

IntPay 266 HMRC clerk’s PAYE £33.20p.

Bank charges from HSBC for February £5.00.

All approved.

105.00 Date and time of next meeting Wednesday 15^th March 2023, 7.30pm in Lowca Village Hall, in the old club room bar.

Meeting closed 8.35pm.

Page 310 (4 of 4) signed chairman…………………………………………………….15^th March 2023.

Text content to come.