Meeting March Agenda

LOWCA PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the annual parish meeting held on Wednesday 15^th March 2023 at Lowca Village Hall. Immediately followed by the March Parish Council meeting minutes.

The chair Cllr M O declared the annual parish meeting open at 7.30pm and by protocol acted as chairman.

Apologies were received from Cllrs K Thinnesen and Cllr H Thinnesen.

The parish council chair, Cllr M O, presented her annual report on the activities that the parish council had undertaken in the past year. Covid restrictions having been lifted and more activities had been allowed. Advances had been made with the Platinum Garden and its wild flower meadow. The Millennium Garden area had been tidied up and was to be the topic of one the later parish council agenda items. The chair had achieved recently a very speedy repair to pot holes outside St Bridget’s church, the work undertaken in the evening, minimal traffic disruption. Fund raising by Cllr K T for play equipment continued. Parish Council had been instrumental in finally getting the National Highways to attend a parish council meeting in February. 57 members of the public attended and N H have organised another meeting for 29^th March in Lowca village hall. A very successful year and plenty of projects in the pipeline for the coming 12 months.

There were no other comments about the past year from other local groups therefore the chair declared the meeting closed at 7.40pm

Parish council meeting opened at 7.41pm.

Present: Cllrs Miss M Oliver(chair), S Southwell, Mrs R Barwise, S McNee, C Egan, D Wrench.

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

Clerk: Mike Milner

Members of the public, 2.

106.00 Apologises for Absence. Cllrs K Thinnesen, H Thinnesen.

107.00 Declaration of interest. None

108.00 To approve and accept the minutes of the last meeting held on Wednesday 15^th February 2023, as a true record.

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

The chair then brought agenda item 8 to the top of the items to be dealt with.

109.00 Resolve to support 3 community projects within Lowca, including assist with skip hire charge for a clearance within the Lowca community Hall. Cllr Mercia Oliver to explain the projects in detail. The work will use Community Pay Back members.

109.01 Chair started by introducing Mark Bell, Placement Co-Ordinator, Community Payback Scheme. Chair explained that she had been in lengthy discussions with Mark and members of the Lowca Village Hall Committee and parish councillors. The proposals for the scheme were broken down into 3 phases.

Page 311 (1 of 4) signed chairman……………….………………………………………….19^th April 2023.

109.02 Phase one involved the Millennium Garden, paint benches black, weed the paths, cut back hedges and brambles. Remove old fencing. Paint mining features, take down the existing old swings, leave the frame, for replacement swings. Clear the rubble from the sides and the back of the village hall.

109.03 That would obviously involve the use of a skip. It was agreed that skip hire charges would be split between the parish council and the village hall committee. The skip would be delivered on a specific morning and removed the same afternoon. It would also be used for the removal of old fencing and the such like.

109.04 The second phase of works would consist of the bus shelter, repainting the seating. Painting of the benches on the way down to the beach. General weeding and strimming of area around the benches. Also, litter pick the area and possibly a border for shrubs and flowers.

109.05 The third phase would involve the rugby club with a litter pick up the driveway, cleaning the fencing around the itch, spectator areas. Strim the driveway after the litter pick. Painting of the tuck shop container. There was a discussion about painting the war memorial railings, however the clerk pointed out that the fence had been professionally galvanized Cllr H T had taken the fencing to the galvanizers and that meant no immediate need to paint that fence.

109.06 There was a discussion about materials and equipment. Mark Bell advised that the Pay Back team brought all their own strimmer’s and general work equipment. However, all the paint and brushes and such consumables would have to be provided by the parish council. He pointed out that the parish council should be approaching the larger retail outlets, who do have local pot of funding for involvement with such community projects. The need for Hammrite paint and such items, a shopping list should be created and then a representative of the parish council approach the retailers.

109.07 Mark Bell confirmed the village hall would be an excellent base for the team members involved. There was a toilet facility, a kitchen and those on the team would only be low to medium risk individuals and all the supervisors were experienced individuals in the Pay Back scheme.

109.08 Clerk asked councillors to agree a figure that the parish council were prepared to commit at this stage. Skip hire was £200 plus per day drop and collect dependent on size. It was resolved to commit an initial sum of £1000 to the project. Mark Bell confirmed that as soon as the clerk provided an official works schedule, he could programme the work. Clerk would provide the schedule within the next few days. Chair thanked Mark for his attendance at the meeting and he departed at 8.12pm.

110.00 Public Participation.  No contribution from those present.

111.00 Police Matters.

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

112.00 Matters concerning District and County Councillors.

112.00 It was Cllr D B last visit to Lowca, as from the 1^st April It all becomes one unitary council, Cumberland and county and Copeland Borough cease to exist. He advised on the latest action by a resident who was keen to get Copeland to remove 2 large mounds of earth on the track down to Parton beach, opposite the water treatment plant. Chair thanked him for his contributions since he represented Lowca at Copeland Borough Council. She invited him to remain and he did so.

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113.00 Applications for development. None.

114.00 Latest A595 report.

114.01 clerk read sections of 2 emails he had received about the viaduct repair. He was still chasing the responsible teams for the getting the road junction widened, Highways would not consider creating the requested pathway adjacent to the carriageway from St Bridget’s as the landowner would not provide a 25-year lease.

114.02 National Highways team have booked the Lowca village hall for a 7.30pm meeting on Wednesday 29^th March. Notices are on the building about the arrangement, there is one in the parish noticeboard, plus it was on the Lowca social media page.

115.00 Millennium Garden and Platinum Garden updates, Cllr R B. 

115.01 Cllr R B advised that a small quantity of ivy had been removed from the wall. That material had all been safely disposed of. A discussion about the cutting of the wild meadow was concluded by clerk to contact Copeland contracts manager and add the 2 cuts, late April and September to Copeland’s contract, they have the correct machinery to do it.

115.02 Millennium Garden has received its requested cutting of its shrubs. Cllr R B thought there could have been more taken from the pathway and central shrubs, but a bonus was the top hedge had been cut back very professionally and looked excellent.

116.00 Easter edition of Lowca Lowdown.

116.01 clerk had received the material from the school and the church. Cllr C E to provide the flyer for the village hall, clerk asked for it in Word and as a pdf, so if needs be he could adjust layout.

116.02 clerk would compile the Lowdown and submit to the printers.

117.00 HSBC Bank Signatures.

117.01 clerk now had regained access of the HSBC account and all payments now up to date. Councillors, the 4 agreed would receive communication from HSBC and would they please respond as quickly on possible on receipt of the material.

118.00 Progress reports, clerk.

118.01 clerk had reported the two lights, No 41 and 27 to Copeland for repair.

118.02 clerk had been informed by Thomas Lydiate, Copeland Interim Estates Surveyor, that would be no sale of the land and carriageway, between the nursery complex entrance and its junction with East Road.

118.03 Grounds maintenance contract for 2023 season signed and returned to Copeland, includes the pathway between St Bridget’s and A595, cost shared with Paton Parish Council.

118.04 Dog fouling as per minute 102.04 reported and confirmation received that the enforcement team are acting.

118.05 As per minute 109.00, these minutes, clerk had provided as requested copy of parish’s current public liability insurance.

118.06 Bus shelter repair, clerk advised of two current quotes, ball park £1200 and a more accurate quote but company based in Congleton, £632.47, travel cost £365, replacement glass, £182.47 and fitting charge £85. All excluding Vat, clerk to pursue options but councillors approved a payment to replace the glass based on the figures quoted.

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119.00 Councillors reports.

119.01 Cllr D W advised that he had obtained the litter picking equipment for the school. He would return and it was hoped that Copeland would be able to provide the parish council with its own equipment.

119.02 Cllrs agreed that there would be a litter pick on Saturday 15^th April, promoted in the Lowdown and on Lowca social media page. In the Lowdown it was agreed that a mention of residents just doing their immediate area would be a great community bonus.

119.03 Chair was very pleased that pot holes had been filled in in the area by St Bridget’s church.

119.04 Cllr S M advised that the pathway churned up by a car on Lowca Head had still not been repaired to by Copeland.

120.00 Payments for approval

IntPay 267 M Milner, clerk, £224.16, salary £205.26, expenses £18.90

IntPay 268 HMRC clerk’s PAYE £31.60p.

Intpay 269 Lowca Village Hall Committee, £144.00 Oct22 – Mar23 hall hire.

Bank charges from HSBC for March £5.00.

Cllrs agree to clerk paying for bus shelter panel repair, as minute 118.06

All approved.

125.00 Date and time of next meeting Wednesday 19^th April 2023, 7.30pm in Lowca Village Hall, in the old club room bar.

Meeting closed 9.07pm.

Page 314 ( 4 of 4) signed chairman……………….………………………………………….19^th April 2023.

Text content to come.