MINUTES of the Parish Council Meeting held in the School, Back Lane, Newburgh on Wednesday, 26th April 2006 , commencing at 7.30pm.
PRESENT CIIr. R.E. Porter, Chairman.
Curs. Mrs J. Citarella, Mrs C. Gillard, C.D. Moore, Mrs E.F. Pratt, Mrs R.J. Richardson, A. Sunderland and Mrs M.A. Turner.
Mr B. Howard, Clerk of the Council.
42/06.
APOLOGIES were received from District Councillor, K Vincent.
43/06.
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS.
CIIr. Porter declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 9a in that the Schedule of Accounts for Payment includes an item in respect of his wife for village cleaning.
44/06.
MINUTES of the Parish Council Meeting held on 22nd March 2006 were agreed and signed as a correct record.
45/06.
NIKKI HENNESSY, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, CVS.
Nikki explained her role and indicated that her funding came from the Primary Care Trust. Her initial objective is to get a feel for community needs in health care and document these before re-organisation in September 2006. A number of issues had already been identified by speaking to some local people e.g. inadequate bus services, high car parking charges at hospitals, A & E split between Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals, problems with the GP appointment systems.
Whilst the idea of a Health Awareness Day was noted, it was agreed that Nikki would attend the Annual Parish Meeting on 17th May 2006 and she would also make contact with Newburgh Fair Committee with a view to being present at the Fair on 10th June 2006. It was agreed to help with the distribution of her questionnaire, if the timing is right.
46/06.
QUALITY COUNCIL ACCREDITATION.
The Accreditation Panel has considered our application and commended the Parish Council on the amount and quality of work that has gone into producing the portfolio of evidence. They were pleased to recognise the work we do within the parish and have agreed to award Quality Status.
A number of congratulatory letters have been received and also the Quality Council logo and Identification Number. A Certificate is available and it was RESOLVED to invite the Chairman of the District Council to present this to the Parish Council in the School, following the Civic Service on Sunday, 14th May 2006.
The Accreditation Panel has drawn our attention to the way we handle "correspondence" on the Agenda. Whilst noting these comments, it was RESOLVED to continue with the current practice of listing items of correspondence for information and identifying specific items on the Agenda that require discussion or decision. This continues to conform to the philosophy of discussing only those items specifically identified on an agenda so that Councillors and public alike are forewarned of subjects.
47/06.
SERVICES, AMENITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
Welcome Pack Distribution Update.
The updated statement is attached.
The Yellow Directory that is included in the Welcome Pack contains some out of date information and it was AGREED that an addendum is needed.
Parish Council Election, 4th May 2006.
An election has not been necessary and current Councillors were congratulated on continuing their role as Parish Councillors.
Civic Service, Sunday, 14th May 2006.
Councillors were reminded to be at Christ Church by 10.15am. It was RESOLVED to incur expenditure on refreshments for our guests in the School after the Service.
Village Plan Update.
Pedestrian Safety.
The comprehensive response from Lancashire County Council and the summary of the main proposals, attached to the Agenda, were NOTED. The highlights were the consideration of the purchase of a moveable speed indicator combined with the introduction of a Community Speedwatch project. There was money available for the development of a safe route to Parbold, the problem at the moment relates to obtaining an agreement with the landowner. However, British Waterways will be contacted to establish ownership of some areas of land.
The response form the County has been acknowledged but the next step is to forward a full response, in particular asking to be kept informed on progress with certain initiatives e.g. introduction of 20mph speed limits. -800-
Village Plan Update continued.
Pedestrian Safety continued.
There is a need to communicate progress to our residents and it was agreed this should indicate "what we cannot action, what we can achieve" and invite residents to discuss these issues with the Parish Council. It was RESOLVED that a meeting is best timed for September with the publication of a Newsletter advertising this.
The purchase of a moveable speed indicator is expensive and it was RESOLVED to test out the interest of neighbouring Parish Councils about sharing the equipment and costs, particularly those who have produced a Village Plan. Some research is required to establish the method and cost of moving the equipment from one site to another, the running costs, insurance cover and the possibility of obtaining some funding.
Seeking volunteers to operate the Community Speedwatch Scheme has been unsuccessful for there appears to be some concern about being involved. A more subtle approach may be required but first, it was agreed that the experiences of the project in Tarleton should be obtained. The idea of paying someone to operate a scheme in Newburgh may well be fraught with problems but was nevertheless noted for future consideration. Play Area.
The question of land use and status is still in the hands of the local Church Authority. The P.C.C. has recently been given more details of clarification.
Website.
This has now been registered and it is planned to launch the site during Newburgh Fair week, on 7th June 2006 in the School Hall at 7.30pm. A Special Newsletter will be produced to promote this event.
Councillors were asked to take some responsibility by routinely obtaining updates from their local organisational contacts (School, Church, etc.).
Christmas Tree and Lights.
A representative of the local residents group who undertook the work for Christmas 2005 has been seen and he has advised that the group agree the best way forward, both practically and economically, is for the Parish Council, in conjunction with the District Council, to take over all the arrangements from Christmas 2006.
It was, therefore, RESOLVED to: ‑
Bring the electrical connection up to a safe standard at a one off cost of £771 and accept the District Council offer to spread the cost to the Parish Council over three years.
Provide two sets of lights at a cost of £150 per set. The purchase cost and safekeeping to be the responsibility of the District Council. White lenses have been chosen for both sets.
The District Council erecting and dismantling the tree and lights at a cost of £216 per occasion.
The protective fencing being provided by the District Council at no cost to the Parish Council.
The provision of the Christmas Tree is still under consideration with the options being to purchase one locally, the District Council to purchase on our behalf or to explore the possibility of obtaining a tree from the previous local source. Whichever ultimately applies, the timing is critical in order to coincide with the work schedule of the District Council.
Hoscar WWTW Residents Liaison Meeting.
The next meeting will be held on 18th May 2006 in the Training Centre at Hoscar commencing at 7pm. Councillors were encouraged to attend as the Construction Company employed to carry out the considerable work on the inlet pipe, will be present to explain the implications of this project on traffic flow and noise.
48/06.
ISSUES RAISED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
Mr E. Pope, prospective District Council member said that Lathom Parish Council representatives would be attending the meeting at Hoscar WWTW and provided a copy of a letter of complaint already submitted to United Utilities regarding unacceptable traffic movements.
49/06
CORRESPONDENCE.
The Schedule of Correspondence attached was NOTED. The following was discussed: ‑
f) Parish Council representation on Standards Committee.
It was RESOLVED to vote for Ms J. Draper, North MeoIs P.C. and Mr D. Kitson, Aughton P.C. to remain members of the Committee.
50/06.
FINANCE.
Schedule of Accounts for Payment.
It was RESOLVED to pass for payment those accounts included in the Schedule attached.
Request from The Grove, Holiday Activity Scheme, for financial support.
It was RESOLVED to provide a donation of £50 but also ask why the £150 donation in 2005 was not spent.
There was discussion about the lack of financial support data and specific plans for the provision of services for the young people of Newburgh. It was RESOLVED to ask for more information in this respect to enable the Parish Council to justify a higher of financial support particularly from the receipts obtained from the Open Gardens project. A point was made that this level of detail is not requested from other charitable organisations seeking funding. In future, each case will be treated on its merits in this respect.
50/06 continued.
FINANCE continued.
Leeson Designs, replacement Heritage Display.
A verbal quote of around £500 has been provided for the replacement display that is damaged. It is curling at the edges but as it has been in place for some time, Leeson Designs do not accept total liability. However, as a gesture, they have indicated that they are prepared to split the cost on a 50-50 basis. The replacement will require some sort of framing to ensure the problem does not reoccur. It was RESOLVED to obtain a written quote and in view of the urgency of the matter, delegate the Chairman and the Clerk to make progress.
Insurance Renewal.
A risk assessment has been undertaken and in view of the removal of some street furniture, it was RESOLVED not to insure any of the public seats as there is a £125 excess penalty and insure the one remaining Notice board.
Internal Auditor.
It was RESOLVED to reappoint Michelle Rigby to undertake this role.
51/06.
PLANNING.
New Applications.
Round 0 Quarry, new inert material recycling facility.
The report from the Planning Committee attached to the Agenda, was accepted. It was RESOLVED not to object to the development but to raise a number of concerns.
Updates.
2006/0091 16/18, Acrefield, brick walls to front and sides. Granted W.L.D.C.
2006/0121 Snape Farm, Back Lane, single storey rear extension. Granted W.L.D.C.
2006/0151 High House, Back Lane, three storey side extension. Granted W.L.D.C.
North West Plan, Draft Regional Spatial Strategy, Consultation.
The Plan was circulated in order to obtain comments.
52/06.
REPORT.
Charter Launch Event at W.L.D.C. 6th April 2006.
The Chairman and Clerk attended the event together with representatives of a further five or six Parish Councils. A Presentation was made by Kim Webber and the Portfolio Holder with the points raised being mainly those provided by Newburgh in our written response to the Draft Charter. The final Working Group meeting will be held on 24 May 2006 with a possible public launch event being held in July.
The Clerk agreed to help consider the most beneficial way of engaging with Parish Clerks through the proposed regular meetings with the District Council.
53/06.
DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETINGS.
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 17th May 2006 commencing at 7.30pm in the School Hall. The Chairman will provide his Annual Report followed by CIIr. Moore who will update residents on the Village Plan progress. Entertainment will then follow by Sid & Liz Calderbank. At the end of the proceedings, residents will be encouraged to visit the displays and talk to representatives of organisations present. Councillors were asked to talk to their contact organisations to check that they are coming along and are fully aware of the arrangements. Tea and biscuits will be provided at the end of the Meeting.
A special Newburgh News has been produced for distribution throughout the village during week commencing 8th May For the outlying areas of the village, the Newsletter will be accompanied by a personal invitation encouraging them to attend.
The Annual Council meeting will follow at around 9pm.
Meeting finished at 10.10pm.
Mr E. Pope was present