MINUTES of the Parish Council Meeting held in the School, Back Lane, Newburgh on Wednesday, 24th March 2010 commencing at 7.30pm.
PRESENT Cllr. Mrs J. Citarella, Chair.
Cllrs. Mrs C. Gillard, Mrs J.M. O’ Keefe, C.D. Moore, R.E. Porter, Mrs R.J. Richardson, A. Sunderland and
Mrs M.A. Turner.
Mr B. Howard, Clerk of the Council.
22/10.
APOLOGIES. None, all Councillors being present.
23/10.
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS.
Cllr. Porter declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 7a in that his wife is included in the Schedule of Accounts for Payment in respect of village cleaning.
24/10.
MINUTES of the Parish Council Meeting held on 24th February 2010 were agreed and signed as a correct record.
25/10.
PLANNING.
In light of the importance of application 8/10/0241, Variation of Conditions, Round O Quarry and the presence of members of the public, it was RESOLVED to bring this item forward in the Agenda.
To begin with, an overview of the process so far was provided.
In autumn last year, an application was received for the continuation of recycling at Round O Quarry for a further ten years, until 2020.
The Parish Council submitted an objection to this application to Lancashire County Council based, amongst other factors, on the adverse effect of traffic passing through the village for a further ten years and suggesting that a routing plan be produced diverting traffic via the M58.
A similar objection was sent to the Borough Council and a presentation was made to their Planning Committee. The Borough Council subsequently supported our case in their response to LCC.
The Parish Council has prepared a presentation with supporting visuals for delivery to LCC Development Committee, which was expected to take place early 2010. We were advised that there was a delay in dealing with this matter as the Committee was awaiting a report from the Highways Department.
However, events have now overtaken this issue with the receipt of the new application 8/10/0241, Variation of Conditions to allow for the continuation of restoration by inert waste until 2020.
The Parish Council has now objected to this application to both LCC and WLBC based primarily on the adverse environmental effects expressed in the other application.
We have been advised that both the application for the continuation of recycling and the continuation of restoration will be dealt with by LCC as one issue. Therefore, the Parish Council planned presentation to LCC will be adjusted accordingly. Whilst this will continue to focus on the adverse effect on the village and the suggested re-routing via the M58, another factor has appeared in an emerging policy under a “Consultation on possible Mineral and Waste Site Locations”, which proposes that Round O Quarry should be considered for extension to 2015 only.
Following discussion by the Parish Council, the text of the objection to 8/10/0241 will be submitted and a copy of this will appear on the Newburgh website.
The Meeting was adjourned to allow members of the public to make comment.
A number of members of the public gave their views, many of which centred on the environmental impact of HGVs passing through the village, many of them unsheeted. Observations were made about the difficulty and danger of HGVs passing each other on narrow village roads and the damage to houses caused by continuous vehicle pounding over many years.
Some residents had been monitoring volumes of vehicles passing to and from Round O Quarry. The Parish Council welcomed this initiative and asked to be provided with this data if this was thought to be useful to our case.
The County Councillor suggested that a site visit may be useful to members of the Development Committee as many of them would not be personally aware of the road problems and the environmental importance of the Village Conservation Area.
The Chair thanked members of the public for their participation and encouraged them to object to the proposal without delay to both LCC and WLBC.
The Meeting was re-convened.
The detailed objection was examined and it was RESOLVED to submit this to Lancashire County Council and West Lancashire Borough Council and place a copy on the Newburgh website.
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26/10.
SERVICES, AMENITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
List of Properties for Sale.
The updated statement is attached.
Civic Service Arrangements.
The Service will be held on 18th April 2010 in Christ Church at 10.30am and it was RESOLVED to authorise expenditure on refreshments.
Clerk’s Contract of Employment.
As this item relates to an individual employee of the Parish Council, it was RESOLVED to deal with this towards the end of the Meeting, without members of the Press and public being present.
Claimed Public Footpath No 33 & 40 to 39 & 34 update.
LCC advised that their Regulatory Committee would deal with this claim in March. However, enquiries have revealed that on trying to identify ownership at the Land Registry, no such record exists. LCC has, therefore, written to the alleged owner seeking clarification and will post a “To Whom it Mat Concern” Notice at the site advising that a claim has been made. LCC will keep us advised of developments.
Local Food Project.
Most of the participants in the Directory have been contacted. They have taken copies of the Directory and feedback from them on the project has been positive.
King George V Playing Field, condition of access road.
WLBC has written direct to Newburgh Sports Club indicating that the repair to the driveway is the responsibility of whoever required or instructed the installation of new surfaces to the Clubhouse. The position was NOTED.
27/10.
WORK PLAN UPDATE.
Back Lane, Play Area.
The Management Committee has recently met and the Minutes of their Meeting are awaited.
Following the complaint about the possible dangers of slippy rungs on the slide, it has been confirmed that this equipment conforms to British Standards. However, to make sure safety is enhanced, it was RESOLVED to apply grip tape to each rung at a cost of approximately £35. The complainant will be advised accordingly.
The blue net on the climbing frame does not conform to the original planning permission. The cost of replacement would be approximately £500 and in view of this and the limited adverse comments received about this, it was RESOLVED to take no action but keep the matter under review.
There has been concern expressed over the sudden appearance of new play equipment on the site adjacent to the Parish Council new play area. This new equipment is for School use only and not intended for general use. However, some confusion may arise and it was RESOLVED to carefully watch the relationship between the two sites and any problems that may emerge.
Future of Play Area, Cobbs Brow Lane.
The previous Minutes of Parish Council Meetings are being carefully examined to establish any evidence of ownership or responsibility. Once this exercise has been completed, a meeting will be arranged with Solicitors, Cook & Talbot, to seek legal opinion.
It was clear that the issues would not be resolved quickly and it was, therefore, RESOLVED to: -
Community Engagement Strategy.
The Strategy paper, attached to the Agenda, was noted but it was agreed to place the item on the Agenda of the next Parish Council meeting for discussion.
However, it was noted that the Strategy in its current form is most valuable for inclusion in the Quality Council Re-accreditation submission.
Format for dealing with Planning Applications.
It was AGREED to place this item on the Agenda of a future Meeting.
Values and Visions Statements.
The updated Statements are attached. The following were discussed: -
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.
This subject was not discussed at the PACT Meeting as was intended. A meeting with Dianne Hignett would seem to be the best way forward for progressing this Scheme.
Demographic Profile.
A group of Councillors have examined the analysis and WLBC has informally checked the data and found this to be acceptable. The next step is to circulate the paper to all Parish Councillors for examination prior to calling a meeting with them to discuss the use of the data and the involvement of local residents.
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28/10.
ISSUES RAISED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
The Meeting was adjourned to allow members of the public to raise issues of concern.
A member of the public drew attention to the construction of more permanent cricket nets at the Sports Club and asked if planning permission was necessary. Borough Councillor Pope said that he would make enquiries.
Cllr. Pope said that if the Parish Council had any comments to make on “called in” planning applications, to make sure he is advised.
The Meeting was re-convened.
29/10.
FINANCE.
a) Accounts for Payment.
It was RESOLVED to pass for payment those accounts included in the Schedule attached. In noting that the
Christmas Decorations invoice conformed to the estimate, it was RESOLVED to discuss the future of these
arrangements at the next Parish Council Meeting, under the Values & Visions initiative.
b) Review Risk Assessment arrangements.
The duties of the Responsible Finance Officer and the Financial Arrangements are in place, are operational and
work effectively.
The Parish Council Inventory, copy attached to the Agenda, truly reflects the assets of the Council at 31.3.10.
The Local Council Insurance Schedule currently in operation was examined and found to meet the needs of the
Council. However, it was noted that the Fidelity Guarantee level of £16000 did not meet the risk on certain
occasions during the year, due to the influx of Grants for the new Play Area on Back Lane. These were held in the
balances for very short periods of time and paid out to the Contractor without delay. This will be explained to the
External Auditor and a careful projection will be made of the balances held during the, more normal, next financial
year.
It was RESOLVED that the above examination had addressed all the risks connected with the Council assets and
Finance and was found to be satisfactory.
c) Review effectiveness of Internal Audit.
Based on the following information, it was RESOLVED that the arrangements were satisfactory: -
30/10.
CORRESPONDENCE.
The Schedule of Correspondence, copy attached, was NOTED and the following was discussed: -
a) Electoral Administration advice on Parish Council Elections.
The advice received is that Parish Council Elections will be held on 6th May 2010. If these are uncontested they will
remain unaffected but if the U.K. Parliamentary General Election has a polling date of 6th May, contested Parish
elections will be postponed for three weeks.
The nomination papers for Newburgh Parish Council Election were handed out to Councillors.
31/10.
PLANNING.
New Application.
2010/0220 & 0221. Vicarage Farmhouse, Course Lane, retention of driveway, wall and gates.
The history of this site is that work was carried out without planning permission. An Enforcement Order was issued, which resulted in planning application 2009/0003 being received. This was refused by WLBC and a further Enforcement Order was in the course of preparation. However, in the meantime a new application has been received 2010/0220/FUL & 2010/0221/LBC, which now appear to address most of the problems included in the original application.
These now seem to be acceptable except there remains concern over the construction of the driveway, which does not conform to the current planning requirements in regard to permeability and drainage.
It was RESOLVED to support the Planning Working Group view and continue to express concern over the driveway construction.
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Members of the public were asked to leave at this point so that the confidential item of the Clerk’s Contract of Employment could be discussed in camera.
The Clerk of the Council also left the Chamber at the same time.
On re-convening the Meeting, it was RESOLVED to adopt the new Contract of Employment based on the NALC model with an adjustment to Clause 12, additional hours Section. It was RESOLVED that, subject to agreement with the Clerk, both parties could sign the Contract.
32/10.
REPORTS.
25th February 2010, Traffic Meeting at Hilldale.
Cllr. Mrs Richardson attended and provided a verbal report.
9th March 2010, PACT Meeting.
Cllrs. A. Sunderland and Mrs O’Keefe attended and found the Meeting far from satisfactory. There appears to be no terms of reference, the Meeting was dominated from the floor and the promised Neighbourhood Watch Scheme discussion did not take place. Some local issues were dealt with and PSO Benson is doing a very good job in the temporary absence of the Community Beat Officer.
10th March 2010, Face the People Event.
Cllr. Mrs Citarella attended and said that it was a good evening. Handouts were given to Parish Councillors for information.
17th March 2010, West Lancashire Local.
Cllr. Porter attended and provided a verbal report for what was, the final Lancashire Local Meeting.
33/10.
DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING.
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on 28th April 2010 commencing at 7pm immediately followed by the Parish Council Meeting.
Eleven members of the public, County Councillor, D. Westley and Borough Councillor, E. Pope were present for part of the Meeting. .
Meeting finished at 10.10pm.
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