RIBBLE BANKS PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
HELD AT RATHMELL READING ROOM
ON TUESDAY 11th JANUARY 2011 at 1930 hours
PRESENT
Councillors – Mr.F.Higginson
(Chair), Mr.B.Bell, Dr.D.Clarke, Mr.D.Rawsthorne
IN ATTENDANCE.
Mr. D. Abbott (Clerk), Members
of the Public – 10
11/01. APOLOGIES FOR
ABSENCE.
Cllrs.
R. Welch, D. Staveley and D.Whaites.
11/02. DECLARATION OF
INTEREST.
None
11/03. CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS.
Cllr. Clarke proposed the
resolution to exclude the press and public from the Parish Council’s discussion
on Agenda Item 8 – Minute 10/111.0 – “Co-option onto the Parish Council” for
reasons of confidentiality. This was seconded by Cllr. Rawsthorne, and AGREED unanimously. This item would be
discussed at the end of the meeting.
11/04. NYCC HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT
Mr.C.Craven, Area Manager of
Area 5 Skipton, NYCC Highways Department gave a presentation on the duties and
responsibilities of this department, and then went on to deal with specific
road and drainage issues within the Parish – the details of which are reported
later in the minutes.
He explained that he had a
team of 14 based in Skipton, covering the Craven area. Funding for their
operations was mostly from Council Tax (approximately 5% of Council Tax funds),
though a little was received from Central Government resources. He quickly
explained that the department’s responsibilities were split between Network
Strategy, Highways Operations and the Commercial Services Unit – and a more
detailed breakdown of these responsibilities is attached to these minutes.
He explained that they were
faced with severe funding cuts over the next 4 years, with the emphasis of cuts
in the first 2 years- the outcome being that they would have little opportunity
of carrying out improvements works, and the majority of their resources would
have to be focused on basic maintenance and safety issues. He explained that
they were still able to go ahead with the resurfacing works for part of Hesley
Lane in March, but unfortunately the small packages of work scheduled for
Wigglesworth and other areas has had to be cancelled.
He accepted that the roads
across Craven were in the worst condition they have been for some decades, but
they were on average in a better condition than in some areas of
In the light of the budget
restrictions Mr. Craven was asked what road faults would be considered as
requiring treatment, and he said potholes in the carriageway with a depth of 2 inches
would be regarded as needing attention, but not if they were located on the
verges of the road – where they would have to be the size of a dinner plate or
with a depth of perhaps 4 inches, and then these would also be considered for
attention.
In response to two questions
from members of the public he explained that road marking work was normally
carried out in the summer months and he would note the concerns expressed
regarding the road markings at Rathmell Bottoms, and the reduction of speed
limits to 20 mph required speed bumps to be put in place and such work was
generally only carried out in areas where incidents had occurred.
He confirmed that their
Service Level Agreement for responses to communications was 15 days.
The Chairman thanked Mr. Craven
for his presentation and responses to the issues raised.
11/05. REPORT FROM COUNTY/ DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
None received
11/06. PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
No
items were raised
11/07. MINUTES OF THE
MEETING OF HELD ON 23rd NOVMBER 2010.
The
minutes of the meeting held on 23rd November 2010 were regarded as a
true record, and signed by the Chair.
11/08. MATTERS ARISING.
11/08.1 – Minute10/111.0 –
Co-option onto the Parish Council – following discussions held in private the
Councillors are pleased to announce that Mrs. Rosemary Rees is to be invited to
be Co-opted onto the Parish Council to represent the Wigglesworth parish. The
Clerk was asked to inform Mrs. Rees of the decision, and to ensure that the
appropriate paperwork was completed. ACTION
CLERK
Following this, discussions will be held with
Mrs. Rees on appropriate ways of representing the interests of Wigglesworth
residents, and lines of communication between each other. The interests of
Rathmell residents will continue to be handled by Cllrs. Bell and
Rawsthorne. ACTION
CLLRS. HIGGINSON and CLARKE
Cllrs.
Bell and Rawsthorne informed the meeting that they had not yet received any
Declaration of Interest forms from CDC, since their co-option onto the Parish
Council. The Clerk agreed to look into this.
ACTION CLERK
11/08.2 – Minute10/113.2 –
Public Telephone Boxes: –
Halton West – the Clerk informed the
meeting that NYCC considered that the location of the Telephone Box was on or
adjacent to the Highway and, therefore, a licence agreement with NYCC was
necessary. He was informed that there were no costs involved, and that the only
requirement was for the Parish Council to have £5M public Liability insurance
cover. On this basis he has made an application for the said licence.
Rathmell – the Clerk had prepared a
Briefing Paper on the legal implications of owning the land that the telephone
box stood on outright, or the alternative arrangement of taking on a lease
arrangement(with an annual peppercorn rent) for the use of that land. Mrs. Rees
and other members of the public who were present at the meeting assured the
Councillors that there was still a strong feeling in Rathmell for the adoption
of the Telephone Box, and that there were a number of volunteers willing to
look after it and ensure that it had a useful purpose. Following discussions a
majority of Councillors AGREED to take the step to adopt the Box, on the
clear understanding that the villagers of Rathmell were to be responsible for
its upkeep, and the regular health and safety and maintenance checks that were
required for insurance purposes.
They
felt that a lease arrangement for the use of the land was preferable with an
opt out clause, should the Council no longer wish to have use of the land. The
Clerk was asked to move this forward in conjunction with Mrs.Rees.
ACTION
CLERK
11/08.3 – Minute10/114.3 –
Cutting of grass verges – the Clerk had obtained the names of a number of contractors to approach
about the cutting of several grassed areas within Rathmell and Wigglesworth.,
and Cllr. Clarke handed over a sketch that showed the areas to be cut in
Wigglesworth. Cllr. Rawsthorne would provide a sketch detailing the areas in
Rathmell, and then the Clerk could approach these contractors for quotations.
ACTION CLLR.RAWSTHORNE AND CLERK
11/09. FINANCE.
11/09.1. Current Bank
Balances.
The
Clerk tabled a statement showing the movement of funds between 31st
October 2010 and 31st December 2010, with the balances as at 31st
December 2010 as follows:-
Deposit
Account £ 3338.50
Current
Account £ 4150.45
Total Funds £ 7489.53*
*This figure includes £500
received from NGG (Transco) for the repair of roadside verges in Halton West, damaged
by their heavy traffic, during the course of re-profiling groundworks and
removing of sub-soil.
Current
commitments/expenses totaled approximately £930, including the Clerk’s salary
and administration costs and the annual insurance premium.
11/09.2. Payments to be Authorised.
The
above amounts received authorisation for payment, and the appropriate cheques
were duly signed at the end of the meeting.
11/09.3. Settle Swimmimg
Pool donation request
A request has been received
from the Trustees of the Settle Swimming Pool Committee for the Parish Council
to consider making a donation towards the running costs of the pool.
Councillors considered that it was a community facility that they would wish to
support, and it was AGREED to make a donation of £400, as last
year.
ACTION CLERK
11/09.4 Insurance Review.
Following
receipt of the annual insurance premium from AON, which showed a further increase
in premium, the Clerk decided to carry out a review of alternative companies.
He was pleased to report that he had obtained a reduced premium quote from
In
considering the insurance cover options available the Councillors AGREED
that it was appropriate to take out Personal Accident cover, that would offer
some financial protection for Councillors, or employees of the Council, should
they be injured whilst carrying out their Council duties. The premium for this
was £26.50.
The
Clerk tabled a review of the assets of the Parish Council, as declared through
the year, the estimated value of those assets, and the current level of
insurance cover. It was AGREED that this paper should be reviewed in
more detail at the next meeting, and Councillors were asked to give some
consideration as to the completeness of the lists.
ACTION CLERK
11/09.5. Draft
Budget/Precept for 2011/12
The
Clerk had prepared a revised Draft Budget Briefing Paper, which showed an
estimated expenditure for 2010/11 of £5400 and an estimated year-end bank
balance of £4500. This was a better bank balance than had been scheduled for,
because budgeted Parish Council election expenditure had not been incurred.
Estimated expenditure for 2011/12 was in the region of £5300, not taking
account any one-off expenditure requests that might be received during the
year.
As
a result of agreeing to adopt the Rathmell telephone box further expenditure of £160 needs to be taken
into consideration, and if contractors are taken on to cut the grass verges in
Wigglesworth and Rathmell it was estimated that could cost £500 per year.
The
promise to consider further financial support to the Rathmell Newsletter must
also be kept in mind. Members of
the public present indicated that they considered it a useful publication, and
that it had a good circulation. Councillors were reminded that they had only
promised to consider further financial support on the receipt of a Progress
Report.
After
further consideration of all points it was proposed, and unanimously AGREED
to set the precept at £5500 for 2011/12. This should be sufficient to meet the
identified needs for next year, and maintain a reasonable bank balance to cover
for any unusual items that may occur during the year.
11/09.6. Precept Form
2011/12.
The
Precept form for 2011/12 was duly signed, and the Clerk was asked to forward it
to Craven District Council.
ACTION CLERK
11/10 PLANNING MATTERS.
There
were no items to be discussed.
11/11. CORRESPONDENCE.
The
key items of correspondence were brought to the attention of Councillors, and
it was agreed that a copy of the following items should be placed on the
village noticeboards:-
-
The Great Poppy Party Weekend – details of The Royal British Legion’s
fund raising campaign.
-
Request for a volunteer(s) to organize collection of used batteries and
low energy light bulbs.
-
Details of the forthcoming 2011 Census.
ACTION
CLERK
11/12. REPORTS FROM
COUNCILLORS / COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
Chairman
Nothing
to report.
Halton West.
Nothing
to report
Rathmell.
Nothing
to report
Wigglesworth.
Cllr.Clarke
reported that redevelopment of the old School should be completed shortly, and
it would be available to hold Parish Council meetings from April 2011 onwards.
Clerk.
Nothing
to report.
11/13. VILLAGE
ENVIRONMENTS, RIGHTS OF WAY AND HIGHWAYS.
11/13.1 - Minute 10/118.1
- Waste Bin replacement Rathmell
This
item was held over until the next meeting.
11/13.2 – Minute 10/118.2
– Rathmell Notice boards
This
item was held over until the next meeting.
11/13.3 – Responses from Mr. Craven to
the outstanding road and drainage issues are as follows:-
-
Flooding/drainage issues in
-
Child pedestrian signs in
-
Drainage issues in
-
Rubble clearance from Hollin Hall lay-by will take some time.
-
An Inspector will look again at the break up of the road surface near
-
The drainage problems near Stinky Beck seem to be associated with BT
ducting/manholes, and unfortunately this will be seen as a low priority.
-
11/14. ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
None.
11/15. DATE OF NEXT
MEETING.
The date of the next
meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday 15th March 2011 at 1930 hours, to be
held at Rathmell Reading Room.
The meeting closed at 2120 hours.