Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Gosforth Parish Council held on 11th May 2022 at Gosforth Public Hall
Present: Cllr. Mark Fussell (Chairman), Cllr. Rachel Unsworth, Cllrs. Paul Turner, David Gray, Graham Hutson and Tyson Norman
Also present: Andy Pratt, (CBC & CALC), Jacqueline Williams (Clerk) and two members of the public
290/22 Apologies for Absence
Apologies have been received from Cllr. Pennington due to illness.
RESOLVED that the apology be approved and the reason noted.
291/22 Election of Chairman
RESOLVED that Cllr. Mark Fussell be elected Chairman – Proposed: Paul Turner – Seconded: Rachel Unsworth and agreed by all.
292/22 Acceptance of Office of the Chairman
RESOLVED that the Acceptance of Office of the Chairman be signed and witnessed by the Clerk.
293/22 Election of Vice Chair
RESOLVED that Cllr. Rachel Unsworth be elected Vice Chair – Proposed: Graham Hutson – Seconded: Paul Turner and agreed by all.
294/22 Councillor Administration/Co-option
RESOLVED that Jackie Atkinson be co-opted as a member of Gosforth Parish Council – Proposed: Mark Fussell – Seconded: Rachel Unsworth and agreed by all. A declaration of acceptance of office was signed and witnessed by the Clerk.
295/22 Other Appointments
RESOLVED that Councillors named in the attached list be appointed to the Finance Committee; the Village Care Committee; to external groups; to liaison roles and as appointed representatives and Trustees to the Public Hall and the Playing Field.
296/22 Declarations of Interest – None received
297/22 Minutes of the meeting held on 13th April 2022.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 13th April 2022, pages 145 to 147, be accepted as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
298/22 Public Participation/Open Session
A member of the public had expressed her preference for face-to-face meetings during the Annual Parish Meeting and had nothing further to say.
299/22 County Councillor and District Councillors’ Reports
Cllr. Turner had nothing to report. Cllr. Pratt reported that the AGM for Copeland BC had taken place yesterday with no changes to the executive. Under the new unitary authority, Cllr. David Moore will cover this ward and Cllr. Pratt will cover Millom Without.
300/22 Planning Applications
Applications:
RESOLVED that the following applications have been considered and the Planning Authority be advised of the Council’s observations as follows:
7/2022/4032 Wind Hall, Wellington – erection of 2 cabins for short-term holiday use.
Councillors discussed the revisions and the response from Highways and had no further comments to make.
4/22/2182 Plot 5, Land adjacent to Westlakes Hotel – amendments to condition 2 and 4 of 4/21/2266/0F1 – no objections
Decisions:
7/2022/4013 Thistledown Farm – change of use of section of field to private garden – Granted
7/2022/4022 Moorside Farm, Holmrook – Agricultural workers dwelling – Granted
7/2022/4017 Long Acre, Gosforth – Alterations and extension – Granted
Other Planning Matters:
Cllr. Gray had been informed that Fell View were engaging a tree specialist to examine the trees which may be the reason why only two trees were being reduced under T/2022/0060.
301/22 Financial Reports
301/22/1 RESOLVED that the Annual Internal Audit report 2021-22 be received and noted.
301/22/2 RESOLVED that the Annual Governance Statement 2021-22 be approved and signed by the Chairman.
301/22/3 RESOLVED that the Accounting Statement 2021-22 be approved and signed by the Chairman.
The signed forms and additional documents will be submitted to the external auditors.
The Clerk noted that the VAT refund and precept had been received.
301/22/4 RESOLVED that the Bank Reconciliation to 30th April 2022 be received and noted.
301/22/5 RESOLVED that the schedule of payments be approved for payment.
Cllr. Gray requested sight of the Asset Register. The Clerk said she had brought it to the last meeting but is researching the date of purchase of various items and will bring it to the next meeting for approval. In the meantime, the Clerk will forward it to Cllr. Gray.
Cllr. Gray requested that the Clerk write to our insurers regarding the Public Hall to ascertain whether it is covered.
302/22 Traffic and Parking
Cllr. Fussell outlined the complaint made by a resident at the last meeting regarding speeding on Hardingill and inadequate signage. Cllr. Turner said he had spoken to the resident on the phone and advised that he submit a Freedom of Information request to the County Council for the data but added that it would need interpretation.
Cllr. Fussell said there had been more complaints about the parking on Whitecroft and he had posted on Facebook to say we are aware of the issue and that the PC will continue to monitor the situation. Cllr. Turner said that a resident’s suggestion to create a car park on the grassed areas was not an option as they are visibility splays. He would send the details so the Clerk could respond to the resident.
Cllr. Fussell said that we should be able to get more clarity on the proposed road closures next week after a meeting with enwl. Cllr. Hutson would like to be involved.
303/22 Public Toilets & Car Park
The Clerk had written to Barbara Vernon to say that the Parish Council agreed in principle to a five-year lease and requested a draft lease. Barbara had responded saying she is going through the governance process before asking the solicitor to draft a lease which she will forward ‘in due course’. Cllr. Pratt said he would enquire on progress.
304/22 Playground
Cllr. Unsworth is waiting for quotes and designs from various companies. A letter of support for the outdoor Gym has been received from a resident. It was noted that the Friends of Gosforth School were applying for funding for a playground. Cllr. Unsworth said that the equipment for phase 2 of the playground was aimed at older children.
305/22 Geological Disposal Facility
The Mid-Copeland Community Partnership had met at the school recently to consider sites where it would be inappropriate to place the land base. There will be another drop-in session on 20th May at more favourable times and marine sonar surveys are planned to commence later in May.
306/22 Training
Cllr. Unsworth will be attending the Code of Conduct training and Cllr. Atkinson the Effective Councillor training. The Clerk said that the CiLCA course costs £530 and needs a commitment of 200 hours. This was considered excessive and not worthwhile.
307/22 Meetings
Cllrs. Fussell and Turner had attended a WCSSG meeting last week. Sellafield Ltd reported that a major milestone has been achieved in the first waste being removed from the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) which is the commencement of retrievals from a key high hazard reduction focus area. The waste is being transferred to a modern facility upon the Sellafield site awaiting a final disposal route, currently to be a GDF when available.
Cllr. Turner, as part of the Emergency Planning Group, had attended a decontamination demonstration at Egremont Fire Station and was very impressed.
308/22 Councillor Matters
Cllr. Gray asked if the High School charity had been closed. The Clerk confirmed the signed forms had been sent but no correspondence has been received from the bank.
Cllr. Gray had met John Slater at the War Memorial and pointed out where the grout was missing. Cllr. Gray to confirm a start date for the work.
Cllr. Gray noticed that the stonework around the monument was in bad condition and the bench was loose. He requested that it be put on the agenda for the next meeting.
Cllr. Gray asked the Clerk to request payment of £270 for the installation of the memorial bench.
Cllr. Hutson noticed an area where the grass had not been cut. The Clerk will check the maps in the grass-cutting contract.
Cllr. Atkinson said that the 2 plant tubs at the entrance to Denton Park need replacing. Cllr. Gray said that the lady who lived next door to them had provided the tubs and would need to be consulted. He requested the Clerk look for tubs similar to those in the Car Park.
Cllr. Atkinson said a letter about an app called ‘Nextdoor Gosforth’ had been delivered around the village. Cllr. Unsworth had checked it and confirmed that it is not a scam although she believed that it may be a way of collecting data to pass on to other companies.
Cllr. Norman said he is in the process of setting up a meeting with the NDA and that Ponsonby Parish Council will be sending a letter about footpaths and improvements.
Cllr. Turner said that the British Legion Committee may be able to help with the War Memorial.
Cllr. Unsworth had looked into Emergency Policy planning and concluded that it was a lot of work and all agreed that the current arrangements were working well so no further action needs to be taken.
Cllr. Unsworth said that she had been approached with a request for a bench between Bradbury House and the bottom of Leagate. The Clerk reminded Cllrs. of the £200 donation from United Utilities.
309/22 Item in Camera – none.
310/22 Date of Next Meeting
The date of the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 8th June 2022 at 7pm.
Meeting closed at 8.45pm.
Councillor Committee Appointments 2022-23
Finance Committee – Cllrs. Norman, Fussell, Unsworth and Atkinson
Village Care, Car Park & Toilets – Cllrs. Gray, Norman, Hutson
Appointments to External Groups
Mid-Copeland Parish Partnership – not currently meeting
Sellafield Sites Liaison Group – Cllrs. Norman and Fussell
Sellafield SSG (WC SSG) – Cllr. Hutson, Atkinson and Fussell
3-Tier Meetings – Cllrs. Turner and Unsworth
CALC meetings (as necessary) – Cllr. Turner
LDNPA –
Appointment to Roles
Highways – Cllrs. Turner, Gray, Hutson
Footpaths – Cllr. Unsworth
Parish Communications – Cllrs. Unsworth, Gray and Hutson
Appointments to Trustees
Public Hall – Cllr. Fussell as Chair and Cllr. Atkinson
Playing Field – Cllrs. Fussell, Unsworth and Norman
Other Appointments
Library – Cllr. Unsworth