Minutes of Council Meeting held on 22 October 2012 Cont….
ULVERSTON TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES of the Proceedings of the Meeting
of Ulverston Town Council held in the Town Hall,
Ulverston on 22 October 2012 at 7.15.p.m.
PRESENT : Councillors B. Marr (Chairman), N. Bishop-Rowe, J. Clough, P. Cooper,
J. Harris, H. Irving, J. Jenkinson, P. Jones, P. Lister, C. Pickthall, J. Pickthall,
J. Prosser, A. Rigg, P. Smith, B. Tate, M. Wilson.
Also Present : The Town Clerk, Councillor J. Airey (CCC), Press (2), Public (2).
R.166. APOLOGIES AND REASONS FOR ABSENCE :
Cllrs. M. Hornby (personal), P. Lister (personal), B. Rajan (personal).
R.167. REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATIONS :
Nil.
R.168. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST :
Nil.
R.169. TOWN MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS :
a. Cllr. C. Pickthall asked if Agenda Item 11, Frequency of Town Council Meetings could be deferred until another meeting, pending receipt of further information. This was agreed.
b. The Town Mayor outlined the recent events and functions that she had attended. She also drew attention to the following :
(i) The Bikers Golden Poppy Run would start next Saturday in Ulverston.
(ii) An Art Exhibition by Tom Dearden.
(iii) “Make a Difference Day” – planting of Spring bulbs at Lightburn Park
by Ulverston in Bloom volunteers on Saturday 27 October all day.
R.170. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Pat Appleton referred to the proposal for a 20 mph speed limit in Ulverston and asked if there would be a public consultation. The Chairman said that this would be discussed during the agenda item.
R.171. MINUTES:
It was resolved that the minutes of the Town Council Meeting, held on 8 October 2012, be approved and adopted.
R.172. TOWN PLANNING :
(i) Resolved: That the following observations be made on planning applications:-
SL/12/0806 4 The Drive , Ulverston. The Town Council APPROVED this application, subject to the views of neighbours being taken into consideration.
SL/12/0663 Sefton House Hotel, Queen Street, Ulverston. The Town Council APPROVED this application.
(ii) Applications Granted and Refused by the District Council noted.
R.173. CORRESPONDENCE :
a. Concerns related to health services in South Lakeland
The Town Clerk said that he had asked for a reply to his letter to Dr. Hugh Reeve, Chairman of the Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group and leader of the GP Consortium of South Lakeland. Dr. Reeve had been requested to address the Council on the major challenges delivering health care across the region and the Town Clerk will follow this up.
b. CALC Precept Advice
CALC have advised local councils to delay on final agreement of the precept setting until the tax base is known. This information may not be available until late December, early January.
c. Canal Head adjacent to A590 and partly demolished pub
The Town Clerk said that he had written to SLDC about this continuing eyesore at the top of Canal Head on the approaches into the town. It was noted that planning permission was originally granted for the redevelopment of this site for housing in 2007 and was renewed in 2010. The current consent expires in July 2013. Given the time that has lapsed since the demolition of the building with no evidence of any building work commencing, the Enforcement Officer has been asked to investigate whether a Section 215 Notice can be served on the land. A letter has been written to SLDC from the Town Council giving support to the District Council to take action on this matter.
d. Low Furness & Ulverston Neighbourhood Forum
The next meeting will be held at St. Mary’s RC Primary School, Ulverston on Tuesday 23 October.
e. A590 Trunk Road at Tank Square Roundabout
The Town Clerk reported that he had received a response from Enterprise Mouchel with regard to the roundabout exit lanes heading east merging into one. This area will continue to be reviewed by the Safety team including signage with the next review due to take place in early summer 2013 after receipt of complete accident statistics from the Police.
After various discussions, it was agreed that a representative from Enterprise Mouchel should be invited to talk to the council about this area and safety matters in general on the A590.
f. Connecting Cumbria Newsletter
It was noted that Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet awarded the supplier contract, as part of the Connecting Cumbria Strategy, to BT Global Services. The contract will provide essential infrastructure that will help support the delivery of Connecting Cumbria.
g. Town Team Partners Funding
The Town Clerk said that an announcement was imminent on the Town Team Partners funding scheme for the £10K grant to support the local high street. Once confirmed the Town Clerk recommended that the Working Group involved with the submission take this forward with a plan of action. This was agreed.
h. Royal British Legion invitation
It was noted that the RBL had extended an invitation to the Annual Service of Remembrance, St. Pauls Church, Rusland on Sunday 4 November at 2.45.pm.
R.174. AUDIT REPORT :
The Town Clerk referred to the Issues Arising Report by BDO for the Town Council Audit for the year ended 31 March 2012 and his response. Actions would be taken as appropriate.
Cllr. Jenkinson proposed that the Annual Return and the Audit Report by BDO together with the Town Clerk’s comments be approved and accepted. This was seconded by Cllr. N. Bishop-Rowe and agreed by all members.
R.175. PROPOSAL FOR 20 MPH SPEED LIMIT :
Cllr. J. Harris referred to her paper and the proposal to initiate a process of introducing a 20 mph speed limit for Ulverston. The paper covered the benefits of a 20 mph speed limit/zone, the process for implementation, proposed methods of consultation and the proposed approach to working with other authorities on implementation.
Cllr. J. Airey (CCC) asked the Chairman if he could speak on the matter. It was agreed to move out of Standing Orders. Cllr. Airey began by urging caution on this proposal as processes were already in place. He considered that discussions were needed with the Highways Safety Engineer. In addition, a full set of Highway proposals had already been agreed and there were significant constraints on CCC budgets and therefore little room for additional initiatives. Other members felt that there was a need to look at this and protect the safety of the public. Concerns were also raised about the excessive speed of motorbikes, particularly at night. The meeting then moved back into Standing Orders.
Cllr. J. Harris then proposed the actions in Item 6 of her paper to approve a proposal to initiate a process of introducing a 20 mph speed limit and approve proposals to consult. This was seconded by Cllr. C. Pickthall and put to the vote. 10 Councillors supported the proposal and 3 abstained. The proposal was carried. Cllr. Harris said that she would include an appropriate article in the forthcoming newsletter and on the Town Council website. The Town Clerk will liaise with Cllr. Harris with regard to contacting other agencies. Cllr. J. Airey said that he would give support where possible.
R.176. FREQUENCY OF TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS :
This item has been deferred as agreed.
R.177. FAIR TRADE IN ULVERSTON :
The Town Clerk reported that he had been contacted by Hilary Thomas, Chairman of the Ulverston Fairtrade Steering Group. She had asked if the following was possible.
a. The Town Council to reaffirm a resolution to support Fairtrade in Ulverston.
b. To appoint a member of the Town Council to the Fairtrade Steering Group.
c. Agree to promotion of Fairtrade on the Festival/visitor website.
d. To ask for any possible assistance in liaising with the Highway Authorities on appropriate and permanent signs for Fairtrade.
Cllr. N. Bishop-Rowe proposed that the Town Council reaffirm its continuing support to Fairtrade in Ulverston. This was seconded by Cllr. C. Pickthall and agreed.
Cllr. Jenkinson proposed that Cllr. P. Jones be nominated as the Town Council representative on the Fairtrade Steering Group. This was agreed.
Promotion on the visitor website and assistance with signage was also agreed.
R.178. HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AT LUND FARM :
It was noted that with regard to this development confirmation had finally been received that the roads were adopted on 10 October 2012. Cumbria County Council is now responsible for the full maintenance of the completed road works.
R.179. MINUTES OF OTHER MEETINGS:
The minutes of the following meetings were noted :
· Twinning Association – 18 September 2012
· Ulverston in Bloom – 15 October 2012
R.180. FINANCE/GRANTS:
Ulverston Victoria High School
A request had been received for financial support to pay for the costs of a tour of the
Houses of Parliament for 22 students, two of whom have asked for financial assistance as their parents cannot afford the trip. The Committee recommended a grant of £300. Cllr. J. Jenkinson proposed that this be accepted. This was seconded by Cllr. P. Smith and agreed.
R.181. OTHER MATTERS :
a. Cllr. J. Jenkinson referred to the response from Enterprise Mouchel regarding the cutting back of verges. She said that the verges looked unsightly at the entrance and the exit to the town. They had been cut twice this year very badly. The Town Clerk will follow this up.
b. Cllr. C. Pickthall had previously raised the matter of speeding and noisy motorbikes with the police and asked that they be written to again about this.
c. Cllr. J. Clough raised the matter of cows on the Hoad, particularly in the vicinity of the Monument where it was considered unnecessary so close to a visitor attraction. This had recently been discussed at a Town Lands Trust Meeting and the situation will continue to be monitored.
R.182. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Mrs. P. Appleton complained about dog poop bags being left by gates or tied to trees.
Chairman
(The meeting closed at 8.35.p.m.)
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