4685
PENWORTHAM TOWN COUNCIL
Meeting of the Council held at the Penwortham Community Centre, Kingsfold Drive, Penwortham at 7.00pm on Tuesday 7 June 2016.
Present: The Mayor, Councillor T Young
Councillors D Bretherton, G Crewe, H Hancock, D Howarth, K Martin, J Patten, AE Pimblett, D Shaw, R Taylor and I Watkinson.
Members of
the public: 20
In attendance: Steve Caswell - Town Manager
Marie Dardis - Democratic Services Officer
PC James Hesketh – Community Beat Manager
18. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D Bennett, A Best,
Mrs M Hancock, Miss A Turner, Mrs C Wooldridge and D Wooldridge.
19. Minutes of the Last Meeting
RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 3 May 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.
20. Declarations of Interest
Councillor D Howarth declared a non personal and prejudicial interest in the LCC Property Strategy item within the Town Manager’s Report, as an elected member of Lancashire County Council; but was able, under the Members’ Code of Conduct to remain in the meeting and take part in the discussion and voting.
21. Communications by the Town Mayor
The Mayor reported on the following recent events:
i) May Day Celebration at Middleforth CofE Primary School on Thursday 5 May 2016.
ii) Buckingham Palace Garden Party on 24 May 2016.
iii) St. Leonard’s Gilbert and Sullivan production of ‘HMS Pinafore’ spliced with ‘The Grand Duke’ at Leyland Methodist Church.
iv) Memorial Service to Gunner Greenwood at St. Mary’s Church on 26 May 2016.
22. Town Manager’s Report
i) CEMETERY & WAR MEMORIAL
The summer grass cutting schedule is well under way now at Hill Road Cemetery. Any grave that has been levelled now for six months or over will now have a last layer of topsoil and will be seeded over the next month.
The Challenge Network will be working in the Woodland Burial Site creating a new garden area over the months of July and August. Elsewhere in the cemetery the ‘Friends’ group have started up again and will be replanting flowerbeds, trimming hedges and generally tidying up the site over the summer months.
ii) COMMUNITY CENTRE
A new baby sensory group will be starting at the community centre during August. The group will support parents with new babies and will be held during the day on Wednesdays in the back hall.
Elsewhere in the centre the youth clubs are going from strength to strength with waiting lists now for the groups. The Time4craft group on Friday afternoons and the Art Club on Wednesday mornings are both proving very popular with more people attending the groups every week.
There are still office spaces to let at the community centre on very reasonable terms that would ideally suit a fledgling business. Anyone interested in hiring an office should call 01772 750533.
iii) LENGTHS’PERSON’ SCHEME.
Penwortham Town Council employs a Town Lengthsman whose role it is to improve the visual impact of the town. This may be simply by litter picking an area or helping an established group within the town to complete an environmental project.
The Town Lengthsman also carries out works on Public Rights of Way, usually as work ordered through Lancashire County Council but this has now changed slightly as LCC will soon not have a countryside services.
At this moment LCC have paid the initial service grant to Penwortham Town Council for low level maintenance of the footpaths throughout the town.
Any elected members or members of the public should contact Penwortham Town Council officers in the first instance should they feel works needed could be carried out by the town’s Lengthsman.
The role of the Lengthsman is to carry out works over and above the statutory obligations of the borough and county councils.
iv) POLICE “In the Know” updates
To register for “in the know” updates to receive regular information via email please go to the address below and complete the on line form.
https://member-registration.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/137/Join
Latest info from “in the know” updates;
Information regarding new legislation to prevent harm from ‘legal highs’
We wanted to let you know that new legislation to help prevent the harm caused by psychoactive substances – often referred to as ‘legal highs’ – will come into force on Thursday 26 May 2016.
The Psychoactive Substances Act will provide a blanket ban on the production, supply and importation of new psychoactive substances. It will fundamentally change the way we tackle themand will make new drugs that appear on the market illegal quicker than ever before.
Sadly we have seentoo many people in Lancashire becoming seriously ill after taking 'legal highs'.
We are committed to reducing the harm caused by all drugs and welcome an educational and preventative approach in the policing of psychoactive substances. Often these substances contain illegal drugs and, when people buy them, they generally have little idea how potent the drug is so they do pose a real danger.
A variety of options exist in enforcing this legislation including prohibition notices, premises notices, prohibition orders and premises orders, which allow police or local authorities to require people to stop stocking, selling or supplying psychoactive substances.
Officers have also been given powers to stop and search people, vehicles and vessels, enter and search premises in accordance with a warrant, and to seize and destroy psychoactive substances.
We would encourage you to let us know if you believe shops or establishments continue to supply psychoactive substances once the Act commences on Thursday. Information can be reported to the police on 101 or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Regards
Lancashire Constabulary
Nuisance calls
There has been a recent increase in nuisance phone calls frompeople pretending to be from telephone service providers offering to get rid of nuisance phone calls in exchange for bank details and payment.
If you are receiving these calls pleaseDO NOTgive out your bank details and contact your service provider and Action Fraud as soon as possible on 0300 123 2040 or on http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud
v) Further Updates;
Penwortham Neighbourhood Development Plan
The Penwortham NDP has now finished all of the consultation exercises. SRBC are currently preparing all the information to be sent to the Government Planning Inspector. Once the inspector has given the go ahead the people of Penwortham will be asked to vote at a referendum and should 50% of the people that turn out to vote the Penwortham NDP will then be passed to SRBC for formal adoption as part of their supplementary planning documents.
Tesco – Government Buildings Cop Lane
Following the recent public consultation event we are still awaiting any further news or a new planning application for this site
St Mary’s Church Hall
The Town Council has received a letter from the Blackburn Diocesan Surveyor suggesting that they would inform the council of their plans once the evaluation of offers for the site has been completed. Councillor Pattern asked for an update on the future of the Farmers Market currently located at St. Mary’s Church Hall. The Town Manager suggested that it could be relocated to Penwortham Community Centre.
LCC Property Strategy
Lancashire County Council are now consulting on their proposal to close Liverpool Road Library, Penwortham Youth & Community Centre on Priory Lane and the Children’s centre on Martinfield Road. The proposals also include keeping open the Kingsfold Library.
Penwortham Town Council have expressed an interest in each of the three properties recommended for closure by LCC.
The consultation is now open and runs until Sunday 14th August 2016. The consultation can be found at www.lancashire.gov.uk . In response to a question from Councillor Pimblett regarding the running costs of Penwortham Young People’s Centre, the Town Manager confirmed that LCC were currently at the public consultation stage of the process and that the financial figures would follow.
Penwortham Gala – 11th and 12th June 2016
Preparations are now in the final stages for the 2016 Penwortham Gala. The procession will start at Hill Road South at exactly 12.30pm and will arrive at Hurst Grange Park at approximately 2.15pm. The roads along the procession route will be closed for this period with Cop Lane remaining closed until all the procession participants have disembarked and made their way onto the park. The traders have been informed of their stall positions and the timings that they have to be set by. They have also been informed that no cars will be allowed to enter the park via Cop Lane. The acts for the evening’s entertainment have all been arranged and will arrive from 5.00pm on the Saturday for sound checks.
Sunday will start with the annual open air church service and will be followed by a shorter than usual Teddy bear’s picnic. The weekend will then finish with a Queen’s 90th birthday picnic event with a brass band and a 1940’s style singer.
Following a meeting with the police, there will be security staff on site for the majority of Saturday 11th June. This is an attempt to stop the incidents that happened last year following groups of mainly juveniles, drinking under age and causing disturbances throughout the day.
As in previous years any member that is free on the day and able to assist with stall allocation on the park is asked to attend on Hurst Grange Park from 8.30am. Any member that is able to assist with the preparation of the procession is asked to meet on Hill Road South from 11.30am.
vi) Upcoming Events;
Regular Penwortham Events for 2016;
· Paint Penwortham Pink – October 2016
· Penwortham Firework Display – Saturday 5th November 2016
· Penwortham Remembrance Day Parade – Sunday 13th November 2016
· Kingsfold Christmas Market – 1st December 2016
· Liverpool Road Christmas Market – 14th December 2016
23. Questions to the Police
PC Hesketh provided an overview of the new digital technology used by Lancashire Constabulary to help modernise policing in Lancashire. PC Hesketh informed the council that more than 2,000 front line police officers across Lancashire were new equipped with Samsung Galaxy Notebook devices to enable them to access police files.
PC Hesketh also demonstrated a Laptop with warrant card and a body camera used by the police to enable them to work more efficiently, safer and with more transparency.
In response to a question by Councillor Patten in relation to the security of the mobile devices, PC Hesketh explained that the smart phones had extremely complex passwords that officers had to remember and were also equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) to track if stolen. The information stored on the device could also be immediately cleared by remote access by the police if necessary.
The Mayor thanked PC Hesketh for attending and presenting at the Council Meeting.
Due to operational priorities the community police for Penwortham were unable to be present to respond to questions at the meeting. In the absence of the police, the Town Manager noted the following issues and would pass them to the police for action:
i) Speeding on Cedar Way
Councillor Hancock referred to the issue of speeding along Cedar Way and requested an update following his request to PC Gelson at the May council meeting for a possible community road watch scheme at that location.
ii) Dangerous Parking at Penwortham Holme Playing Fields
Councillor Howarth raised concern over the continued use of vehicles dangerously parked, adjacent to Penwortham Holme playing fields on Saturday mornings each week.
iii) Dangerous Parking on the corner of Highgate and Blundell Lane
Councillor Pimblett expressed his annoyance at vehicles parked dangerously on the corner of Highgate and Blundell Lane and asked that the police do more to enforce this.
iv) Parking Problems on Priory Lane
A local resident expressed serious safety concerns due to vehicles double parked on Priory Lane creating hazardous conditions for vehicles getting out of Priory Close. The resident suggested that the double yellow lines already painted on Priory Lane be extended further along Priory Lane in an attempt to address the problem. Councillor Howarth indicated that Lancashire County Council (LCC) had been approached previously on this matter and suggested that the Town Council write to LCC again to request some action and to arrange a meeting with the Town Council and local residents.
v) Dangerous Parking on Kew Gardens
A resident of Kew Gardens reported the constant abuse by drivers ignoring the access only sign and parking next to the junction of Kew Gardens and Liverpool Road on double yellow lines. The local resident also expressed his concern at the crumbling pavements either side of Kew Gardens due to vehicles mounting the pavements.
vi) Speeding on Cedar Way
A resident of Cedar Way referred to speeding vehicles on Cedar Way and requested that a speed indication device be installed to discourage drivers from speeding. The Town Council would contact Lancashire County Council to request that a Speed Indication Device (SPID) be installed.
vii) Speeding on Leyland Road
A member of the public raised concern regarding speeding vehicles and the volume of traffic on Leyland Road and requested a speeding device be installed. It was also reported that heavy articulated lorries continue to use the bridge on Leyland Road despite the exempt heavy goods road sign. Councillor Martin suggested that individuals could report heavy vehicles that exceed the authorised weight.
24. Questions from Members of the Public (Non-Police Issues)
The Town Council responded to questions regarding:
v) Estate Agent Boards at Howick Cross Lane
A member of the public raised an issue over the number of Estate Agent signs at the corner of Howick Cross Lane.
vi) Penwortham Young People’s Centre
A member of a user group that regularly uses Penwortham Young People’s Centre expressed her support in the Town Council’s interest in taking over the building on Priory Lane. Another centre user endorsed this and informed the council that over 1,200 local residents had signed a petition to stop the potential loss of the building.
vii) City Deal
A member of the public asked for clarity over figures published in a recent City Deal leaflet. Councillor Howarth suggested that she attend one of the forthcoming consultation events to be held at St. Mary’s Church Hall.