LITTLE ECCLESTON WITH LARBRECK PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
Thursday 11th April 2024, 7.00pm at Elswick Village Hall, Roseacre Road, Elswick.
PRESENT: Cllr P Bull (Chair), Cllr Sandra Milton, Cllr A M Bull, Cllr Steve Milton
IN ATTENDANCE: Jane Lingings (Clerk), County Cllr J Singleton (Agenda Item 9 onwards)
Public Participation
No members of the public attended.
1177/24 1. Apologies for Absence
Cllr G Stead (Vice Chair)
1178/24 2. Declaration of Interests and Dispensations
Cllrs S & S Milton, Agenda item 5 (pecuniary)
1179/24 3. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
It was resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting 14th March 2024 as an accurate record and were signed by the Chair.
1180/24 4. Action Tracker
The action tracker of previous decisions of the council was noted and updated.
1181/24 5. Finance
It was resolved to approve the monthly bank reconciliation.
It was resolved to approve the cumulative budget report.
In Bloom Group estimated annual expenditure 24/25: as previously resolved in November 21 minute ref 859/21, any spend above £500 regarding the “in bloom” budget would need to come to the Council for prior approval. Any volunteer spend re the “in bloom” budget is agreed prior to spend by Cllrs P Bull and Cllr Sandra Milton.
It was resolved that the proposed Village in Bloom expenditure items of £1,171,49 provided by J Coleman on behalf of the In Bloom group was approved. All other items proposed, and within the budget, had been approved. It was noted that the estimated expenditure provided to the Parish Council from the group was within the £1500.00 budget agreed by the Parish Council for 24/25.
It was resolved that the In Bloom volunteers insurance would be deducted from the Parish Council budget, not the In Bloom budget.
It was resolved that the In Bloom spend would be tracked net of VAT.
It was resolved that Cllr P Bull will confirm the above decisions to J Coleman.
It was resolved to approve payments.
Payee Details Net VAT Gross
Salaries Staff costs 387.87 0 387.87
J Lingings Admin Reimburse 40.00 0 40.00
Mr S Milton Amenity Cleansing 390.00 0 390.00
Mr P Bull In Bloom reimbursements 41.32 2.74 43.49
EDF Energy Unmetered electric supply 11.35 0.57 11.92
HMRC PAYE Quarter 4 23 24 (credit adjusted) 127.83 0 127.83
J Smith In Bloom reimbursement 24.30 0 24.30
LALC Membership 117.16 0 117.16
J Finch Internal Auditor Fee 175.00 0 175.00
Income received: Precept – 1st Instalment: £10000.00
FBC Amenity Cleansing 1st Instalment: £2308.00
FBC Bus Shelter 1st Instalment: £35.00
1182/24 6. Monthly Health and Safety Risk Assessment
- Obstacles on verges guidance: The Parish Councillors discussed their concerns regarding a recent planting area not undertaken with Parish Council consultation/approval, adjacent to the bus shelter serving the westerly direction traffic, which includes large stones. It was resolved that the clerk will contact LCC for guidance, via Cllr J Singleton. Once LCC clarification is received; if this recommends the removal of such obstacles on the public highway (grass verges), the Parish Council will undertake a risk assessment of planting schemes previously approved to ensure that the Parish Council approved schemes are compliant.
- Update on PROW report footpath opposite Cartford Arms FP0507002: The PROW representative responded to the Parish Councils request for an assessment of this area and have advised that they do not share the same concerns as the Parish Council, noting that the gate opposite the Cartford Arms on FP0507002 has a gap next to it which provides efficient room to access the footpath and although yes it is on the river bank there are trees, stones and banking which prevent any exposure to the risk of falling into the river at this given point. The PROW team will keep an eye on the riverbank if any erosion changes the dynamics in that area.
1183/24 7. Planning and Licensing
No planning applications were received at the time of the agenda.
1184/24 8. Amenities/Maintenance/Environment
- Oak Tree quotations: It was resolved to defer the canopy maintenance as this is no longer optimal oak tree maintenance conditions. The Parish Council will request two quotations for consideration at the September meeting to arrange trimming in the winter/very early spring months.
- East End triangle decision: it was noted that the Village In Bloom (VIB) group had been consulted at its meeting on 17/03/24, and the group agreed that a final decision would be made later in the year whether to replace the existing sleepers (at double height) or replace with a raised wooden block planter. The Parish Council discussed this area at length and unanimously agreed to bring forward the decision to replace the planter in time for the summer planting season if possible. Therefore, it was resolved that the Parish Council made the decision to replace with a raised triangular wooden block planter in keeping with the other planters in the village. Quotations will be brought back to the May meeting for consideration. Cllrs S & S Milton have offered to position and construct the planter if required.
- Overgrown hedges around the village impeding on the public pavement: it was resolved that the clerk will report to LCC.
1185/24 9. County & Borough Council
Cllr J Singleton provided an update to the Council regarding ongoing work.
1186/24 10. 20’s Plenty Campaign
The Parish Council has tried from many years to achieve a reduction in speed limit on Carford Lane from 30mph to 20mph. These individual Parish Council requests to LCC have been unsuccessful.
- It was resolved that Cllr A M Bull will support a community led campaign in order to be heard and achieve a reduction in the speed on this busy lane.
- It was resolved that the Parish Council supports a 20’s Plenty campaign for Cartford Lane.
- It was resolved that the Parish Council calls on Lancashire County Council to implement 20mph for Cartford Lane and will write Lancashire County Council to request 20mph speed limits on Cartford Lane
- It was resolved that a campaign budget of £500 will be made available to Cllr A M Bull.
1187/24 11. Preparation for Audit
All financial information, minutes, risk assessment, asset register etc. had been provided to the Internal Auditor, who has now completed the audit, which will be presented to the Council at the next meeting.
1188/24 12. Parish Council IT
- Parish Council laptop: it was resolved to purchase a new laptop compatible with Windows 11 including 2 years security protection at a quote of £500. The clerk is also to purchase a suitable IT transport bag to carry the laptop and projector. It was resolved to “wipe clean” and then donate the old laptop to a local restart project initiative, which includes a data destruction certificate.
- Migration to gov.uk domain and email accounts: it was resolved to accept the quotation from Netwise UK an approved registrar, for migration, with the following costs approved:
- £70.00 on current cycle period. An annual difference of £110 per annum.
- The .gov.uk domain price of £60 p/a
- A one-off set-up fee of £50.
- The Cabinet Office has provided a new round of funding to help parish councils to set up a gov.uk domain for their websites. It was resolved that the Clerk will apply for a government grant of £100 + VAT which would cover most of the first years fee.
1189/24 13. Items for the Next Agenda
- Audit
- Insurance
- Business Continuity
- Councillor vacancies
1190/24 14. Date of Next Meetings (unless otherwise detailed on agenda)
Thursday 9th May 2024