LITTLE ECCLESTON WITH LARBRECK PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
Thursday 12th September 2024, 7.30pm at Elswick Village Hall, Roseacre Road, Elswick.
PRESENT: Cllr P Bull (Chair), Cllr A M Bull (Vice Chair), Cllr Sandra Milton, Cllr G Stead, Cllr Steve Milton, Cllr J Smith, Cllr D May
IN ATTENDANCE: Jane Lingings (Clerk), FBC Cllr P Hayhurst
Public Participation
Three members of the public attended.
1238/24 1. Apologies for Absence
1239/24 2. Declaration of Interests and Dispensations
Cllrs S & S Milton & P Bull Agenda item 6 (pecuniary)
1240/24 3. Co-Option to the Parish Council Vacancies
The Parish Council currently has two vacancies, which have both been widely advertised. Two formal applications were received for the position of Parish Councillor. It was resolved to co-opt Janet Smith and Dawn May onto the Parish Council, both by unanimous vote. Both candidates duly signed the Acceptance of Office Form and joined the meeting, as Parish Councillors. The Clerk will inform FBC. The new Councillors will complete the declaration of interest form and return to the clerk, who will forward to FBC.
1241/24 4. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
It was resolved to approve the minutes of the Thursday 18th July 2024 meeting as an accurate record and were signed by the Chair.
1242/24 5. Action Tracker
The action tracker of previous decisions of the council was noted and updated.
1243/24 6. Finance
- It was resolved to approve the monthly bank reconciliation.
- It was resolved to approve the cumulative budget report.
- It was resolved to approve payments for August (contractual and previously agreed), and September
August (contractual payments and previously agreed)
Payee Details Net VAT Gross
inFocus Advert for vacancy 15.00 0 15.00
Envirocare Open Spaces Contract 1st Instalment 3167.00 633.40 3800.40
P Bull Reimbursement key cutting 50.38 0 50.38
Staff Costs Salaries 387.67 0 387.67
J Lingings Admin reimbursements 40.00 0 40.00
Mr S Milton Amenity Cleansing 390.00 0 390.00
EDF Energy Defibrillator electric supply 11.35 .57 11.92
PKF Littlejohn LLP External Audit Fee 210.00 42.00 252.00
EE Parish council phone contract 13.00 2.60 15.60
September payments
Payee Details Net VAT Gross
Staff Costs Salaries 387.67 0 387.67
J Lingings Admin reimbursements 40.00 0 40.00
J Lingings Admin reimbursement balance (Apr – Sept) 49.50 12.36 61.86
Mr S Milton Amenity Cleansing 390.00 0 390.00
Mr S Milton Watering Instalment 1 500.00 0 500.00
EDF Energy Defibrillator electric supply 11.35 .57 11.92
ICO Registration Fee 35.00 0 35.00
K Sudlow In Bloom Reimbursement 24.95 4.99 29.94
F Porter In Bloom Reimbursement 16.23 3.24 19.47
EE Parish council phone contract 13.00 2.60 15.60
Income received: FBC: Precept 2nd Instalment £10,000.00
FBC: Amenity Cleansing grant £2307.00
FBC: Bus shelter grant £35.00
Bank Mandate: It was resolved that both new Councillors, Janet Smith and Dawn May will be added to the Unity Trust Bank mandate with the permissions to view, submit and authorise. The Clerk will commence the necessary paperwork.
Bank Account Debit Card: It was resolved that the Clerk will contact Unity Trust to start the application process to apply for a card, which will be used to service the Microsoft Account.
1244/24 7. Monthly Health and Safety Risk Assessment
A local resident had raised safety concerns regarding the positioning of the two pedestrian island crossings on the A586. The Parish Council acknowledged that the locations were not ideal, particularly with the flow of traffic being 50mph. It was resolved that the Clerk will liaise with LCC Cllr John Singleton to ascertain if there are any improvement works planned as part of the new housing development and or whether any speed reductions to 40mph would be considered on this section of the A586.
1245/24 8. Planning and Licensing
The following application was discussed and considered by the Parish Council:
- Application 24/0404: Land North of Garstang Road at junction with Windy Harbour Road, Pool Foot Lane, Singleton.
- Application to vary conditions on planning permission 19/0318 relating to development of mixed use tourism & leisure development involving a 9-hole golf course, siting of 495 holiday lodges, erection of buildings providing 102 bedroom hotel, pool and leisure facilities, and green-keeper facilities, together with associated open space/biodiversity area .proposed variation is of condition 2 (approved plans), 3 (phasing of development), 6 (ecological management), 17 (landscaping), 19 (drainage), and 20 (levels).
It was resolved that the Parish Council had no specific observations to make upon the proposal.
For information only: The following application was received in-between meetings and have been actioned by the clerk using delegated powers (Ref 388/17)
- Application 24/0438: Millfield, Garstang Road, Little Eccleston with Larbreck, PR3 0ZQ
- 1.5 storey rear extension incorporating first floor balcony, construction of dormer to east facing side roof slope and enlargement of hard standing to front of dwelling
It had been resolved that the Council had no specific observations to make upon the proposal.
1246/24 9. Amenities/Maintenance/Environment
Lamp post bins: unfortunately, the lamp post bin on the corner of Leckonby has been removed. It was resolved to move the bin at Hillview which is infrequently used and relocate to the corner of Leckonby. It was resolved that the Clerk will contact Wyre Borough Council and/or Great Eccleston Parish Council to request a large bin at a suitable location on East End.
West End Trees: It was resolved that the Clerk will contact LCC to request all trees are pruned in this area.
1247/24 10. County & Borough Council
FBC Bus Shelter Cleaning Subsidy 25/26: For many years your Parish Council has been responsible for the cleaning of the bus shelter to which Fylde Council has paid a contribution towards. Following Fylde Council entering into a new contracting agreement, the Parish Council is no longer required to undertake these duties and as such the bus shelter cleaning grant of £70.00 per annum will cease from the start of the 2025/26 financial year.
1248/24 11. Parish Council Administration
The Clerk had submitted her resignation to the Chair.
The following actions were resolved:
- Following discussion by the Chair with the Monitoring Officer at Fylde Borough Council – as an interim measure and to ensure business continuity – if recruitment is unsuccessful by the end of November, Cllr Peter Bull will take the role of Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer, in addition to his duties as Chair. Support will be provided by all Councillors to the Chair. It was noted that Councillors cannot be reimbursed for this role.
- The Clerk will place recruitment adverts in the inFocus, Lancashire SLCC, LALC, the Parish Council Website and other appropriate channels.
- The Parish Council would finance the training of an unqualified Clerk through both the Introduction to Local Council Administration (ILCA) and Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA), with an appropriate training agreement in place.
- The Clerks remaining annual leave will be paid, in order to extend the notice period to the end of November.
1249/24 12. External Auditors Report and Certificate for the year ended 31 March 2024
The external audit has been completed with no issues raised. In accordance with the Accounts and Audit Regulations, the ‘Notice of Conclusion of Audit’ will be added to the website for a period of 14 days along with the Certified AGAR.
1250/24 13 Parish Council Policy Review
It was resolved to approve the review of existing policies:
- Community Engagement & Statement of Intent Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Disciplinary Procedure Policy
- Equality & Diversity Policy
- Grant Awarding Policy
- Grievance Procedure
- Health and Safety Policy
- Home Worker Policy
- Information Protection Policy
- Information Security Incident Policy
- Public Participation
- Recruitment Policy
- Removable Media Policy
- Social Media and Electronic Communication Policy
- Subject Access Request Policy
It was resolved to approve the following new policies:
- Email and Computer System Use Policy and Procedure for Councillors
- Policy for Granting of the Honorary Freedom of the Parish
- Reserves Policy
- Vexatious Complaints Policy
1251/24 14. Tractor Pull
It was resolved that Cllrs P Bull and G Stead will discuss some issues raised over late-night noise and traffic management safety with the Tractor Pull Committee at the next meeting, to be considered for the next event.
1252/24 15 Open Spaces Annual Risk Assessment
It was resolved to approve the annual open spaces risk assessment with one minor amendment regarding fixed furniture.
1253/24 16. Defibrillator Maintenance Contract
It was resolved to continue with the in-house checks completed monthly by Cllr Stead, deputised by Cllr Steve Milton, which are then logged onto the Circuit – The National Defibrillator Network.
1254/24 17. Items for the Next Agenda
Business Continuity Plan
1255/24 14. Date of Next and future Meetings (unless otherwise detailed on agenda)
- Thursday 10th October 2024
- Thursday 14th November 2024
- No meeting in December 2024
- Thursday 9th January 2025
- Thursday 13th February 2025
- Thursday 13th March 2025
- Thursday 10th April 2025
- Thursday 8th May 2025