SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council
Held at Singleton Village Hall on 19 January 2023
Present: – Cllrs Lee (Chair) Ibbotson (Vice-Chair), Cholmondeley and Clifford. The Minutes were taken by Cllr Ibbotson.
| 1. | Apologies for Absence – Cllr Bailey, County Cllr Singleton and the Clerk, Verena Henderson. |
| 2. | Police Matters – None |
| 3. | Open Forum – None |
| 4. | Minutes of previous meeting held on 13 December 20232 and any matters arising – The Minutes, having been previously circulated and agreed, were signed as a true and correct record by the Chairman. There were no matters arising. |
| 5. | Declarations of Interest – None |
| 6. | Planning matters and decisions – None |
| 7. | Traffic and Highways issues – Cllr Singleton had circulated a report from LCC covering the following issues: – United Utilities had been called in because a loose manhole cover on Mains Lane, which has been repaired several times before, was rocking and causing a nuisance. A repair team has since made the cover safe.A works order has been raised for the pruning of trees on Lodge Lane between Lodge Lane and Singleton Lodge. Various concerns had been raised about highway issues via Singleton Chat, and these would be forwarded to Cllr Singleton. The concerns were as follows: – Are Lodge Lane grids going to be unblocked?Can we have double yellow lines opposite the cottages along the main road as it is a road hazard?Can traffic calming be discussed as vehicles speed past the church and school.Can anything be done about the parking on Church Road during school drop-off/pick-ups.School traffic parking is dangerous.Can anything be done about the puddle which collects outside the driveways of Worsicks Cottages? Any resident who has concerns or ideas is welcome to attend a future meeting. |
| 8. | New By-Pass There are no planned roadworks for the next 4 weeks in Singleton. Problems with mud on footpaths on Lodge Lane and Mains Lane, sometimes causing residents to have to walk in the road. This has been raised with Kier and the Clerk was asked to write to Kier, stressing the possible danger in this. |
| 9. | Correspondence A new £2 flat fare scheme has been launched on all Lancashire bus services, which will run from 1 January to 31 March 2023.Information regarding the Coronation of King Charles III, which is to be on 6 May 2023. Cllr Ibbotson proposed a box of 36 commemorative mugs be purchased. This was seconded by Cllr Clifford and Agreed. The Clerk will be asked to order these. |
| 10. | Update from Fylde Borough Council Fylde BC had sent out information concerning the local elections on 4 May 2023. The Clerk would be asked to apply for 5 forms for the Parish Council and this will be discussed at the next meeting. It was noted that the fee for an uncontested election would be £100 and £500 for a contested election. It was also noted that voters now need to take a photo ID to vote at a polling station. This information would be put on the website and noticeboards. |
| 11. | Up-to-date Financial Report The Clerk had circulated a balance sheet as at 31 December 2022. This showed that there was still a healthy balance despite some exceptional outgoings last year. The current bank balances stood at £43,472 but commitments totalling at least £5,265 would be due before 31 March 2023. |
| 12. | Precept for 2023/2024 The Clerk had forwarded details of the payments due for the next financial year, which included a rise in the cost of Playground Maintenance due to Fylde BC to £4,199, which would be taken at source from the Precept. The hours for the litter-picker had also been increased, and the hire of the waste bin from Fylde would need to be renewed in March 2023. The Parish Council was also very keen to continue working towards creating a Village Green. After much discussion and considering the current cost of living situation in the country and rising inflation, it was proposed by Cllr Lee that the Parish Council keeps the Precept at 2%. This was seconded by Cllr Cholmondeley and Agreed. |
| 13. | Accounts and Any Invoices to pay T A Pawson, hedge cutting at car park, play area etc. £482.40. Proposed Cllr Cholmondeley, Seconded Cllr Ibbotson. Cllr Clifford Agreed.Handyman – Assembling and erecting notice board at Village Hall – £184.50. Proposed Cllr Cholmondeley, Seconded Cllr Ibbotson, Agreed.Handyman – Purchasing 14 extra imitation oak tubs £510.86. Proposed Cllr Cholmondeley, Seconded Cllr Ibbotson. Agreed.Litter-picker – 5 weeks. £473.73. Proposed Cllr Cholmondeley, Seconded Cllr Ibbotson. Agreed.Clerk – Salary and expenses – December/January – £307.64. This included the website hosting fee of £92.40. Proposed Cllr Cholmondeley, Seconded Cllr Ibbotson. Agreed.Cllr Ibbotson – Reimbursement for electrical wiring for Christmas lights – £29.84. Proposed Cllr Cholmondeley, Seconded Cllr Clifford. Agreed. |
| 14. | Any Other Business The handyman reported problems with a gas main which he discovered when he erected the new notice board at the Village Hall. When he removed the old concrete posts, he noticed that there was an adjacent gas pipe which appeared to be damaged. He subsequently reported this to Cadent to make sure everything was okay and on checking the pipe they confirmed that it looked like it had been damaged for some time. The engineer confirmed that there was no gas leak from the pipe but called for a repair team to come out and repair it. Whilst the gas engineer was there, he checked the full circuit and the gas supply to the Village Hall. On his investigation he found two small gas leaks on the Village Hall’s external gas supply due to corrosion. The caretaker was notified, the gas supply was turned off temporarily whilst the repair work was completed. All now appears to be in good working order. Discussion regarding next year’s Christmas Tree plan – Switch on/Celebration/Children. Future centre piece for Village Green perhaps. For the time being the Christmas Tree at the side of the road/bowling green can be utilised. Discussions were needed with owners of the tree for trimming in preparation. Cllr Clifford will think and prepare the groundwork for the September meeting. |
| 15. | Date and time of next meeting – Tuesday 21 February 2023 at 7.15 pm. |
Signed ……………………………………………… Dated ………………………………
Notes taken by Cllr C Ibbotson
Verena Henderson, Clerk to Singleton Parish Council,
Tel: 01995 670455: email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org