SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council
Held at Singleton Village Hall on 10 October 2024
Present: – Cllrs Lee (Chair), Cllr Cholmondeley (Vice-Chair), Carruthers and Clifford and the Parish Clerk, Verena Henderson, who took the Minutes.
| 1. | Apologies for Absence – Cllr Bailey and County Cllr Singleton |
| 2. | Police Matters The Parish Council was pleased to learn that arrests have been made at two places in respect of thefts of range rovers in the area. The Chairman had attended another meeting with the new Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, which he said had gone well. Mr Grunshaw was supportive of the community speed-watch initiative using volunteers to help the police in tackling speeding motorists in various parishes. A rural crime working group has been set up to help tackle crime in rural areas and he is working with various parishes in this regard. Crime Statistics for August 2024 for the combined parishes of Elswick, Little Eccleston, Singleton and Greenhalgh were as follows: – Violence and sexual offences – 21; Anti-social behaviour – 14; Criminal damage and arson – 5; vehicle crime – 3. |
| 3. | Open Forum – None |
| 4. | Minutes of previous meeting held on 12 September 2024 and any matters arising – The Minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2024, having been previously circulated and agreed, were signed as a true and correct record by the Chairman. Matters arising The Clerk had contacted the gentleman who had previously helped source a defibrillator in regard to the Parish Council being advised that this was now obsolete, and pads and batteries were difficult to obtain. The Clerk was told that pads and batteries were still available from them but that the Parish Council should budget for replacing the defibrillator in the next year or two. The Chairman had received information about a charity offering help towards purchasing a new defibrillator with the Parish Council having to match-fund half of the cost of this. The Clerk will contact this organisation to register an interest. Another training for use of the defibrillator has been requested and the Clerk will pursue a date for this. |
| 5. | Declarations of Interest – None |
| Planning matters and decisions 24/0492 – 89 Mains Lane, Singleton FY6 7LD – Outline application for demolition of existing bungalow and erection of two dwellings – The Parish Council has become increasingly concerned about the lack of infrastructure both in the parish and surrounding towns and villages, especially regarding doctors, hospital and schools. The Parish Council therefore objects to this proposal and feels that the size of the two proposed dwellings and the fact that car parking space is being increased from 2 cars for the existing property to 4 cars per property is too intensive for this site. 24/0460 Planning permission has been granted for Mill Farm, Weeton Road, Singleton FY6 8NQ for alterations and extension to the existing stable block and garage. | |
| 7. | Traffic and Highways issues The Clerk and Cllr Carruthers had had a torrid time trying to get LCC to clear the footpaths on Lodge Lane. Cty Cllr Singleton had also worked hard to try and resolve this and had put in an urgent request that LCC attend and cut back/clear vegetation on the paths and roadside to avoid any pedestrian accident. Other highway issues contained in Cllr Singleton’s monthly report are as follows: – Metal Plates in the carriageway on Station Road – This is a Network Rail issue, and a problem has been caused by a culvert. Network Rail has limited options for permanent repair and the casting of a concrete saddle/slab over the culvert would mean long road closures. They are currently awaiting design for sign-off to then book lane closures for implementation. Bench requested for bus shelter on Garstang Road – this request has been bounced back between LCC and Fylde BC. Fylde BC has now accepted responsibility, and a bench will be provided shortly. Grange Road missing sign – A new sign has been ordered by Fylde BC. 128-136 Mains Lane – Residents are awaiting a reply from National Highways to mini speed bumps. This area is unadopted at present but will be handed over eventually to LCC. A586 from the New Poulton junction towards the Shell Garage. During the construction of the new by-pass, heavy site vehicles have caused problems with surface and gullies. Kier should provide a report followed by a solution to reinstate this section of the highway. |
| 8. | New By-Pass Problems with graffiti again, but this was quickly removed. There are cameras on site and hopefully the culprit will be seen and identified by someone. |
| 9. | Update from Fylde Borough Council A request has been made by Greenhalgh Parish Council to share the Fylde bin for their litter collection. This bin is emptied every two weeks and Greenhalgh PC wonders if they can use it on the alternate weeks. The time scale could be at Fylde’s discretion however and the Clerk will pass Fylde’s contact details on to Greenhalgh’s Clerk. If it can be sorted, the Parish Council has no problem with them using the bin, especially as both parishes use the same litter-picker. The Clerk had attended the Planning Forum Meeting, via Teams, on 30/09/2024 and submitted a brief resume of the main points. A Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be included in the King’s Speech shortly and changes are anticipated. Clerks from two separate parishes voiced their concerns about the lack of infrastructure and stressed that this should be improved before any more houses are built. They felt that more pressure must be put on builders to deliver their original promises of improvements (schools, health centres etc) before they leave the sites. A District Parish Liaison Meeting is scheduled for 16 October at Fylde BC. |
| 10. | Village Green The plans are being drawn up and should be available very soon. |
| 11. | Correspondence An email received from a Poulton resident complimenting the display of flowers behind the school. These were apparently the work of a Trust member, and the Clerk will forward this email to the Trust. Winter tubs price. The handyman had submitted 3 prices of different plants to be planted out in the 24 tubs around the parish. Last year’s violas were disappointing, but the very wet winter and spring certainly did not help them. The Clerk will contact the handyman and ask him to plant out the hardiest plants. Information received about cold-calling in Little Singleton. Complaints had been made by the resident to the organisation concerned. Singleton parish is a `no cold-calling area’, which applies to charity and religious groups too. Letter received from the Chair of the Village Hall supporting disabled spaces being created opposite the Church (these would now be voluntary), and the idea of a future car park on Trust land by the Church. However, they are unable to commit financially at this time but may be able to offer support in the future. A report received from Fylde BC following a full inspection of the equipment and furniture on the Children’s playground. They have de-scaled and painted a few items and acknowledge that the furniture has now been secured by the Parish Council. Their Risk Assessment is 9 – Low Risk. An annual fee is paid directly from the Parish Council’s precept for this regular inspection and maintenance by Fylde BC and next year’s cost will be £4,581. |
| 12. | Accounts and Any Invoices to pay The External Auditor’s Report and Certificate for the accounts 2023/24 had been received showing that in their opinion the information in Sections 1 and 2 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return is in accordance with Proper Practices and no matters have come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met. This notice has been put on the noticeboard and website, as per their instructions. Invoices: – PKF Littlejohn LLP – Official Auditor fees – £252.00. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Cholmondeley, Agreed. First Cut Grounds Maintenance Ltd – £517.68. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Carruthers. Agreed. Litter-picker – 4 weeks – £427.00. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Clifford. Agreed. Forsyth and Steele – New letter-headed paper – £68.40. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Clifford. Agreed. Clerk, Salary and expenses for September/October – £445.95. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Clifford. Agreed. |
| 13. | Any Other Business Cllr Clifford will be working towards getting a boat for the floral display before next summer. This will be positioned at Singleton’s crossroads at the beginning of Lodge Lane. Complaints made about the mess left after the new by-pass roadworks. The whole area needs a good sweep with stones and bits left at junctions. The Clerk will contact Kier. |
| 14. | Date and time of next meeting The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 12 November at 7.15pm at the Village Hall. As there was no further business, the meeting closed at 8.30pm. |
Signed ……………………………………………… Dated ………………………………
Verena Henderson, Clerk to Singleton Parish Council,
Tel: 07530 605 291: email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org