Singleton Parish Council
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held at the Village Hall, Singleton
on 31 May 2018 at 7.15 pm
Present: – Cllrs Lee (Chair), Bailey (Vice Chair), Chew, Gallagher and Smith, and the Parish Clerk, Verena Henderson, who took the Minutes.
1. Apologies – None
2. Minutes of Previous Meeting and any Matters Arising
Two sets of minutes were signed by the Chairman – 22 March 2018 and 12 April 2018. Both had been previously circulated and agreed as true and correct records. There were no matters arising.
3. Open Forum – None
4. Declaration of Interests – None
5. Planning Matters and Decisions
• 18/0300 – Summerer Farm, Weeton Road, Singleton FY6 8NQ – A retrospective application for the change of use of agricultural land to allow external storage of up to 198 caravans … – The Parish Council has no objections to this proposal but would ask for some substantial landscaping to soften the appearance.
• 18/0203 – Poolbrow Leisure park, Pool Foot Lane, Singleton FY6 8LY – Reconfiguration of ground levels on existing caravan site and associated relocation of pitches, revised site drainage (amended plans). The Parish Council would not agree to any overlooking, loss of privacy or light or problems of access for residents.
List of Decisions
• 18/0144 – Greenways, 77 Mains Lane, Singleton – Detached bungalow – Granted
• 18/0207 – Land adjacent to Shard View, Shard Road, FY6 9BU – Erection of timber lodge for holiday use – Granted
• 18/0888 – River Wyre Holiday Camp, Mains Lane – Outline application for 5 dwellings – Refused
• 18/0068 – Summerer Farm, Weeton Road, Singleton FY6 8NQ – Erection of agricultural building to house cattle – Granted.
6. Police and PACT Report
The crime figures for April had been received which showed an overall decrease in figures since April 2017. The only area that had increased was that of violent crime which had increased from 1 to 6 reports. There had also been two incidents of malicious communications via social media.
A list of Fylde Police Community Support Officers had also been received which showed our own officer covering a very wide area, including Clifton/Newton/Treales and Wharles, Greenhalgh, Staining, Weeton, Westby/Little Plumpton as well as Singleton.
7. Traffic and Highway Issues
Notification received from Highways England of continuing works to the M55 Eastbound between junction 4 and junction 1. Phase 2 is due to start on 4 June from Junction 3 to junction 1 for 4 weeks and will involve a speed restriction of 50mph and full closure of the eastbound carriageway from 8pm until 6am each night and of Junction 3 entry slip road.
Notice of confirmation of a public path diversion received of part of Staining footpath 6. This has been necessitated due to the works on the railway.
8. Proposed New By-Pass
Nothing has been heard from Highways England about this for the last six weeks. Prior to this, Fylde Borough Council responded pointing out the historic importance of Singleton Hall, its land and also expressing concern about the substantial cutting of trees and loss of woodland. Barnfield Manor also has historical value and the development there kept very much to the original plot. The Parish Council awaits any further developments.
9. Correspondence
• Consumer Alerts received from Lancashire County Council warning of bogus tarmac gangs, door to door tree surgeon services, roofers and various scams operating in Lancashire.
• New Ranger Service for Fylde. Lisa Foden, Parks and Coastal Services Manager emailed about Fylde’s new Ranger Service focused on the promotion, protection and management of Fylde’s environmental assets. The Clerk was asked to invite Lisa Foden to a future meeting.
• Consultation from LCC on street lighting maintenance. Again, more cuts needed and they are proposing to carry out testing of street lights and illuminated signs every 10 years rather than 5 years as at present, in view of the longer-lasting LED lights.
• Consultation from LCC on Community Transport in Lancashire. This may mean loss, reduction and/or changes to services including fare increases. There is currently no such service in Singleton.
10.
Update on the SID
Members were very disappointed to learn that despite the new SID being returned and repaired twice, it is still not recording data properly. Cllr Lee is to demand that the firm collects this faulty appliance and replace it with a new one as this has now been going on for some time. This course of action was unanimously agreed.
11.
New Government Privacy Laws and GDPR Legislation
New rules, which came into force on 25 May 2018, relate to the keeping of personal data. The Clerk has registered the Parish Council with the Information Commissioner’s Office, and referred to their website for guidance. She will contact Ian Curtis at Fylde Borough Council for further legal advice.
12.
Rooks on Church Road and other areas in the parish
Complaints received about the nuisance caused by rooks nesting on Church Road/Miller Crescent, which now number around 60. Residents are repeatedly having to wash cars, windows, garden furniture and are disturbed by noise which starts in the very early hours. After consulting with the Tree Officer at Fylde BC, the Parish Council was advised that there was nothing they could do and that the onus was on the owners of the trees. As these trees were on Trust land, the Clerk was asked to write to Singleton Trust to see if anything could be done.
13. Social Media
Once the Minutes are put on the website the Clerk will advise Cllr Lee and he will link them into the Facebook page. It is hoped to encourage more people to read the website.
Accounts and Invoices to Pay
Ray Cottam has very kindly audited the annual accounts once again and agreed the figures. He did express some concern about the grasscutting budget being higher than originally agreed but this had been due to extra work requested such as weed-killing and cutting back trees on the car park during the financial year.
The Annual Governance Statement was then reviewed and the relevant forms completed and signed by the Chairman and the Clerk. There will now be a period of 30 working days during which the public may inspect the accounts, which will be made available to them after contacting the Clerk. The Clerk will put notices of the inspection period on the noticeboards and the website.
Cheques
• Came & Company – Annual Insurance – £697.03 – Proposed Cllr Bailey, Seconded Cllr Gallagher – Agreed
• Playdale – Deposit for new play equipment – £3598.21 – Proposed Cllr Bailey, Seconded Cllr Gallagher – Agreed
• T A Pawson – Mounting of SID – £90.00 – Proposed Cllr Bailey, Seconded Cllr Lee. Agreed
• S Butler – Litter-picking – £198.00 – Proposed Cllr Gallagher, Seconded Cllr Smith. Agreed
• Clerk – Salary and Expenses – £217.60 – Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Smith. Agreed
• John Chew – replacing compost and planting out 24 tubs – £360. Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Gallagher – Agreed
• Village Hall – Rent for meeting with Singleton Trust – £8.00. Proposed Cllr Smith, Seconded Cllr Lee – Agreed
• Singleton Bowling Club – Thank you gift for help with Playdale – £50.00 (see item in AOB) Proposed Cllr Lee, Seconded Cllr Smith. Agreed.
• Thank you cheque to Gt. Eccleston Cricket Club for internal audit – £50.00 – Proposed Cllr Bailey, Seconded Cllr Lee. Agreed.
14. Any Other Business
• Complaints received about the floor at the Village Hall and concerns expressed about possible splintering. The Clerk was asked to write to the Chairperson of the Village Hall Committee.
• Play Area – Playdale rang to say that there had been a cancellation and they could start the work earlier than expected. They duly arrived on 29 May and commenced work. The Parish Council had been disappointed to learn that their request for use of the Village Hall facilities during their time there had been met with a lack of enthusiasm and that Duggie Goth had arranged for them to use the facilities of the Bowling Club instead. The Clerk was asked to mention this in her letter to the Village Hall Committee. The Parish Council is once again very grateful for the help and support of Duggie Goth and as a token of its appreciation agreed to donate £50 towards the Bowling Club funds. The work has now been completed but the concrete still needs to set.
• Concern expressed that the “disabled parking” signs have been removed. The Clerk was asked to seek replacements for these.
• Concern expressed by John Chew in regards to the condition of some of the planting tubs in and around the village. He doubted whether some of these would survive another winter. He will check out prices of replacements and report back to the Council for its consideration.
15 Date and Time of next meeting – 28 June 2018.
As there was no further business, the meeting closed at 8.30pm.
Signed …………………………………………… Dated ………………………………………
Verena Henderson
Clerk to the Parish Council
Tel: 01995 670455