Tatham Parish Council

Present: Parish Councillors Melanie Winstanley, Michael Mason, Ruby Murray, Sue Dawson, Bill Deller and Jim Harrison, PC Carl Wood and the Clerk, Mary Taylor and one member of the public, Andrew Stocks.

Chairman Cllr Deller welcomed Mr Stocks and thanked PC Wood for arranging the visit. Mr Stocks spoke about his work at Ivah Great Hill, a 13 acre pasture of recently planted woodland, where at times he teaches yurt making. He answered many questions and said he has no plans to hold any more large parties.

Cllr Deller thanked him for attending, he then left the meeting.

As Mr Stocks had been refused retrospective planning for a hard standing, Martin Culbert is to be contacted to clarify the situation.

1. Apologies: District Cllr Joyce Pritchard who is working & Cllr Andrew Taylor who is also working.

2. Minutes: of 21/7/09 have been circulated; they were signed as a true and correct record, proposed by Cllr Winstanley, seconded by Cllr Dawson.

3. Police & Community Together: Police Authority dialogue Newsletter: PC Wood reported no crime in Tatham but in adjoining parishes sheep have been reported missing, scrap metal thieves are also operating with a flat back pick up with a black front and white back, number plate J7. Operators from the east coast have been conning elderly people into buying large quantities of frozen fish. P C Wood gave the police priorities for the Lune Valley, including hare coursing, poaching and traffic speeding through the villages. The chairman thanked the police constable who then left the meeting.

4. Lengthsman: June timesheet: Cllr Harrison reported on a meeting with Tarja Wilson and representatives from Melling and Wray, Steve Loy who co ordinates the Lengthsman scheme, is now clerk for Wray as well as Melling.

5. Telephone Box: Cllr Deller congratulated Cllr Winstanley who has finally succeeded, after much hard work, in having the Red Telephone Box in Lowgill listed.

6. Finance: The up to date Receipts & Payments Book and quarterly report was on display.

Cllr Deller signed the bank statements.

(a) Bank Statement: current 24 April – 24 July £2,686.92

Reserve: Interest 22 May – 24 July £0.10 £781.00

(b) Cllr Dawson proposed & Cllr Harrison seconded that the following be paid

Cheque No 328: BDO Stoy Hayward LLP (Audit) £138.00

(c) Audit: The Annual Return was approved and accepted by the Council, proposed by Cllr Dawson and seconded by Cllr Harrison. The notice is displayed on the notice board.

7. Plans

Permitted - erection of tack room & storage annex to stables, Upper Ashleys for Mrs V Sutton.

New – 09/00974/FUL – erection of single storey extension to rear at Shiresdale, 1 Millhouses Rd, Millhouses for Mr & Mrs Hitch.

New – 09/00738 & 09/00739/LB erection of single storey extension including raising the roof level & alterations to entrance door, & replacement roof over store room at Rose Cottage, Lowgill for Mrs Christine Hewitt.

There were no objections.

8. More Powers to Parish Councils: Sustainable Communities Act.

9. City Council: Guidance on Parish & Town Council Elections: Gambling Act Review: Census Rehearsal.

10. County Council: Details of the Tour of Britain Cycle Race, which travelled through Tatham today, from Bentham to Slaidburn: Lancaster Local-Lancaster District minutes & agendas including additional Highways funding 2009/10: Parish & Town Council Conference 21 November.

Highways: Reply from Jo Turton, Executive Director of the Environment; There are no funds for further passing places, Subsidence near the Cross of Greet has been repaired, investigations at Millhouses had revealed that the council had damaged a stone culvert some time ago, they are to repair this. Mr Breen is to inspect Ringstones road. Many of the pot holes have been filled and a digger has scraped off soil and debris from the top of most of the road side grates. Most of the road side verges on Lythe Fell have been mown.

Highways are to be informed of a pot hole in cross road and in Church road in Higher Tatham.

Lancaster-

County – Conference booking form & training.

National –Magazines: minimum wage is now £5.80 per hour.

12. Community Futures: The Parish Plan was reviewed; we are fulfilling most of the key recommendations. Tatham History Society has had a walk round Millhouses and lectures are planned for the winter. A short piece about the Parish Council is to be put in the Wrayly Mail.

13. Correspondence: Consultation re Fire & Rescue Service performance and action plan 2009: Consultation re Submitted Draft North West Plan partial review: Care Federation: NHS Mental Health wellbeing event 30 September.

14. Next meeting: 17 November at 7.30pm in the Old School, Tatham Fells.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm.

Pictures kindly donated by Mike Winstanley and ICTMatrix Project
Parish Information provided by Mary Taylor - Clerk to the Parish Council