Present : Members of the Parish Council Harry Barker, Chairman, Bill Wilson, Vice Chairman, Alan Mason, Susan Orrell, Sandra Hadwick, Mike Cumming, and Trevor Hughes; Clerk Mrs Janice Cumming; Borough Councillor Daniel Edwards; Borough and County Councillor Ben Shirley
1/12/21: DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST
None
2/12/21: APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Written apology received from Cllr Steven Smalley; this was accepted.
3/12/21: PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
3/12/21/1: Street Signs on Parklands Estate. The Chairman had been approached by a member of the public
asking if some of the signs could be replaced as they were almost impossible to read and in poor condition.
The sign for Turnstone Crescent has broken away and the wooden backing board needs replacing. Street signage
is the responsibility of Barrow Borough Council. Cllr Ben Shirley will contact Barrow BC.
4/12/21: APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MEETING HELD 16 NOVEMBER 2021
These were approved and agreed as a true and accurate record and will be signed and dated by the Chairman.
Proposed Cllr Mike Cumming Seconded Cllr Bill Wilson
Agreed
5/12/21: PROGRESS AND UPDATES FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES
5/12/21/1: Seats at Marsh Street. Cllr Trevor Hughes and his son fitted the seats at the weekend, and they look very smart. The Chairman and members of the parish council thanked Cllr Hughes for carrying out this work in his own time and at no cost to the parish council. Closed
5/12/21/2: Speed Gun Training. Cllr Steve Smalley has been in touch with PC Howard who will come to the village on 31 January 2022 to carry out training. The training will be held in the Methodist Hall, Duddon Road. Questions raised at the parish council meetings regarding health & safety, risk assessment and protective clothing can be addressed by PC Howard. It would be advisable for those who raised these questions to attend the training.
5/12/21/3: Trees in Steel Street Park. Cllr Mike Cumming was looking into this and had approached a tree specialist to visit the area and assess the trees.
6/12/21: REPORT FROM POLICE AND ROAD TRAFFIC MATTERS
2 Anti-social behaviour youths causing nuisance on Steel Street and youths messing with spray can on Askam Railway Station. 4 Assaults 2 x domestic related common assault, 1 assault involving neighbours and 1 assault on a care worker in residential home. 1 burglary garage broken into and theft of alloy wheels, 0 criminal damage, 0 drugs, 2 harassment 1 domestic related report of harassment and 1 relating to calls/texts at Hawthwaite House, 0 hate incident, 2 public order youths kicking door on Sharp Street and threats made on Ireleth Road, 1 theft of fuel worth £60.00 at Ireleth Road garage.
Cllr Mike Cumming and the Clerk met with our new Community Officer for Dalton North PC Matthew Noden. They gave PC Noden a quick tour of Askam and Ireleth and pointed out some of the areas where crimes were more prevalent. PC Noden reiterated how important it is for residents to report any crime and incidents to the police so there was an official record for the statistics. This would help towards getting more police officers to attend the village. PC Noden has a large area to cover from Roa Island to Kirkby and villages in between, so he really needs the help and co-operation of residents. If there are no reports made to the police, then the police think there are no problems in Askam and Ireleth. Reports can be made in an emergency by calling 999, non-emergency 101 or email 101emails@cumbria.police.uk or by visiting www.cumbria.police.uk. The Clerk had reported an incident to 101 emails and was very pleased with the response time from the police.
7/12/21 TO REPORT ON AND DISCUSS ANY PLANNING ISSUES – CLLR SUSAN ORRELL
Reference Number: B18/2021/0935 Location: Land at Sharp Street Askam-in-Furness Proposal: Demolition of existing garage (retrospective) and construction of new detached garage with pitched roof (Re-Submission of Planning Application B18/2021/0114 with reduced roof height and pitch).
Concerns were raised regarding this development and the parish council would be objecting to the application. The Clerk will formulate based on these comments. Cllr Ben Shirley has raised concerns with the Planning Officer and asked for an extension to respond.
8/12/21: BUDGET AND PRECEPT 2022/23
Cllr Mike Cumming had circulated the proposed budget and breakdown for 2022/23 to all councillors and the proposals to keep the precept the same as 2021/22. This precept being £17,500. This was agreed by all councillors. The Clerk was asked to inform Barrow Borough Council.
Proposed Cllr Bill Wilson Seconded Cllr Trevor Hughes
Agreed
9/12/21: UNITARY GOVEMENT UPDATE – CLLR MIKE CUMMING
Cllr Cumming advised that there had been a briefing to CALC from the CEOs of Barrow and South Lakes as to where we are in the process. Elections for the new Authority would take place in May 2022 and it would run in parallel with the existing authorities until the 1st of May 2023 when the new Authority would take over. Presently the new authorities would be called Cumberland in the West and Westmoreland and Furness in the East, Cumbria as an entity would still exist for Fire, Police Ambulance etc. Details of the processes was described to the councillors present. Further information would be imparted when available.
10/12/21: UPDATE FROM BOROUGH AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS
Councillor Edwards mentioned that the road signage and lighting column had been replaced on Alexander Place. Cllr Shirley expressed the importance of reporting any highways related issues to Cumbria County Council via their website. Unless they are reported nothing will be done. Report at www.cumbria.gov.uk. The Clerk said she had reported via the website, and it was easy to use.
11/12/21: REPORT FROM CLERK INCLUDING FINANCES
The monthly expenditure sheet was made available to the parish councillors. These were accepted.
Proposed Cllr Susan Orrell Seconded Cllr Sandra Hadwick
Agreed
12/11/21: CORRESPONDENCE
All correspondence sent to the councillors by email prior to the meeting. There were no comments.
13/12/21: SANCTIONS FOR PAYMENT
Askam Pensioners room rental for Drop Zone and Parish Council meetings £224.00, 2nd class postage
stamps £7.92, leaving gift for PCSO £21.50, Christmas gift for residents and staff of the Old Vicarage
£27.98, Data Protection fee £40.00, Aqua Projet Monthly Landscape and Maintenance Charge
£685.00.
Proposed Cllr Bill Wilson Seconded Cllr Trevor Hughes
Agreed
14/12/21: DATE, TIME, AND PLACE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday 18 January 2021 at 7.15pm in the Rankin Hall, Duke Street, Askam
The Chairman closed the meeting by wishing everyone a Happy Christmas.
Signed ……………………………………………………………. Dated ………………………………
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