LYMM PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held in the Parish Council Chamber, Village Hall, Pepper Street, Lymm on Tuesday 14 April 2009 at 7.30 pm
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Present Councillor Mrs S E Woodyatt (Chairman)
" R Barr
" Mrs C Coupe
" Mrs P Gaster
" June Gittins
" W N Woodyatt

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Gallimore, Griffiths, Mrs Hunter, Mrs Marks, Marks and Openshaw

152. Code of Conduct

Members were reminded of their responsibility to declare any personal interest or prejudicial interest that they may have in any item of business on the agenda no later than when the item is reached.

153. Minutes

RESOLVED : That the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 10 March 2009 be signed as a correct record.

154. Proceedings of the Committees of the Council

1. Planning and Development Committee on 10 March 2009
2. Plans Sub – Committee on 16 March and 6 April 2009
3. Village Hall Sub-Committee on 6 April 2009

RESOLVED : That such of the proceedings of these committees as require the confirmation and adoption of the Council be confirmed and adopted.

155. Eliot Minor Concert

Standing Orders were suspended for Sean Kerfoot to update the Parish Council on the plans for the Eliot Minor Concert. Mr Kerfoot said that he had met with Graham Naylor, Warrington Borough Council to discuss the proposed concert. It had been agreed that the best location for the concert was on private land at the top of Crouchley Lane. The Fire Brigade required a one way system to ensure access for emergency vehicles. There had not been time to organise the required 28 day order for the concert to take place on May 2009. It had therefore been decided to postpone the concert until later in the year.

Standing Orders were re-instated.

156. Matters Arising

1. LPC 98.5. Cycle Racks. The Clerk has received an e mail from Warrington Borough Council advising that the cost of setting up the required legal agreement for having a cycle rack outside the Spar shop would be around £1000. Warrington Borough Council did not have the money available to prepare such an agreement. If a suitable location for a cycle rack could be found on Council land Warrington Borough Council would install one.

2. LPC 140. Pay and Display Car Parking. Warrington Borough Council has advised the Clerk that pay and display car parking should be introduced on the Pepper Street car park on 1 May 2009

3. LPC 146. Trees at Star Lane Allotments The Clerk had received a verbal quotation of £750.00 from Whitbarrow Landscapes to fully remove the poplar trees from Star Lane allotments.

157. Chairman's Communications

1. The Chairman had attended the Culcheth Parish Council Civic Service

2. The Chairman had attended an open day at Cotebrook that had been a super event.

3. The Chairman had received a letter from the Rotary Club of Lymm asking if the Parish Council wished to nominate anyone for this year’s vocational award. Nominations should be submitted by 1 May 2009.

4. The Chairman had been contacted by the Rugby Club to thank the Parish Council for its support for the planning application to level the pitches. The club was currently doing very well with the under 12s team being particularly successful.

158. Clerk's Communications.

1. The Clerk had been contacted by Cllr Mrs Coupe about the poor state of repair of the road surface on Higher Lane. Cllr Mrs Coupe said that she understood the road would not be resurfaced until 2010. Cllr Mrs Woodyatt said that the necessary road repairs in Warrington had been prioritised. Star Lane and Barsbank Lane in Lymm would be resurfaced in 2009 and Higher Lane in 2010.

2. The Clerk received a request from Simon Plumb to display a banner over The Cross advertising a spoof show called ‘MAM, I’M HERE’ to be performed at Lymm High School on 12-13 June 2009 to raise money for the Lymm Grass Roots Appeal fund. Cllr Barr has advised that all banners erected over the Public Highway have to comply with section 178 of the Highways Act 1980.

RESOLVED : Lymm Parish Council has no objections to the erection of this banner. Mr Plumb to be advised to contact Mr Kerfoot, Lymm Events Management who will submit an application to Warrington Borough Council for permission to display this banner.

3. Neil Griffin, Digital UK has asked if Digital UK could place a trailer on The Cross on 10 September 2009 to talk to local people about the switchover to digital television

RESOLVED : The Parish Council has no objections to this trailer being placed on The Cross on 10 September 2009

4. Helen Read has contacted the Clerk to advise that the land at the junction of Longbutt Lane and Grammar School Road is to be sold at auction on 23 April 2009. The land will be sold in three parcels with the bottom guide price being £1500 and the top guide price being £2000 per parcel. The land for sale is behind the properties on Churchwood View.

5. Manchester Airport will be holding an update meeting for members of Parish Councils on 5 May and 14 May 2009 from 9.30 a.m to 11.45 a.m. The meetings will include a demonstration by the Fire Service, planned runway closures and aviation development.

6. Warrington Association for Special Children has written to ask if the Parish Council could give a grant to support its work in providing play and leisure facilities for children in and around Warrington who have profound learning difficulties.

RESOLVED : Under the provisions of Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 Lymm Parish Council to give a grant of £50.00 to the Warrington Association for Special Children

7. Letters of thanks for grant aid have been received from Lymm Twin Town Society and Lymm Festival. Lymm Festival has advised that it may require a repayable loan from the Parish Council if cash flow problems are encountered before the sale of tickets commences.

8. Jill Cooper has written to the Parish Council advising that she will be asking the PCT for enough funding to treat an additional 2000 people at the dental surgery on Rushgreen Road. A fresh planning application has been submitted for the conversion of one of the empty upstairs rooms into a second surgery.

9. Warrington Borough Council will be holding a planning seminar for Councillors and Clerks on Saturday 16 May 2009 in the Town Hall between 9.30 a.m and 12 noon.

10. The Clerk attended a Parish Liaison meeting at the Town Hall when updated fact sheets about Declarations of Interest and leaflets on ‘How to make a complaint about a Councillor’ were distributed.

11. The Clerk has various consultation documents about review of primary school provision in Warrington.

12. The Clerk has Broadleaf Spring 2009 and Countryside Voice Spring 2009. Grapevine March 2009 has been distributed to all members of the Parish Council

159. Appointment of Internal Auditors for 2008/2009 Annual Accounts

The Clerk advised that the Parish Council needed to appoint internal auditors to audit the Parish Council Accounts for the period ending 31 March 2009. Lou Brown and Ray Wilson had audited the Parish Council accounts in previous years.

RESOLVED : Mr Brown and Mr Wilson be appointed as the internal auditors for the Parish Councils Annual Accounts 2008/2009.

160. Reports From Outside Bodies.

1. Cllr Woodyatt had attended a CAB meeting and reported that the CAB was working well. The CAB was hard pressed for funding and Lymm Parish Council was the only Parish Council in the Warrington area to give an annual grant to the CAB. Cllr Mrs Woodyatt said that the CAB did very valuable work and helped thousands of people throughout Warrington.

2. Cllrs Barr and Griffiths had attended the Warrington South Neighbourhood Board meeting when the principles of neighbourhood working had been explained. Oughtrington Community Association had been awarded a grant of nearly £5000 to decorate the main hall and replace the floor at the Community Centre. Cllr Mrs Woodyatt said that the Children’s Services would be reporting to the Neighbourhood Board on matters including reducing anti-social behaviour and youth projects

161. Schedule of Accounts for Payment

RESOLVED : That the schedule of accounts for payment to 31 March 2009 in the sum of £4698.28 and the schedule of accounts for payment in April 2009 in the sum of £5965.25 be passed for payment

162. Date of Next Parish Council Meeting

Tuesday 12 May 2009 in the Parish Council Chamber, Village Hall, Pepper Street, Lymm at 7.30pm. This meeting will be preceded by the Annual Parish Council Assembly commencing at 7.15 p.m.

163. Public Open Forum

1. John Read said that there were some nice trees on the land to be sold on Longbutt Lane/Oughtrington Lane and he hoped that these trees would not be destroyed when the land was sold. Cllr Mrs Woodyattt said that she would make enquiries about the status of these trees.

2. Darren Pybus said that he had aquired a builders yard on Mill Lane that he would like to make into an indoor and outdoor play area. The indoor area would include sports facilities, changing rooms and a play area and these facilities would be made available to the local primary schools free of charge during quiet periods. The outdoor facilities would include an experimental wildlife area.

3. Sean Kerfoot thanked the Parish Council for its contribution to the costs of the road closures for the Duck Race. Mr Kerfoot said that the litter bins in the village had been overflowing on the Monday morning prior to the start of the Duck Race.

RESOLVED : Warrington Borough Council be asked to ensure that all the litter bins in Lymm are emptied prior to the comencement of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend in future years.

Cllr Mrs Woodyatt thanked the Parish Councillors, Clerk and members of the public for their support during the year. Cllr Mrs Woodyatt wished Cllr Griffiths a happy and successful year as Parish Council Chairman.

164. Part Two Matters

RESOLVED : That the Press and Public be excluded from this part of the proceedings