PENWORTHAM TOWN COUNCIL
Meeting of the Council held at the Penwortham Community Centre, Kingsfold Drive, Penwortham at 7.00pm on Tuesday 5 April 2016.
Present: The Mayor, Councillor D Howarth (in the chair).
Councillors D Bennett, A Best, D Bretherton, G Crewe,
H Hancock, Mrs M Hancock, K Martin, J Patten, AE Pimblett,
D Shaw, I Watkinson, Mrs C Wooldridge, D Wooldridge
and T Young.
Members of
the public: 28
In attendance: Steve Caswell Town Manager
Marie Dardis Democratic Services Officer
PCSO Tom Welch
140. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor S Prynn, R Taylor and Miss A Turner.
141. Minutes of the Last Meeting
RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.
142. Declarations of Interest
Councillor D Howarth declared a non personal and prejudicial interest in the 12A Bus Service item (minute no. 144), as an elected member of Lancashire County Council; but was able, under the Members’ Code of Conduct, to remain in the meeting and take part in the discussion and voting. Councillor Howarth declared an interest in the Questions from Members of the Public item (minute no. 147), and left the room as this could be conceived as being personal and prejudicial.
143. Communications by the Town Mayor
The Mayor reported on the following events:
i) Raising of a flag for the commonwealth at the Civic Centre on Monday 14 March 2016.
ii) The 24th Penwortham Youth Music Festival on Tuesday 15 March 2016 at St. Leonard’s Church Hall. The afternoon was dedicated to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and was a thoroughly enjoyable and moving afternoon.
144. 12A Bus Service
Councillor Best reported on the recent changes to bus services in the area in particular to the loss of the 12A night service in Penwortham. Councillor Best raised concern for local residents inconvenienced by the changes and suggested that the Town Council attend a forthcoming Lancashire County Council Parish Bus Seminar to look at alternative means of public transport to replace lost services in the area.
RESOLVED: i) that Councillor Best attend the Lancashire County Council seminar on behalf of the Town Council and report his findings to the next meeting of the Town Council.
145. Town Manager’s Report
i) CEMETERY & WAR MEMORIAL
The entrance to the woodland burial site has now been completely refurbished and with the help of Child Action Northwest the fencing has all been painted. Memorial trees have been sold in the entrance to the site and new memorial kerbstones have been ordered. Once delivered the kerbstones will become permanent memorials to people who’s ashes have been scattered in the woodland area. The kerbstones will also help create a more formal entrance to the site.
The main cemetery has now begun to dry out after the winter rains which allows for the graves opened over the recent twelve months to be topped with top soil and then seeded. The grass cutting regime will also start shortly.
ii) COMMUNITY CENTRE
The front hall of the community centre has now been completely redecorated thanks to the hard work Councillors Carol and David Wooldridge and the town council staff. The hall now looks much fresher and cleaner and complies with the lease agreement for the centre. This should also help when offering the hall for hire.
Elsewhere in the centre the groups of are still thriving, the luncheon club, the keep fit classes, the job club, Homestart group and the youth clubs. The Tuesday night youth club now has a waiting list for membership as the room used has reached capacity.
There are still offices to hire within the building. These are being advertised but if any member know of someone looking to hire office space could they please ask them to contact the council officers. The offices are let on very easy terms and include wi-fi, all energy costs and free car parking. These offices would be ideal for any fledgling business needing space
iii) LENGTHS’PERSON’ SCHEME
Penwortham Town Council employs a Town Lengthsman whose role it is to improve the visual impact of the town. This may be simply by litter picking an area or helping an established group within the town to complete an environmental project.
The Town Lengthsman also carries out works on Public Rights of Way, usually as work ordered through Lancashire County Council and thus paid for by LCC too.
Any elected members or members of the public should contact Penwortham Town Council officers in the first instance should they feel works needed could be carried out by the town’s Lengthsman. The role of the Lengthsman is to carry out works over and above the statutory obligations of the borough and county councils.
Examples of recent works carried out by the Town Lengthsman;
· Braid Close – clear gulley
· Marshalls Brow – Litter pick
· Abbott Meadow – clear gulley
· The Cawsey – laid path at notice board
· Kingsfold Drive – fill in deep ruts
· Valley Road – Litter pick
· Liverpool Road – Litter pick
iv) POLICE “In the Know” updates
To register for “in the know” updates to receive regular information via email please go to the address below and complete the on line form.
https://member-registration.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/137/Join
Latest info from “in the know” updates;
Message sent byAction Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)
Action Fraud has received several reports in the last 24 hours from businesses who have been sent online extortion demands from scammers threatening a cyber attack.
The scammers, who call themselves the “RepKiller Team”, have been sending emails to businesses across the UK demanding payment of between £300-£500 in Bitcoins by a certain date and time.
If the demands are not met, the team have threatened to launch a cyber attack against the businesses and their reputation by automating hundreds of negative reviews online.
The emails also claim that once actions have started, they cannot be undone.Although these scammers are currently calling themselves “RepKiller”, it is common for fraudsters to continually change and adopt new tactics – email names can be made and changed easily.
What to do if you receive one of these emails?
· Whether the attack is attempted or successful, you should report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or by using our online reporting tool
· Do not pay the demand. There is no guarantee the scammers won’t launch an attack and could encourage further extortion demands in the future.
· Retain all the original emails. Should law enforcement investigate, the information contained within the email headers can be used as evidence.
· Maintain a timeline of the attack recording all times, type and content of contact
v) Further Updates;
Penwortham Fair Trade Status
We are delighted to announce that following the excellent work of the Town Council alongside the Fair Trade Steering group that Penwortham as of the 22nd March 2016 is officially a “FAIRTRADE TOWN”.
This is a recognition of the fact that Penwortham plays host to a number of shops, businesses, schools, community groups etc that support fair trade and encourage a fairer deal for the producers. This is also another reason for traders and shoppers alike to want to visit Penwortham and support the busy and vibrant community of Penwortham.
Penwortham Neighbourhood Development Plan
The Penwortham NDP has now finished all of the consultation exercises. SRBC are currently preparing all the information to be sent to the Government Planning Inspector. Once the inspector has given the go ahead the people of Penwortham will be asked to vote at a referendum and should 50% of the people that trun out to vote the Penwortham NDP will then be passed to SRBC for formal adoption as part of their supplementary planning documents.
Tesco – Government Buildings Cop Lane
Tesco held a full public consultation on their plans before they submit a planning application to South Ribble Borough Council. The consultation was held on Thursday 31 March at St Mary’s Hall from 2.00pm to 7.30pm. This gave residents the opportunity to talk to specialists in the development team on a range of matters.
Lancashire County Training Partnership - Spring Conference 2016, Saturday 14 May 2016
At the Leyland Hotel, Junction 28 M6 Motorway from 10a.m. – 4.15p.m. This year the event is free to attend and will consist of the following programme;
Update on National Matters – Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Local councils
Workshop on the position of councils/parishes/towns in the future — Improvement & Development Officer, National Association of Local Councils
Lunch in the Restaurant
Paint Penwortham Pink –report on a fundraising event by Penwortham Town Council
It is hoped that an item on the new audit arrangements will be included in the programme (to be confirmed)
The Leyland Hotel is a popular venue being so accessible from all areas, giving the opportunity to councillors and clerks to meet and exchange ideas in comfortable surroundings.
Will any member wishing to attend pass their names to the Town Council officers as soon as possible as it is envisaged that the spaces will go very quickly.
vi) Upcoming Events;
Regular Penwortham Events for 2016;
· Penwortham Gala – 11th and 12th June 2016
· Paint Penwortham Pink – October 2016
· Penwortham Firework Display – Saturday 5th November 2016
· Penwortham Remembrance Day Parade – Sunday 13th November 2016
· Kingsfold Christmas Market – 1st December 2016
· Liverpool Road Christmas Market – 14th December 2016
Councillor Bretherton congratulated the officers of the Town Council for their hard work and commitment to achieving Fairtrade Town Status for Penwortham.
Councillor Crewe raised concern in relation to the closure and sale of the St. Mary’s church hall site on Cop Lane and suggested that a representative from the Church be invited to a future meeting of the Town Council to inform local residents of their plans to close the existing church hall and relocate to the parish church on Church Avenue. Councillor Pimblett confirmed that he had had a prior discussion with the vicar of St. Mary’s and referred to a press release recently communicated by the Parish Church.
A local resident and Church Warden for St. Mary’s Parish Church provided the Council with a brief history and update on the existing church hall site and the future plans for the church. Councillor D Wooldridge thanked the local resident for updating the council on the latest position.
RESOLVED: i) that the Archdeacon of the Diocese of Blackburn and the Vicar of the Parish Church of St Mary be invited to attend a future meeting of the Town Council.
146. Questions to the Police
The Council meeting constituted the Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting and the police were present to respond to questions.
PCSO Welch responded to questions regarding:
i) Speeding on Cedar Way
Councillor Hancock reported a long standing problem of cars speeding along Cedar Way in particular during school times. PCSO Welch suggested that a community road watch scheme may be beneficial in an attempt to tackle the problem of speeding.
ii) Speeding vehicle on Kingsfold Drive
Councillor D Wooldridge asked the police for an update following a recent incident on Kingsfold Drive whereby a pedestrian was almost injured. PCSO Welch would investigate the matter further.
iii) Possible untaxed and uninsured vehicles
Councillor Martin reported a number of vehicles for sale at Skew Railway Bridge on Leyland Road and asked the police to investigate the matter further. Councillor Martin also suggested that despite the weight restriction for traffic on Skew bridge, unsuitable overweight vehicles continued to use that route.
iv) Parking congestion on Priory Lane and Kingsway
A local resident raised the issue of dangerous parking and vehicles causing an obstruction on Priory Lane and Kingsway.
Rawstorne Road
v) Safety concern was raised in relation to vehicles continuing to use Rawstorne Road as a rat-run despite the introduction of a one-way system. It was reported that vehicles were driving in excess of 20pmh and extremely close to the narrow footpaths.
The Town Mayor thanked PCSO Welch and wished him continued success in his future as a Police Officer as he began his training with the Police force in the forthcoming months.
147. Questions from Members of the Public (non-police matters)
The Town Council responded to questions regarding:
i) Commemoration Events for the Battle of the Somme and Jutland Centenary and The Queen’s 90th Birthday
A member of the public referred to a number of commemorative events being held by the Royal British Legion to mark the beginning of the Battle of the Somme and asked if any events were being organised in South Ribble or Lancashire.
The Town Manager confirmed that the council had previously given approval for the Friends of Penwortham War Memorial to hold a candle lit vigil to mark the anniversary of the Somme and that plans were underway to celebrate the Queen’s 90th Birthday Party on Sunday 12th June 2016 on Hurst Grange Park as part of the Gala entertainment. It was also suggested that the Parish Church of St Mary were planning to light a beacon as part of the queen’s celebrations on 21st April, 2016.