1. 27 residents of the dale, including a welcome high proportion of those who had recently moved into the dale, were PRESENT under the Chairmanship of Mr. Stephen Alderson and APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE were received from 2 others.
2. The Clerk read the MINUTES of the meeting on 24th. November 1994 and these were accepted by the meeting and signed by the Chairman.
3. MATTERS ARISING:
a) the Clerk reported that he had been able to reduce the 1995/6 precept to £300.00.
b) Mrs. M. Atkinson reported that WPC Ann Murray had attended a further meeting about Neighbourhood Watch in the dale the previous evening and would be returning again in a few weeks time. Mrs. Atkinson was willing to act as the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator if the scheme was established.
c) Some hedging work had been undertaken recently, apparently by the County Council’s contractors, between Low Cocklake and the cattle grid.
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4. CLERK’S REPORT:
The Clerk reported on the main events of the previous year which had involved the Parish Meeting, thanking his fellow officers for their work on his behalf while he had been unwell and the dale’s residents for their kindness to him and to his father. He highlighted 2 related matters: (a) the recently completed Local Government Review. Although this would leave the present two tier arrangements in place, it marked the end of a period when both the County and the District Councils had been looking to the Parish for support in their various cases for autonomy and offering very high levels of concern and consultation. It was likely that these would now decrease. (b) however the dale had an imminent chance of influencing local matters through the forthcoming elections to Eden District Council. Mallerstang was within the Kirkby Stephen ward and an election here seemed certain. He encouraged residents to use their voting power to choose candidates with a concern for Mallerstang.
The Meeting thanked the Clerk for his Report.
5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
a) Chairman: Mr. S. Alderson, being the sole nomination, was declared elected.
b) Vice Chairman: Mr. A. McWhirter, being the sole nomination, was declared elected.
c) Clerk & Treasurer: The serving Clerk, Mr. G.D. Thompson, was asked to describe the Clerk’s function.
Mrs. M. Atkinson and Mr. G.D. Thompson were proposed and temporarily withdrew from the meeting and not allowed to vote in the subsequent ballot Mrs. Atkinson was declared elected.
Mr. Thompson was thanked for his work as Clerk and invited to continue in that capacity until the end of the meeting.
6. TRAVERS INSTITUTE ETC.:
After a lengthy and exuberant debate it was agreed that the future of the Travers Institute site, the Pinfold in Outhgill and the Village Green near Dalefoot would be put to a single purpose meeting of the Parish in about June 1995 in the hope that this matter could be finally resolved. The Clerk will circulate full details beforehand and also make enquiries about the land at Dalefoot, as the former Parish Chairman had suggested that this had been transferred, probably to the County Council.
7. MALLERSTANG CONSOLIDATED CHARITIES:
Mrs. M.A. Moore and Mr. E. Bousfield having resigned as Parish representative Trustees, it was necessary to elect replacements. Mrs. V. Porter, Miss S. Caldwell, Mr. I. Smart and Mr. P. Reddy were nominated and Mrs. Porter and Mr. Smart elected on a secret ballot.
8. KIRKBY STEPHEN UNITED CHARITIES:
It was necessary for Mallerstang and Nateby Parishes, acting jointly, to appoint a representative Trustee to Kirkby Stephen United Charities and the informal mechanism for doing so, agreed between the Parishes in 1917, had not been used for many years.
It was agreed to authorise the Meeting’s Officers to meet with their opposite numbers from Nateby (if that were acceptable to Nateby) and agree the new appointment. It was further agreed that 2 of the 4 representative Trustees on the Mallerstang Consolidated Charities should be nominated and Mrs. S. Alderson and Mrs. V. Porter were chosen on a secret ballot.
9. PLANNING APPLICATIONS:
In a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion consideration was given to the way that the Parish Meeting dealt with planning applications and it was finally agreed to continue the policy of not looking at any except exceptional applications, e.g. for a wind farm or an underground nuclear waste disposal site.
10. CHURCHYARD FLOODING:
the Churchyard, which is the burial ground for the dale, was regularly flooding after heavy rain and a blocked culvert was suspected. Residents agreed to help with a boon day to open and repair the culvert if investigations by the church, probably in the summer, should show this to be necessary.
11. DOGS:
Concern was expressed at the increasing number of uncontrolled dogs accompanying walkers. It was agreed to place appropriate notices, posters and warnings both in the dale in the TIC in Kirkby Stephen (if possible) alerting walkers to the problem, asking them to keep their dogs on leads and warning of the consequences if these requests were not met.
12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS:
a) The non-replacement of the fence at Jenny Wood following the bank stabilisation work was raised. The former Clerk had spoken with Mr. Atkinson who told him that there had been no formal agreement by the County Council to replace it. Nevertheless it was agreed to ask the County to do so for safety reasons and to deter fly tipping.
b) The problem of fly tipping, both household and trade refuse, was again increasing after a quiet period, notably on Birkett Fell and seemed to be largely due to the closure of the Helbeck tip before the proposed facilities at Kirkby Stephen were in place. It was decided to ask the District Council for help in clearing existing tipping, to provide litter bins in selected places (previously requested unsuccessfully) and what
the Kirkby Stephen facilities would be and when they would be available. The Clerk at Tebay would be approached for information about how that Parish arranged for collection of bulky household objects etc. which apparently it organised periodically.
c) It was agreed to ask the Highway Authority for 2 road signs: (i) at the Castle Corner to indicate that the Castlethwaite road is a dead end. (ii) at the Ash Fell end of the Tommy Road to replace the missing sign indication its unsuitability for heavy vehicles.
d) In response to an informal inquiry from Eden District Council about future polling arrangements, the meeting agreed that it wanted these to continue to be available in the dale.
e) the retiring Clerk submitted details of expenses for the year to 31/3/95 relating to newsletters, honorarium and contribution towards general expenses totalling £68.80. This was approved.
13. NEXT MEETING:
It was agreed that the timing of the next routine meeting would be decided at the special meeting in about June (item 6 above).
There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 10.25 pm.
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