Mallerstang Parish Meeting

Minutes for 2001

MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE MALLERSTANG PARISH MEETING 

HELD ON THE 11th JANUARY 2001 AT ST MARY'S CHURCH MALLERSTANG

1. ATTENDANCE
Thirty-one residents of the Dale were present under the chairmanship of Mr Alec McWhirter.

2. THE MINUTES of the last meeting were read and agreed.

3. MATTERS ARISING   none

4. THE TRAVERS INSTITUTE
The Clerk gave an outline of the history of the Travers Institute with particular reference to recent years. He reported to the meeting that since the meeting on the 30th November 2000 Mrs Beverley Smart had paid a cheque for £200 representing payment for the period 1st February 1999 until the 31s' January 2000, but the position remained the same with respect to the non payment of monies between the 1st February 1998 and the 31st January 1999. The Clerk reported that since the November meeting was held Mr Smart had passed to him invoices in excess of the £200 which was the rent due for that initial period. 

The Clerk reported that because the Parish Meeting had dithered and had not decided what the £200 licence fee should be used for, the question of Mrs Smart should be able to off set costs of work carried out on the land from the rent was now academic as in the absence of a decision to use the money in another way by the Parish Meeting the monies would have to be used to upkeep the land.

Mr Gordon Hutton proposed "that the rent due under the licence agreement for the period 1st February 1998 to the 31st January 1999 shall be unpaid and not required to be paid". There were twenty-one votes in favour of the resolution and of the proposal and none against and accordingly the motion was carried.

The floor was then opened up to discuss generally what should happen to the Travers Institute land. 

Mr Howard proposed that the Clerk be asked to object to the Tree Preservation Order on behalf of the Parish Meeting and Mr Alderson seconded and the motion was carried.

Some residents were in favour of looking into the possibility of building a village hall upon the site others were against it. Mr Carver of Monkey Puzzle suggested that it may be possible to build a village hall next to the church. Mr Smart felt that whilst funding may or may not be available to build a village hall such funding would not cover the upkeep of the hall and the precept would have to be increased ten fold to meet the annual running costs.


Mr Keith Bevan who owns Fanny House adjacent to the Travers Institute site said that he was happy to take the land on licence for use as a garden on the same terms as Beverley Smart provided that he did not have to provide an indemnity in respect of liability because he had difficulty in persuading his insurance Company to add it on to his policy. The meeting agreed that Mr Bevan, should be allowed to take it on on the basis he did not provide the indemnity to the Chairman of the Parish Meeting and instructed the Clerk to forthwith arrange insurance cover for the Chairman of the Parish with respect to the Travers Institute land. The meeting specifically gave the Clerk authority to spend up to £200 per annum on the premium. The Clerk pointed out that when Mr Bevan had paid his £200 there would be £400 in the kitty and the meeting agreed that Mr Bevan should be reimbursed for monies extended on the upkeep of the site out of the balance of the £200 remaining in the account. Mr Bevan said however that he felt that little money needed to be spent on it at the moment but was grateful that that facility was available to him.


The Clerk reported that a Tree Preservation Order had been placed on two sycamore trees adjacent to the Travers Institute site on the 19th December 2000 and if the Parish Meeting was to object to those Preservation Orders the objection needed to be in writing by the 30th January 2001. Mr Smart said that he had arranged for the
Tree Preservation Order to be brought into force as he said both trees were on his land.


[After a discussion regarding the potential adverse effect a Tree Preservation Order might have upon the building of a village hall the Clerk was instructed by the meeting to write to object to the confirmation on the Tree Preservation Order.]

Mrs Wyn Hamilton proposed " a feasibility study be undertaken by the Parish Meeting with a view to building a village hall on the site of the Travers Institute for the benefit of the community at large."
The motion was passed and it was decided that a committee of five would be appointed. The Chairman asked for nominations and Wyn Hamilton nominated John Hamilton who was duly appointed to the committee and also appointed secretary, Rosemary Howard proposed Mr Carver who was duly appointed, John Hamilton proposed Roger Howard who was duly appointed, Marnie Atkinson proposed Wyn Hamilton who was duly appointed and Ros Bousfield proposed Graham Foot who was duly appointed. The committee was asked by the meeting to complete its study into the feasibility of building a village hall on the site by November 2001 and to report to the November meeting.
The meeting then closed.

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF MALLERSTANG PARISH MEETING 

HELD ON THE 21ST JUNE 2001 AT ST MARY'S CHURCH MALLERSTANG


1. Attendance
Twenty-four residents of the Dale were present under the chairmanship of Mr Alec McWhirter. Apologies were tendered on behalf of Gordon Hutton and Mrs Hamilton-Gibney and Linda Alderson.

A minute's silence was held in respect of those residents of the Dale who had passed away since the previous meeting. 

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

Approval of these was proposed by John Hamilton and seconded by John Hill.

3. Matters Arising

    a) Trees at Boggle Green. It was reported that these were doing fine. The stones still have to be carved but this had been put on hold due to Foot & Mouth. It was reported that a set of coins for the year 2000 were going to be cased in the time capsule.
Photograph
    b) Photograph. This has been paid for and they are ready for collection 
    c) Millennium Mugs. It was decided not to discuss this issue any further in view of other initiatives that had been taken to celebrate the millennium.
    d) Village Green. The clerk suggested that the Parish join the Open Space Society at a cost of £25.00. This was agreed but that as a matter of courtesy to inform Giles Thompson of the     decision.


4. Consolidated Charities. This was not discussed but it was recorded that the Committee of the Charity had met and will issue a report.

5. Millennium Book. Wyn Hamilton thanked everyone who had contributed and said the outcome was very pleasing. Thanks were given to everyone who had taken part and contributed. The Clerk reported that he had the account available at the meeting for inspection and discussion.

6. Election of Officers

a). Chairman Mr M Atkinson proposed John Hamilton and Ross Bousfield seconded the proposal. There were no other nominations and John Hamilton was appointed Chairman.
b). Vice Chairman Alec McWhirter was proposed by Steve Alderson and seconded by Anne Bryne. Stephen Alderson was proposed by Richard O'Connor and seconded by Ian Smart. A ballot was held and each candidate received 12 votes. Mr Howard suggested that both serve as Vice Chairman and the meeting unanimously appointed Alec McWhirter and Stephen Alderson joint Vice Chairman.
c). The Parish Clerk, Paul Watson was proposed by Mrs M Atkinson and seconded by Mrs Wynn Hamilton there were no other nominations and Paul Watson was re-appointed as Parish Clerk.

7. Travers Institute
Mr Howard outlined the position that the Committee had reached and stated that it was hoped that a special meeting would take place in October. It was proposed to send to everyone on the electoral role by early July a questionnaire to be returned before the end of July in respect of the Travers Institute. Mr Howard reported there had been three meetings so far and the Parish agreed to pay postage of £30 and for envelopes and distributing the questionnaire. The Parish Meeting would make the ultimate decision but the object of the questionnaire was to give the information to residents to enable them to make an informed decision. The Special Meeting will be for information only and a decision would not be made until the November meeting at the earliest.

Any Other Business 

Plusbus
Mr Howard said that the operators are thinking of extending the service to Outhgill and to other Parishes who contribute towards the bus. The lowest contribution was £71 for Hartley Parish Meeting and that the bus would run four times a day at three-hour intervals. Mr Howard suggested for the next meeting in November a representative for the Plusbus be invited, that was agreed, and the meeting closed.

 

Minutes of the Meeting Held on Thursday, 15th November 2001 

at the Black Bull Hotel, Kirkby Stephen, at 7.30 p.m.
1. Apologies for Absence were received from: The Parish Clerk, Paul Watson, who had an unavoidable business meeting in London; also from Graham Carver, Wyn Hamilton, Rosemary Howard, Carole O'Connor, and David Waring.
Those Present: in addition to nine Mallerstang Residents, we welcomed Cllr Trevor Ladhams

2. Minutes of the last meeting:
It was proposed by Roger Howard, seconded by John Hill that the minutes of the meeting held on 21st June 2001 be accepted as a correct record. This was agreed unanimously.

3. Matters Arising: None 

4. Officers' Reports: The Chairman had nothing to report that was not included elsewhere on the Agenda. There were some questions for the Parish Clerk (see Any Other Business).

5.Travers Institute Report (Part 1): 
The Chairman proposed taking this in two sections: the insurance of the site now, and then more general matters after Mr Nichols' presentation on PlusBus. This was agreed.
  Insurance Matters:
At the request of the meeting the question of insurance cover for the Travers Institute site was broadened to include the various other structures and pieces of land that are, or may be, the responsibility of the Parish. It was stated by Roger Howard that the initial cover provided by Eden District Council for the Pinfold and the Water Cut sculptures would end after five years. And in addition to the question of insuring the site of the Travers Institute, there was also the question of whether there should be cover for the Village Green in Outhgill. It was pointed out that in the future there may be need for a policy that covers some or all of these sites, but that the position on each was still far from clear at the moment.

In the case of the Travers Institute site the matter was more pressing. In theory the Chairman of the Parish Meeting and the Chief Executive of Eden District Council were jointly liable, as Trustees of the Charity. The Chairman said that he was personally inclined to rely upon such cover as was already arranged by Eden District Council; however the Parish Clerk at the meeting on 1st November had given his opinion that it would be prudent for the Parish to ensure that the site was adequately insured, by one means or another. The Clerk had made enquiries by phone to try to clarify the position with EDC's solicitors but no reply had yet been received.

There are at three main possibilities: (i) the site may already be covered sufficiently via Eden District Council; (ii) Keith Beven had agreed at the meeting on 1st November to investigate the possibility of including the insurance in his general house insurance for Fanny House. There was not yet any further information on this, (iii) but if other possibilities do not provide the necessary cover, it may be necessary for the present insurance to be renewed from Parish funds.
Actions to be taken:
(a) The meeting instructed the Parish Clerk to write to Eden District Council to try to clarify the position, both in respect of the Travers Institute Site and in the case of the other sites/structures mentioned above.
(b) The Chairman would seek to clarify with Keith Beven the possibility of cover for the Travers Institute Site under his own house insurance.
(c) The Chairman asked that this meeting give approval for payment of the premium if no other satisfactory solution had been found before the present insurance becomes due for renewal next February. This was proposed by Steven Alderson, Seconded by Gordon Hutton, and carried unanimously.


6. Cumbria PlusBus Presentation 
The business of the meeting was suspended at 8.10 p.m. so that Mr John Nichols could give a presentation on the Cumbria PlusBus service.

Mr Nichols explained the background to this service which originated from a research project by University College, London.The Company was formed after two public meetings in Kirkby Stephen. All the members are unpaid volunteers. At present it has the status as a Charitable Company and is applying to become a Registered Charity. It is funded mainly by grants from University College, Cumbria County Council and the Countryside Agency. To continue to obtain funding the project must be run by local people and shown to be supported locally, including some funding from the villages which benefit from the services. 
Mr Nichols reported that there is a possibility of extending the service to provide two buses per day to terminate at Outhgill. On present plans the first would leave Kirkby Stephen at 12.25 pm, arriving in Outhgill at 12.37. The second bus would leave Kirkby Stephen at 15.25, arriving in Outhgill at 15.37 p.m. 
Mallerstang would be asked to make a contribution towards the extra running costs involved. The annual additional running costs were estimated to be £3289. In view of the small population of Mallerstang Parish, the full contribution requested would be less than the usual 10% of running costs (£329). The exact amount has not been finalised, but it would probably be approximately £180 per annum.
Mr Nichols invited questions. It was represented that the service suggested would not be very convenient - for example, the times of the suggested buses would not allow residents to attend the Health Centre; two buses per day did not provide a flexible service, many residents were not within walking distance of Outhgill. Mr Nichols could not promise more than two buses, and there was no possibility of extending the service beyond Outhgill, but there was some possibility of looking again at times of buses.
The Chairman thanked Mr Nichols for his presentation and said that the meeting would discuss the matter further, and that he would contact Mr Nichols with the results of our discussion.

7. Discussion of PlusBus 

After Mr Nichols had left, there was a discussion on the proposals he had outlined. It was the sense of the meeting that two buses per day would not be of sufficient use to residents to justify the contribution that would be required. The Chairman asked for an indication of opinion before taking the matter further. 
Those in favour of agreeing to request the service be extended to Outhgill: 0
Those against: 6
Abstaining: 3
The Chairman said that he would contact Mr Nichols and report that we were reluctantly unable to recommend acceptance of the proposed extension.

8. Travers Institute Report (Part 2): 

The meeting now returned to consideration of the Travers Institute report. There was general discussion but there were few additions to the points discussed at the meeting on 1st November. The suggestion of a notice marking the site did not receive support and was not put to a vote. After general discussion the resolution suggested by the 1st November meeting was put to the vote:
"There is no advantage in providing a new Village Hall on the Travers Institute land at present, and it is therefore proposed: (1) that the situation be reviewed in not more than 5 years from now.
(2) it is recommended that the land be offered for use as a garden at a reasonable fee, without exclusive possession being given."
This was proposed from the Chair and seconded by Mr Howard. It was carried unanimously.

The Chairman said that there would be a report to the next Parish Meeting on the matter of insurance for the site, and on any agreement with Keith Beven about its use as a garden. He hoped that, apart from this, the Travers Institute would not appear again on the agenda of any Parish meeting before 2006, unless the situation changed in any important respect before then.

9. Parish Precept for 2002/2003

The Chairman reported a suggestion from the Parish Clerk that the precept be set at £250. This would be sufficient to cover our commitments, including a slight increase in the fee for the Parish Accounts to be audited.
There was a brief discussion. Mr Stephen Alderson said that in his opinion the precept should be as near zero as possible. Mr Richard O'Connor asked whether it was possible for the auditing to be carried out informally so as to reduce this fee. Cllr Ladhams replied that because the Parish Meeting was an official body, the accounts had to be professionally audited and a set fee applies. There being no proposals for any other amount, it was proposed from the Chair that the Precept for next year be set at £250. Seconded by Mr Hutton.
In favour: 6 Against: 0 Abstentions: 3 Carried.

10 Any Other Business

(a) It was requested that a set of accounts be sent out with the meeting notice for the AGM

(b) Mr Howard asked that the Parish Clerk take up once again with BT the question of an electricity supply to the phone box in Outhgill.

(c) Mr Howard also considered that Correspondence should always appear as an agenda item at future meetings. The Chairman said that he would pass this on to the Parish Clerk.

(d) The Chairman distributed copies of the Mallerstang Millennium Group photograph. Mr John Hill commented adversely on the quality and asked if the parish had paid for them. The Chairman replied that the main priority had been the production of a good quality Millennium Book, which included this photograph. But it had been promised that a copy of the group photo would also be available for anybody who wished to have one. No parish funds had been used; the project had been carried out entirely within the Lottery grant.

(e) Mr McWhirter commented that as Foot & Mouth was coming to an end, we must ensure that the sites used for disinfection stations are tidied up, and the fence along Watergate Bottom removed.

(f) Mr Howard had wished to ask the Parish Clerk about progress in binding together the Minutes of Parish Meetings. Mr Alderson said that a Minutes Book would be preferable to loose-leaf minutes, and in addition to minutes it could be an important record of other things, e.g. a list of all assets of the parish. The Chairman said he would bring these comments to the attention of the Parish Clerk.

(g) Mr Hutton asked that consideration be given to ways of marking the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The Chairman confirmed that no proposals had been received so far, but undertook to include this as an item at the next meeting.

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