Please find below the minutes for the latest Formby Parish Council meeting. A copy of the minutes is available to download at the bottom of the page.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING
Present: Councillors: Bob McCann (Chairman), Colin Appleton, Derek Baxter, Sandra Baxter, Maria Bennett, Dawn Brodie, David Dutton, David Irving, Yvonne Irving, Susan McCann, Bernie Prescott, Joe Riley, Mike Weild and Paul Wiencke.
In Attendance: Claire Jenkins (Clerk) and 0 members of public
1.0 To elect a Chairman for 2022-23, who will then sign the “Declaration of Acceptance of Office”
Nominations were received for Cllr B McCann.
It was resolved that Cllr B McCann be elected as Chairman.
Cllr McCann signed The Declaration of Acceptance of Office, and this was witnessed by the Proper Officer.
2.0 To elect a Vice Chairman for 2022-23, who will then sign the “Declaration of Acceptance to Office”
Nominations were received for Cllr Prescott.
It was resolved that Cllr Prescott be elected as Vice Chairman.
Cllr Prescott signed The Declaration of Acceptance of Office, and this was witnessed by the Proper Officer.
3.0 Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Cllr Richards.
4.0 Members Declaration of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
5.0 Public Forum
The meeting was adjourned for this item.
There were no members of public in attendance.
The meeting was reconvened.
6.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
6.1 Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 5 April 2022
It was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 5 April 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
7.0 Matters of Report from Previous Meeting
It was noted that the Lonsdale Road green space proposal has been accepted by Cabinet and is going to Sefton full Council meeting next week. Cllr Irving met with Formby Little Theatre to discuss a proposed celebration.
8.0 The Retiring Chairman’s Annual Report
Cllr McCann reported “This past 12 months has been another difficult year. The effects of the pandemic have meant that meetings were taking place online and not much progress was able to be made. As the year progressed and face to face meetings were available to us, the backlog of work by contractors and Borough Council Officials has made it difficult to get things done once again.
On a positive note, the Christmas lights switch-on event proved to be very popular and was well organised by Cllr Bennett, who also coordinated design for the new Christmas display which will be enhanced further. The efforts by Cllr Irving to secure the land at Lonsdale Road to become a public park are looking fruitful and whilst we cannot be 100% certain of success until a contract is signed, all indications are that we could well have a new park in Formby in the coming months. Of course, that is only the beginning, but it is a big step for this council and displays well our ambitions to gain more responsibility for our community.
We continue with our battles with the Borough Council, the illegal tip over the Bypass has finally stopped working but the remnants of its existence amounting to thousands of tonnes of potentially contaminated soil still remain. This problem could have been stopped early had the Borough Council acted sooner in response to our notifications. Developers are still making their presence felt and inappropriate piling methods are still being used despite this council proving that quieter, less intrusive methods are possible. Anti-social behaviour is on the increase in some parks and neighbourhoods and this council is working in conjunction with ASB police officers and others in an attempt to ameliorate this.
Finally, this coming year is the last one before councillors will once again face the public ballot, I hope that we can make it productive and try to recover further from the unfortunate setbacks that we have all experienced over the last couple of years.”
9.0 To appoint representatives to the following:
It was agreed to appoint Cllrs to the following external bodies:
- Sefton Rights of Way Group – Cllr Prescott
- National Trust Stakeholder Meeting – Cllrs Appleton, Prescott and Weild
- Beachsafe 2022 – Cllrs Prescott and Riley
- Imagine Formby – Cllrs Brodie and Riley
10.0 To agree Cllrs roles in respect of:
Cllrs agreed to support the work of the Council as follows:
- Finance and General Purposes Group – Cllrs Appleton, D. Baxter, Bennett, Brodie, D. Irving, B McCann, Riley, Weild and Wiencke
- Environment Group – Cllrs Appleton, D. Baxter, S. Baxter, Bennett, Y. Irving, B. McCann, Prescott, Richards, Riley, Weild and Wiencke
- Planning – Cllrs D. Baxter and D. Irving
All Cllrs have an invitation to attend all the meetings, which are not restricted to the core group.
11.0 Annual Return
11.1 To receive the Internal Auditors Report
It was resolved to approve the Internal Auditors Report
11.2 To approve the annual governance statement section 1
Cllrs answered yes to questions 1-8 (question 9 not applicable) detailed on the governance statement and this was recorded on the Annual Return, which will be published on the website.
It was resolved that the governance statement section 1 be approved.
11.3 To approve the accounting statements section 2
It was resolved that the accounting statements section 2 be approved.
11.4 To note the dates set for the exercise of public rights: Monday 13 June to Friday 22 July 2022
Cllrs noted the dates set for the exercise of public rights.
12.0 Planning Applications
12.1 Woodland Management Plan – members discussed inviting the National Trust to a future meeting to discuss.
12.2 Liverpool Road development – members discussed making a complaint to the ombudsman regarding the piling and excessive noise and vibration resulting from this, compared to the alternative piling method used previously.
12.3 Old Town Lane – retrospective application for the metal garage/shed built in the front garden near the boundary wall which was noted to be beyond the building line.
13.0 To discuss and approve the following:
13.1 To review the earmarked reserves (Finance and GP minutes refer)
It was resolved to approve the review of earmarked reserves and the recommendations made by the Finance and General Purposes meeting:
- the £10,000 originally reserved for the VE day celebration and subsequently reallocated for the Queens Jubilee will come out of reserves and will fund approved expenditure relating to the Jubilee celebrations next month.
- The tree grids reserve of £10,000 will be allocated for expenditure in this financial year.
- £10,000 of the £20,000 reserved for new village lights will be allocated for expenditure in this financial year.
- £10,000 to be earmarked for lights at Duke Street Park
13.2 To approve the Community Fund application from the Abbeyfield Society for a grant of £150 towards the community Big Jubilee Lunch to be held at the Luncheon Club.
It was resolved to approve the grant of £150 to the Abbeyfield Society for the Big Jubilee Lunch.
13.3 To approve the expenditure of approximately £4000 plus vat for the Union Jack bunting for the village centre and posters for the Queens Jubilee.
The Clerk reported that there will be additional expenditure as Highways have advised that a permit and Highways inspection is required at approximately £500, and the initial quote did not include the cost of removing the bunting. Members discussed whether the bunting could stay in situ until November when the Christmas lights are installed. The Clerk will consult with Highways.
It was resolved to approve the expenditure for the Union Jack bunting for the village centre and posters for the Queens Jubilee, to include provision, installation, removal, storage and Highways permit and inspections.
13.4 To approve the Risk Assessment as recommended by the Finance and GP Group in March 2022.
It was resolved to approve the Risk Assessment.
14.0 Payments
- employer expenses – £1,507.99
- Office lease, Sefton MBC – £250.00
- Office phone and broadband, BT – £56.39
- Union Jack bunting (part payment), Illumidex UK Ltd – £2,285.00
- Grant to The Abbeyfield Society, The Abbeyfield Society – £150.00
- Website hosting fee, Krystal Hosting UK – £119.99
- Replacement nuts and bolts for flagpole, Accu Limited – £37.55
- VE Day costs, B McCann – £25.00
- Internal audit, Sefton council for voluntary service – £60.00
- Annual subscription, SLCC – £171.00
- Insurance renewal, Arthur J Gallagher Insurance – £1,998.13
Total – £6,661.05
It was resolved to make the payments as listed above.
15.0 The following reports were noted (circulated with Agenda)
- Finance and General Purposes Group minutes
- Environment Group minutes
16.0 Date of Next Meeting:
The next Ordinary meeting of Formby Parish Council will be held on Tuesday 7 June 2022, 7pm, at Formby Library, Duke Street, Formby.
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