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 MEETING
20 January 2025
Present: Maria Bennett (Chairman), Colin Appleton, Derek Baxter, Sandra Baxter, Dawn Brodie, Jill Butler, Fraser Hunt, Dave Irving from item 81.3, Yvonne Irving from item 81.3, Paul Millington and Mike Weild.
In Attendance: Claire Jenkins (Clerk) and members of the public.
74.0 Apologies for Absence
There were apologies received from councillors L Brodie, Cavanagh, Riley and Wiencke.
75.0 Members Declaration of Interest
75.1 There were no declarations of interest.
76.0 Public Forum
The meeting was adjourned for this item.
There were no members of the public in attendance.
The meeting was reconvened.
77.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
77.1 Minutes of the Ordinary meeting held on 18 November 2024
It was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2024 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
78.0 Matters of Report from Previous Meeting
There were no matters of report.
79.0 Chairman’s Report
The Chairman hoped everyone had a good Christmas and wished everyone a happy New Year. The Chairman thanked everyone involved with the Christmas hampers which were very well received.
80.0 Planning Applications
Members noted the following:
80.1 Moss Side – certificate of lawfulness for the changing of a thatched roof to a slate roof.
80.2 Marsh Brow flats – a change to the footprint and floor plan has been refused.
80.3 Massams Lane – a 3-storey property.
80.4 Formby Tennis Club Padel Court – application for 2 more padel courts.
80.5 Land North of Formby industrial estate – Hybrid planning application. Members discussed residents concerns about increasing surface water and sewage problems being experienced. It was noted that the application site is in flood zone 3A and a significant part of Formby drains through the development and adjacent sites, members agreed to employ the services of a specialist consultant to review the surface water and flood risk plans to ensure that the developers have robust plans in place with sufficient compensatory storage and that the area of the full employment site (not just the supermarkets) is achievable.
81.0 To Discuss and Resolve
81.1 To approve community fund application from the Civic Society for a £5,000 grant to support the continuation of the Heritage Centre (Finance minutes refer). Members reviewed the application and agreed to support the continuation of the Heritage Centre but stressed that this could not be an annual grant for this amount.
It was resolved to approve the grant of £5,000 for the Heritage Centre.
81.2 To approve a small grant for the purchase of rosettes for the VE day commemoration.
It was resolved to approve a small grant for the rosettes for the VE day commemoration.
81.3 To approve the budget for 2025-26 (Finance minutes refer)
The budget recommended for next year allows for the increase in employment costs notably the employers NI; insurance increase; subscription increases (Nalc subscription is based on the electorate number and the number of households is increasing); office lease increase; review of Neighbourhood Plan; agreed funding of all 3 tiers of planters for winter planting and agreed increase in specification for the roundabouts.
It was noted that Members of the Finance Group had discussed several potential projects including the need for a community centre. This was discussed during the Neighbourhood Plan process and would have been achievable if we had been given the community infrastructure levy (CILS) by Sefton Council, however Sefton withdrew that policy. It is suggested that an earmarked reserve could be allocated for a long-term project, with additional funding being allocated each year. Members discussed approaching Sefton to enquire about the Redgate community centre that has been closed for approximately 3 years due to the roof leaking.
It was resolved to approve the budget for 2025-26.
81.4 To approve the precept for 2025-26 (Finance minutes refer)
It was resolved to approve an increase of 95 pence per annum for a Band D property making a Band D precept of £13.54 per annum for 2025-26.
82.0 Payments
- employer expenses – £1,879.62
- office lease, Sefton MBC – £291.66
- office phone and broadband, BT – £73.14
- office supplies, Select Office – £257.16
- final payment Xmas decorations, Illumidex UK Ltd – £2,058.00
- renovation of Viking sculpture, Wisewood – £400.00
Total – £4,959.58
It was resolved to make the payments as listed above.
83.0 The Following Reports were Noted (circulated with the agenda):
- Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Group Meeting
- Minutes of the Environment Group Meeting
84.0 Date of Next Meeting:
The next Ordinary meeting of Formby Parish Council will be held on Monday 17 February 2025, 7pm, at Formby Library, Duke Street, Formby.
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