March 2008

The March meeting agreed the Parish Council’s further response to the proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside, and since then Two Castles have been given funding for the scheme.  The news of the proposed Post Office closure came after the meeting took place, so it will be discussed at future meetings.  To read the full minutes, click on Minutes of Dent Parish Council above.

Proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside

Since the Parish Council met in February, the architect for the Ghyllside proposal has submitted a revised site plan in which the middle block of houses is rotated through 90º to run across the slope instead of up it.  The architect and the YDNPA planning department have been engaged in detailed correspondence about this and a number of other issues, including the design of windows, the landscaping of the site, parking spaces, road construction and turning areas, drainage and traffic issues.  Although many of these were unresolved at the time of the March Parish Council meeting, it was expected that the application would be considered at the next meeting of the Planning Committee.  The Parish Council agreed the wording of its written response, and two members agreed to attend and speak at the planning meeting.

Since then, Two Castles Housing Association has been awarded the funding needed for the scheme by the Housing Corporation.  This has taken the pressure off Two Castles to get the planning application dealt with quickly, and so the Planning Committee agreed to defer the application in order to give the architect time to try and resolve the outstanding issues with the planning department.

As a result, the proposal is not now likely to considered by the YDNPA until the May meeting.

Proposed Post Office Closure

The public consultation period about the replacement of Dent Post Office with an outreach service runs until May 27^th, and between now and then the Parish Council will be gathering the views of residents in order to make an informed response.  In addition to informal contacts with individual councillors, there will be opportunities for people to express their views at the Annual Parish Meeting on April 7^th and at the Parish Council meeting on May 12^th.

Details of how to make comments directly to the Post Office can be found in the leaflet announcing the closure, available from Dent Post Office.

Playing Field and Car Park Maintenance

The grass cutting equipment that is used to mow the playing field is reaching the end of its life, and so rather than replace it the Parish Council agreed to combine the cutting of the Car Park picnic area with cutting the playing field.  A small group of councillors were asked to draw up a specification, seek tenders from contractors and make a recommendation to the April meeting when a decision will be made.

Smoking ban in public places

When the ban on smoking in public places was introduced last year, a lot of the media attention focused on the effect on pubs.  However, the ban also applied to other public places – so to comply with the law, no smoking signs have recently been put up in Dent’s bus shelter and car park toilets.

Twinning villages

The Parish Council has recently received a letter from Stephen Jessel, an Englishman who has lived in France for some years, asking if Dent would like to be twinned with his village of Sahune in Provence.  If anyone is interested in exploring the idea further, or would simply like more details about it, please contact me on 25655 or John Ioannou the Parish Clerk on 25023.

Retrospective planning consent

There was a lively discussion at the March meeting about the number of applications for retrospective planning permission that had been made recently, and some strong views were expressed by members of the public about the YDNPA’s planning department.  As a result, it was agreed to invite a member of the planning department to a future Parish Council meeting to explore the issue with us in more detail and see if there was any action that either the Park or the Parish Council could take that would be helpful to residents who were going through the planning process.

Annual Parish Meeting – Talk on Sedbergh Health Centre

Dr Lumb has kindly agreed to speak at the Annual Parish Meeting about the proposals for a new Health Centre in Sedbergh.  The meeting will take place at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall, and Dr Lumb’s talk will be followed by the report of the Council’s activities for the last year, after which there will be an opportunity for members of the public to raise any topics they wish.

Next Meeting

The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday April 7^th at 9pm in the Memorial Hall, after the Annual Parish Meeting.

February 2008

The February Parish Council meeting considered further evidence of housing need in Dentdale in connection with the proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside.  It discussed the closure of the Business Forum and reviewed the current budget situation.  To read the full minutes, click on Minutes of Dent Parish Council above.

Proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside

The February meeting looked at new evidence of the housing need within the dale, as this has always been one of the central issues about the proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside.

When it was announced that the Bradford diocese were going to build two houses in the village, the Church and the Parish Council received nine informal enquiries about housing in the dale, including some about shared equity housing. Eight of the nine were from families living within Dent parish (the ninth was from Sedbergh), and seven were from young couples or families with young children.  All of them appeared to be from people who are serious about finding a place to live in Dent.

Since then, the Bradford diocese has so far received five formal applications for these rented houses, and as the application process is still open this may not be the final total.

The Parish Council agreed to send this further information to the National Park’s planning department, so that it could be taken into account alongside the survey of housing need SLDC conducted a few years ago.

Since the meeting, the Parish Council has received amended plans for the proposed development, showing some changes to the design of the houses and their layout.  These can be inspected on the National Park’s website, www.yorkshiredales.org.uk.  

Electricity Supply

In response to a request from a resident, the Council agreed to write to United Utilities to ask why they had not fulfilled their promise to fell the trees near Littletown that were being blown down by high winds and damaging the power cable.  The legal responsibility for keeping the power line clear of trees was unclear, and so it was also agreed to ask United Utilities for a clear statement of the position. 

Dentdale Business Forum

Following the closure of the Dentdale Business Forum, the Parish Council agreed in principle to take over the administration of the Forum’s remaining funds and the Hidden Britain exhibition.  This is subject to clarification of the grant awarded to the Forum for signage, and of the Bier Room lease.  

Budget monitoring

The meeting received the income and expenditure figures for the period up to December 31^st, which showed that the car park revenue for the last three months of that period was down by £1,227 compared with last year.  Overall, the projection to the end of the financial year showed that the Council was likely to stay within its budget.

Annual Parish Meeting

The Annual Parish Meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday April 7^th, when Dr. Lumb will talk about the proposals for a new Health Centre in Sedbergh.  Details will be posted around the Dale when they have been finalised.

Colne to Skipton Railway

The Parish Council agreed to send a letter of support to the Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership in its attempt to re-open the Colne to Skipton rail link, as it was felt that any improvement in rail services in the area would be of benefit to the Dale.

Next Meeting

The March meeting will be at 7.30pm on Monday March 3rd in the Sportsman’s Inn, Cowgill. The public is welcome to attend as always, there will be an opportunity to raise any matter of concern in the Public Forum which takes place about 8pm.

January 2008

There was no Parish Council meeting in January – the next one is at 7.30pm on February 4^th in the Sedgwick Room. The public is welcome to attend as always, and to raise matters of concern in the Public Forum item which takes place about 8pm.

December 2007

The December meeting approved the comments submitted to the National Park on the proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside.  It also agreed the 2008-09 budget and set the precept for 2008-09.  To read the full minutes and a detailed breakdown of the budget figures, click on Minutes of Dent Parish Council above.

2008-09 Budget, Precept and Car Park Charges

The December meeting discussed the draft Parish Council budget for 2008-09 which projected an expenditure of £12,680 (excluding car park costs).  If the precept remained unchanged at £5,875 the total income would be £7,725 leaving a deficit of £4,955.  If the projected surplus from the car park was added and parking charges remained unchanged, this would reduce to £3,295.

A number of options were considered and rejected to cover this shortfall, including introducing a £5 annual charge for residents’ parking permits, increasing the 2-hour car park charge, reducing the amount allocated in grants to local organisations and removing the amount set aside for contingencies.  After discussion, it was decided to increase the precept by £1,295 (equivalent to an extra 4.5 pence per week per household) and reduce by £2,000 the reserves held for unforeseen major repairs in the car park and toilet block.

Proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside

The Parish Council’s formal response to this proposal was agreed at the December meeting, which incorporated issues raised by members of the public including the level of demand for hosing in the Dale, the external appearance of the houses, traffic issues and drainage.  Since then, the National Park Planning Committee members have held a site meeting to familiarise themselves with the layout of the site, and at the time of writing, the application for planning permission is still being processed by the National Park.

Car parking in Dent

In last October’s Lookaround I explained that in order to take action on the street parking issues raised by residents in July’s survey, the Parish Council would need to meet with Cumbria Highways as they were the body responsible for implementing any changes.  That meeting has now taken place, and as a result Cumbria Highways have agreed to:

• arrange for the painting of entrance bars in the parking bays around The Green, to discourage parking across driveways
• draw up a scheme to restrict parking at the junction of The Green with Flintergill, for possible inclusion in the 2008-09 programme of works
• draw up and submit to central government a proposal for a no parking zone on the cobbles, marked by not by yellow lines but by signs at each entrance to the cobbled area
• work out how to give the Parish Council control of the land opposite the Sun Inn and Dent Stores so that we can use some of it for parking by holders of Residents’ Car Park permits (parking on the rest of the land would remain unrestricted as at present).

Stonehouse Bridge

Following further discussions with Cumbria Highways, they are giving further thought to their proposal to put legally enforceable width restrictions and bollards at Stonehouse Bridge, as the matter is not easy to resolve.  There is a legal restriction on vehicles over 8’ 3” wide on all roads, and so Cumbria Highways’ will not put a width restriction on any road unless it is for 7’ 6” or less.  As some farm vehicles are wider than this, a 7’ 6” restriction would not be helpful at Stonehouse, where the problem is not so much the width of the bridge – it is at least 8’ 4” at its narrowest – but the angle at which it is approached, particularly when coming down the dale.

Residents’ car park permits

If you change your car please don’t forget that you will need a new residents’ car park permit.  New permits can be obtained from Dent Post Office on production of the old one.  If you need to renew your £60 annual permit for a holiday cottage, second home, camper van or business vehicle, please contact the Car Park Administrators, John Hyde or Hilary Firth, or the Parish Clerk, John Ioannou.
 

November 2007

The November meeting was attended by several members of the public who expressed their views on the plans submitted to the National Park for the proposed affordable housing development above Ghyllside.  The meeting also took decisions on the allocation of grants, and these and other topics are summarised below.  To read the full minutes, click on Minutes of Dent Parish Council above.

Parish Council Grants

The Council awarded the following grants at its last meeting:

It also agreed to donate £250 to St John’s church, Cowgill and £550 to St Andrew’s church, Dent for the upkeep of burial grounds, and £300 to the North West Air Ambulance.

Proposed housing development above Ghyllside

Plans for the proposed 12 affordable houses for local occupancy were displayed in the Memorial Hall and discussed at the Parish Council meeting.  13 members of the public made written comments – of these, 8 were in favour of the scheme, commenting that it was a good scheme on a good site and that it would blend well with the village.  The different sizes of houses were liked, as was their flexible design that allowed for expansion if a family grew.

Other people were uncertain whether there was a need for the houses, and concerned about how they would be allocated. Some expressed the view that they should be built on the other side of the village; others raised concerns relating to the increase in traffic, the drainage of the site and parking spaces.  The Parish Council undertook to include all the points raised in its response to the Planning Authority.

Stepping Stones at Hippins

The National Park had asked for the Parish Council’s views on the construction of stepping stones at Hippins, in order to re-instate the public footpath that crosses the river at that point.  The Council felt that the proposal was potentially dangerous, given the proximity to campsites and the village, and recommended that the Park consider a footbridge crossing instead.

Green Lanes

The National Park had also asked for the Council’s views on restricting motor vehicles on the route from Barth Bridge to Garsdale Foot.  The Council decided to ask the Park both to repair and maintain the route, and to place legal restrictions on its use.

Finance

The last meeting received statements of the Council’s current financial position.  The car park takings for the first six months of the financial year were £16,255, down from £17,250 for the same period last year.  The projected expenditure of £17,102 for the whole year without contingencies compared with £17,289 for 2006-07.

The projected cost of running the Parish Council this year, excluding the car park, is £10,461 whereas the projected income, again excluding the car park, is £7,610.  This means that the car park is continuing to subsidise the cost of running the Parish Council to a considerable extent.  The next Parish Council meeting will return to this issue when next year’s budget and precept are considered.

Voluntary Car Scheme

The recently introduced Rural Wheels scheme has added to the limited choice of public transport in the Dale.  The Voluntary Car Scheme is another option that has been running for some time, which enables a car to be booked through Dent Post Office for journeys within the County.  The scheme needs more drivers to call on – so if you are able to offer to help, even occasionally, please call in at the Post Office for more information.

Stonehouse Bridge

Following our lengthy correspondence with them, the County Council have now asked us if we want them to place width restrictions on Stonehouse Bridge and erect bollards either side of it. The Parish Clerk is currently discussing with local residents the best way of doing this without unnecessarily narrowing the roadway even further.

Next Meeting

The December meeting will be at 7.30pm on December 3^rd in the Sedgwick Room. The public is welcome to attend as always, and to raise matters of concern in the Public Forum item which takes place about 8pm.

October 2007

The October meeting, at The Sportsman’s Inn, Cowgill, discussed the road closure at Denthead and proposals regarding street parking in Dent. These and other topics are summarised below, and as usual the full minutes are published elsewhere on this website.

Road Closures

Considerable anger was expressed by Cowgill residents over the way the road closure at Denthead had been handled by Cumbria Highways.  The signs that had appeared at Sedbergh and elsewhere had been so vague that people thought that the whole Dale was shut.  Both the Parish Council and Ron Martin contacted Cumbria Highways, and thanks to Ron’s persistence the signs were eventually modified.

Flintergill Close

Cumbria Highways have still not carried out the modification to the gutter in front of Flintergill Close, which they promised to do before the end of September.  When asked what was happening they said they had assumed the work had been completed.  The Parish Council has written to the Audit Commission, as it did in connection with Stonehouse bridge, to express its concerns that the County Council still does not seem to be monitoring its contractors effectively.  When Cumbria CC is next audited, this instance and the problems with road closure signs will be used as evidence.

Street Parking in Dent

Following the recent responses from householders and businesses in Dent village about street parking, the Parish Council agreed the following actions:

·    to try and acquire control over the land opposite the Sun and opposite Dent Stores, in order to allocate spaces on some of it for use by holders of Residents’ Car Park permits. Parking on the rest of the land will remain unrestricted as at present.

·    most people wanted no parking on the cobbles, but did not want yellow lines or signs attached to buildings. In view of this, the Parish Council agreed to try and control parking in this area through persuasion and requests for people’s co-operation.

·    to allow holiday cottage owners to buy as many car park permits as they wish

·    to ask Cumbria Highways to repaint the parking bays around The Green, and make the signs clearer

·    subject to YDNPA approval, to erect direction signs to the car park for visitors

The Parish Council has to work through other bodies on parking issues, so the next stage is to hold discussions with Cumbria Highways and the National Park.

Roadside verges

Members continue to be concerned about the state of the roadside verges in the Dale, which are classified as of special interest because of their wildflowers.  Making the roads safe can conflict with conservation, and so the verges are currently cut in late September.  The County’s ecologist carried out a survey of verges in 2002, which concluded that they should be cut in late August in future.  The Parish Council has asked Cumbria Highways to alter the cutting regime in line with the new recommendations.

Proposed housing development above Ghyllside

In the last Lookaround, I said that the plans for this proposed development were available for inspection by the public on the YPNDA website, and after a slight delay this is now true.  In addition, the Parish Council will be organising a display of the plans in the village; details will be posted around the dale in due course.

Dog Fouling

The Parish Council has been concerned recently about the problem of dog mess on The Green and on the playing field.  Young children and sports players are particularly at risk because they are more likely to come into contact with it, as have children on The Green recently.  This is not only extremely unpleasant – it can have more serious consequences.  Contact with dog faeces can cause a toxocara infection, which can cause permanent partial loss of vision.  Responsible dog owners have been aware of this for some time, and dispose of their dog’s mess in a bin.  Please be prepared to challenge anyone you see who doesn’t clear up after their dog, as it will help make clear the community’s views on the subject.

Vacancies

The Parish Council is advertising elsewhere in Lookaround for a part-time Car Park Administrator and for an Internal Auditor.  In addition, adverts have been posted around the dale for a Cleaner for the car park toilets.  Please contact me if you would like more details about any of these posts.

Bonfire Night

Finally, a reminder of the request in the last Lookaround, when I asked people not to tip rubbish on to the bonfire site.  The Football Club, who are building the bonfire, have all the material they need.

Next Meeting

The November meeting will be at 7.30pm on November 5^th in the Sedgwick Room. The public is welcome to attend as always, and to raise matters of concern in the Public Forum item which takes place about 8pm.

September 2007

The September meeting discussed the Neighbourhood Watch scheme and the proposed affordable housing development in the village. These and other topics are summarised below, and the full minutes are published elsewhere on the Dentdale website.

Proposed housing development above Ghyllside

Two Castles Housing Association are currently finalising their plans for six three-bedroom and six two bedroom houses in the field above Ghyllside. By the time this article is published, these plans should have been submitted to the National Park for planning permission and be available for inspection by the public on the YPNDA website.

The Parish Council is concerned about the following issues, and has written to the planning authority accordingly:

• both the existing road at Ghyllside and the new section should be brought up to standard so they can be adopted by the highways authority
• the development should include two car parking spaces per household
• any stone used for facing should be local
• the high cost of stone facing does not result in a poorer internal finish
• the development does not worsen the rainwater run-off from the site

South Lakeland District Council has set aside money from council tax on second homes in order to enhance affordable housing projects, and the Parish Council is pressing them to release some of this money for this project

Grant Applications

Applications are currently invited for Parish Council Grants for projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Address local social needs
• Contribute to the local economy
• Promote the quality of the environment
• Contribute towards maintaining local culture
• Involve or benefit the local community

Written applications should indicate how the project will meet the above criteria and be sent to The Parish Council, c/o West Banks, Dent by 15 October 2007.  They will be considered at the Parish Council meeting in November.

Deliveries to Railway Workings

A lorry delivering ballast for repairs to the railway has caused damage to roadside walls on its way through the dale.  The Parish Council have written to Network Rail to complain, and to suggest that the railway is used for future deliveries.

Neighbourhood Watch

Andrea Bell, the Neighbourhood Watch Officer for South Lakeland, gave a short presentation on the Neighbourhood Watch scheme at the last meeting.  She is intending to meet with all those in the scheme in Dent in the near future to evaluate its current effectiveness.

Street Parking in Dent

Thirty-six households responded to the letter sent to residents about street parking in the village.  A large number of people disapproved of parking on the cobbles, and there was support for an approach based on persuasion rather than coercion.  Opinion on what to do with the pieces of land opposite The Sun and Dent Stores was fairly evenly divided, with twelve households wanting this land freely available for any parking, and nine wanting parking on it restricted to adjacent householders.  Parking by the playing field was not perceived to be a major problem, but ten households identified a parking problem on the roads around The Green.

The response also produced a large number of useful ideas to improve things, and based on these a number of recommendations will be put to the next Parish Council meeting.  It is likely, however, that any proposals will need to be discussed with Cumbria Highways before they can be implemented.

Bonfire Night

Last year a number of people – some from outside Dentdale – took advantage of the Dent bonfire night to tip rubbish on to the bonfire site.  This required a lot of work to clear up after the event, as some of it was not suitable for burning.  So this year, please do not tip rubbish on the bonfire unless you have been asked to do so by the Football Club.

Next Meeting

The October meeting will be at 7.30pm on October 8^th in the Sportsman’s Inn. The public is welcome to attend as always, and to raise matters of concern in the Public Forum item which takes place about 8pm.

August 2007

When the Parish Council met at the beginning of August, the foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey was in its early stages, and so a small group of members including Geoffrey Woof and David Hartley undertook to monitor developments and advise the Parish Council if there was any action it could take which local farmers would find helpful.  At the time of writing this article, it looks as if the outbreak may have been contained, so thankfully this monitoring will not be needed.

Full details of the whole meeting can be found in the minutes.

Yorkshire Dales Housing Policy

These days, local authorities are often required to consult with the public before making any changes to their policies, and YDNPA is no exception. The Parish Council took some time at its August meeting to discuss and respond to the following issues as part of the latest consultation from the National Park on possible changes to its housing policy:

Affordable housing.  Surveys suggest that the National Park needs 88 new houses each year for the next five years. Of these, Dent, Sedbergh and Garsdale have been identified as needing 22 per year between them.  The Parish Council felt that as Dent is the only service village in the Sedbergh area, this level of development was too high.  Twelve new houses are likely to be built above Ghyllside, and so it is unlikely that any more would be needed in Dent for several years.

Identifying potential sites for development.  The Council felt that it is sensible to identify possible new sites, but these should be in existing Dentdale hamlets, rather than in just in Dent village.

Types of housing.  The Council thought that for both environmental and economic reasons, it could sometimes be acceptable to build other types of housing than the traditional stone built Dales house.  Because this is a sensitive subject, though, each case should be considered on its merits in order to protect the essential character of Dentdale and other dales.

Meeting local housing needs.  The Council felt that although the present local needs policy has not been in place long enough to assess its success, allowing a developer to build a mix of open market and affordable housing might produce more houses for local people.  However, the Council also thought that ‘local needs’ should be defined to reflect the special requirements of settlements close to the National Park boundary, where there is a need to allow people to live in the Park and work outside it.

Dent Car Park

Tony Playfoot, who has administered the car park since the Parish Council took it over in 2005, has decided to give up his job from the middle of August.  David Hartley, the Chair of the car park committee, has taken over the role on an interim basis until new arrangements can be made.  The Parish Council would like to thank Tony for the work he has done over the last two and a half years.

Planning Application

As reported in last month’s Lookaround, the Parish Council was opposing the application by the owner of Church Cottage in Dent to convert his workshop into living accommodation, on the grounds that the application did not meet the National Park’s local needs criteria.  Ann Wilson and Margaret Fothergill attended the YDNPA Planning Committee meeting on August 14^th to put the council’s case, and the application was refused by 13 votes to 1, with 1 abstention.

Stonehouse Bridge

The saga of Stonehouse Bridge goes on, as the National Park has asked whether it should continue to press for a better quality repair to the bridge parapet.  Members of the parish council have received a number of comments from residents about the poor quality of the work, so it was agreed to ask the National Park to carry on with its efforts to persuade Cumbria Highways to make a better job of it.

Street Parking in Dent

Many thanks to everyone in Dent village who responded to my letter about street parking.  A number of people have made suggestions about how the situation might be improved, and they will be very helpful when the Parish Council’s car park committee meets this month to discuss the issue and make recommendations.  

Next Meeting

The September meeting will be on the first Monday of the month as usual (September 3^rd), but this year the October meeting will be a week later, on the second Monday of the month, October 8^th.  Both meetings will be at 7.30pm in the Sedgwick Room, and the public is welcome to attend as always and to raise matters of concern in the Public Forum item which takes place about 8pm.

July 2007

The July Parish Council meeting was a busy one, and dealt with a number of topics.  Full details can be found in the minutes – follow the link at the top of this page.

Grant to Dent Show
The organisers of Dent Show were awarded a grant of £500 towards the costs of this year’s event over the August Bank Holiday weekend, which the Parish Council are keen to support.

Street Parking
Concern has been expressed again recently about street parking in the village, particularly on the cobbles and around the Green.  The Parish Council is investigating whether the small areas of land opposite the Sun Inn and Dent Stores could be used to help the situation, and will also be writing to householders and businesses in the village that are most affected to ask for their views.

Car Park Takings
The car park income for the first three months of the financial year was £7,836, compared with £7,911 last year.  As might be expected, the amount taken does seem to depend on the weather, so it is possible that takings may be down this year unless the weather picks up.

Planning application
According to the National Park’s planning policy, new houses can only be built in Dent if they meet local needs criteria. A number of residents have expressed concern over the application from the owner of Church Cottage to convert his workshop into a house, because they do not feel that it meets these criteria.  The Parish Council agreed, and decided to continue to oppose the application which will now be considered by the Park’s planning committee on August 14^th.

Dent Post Office
Parish Council meetings now have a short Public Forum item, when anyone can raise a matter of concern.  At this month’s meeting, John Caygill informed the parish council that the Post office had now decided to close 2,500 post offices throughout the country, and only 500 of these would be replaced by a more limited service.  On the current timetable, specific proposals for closures in this region will be made by the Post Office from January next year, after which there will be a six-month period of consultation.  The final decision will not be made until June 2008 at the earliest.  In the light of this, the Parish Council felt it was important to prepare a response in advance, in case Dent is one of the offices proposed for closure, and so further discussion will take place at the next meeting.

Saturday bus
Since Stagecoach took over the contract for the Saturday bus, there have been several occasions when the bus they have used has been too large to get through the village.  The Parish Council have contacted the County Council to ask them to ensure the bus company keep to their contract.  However, the service often has very few passengers, and this may make it difficult to find anyone to take on the contract when this one finishes in September. 

How to get a car park permit
A number of residents have asked how they can obtain a new residents’ car park permit if they change their car.  The answer is straightforward – simply take the old permit to The Post Office who will issue you with a new one.

Bus shelter and toilet block
The outside of the toilet block and bus shelter has now been redecorated, and the notice boards are in the process of being tidied up as well.  A new notice board for visitors, showing local businesses and places of interest, is in the process of being made and will shortly be appearing on the front of the bus shelter.

Playing Field Footpath
The National Park has now completed work on the footpath that runs alongside the Keld at the edge of the playing field to make it suitable for wheelchair access.  This has been paid for by the Park – as were the repairs to the wall between the playing field entrance and the river carried out earlier this year.

June 2007

The meeting at the beginning of June was a relatively short one, and some of the issues discussed are summarised below. 

Playing Field Charges
The Playing Field committee has been developing a charging policy for the use of the playing field by the sports clubs that use it regularly and by other organisations that use it occasionally.  As these other organisations sometimes receive grants from the Parish Council, it was decided that in order to be even handed, the charges should be kept separate from any grant allocation, which would be decided separately according to the Council’s normal criteria.

Unitary Authority for Cumbria
The government has asked parish councils in Cumbria for their comments on the proposal to abolish district councils and form a single unitary council.  After discussion, the Parish Council agreed to include the following points in its response:

·    The south-east part of Cumbria naturally has Kendal as its focus, and so a unitary council based in Carlisle would seem remote from residents.

·    If the present district and county councils are merged, it may result in some of the district councils’ assets being sold off in order to balance the County Council’s present liabilities.  If this were to happen, the fear is that it may result in a reduction in the level of services offered to residents.

·    The quality of the representation provided by the new councillors is likely to be reduced, as each councillor’s area would be too large for them to cover effectively. 

Camper Vans
It was agreed that large camper vans that occupy more than one space in the car park should be required to buy an annual permit if they use the car park as their normal parking space during the summer months.  The current rate is £60 per year, obtainable from John Ioannou, the Parish Clerk.

Recycling
Concern was expressed that some people were putting cardboard in the newspaper bins in the car park, as this resulted in the bin being emptied in a landfill site as it could no longer be recycled.  Members of the public were asked to put only newspapers in the bins so that the contractor can recycle them as intended.

Bridge Closure
The Parish Council were notified that Lincoln Inn Bridge, on the A684 between Sedbergh and the M6, is likely to be closed from Monday Sept 3^rd for up to six weeks, as it is badly in need of major structural repairs.  The alternative route, leaving Sedbergh, will be down the Kirby Lonsdale Road (A683) and then right on the B6256 back onto the A684

Next meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council, to which members of the public will be welcome as always, will be on Monday July 2^nd in the Sedgwick Room.

May 2007
At the Parish Council’s Annual meeting on April 30^th Jock Cairns and Ann Wilson were elected Chair and Vice-Chair respectively for a further year.  In addition, the following appointments were made:  

The following issues were also discussed at the meeting:

Street Parking in Dent
The problems caused by cars parking on the street in Dent was raised at the Annual Parish Meeting at the beginning of April, and the Car Park Committee was asked to consider the matter in more detail and report back to the Parish Council with some possible solutions.

Assessment of Housing Need
The Annual Parish Meeting had also asked the Parish Council to consider the best way of keeping an accurate and up to date list of housing need.  Whilst this is the responsibility of SLDC as the housing authority, councillors felt that this information was likely to be collected in the next few months by the Bradford Diocese in order to allocate its two new houses in the village.  In addition, the survey to be undertaken as part of the Parish Plan should also provide information on this subject.

Financial Statement of 2006/07
Councillors approved the financial statement for 2006-07, which showed an income of £33,217 and expenditure of £29,093.  The council is currently holding reserves to cover unexpected expenditure on the car park, as well as expenditure as a result of the parish plan.  The full statement can be accessed on the Dentdale website www.dentdale.com. 

Allowances for Parish Councillors
Each year, the Parish Council receives a letter from South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) asking if councillors wish to be paid a small allowance for their work which would be paid for out of the precept.  As in previous years, councillors regarded their role as a voluntary one and so did not want to be paid for it.

Parcels for the Armed Forces
There is currently a proposal to abolish free parcel post to British forces serving overseas, and the Parish Council, in common with number of local authorities including SLDC, decided to write to the government to protest about it.

Next meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council, to which members of the public will be welcome as always, will be on Monday June 4^th in the Sedgwick Room.