Present:- Cllrs. G. Wilkinson, A.J. Markley, R.W. Allison, A. Emmerson, C. Baty, I. Baty, M. Snaith & D. Wilson. Also present Wendy Jameson (Town Clerk).

842 Apologies:- Cllrs. W. Jefferson, E. Wannop, A. Weightman & S. Hart. Also Ken Wannop, PC Andy Robertson & Julia Cooper.

Cllr. Allison re: Allison Designs

Cllr. Markley re: County Council etc

It was agreed to exclude the Press & Public whilst item 22 was discussed.

Letters had been received from Mr David Wilson and Mr Kez Purser, to be considered for the vacancy on the Town Council. Both wrote very full letters and the Council were lucky to have two willing volunteers. A ballot was taken. Mr David Wilson was co-opted on the Town Council and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office

The Chairman had attended the following:-

4 December - First Responders Thank You Evening

6 December - Soldiers in Silloth meeting

9 December - Carol Service Methodist Church

15 December - Town Christmas Lights Switch On

16 December - Carol Service Evangelical Church

18 December - Open Door Christmas Lunch

21 December - Town Carol Service Christ Church

23 December - Carol Service St Paul’s Causewayhead

23 December - Carol Service Greenrow Pentecostal Church

Minutes of the meetings held on 3 and 17 December 2007 were approved by the Town Council and signed by the Chairman as a true record.

PC Andy Robertson was unable to attend the meeting but sent a report giving details of incidents of crime since the last meeting. A motorhome has been parked at various locations in and around the town. Clarification to be obtained from the Police as to the legality of the vehicle being parked on the public highway overnight.

Julia Cooper was unable to attend the meeting at it was agreed to defer the presentation on the Solway Mexico Link to the next meeting.

There had been no requests from members of the public to raise any matters in the meeting.

a) Cumbria Energy Efficiency Advice Centre - copy of supplement.

b) Cumbria County Council - Annual Report 2006-07.

c) Voluntary Action Cumbria - The Gazette: Community Action Plans - Issue 5; Winter 2007.

d) CALC Circular - December 2007/January 2008.

e) Highways Agency - Roadworks and journey planner leaflet for the Northwest of England (December 2007 to February 2008).

f) Wigton News & Views - Issue 8 - December 2007.

g) Cumbria Highways - Working Together - Issue Nine Winter 2007.

h) Local Council Review Magazine - January 2008.

i) Clerks & Councils Direct - January 2008.

j) Cumbria Highways - re: Traffic Calming Measures: The Crofts, Silloth. Community Travel Plan for Silloth includes a crossing of B5300 at The Crofts as a high priority scheme which will hopefully be funded. Also looking to see whether warning signs can be funded through the Community Travel Plan.

k) Silloth First Response Team - Letter of thanks for Council’s donation of £950.40.

l) Cumbria County Council - re: Cumbria Supported Lodgings Scheme. Information about the scheme together with posters for the notice boards.

m) Allerdale Borough Council - re: Vacancy. No request has been made to hold an election and therefore the Council must co-opt to fill the vacancy, as soon as practicable.

n) Launch of Allhallows Mens Society - meeting to be held on Wednesday 16 January at 10.30 at Allhallows Centre, Fletchertown.

o) Dearham Parish Council - re: wind farms in West Cumbria. Letter asking that the Council resolve to support each village as and when they are faced with an application for a wind farm. It was agreed that no action be taken. Each application needs to be taken on its own merits.

p) Letter from Sheona Nicoll thanking the Council for inviting the naval cadets from HMS Biter to the Remembrance day service and allowing them to sleep in the community hall. Also suggesting that it would have been a nice gesture to provide them with lunch. The Town Council will bear this in mind for next year. Reply to be sent to Mrs Nicoll.

q) Letter from Audrey Maddison asking whether it is legal to run a business selling cars on the street. Several vehicles are often parked on Station Road with ‘for sale’ signs in them and one vehicle is currently not licensed. Cllr. Markley declared an interest. Clarification to be obtained from PC Andy Robertson as to the legality of running a business on the street.

r) Email from Ernie Davidson with an update regarding the recycling centre. Email confirms that no trees are to be taken down to make way for the extension to the recycling centre. Further updates to come.

s) Cumbria County Council - re: Application to delete Footpath 253015 at Skinburness from the Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way for Cumbria. Path can only be deleted if it can be proved to have been added to the Definitive Map in error. Any evidence to be forwarded to Mrs Longworth. Cllr. Jefferson walked the footpath with Mr Littleton. It was agreed that this is a matter for the County Council to deal with and that there is nothing more the Town Council can do.

The Town Council have approved the following:-

Ref No: 2/2007/1168 Applicant: CWS Retail Financial Services Proposal: Advertisement consent for 2 fascia signs and 2 projecting signs (resubmission to 2/2007/0964) Location: Co-op Food Store, Caldew Street, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/0621 Applicant: Mr L Gibson D & D Premier Homes Ltd Proposal: Erection of terrace of 5 x 3 bed roomed houses Location: 72 Skinburness Road, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/1203 Applicant: Mrs Sandra Gray Proposal: Replace existing wooden framed windows with UPVC windows Location: Silloth on Solway Bowls and Social Club, Eden Street, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/1219 Applicant: Mr & Mrs Tunstall Proposal: Proposed conservatory to rear Location: Moonstone House, Blitterlees, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/0831 Applicant: Mr L Gibson D & D Premier Homes Ltd Proposal: Revised application to ref 2/2007/0621 for erection of a terrace of 5 x 3 bedroomed houses Location: Land to rear of 72 Skinburness Road, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/1261 Applicant: Mr John Maxwell Proposal: Construction of a domestic garage Location: 100 The Crofts, Silloth

Allerdale Borough Council have approved the following:-

Ref No: 2/2007/1113 Applicant: Mrs R. Bell Proposal: Extension to form internal bathroom Location: 5 Waver Street, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/1132 Applicant: Mrs Valerie Boynton Proposal: Erection of conservatory (retrospective) Location: 22 Grune Point Close, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/0972 Applicant: Mr Peter Stevens Proposal: Proposed loft conversion with dormer window & dormer access to new external viewing terrace at roof level (resubmission to 2/2007/0738) Location: Grune House, Skinburness, Silloth.

Ref No: 2/2007/1115 Applicant: Hopes Estate Agents Proposal: Alterations to windows Location: 8 Station Road, Silloth

Ref No: 2/2007/1168 Applicant: CWS Retail Financial Services Proposal: Advertisement consent for 2 fascia signs and 2 projecting signs (resubmission to 2/2007/0964) Location: Co-op Food Store, Caldew Street, Silloth

None.

Allotment Committee - 10 December 2007. Due to the flooding last year it was agreed not to increase the allotment rents.

Primary School Cllr. Markley attended the Pantomime which was an excellent performance. No meeting this term. Old floor has been sanded down.

Joint Advisory Committee No report.

Silloth Tourist Action Group No report. STAG are short of money. Application to be given to Cllr. Hart.

Silloth Regeneration Partnership The work to be done to the land between the Lifeboat Station and the Dock entrance has gone out to tender again as the plans have been changed. There will be no parking at the end at all but existing car park is to be extended. £100K has to be spent before the end of March. The whole area is to be grassed over. There will be a mound to create a viewing area with picnic tables etc. Spoken to ABP re: access to the end of the harbour. Hoping to do away with the fencing and put barriers up to match the other side of the harbour entrance. In the future looking at a footway/bridge over the entrance of the Dock. The area of land owned by ABP may be developed into some sort of waterside development in the future. It was agreed that the Town Council will continue with the maintenance of this area. Letter to be sent to John Windsor. Plans for the area are to be displayed in the town. It will look good when the lottery bid for the Green is submitted in March, to show what has already been started. Liz Carlisle was meant to be coming this week but she has not been well. Reports are to be submitted by March to the lottery. Chris Burnett has been to Silloth on a few occasions and has been researching the history. 1^st week in February, there will be various meetings with Town Council and Regeneration etc. Imagemakers will also be coming down in February sometime.

North Allerdale Partnership No meeting.

Sea Dyke Charity No meeting.

Silloth Health Matters Meeting coming up. Lost some members but got some new ones. One of the Doctors has just joined the group.

Longcake Education Trust Mr Snaith continues to attend the meetings. Charity continues to make donations to the local schools.

Solway Community Technology College No report.

Allerdale - Cllr. Snaith is back on Scrutiny as an Independent. As a member of the planning committee, attending a meeting tomorrow at the Carnegie at Workington regarding the Tesco application. Cllr. Wilson reported that Allerdale have two options regarding the cemetery bridge - reinforcing the bridge or creating a new entrance. Repairs would cost in the region of £10K or £60K for a new bridge. It was questioned whether a pedestrian crossing could be put there. Current expectancy for the existing graveyard is approximately 7 years.

County Council - Cllr. Markley is going to America on Sunday. Visiting nuclear sites - some that have been de-commissioned and some which are undergoing de-commissioning. £1m has been put aside for Highways, to repair the road system. Fought to get the community Steward scheme going again which worked well here. Cllr. Snaith questioned why the County Council have put in an application for a cycle path to be put through Curwen Park. It was questioned why this particular route was chosen.

No report. It was questioned when the hedge cutter is to be delivered. The Clerk has phoned Armers and been told that delivery is imminent. Letter to be sent to confirm when delivery is to take place.

Nothing to report.

a) Silloth Open Door Group - Application is for £1100 for a new cooker. The group received £500 from the Town Council in April for a food warmer. Allerdale Community Fund have granted £500 towards the cost of the cooker. Also received money from other sources. The Open Door Group are not prepared to charge for the meals they make but instead rely on donations. There is no problem with funding moveable objects but not when it involves renovating a church building. Letter to be sent to the group advising them to re- apply to the Allerdale Community Fund and that the Town Council will consider the application in the next financial year.

b) MANA Credit Union - Application for the free use of the Community Hall and funding of £500 towards advertising etc. The credit union provide a valuable service. Given a discounted rate for advertising in the Solway Buzz but it is still costly. The Town Council agreed to the group using the Community Hall for free indefinitely. The legality was questioned of providing funding to a financial organisation although this is a ‘not for profit’ organisation. Funding has been received from Allerdale Borough Council, County Council, neighbourhood forum etc Clarification is needed. It was agreed to defer the matter to the next meeting when more Cllrs. would be present.

c) Solway Mexico Link - Defer to next meeting.

The Town Council approved the list of cheque payments to 14 January 2008.

861 Dangerous Footpaths

The footpaths were particularly dangerous during the frosty spell before Christmas and there had been a number of injuries due to the icy conditions. It was questioned whether our own grounds maintenance crew could have access to a supply of salt which could then be used on the main shopping streets in the town and at the pensioners bungalows. Letter to be sent to Clive Pickering at the County Council to ask for a few tons of salt for our use within the town. We have the necessary equipment that can spread the salt.

A notice had been put up on the notice board but there had only been one request to hire the facilities on the Green for the 2008 season which was from Raynor Fletcher. The Town Council were happy for Raynor to continue.

In view of the nature of the business to be transacted it is advisable in the public interest that the public be temporarily excluded and they are instructed to withdraw.

Two bills are outstanding with Allerdale Borough Council. One is for the first six months grounds maintenance work on the Green and the other being for the grass cutting carried out at Allonby. Cllr. Wilson to take the matter up with Allerdale.