COUNTY COUNCIL LOCAL COMMITTEE FOR BARROW

Minutes of a Meeting of the County Council Local Committee for Barrow held on Tuesday, 8 October 2013 at 10.30 am at The Drawing Room, The Town Hall, Barrow Borough Council, Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD

PRESENT :

Mr KR Hamilton (Chair)

Mrs A Burns Ms J Murphy Mr B Doughty Mr D Roberts Mr W McEwan (Vice-Chair) Ms M Telford Ms H Wall Mr E Wilson Mr J Murphy Mr MH Worth

Also in Attendance:-

Ms K Alty - Acting Area Support Manager - Barrow and South Lakeland Mr T Beaty - Highways Network Manager Mr D Brook - Area Engagement Officer Mrs E Haughin - Solicitor Mr M Hendry - Finance Officer Ms J Hounslow - Senior Democratic Services Officer Mrs A Knowles - Rural Projects Officer Mrs A Meadows - Area Engagement Officer Ms C Powney - Apprenticeships Co-ordinator Mr S Reed - Senior Manager - Capital Programme Mrs G Ternent - Strategic Policy Advisor

PART 1 – ITEMS CONSIDERED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS

44 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

There were no apologies for absence.

45 DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST

Mr E Wilson declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item No. 16 as a Trustee of Dalton Community Association.

Mr B Doughty declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item No’s. 8, 16 and 17 as Chair of Dalton Town Council.

Mrs A Burns declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item No. 11 as a County Council representative of the Group.

46 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

RESOLVED, that the press and public be not excluded from the meeting during consideration of any item of business.

47 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Ms S Pllana submitted a petition, including photographs, to the local committee on behalf of the residents of Middlehill who were requesting residents parking bays for numbers 1-29 and 2-58 Middlehill. It was a main bus route and a number of vehicles had been damaged by the buses using the road. School children were also in danger crossing the busy road, in between parked cars. The Chair asked the Highways Advisory Sub-Group to consider it at the next meeting and report back to local committee. He thanked Ms Pllana for the petition.

The Chair had also received a letter from concerned parents regarding the lack of train carriages from Roose station into Barrow for children going to Furness . A number of children were left stranded because the carriage was full. There were also delays on the 16:26 train into Dalton Station and with the dark winter nights closing in, it was becoming a safety issue. It was also the only one that did not have an electronic signage board. The Chair would write to the relevant train companies and would also raise the issue of the cessation of the direct train to Manchester Airport.

RESOLVED, that

1) the Highways Advisory Sub-Group consider the request for parking space on Middlehill;

2) the Area Support Manager write to the train companies raising concerns at the lack of train carriages for school children and timetabling issues, along with the cessation of the direct train to Manchester Airport.

48 MINUTES

The Chair, raised the issue of two large HGVs parked on Rawlinson Street waiting to deliver to Tesco and reminded members that at the last meeting they agreed a Traffic Regulation Order on the site. However, there were no line markings on the road as yet. The Highways Network Manager informed members that the work would be done shortly and believed that once some parking enforcement tickets had been issued, the situation would improve. Mr Murphy raised the issue of parking on Barrow Island around Island Road and Ramsden Dock Road. This would be added to the next Highways Advisory Sub-Group Agenda.

2 RESOLVED, that the minutes of the meeting held on 6 August 2013 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

49 PRESENTATION

There were no presentations on this occasion.

50 LOCAL COMMITTEE DEVOLVED BUDGET 2013/14 - MONITORING REPORT HIGHWAYS BUDGET

The Committee received a report from the Acting Corporate Director – Resources which presented the actual expenditure and commitments recorded against the Local Committee’s Highways Revenue and Capital Budgets as at 31 August 2013.

RESOLVED, to

1) note the budget allocations for 2013/14 and the commitments and expenditure recorded to date;

2) note the Highways Revenue budget is showing expenditure in line with budget at this stage of the financial year;

3) note the Highways Capital budget is showing a projected underspend of £33,300 at this stage of the financial year.

51 LOCAL COMMITTEE DEVOLVED BUDGET 2013/14 - MONITORING REPORT COMMUNITIES BUDGET

The Committee received a report from the Acting Corporate Director – Resources which presented the actual expenditure and commitments recorded against the Local Committee’s Communities Budgets as at 31 August 2013. The Finance Manager reminded members that they had six months left, in which to spend their local member revenue scheme budget.

RESOLVED, to

1) note the budget allocations for 2013/14 and the commitments and expenditure recorded to date;

2) note the unallocated resources of £301,782 in the Communities Revenue budgets as at 31 August 2013;

3) decommit the amount of £2,000 from Celebrating Youth in the 0-19 Services Grants budget.

52 APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY GOVERNORS OF NURSERY, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

3 The Committee considered a Schedule which outlined the position regarding vacant County Council Governor positions at County Council Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools in the area.

Mr Murphy had been approached by Bram Longstaffe Nursery School to become a governor. He asked members to approve his appointment.

RESOLVED, that subject to their approval the following be appointed:-

School Representative

Nursery

Bram Longstaffe Nursery School Mr John Murphy 9 Mikasa Street Barrow-in-Furness LA14 3EG

Voluntary Aided

Ireleth St Peter’s CE School Ms Marilyn Marshall Coachman’s Cottage Carleton Holmrook CA19 1YX

Community

Lindal and Marton Primary School Mr Peter Bishop 2 Vicarage Field Lindal Ulverston LA12 0LT (a re-appointment)

Newton School Mr Les Crossley Brookside Stank Barrow-in-Furness LA13 0LR (a re-appointment)

Mrs K Hull 16 Market Street Dalton-in-Furness LA15 8AA (a re-appointment)

Secondary

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Dowdales School Mr Fred Drew 107 Balmoral Drive Barrow-in-Furness LA13 0HY (a re-appointment)

53 LOCAL REVENUE SCHEME (ELECTORAL DIVISIONS)

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which sought to commit elements of the 2012/13 and 2013/14 Local Revenue Scheme budget and included Members’ proposals that had been sufficiently worked up, to enable Local Committee to consider spending decisions.

RESOLVED, to agree a contribution of

(1) £700 towards a dropped kerb at Eamont Close from Walney North ward Local Member Revenue Schemes budget for the HIghways Infrastructure Revenue Programme;

(2) £408 towards carpets and dividers for St. Matthews Parent and Toddler Group from ward Local Member Revenue Schemes budget for the Communities Infrastructure Revenue Programme.

54 FUNDING REQUEST FROM KEEP OUR FUTURE AFLOAT

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which sought a £5,000 contribution towards the Keep Our Future Afloat campaign. The campaign was funded by donations and its primary function was to lobby government, to ensure that orders to BAE systems were preserved, thus keeping jobs in the area.

RESOLVED, to contribute £5,000 from the General Provisions budget towards the Keep Our Future Afloat campaign and to commit, in principle, to fund a further £5,000 2014/15 and 2015/16 subject to funds being available.

55 CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORKING GROUP

The Committee received the minutes of the Children and Young People’s Working Group (CYPWG) meeting held on 12 September 2013 and considered the recommendations contained therein. Ms Telford, Chair of the Group presented the report and informed members there was £20,000 unallocated. She was keen for funds to be spent wisely and a mapping exercise had been undertaken to ascertain priorities. A recommendation from the Group would then be made to local committee.

RESOLVED, to

5 (1) note the minutes of the Children and Young People’s Working Group held on 12 September 2013;

(2) approve an indicative amount of £5,000 from the 0-19 Services Budget towards the continued support of the Furness Youth Council;

(3) approve an indicative amount of £6,000 from the 0-19 Services Budget towards early intervention schemes to be delivered by the Furness Education Consortium;

(4) approve an indicative amount of £15,000 from the 0-19 Services Budget towards the Children in Care Council to provide activities to Looked After Children and a Care Leavers scheme;

(5) de-commit £4,357 unallocated from the 0-19 Service Grants Budget in 2012/13 and re-allocate it to the 0-19 Services Budget 2013/14.

56 HIGHWAYS ADVISORY SUB-GROUP

The Committee considered a report from the Corporate Director – Organisational Development which gave details of the discussion and recommendations of the Highways Advisory Sub-Group (HASG) for the Barrow area which met on 18 September 2013. Mr McEwan, Chair of the Sub-Group presented the report and asked members to watch a short DVD of the night time economy on Cavendish Street in Barrow. Members were concerned at the number of revellers standing in the middle of the road, despite the fact that cars were using it. They agreed to the 6 month road closure pilot. Having a steward at the taxi rank was also suggested, as they could ensure the people got in the taxis and were ferried away quickly.

Mr Wilson raised the issue of the mine shaft collapse on Newton Road, as it had still not been repaired. Members of the public were very concerned that weighting restrictions around the hole were being ignored. Mr Beaty replied that the collapse had been investigated and a specialist contractor was being consulted, who had been contracted to repair the previous collapse, to ascertain whether the same solution could be used for this incident. He was still awaiting a response as to if and when, they could carry out the work. It would then have to go through the usual procurement process. The Chair asked for a rough estimate of costs. Mr Beaty believed that the last collapse cost in the region of £180,000 and this could be similar. The Chair believed that the corporate centre should pay for mine shaft collapses, as it had the potential to wipe out the whole of the local committee highways budget. He would raise it at the Local Committee Chairs and Leadership meeting the next day. He asked that a letter also be sent to Cabinet raising their concerns.

RESOLVED, that

6 (1) the minutes of the Highways Advisory Sub-Group meeting held on 18 September 2013 be noted;

(2) the recommendations of the Highways Advisory Sub-Group be approved as follows:-

(i) a full parking review of Barrow Town Centre be undertaken and that it be added to the draft Highways Devolved Capital Programme 2014/15 for approval; (ii) a pilot weekend night-time road closure on Cavendish Street, Barrow-in-Furness for 6 months; (iii) the Provisional Devolved Highways Capital Programme for 2014/15 be approved, subject to the approval of the 2014/15 Council budget early in 2014; (iv) the Programme of Capital Schemes 2013/14 Update be noted.

(3) the Area Support Manager write to Cabinet on behalf of the local committee to request they consider funding mine shaft collapses from the central pot.

57 CDC INVESTMENT PROGRAMME IN BARROW

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which provided information on the roll out of investment in the CDC Centres in the Barrow area. Ms Ternent, Strategic Policy Adviser presented the report. There was a concern that Ormsgill CDC was being underused. Mr McEwan, the local member, added that the new Head at Ormsgill School had been pushing the merits of the CDC to parents and usage was on the rise. In order for members to gain a better understanding, it was suggested that a presentation be given on the role of CDCs and their funding.

RESOLVED, that

(1) the report be noted;

(2) the Strategic Policy Adviser give a presentation to members on the work of the CDCs in the Barrow area.

58 APPRENTICES IN

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which provided data and analysis of the number of Apprentices in Cumbria. Ms Powney, Apprenticeships Co-ordinator presented the report and informed members that a further six apprenticeships had been created in Barrow. This was on top of the 7 part funded by the local committee in January 2013. In general, apprenticeships were still a popular route for young people in the area.

Members were concerned that the highest numbers of apprenticeships were in Carlisle, despite Barrow having the largest number of unemployed young people in

7 the county. The Apprenticeships Co-ordinator replied that the county council were trying to create apprenticeships that had a good chance of being able to fill a vacancy within the next 12 months. She agreed they needed to create more apprenticeships and would be happy to work with any employer. It was suggested that the LEP could help to recruit more apprentices in the area. The Chair would raise the issue at the Leadership and Local Committee Chairs meeting the following day.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

59 RURAL PROJECTS UPDATE

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which gave details of the work programme being undertaken by the Rural Projects Officer. Members were invited to the opening of the new outside space at Jack and Jill Play Group, taking place at 11.00 am on Friday 1 November. Members were informed of a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding, to produce a booklet to commemorate 100 years since the start of World War One in 2014. Stories would be compiled from the list of those named, on war memorials in the Dalton and Newton area. The Chair thanked the officer for her continued excellent work.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.

60 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which detailed the activity for community engagement activity undertaken by the Area Support Team. Mrs Meadows, Area Engagement Officer updated members on the vandalism to some of the alleygates. A press release had been issued reporting the issue, as the budget would not be available indefinitely and local residents needed to ensure they were looked after. The Team were supporting the Furness Locality Health and Wellbeing Forum who were focusing on healthy eating and targeting Ormsgill. A progress update with a plan of action following the Ormsgill pilot would be given at a future meeting.

Mr Brook, Area Engagement Officer, asked members for their thoughts on where the memorabilia from the former Alfred Barrow, Parkview and Thorncliffe School sites, now subsumed into Furness Academy, should be distributed. There was a small group comprising of the Old Barrovian Association, Archives and the Dock Museum who had expressed an interest in the memorabilia. He asked if any members wished to join. It was agreed that Mrs Burns, Mr Murphy and Mrs Wall join the Group.

The Chair thanked the officers for the report and all their hard work.

RESOLVED, that

(1) Members continue to support officers in the delivery of the community engagement activities and note the report;

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(2) distribution of the memorabilia from the former Alfred Barrow, Parkview and Thorncliffe School sites be left with a small group comprising of Mrs Burns, Mr Murphy, Mrs Wall, Archives, Barrow Dock Museum and The Old Barrovian Association.

61 MONITORING REPORT

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Executive which presented the 2013/14 Monitoring report for Barrow Local Committee. Item 6 Marsh Street Steps was raised, as a member had noticed there was now no handrail, safety was of the steps was an ongoing issue. The Chair quickly brought other members up to speed on the problems with Marsh Street Steps. It was agreed that a letter be sent to Network Rail highlighting the lack of handrail on the steps and reminding them of their duty of care to members of the public who used them. The Chair would also raise the issue at the Local Committee Chairs and Leadership meeting the next day.

RESOLVED, that

(1) the content of the information contained within the report at Appendix 1 be noted;

(2) the Area Support Manager write to Network Rail highlighting the lack of handrail on Marsh Street Steps and their statutory duty of care to members of the public.

62 LOCAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND LEADERSHIP

RESOLVED, that the minutes of the meeting of the Leadership and Local Committee Chairs held on 29 July 2013 be received and noted.

63 REPORTS FROM MEMBERS SERVING ON OUTSIDE BODIES

None on this occasion.

64 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

RESOLVED, that the next scheduled meeting will take place on Tuesday 19 November 2013, The Drawing Room, The Town Hall, Barrow Borough Council, Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD.

The meeting ended at 12.21 pm

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