Meeting November 2025

The minutes of Oughterside and Allerby Parish Council meeting

held on Tuesday 11^th November 2025 commencing at 7.00pm.

Chair declared the meeting open at 7.00pm

Present: Cllrs Chair’ Lyndsey Preston-Miller, Gladys Hunter (vice chair), Julie Gingell.

Cumberland Councillor. Cllr Martin Harris.

Clerk: Mike Milner, no members of the public.

534.00 Apologies for absence: Cllr Gary Bolton, Cllr Pam Marriot.

535.00 Declaration of interests: None.

536.00 To read and approve the minutes of the last meeting held on Tuesday 9^th September 2025.

536.01 Resolved to approve the minutes as a true and accurate record by those who were present at that meeting.

537.00 Public Participation/open session.

537.01 no members of the public present so clerk would update on Salterwath Beck TPO issue at agenda item 12.

538.00 Police Matters.

538.01 clerk confirmed police e newsletter duly circulated. No other reports.

539.00 Matters concerning Cumberland Councillor.

539.01 Cllr Martin Harris was present and read his report. One of the reports concerned the resurfacing of Well Road, which had been completed in the past week. All Cllrs and the clerk thanked him for his efforts on that project, an excellent result achieved by his persistence to see that to completion. Chair Cllr L P-M thanked him for his attendance and invited him to remain, accepted.

540.00 Applications for development. No applications or updates.

541.00 Receive and approve the audited half yearly parish accounts 2025/26. All documents circulated before the meeting.

541.01 clerk had circulated the audited accounts prior to the meeting, no questions and the Cllrs resolved to accept the accounts as presented.

542.00 Budget update for financial year 25/26 and proposed budget for year      26/27 and consider the precept for year 26/27. Budget docs circulated. Decision required at December meeting.

542.01 clerk ran through the current year’s budget update and then his proposed figures for 2026/27. There were no questions raised and the decision on a precept figure will be considered at the December meeting.

543.00 Update on gov.uk adoption for email addresses for use by clerk and councillors. Possible website changes.

543.01 clerk confirmed that the parish council actually conforms with the Assertion 10 criteria as it possesses an org.uk registered domain name and website. The clerk had also made contact with the original website designer and was in discussions about paying any arrears of web hosting outstanding and then arranging for the hosting to be handed over to an approved “registrar” for the project. There is no pressure to resolve the issue of hand over until it gets closer to March. It may be worth considering changing to a gov.uk domain registration, but clerk would resolve that and obtain a cost, once the current issues resolved.

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544.00 Cumberland Community Governance Review 2026, councillors consider content and action.

544.01 clerk explained that as they sit this evening, just quorate, 3 councillors only in attendance, 2 apologises and with 2 vacancies and no apparent great enthusiasm for parishioners, of suitable calibre to be co-opted he was aware of the Cumberland Community Governance Review 2026, one section is to consider merger of parish councils.

544.02 Cllrs present discussed the implications and that it would only be undertaken after consultation with all parishioners of both involved parishes. It was finally agreed that the clerk should approach the chair and clerk of Hayton and Mealo and enquire if they would consider a merger.

545.00 Update on Salterwath Beck trees covered by TPO.

545.01 clerk confirmed that his enquires as to ownership made of Cumberland Council at the Allerdale planning office had not been successful, as the planning office had no record of the trees owner at time TPO issued, just location. Allerdale planning have requested that the Cumberland Countryside Officer inspect the trees and report back. There is no further action that the parish council can take, they are not the tree owners nor are the trees on parish land. Clerk to await the response from the Allerdale planning office of Cumberland Council.

546.00 Parish Council vacancies.

546.01 Cllrs all agreed that the 2 vacancies should be advertised in the next edition of the Christmas edition of INSIDE.

547.00 Consider content and production of December INSIDE parish magazine.

547.01 Cllrs were keen that the next edition of the parish council should indicate how proactive the parish council has been over the past twelve months. Resurfacing of Well Rd, clearing of Gholic Passages, increased presence of speed cameras on A596, the British Legion success, cleaning of graffiti on play equipment, successful Anti scam talk and defibrillator training, both to be repeated in 2026. Also demonstrate how difficult it has been to get the replacement of the missing Give Way sign in Oughterside, images of what was there, the temporary sign and now no sign.

547.02 clerk to ask school for an update on activities.

548.00 Progress reports, clerk.

548.01 clerk advised all issues he had been dealing with were covered in agenda items.

549.00 Councillors reports.

549.01 Cllr G.H raised the issue of the need for the waste bins by Pond Green and also the one down by the BMX track in Oughterside, to be emptied.

549.02 Cllr G.H also asked her fellow Cllrs if the parish council could pay the earlier that day hall hire charge for the Remembrance Day British Legion fund raising coffee morning enabling all the monies raised being donated to the British Legion charity. Unanimously approved, clerk to write to Prospect Hall treasure to request it being billed.

550.00 Correspondence.

550.01 Calc anticipated figure for 2026 advised as £239.00 for budget purpose.

550.02 Prospect Village Hall invoice received for July and September, £48.00 total.

550.03 Simone Morgan half yearly audit fee invoice received, £30.00.

551.00 Payments for approval.

M Milner Intpay 371, £278.62, salary £228.62 November, £50.00 expenses.

HMRC Intpay 372, HMRC £57.00, PAYE. November

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Simone Morgan Intpay 373, Tivoli, £30.00, half yearly account audit fee.

All Payments approved.

Meeting closed 8.21pm.

552.00 Date and time of next meeting Tuesday 9^th December 2025 at 7.00pm at Prospect village hall.

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Text content to come.