January’s Council Meeting

REPORT OF ALSTON MOOR PARISH COUNCIL MEETING 

5 JANUARY 2026

This report is an informal one, and should not be taken as an accurate and agreed record of the parish council meeting. It is written to give our local residents some general information about the meeting, but only the formal minutes, which will be posted later, are a proper record.

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MINUTES

The minutes were agreed as correct.

MATTERS ARISING 

it was clarified that the Clerk had used emergency powers to purchase the small gritter because of a problem with ice on the access road to Tyne Willows, parish council responsibility.  Westmorland and Furness Council had been asked repeatedly to provide grit/salt bins for the area, but this had been refused.  Councillor Grew raised a problem concerning the W&F big gritters no longer doing all the areas they used to do and requesting that the small gritter be brought to Garrigill for use there.  The Chair refused this, as it is Westmorland and Furness responsibility, and asked that it be taken up at the Traffic Management meeting.  The Chair also suggested that Garrigill Village Hall, and Nenthead,  could apply to the parish council for a small grant (up to £300) to purchase their own small gritter for such areas (as the one bought for Tyne Willows cost £250).

TYNE WILLOWS TREE WORK

Three tenders had been received for the tree work, and these would be discussed in the closed session.

BENCHES

At the last meeting, the council agreed to get plastic benches.  The Clerk had researched possibilities and handed around some information.  Of the various companies, recycledfurniture.co.uk seems the best for price and provides a guarantee.  This will be discussed at the working group meeting on 19 January and brought to the next meeting for a decision.

WESTMORLAND AND FURNESS COUNCIL REPORT

Councillor Michael Hanley report on various committees.  There is a team working on to reduce the number of hospital readmissions within four weeks, and is already having some success.  A new government project, Best Start Family Hubs, is currently based at the school, but Councillor Hanley has asked that it be transferred to the hospital where, since the closure of all beds, there is free space. 

AMERG

Councillor Hanley and Councillor Bondi reported that there is now an AMERG website – https://www.amerg.org/

NENTHEAD WARD REPORT

Councillor Crossley reported that the Nenthead Warm Hub at the Hive had been unable to get funding from W&F – this is the same for the Alston Warm Hub.  The two people from the Hive Warm Hub present at the council meeting were asked to apply for the parish council grant of up to £300 and the Clerk said she could point them to some other potential sources of help.  The Place Action Group will be considering possible funding for such efforts.

POLICE REPORT

The police are no longer providing local reports.  There is a general report which one has to sign up for (they are not automatically sent to parish councils any more).

PLANNING

The two applications, for Rice Head and Steel House, were both approved.

CHRISTMAS TREES

Some of the new Christmas trees (plastic) buckled.  The company has withdrawn this model and refunded the parish council in full

CORRESPONDENCE

An email had been received concerning the Myth Busters page on Facebook. The Clerk has replied.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be on Monday 2 February 2026, probably at Alston Town Hall.