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Formal Statement from Alston Moor Parish Council

This is a formal statement from Alston Moor Parish Council, approved by resolution of the full Council.
The statement sets out the Council’s serious concerns regarding a sustained campaign of false allegations, defamation, and harassment directed at the Council, its members, and its officers over a period of approximately five years. These actions have caused significant harm to the Council’s reputation, its ability to function democratically, and the wellbeing of individual councillors and volunteers who give their time to serve this community.

“Many local residents will be aware that, for some years, a small group of people has been determined to attack the parish council, claiming corruption and incompetence. The relentless accusations have been depressing and disabling for the council, not least as our social media policy does not permit us to respond to each comment. In any case, when an attempt is made to explain the reality behind the accusations, the claims of corruption merely escalate.

Councillor Alix Martin has been the person most frequently accused – mostly not named directly, but the various comments and descriptions, including of her dog, make it abundantly clear who they are referencing. Perhaps they imagine that by not giving her actual name they cannot be accused of personal attack. However, they share her posts, which have her name quite clearly visible, so there can be no pretence of not making direct accusations. Additionally, the sheer rudeness to her and other councillors, saying that councillors should remove themselves from public and community life (using language that is not printable) make only too clear how contemptuous they are of the parish council.

Alix’s work for the parish council has been the key part of the accusations, and the hatred displayed towards her has been shocking, including referring to her as ‘IT’. We on the parish council know well how much time and effort Cllr Martin has devoted to the council and to other work for the benefit of the community. She is not dishonest, she is not corrupt, she is completely open. It would in any case be impossible for any councillor to defraud the council, given the level of scrutiny to which our finances are subjected. It is simply not credible that we could have somehow ‘covered up’ wrongdoing, or been ‘in cahoots’ with those at Westmorland and Furness Council (or previously Cumbria CC) who have inspected our financial management.

Many local residents are no longer willing to stand for election as parish councillors, because of the nastiness directed towards the council, its clerk, and specific council members. Some people have assumed ‘there’s no smoke without a fire’, implying that something must be fundamentally wrong with the council and that Cllr Martin must be doing something untoward.

Unfortunately, the police have failed to respond appropriately when asked to intervene (by several councillors and by the accusers). By saying that some of the accusations are ‘out of time’ but would have merited investigation, those attacking the council have believed that this means the council, and Cllr Martin, are in fact guilty, and have spread this false rumour repeatedly.

We as a council want to do all we can on behalf of the community of Alston Moor. We are entering a particularly difficult period when the unitary authority, Westmorland and Furness, has had a massive cut to the funding from central government. As their work inevitably is curtailed in certain areas, the parish council will want to pick up some of this. But we need the support of our community, not endless false allegations about our probity.

If there is anything that a local resident wants to know more about, to discover the truth behind a rumour, or to understand certain processes and procedures, please contact our clerk at clerk@alstonmoorparish.gov.uk . We very much hope that we can move forward with the support of the community we aim to serve.”

Alston Moor Parish Council

2 MARCH 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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WESTMORLAND AND FURNESS COUNCILLORS’ REPORT

As Cllrs Mary Robinson and Michael Hanley had to attend other parish council meetings, their report was taken first.

Cllr Robinson was asked about the proposed £60 charge for a garden waste bin.  It is not yet known when this will come in nor how it will work.  She said we must be sure to get our comments on the proposal for reduced parish councillor numbers back as soon as possible.  The Clerk said we had been told to await guidance from CALC but this hasn’t arrived and there seems to have been poor communication from CALC.  

Cllr Elaine Grew thanked Cllr Robinson for help in dealing with reporting a serious dog attack on another dog in Garrigill.

Cllr Hanley spoke about the very disappointing settlement from central government, meaning that there will be a £15 million shortfall this year and £40 million in three years time.  W&F has also lost the rural services delivery grant of £6.5 million per annum.  The shortfall in the W&F budget will amount to £400 per household.  Cllr Hanley will be asking our MP to contact Alison McGovern, Minister of State for Local Government.

There was some discussion on the double council tax for second homes.  Cllr Robinson raised the thought that perhaps legislation might come in to make it possible to also raise double parish precept on such households.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF 2 FEBRUARY 2026

With some minor (largely typographical) amendments, these were agreed as correct.

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

This was agreed for 20 April at 19.00 in the main hall at the Town Hall.

MATTERS ARISING

Cllr Grew requested that the small gritting machine for Garrigill not be purchased until the autumn.  Cllr Green was concerned about the possibility of being responsible if someone slipped on a gritted area, as previously people undertaking such public-spirited actions had been prosecuted.  Cllr Grew said that this is no longer the case – the law has changed.  We have had approval for general use of the Alston small gritter by W&F.

REMOVAL OF LIGHTS ON TYNE WILLOWS

Only one tender was received for the removal of the long-defunct lights on Tyne Willows.  The tender, from Barry Hopper, for £600 including the hire of a cherry-picker, was approved in the closed section of the February meeting.  He was given the go-ahead and has removed them.  The invoice was therefore authorised for payment.

INTERNAL AUDITOR

The proposed internal auditor (Checkmate) was approved.

LIVESTREAM FOR PUBLIC ATTENDANCE

Having taken advice, it has been made clear that there is no issue whatsoever with providing a livestream for members of the public to view (not participate in) parish council meetings.  Cllr Ho thought we would need to create a policy to cover this, but no-one could see what would be in this beyond our existing policy covering the use of IT.

NENTHEAD WARD MEETING

Cllr Crossley thanked Cllr Hanley for his W&F councillor fund donation to the Nenthead Warm Hub.  It is planned to continue this as a social event over the summer, as there are no other places (no cafés or pubs) for local people to meet.  

There is concern about the defibrillator and the need for replacement.  Brian Aves had previously refused AMPC taking it over and adding to our defib arrangements, but will be asked again.

PROPOSED REDUCTION IN COUNCILLOR NUMBERS

As mentioned above, we had been expecting instructions from CALC on the best approach but have so far received nothing.  There was general annoyance that W&F were suggesting such a reduction, from 15 to 9 councillors, given not only our population (some parishes with fewer residents would have more councillors) but the fact that the geographical size of our parish has not been considered.  We felt we needed to retain 15 councillors to ensure that the council could work effectively.

DONATIONS AND SPONSORSHIP 

Having taken advice from CALC about the request for a donation to help SKS send a performing arts group to Paris to perform, after some discussion, it was agreed to donate £500 to the school for this event.

The request for support for a holiday club was discussed, and it was decided to suggest to them that they should apply to us for a community grant.

GROUP REPORTS

Cllr Martin showed the just-published Alston Moor Partnership Community Directory, prepared by Sarah Stamford as the Community Development Co-ordinator.   This is being distributed to every house on Alston Moor in hard copy and will also be available online.  She explained that there are also plans for a business directory and possibly a visitors’ directory.  

PLANNING

More information was required on both the planning applications we were asked to comment on, for Low Park and Rosedale House, so W&F would be asked to provide this.

FINANCE

All forthcoming payments were approved.  It was agreed to invoice the Town Hall charity for the work for the Town Hall by the parish council’s handyperson.

TREE SURVEY

Six companies were asked to tender.  Three said they were too busy.  One failed to provide a tender by the date requested.  The two received tenders would be considered in the closed part of the meeting.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 7 April, as Monday 6 April is Easter Monday. 

Significant Government cuts mean Westmorland & Furness Council has no choice but to increase Council Tax alongside raising other charges​

Today Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet said it had no choice but to recommend to its Full Council increases to charges that will sadly affect every resident in the Westmorland and Furness area. Introducing the 2026/27 Budget report and recommendations, Cllr Andrew Jarvis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said:“It’s a total disgrace that as result of a significant reduction in our funding from Government that we have had no choice but to recommend the implementation of increased charges. These will affect every one of our residents, especially at a time of a continued cost of living crisis.“Our council has suffered grievously in the Government’s funding settlement. This reduces the amount of support that we get from the Government by about 1/3rd over the funding cycle – leaving us with a shortfall of £12m for next year increasing to £43m by 2028/29. “Since we became aware of this, we have been warning about the impact it would have on the council, our residents and our ability to deliver essential services. Unfortunately, these warnings have fallen on deaf ears and despite the lobbying of us, and organisations such as the County Councils Network, the Government’s announcement of the final funding figures have shown no significant change for Westmorland & Furness.“As a responsible authority with a strong grip on our finances we have already been looking at how much we can save by fundamentally challenging what the council does and changing the way we deliver our services.“But even with the savings we have identified, these will not be sufficient to offset the significant loss in government funding.“Consequently, we feel we have no option but to implement increases and charges that we had hoped we could avoid.“For example, we had been clear that we did not want to charge for ‘all’ garden waste collections. Our firm intention was that the first garden waste bin would be collected for free, with residents only paying an extra annual charge for any extra bins. But given the current funding situation we have no choice but to charge for the first collection as well.Cllr Jarvis continued:“This has been a difficult budget to propose.  It includes recommendations that we would have all preferred to have avoided.  It contains significant risk, and it will require ambitious cost savings over the next couple of years if we are to continue to balance our budget and protect investment in frontline services.“The position we are in arises not of our own doing, but because of decisions by Government to drastically cut our funding to the detriment of our residents.”Cabinet agreed to make the following recommendations to its Full Council meeting on 26 February including:A 4.99% increase in the council’s share of Council Tax. A new annual charge of £60 per bin for garden waste collections. This charge will only be applied to residents who choose to use the service and will be managed through an annual subscription.Car park charges will be increased by around 10%. Increases in the charges for the use of Windermere Ferry, and the removal of the ‘Blue Badge’ exemption.That other fees and charges are increased in line with inflation.

REPORT OF ALSTON MOOR PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
2 FEBRUARY 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 of both the last monthly AMPC meeting and the precept meeting were agreed as correct.

MATTERS ARISING
The Traffic Management group will look at which roads are gritted/salted. It was agreed that if Garrigill and Nenthead each want to have a gritter – which depends on having somewhere to store it and someone to take responsibility – the parish council will buy one for each community. Those wards will have to make the relevant arrangements before AMPC will buy one.

CHAIR’S REPORT
The Chair raised the latest police report, which included reports of damage, shoplifting, burglary and a public order offence and, most concerningly, nine sexual offences.

TREE WORKS – TENDER
Tree Beard provided the lowest tender and were approved for the Tyne Willows tree work.

ZOOM/LIVESTREAMING OF MEETINGS
It was suggested that parish council meetings might be streamed via Zoom or YouTube so that local residents could watch and hear, without needing to attend in person. One parish councillor insisted that this was currently illegal although under consideration. It became clear that there was a misunderstanding – it is not intended (nor would it be legal currently) for councillors to ‘attend’ via Zoom and the rest of the council were in agreement with enabling members of the public to have this form of accessibility. However, it was recognised that work needs to be done to enable the Annex acoustic to be more conducive to such livestreaming.

WESTMORLAND AND FURNESS COUNCILLORS’ REPORT
Councillor Mary Robinson spoke about the chaotic waste collection last week. It seems the people who usually do the business (as opposed to domestic) collections were doing it, and didn’t know what to do. Many people’s blue bags were not picked up either on Tuesday as expected or later in the week. Garden waste was also not collected.

The Westmorland and Furness consultation about parish council boundaries and numbers of councillors had been responded to by the parish clerk, but no acknowledgement was received and it was clear that many councils hadn’t received it. There is an April closing date on the draft recommendations.

Councillor Michael Hanley spoke about the Place Action Group housing survey, which made clear that what is wanted is two- to three-bedroomed houses and social housing. Cllr Grew asked about the proposal for a charge for the second green (garden waste) bin, as in Garrigill many local people cut verges, which are not the responsibility of Westmorland and Furness, and should not be penalised for this public-spirited action. It was suggested that. Cllr Grew write to W&F Councillor Giles Archibald.

NENTHEAD WARD MEETING
Cllr Alastair Robertson reported on the Ward AGM. Nine people were present. There was concern about the grit bins where the grit has become solid and cannot be extracted. The Clerk said this had been reported at the Traffic Management meeting. The Village Hall now has wifi, new floors and flooring. The toilets had had problems with both a burst pipe and vandalism and may install CCTV. Nenthead Community Projects has now got the Roll of Honour from the church being repaired. There was much praise for the snowplough group. There are issues about the defibrillator at the shop. Brian Aves was unwilling for AMPC to take it over but considerable renewal/replacement is now required. Cllr Monk will explain to them what to do.

PUBLIC FOOTPATH CONSULTATION
Despite being labelled as ‘Wardway’, the claimed route merely runs from/to the Wardway to the road. Once it had been clarified that those living along the route were all in favour of designation as a right-of-way, the parish council approved this.

POTATO MARKET
Following Westmorland and Furness Council’s decision that Alston Moor Partnership can keep the remaining money from the Townscape Heritage Project (after five years of asking first Eden District Council and then W&F), so long as it was used for an appropriate heritage-related project, AMP are considering doing some work at the Potato Market. The ownership of this area has never been clear despite considerable efforts over decades to identify an owner. It is not being suggested that the Parish Council taken on responsibility for it, but AMP would like to work with the council to make it an area that is attractive, and used. It was proposed that AMPC would work with AMP to consider its future – this was agreed, with abstentions from those who are Board members of AMP.

ALSTON MOOR PARTNERSHIP
Quite apart from the proposed work on the Potato Market, AMP are looking for funding to continue the Community Development work currently undertaken by Sarah Stamford. A community directory arising from her work and a business directory in connection with a new AMP project to promote local businesses are both going to be available online as very accessible means of accessing information. A hard copy of the community directory will soon be published and distributed to every household on Alston Moor.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT GROUP
There had been little interest from W&F in the cleaning of signs until Cllr Hanley photographed and listed them, whereupon it was agreed that a lot needs to be done (so watch this space!).

Additionally, there is to be an assessment of the proposal for a crossing at Fairhill.

DOUBLE YELLOW LINES
It is proposed that double yellow lines be painted to one side of the exit from Tyne Willows, which is currently very difficult because of lack of visibility, and in the narrow area further up Station Road. Those residents currently parking there would be asked to park in the Tyne Willows car park. This was agreed, with one abstention.

FINANCE
All payments and forthcoming payments were approved.

ASSETS WORKING GROUP
The proposed four benches had been discussed and the group proposed that the council accept the particular benches suggested. Agreed, with one abstention.

The group had also discussed the best Christmas trees to get for next year. There will be further discussion before a proposal comes to AMPC.

Three tenders will be sought for the next tree survey, including from Tree Beard.

INTERNAL AUDITOR
Last year’s auditor has asked if we want her to do it again. As she is now familiar with our processes it should be cheaper than last year. There was general assent, but a formal decision will be made at the next meeting.

BUSES
Everything about the buses depends on forthcoming funding, hence there is a fear of cuts. The once-a-week Hexham and Penrith buses are getting well-used.

NEXT MEETING
The next parish council meeting will be on Monday 2 March at 19.00 in the Town Hall Annex.

ALSTON MOOR PARISH COUNCIL PRECEPT MEETING

The Parish Council met on 12 January to consider the applications for money from the precept, as well as what would be required by the Council itself during the 2026-7 year. There were a record number of applications – thirteen – from local groups, hoping to receive money to support their activity in our community.

The parish precept is part of the total Council Tax that everyone pays. Most of this goes to Westmorland and Furness Council to pay for their costs – the parish council precept is a relatively small part of the whole.

Obviously we need to ensure that there is enough money to keep the Parish Council functioning properly, and that includes such things as paying the utilities bills and insurance premiums (which have gone up for everybody), and the wages of our Clerk, the payments to the handyperson, the rent of Nenthead and Garrigill village halls when we meet there etc etc.

The thirteen local groups, each of which is offering something that local residents value, submitted their requests along with details about their group, their current financial situation, etc. Each of the requests was considered. We had to strike a balance between the needs of each group, their importance to the quality of life on Alston Moor, and the inevitable rise in council tax that everyone will be paying. As a result, few groups will receive all they asked for, and some will receive much less.

After everything had been considered, the Parish Council precept will be going up by 18.01%. For a D-band house (which is the figure on which precepts are calculated) this will mean a rise of about £1.50 a week, which is less that the price of a coffee or much the same as a litre carton of orange juice. Without such a rise (considerably lower than that of many other parish councils), local organisations that people value (such as the Nenthead snowplough, the village halls and toilets, and many more) would be unable to provide what they do for our community, so we hope that everyone will be happy to know that their Council Tax is going to keep the community in good heart.

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.

REPORT OF ALSTON MOOR PARISH COUNCIL MEETING,
1 DECEMBER 2025

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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Public participation
Ian Grey spoke about the meeting at the Hive about the minewater project. The Haggs Bank work, which it was promised would become operational six months ago, is still not functioning. Now it will be switched on in February or March and it will need to be seen how it goes before the next stage at Nenthead itself can go ahead. There is thus time to work to stop this. IG said that that the Coal Authority has now admitted that the purpose of this is to avoid the cost of dealing with heavy metals at the Port of Tyne; several councillors pointed out that this was known before the work ever started and indeed was a key part of the initial objections, as Nenthead would be the area to suffer the impact of the work with no particular benefit.

Westmorland and Furness Councillor Mary Robinson pointed out that the Nenthead area is a SSSI and ancient monument, hence very different to Haggs. A planning application is needed so that all this can be pointed out. Treatment is also being proposed further down the Tyne.

Chair’s report
Councillor Raymond Miller thanked all who had helped put the Christmas lights up, and said that Garrigill in particular was looking lovely.

Tyne Willows tree work tender
The clerk explained that three tenders had been opened in the closed part of the last parish council meeting. However, the report from Westmorland and Furness Council (who rent the playing field for the school) had been too general, and as a result each of the tenders had quoted on a different number of trees. All have agreed to re-tender on a set number of trees.

Westmorland and Furness Councillor’s Report
Councillor Michael Hanley was unable to be present. Councillor Mary Robinson reported that the next Place Action Group meeting is in Melmerby next week. Key issues will be the results of the housing survey and the priorities for next year. A new round has opened for the identification of potential housing sites. Unfortunately, there may be delays of up to four years. A Bill is coming forward early in 2026, and then W&F needs to get going. It’s frustrating for developers trying to get the go ahead for small developments. £6 million was taken from W&F by the government last years and the government focus is on areas of urban deprivation. So there may be another massive, £15-20 million, cut. Barrow may get more. It is concerning that this happens just as W&F starts to make inroads on e.g. rural transport. MR suggests that the nine parishes of this ward might work together to lobby.

Nenthead Ward Meeting
People were invited to come and find out about the generator. There have been several recent AGMs – the Village Hall, Nenthead Community Projects, and the snowplough. The fence at the War Memorial still needs to be checked with the Conservation Officer – the Clerk is trying to get a response. The drain at the Village Hall is sorted out now. The cobbles that had been removed and now replaced with tarmac in front of the Hive will, W&F Councillor Robinson says, be replaced in the spring. It was reported that the repairs at the toilets were done badly and now have to be put right. The toilet committee was advised to go back to those who did the work originally.

Letter to Councillor Holly Ho
Councillor Ho had asked for this to be on the agenda, but was unwilling to say anything. The Clerk and others pointed out that the letter concerned the legal obligation for all councillors to have a dedicated device and that this was essential for all councillors by the time of the submission of the AGAR (Annual Governance and Accountability Return) in 2026. The letter explained to Councillor Ho what was required and noted her refusal to engage with offers of assistance. She continued to insist that she could use her own device, despite not understanding the requirements that would have to be met in order for her device to be legally compliant. Assertion 10 must be fully implemented and so devices must comply. W&F Councillor Mary Robinson confirmed that the members of all parish councils will have to comply with this.

Precept meeting
The precept meeting will be on Monday 12 January 2026.

Budget
The Clerk ran through some of the key demands on funds that are likely over the coming year, noting that many prices have increased including services (electricity etc) and insurance. Among major expenses is the care of the trees and river bank on Tyne Willows. Precept requests from local groups have been received.

Clerk’s appraisal
Councillor Monk reported that the Clerk has all the necessary training to fulfil her job, and will consider undertaking the full CILCA qualification (about 500 hours of work, costing £1000) when possible. It was agreed that her performance to date has been outstanding.

NWAS
Two new people are now qualified to staff the ambulance car and Councillor Monk hopes to join them soon.

Planning applications
Both applications, for Alston Youth Hostel and Loaning Head Cottage, were approved,

Assets
No tenders have been received for the removal of the lights at Tyne Willows.

Correspondence received
There has been concern about the state of the ‘shelters’ by the Potato Market at the top of town, an area that has previously had issues as ownership cannot be established. This will be followed up.

A letter had been received expressing concern about the 16-seater Carlisle bus, which is too small for the number of people wanting to use it resulting in some being unable to get to arranged appointments or meet other commitments. The council agreed to request that this be changed. The letter also spoke of the need for a further bus stop, up beyond Fairhill, for those in that part of town for whom carrying shopping uphill from the Fire Station bus stop would be very difficult. This is the area where the parish council, through the Traffic Management committee, is trying to get a pedestrian crossing. Both issues will be raised, with the necessary distance between the two to be ascertained.

Next meeting
The next parish council meeting will be on Monday 5 January 2026.

Report of Alston Moor Parish Council meeting, 3 November 2025

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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It was agreed that the Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner be invited to attend the first meeting for which he is available.

Chair’s report

The Chair commended the Remembrance Day poppy displays in Alston and Nenthead

District Councillor’s report (Mary Robinson was unable to attend)  

Michael Hanley reported that at the full Westmorland and Furness Council meeting the conflict between the Integrated Care Board and GPs was raised.  GPs are refusing to take blood because the ICB is not paying surgeries adequately for doing this work.  Alston surgery, however, is continuing to take blood for testing.

W&F Council voted to proceed with devolution.  It was decided to appeal to the government for more funding for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).  Warm Homes grants will be available for those with a poor Energy Certificate.

The Place Action Group housing surveys had a reasonable return rate and it is hoped that the results may lead to work with the housing associations and others.

Parish councillors expressed concern that there seems to be no funding available for the Warm Hubs. Reports have been made to the Westmorland and Furness Council Hotline about road drains which are not getting fully cleared.

Police report

Councillors expressed concern about the incidents involving knives.

The Hospital Bungalow

Councillor Monk reported that there are two new Community First Responders, so seven in total, and two remaining EMTs.  Somewhere is needed to store replacement kit that can be easily accessed.  This has been the hospital bungalow, but apparently this is being decommissioned.  It turns out that those involved had not realised its important use.  Cllr Monk asked if the parish council might be willing to take on the rental of the building.  It is in good condition.  There was concern about exactly how to take this forward, and decided that Cllr Monk should talk further with the people at the ICB, and with Sheila Wyatt who will have more information about the ownership arrangements.  Councillor Miller suggested that the council should consult with the local community to see if they are willing for the precept money to be used for this.

Draft Budget

The Clerk explained about some earmarked money, and what will be needed for the coming year.  Precept applications are awaited,  She will be able to do a fuller update at the December meeting.  More money will be needed for the Town Hall, and Nenthead and Garrigill village halls, given the rise in gas and electricity prices.  More will also be needed for tree surgery, particularly given the problems with ash dieback.

Policies

The council voted to accept all the new policies.  There are three more to come.

Reports

AMERG: each site has its own team for maintenance and care of the generators.

Alston Moor Partnership: the recent event went well , including the awards.  It is clear that, as previously noted, we would not have so many groups if we had the provision (funded by Westmorland and Furness) of other communities.

Assets

The council is seeking quotations for removing the lights from the poles on Tyne Willows.

The sign for the section under the bridge on Firs Walk is awaiting Westmorland and Furness approval.

Clarification is needed about which footway lights Westmorland and Furness already have responsibility for as an Eden DC legacy, as well as the ones being taken on from AMPC.

Christmas tree lights: some trees need to be replaced and the Clerk will source these new trees.

Correspondence

Alston Heritage has written about their proposed signs, of which one is suggested to be at the Town Hall.  A mock-up photograph was circulated, and councillors were not happy with the plan.

Two items of correspondence were passed to Councillor Ho.

Meeting closed at 20.18

Next Meeting: Dec 1^st 7pm. Alston Town Hall

PARISH COUNCIL GUIDE: Parish Councils can seem a bit of a mystery, so we’ve put together the Alston Parish Council Guide. Hopefully, this is an easy-to-read introduction to what we do, how decisions are made, and how you can get involved.

The guide covers everything from money matters to meetings. Whether you’re new to the area or have lived here for years, it’s a handy way to understand what goes on behind the scenes. We have tried to make it easy to read and added some humour. If anything isn’t clear, or you have other questions, please contact the Clerk on clerk@alstonmoorparish.gov.uk and we’ll explain as well as we can. We hope this information will bust a few myths!
This little guide lifts the lid — who does what, how money’s spent, and how decisions happen — in plain English. It’s a quick, friendly, myth-busting read. Put the kettle on and have a skim; it’s your council, after all.
Read it here

Here is a flavour…..

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.

Westmorland and Furness Councillor Mary Robinson was unable to attend the meeting.

Minutes of previous meeting

Councillor Ho voted against the acceptance of the minutes, on the grounds that she had not seen them (despite them being posted on the AMPC website as well as to her AMPC email).  All others accepted them.

North-West Ambulance Service

Rhonda Stanger and Matt Cooper from NWAS spoke about the recruitment of personnel for the response car.  There had been extensions and re-advertisement.  It was made clear that the key difficulty was the wording of the time commitment, which most potential applicants assumed meant they had to be available for one day in every six.  It was agreed that Councillor Monk would work with NWAS to clarify the flexibility without compromising the clarity needed for actual payment.  The hope is to recruit further people (currently three have been successful in their applications) before the planned training course in November, which urgently needs more participants to be worth organising.

Westmorland and Furness Report

Councillor Hanley reported on future housing plans.  Cabinet agreed for devolution to go ahead, and despite a couple more stages to go, it seems certain Cumbria will become a devolved area, the Cumbria Mayoral Strategic Authority.  There will be a year’s transitional authority before a mayor is elected in May 2027.  The local authorities of Westmorland and Furness, and Cumberland, will stay the same, with an overarching authority which will take on responsibility for certain things including transport, housing, skills and jobs, climate and nature recovery, public safety and health.

Cllr Hanley had also tried to get more pressure put on to provide back-up power for the mobile phone mast.  The problem is that the companies responsible are private, and can’t be forced.  

Nenthead Ward

Few people attended the latest ward meeting.  The ward is seeking permission from Westmorland and Furness Council to erect an information panel by the Nenthead fountain.  Efforts continue to replace the plaque for the dedication to Dick Phillips on the Killhope bench and there will be further recognition of Dick in the Village Hall.

Garrigill Ward

Ward meetings were abandoned as no-one turned up, and a councillor surgery was similarly not attended. However, Councillor Grew finds that people talk to her as she walks her dog, and notified a problem raised about the Howhill road junction to the Highways Department.

Police report

Concern was expressed among councillors about the number of child safeguarding issues reported.  It was also raised that the police are looking for volunteers to help with various matters including speeding.

Removal of Battle of Britain display at Townfoot

Rumours had circulated that Westmorland and Furness Council, as owners of the site, had forced the removal of the display following complaints.  This was established as being false, and that Councillor Ho had removed it herself.  She appeared unwilling to explain how she knew of any complaints, if indeed there were any.  It was pointed out that it was her own social media wording that had led to the incorrect belief about Westmorland and Furness forcing the removal.  

Fibrus poles

There have been many objections to the poles which Fibrus has been erecting.  However, they do not need planning permission although must submit plans – to which the planning department can object, but not stop them.  Councillor Martin spoke to a contact at Fibrus, and it was agreed that they would take the pole down immediately, and seek wayleaves from the parish council, who lease the land from the Catholic Trust.

Website

It was agreed that councillors’ .gov.uk parish council email addresses will be given on the website, so local residents can contact an individual councillor for the ward they are in.  It was also agreed that the guide to what a parish council does will go on the website and on Facebook, and Councillor Martin was thanked for preparing such an accessible explanatory document.

Policies

Councillor Monk has revised ten of our policies, and these were approved.  Councillor Bondi will write brief introductions to each, so that people have some idea about the range of content.

Group reports

• Alston Moor Partnership is holding an event for volunteer groups and any local residents to come and see the range of groups on Alston Moor on 25 October at Alston Town Hall.  It was agreed that AMPC should have a table.  The event will include a volunteer awards ceremony.
• Traffic Management group addressed a list of items, including getting road signs cleaned, progress on the 40mph limit on the Brampton road, and getting some additional double yellow lines along Station Road.  It is taking time to get the bollards outside the Co-op moved because there is no appropriate team available.  Apparently, reinstatement of pavements etc need only take place within two years, so there may be some wait including for the Fibrus work to be dealt with.  A pedestrian crossing between Jollybeard and Fairhill is in discussion.  The water coming into the Firs is no longer to do with parish land, which has all been sorted out; Westmorland and Furness Council are looking at the continuing problems.  A request has been made for a salt/grit bin by the recycling centre at Tyne Willows.
  It was noted that Cllr Mary Robinson said that the Firs playpark would be coming back.
• Tyne Willows management – phase 1 of the work is completed and the gym management are happy with it. Phase 2 will be happening in the new year.

Planning

An application for work at Lowbyer Manor Farm was approved.  The application for two light industrial units and siting of forty self storage containers was effectively approved, but with the council very split and many abstentions.

Finance

The Clerk proposed that two earmarked reserves for what had been devolved services, and are no longer required, be returned to general funds. These are the reserves for the Alston toilets, for which Westmorland and Furness Council have decided to continue taking responsibility, and the footway lights, for which responsibility has now been returned to them.  That money could then be transferred to Tyne Willows, parish maintenance and tree works.  The council agreed this. 

The External Auditor’s report picked up three very trivial points which are easily dealt with.  The Clerk was congratulated on such a successful outcome for her first AGAR (Annual Governance and Accountability Return).

Parish council assets

It was decided to form a small working group to consider council assets.

It was agreed that the redundant lights on poles on Tyne Willows should be removed.  This may require a cherry picker.  

A sign will be put at the road entrance to Tyne Willows to warn drivers and pedestrians that winter conditions can be dangerous.

Westmorland and Furness Council has now taken over the lights but councillors need to check that the list provided includes all it should.

The Christmas trees and lights will be put up during the week prior to 21 November, so they can be turned on then for the start of the Craft Fair.

Congratulations!

Our Clerk was congratulated on having completed the training and is now a qualified RFO – Responsible Finance Officer.

The next meeting will be at 7pm on Monday 3 November, venue to be confirmed.