Conclusion of 2012 Audit

The Council has noted the conclusion of the 2012 Audit.  The accounts will be available for inspection from 3rd to 17th September. Please contact the Clerk for details

Village Wheels: Changes to Service

Some minor changes have been made to the Village Wheels service connecting Gleaston and Scales with Ulverston.

Service runs every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Departure
Gleaston                 09.35              13.50
Scales                     09.40              13.55
Little Urswick          09.45              14.00
Great Urswick         09.48              14.03
High Carley             09.50              14.05
Ulverston                10.00               14.15


Return
Ulverston                13.10               17.00


Village Wheels is a minibus service providing transport to and from Ulverston.


To join the service you need to:

• Call 0845 602 3786 to join
• Wait for your Smartcard in the post
• Phone 0845 602 3786 by 12 noon the day before you travel to book your seat.

Code of Conduct

Important Notice:  The Council has agreed a new Code of Conduct governing the behaviour of Members and the way they disclose pecuniary interests.

On June 6th, the Government introduced new legislation under the Localism Act 2011. Because of this, the Council was required to agree a new Code of Conduct, which included changes to the way in which pecuniary interests (which may affect a Councillor's opinion on something) are disclosed to the public. Due to the limited time which the Council had to legally adopt the new Code, it was done as an 'emergency' item at our meeting on 2nd July. The decision will be confirmed by the Council at the next meeting in September. 


Each of our Councillors will declare their interests fully and submit them to SLDC, who keep a register. The interests will then be published on our website and be available for residents to see.


To view the new Code of Conduct, visit our website now. The register of interests will appear in around a month's time. 

Parish Ridearound

The Council has recently undertaken its annual 'Parish Ridearound', in which the whole Council tours the parish to review work carried out during the year and look at projects for the coming months. We have plenty to keep us going for a while.

If you have noticed any problems in the parish, or think something could be improved, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Contact details are in the sidebar, or on our main site.

Dendron War Memorial

The Council has recently completed restoration work on Dendron War Memorial, cleaning it and repairing some of the damaged inscriptions. The memorial was built to commemorate the men of Dendron church parish (i.e. the villages of Dendron, Gleaston and Leece) who served in the 1914-18 War. It is unusual in that it lists all the men who served, the living and wounded as well as the dead. Many of the surnames listed will be familiar to locals today.

Before

After

2011-12 Audit

The Council has completed its end of year internal audit and has agreed the Annual Return for the external audit. Copies of the key documents will be posted on the website soon.

Make Your Nature Count Survey

From the RSPB


At this time of year, there’s no better place to be than in your own back garden. The flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing and the newly born wildlife are filling the air with snuffles and, tweets and chirps.

With so much going on, now is the perfect time to enjoy the sights and sounds and do your bit for nature by recording everything you see.

Conservation charity the RSPB is asking everyone to take part in its Make Your Nature Count wildlife survey, which runs from June 2 to June 10.

Although similar to its more well-known Big Garden Birdwatch, this survey not only asks you to count birds but also other wildlife such as hedgehogs, squirrels and deer.

Taking part in the survey will help the RSPB to build an important snapshot of summer wildlife in our gardens and find out which species are thriving and which might need our help.

Last year, 80,000 people took part in the survey across the UK and this year the RSPB is hoping for even more.

In 2011, the survey revealed almost half of UK gardens had baby blackbirds and 33% had regular sightings of bats and frogs.

Further information about the survey can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount where an online survey form can be downloaded from June 2. Alternatively, a survey form can be also be ordered over the phone by calling 0300 456 8330 until June 6.

Invasive Species

Look Out!  Hitch-Hikers About!

Jen Aldous - Invasive Species Officer, South Cumbria Rivers Trust

Picked up a hitch-hiker recently?  Many of you may have unknowingly provided a means of transport for some very sneaky, adaptable and UNWANTED species of plants and animals, and dropped them off in our precious waterways.

Invasive non-native species, or INNS, are becoming more prevalent throughout the UK and Cumbria and can have devastating impacts on our ecosystems, recreational and local amenities, infrastructure and the economy. They are now the 2nd greatest cause of biodiversity loss globally. Cumbria hosts a number of rare and protected wetland habitats. These unique areas are at risk from imported pond and ornamental garden plants and animals found in shipping ballast released into UK ports, all of which can thrive here and out-compete native species and degrade the habitat. When contained and managed responsibly, these plant species can be considered as pleasant additions to gardens. However because of their ability to grow and reproduce rapidly, when allowed to escape into the wild they cause huge and damaging impacts. You may wonder how some of these species become so invasive, so here are a few facts:

• Himalayan Balsam – can produce up to 800 seeds per plant which are spread from their exploding seed pods. The seeds also survive dormant for up to 2 years in the soil before germination. 
• Japanese knotweed – can reproduce and spread from a piece of root/rhizome the size of your little fingernail (0.6g)! 
• Floating pennywort -can grow up to 20cm a day. 
• Killer shrimp – can survive out of water for 6 days. 
• Crayfish plague – is a fungus which can survive between 6-22 days without a host under wet or damp conditions.

South Cumbria Rivers Trust, Lune Rivers Trust and the Cumbria Freshwater Invasive Non-Native Species Initiative are striving to protect, control and eradicate inns from our catchments across south Cumbria and the rest of the county – a huge undertaking. We need the support and help from local residents, organisations, businesses and visitors to stop the spread.

So how can you help?

1 – Check Clean Dry 
Check all clothing, footwear and equipment before leaving a river or lake and remove any plant fragments or invertebrates and leave on site. Clean if possible with tap water to remove anything you might have missed. Then, ensure everything is thoroughly dried before visiting a new watercourse.

2 – I Spy…… 
Enjoy a walk out and about? Help us to survey the catchment whilst you’re out enjoying the countryside and get into areas you may not have been before. We need to find source populations of INNS so we can start our control efforts from the headwaters down to the coast. Training and equipment provided if you can provide your own transport and a bit of time.

3 – Be Plant Wise 
Although it may seem like the right thing to do, please don’t re-home your aquatic pond plants in the wild. You might unknowingly have aquatic INNS in your pond. When you clean out your pond, please make sure that you compost everything that comes out and do not put it in the wild. When these plants are released into the wild they can smother our native plants, clog our waterways, exacerbate flooding and remove oxygen from the water which can harm fish, invertebrates and other species.

4 - Balsam Bash 
Join us for an hour or few or however much time you can spare to help remove patches of Himalayan balsam from riverbanks with one of our work parties. Meet likeminded people from around the area, get a sense of satisfaction seeing these areas shrink and seeing new and varied native species start to inhabit in the following seasons.

For more information about INNS or this project please visit our website at www.scrt.co.uk/cfinns.

If you interested in becoming involved with this project please contact Jen on 01539 816311 / 07826 141716 or jen@scrt.co.uk.

If you are interested in being involved on the River Lune and its tributaries, please contact Sarah Littlefield at Lune Rivers Trust on 01524 222174 or boddles_uk@yahoo.co.uk

New Village Wheels Service

The temporary 510 bus service through Gleaston, Scales and Leece has been discontinued as of 31st March 2012.  In its place, the County Council are offering a Village Wheels Service connecting Gleaston and Scales to Ulverston.  Details are below.

Roosecote Biomass Power Station Consulation

As you may be aware, the energy company Centrica is planning to construct an 80MW biomass power station at Roosebeck to replace the current gas-fired power station as that draws nearer to being decommissioned.

The Parish Council has said it is broadly in favour of the power station, which will provide jobs in the area and help towards the country's green energy commitments.  Of course, we will continue to watch closely as the plans for this development continue, given the proximity to the parish.

If you would like to find out more about the proposals and take part in the consultation, visit the Centrica website.

SLDC Land Allocations Consultation

SLDC have now completed the draught Land Allocations Document and invite residents to have their say on the proposals.  You have until April 17th to review the document.

Full details of the document and consultation process can be found here.

Card Fraud Telephone Scam

The UK Cards Association is advising customers to be aware of a new variation on an old style scam that involves people being telephoned by fraudsters and duped into handing over their debit or credit card and revealing their PIN. 

What happens 

• A fraudster rings you, claiming to be from your bank or the police, saying that their systems have spotted a fraudulent payment on your card or that your card is due to expire and needs replacing. 

• You may be asked to ring back using the phone number on the back of your card, but the fraudster keeps the line open at their end to send your call back to them. 

• You may be asked to cancel your card or activate a replacement by keying your PIN into the handset. 

• The fraudster arranges to pick up your card from your home and may give you a fake replacement. 

• They then spend your money using your card and PIN. 

How to avoid it 

• NEVER give your card to someone who comes to collect it. 

• NEVER share your PIN with anyone - it should only be used at cash machines and in shops. 

• Your bank will not contact you asking you to authorise your card details and will never arrange for your card to be collected. 

•  If you are ever in doubt about the validity of a telephone call, don't give out any information.  Take the persons details and then call back on a genuine number, found on a letter, website or your card.  Before you call back, make sure your line is free - wait a few hours, check for the dial tone or try calling another number first. 

What to do if you're targetted 

Call your bank or card company immediately if you're ever the victim of a scam like this. For more information and advice, visit www.financialfraudaction.org.uk