Minutes
Ordinary
4th February 2026

Whicham Parish Council Ordinary Meeting Minutes – 4 February 2026

The Ordinary Meeting of Whicham Parish Council was held on Wednesday 4 February 2026 at Kirksanton Village Hall commencing at 7.30pm.

Present: Cllr Fell (Chair), Cllr S Millar, Cllr M Cumming, Cllr R Jopson, Cllr S Wilson, Cllr C Lowery

Clerk: Lesley Cooper

Members of the public: 4

125/25 Apologies for Absence

Cllr M Sharp (personal), Cllr L Thomson (family), Cllr N Tyson (working), Cllr A Pratt (Cumberland Council)

126/25 Exclusion of Press and Public

None.

127/25 Declarations of Interest

None.

128/25 Minutes of the Meeting Held 7 January 2026

The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes as a true record of the meeting.

129/25 Police Liaison Report

Previously circulated. No comments.

130/25 Clerk’s Report

The Clerk reported that she had requested salt bins to be located in Silecroft.

131/25 Public Participation

Representatives of the Sea Sports Society sought clarification on the siting of motorhomes and their impact on their ability to launch boats. The Chair thanked them for raising their concerns.

A representative of Black Combe Runners gave an update on the arrangements for the forthcoming English Championship fell race to be held on 7 March 2026. The Chair thanked them for their information.

All members of the public left the meeting at this point.

132/25 Report from Unitary Authority Councillor

In the absence of Cllr Pratt, the Clerk gave the following report on his behalf:

• Cumberland budget consultation remains open.
• Whicham Valley Road will be closed from 16 to 21 February for remedial works.
• GDF meeting held on Wednesday 4 February in Millom, moving to bi-monthly meetings.
• Application to the Secretary of State to be submitted by March for permission to drill boreholes.
• Contract awarded for impact study and pros and cons of a GDF.

133/25 Applications for Development

133/25.1 Applications for consideration

None.

133/25.2 Observations submitted since last meeting

None.

133/25.3 Decisions of the statutory planning authority

None.

134/25 Financial Records

134/25.1 Payment of Invoices

• Waterplus – Direct Debit – £59.48
• J Hillier – Toilet cleaning December – £403.00
• L Cooper – Clerk’s salary and expenses – £302.00
• HMRC PAYE – £66.40
• Cumberland Council – Waste – £84.50
• Thomas Graham – Cleaning supplies – £4.68
• Clear Councils – Insurance renewal – £971.36
• KMC Graffix – Signage (car park) – £998.00
• M Sharp – Car park maintenance December – £150.00
• A Fell – Car park maintenance January – £270.00

134/25.2 Receipts

• Beach car park – £163.96
• Church car park – £134.10
• ENW wayleave – £28.58
• Donation from calendar sales – £30.00

134/25.3 Bank Reconciliation Statement

The bank reconciliation statement dated 31 December 2025 was checked and verified by Cllr Millar.

134/25.4 Budget Comparison Report

Report as at 31 January 2026 was considered.

Current Account: £33,097.62

Deposit Account: £11,203.42

No adjustments required. Current underspend on overall budget of £7,000.

134/25.5 Bank Signatories

RESOLVED that the following councillors were approved as bank signatories:

• Cllr A Fell
• Cllr C Lowery
• Cllr M Cumming
• Cllr S Wilson
• Cllr R Jopson
• L Cooper (Clerk)

Other bank signatories to be removed.

134/25.6 Accounting Software Package

The Clerk advised that overnight motorhome parking income may require VAT registration once income reaches £6,000, and HMRC requires VAT to be generated via a software package.

RESOLVED to purchase the Scribe Councils accounting software package at an initial payment of £249 plus £33 per month.

135/25 Village Matters

135/25.1 Silecroft Car Park

The Clerk reported that the overnight parking booking system is now live. Outstanding works include installation of cassette waste disposal and rinse tap, bay signage, boat parking signage and turning area markings. Cllr Fell to order additional tar planings.

135/25.2 Toilets

External works to be scoped and completed.

135/25.3 Café

The Clerk contacted Mark Walsh for an update and received no response.

135/25.4 Proposed Artwork Location

Cllrs Miller and Cumming to attend an online meeting to represent the council’s objection.

135/25.5 Play Inspection Reports

Repairs undertaken as per reports on all equipment. Outstanding works include gate at Kirksanton and fencing at Silecroft.

135/25.6 Defibrillator – Silecroft

Cllr Sharp to provide model details to the Clerk to explore other options.

135/25.7 Environmental Issues

Still awaiting banking scraping.

135/25.8 Clerk’s Appraisal

Scheduled for 9 February 2026 at 11am.

135/25.9 Sellafield Parking in Lay-bys

After discussion, no enforcement action to be taken.

135/25.10 IT Policy

Approved. Proposed by Cllr Lowery and seconded by Cllr Cumming.

136/25 Outside Bodies Reports

None.

137/25 Correspondence

An email was received requesting information on bus shelters and ownership. It was determined that the bus shelters at Whitbeck and Kirksanton are owned by Cumberland Council.

138/25 Councillor Matters

• Cllr Cumming reported potholes requiring attention on the track by the Village Green at Kirksanton.
• Cllr Cumming requested defibrillator training for the community. Clerk to arrange.
• Cllr Miller requested the booklet for the Cumberland Local Nature Strategy launch.
• The Clerk reported knitting poppies to create a garland for the war memorial. Clerk to obtain costings for a fallen soldier from the RBL and place on March agenda.

139/25 Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on 4 March 2026 at Kirksanton Village Hall commencing at 7.30pm.

The meeting closed at 9.35pm.