You can find the Dec 24/Jan 25 edition of the Contact here.

Please see the linked document from Cumberland Council, for details of lots of help available this winter.

Please see this link regarding proposed closures: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/rowupdates/rowchanges

The meeting originally scheduled for 17th September has been cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience.

https://planning.agileapplications.co.uk/ldnpa/application-details/80996

Please follow the link for details of the application

The feed for planning does not appear to be automatically updating on the website. This is possibly due to the new system being used by the LDNPA, but until it is resolved, we will post new applications in the news feed here.

https://www.forestryengland.uk/ennerdale

Please see attached document for notes from the meeting.

ACTion with Communities in Cumbria is working with the Lake District National Park Partnership (LDNPP) to ask a wide range of people about their views on transport in the Lake District and especially people's appetite for change.

We are starting from the perspective that change is necessary, due to - frustrations of visitors and locals, carrying capacity of the services, and the longer term impact on the environment that visitors – both local and wider come to see. But we recognise that change will be gradual due to resources and therefore needs a longer-term vision.

This research forms part of a wider research programme, the results of which will be used to inform LDNPP policy development on sustainable travel and transport.

Please access the survey here using this link https://online1.snapsurveys.com/TransportOptionsLakeDistrict

The Chairman's annual report to the parish meeting.

http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HWcoproduction

Please follow the link to a survey from Healthwatch Cumberland about public involvement in the planning of services - part of the Integrated Care Board's efforts around listening to and working with the community. It can be completed by community members in both Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness.

The survey is for residents as well as professionals in health, social care and the voluntary sector.

Please see the attached list of candidates for the elections on 4th May.

MAKE A CHANGE BECOME A COUNCILLOR

Are you passionate about your community? Do you want to help make a long-lasting change? Do you have innovative ideas for the council? Do you have concerns about a specific issue and want to do something about it? If this is you, then we need you. We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect their community to put themselves forward for election. Make a change and become a councillor.

The Council wrote to Forestry England regarding the proposed methods for the beaver consultation as agreed. This letter and their response letter are both attached.

The Council wrote to Forestry England with support from Copeland and Cumbria councillors, requesting a meeting to discuss the timber lorry operations within the valley. Attached are our request and their response to this letter:

Acceptable forms of identification are a passport, driving licence, Blue Badge, an identity card with a PASS mark, certain concessionary travel cards, a biometric immigration document, a defence identity card and a national identity card.

Those who don’t have photo ID, can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate, by 5pm on April 25, at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

If you require a Voter Authority Certificate and are unable to apply online call Copeland Council on 01946 598300 or email info@copeland.gov.uk.

It is with great sadness that the council hears of the passing of Cumbria County Councillor Arthur Lamb.

Arthur was a regular attendee at our parish council meetings and worked tirelessly to advise and represent the parish at county level.

Aged just 31, he passed peacefully in his sleep at home on Friday night, 20th January. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time. He will be greatly missed by many people.

Don't forget everybody, it's hedge cutting season again. Please make sure to cut yours back so that roads and footpaths are kept clear and safe.

There is an online presentation and discussion about sustainable transport in the lake District. Please see attached document for further details and joining instructions.

https://www.change.org/p/save-frizington-surgery       Online petition to save Frizington surgery

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Frizington                Please complete this questionnaire about Frizington surgery if you can.

Sustainable Warmth Cumbria - information about available grants.

As no election has been called for, we are now inviting applications for co-option onto the council to fill the vacant seat. Please see the attached documents for more information or contact the clerk clerk@eandkpc.co.uk

We've been asked by a couple of people why there was a big jump in the precept this year and where the money has gone that the council had in reserves. I hope this will explain, but if you do still have any questions, please email me (clerk@eandkpc.co.uk) and I'll try to answer them.

As part of the budget, Councils are also required to keep a general reserve for unexpected expenditure. This is advised as between 3 and 12 months of the planned expenditure, but as we are a smaller authority with no buildings to maintain, any unplanned expenditure is likely to be much smaller. As Responsible Financial Officer for the Council, I recommended that between 3 and 6 months would be adequate for our circumstances.

In April 2015, the Council held a reserve of just over £10,000. Annual budgets were set at around £8,000, so £10,000 was too high a reserve; it should have been between £2,000 and £4,000. At the same time, the Council was only requesting a precept of between £3,000 and £4,000, around half of the budget, and one of the lowest precepts in Copeland. Naturally, the deficeit between budget and precept had to come from somewhere, so this meant that the reserve was reduced over time. Our anticipated reserve at the end of March 2022 was around £2,500.

The Council was faced with the tough decision between keeping the inevitable precept increase to a minimum and providing minimal services, or accepting that the shortfall needed to be addressed and committing to actioning some of the improvements to the village that have been requested. In addition, as this is the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year, the Council wanted to ensure that funds were available to celebrate this as a community. Ultimately the Council decided that it was better to have the increase implemented in this financial year, so that people would be able to see the benefits almost immediately, rather than dragging the process out by making what would still be large increases, incrementally over a number of years, yet offering no visible return from it.

I hope that this answers your questions and while I appreciate that increases may not be popular, I hope that you can see that this has not been done lightly. Some items on the budget are a one-off, such as the Queen's Jubilee, and once purchased, planters and benches will only require mainenance, not replacement - for a number of years at least. Because of this, there may be a reduction in next year's precept, or we may find we have sufficient funds to be able to make bigger improvements. I hope you have already seen some of the changes as plans start to take shape. Don't forget to let us know if there is something that you would like to see happen and we'll see if we can help.