Planning Committee – 11^{th} June 2026 & 9^{th} July 2026 (draft).
No matters arising.
To receive and approve the Minutes of the Planning Committee of 11th June 2026. Proposed by Cllr N Holmes and seconded by Cllr M Leach. All agreed.
The draft minutes of 9th July 2026 were for information only and will go to the next parent committee for approval before returning to Council in September 2026 for ratification.
Allotments Committee – 27th May 2026 & 1st July 2026 (draft).
No matters arising.
To receive and approve the Minutes of the Allotment Committee of 27th May 2026. Proposed by Cllr W McEwan and seconded by Cllr G Beddoes. All agreed. The draft minutes of 1st July 2026 were for information only and will go to the next parent committee for approval before returning to Council in September 2026 for ratification.
Cllr W McEwan was pleased to report on the excellent events that had taken place in June commemorating the ‘Armed Forces’ and expressed his thanks to the Deputy Town Clerk for her hard work. Councillors were once again warmly invited to attend the Events Working Group. Details of events for the reminder of the year can be viewed in the Council minutes of 19th May 2026, on the Events Group Minutes, and on the Council website.
In the absence of Cllr P Griffiths, the Chair gave a brief update regarding the ongoing discussions with Karlskrona in Sweden, Drogheda in the Republic of Ireland, and Adelaide Enfield in Australia. Cllr H Edwards noted the former Barrow Borough Council had investigated the possibility of twinning back in 1980 and 1990 but concluded the expenditure to be prohibitive. She recommended the working group inspect the previous relevant minutes to give them a clear understanding why the action was deemed unviable. The Chair replied that the costs had been discussed at length at the initial meetings, but as the Group has yet to attract the interest of a twinning partner this project is still at an early stage.
The following documents distributed prior to the meeting were submitted for approval:
General - Income & Expenditure Account for the period 1st April to 30th June 2026.
Allotments Receipts and Payments Account for the period 1st April to 30th June 2026.
Schedule of Payments – April 2026; May 2026; June 2026.
No issues were raised.
Proposed by Cllr Leach and seconded by Cllr W McEwan that the reports here presented be approved. All agreed.
Finance Committee of 14th July 2026, Min.443. recommended to Full Council that officers of the Council be retrospectively enrolled as members of the LGPS. A paper outlining the legal framework of the scheme, the Council's responsibility as an Employer, and the resultant costs had been distributed with the agenda. The Clerk noted the LGPS admission criteria requires Full Council approval, which is here sought.
Cllr K Hyland noted that all employees have a right to be enrolled in a pension scheme. Cllr B Elliot confirmed the officer's 'Letters of Appointment' clearly state the entitlement to become a member of the LGPS and therefore this approval is retrospective to the respective dates of the officer's appointment to office.