12th   A busy week ahead which started with a meeting of the Parish Council Planning Committee meeting held in the new Wetheral Community Village Hall.   There was only one contentious application regarding a development of 14 properties off Scotby Road due to the narrowness of the access road and the visibility splays onto Scotby Road.   There was also a query regarding the nearness of the Wash Beck to the proposed development.   The meeting ended with a presentation by District Councillor, Steven Higgs, who had been asked by the “Save Wetheral Village” Group  to form a Neighbourhood Plan Group for Wetheral Village.   He explained the pros and cons and that it would be sensible to wait until the new Carlisle Plan 2015 – 2030 was approved and then have discussions with Zoe Sutton, the Rural Development Officer, followed by a meeting with Dalston Parish Council who are in the process of forming a Neighbourhood Plan.

13th   As a member of the Audit Committee I was at the Civic Centre at 9.30 a.m. for the quarterly meeting.   The External Auditors presented their Annual Audit letter 2013/14 and then gave a briefing from the Audit Commission’s “Protecting the Public Purse – Fraud 2014”.   The Director of Resources, Peter Mason, updated members on the 2014/15 final Accounts Process followed by the Code of Corporate Governance Action Plan and an update of the Housing Benefit Certification Action Plan.   Finally he took us through the “Emerging National Issues” and the Council’s reponse and the changes to the Authority’s Financial Procedure Rules in respect of payments made through the Creditors system.   Internal Audit gave the third Quarter Internal Audit Progress Report.   Treasury Management concluded the morning session prior to a confidential item on the agenda.   There was a special meeting of the Carlisle and Eden Districts CAB at 1 p.m. to approve their Audited accounts but I was unable to attend as was in attendance at the funeral of a friend from Wetheral who had done much service in the community.   His funeral at the Crematorium was a Humanist Service with no hymns or service but with a precis of his life and work in the community with quotes from his family.   It was a very moving event and there were well over 100 friends and relatives present.

14th   The weather has got wintery, snow and hail yesterday and very cold today for the Development Control Site Visits.   Luckily only three, the first at Great Corby for a contemporary development in the Conservation Area, then to Houghton for a large development on the site of the old Military Camp i.e. a brown field site, that has already got outline permission, and then finally to Morton where a Registered Social Landlord wishes to develop a grassed area behind a former Public House.   A quick return to the Civic Centre for a training session on the new regulations regarding 106 agreements specifically within the rural area.

15th   This evening we had a Conservative Group Meeting to discuss not only the new Carlisle Local Plan 2015 – 2030 which should be approved by Council next month and this will be the last opportunity to have an input to the final document, but also the Group’s input to the proposed Budget 2015/16 before it comes before the Council for approval.   Many views were aired  and discussions took place.

16th   As usual an early start as I had to take my wife for an appointment to Corby Hill surgery for 8.30 a.m. and as it was snowing had to take her back home and still be at the Civic Centre for 9.a.m.  I was 10 minutes late but soon caught up with the pre-Development Control Committee discussions.  At the Development Control Committee Meeting most public interest was regarding the development at Houghton but all the applications went with the Officer’s recommendations.   So a busy week with very cold weather and snow and ice and I will be pleased to be back at home for the weekend to catch up with correspondence.