MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD IN DARWEN TOWN HALL, ON TUESDAY,
OCTOBER 4TH, 2022

Present: Couns K. Connor, J. Hamer, J. East, D. Smith, B. Taylor, P Browne, N. Slater,
M. Davies .
1.Welcome and introduction:..
2. Apologies
Couns. Entwistle, Salton, Brookfield and Walker.
3.Declaration of interests :
Coun Slater on The Royal British Legion and Coun. Taylor on health care items.
4 Minutes of the last meeting:
These were agreed.
4.1 Canon Slade bus
Karen Sudworth, headteacher of Canon Slade responded to town council concerns and
said the school is working with the families effected to ensure a solution can be found.
4.2 Flower beds
Coun East is to look at the council floral planters and beds with the contractor inorder to
come up with a plan of action.
4.3 Children’s Literature Festival
Coun East had attended an event and said the turn out had been good with lots of local
schools attending, he gave details of a visit by author Michael Bradley which councillors
invited to.

5. Public Forum
None.
6 Mayor’s update
Coun Brookfield had read out the proclamation for King Charles III and had attended the
brass band contest, seven bands had attended, which was down on previous years and
the band is looking at different ways of promoting and running the contest next year and
maybe move the date to June. It was suggested the band be used at the Remembrance
Day service, but pointed out the band will already have allocated for this date.
Organisations which benefit from grants from the council will be asked to help out or
organise community events inorder to give back to the town.
7. Deputy leader’s report
Coun Connor’s report covered in event updates and part 2..
8. Correspondence
A notice of modification order for public footpath 185 Darwen was sent from BWD.
Planners from BWD sent information re creating a Local Lists of Non-designated Heritage
Assets. It was agreed to ask for the interior and exterior of the former Nat West building
and especially the internal tiles and also the interior and exterior of the former Lloyds Bank
to be added to the list.
9. Legacy ideas
Ideas muted included illuminating the front of the town hall, painting the Darwen towers on
the railings, restoring the heritage infrastructure in the town, joining with Lloyds Trust,
Rotary and the Huntington Trust to have bursaries for further education.
10. Child Flu Vaccination Campaign
Coun Taylor gave details of the campaign to encourage children to take up the flu
vaccination and it was agreed to finance, at a cost of £750. There will be a healthy Darwen
Day in March 2023. Coun Slater asked how the campaign would be controlled to ensure
people from outside the precept area are not financed. It was agreed this could not be
done and no one would be turned away. Coun Slater said this should be borne in mind for
other projects which need financing and which go outside the precept area.
11. Updates
The town crier attended the brass band contest.
An update on the bonfire was given by Coun Davies, it was agreed to waive the VAT to
allow the cricket club to buy a lighting column for the event. Volunteers are needed to
steward the event and BWD are to be approached re cleansing along with Keep Darwen
Tidy. Crafty Vintage has won the tender for the Christmas lights celebrations in November.
It was agreed to finance a scarecrow festival at the cost of £550 and organised by the
Whitehall Supporters Group.

Coun Smith said there had been publicity for nightclubs and a dungeons and dragon
venue in Borough Road, despite no current planning permission.
Coun East said the market traders were being kept in the dark about plans for the
renovations. Also the council lock up needs organising.
12 Finance
In: 2nd precept – £61,000
Payments:
£784 for R Hay for salary and expenses.
£112.71 – R Hay pension
£480 – PKF Littlejohn – external audit.
£45 – Nu age – Darwen Town Council posters.
£68 – Royal Mail, postage.
£515 – K McAuley, flag removal.
£50 – J. Barritt, internal auditor.
£9.88 – HMRC.
£5,590 – Four Seasons, autumn planting.
£1,000 – J Cairns, fencing for Laneshaw Close.
£550 – Whitehall Supporters Group for the scarecrow festival
The external audit had shown up no cause for concern and the annual governance
information placed on the council website.
13. Any other business
None
14 Part 2 – press and public excluded
One item.
15. Date of next meeting
November 1st , Darwen Town Hall, 7 p.m. Agenda items to be with the clerk by October
24th please