Barley Parish Council
Grit, Village Party, Boothman Wood, Precept, Chapel's future...
At the time of writing, the 8” of snow that fell in the middle of the month has disappeared after hanging around for a perishingly cold week when the roads and footways were somewhat treacherous. I thought LCC did a good job of clearing the roads fairly promptly and we were not trapped in the valley bottom for long. The snow and sunshine have made for some great pictures but I hope everyone managed to keep on the road and on their feet. I am not a big fan of social media but looking at the information shared about road conditions on the Residents Facebook page it provides a valuable public service in these situations. The Parish Council applied grit to the car park to ensure access before what we knew would be a busy weekend; the sun was shining and visitors with sledges filled it to capacity.
I hear the village party at the Pendle Inn, to raise funds for the Chapel, was a success raising over £600. Held on 18th January It was a sell-out event and everyone attending enjoyed a good catch-up with friends, a karaoke sing-a long and a great buffet. Thanks to the Pendle Inn and the Chapel for putting on a worthy and entertaining community event.
Back in June I reported that Boothman Wood had been purchased by “The Alternative School” known as TAS. They have educational establishments in Burnley, Barnoldswick and Blackpool which offer a holistic and flexible full-time school experience that has been designed to respond to the needs of young people who are unable to remain in mainstream education for a variety of reasons; they provide access to personalised education and aim to bring out the potential in kids who have had limited chance in their lives. They have regularly been present in Barley in recent years, frequently hiring the Village Hall. The school use the site daily and there are full-time staffs working there, they can accommodate up to 16 children visiting the school each day.
The Parish Council are well aware of the challenges this site offers to the school and I recently met their Facilities Manager who is starting to appreciate the task ahead regarding buildings, drainage and woodland management etc. Since purchase they have been developing a site management plan and I am confident that they will improve the site and they will form a constructive working relationship with the Borough and Parish Council. It is now called Woodlands at Boothman, it is no longer a fishery or open to the public; it is a school.
On parish council matters, the PC set the local annual taxation precept at zero meaning that there will be no PC addition to your council tax since we have adequate funding from the car park. A planning application for a stand-alone garage at Far Banks Farm was rejected by Pendle Borough Council.
Important update on the Chapel, ten new members will join Barley Methodist Church at a service on 5th February and this will increase the membership to a level where the Chapel cannot be closed for lack of members. Good news, but the 40+ residents who attended the emergency meeting back in August know this is just the first step and working groups are needed to deal with finances, raising funds and carrying out essential maintenance. There is still a long way to go before the future of the chapel is secured.