Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Goldsworthy, E Smith and S Smith.

Members of the Committee are reminded of their responsibility to declare any personal interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 2000, the Council’s Constitution and the Members Code of Conduct.  If the personal interest is a prejudicial interest, then the individual Member should not participate in a discussion on the matter and must withdraw from the Council Chamber and not seek to influence a decision on the matter.

No Member disclosed any interest in relation to matters under consideration at the meeting.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 8 June 2005 (enclosed)

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 8 June 2005 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Report of Director of Legal Services (enclosed)

The Committee received a report of the Director of Legal Services on a claim for the status of a public footpath to be conferred on a small path linking footpaths No 52 and 57 Brindle with Footpath No 24 Walton-le-Dale, South Ribble.

The report indicated that the claim had been lodged with Lancashire County Council under Part III of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on the basis that the claimed footpath had been used for more than 20 years without interruption by the public at large.  In accordance with Paragraph 3 of Schedule 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the County Council are obliged to investigate the claim and to consult with every local authority in whose area the claimed path was submitted.  Accordingly the County Council requested the Borough Council’s views.

The claimed footpath formed an obvious link between two sets of rights of way in question, ie footpath No 24 in Walton-le-Dale and Footpath No 52 and 57 Brindle and in doing so facilitated the public being able to undertake a wider journey on foot.

RESOLVED – That no objection be made to the claim for the grant of public right of way status on the footpath linking Footpath No 52 and 57, Brindle and Footpath No 24, Walton-le-Dale as detailed on the submitted plan.

Joint report of Director of Legal Services and Head of Corporate and Policy Services Unit (to follow)

The Director of Legal Services submitted a report on requests received to make a designation order under Section 13 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 in relation to specified areas in Astley Village and Whittle-le-Woods.

The report indicated that Sections 12 – 16 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 provided Councils with an adoptive power to restrict the anti-social consumption of alcohol in designated public places and provide Police with the power to enforce such restrictions.

Areas may also be designated where Councils are satisfied that nuisance or annoyance to the public (or a section of the public) or disorder have been associated with public drinking in that place.

The report referred to formal consultation involving Lancashire Police, the Parish Council, affected licensees of licensed premises and owners/occupiers of land proposed to be identified.

The Committee noted that the problem exists in other areas of the Borough and that an assessment of these areas should also be made.

RESOLVED – 1) That the report be noted.

2)  That Chorley’s Multi-Agency Problem Solving (MAPS) Team assess and analyse the problem, in not just the specified areas of Astley Village and Whittle-le-Woods, but other areas of the Borough with a similar problem and report back to a future meeting of the Committee with a strategy to combat the problem.