Fewer thefts from parked cars reported in Lakes parish area

However, for the first time in eight years, there was not a single theft recorded from parked cars in remote rural areas, largely due to TRICE, a car theft prevention initiative by police, and also to the deterrent effect of automatic number plate recognition cameras at car parks.

Police said that National Alcohol Awareness week would coincide with Freshers Week on the Ambleside campus, where they will talk to students.

Speed checks had been carried out in the ‘20’s Plenty’ zone in Langdale, which recorded 13,000 vehicles over two weeks, 85 per cent doing an average speed of 22-25 mph, which was not high enough for police enforcement measures.

A proposal that £20,000 of parish reserves accrued from White Platts should be contributed towards South Lakeland District Council’s improvement scheme at Waterhead was given a mixed reception by councillors.

Some disagreed, saying it should be used for the benefit of people rather than projects. Others said that because Lakes was a tourism area, the impact that Waterhead would have on visitors would be to everyone’s benefit locally.

The money would be held by Lakes PC who would choose how it was spent, including items that SLDC would not pay for, such as quality seating with matching benches.

Councillors on the Waterhead sub-committee reminded others that it was a joint project between SLDC and Lakes PC, and it was decided by majority vote that up to £20,000 should be set aside for specific improvements at Waterhead, as an investment for the whole area.

Time will be allocated at the plans meeting on September 24 for members to come forward with suggetions for spending a surplus of up to £30,000 on community projects for next year.

However, clerk Michael Johnson warned that SLDC’s subsidy of public toilet ended in seven months’ time, and substantial reserves must be kept to meet maintenance costs.

The parish office at Ambleside Police Station, previously open weekdays, will close on Fridays in future. Some councillors offered to keep it open by operating a rota of volunteers, but this was not thought necessary because so few people call in on Fridays. Council officers’ contact details will be posted on the door.

Councillors agreed in principle to allow Cumbria Tourism to put up orientation and information boards in the council’s bus shelters, but only on condition that the wording and information could be checked for accuracy by Lakes PC beforehand.

New thought was to be put into a possible partnership approach to tackling the area’s litter problems. Coun Vivienne Rees said these were especially bad in Grasmere, particularly on the coach park in Stock Lane where coach drivers collect litter on board and dump it at Grasmere, filling up the bins.

Council representatives on the Ambleside Campus Community Liaison Group (ACCLG) were asked to raise the problem of student parking at the next meeting on September 22.

UoC was said to be allowing one car registration per student living in Ambleside, yet has made no provision for parking at the proposed new student residences. Coun Anne Sowerbutts added that some students living in areas like Millans Park parked their cars on-street for the entire term without moving them.

Coun Maureen Colquhoun proposed that Lakes PC should ask the university for a share of the profits made from the sale of its tennis courts, which had deprived Ambleside of free tennis courts used by local people for many years.

The money would be compensation for loss of a public asset and could be used to fund free tennis for local players at the White Platts courts.

However, other councillors rejected the motion, saying the public had never had official access to the University’s courts, which were not a public asset. Furthermore, their sale had not been confirmed.

However, council asked its ACCLG representatives to request the university to be more proactive in helping the Lakes Parish community and encourage young people to be more active in the community.