Helsington Parish Council

It is the Mission of the Parish Council to be an essential part of the structure of local democracy and to act on behalf, and in the best interests, of the community it represents.

There are 7 members of the Parish Council which meets 6 times a year.  Further information about the Council and its work may be found on the pages of this website.

Meetings

Meetings of the Parish Council are usually held every two months and take place on the first Wednesday of the month in question. Meetings are normally held in the Helsington and Brigsteer Village Hall and, when issued, all meeting papers are posted on the Parish Council noticeboard at the Village Hall and on the Meetings page of this website. The public are most welcome to attend meetings and the Agenda provides an opportunity for public participation. 

Please see the Meetings page for details of forthcoming meetings.

 

VACANCY for a Parish Councillor

There is currently one vacancy for a Councillor on the Helsington Parish Council. Please see the Formal Notice:

Vacancy Notice October 2023.

Please contact the Clerk (07388-920410) if you are interested and would like details.

Financial Data

The Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for the 2022-23 financial year has been concluded and details are to be found on the Financial Data Section on the Information Page.

 Local Government Reorganisation in Cumbria

On 1 April 2023 local government in Cumbria  changed. The old District Councils and Cumbria County Council were replaced by two new unitary authorities. Helsington Parish Council lies within the newly created Westmorland and Furness Council. Your local W&FC is Cllr. Janet Battye. Email: [email protected].    Mob: 07789 191756 

The following articles are currently subject to update:

• Information about the resumption of the normal fortnightly schedule for green bin garden waste collections can be found here.
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Brigsteer Village Neighbour Support Plan to support any residents who need help with shopping, collecting medication, walking dogs etc during the current emergency.   You will find contact details for Elspeth, Wendy and Marion, who are co-ordinating requests for help, at the end of the plan.
If you live in the parish outside Brigsteer village and need assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch and volunteers will try to help.
The Parish Council would like to extend its heartfelt thanks to all the local volunteers who have assisted and supported those in need during the coronavirus crisis.

The Parish Council is appealing for 2 volunteers to take responsibility for the operation of the speed indicator device on Brigsteer Brow. The device is shared with 3 other local parishes on a rota system. Operating the SID in Brigsteer involves taking delivery of the device, recharging and resetting it, installing it on the pole on Brigsteer Brow for a 2/3 week period, then taking it down and delivering it to the next parish on the rota, currently Crosthwaite.  Please contact Chairman Steve Carman ([email protected] or tel 015395 68695) if you are interested in taking on this role.

Community Led Plan
Find out more about Helsington’s Community Led Plan here.  Please contact the Council if you are interested in being involved in any of the groups working on delivering the Action Plan.  The Community Led Plan Housing Working Group is seeking local people with an interest in local housing provision to join the Group.  Please contact councillors or Clerk if interested.

Parish Council grants
Find out more about Parish Council grants for community groups, activities and projects.

Westmorland and Furness Council is reviewing and updating its Local Plan.  This Local Plan applies to areas of South Lakeland outside the national parks (including the areas of Helsington parish which are outside the Lake District National Park) and provides policies on housing and economic growth, whilst protecting the environment and addressing climate change.  The Plan allocates sites for housing and other developments such as new employment sites.  Click here to find out more about the process and have your say.

Community Governance Review 2018/19:  SLDC has conducted a review of parish governance in its area.

• View the Parish Council’s initial submission (October 2018) and see our final submission (May 2019).
• Find out more information on SLDC’s final recommendations  (no changes to the current parish governance arrangements for Helsington).

Lake District National Park Authority Local Plan  2020 -2035

On 19 May 2021 the Lake District National Park Authority adopted the Lake District National Park Local Plan 2020-2035 following the Examination in Public.  Find out more about the Local Plan here.  LDNPA is the planning authority for the part of the parish which is within the Lake District National Park.

Mark Kidd is the Parish Member for the Central and South East Area of the Lake District National Park Authority.  He may be contacted at [email protected].

Helsington Parish – a brief description

Helsington is a civil parish in south Cumbria, the principal authorities being South Lakeland District Council and Cumbria County Council.  In August 2016, most of the parish was incorporated into the Lake District National Park which then became the planning authority for a large part of the parish.  Helsington is named after one of the 24 townships which constituted the greater parish of Kendal.  It has a population of 310 (Census 2011), comprising 140 households, and 282 people are currently on the electoral register.

The parish consists of the village of Brigsteer in the Lyth valley and the surrounding rural area including the settlements of Helsington, Sizergh, Larkrigg and Prizet.  The parish is bisected by the A591, the main road from the M6 to the central Lake District.  The nearest service centre is the market town of Kendal about 3 miles to the north east of Brigsteer.   Brigsteer has a Village Hall built in 2010 which is well used for social, community and business events, and the Wheatsheaf pub which was redeveloped in 2013.   Helsington is the location of St John’s Church and the former Village School, now bunkhouse accommodation.  Sizergh Castle and Estate is a National Trust property, and nearby is Low Sizergh Barn, a farm with a shop, farm trail and café.

The map below illustrates the boundaries of the parish.  To the north the parish borders with Kendal and Underbarrow, to the east with Natland and Sedgwick, to the south with Levens and to the west and north west with Crosthwaite and Lyth.