19/2012-13
PATELEY BRIDGE TOWN COUNCIL
The Council Chamber, King Street
Pateley Bridge, HG3 5LE
Tel: 01423 755628 Email: [email protected]
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 17 JULY 2012
Present:
Cllr I Skaife, Mayor (Chairman)
Cllr H Jefferson, Deputy Mayor
Cllr A Brown
Cllr C J Hawkesworth
Cllr S Hesselden
Cllr S Lumley
Clerk: Sarah Adamson
Cllr J Leggett
Cllr S Lumley
Cllr N Scott
Cllr C Skaife
Cllr J Wardman
In attendance: two Parishioners
1
Apologies for Absence – Cllr M Holt
2
Parishioners’ Representations
(a) A Parishioner wished to make three representations:
(i)
He had reported to NYCC that the gullies on Old Church Lane were
blocked but had not received a reply; the Mayor informed him that of the
extra £2 million being provided by NYCC for repair of potholes and
maintenance of gullies, £25,000 had been earmarked for clearing gullies in
the Harrogate District, and that the Highways Superintendent from NYCC
would attend the council meeting on 7 August along with County Cllr Fort.
(ii) He would like the local estate agents to be asked not to nail their signs to
the new footbridge and Cllr Jefferson offered to mention this to them.
(iii) The promised new street sign on Old Church Lane had still not been
installed. District Cllr Lumley offered to follow this up on his behalf.
(b)
A Parishioner who at the Council’s Annual Assembly earlier in the year had
raised the issue of the cost to taxpayers of having a Mayor, attended the meeting
to further argue his case, following a visit to the County Council Archives in
Northallerton to research this history: he said that in 1986 when the Council had
achieved town status and with it the office of Mayor, the Council Minutes
recorded that the then Mayor, Mrs Burns, had given an assurance that the
position of Mayor would not lead to an increase in the precept, and that the
Mayoral Chain, inherited from the former Ripon and Pateley Bridge Rural District
Council, would be made available to other local parish councils. However, within
eleven months, the Council had made resolutions to purchase a new fob for the
Chain, purchase a chain for the Mayoress, have the names of the office holders
engraved on the Chain, and to hold a Civic Service. More recently, having
perused the Council’s accounts, he had calculated that the cost of the Mayor in
the year 2010-11 had been £1,500, which did not include postage, stationery and
the Clerk’s time which he estimated might add a further £500. The cost of the
Mayor to electors was in fact more than the cost of the Queen to the UK
population. Although he had no personal antagonism to any of the councillors, or
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to the position of Mayor per se, he felt that expenditure on the Mayoral Chain was
an inappropriate use of ratepayers’ money, and smacked of extravagance and
self-interest; the expenditure was not in the budget; and in the light of the Mayor’s
assurances in 1986, he asked the Council to carry out an investigation into what
he regarded as maladministration, both historical and current.
The Mayor responded by saying that no decision had been made about
extending the Chain, even though costs to do so were being investigated. The
only work being carried out was a small alteration following remedial work done
after the theft of two years ago. He had no objection to any of the parish councils
asking to use it, although no-one had asked to do so during the thirteen years
that he had sat on the Council. The situation was similar to the one in
Boroughbridge where the Council had charge of the Lower Nidderdale Rural
District Council’s Chain.
Any rise in the precept had nothing to do with the cost of the Mayor, who in fact
had a heavy personal financial contribution to make to his or her year in office.
Several councillors also responded to make the following points, for clarification:
(i)
The Chain belonged to Ripon Museum, and Pateley Bridge had been given
guardianship of it following the demise of the Rural District Council, on
condition that the fob was replaced, and that it should be made available to
any other parish councils in the locality should they change their status and
elect a Mayor.
(ii) The role of Mayor, as opposed to that of Chair, raised the profile of the
town and was a crucial element in influencing decision makers at district
and county level; the Mayor had been effective in the building of the
swimming pool, the new bridge, the new car park and a new health centre.
(iii) The Mayor’s Charity Fund had contributed nearly £16,000 to local
organisations, an amount of money that would not otherwise have been
raised.
(iv) Councillors all paid for themselves and their partners at the Civic
Reception.
(v) The Council receives £1,627 equating to 25% of the ice cream licence fee
because of its responsibilities for the showground car park.
(vi) The Chain is one of the Council’s assets.
(vii) Disappointment was expressed at the negative tone of the Parishioner’s
representation, with no mention of the positive work the Mayor does, nor
recognition of the commitment required to do the job, not only in terms of
personal financial expenditure but also the huge demands on time.
There was also an objection to the implication that the Council in 1986 had
recklessly spent money, and it was pointed out that consideration should be
given to the fact that times do change and that perhaps the assurance given by
the Mayor at the time had been unrealistic; and that without an allowance for the
Mayor, some councillors might be disenfranchised from holding office.
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Nonetheless, the Parishioner asked again that the Council should carry out an
investigation into the historical facts to inform current decision making.
(c)
The Clerk had received a request from a local resident in Wilsill for the 30 mph
sign on the approach to the village from Harrogate to be moved closer to Low
Laithe as the speed of approaching vehicles made exit from her drive hazardous:
to be passed on to NYCC.
3
Councillors’ Declarations of Interest
Items 5(a) and 6(a) - Cllr Hawkesworth
Item 6(f) – Cllr Brown.
4
Minutes of the Meetings held on 3 July 2012 : it was proposed, seconded and
unanimously agreed that they should be adopted as a true record of the proceedings
and the Minutes were signed by the Mayor.
5
Matters Arising:
(a) Min. 5 (b) condition of wall above weir at Castlestead : Cllr Hawkesworth agreed
to make safe the sections of the wall which belonged to him, and explained that
the damage to the wall had been caused by tree roots.
(b) Min. 5 (c) Southlands car park – email from HBC re. works carried out : this had
not fully answered the query about litter picking in the car park, and although
some remedial work had been done, the huge pothole at the entrance to the
carpark had not been touched, and the Clerk was asked to follow both up.
(c) Min. 13 (a) Millennium Green Annual Duck Race : (Sunday 26 August 2012)
Cllr Leggett suggested that the event should be given some publicity and that
local organisations who might be affected by the event should be forewarned.
(d) Min. 14 (a) nomination of parish representative for the AONB Joint Advisory
Committee : Cllr Hawkesworth was nominated by the Council.
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Planning Matters
(a) Applications to Harrogate Borough Council
(i)
DCPARISH 6.49.277.D.FUL 12/01351/FUL Conversion of outbuilding to
form holiday accommodation (site area 0.02ha) at Glasshouses Trout Farm
Bewerley Harrogate, for Mr C Hawkesworth. Cllr Hawkesworth, as the
applicant, spoke briefly in support of his application and then withdrew from
the Chamber whilst the application was discussed by the Council.
No objections.
(b)
Decisions by Harrogate Borough Council
(i)
DCREFULZ 12/01697/FUL Application No 6.49.175.N.FUL Erection of
Greenhouse at Kiln Hill Farm, Blazefield, HG3 5DJ for Mr W Hayes.
Refused.
(ii) DCPEFULZ 12/01699/FUL Application No 6.49.673.FUL Formation of
hardstanding to form car park at 3 and 4 Raikes View, the Raikes, Wilsill
HG3 5EG for Mrs D Hesselden.
Permission granted subject to conditions.
(c)
Enforcement Matters
22/2012-13
(d)
Appeals
(e)
Caravan at Glasshouses – Enforcement Case No 12/00054/PR15: in reply to the
letter from Pateley Bridge Council, Wallace Sampson, the Chief Executive of
Harrogate Borough Council, had replied at length and made the following points:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
planning legislation allows, on a temporary basis only (although the law
sets no time limit), for a caravan to be placed on adjacent land and
occupied by persons employed in the carrying out of building operations,
provided they have the benefit of planning permission for the building works
in question;
similarly, any other items required to facilitate the development can be
brought onto the land, including containers;
the siting of the caravan in relation to the development, at a slightly further
distance than usual, was because of the topography of the land;
the impact of the siting of the caravan upon the AONB was acknowledged
but could not be taken into account if the legislation allowed the siting and
use of the caravan and the containers;
the creation of a new access requires planning permission, and after
consultation with the Highway Authority at NYCC, Harrogate Borough
Council had been advised that the access in its current position was
unacceptable and the developer would be asked to cease using it and to
close it up.
A copy of the Planning Contravention Notice served on the occupiers of the
caravan was included with the letter, for information.
It was noted that the vehicular access had been changed to incorporate a
pedestrian entrance, but that vehicles were still parking on the road, and the
Clerk as asked to follow this up.
(f)
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Request from Pateley Bridge Bowling Club for Council’s opinion re possible
extension to clubhouse to house additional toilet: this was an informal enquiry to
ascertain the attitude of the Council, who agreed that they could not make a
decision without seeing any plans but would approach any such application with
any open mind, and in conjunction with Bewerley Parish Council.
Correspondence
(a) North Yorkshire County Council – Notice of patching work prior to surface
dressing on the B6265 Blazefield Bank to Cliffe Farm, to commence on Thursday
12 July – it was noted that this work was nearly complete, but Cllr Wardman
wished to point out that a further stretch of this road down to the Half Moon also
needed attention.
(b)
Nidd Sport – final information about Schools Torch Relay on 17/18 July – noted
(c)
County Area Committee for the Harrogate District: letter from the Deputy Chief
Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) at NYCC inviting nominations for two
Casual Vacancies for Co-opted Members – it was not felt necessary to make any
nominations as County Cllr Fort sat on this Committee and reported back to
Pateley Bridge Council.
(d)
Harrogate District Sites and Policies Development Plan Document: letter from the
Chief Planner at HBC with notification of change in the dates of the formal
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Publication Consultation on the draft policies, to allow additional time to consider
the recently published National Planning Policy Framework – The meetings
scheduled to take place in July 2012 to consider the draft plan would now take
place on the following dates:
22 August 2012
Cabinet
5 and 13 Sept 2012
District Development Committee
19 Sept 2012
Cabinet
3 Oct 2012
Full Council
Members of the public could attend these meetings but would not have the
opportunity to speak. Up-to-date information about and responses to public
consultation on the Sites and Policies DPD were available on the HBC website
www.harrogate.gov.uk/ldfconsult . It was agreed that this was an excellent
opportunity to influence policies by reviewing the previous submission by the
Council, made in conjunction with Bewerley Parish Council, and it was agreed
that this should return as an Agenda item at the next meeting, to confirm and
then reiterate the Council’s and the community’s viewpoint to the process.
8
Council Business
(a) Adoption of New Code of Conduct : (Min. 12 (e) of meeting on 3 July 2012 refers)
It was proposed, seconded and unanimously agreed that the revised Code of
Conduct published by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) would
be adopted by Pateley Bridge Town Council, and the Clerk was asked to include
a copy in each of the Councillors’ Manuals.
(b) Appointment of Council representatives and membership of sub-committees : the
Mayor proposed the nominations and they were agreed with the proviso that
Cllr Holt, who was unable to attend the meeting, would confirm his agreement to
joining the sub-committees to which he had been assigned; the nominations are
attached as annexes to these Minutes. The discussion prompted the following
observations:
(i)
The Emergency Plan needed reviewing in its totality, but in the interim it
was agreed that a ton of sand should be purchased and that during the
autumn and winter, the Caretaker would be asked to make up 100 bags to
be stored at the Mayor’s premises to keep them from deteriorating. are
attached to the Minutes.
(ii) Retired councillor Chris Henderson had offered to provide handover
training to the new Website and Newsletter working group which was
accepted with thanks.
(c) Mayoral Regalia: following the discussion earlier in the meeting, the Mayor gave
some background information to the new councillors concerning a possible
extension to the Mayoral chain; two quotes had been received and a third was
being sought before the matter could be discussed again.
(d) Commuted Sums – update : the Clerk had distributed the latest spreadsheet from
HBC detailing amounts available. HBC were holding their annual training on
Commuted Sums on 1 August which was available to clerks and councillors.
(e) Training for new councillors : the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations was
running a training session for new councillors What Councillors Need to Know in
Harrogate on the 19 July at a cost of £35 per person and it was agreed that
Cllrs Scott and Brown could attend this.
(f)
Electricity supply at Bandstand – keyholders : following the sale of Nidderdale
Motors, the Bowling Club had requested a new key holder for the electricity
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10
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supply at the Band Stand as they were frequently asked for one by visiting
bands, and Cllr C Skaife offered to approach Costcutter for their agreement.
(g) Bank Mandates : the Clerk reported that she had not fully minuted the details for
the new bank mandates following the elections in May and so it was proposed,
seconded and agreed by all that the following would be signatories on the bank
accounts:
(i)
Pateley Bridge Town Council – the Mayor, Cllr Ian Skaife, the Deputy
Mayor, Cllr Hilary Jefferson, the previous Deputy Mayor, Cllr Stephen
Hesselden and the Clerk, Sarah Adamson
(ii) Pateley Bridge Millennium Green Trust – the Mayor, Cllr Ian Skaife,
Cllr Stephen Hesselden and the Clerk, Sarah Adamson
(iii) Pateley Bridge Town Council, The Mayor’s Fund – the Mayor, Cllr Ian
Skaife, the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Hilary Jefferson, the previous Deputy Mayor,
Cllr Stephen Hesselden and the Clerk, Sarah Adamson.
Exchange of Information
(a) Cllr Jefferson reported that there were potholes leading to the flats on Nidd Walk
and that the Clerk should follow this up.
(b) Cllr Hesselden wished to take forward the suggestion by Mr Dennis Dobson that
one of his neighbours had a suitable stone to replace the damaged grinding
stone that had held the Glasshouses village sign, and it was agreed that he
should do so, before the job could be put out to tender.
(c) Cllr Hesselden had been told by the contractor cutting the grass in the play area
at Glasshouses, that the matting under the swings had not been laid very well
and it was agreed that the supplier should be asked to come back to inspect it.
(d) Cllr Leggett offered to store the Christmas lights, as there was not enough room
in the Council Chamber, and this was accepted with thanks.
(e) Cllr Leggett also asked that prior to the setting of the budget, and with the
LEADER funding coming to an end, the Clerk should carry out an analysis of
costs and work done by the Parish Caretaker to inform future decision making.
(f)
It was agreed that a council newsletter was overdue and that one should be
written and distributed as soon as possible, to include an appeal for volunteers to
help the Pateley Britain in Bloom Committee, contact details for councillors and to
publicise the Mayor’s Fund and the Millennium Green August Bank Holiday
annual duck race. The Clerk was asked to supply a narrative to Chris Henderson
who had kindly agreed to continue to help with the newsletter before the new
councillors took over this role.
(g) Cllr Lumley asked the Clerk to find out who had supplied the finger post sign at
the bottom of the High Street (Min. 7(d) of meeting on 3 July 2012 refers) as
when he made enquiries with HBC they had referred him to the County Council.
(h) Cllr Lumley informed the Council that he had been appointed to the Gouthwaite
Reservoir Management Committee, and in his role as a District Councillor, to the
Board of Trustees of the Greenhow Sustainable Development Fund, through
which Hansons contributed £10,000 every year towards environmental issues
and biodiversity.
Parishioners’ Representations – none.
Dates of next meetings
(a) The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 7 August 2012
(b) The following meeting of Council will be held on Tuesday 21 August 2012.
The meeting closed at 9.45 pm