NEWS 2011
December
01 - From December 12th, the Police non-Emergency phone number will be "101".
07 - Received from Cllr. Michael Heseltine - BULLET (IN) POINTS – NYCC in Richmondshire North (November 2011)
I was delighted the immediate response from several parishes was to welcome the new idea of a periodical bulletin about miscellaneous matters for my Richmondshire North parishes. I hope to send this out to parishes where I have a Clerk with an e-mail contact address, maybe about every 2 months, and here is the latest edition. Already, 21 Parish Clerks are on the mailing list.
Earlier in the year you will recall that the matrix boards and control boxes programme (speed of traffic) was put on hold because of the long waiting list of requests. Now, further requests are being accepted, effectively on a waiting list. No new requests will be activated until all past requests have been completed. Requests are only accepted from Parish Councils or Parish Meetings, by the Community Safety Manager, Mrs Pat Wilson, at Swale House, Richmond. This comes under the Hambleton and Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership, of whose Road Safety Group I am Chairman.
Preparing the next year’s County Council Budget is always a 12-month process. Detailed work for 2012 is already well under way and I attended my first Members’ seminar on this on 15 October. There will inevitably be further difficulties this year in sorting out spending priorities, with increased expenditure through inflation, energy and fuel costs, and an ever-increasing demand for young people’s and elderly adults’ services. We are also continuing to deal with a clawback of £69m started this year.
Last month I joined a site visit with Parish and County Highways representatives in Gilling West to look at parking problems in the middle of the village. Such meetings on Highways matters are a regular thing throughout Richmondshire North.
The County Council is still battling to catch up on repairing the huge number of potholes created during the last savage winter. The Area Highways Manager, Mike Woodford, recently told local members that the most hazardous are being dealt with first.
In response to concerns expressed over road safety aspects of the A66 junction with the B6274 road (“Winston cross-roads”) I have taken this up with the Highways Agency, and North Yorkshire Police have been consulted. After detailed examination, including the accident record, I have been advised that changes are not recommended for the junction, but improved signing and road markings have been proposed. I am assured by the Highways Agency they will continue to monitor the junction closely.
A number of young people with Special Educational Needs in Richmondshire North attend the County Council’s thriving Mowbray School at Bedale. The future of Special Needs Education for over-16 year-olds is currently being considered, and I recently attended a consultation meeting at the school involving parents, staff and County Council Officers.
“Greyfriars” in Richmond is the latest addition to the County Council’s programme of “Extra Care” residential schemes for the elderly, and I visited it recently, even as the very last of the residents of the 39 apartments were still moving in. The official opening will be on 16 December. Everything about it is superb, and these schemes are far superior to the more traditional County Council homes. “Richmond House” was the previous County Council residential home in Richmond, and this closed a short while ago, and some residents have transferred. The café/restaurant is open to both residents and non-residents, for meals, teas and coffees and so on, with a very tempting menu board, and I gather that Sunday lunches are already extremely popular. More information on “Extra Care Housing in North Yorkshire” was published in April, and is available from the County Council’s Health and Adult Services.
On 9 November it was the turn of Melsonby Methodist Primary on my schedule of school visits. They had received a very good OFSTED Report at the end of last term, and I was made most welcome and was very impressed by everything I saw and heard. We are lucky to have such good schools in this area.
During the winter months I receive from NYCC Highways a report on action taken on road winter maintenance taken the previous week and the forecast for the following week. These reports started again in mid – October, a sure sign that winter is on its way! It is claimed that we are very well prepared for road treatment in the event of an outbreak of severe weather. Hopefully, our supplies will not be stopped as they were last year over Christmas in favour of other parts of the country which had not been so far-sighted in their preparations as North Yorkshire.
I have been the County Council’s representative on the Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership for several years. In the early summer, there was an amalgamation with the same body in Hambleton, and this seems to be working out well. This brings together the various bodies and agencies, on a “partnership” basis. Question marks over the availability of some future funding are matters for concern. As an aside, note that from 12 December 2011 the Police non-Emergency phone number will be “101”, bringing North Yorkshire and York into line with national practice.
For many years I have chaired the John Dakin’s Educational Charity at Kirby Hill, whose members award grants to enhance education and training for young people and young people’s groups in the civil parishes of Dalton, Gayles, Kirby Hill, New Forest, Newsham, Ravensworth and Whashton. At a recent meeting, grants were approved for ten such local young people, and for three such groups.
In her report to the County Council’s Area Committee Superintendent Amanda Oliver recently reported greatly improved crime figures, except for house burglaries and metal thefts. Thefts of Land Rovers too have caused concern, resulting from keys being often left in unattended vehicles. Efforts are being made to revive Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the area.
And by the way, remember your County Councillor for Richmondshire North is Michael Heseltine on 01748 811843.
November
GILLING WEST POST OFFICE ENTERTAINMENTS COMMITTEE
BONFIRE NIGHT
We would like to thank everyone who came along to the event:
280 people attended and a good time was had by all.
THANK YOU to all those who gave generously.
We actually covered our costs and managed to make £146.96
which will go towards the Queens Diamond Celebrations next
year.
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED MAKE THE
NIGHT A SUCCESS
William Heslop - for the use of the field
William Heslop, Bruce Willis, Jim & Joe Pearson, Hughie Bird
& Colin Wilkinson - The bonfire builders
Jim, Luke & Joe Pearson - for the fantastic firework display and
the safety precautions around the field
Ann Collinson - The soup
Jackie Weighell, Dot & Julie Lyons, Barbara Walker, Hayley,
Jack & Harry Elliot
- the catering girls & boys
Hughie Bird - bbq's
Jackie Weighell - the horsebox
Wendy Williams & Kate Woodhead - distribution
Ken Raw & Barbara Walker - the shopping
HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR
October
Work has commenced this month upgrading the facilities at Gilling Lodge and planning facilities have been renewed to convert the garages between the rear of Anteforth View and Ashbrooke Court.
September
19 - The Licensing of John Richards as Priest-in-charge of Gilling and Kirkby Ravensworth by the Bihop of Ripon and Leeds took place in a service at St. Agatha's church this evening. The service was very well attended.
14 - Work to clear the arches of the High Street bridge has begun on behalf of the Environment Agency and is expected to be completed by 21st.
August
This is part of £530 million of Government investment to ensure that the UK has the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015, with 90 per cent of homes and businesses having access to superfast broadband and for everyone in the UK to have access to at least 2Mbps.
Julian Smith, Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon, said:
“I am pleased that these figures confirm the Government recognise the pressing need in North Yorkshire to improve broadband access and reduce the digital divide. Too many of our communities currently cannot go online at decent speeds and the allocation of money to the County being among the highest in England acknowledges this.
“North Yorkshire is leading the way in working to get better internet connections. The County Council has already begun inviting companies to submit bids to roll-out superfast broadband in the coming year and every North Yorkshire Member of Parliament has been working hard to ensure our part of the world is one of the first to benefit from the investment, jobs and lifestyle improvements having high quality internet links can bring.”
June/July
|
The Connecting North Yorkshire project has received funding of up
to £16.4m to bring high-speed broadband to all residents and
businesses in the region by 2017. To read more click on
http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16870
|
May
5 - Village Hall opened as a Polling Station (7am - 10pm).
6 -
Gilling West will be entering this years "Best Kept Village Competition"
The competition is organised by the Rotary Clubs of Richmond & Wensleydale and
judging will take place in the first two weeks of July.
The winning village will receive a cheque for £400.00.
6 - William Heslop re-elected as District Councillor.
27 -
NYCC have announced that the Catterick Bridge waste disposal
facility will be closed on Wednesdays henceforward commencing July 6th. Extract
from letter circulated to Parish Councils by Tony Norris - Waste Management -
May 2011 :
Dear Sir/Madam
REDUCED OPENING HOURS OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES
I am writing to inform you of changes to the County Council’s household waste
recycling centres that will take effect from 1 July 2011.
This decision has been made following a consultation exercise undertaken in
February 2011.
As you will already be aware, in the current economic climate the Council has no
choice but to reduce spending across the range of services we provide and the
waste management service will have to meet its share.
Currently, the waste management service provides 19 household waste recycling
centres (HWRCs) across the county that are open 7 days a week, and the service
cost approximately £5.1 million to operate in 2010/11.
We have to save at least £200,000 per year from April 2011 in contract
management costs and this can only be achieved by reducing the opening hours of
the HWRC network as this will create savings in operation and management fees.
The standard of the service provided at HWRCs will not be reduced; customers can
still expect a high quality service collecting a wide range of materials for
reuse, recycling or composting. An added benefit is that reduced opening hours
may enhance service quality as we can carry out routine maintenance, servicing,
site improvements etc whilst a site is closed to the public.
A report was submitted to the County Council’s Executive Members for Business
and Environmental Services who have responsibility for waste on 28 March 2011
informing them of the results of the consultation exercise and recommending the
closure of all HWRCs on Wednesdays. Councillors voted in favour of this
recommendation and we are now in the process of communicating this change to
residents of North Yorkshire.
April
23 - Sunshine continues through this month - the warmest in the area for this time of year since 1949.
26 - Future Parish Organisation - as from September this year, the Parish will be joining the Barningham group following the retirement of our vicar, Revd. Alan Gledhill in late July.
30 - Final day of warmest and most rain free April since records began.
March
1-4(?) - A salt spreader, purchased by the Parish Church Council - following receipt of a donation by a parishioner - in November 2010 and stored in the Church Shed, was stolen following a break-in sometime early this month.
February
3-6 - Heavy rain and very strong winds. Flooding has been a distinct possibility with the water level reaching level 6 on the marker post by the High Street bridge.
19 - Parish Council representatives attended a conference at Ripon Racecourse to learn of plans to improve broadband access in the rural areas of North Yorkshire.
January
25 - Parish Council were addressed about flooding protection plans at their meeting by a NYCC representative.