GILLING WEST PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting held in the John Ross Suite on Monday 13th July 2009 at 7.30 p.m.
Present: Cllrs Brian Metcalfe (Chairman), Maureen Howarth, David Allison, Michael Gauntlett and Paul Metcalfe
Ann Wells – Parish Clerk
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from County Cllr Michael Heseltine.
2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 13th May 2009 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
3. Matters Arising
a) Overhanging Branches near Bowling Green
Pruning has taken place except for one large branch.
Cllr B. Metcalfe will follow up on this.
b) Hartforth Footpath
The Clerk had contacted Highways but as yet had no response. They should be getting back with information tomorrow.
Clerk to continue to chase this.
c) Flood Prevention
Cllr Allison has completed an application for tree removal and stump removal which is to be submitted to the Environment Agency. There was some discussion as to whether, as tenants, there would be any problems with the Parish Council disposing of the trees. Cllr P. Metcalfe felt that this would not be a problem.
Permission is still required for tree removal in a conservation area, and Cllr Allison is awaiting guidance on this.
Cllr Allison will submit appropriate forms and continue to liaise with appropriate authorities.
d) End of Year Accounts
The Clerk had investigated the status of the Millenium Green account and could find no reason why this money should not be incorporated into the Community Account. The money had previously been used to pay for grass cutting etc., so this could now go towards the ongoing cost of this.
All the Parish Cllrs agreed to this.
e) Scotch Corner Development
This development has now been approved. There was some discussion between Cllrs Allison and P. Metcalfe over whether the roundabout would eventually get built and the ongoing issues of traffic in the meantime. The Parish Council will continue to monitor the situation.
The Parish Council wanted to note their appreciation of the work done by Cllr Allison on this matter.
f) Festival of Flowers
A donation of £20 was given.
g) Flood Prevention – Anteforth View
Cllr Allison is still liaising with the residents concerned and with the approriate authorities. It was felt important that all the relevant houses were involved , including one which is owned by Richmond District Council.
Cllr Allison to continue to follow this up.
Cllr M. Gauntlett raised the issue of flood prevention on the south side of the beck, and that nothing had been done to prevent further problems in this area.
There was some discussion as to whose responsibility it was if the drainage system was blocked, and who was responsible for the maintenance of the drain. Cllr P. Metcalfe suggested that a camera could be used to see if the drain was blocked.
Cllr Howarth suggested that Cllr Gauntlett, with the support of the Parish Council, could follow this up.
Cllr Gauntlett agreed to look into the costs involved and to approach Mr. H.Bird who had suggested he would raise a bund in his field if required, and again find the potential cost involved.
h) Speeding Issues
Cllr B. Metcalfe had written to RDC requesting the deployment of a speed matrix in the village. RDC had indicated this was not yet possible but would be looked at in their next group of deployments.
i) Litter in Hartforth
The Clerk reported that RDC were unable to help with this matter unless a specific incident of a litter problem was reported. Cllr Howarth would continue to monitor the situation.
j) Caravans in Hartfoth Lane and Jagger Lane
The caravans have been moved and the issue is resolved for the moment.
4(a). Skip on Mill Gate
The Chairman invited a parishioner who had attended with a specific item to speak at this point. The parishioner was concerned about a full skip on Mill Gate which had been there for 3 months. He had contacted the Highways authority but wanted to know if there was anything the Parish Council could do.
Cllr Howarth suggested he contacted the planning department at RDC, and took photos to email to both them and the Highways authority.
If there continues to be a problem, he was advised to get back to the Parish Council.
4. Post Office Security
The document produced on “panic alarm” systems had been read by the Cllrs. Although this could be useful, the Parish Council could not afford such a system.
It was agreed to keep the document on file.
The Parish Council wished to thank Mr. Pepper for producing the document.
5. Parish Council Notice Board
The Clerk reported that, according to the minutes, the notice board on the village hall belonged to the Parish Council and could therefore be used.
Cllr Gauntlett felt that it would be better to have a free standing one placed by the wall outside the church as more people would see it. There was some discussion as to how this would be financed.
Cllr Gauntlett agreed to investigate this proposal and report back at the next meeting.
The Clerk agreed to obtain the key to the existing notice board and start to use this.
6. Correspondence
a) The Clerk gave Cllrs a summary list of correspondence already sent to Cllrs by email.
There was discussion about a letter from a parishioner to the Highways department about the possibility of a footpath from Gilling West to the Gilling Road, Richmond. In principle, the Parish Council were in favour of this, but felt it was likely to only be achieved in small ”bitesize” chunks.
The Clerk agreed to write a letter to Peter Featherstone (and copy to Highways) outlining an initial proposal to extend the existing footpath out of Gilling West to the Laneside Farm development.
b) The list also contained other correspondence received which was briefly discussed.
c) The Clerk gave Cllrs a summary list of Planning Applications received and responses to these, plus a list of notices of planning decisions received from Richmond District Council.
7. Any Other Business
a) Parish Council Finances
The Clerk reported that the Parish Council funds were very low for this year, and outlined the main expenditure.
The Clerk agreed to action the following:
That the flood relief money from 2007 be put into a separate account.
That any money already spent on flood relief be paid back from this account
to the Community Account.
To investigate any possibility of reducing costs on expenditure.
The Chairman would look into the possibility of any other sources of increasing income.
b) Broadband
Cllr Gauntlett expressed concern about the ongoing problems with broadband in the village, and wanted to note that this continues to be an issue for rural areas.
c) Shutting of Gates
Cllr P. Metcalfe wanted it noted that it is important that all gates are closed by walkers etc. as this can cause major problems if they are left open. He would like to put a sign on the footpath map to remind people of this.
Cllr P. Metcalfe to look at possibility of placing laminated sign on the front of the map board.
8. Date of next meeting
The date of the next meeting will provisionally be Wednesday 23rd September 2009 at 7.30 p.m. in the John Ross Suite.