THE MINUTES OF RIBBLE BANKS PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

 

HELD AT  CLARK’S OLD SCHOOL, WIGGLESWORTH ON TUESDAY 21st OF AUGUST 2007 AT 1930

 

NB: These minutes are in draft form and are subject to confirmation at the September 2007 Parish Council Meeting.

 

21/8/1 Welcome by the Chair

 

David Clarke, Chairperson, welcomed the following councillors and members of the public.

Councillors: F.D. Higginson, R.A.K. Crabtree, B. Houghton and I. Wright, R.W. Stone (Clerk) (RWS)

 

Mrs. C. Howorth, Messrs P.Naylor, E.Gudgeon, J.Garnett, P.Raper and G.Campbell.

 

21/8/2 Apologies for absence

Councillor David Heather,

 

21/8/3 Minutes of last meeting

 

The minutes of the Parish Council meeting on the 22nd of May 2007 were accepted.  Proposed by Council B. Houghton and seconded by Councillor I. Wright.  The minutes were signed by the chair and the clerk.

 

21/8/4 Matters arising

 

1)      The 30mph road signs were now in place at the northern approach to Rathmell.  The contractors had failed to fix horse warning signs on the old speed limit poles (as previously agreed).  Action: letter to highways RWS

2)      It was reported that the cost of keeping Parish Council records in Rathmell Reading Room will be £50 per year per filing cabinet. Action: RWS to check with the Yorkshire Local Councils Association (YLCA) which records must be kept and for how long.

3)      The Greening of Settle Initiative. The public launch took place on the Saturday 21 July 2007.  This was primarily a promotion of initiatives already in place and encouragement for new initiatives to be developed.  No additional action is expected from the Parish Council at this time.  Action: letter from RWS indicating that the Parish Council supported this initiative and requesting information on any future initiatives that may involve or have an effect on this parish.

 

 

21/8/5 Clerks report (including correspondence)

 

The index of all correspondence received (with reference numbers) was handed out at the meeting and all those present informed that copies of correspondence can be made available by the clerk.

 

Only one external meeting had been attended by RWS since the last Parish Council meeting:

 

Settle Festival meeting, Settle Town Hall 5 June 2007

RWS stood in for Councillor Wright and attended this discussion/briefing session with Councillor Clarke.

Representing the festival organisers were Mr Mark Dale, Mr Mike Dean and Mr Steve Finch.  All of whom are festival directors.

 

The following points were noted during the discussion:

 

  • No date had been set for submitting an application for a licence for the 2008 festival.
  • This was intended to be a family festival, not a rock festival
  • Craven District Council had provided £5,000 to pump prime the festival development activities
  • The first location proposed was on the Settle side of the A65 Settle bypass, it was reported that North Yorkshire Police preferred the festival to be located on the Rathmell side of A6 5 Settle bypass
  • Leeds University Business School calculations indicated that an attendance of 12 to15 thousand people could be anticipated for such a festival. The organisers are budgeting for the lower of these two figures.
  • David Smurthwaite, Economic Development Adviser at Craven District Council is identified as a co-champion to the festival organisers and will provide advice and support.
  • Accounts will be filed annually at companies house
  • Each director has a share in the company to run the festival.  The limited liability is £100 (this is a standard level of liability).
  • Directors will receive expenses only, and will work to Companies Articles; the Festival has charitable status, and all accounts will be open to public scrutiny.
  • The company will run the festival and the principal charity to which profits will be fed, was identified as the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.
  • An event plan but not a business plan has been developed
  • Planning in respect of traffic management is being carried out by SEP Consultants.
  • A public meeting involving young people and local schools is to be arranged
  • The festival events will take place over three days: 29, 30 and 31 August 2008.  The public will arrive and can camp two days prior to and after the event (27 and 28 August  and 1 and 2 September 2008).  No live music will be performed on the days before and after the festival. There will be a period of approximately two to three weeks build up for and then site clearance either side of the event.
  • If fireworks are used this will occur on 31 August 2008.
  • Agreed sound levels will be monitored by Craven District Council to ensure that the nearest residence (Swarbeck) does not experience sound pressure levels greater than 65 dB.
  • Festival goers are to be encouraged to stay on site.
  • Settle businesses are to be invited to be on site in a ‘Settle Marketplace’ marquee.
  • All damaged dry stone walls will be repaired.
  • Further public meetings will be held prior to the application for the licence being submitted.

 

2)      Correspondence (selected items which were discussed formally at the meeting):

 

131/07 Craven Citizens Advice Bureau information leaflet.  Action RWS to post details on the village notice boards.

137/07 Settle Area Transportation Strategy. The Parish Council is keen to contribute to the work of this group. Action RWS to write to the group indicating the desire of the Parish Council to participate in any discussions or reviews of proposals

 

 

145/07 RWS agreed to attend the Area Forum Meeting in Settle on 20/09/07

155/07 RWS to circulate the Craven District Council Biodiversity Action Plan to councillors.

 

 

21/8/6 Financial Report

The Council’s finances stood at:

Savings account:                              £4107.49

Management account:                      £605.42

The clerk did not claim any expenses at this meeting

 

21/8/7 Planning Applications

      7508- Who’d a thowt it: No comments or objections

      7511- Crowtrees: no comments are objections

      7531- J&R Gases  Ltd RWS to check with Craven District Council planners on the status             of this application.

      7685- Quarry House Barn, Rathmell:

      Councillors discussed items which were reported to be of concern.  These included           highways and road safety concerns; interruption to/loss of light by the residents of the    adjacent Quarry Bank Barn and concerns regarding the external appearance of the   proposed building which did not appear to be consistent with the vernacular style   identified in the Parish Plan and Rathmell village design statement.

      Action: Chairman agreed to write to Craven District Council planning department,             outlining the Parish Council’s objections to this application.

      7707- Rathmell school extension:

      The planning application was discussed and is supported in principle. Action RWS to         write  to Craven District Council planning department noting that should  ‘inline’ parking          be allowed (as proposed) on the opposite side of the road to the school, then positive        traffic calming   measures should be introduced on this section of the road. It was       suggested that these should take the form of raised humps or similar adjustments to           the highway as signage alone was not considered to have the necessary impact on traffic.

 

21/8/8 Highways

The clerk was requested to retrieve the last letter received from North Yorkshire County Council Highways Department regarding gritting of Hesley Lane and to check the contents, then to write to North Yorkshire County Council Highways Department calling for gritting to be extended to the Lancashire border at Tosside and the village of Wham.

 

It was reported that North Yorkshire County Council Highways Department will wait until the current gas pipeline work has been completed before making a formal assessment of the damage done to local roads and the repairs which are required. The Parish Council will endeavour to inform this process as far as possible.

 

 

21/8/9 Settle Festival. (See also item 1 in the clerk’s report above)

 

Councillors had been given a written update on the festival from Mr Mike Dean (Festival Director). The points made within the update were considered by councillors.

Councillor Crabtree requested that it be minuted that he was disappointed that no one from the festival had been able to attend the meeting and that in his opinion; the information in the update did not provide adequate information regarding the proposed festival.

 

This opinion was not shared by all councillors present, however in the absence of a representative from the festival organisers a number of questions remained.

 

These included:

-Councillors understood that Mr Steve Finch had resigned from his position as a festival director; if this was correct, then councillors wanted to know who the current directors of the festival were?

-Had a date been agreed for the application for the licence for the festival?

-Were any efforts being made to find an alternative site for the festival?

-What was the membership of the Safety Committee advising on the festival?

 

Councillors agreed to bring these questions to the attention of festival directors as soon as possible.

 

21/8/10 Reports from Councillors

 

1)      Halton West: nothing to report

2)      Rathmell: Councillor Crabtree tabled a briefing note providing background information relating to the ongoing planning objection raised by Mr Campbell in respect of the use of Askew’s Barn in Rathmell.(a copy of the notes is attached to these minutes). It was agreed to defer this item until the next Parish Council meeting to give all councillors the opportunity to carefully study the notes prior to deliberation on the council’s response.

3)      Wigglesworth:

      Clark’s Old School Trustees had received approval to go to the second stage of the Big    Lottery             Community Buildings fund application process. The sum of just over £6,000 had   been granted by the Big Lottery Fund for development of a detailed business plan and employment of an environmental consultant. There is to be a public meeting to encourage   involvement and commitment from villagers in the final application.

 

      The clerk was requested to write to North Yorkshire County Council Highways    Department regarding the deteriorating state of the lay-by at Jack Bridge and requesting            the department to remove road surfacing materials and other debris from the site. This   letter will highlight that Wigglesworth Parish Meeting has agreed to provide funds to       support tidying and planting of this area, once the major cleanup had been completed.

 

21/8/11 Clerk to the Council

All councillors had seen the draft employment documents including the job description, and agreed their content. YLCA had promised to comment on the draft documents before the next Parish Council meeting on the 25th of September 2007.

Action RWS to obtain costs for advertisements (Craven Herald and North Yorks Times)for the next meeting, in order that they can be placed before the end of September. DJC to liaise with YLCA and make amendments to the draft documents as required.

 

21/8/12 The Code of Conduct (National Standards Board for England)

Reference letter index number 85/07

Parish councils will have until 1st October 2007 to adopt this revised code of conduct.  After that time members of councils that have not adopted a revised code will be automatically expected to abide by it. The Model Code for Parish Councils is available at; http://www.standardsboard.gov.uk/thecodeofconduct/reviewingthecode/

 

Action: RWS and DJC will attend, Craven District Council’s training session on adoption of the code of conduct on Wednesday 19th September 2007 (at Settle Victoria Hall) and will advise councillors of the exact wording of the minute documenting adoption of the code of conduct by the Parish Council at its meeting on 25 September 2007.

 

21/8/13 Any Other Business

 

Councillor Clark agreed to reply to the questionnaire from the Safer Craven Partnership committee.

The consultation paper on Minerals and Waste sites was briefly reviewed. As no sites were proposed in the Craven District, councillors present had no comment to make on the proposals.

Councillors were informed of the date and content of the annual YLCA conference. It was not felt that there would be benefit in attending this event.

Councillor Houghton was requested to remind the highways Department of their agreement to attend to the cutting back/removal of hedges adjacent to the Brooklands woodland burial site in Rathmell.

 

 

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 25 September 2007 at Rathmell Reading Room 1930.

 

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 2145.

 

Dates and times of future meetings:

 

Date                                                                                         Venue

27th of November 2007                                                 Clark's Old School, Wigglesworth

29th January 2008                                                         Rathmell Reading Room

25th March 2008                                                           Clark's Old School, Wigglesworth

20th May 2008 (AGM)                                                  Rathmell Reading Room                       

 

 

 

 

 

Chairman………………………………………Date…………………………..

 

 

Clerk………………………………………….. Date…………………………….