RIBBLE BANKS PARISH COUNCIL
DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
HELD AT
ON TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2009 AT 1930
PRESENT.
Councillors - Dr.D.Clarke (Chair), Mr.R.Crabtree, Mr. I. Wright.
IN
ATTENDANCE.
Mr. D. Abbott (Clerk),
District Councillor David Heather, and 3 Members of
the Public
09/40. APOLOGIES
FOR ABSENCE.
Cllrs. Higginson and Houghton
09/41. DECLARATION
OF INTEREST.
Cllr. Crabtree indicated that he had an interest to
declare, relating to the Rathmell Village Car Park agenda item .He has a tenant
who uses the car park for parking their car, as there are no suitable
alternative provisions in the village.
09/42. CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS
No items were regarded as
confidential.
09/43. WASTE RECYCLING AND COLLECTION
See Appendix A for a summary
of the presentation and discussions on this subject.
09/44. REPORT FROM DISTRICT COUNCILLOR
Cllr.Heather invited questions.
In response to concerns that
there seemed to be an excessive number of consultation requests being received
by the Parish Council, requiring the completion of numerous questionnaires,
with apparently little feedback or action, he confirmed that much of this was
driven by central Government. He shared the concerns that had been expressed.
He was asked to indicate what
progress was being made to identify, designate and control land for housing
development within the CDC area. He replied that the project to establish such
a policy was moving very slowly, due to lack of resources, and that he envisaged
that the process could take another 18/24 months. In the meantime this lack of
a core policy could present opportunities for developers to put forward their
own personal proposals.
He acknowledged the concerns
expressed that there seemed to be less weight placed on local opinions
regarding local development proposals, and that developers were more likely to
appeal, if decisions went against them initially.
There was concern expressed that
apparently GP doctors could no longer refer patients to the facilities of the
Concern was expressed about
the closure, by the CDC, of the toilets in Settle’s Ashfield
Car Park. Cllr. Heather understood the complaint, and
said that Settle Town Council was not prepared to pick up the annual running
costs of £14,000 as it would require a significant increase on Settle’s
precept, and they considered it a CDC responsibility.
Cllr.Heather was thanked for his contributions, and he then left
the meeting.
09/45. PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
No
items were brought to the attention of the Parish Council.
09/46. MINUTES OF THE LAST
MEETING
The
minutes of a meeting held on 21st July 2009 were regarded as a true
record, and signed by the Chair.
09/47. MATTERS
ARISING.
09/47.1. Minute 09/05 - Archive storage space – the Clerk reported that the
Rathmell Reading Room Committee had proposed that the Parish Council should pay
an annual rental of £225 to cover the storage of the two recently purchased
filing cabinets and one other existing cabinet that contained Rathmell Parish
Meeting archives. It was understood that there was another existing filing
cabinet, which would bring the total to four. There being no other alternative
storage option available at the moment, it was AGREED to pay £225 for 12
months storage.
ACTION CLERK
09/47.2. Minute 09/30.2
- Halton West Parish Meeting Minutes – the
minutes of the Halton West Parish Meeting held on 31st March 2009
have been received.
09/47.3. Minute 09/30.5 - Proposed Electoral Cycle Reform – Councillors noted that the proposal by
CDC to change the Electoral Cycle for Council and Parish Councils in the
district, to one where all Councillors were elected in the same year, did not receive
sufficient votes in the special Council Meeting held on 28th July
2009, where the proposal was discussed. As a result there are no changes to
existing election cycles. Councillors were in receipt
of a paper by Colin Iveson, Head of Democratic
Services, dated 30th July 2009 summarising
details of the debate and consultees comments.
09/47.4. Minute 09/32. - CDC Infrastructure Audit – in response to the Planning
Department’s invitation to the Parish Council to contribute comments towards
the Audit currently being carried out into infrastructure provisions in the
Craven area, draft proposals were tabled for discussion, before being forwarded
to the Planning Department.
Comments
were invited on existing facilities, or the lack of facilities, in the Parish in
such areas as transport provisions, leisure and recreational facilities,
community facilities such as village halls, schools, shops, etc., green issues
(eg. paths, cycle ways, parks, and woodlands).
Various
points raised or emphasized during the discussions included:–
-
the need for more public transport provisions for the villages, with one
proposal stating that the Pennine Services Bus
service Skipton to Long Preston could be re-routed to include the villages.
-
the urgent need to establish a footpath, or other safe
pedestrian access route, to the village school in Rathmell.
-
the vital part that shop and post office facilities
played in the life of the community. Councillors were
informed that these facilities in Wigglesworth were to be closed down on 31st
December 2009, as a buyer could not be found to take on the business. Efforts
were being made to secure some alternative Post Office facilities in the
village.
The
draft proposals would be amended in the light of the discussions, and forwarded
to the Planning Department.
ACTION
CHAIR/CLERK.
09/48. FINANCE.
09/48.1. Current Bank Balances. The Clerk tabled a statement showing the movement
of funds between 30th June and 31st August 2009, with the
balances as at 31st August 2009 as follows:-
Deposit
Account £ 6334.01
Current
Account £ 1752.56
Total Funds £ 8086.57
Current
commitments/expenses totaled about £3500, including war memorial repairs, Clerking
and Audit fees, and archive storage charges.
09/48.2. Payments to be Authorised.
Cheques covering authorised payments were signed at
the end of the meeting.
09/48.3. Annual Return 2008/09. The external auditors, Mazars, have concluded their audit of the Council’s 2008/
2009 Annual Accounts to their satisfaction. Copies of the Annual Return are
available from the Clerk.
The
Chair expressed his satisfaction at the prompt and efficient way that the year
end accounts had been processed this year.
09/49. PLANNING
MATTERS.
09/49.1. Minute 09/34.1 - Askews
Barn, Rathmell – CDC Planning Department had visited the site again, as a result of the
Parish Council’s request to carry out further investigations into the use of
the site. Their conclusion was that it was primarily being used for
agricultural purposes, in line with the planning approval granted. Mr. Campbell
would be informed of their decision.
ACTION CLERK
09/49.2. Minute 09/34.4 - Appeal ref. app/c2708/a/09/2107843 Brightenber Hill, Gargrave – the appeal hearing for this application
will be held at Craven District Council Offices, Granville Street, Skipton BD23
1PS, on 12th,13th,14th,19th and 20th
January 2010, at 10.00am. The Planning Inspectorate will have sight of any
comments received on this planning request, and individuals/organizations may
take part in the discussions at the discretion of the Inspector.
09/49.3. Application 59/2009/9746 – Holly Dene
Farm, Rathmell – further amendments have been made to this previously approved planning
application. The Parish Council had no comments to make.
09/49.4 Lane Side Farm,
Wigglesworth – this application for a single story extension has been approved with a
number of attaching conditions.
09/50. TRANSPORT AND
HIGHWAYS SURVEYS
North
Yorkshire County Council was seeking comments from the Parish Council on
establishing local satisfaction levels with regard to the service that they
provide on Highways and Transportation within the locality. Draft responses to
the two questionnaires were tabled for discussion, before being returned. One
survey was concerned with Local Transport development issues and requested
views on the priorities for investment in such areas as: – provision of
facilities, protection, safety, minimizing impact on peoples lives of noise and
pollution, maintenance of roads, etc. The second survey invited comments on
satisfaction levels with the performance of the Highways and Transportation
Service. The drafts were considered and it was AGREED that the proposed
comments should be submitted to NYCC.
ACTION CLERK
09/51. CDC REVIEW OF
PAYING ALLOWANCES TO PARISH COUNCILLORS
Craven
District Council was inviting comments on whether Parish Councillors
should be paid a basic allowance for performing their duties as Parish Councillors. Following discussions the conclusion was that
the position of Parish Councillor was viewed as a
voluntary service to the community, and that no allowances should be paid. This
decision should be relayed back to CDC.
ACTION CLERK
09/52. REPORTS FROM
COUNCILLORS AND COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
Halton West.
Nothing
to report
Wigglesworth.
The
Plough Inn has just reopened, following refurbishment by the new owners.
Rathmell.
Nothing
to report
Clerk.
The
Clerk has received notification from CDC/BT that the Public Call Boxes in each
of the three villages are not being used sufficiently to justify the provision
of on-going telephony services. As a result it is likely that BT will put
forward a request for their removal. There is a consultation period in progress
whereby objections to the removal of telephony services can be registered. BT
has provided details of the number of calls made from the three Public Call
Boxes over a 12 month period, and in general the figures are very low. They
have indicated that as an alternative that the areas are sufficiently serviced
by mobile phone networks.
It
was AGREED that this information should be displayed in the three villages, and
if any person wished to object to the withdrawal of these telephony services
that they should convey their views to the Clerk by 14th October
2009, and the reason for their objection, so that the Clerk can complete the
form registering objections
ACTION
CLERK.
09/53. VILLAGE
ENVIRONMENTS, RIGHTS OF WAY AND HIGHWAYS.
09/53.1. Minute 09/30.3 – Highways correspondence – The Clerk had written again
to the Highways department to take up with them the outstanding concerns. As a
result an inspector from the department, Mr. Ian Jewitt,
had met with David Clerk on 18th September 2009 to view the concerns
on site. The outcome was as follows:-
-
The concerns re Jack Daw Bridge were
acknowledged, and later that day tarmac was inserted into the cracks in the
road adjacent to the parapet. The Chair considered these repairs were not
satisfactory and would be taking the matter up again with the Inspector.
-
The adjacent lay-by to
-
Regarding the concerns about the speed of traffic in the vicinity of Town
End, Wigglesworth the Inspector confirmed that the situation did not meet the
criteria to qualify for a traffic mirror. He did, however, provide the name of
a person who could be approached regarding traffic calming measures. The Chair
would be following this up.
-
The Inspector was also shown the area of road at
09/53.2. Minute 09/30.4 – War Memorials – The Clerk reported that the
two War Memorials had been cleaned down Friday 18th September 2009,
and that he was expecting the re-pointing to take place this coming Friday 25th
September 2009. Comments regarding the cleaning were “that a good job has been
done”.
ACTION CLERK
09/53.3. Rathmell Village Car Park – Councillors were given a copy of the
lease that was drawn up in January 2000, between Rathmell Parish Meeting and Mr.C.Weston, regarding the use of some land belonging to Mr.Weston for the purposes of a village car park. The lease
was for 10 years, and it expires in January 2010. Mr.Weston
has indicated that he would consider a new lease arrangement, on an annual
basis. The final year’s rent of £5 was outstanding, and it was AGREED
that this should be paid forthwith.
ACTION CLERK
Following
discussions it was AGREED that a legal view should be sought to clarify
the Parish Council’s position, responsibilities and potential liabilities in
such an arrangement, where they are not the owners of the land.
ACTION CLERK/CLLR.CRABTREE
It
was AGREED that there remained a need to have a car park in Rathmell, and the
Clerk was asked to convey this interest to Mr. Weston. ACTION
CLERK
09/54. CORRESPONDENCE.
The
key items on the correspondence list were brought to the attention of Councillors, and it was AGREED that members of the public
might be interested in sight of the CDC Parish Update newsletter, and so this
would be placed on the Village notice boards.
ACTION CLERK
09.55. ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
None
09/56. DATE
OF NEXT MEETING.
The
date of the next meeting is Tuesday 24th November 2009 at 1930
hours, and it will be held in Rathmell Reading Rooms.
The
meeting closed at 2135.
Appendix A
WASTE RECYCLING AND COLLECTION
SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION BY JOHN
SUTCLIFFE,
CDC WASTE MINIMISATION OFFICER
TO RIBBLE BANKS PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
OF 22nd SEPTEMBER 2009
Mr.Sutcliffe explained that Craven District Council has to
increase its recycling of waste to comply with impending legislation, which
requires each household to have two recyclable collection facilities by 2010,
and to meet increasing Governmental targets for recycling and the reduction of
residual waste going to landfill sites.
CDC is currently achieving a
recycling rate of 35.8%, with a requirement to achieve a target of a 40% by
2010. This target is set to rise to 50% by 2020.
Existing landfill sites are
rapidly filling up, and every ton of waste going to landfill currently cost £40
per ton landfill tax, and this tax is set to increase by £8 per ton per year up
to 2013. In addition there is a gate fee of £22 per visit to landfill sites.
There are, therefore, financial penalties for not achieving targets.
CDC is also facing
difficulties in balancing its overall revenue budgets for 2009/2010.
These are the main drivers
that had to be taken into account by the Council in determining the way
forward.
Mr.Sutcliffe explained the current methods of collecting residual
waste and waste for recycling. He also explained that there were inequities in
the current collection systems, with 40% of households on one system and 60% on
another.
The CDC decision is to move
to a fortnightly collection of residual waste, alternating with fortnightly
collections of some recyclables, and other recyclables and garden waste
collected on a 4 weekly basis. It is intended to apply this approach to all
households.
This decision is expected to
achieve savings of £200,000 per year by a combination of a reduction in labour and vehicle costs, and the increase in recycling of
materials.
The intended collection system
will be as follows:-
Week 1 - Existing Green Bin
with residual waste in it
Week 2 - New Blue Bag for
cardboard and paper waste
Week 3 - Existing Green Bin
with residual waste in it
Week 4 - Existing Blue Bin
(without the pods) for glass, cans and plastic and
New Blue Bag for cardboard and
paper
No change to garden waste
collection or commercial waste
The intention is to introduce
the Alternative Weekly Collection system in early January 2010, provided all
preparatory consultation work and communications have gone according to plan.
Mr.Sutcliffe then responded to a number of questions.
1 He confirmed that any Blue
bins with pods would have them removed, and that the glass, tins and plastic collected
in them would go to a sub-contractor for sorting. He confirmed that the Council
has every confidence that this process would be handled correctly by the
sub-contractor.
2. He confirmed that the
existing central collection/ recycling facilities would remain in place, and
their usage monitored.
3. He confirmed that
households would not be required to have extra bins, the only extra being the
bag for collection of paper and cardboard. He confirmed that this would be a
strong bag, and that it would be reusable.
4. That consultations will
take place with households that have difficult access or no/little storage
space to agree the best solution.
5. He confirmed that existing
landfill sites are expected to be full by 2012/2013, and that
6. He confirmed that those
people who will have difficulty lifting or wheeling their waste to the roadside
for collection can request help through “The Assist Scheme”.
7. In response to the
comments that CDC had not presented its case very well, thus far, to the public
on the necessity for changing the collection methods, he said that CDC were
seeking to communicate through various channels with all members of the public
and provide information pack, before the new system went live. He was asked to
ensure that this information made it clear what could be recycled and how, and
to give clear examples, in particular with regard to plastics.
8. Mr.Sutcliffe
informed the meeting that NYCC were looking at alternative ways of disposing of
waste, such as the use of incinerators and mechanical and biological forms of
treatment.
A copy of Mr. Sutcliffe’s
notes are attached to these minutes