KIRBY HILL & DISTRICT PARISH COUNCIL

(Incorporating: Kirby Hill, Milby,Thornton Bridge, Humberton and Ellenthorpe)

 

A meeting of the above Parish Council was held on 12th March 2007 in the Coronation Hall, Milby, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972, due notice having been given.  The meeting opened at 7.00 pm.

 

 

Present:  Cllrs. Smailes [Chairman], McKenzie [Dep Chairman], Graham, Helliwell, Lister,Wilkinson, Widdows,  Parr, Merson,   DCllr N Wilson.

               

 

1.             Apologies:  CCllr John Watson

 

2.             Code of Conduct:  Cllr Widdows expressed an interest in agenda item 8d

 

3.             Minutes  of the previous meeting on 15th January 2007  had been copied and distributed 

               prior to this meeting. Cllrs accepted them as a true record  and they were duly signed.

 

4.             Finance/Accounts

a.        current balance in hand £2,455.  Anticipated end of year balance £2,300

b.       Rent of room to pay  £5.50

c.        Clerk’s Jan honorarium £40 and Feb salary £162.34  to pay

d.       Clerk’s contract of employment now agreed and signed

e.        Chairman’s allowance spending for 16 January MSA function  £43.85 (for wine)

 

5.             CORRESPONDENCE

 

g.       (item g taken first -  Letter from Gareth Owens) The Chairman read out a letter from Gareth Owens thanking the Council for the party on 16 January to celebrate the ending of the MSA threat and to thank the council generally for its support and work towards the defeat of the MSA proposal

                (h.)  (not on agenda – letter of resignation)

                        The chairman read out a letter of resignation from Cllr Jean Graham who is leaving the 

                       area and will resign from the council at the end of April.  The chairman and councillors

                       expressed their sadness that Jean should be leaving and thanked her for all her work and

         valued contributions over the past few years.

               

a.          HBC Community Services Spring Clean – Invitation to take part  - April

Cllrs Smailes, Merson, Helliwell, Widdows and the Clerk volunteered to take part in the litter picking during April. The Clerk will obtain the equipment from HBC and email those councillors when this is available.  Cllrs Merson, Helliwell and the clerk will then  agree between themselves which areas of Milby parish they are covering and Cllrs Smailes and Widdows will do the same for Kirby Hill. Clerk to arrange for an item in Beyond the Pews.                                                                            ACTION CLERK

 

b.          HBC Local Govt Reorganistion  Newsletter

This put the view of the District Councils opposing North Yorkshire County Council’s recommendation that a single Unitary Authority should apply in the county.  Cllrs felt they had insufficient information to agree with one side or the other and felt that there had been poor consultation.  The clerk had written to CCllr Watson (who is in favour of the proposed change) to ask for a report on the process  - for submission to the Joint Parishes meeting on 15 March.

 

c.          HBC Environment  - Light Bulbs for Recyclers

HBC initiative to thank  residents for recycling by issuing vouchers for 4 free energy efficient light bulbs (from Morrisons).  Posters about this had been posted to both noticeboards.

 

 

 

d.          Audit Commission

Confirmation that Mazars are to be appointed as auditors again for the 2006/7 audit and that the 5-year fixed rate system for councils will again remain in operation for a further 5 year period.

 

e.          Zurich Insurance

The clerk had requested and received from Zurich a quotation for Parish Council insurance.  This was for £205 basic (including all mandatory covers) compared with Allianz Cornhill’s £236 basic (which included a 5% discount for long term undertaking)

There were some differences between the policy cover in each case, however, that needed further research before a decision is made in May and the clerk will make further enqiries of both companies, particularly in relation to the all risks cover for the well ( at a proposed value of £500) and the war memorial.  There were significant differences between the companies on legal fees and personal accident insurance as well.

                                                                                                                       ACTION CLERK

f.           Communities and Local Government – Code of Conduct consulatation

The clerk outlined some of the more significant and relevant (to a small parish) changes that are being proposed to the ‘Model Code of Conduct for Local Authority Members’ and advised that further information and a copy of the proposed code could be found on the website www.communities.gov.uk

 

 

5.1                Update from District Cllr Wilson

      

a.         Council Tax:  increase for 2007/8 to be 4.2%.  HBC came 17th nationally in ‘best value’ 

tests

b.        LDF:  the re-consultation exercise on this had been delayed 2-3 months following

interventions by the Regional Assembly for Yorks and Humberside

c.         Green ‘wheelie bins’: these had now been distributed in the parish except to those areas   

who still were not yet  included in HBC’s recycling system.  DCllr Wilson emphasised 

the expense of recycling initiatives

d.        Affordable Housing:  DCllr Wilson explained that this was one of HBC’s highest

        priorites in the District at present but he was interested to know whether the parish

        council regarded it as a priority since he had come across very few rural councils who 

        felt there was an urgent need for affordable housing in their areas. The clerk confirmed 

        that at the council’s earlier LDF discussion when some exclusion land was proposed     

        councillors did not consider there was a need.

        DCllr Wilson also explained the two main ways in which affordable housing was 

        achieved, either through the use of ‘exclusion sites’ on the edge of villages (and for 

        which planning permission would not otherwise be granted) or through 50/50 

        developments where market housing had to be devloped in tandem with some affodabale 

        units.  In both cases a Housing Association would generally acquire the affordable 

        housing and let it out, or sell part shares, to qulaifying applicants.  There were some 

        examples of good affordable housing achieved through exclusion sites in some local  

        villages.

        It was acknowledged that some people might consider  there was an element of ‘social 

        engineering’ in the way the affordable housing policies were being applied.

 

The chairman and council thanked Nick Wilson for his updates after which DCllr Wilson left the meeting.

 

 

6.             CLERK’S/COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS

 

a.          Police Liaison:  Cllr Wilkinson reported that Supt Sue Cross (Western Area) had attended the last liaison  meeting and had been given quite a rough ride by those who felt police presence in the area was inadequate.

A Pubwatch scheme was being set up, with police support, under which anyone banned from one pub in the area would be banned from all.

Crime figures for the area had shown an incease in burglaries from sheds, outbuilings and farm buildings.

Don Patton of Neighbourhood Watch had expressed frustration over lack of police support.

 

b.          Joint Parish Council Meeting:  The clerk reported that the next meeting would be on 15

March and that sponsorship of the A168 Kirby Hill roundabout was on the agenda.

Councillors generally were opposed to anything being done with the roundabout,

considering it to be a rural, rather than a suburban, one.  Cllr Merson suggested that

sowing of wildflower seeds might be the only acceptable ‘improvement’ and this met 

with general approval.

Cllr Graham would represent the parish council at the meeting and Cllr McKenzie asked 

for his apologies to be presented.

 

7.             ONGOING/OTHER MATTERS

               

a.         Village Design Statement : The clerk reported that he had not yet heard from Gareth

        Owens about the future of this project and also that  there was a view that VDS 

        documents were no longer as important as they once were with regard to supplementary

                       planning guidance.

                        The clerk raised the alternative possibility of a Parish Plan as one way in which all the

                      good work on the VDS might still be used. He had discussed this in general terms with Jo 

                      Buffey of the Yorkshire Rural Community Council (who help with Parish Plans)

                        Councillors had some concerns about going down the Parish Plan route but were 

                       happy to learn more about the pros and cons. Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr Merson

                       seconded that Jo Buffey should be invited to talk to councillors at a future meeting. The    

                       Chairman accordingly asked the clerk to make the invitation, possibly for the July 

                       meeting.                                                                                                  ACTION CLERK

 

b.        Play Area/kickabout:  the clerk confirmed that HBC had agreed to the transfer of £12k 

        commuted sums (from the Grange development) from Kirby Hill Parish Council to 

        Langthorpe.

 

c.         Speeeding – Leeming Lane:  still awaiting action to reduce speed limit to 30mph as

                      recommended by NYCC Highways

 

d.        Grass Cutting: The contract had been awarded again to Aidan Foster (£480 based on 16 cuts ) following a tendering exercise in which the other two quotes were: 

Richard Powley – Garden Grooming              £2688+VAT 16 cuts

Simon Crossley Landscapes                            £1840+VAT 16 cuts

                                (all prices based on NOT collecting the grass after cutting)

 

e.         Kirby Hill/Milby footpths:  the ckerk had written to NYCC following the last meeting to

        say that the council was happy with the latest proposals for footpath diversion

 

f.          Village green tree problem and erosion outside old school house:  Issue raised by Cllr 

Parr.  The trees on the green in front of the house were sending up suckers, making 

mowing difficult.  Cllr Wilkinson volunteered to cut these back where possible.  It was 

also agreed that the clerk should visit the owners of the house where the grass is being 

eroded and urge them to refrain from driving over the corner of the green, which is

council  property.                        ACTION CLLR WILKINSON     ACTION CLERK

 

g.        Pavement parking – Market Hill;  The clerk had been unable to make progress since there 

had been a change in police personnel for this area and the new constable (Chris Parnell)

had only just been contacted)                                                                 ACTION CLERK

 

h.        Kirby Hill 30mph sign:  Cllr McKenzie volunteered to cut back overhanging  branches of the tree as these were obcuring the  sign.                            ACTION CLLR McKENZIE                                                        

 

i.          Annual Parish meeting.  This open meeting will now be held after the AGM on 14 May 2007 in the Bradley Suite of the Coronation Hall (the main hall having another booking).  Clerk will  arrange notice for Beyond the Pews

 

8.             PLANNING

               

                a.             Crown Estate Thornton  Bridge  6.36.6.B.FUL  05/01597/FUL

                Refurb & Extension to 1 dwelling and conv. of agric bldgs   to form 3 dwllgs.

                Erec of garage block inc 2 dble garages and 1 det dble garage..

                Issue of affordable housing in the development currently being negotiated    

 

b.             Holliday – 1 Burton Cottages  6.500.233.FUL  06/05361/FUL

                Erec of single storey rear extension GRANTED

 

c.             Punch Taverns Grantham Arms Milby 6.57.25.B.FUL  06/06252/FUL

                                Alterations to porch – erect of raised decking & soft landscaping  GRANTED

 

                d.             Widdows 5 Church Close Kirby Hill  6.47.80.FUL  07/00187/FUL

                                Erect of 2 storey rear extension & rear conservatory    GRANTED

 

                e.             England Thornton Manor Thornton Bridge 6.500.258.FUL  07/00125/FUL

                                Erec of 3.1m boundary wall and gates to driveway

                                Cllrs agreed no objections but no support (category C response) with comment that

                                reclaimed brickwork to match farm bldgs would make wall less intrusive to 

                             landscape

 

                f.              Planning Enforcement case 06/00627/ADVERT Farm Shop Langthorpe Nursery

                                Reinstatement of 2 directional advert signs Leeming Lane   REFUSED

                                Cllrs also discussed request from P. Greenwood for Council actively to support the

Farm Shop’s appeal to HBC Planning against this decision .Agreed to inform Mr Greenwood that Council had no objections to signs being reinstated but could not provide active support as this would be a precedent likely to weaken Council’s position should any other business, eg in Boroughbridge, apply for adverts on this approach to the town.

ACTION  CLERK  CHAIRMAN

 

The meeting closed at 9.05pm

 

 

NEXT MEETINGS  7.00pm    14 May AGM,   16 July,   10 Sept,   12 Nov

 

         Annual Open Parish Meeting  14 May 7.45pm  Bradley Suite

                                                         to be followed by normal Parish Council Meeting

                                                                                               

Martin Rae, Clerk, 13 March 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNED………………………………………………………DATE……………………