KIRBY HILL & DISTRICT PARISH COUNCIL

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

 

A meeting of the above Parish Council was held on Tuesday 12 May 2009 in the Coronation Hall, Milby, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972, due notice having been given.  The meeting opened at 7.15 pm, (the earlier Annual Parish Meeting having been abandoned due to lack of attendees).

 

Present:  Cllrs. Smailes(Chairman), Helliwell (from 7.20pm), Lister(from 7.25pm), McKenzie, Parr, Renfrew, Widdows, Wilkinson,  DCllr Brown (from 7.35pm), Martin Rae, (Clerk)

 

 

1   Apologies: NYCCllr Watson,Cllr Merson. DCllr Brown gave advance apologies for late 

                        arrival due to earlier meeting.

 

2   Code of Conduct: Cllr Wilkinson expressed an interest in items 7a & 7b

 

3   Minutes of the Meeting  held 10 March 2009 had been distributed and were

     accepted as a true record and duly signed.

 

 

4   Finance

a.       Balance stood at £4,630

b.       Allianz Cornhill Insurance £297 to pay

c.       M & J Fall  (Timber) £82.80 paid

d.       NYCC repayment of unused grant (Thornton Bridge signs) £500 to pay. Councillors decided not to apply for reinstatement of the grant through new application.

e.       HBC Precept 1st half year £2,200 rec’d.

f.         Rent of room £8.00 to pay

g.       BB Communicare  £25 to pay (S137 monies – see AGM minutes)

 

(At this point the meeting was adjourned to enable the AGM, advertised for 7.30pm, to take place.  Meeting resumed at 7.40pm)

 

5   Correspondence

a.       HBC Dept Community Services – Daffodil bulbs offer. The clerk had replied that the Council would take up the offer this year of one sack of 300 bulbs. These would be ready for collection in October should the council have succeeded in securing a bag on a ‘first come first served’ basis.  Village resident and RAMS leader, Gareth Owens, had asked the coucil to accept the offer on behalf of a Guides’ project but he would contact the Parish Council to discuss planting locations. 

b.       HBC Dept Development Services – Developer Financial Contributions.  New rules coming into force mean that commuted sums payments will be paid – to HBC by the developer – at the commencement of development rather tah at the time of the granting of planning permission. See also 7c.

c.       Mazars – Audit.  Requirements for 2008/9 financial year. The Council approved the Statement of Accounts for year ending 31/3/09.  As there had been no changes in accounting governance methodolgy since last year councillors agreed that Section 2 of the Annual Return (Annual Governance Statement) should be completed by clerk in same way as 2007/8 statement.                                          ACTION CLERK

d.       HBC Dept Development Services –   LDF Parish Questionnaires/surveys for Kirby Hill and Milby Parishes. The clerk reported that he had completed and submitted these, the deadline being 12 pril 2009. Very few changes from last year’s return

e.       NYCC – Harrogate Rural Safety Schemes Review – No new requests for funding being accepted for time being. Review of funding for existing projects.  Kirby Hill’s joint project with Langthorpe for Leeming Lane 30mph roundels not yet confirmed.

  

 

 

 

6     Clerk’s and Councillors’ Reports/Meetings

 

a.      Police Liaison. Next meeting 1 June. Cllr Helliwell agreed to attend in place of Cllr Wilkinson, who would be on holiday.                         ACTION CLLR HELLIWELL

 

 

Clerk had received email questionnaire fron Inspector Andy Chapman (sent to all Parish Councils) regarding parish awareness of local policing staff and initiatives.

Clerk to feed councillors’ respnses to Insp. Chapman.              ACTION CLERK      

b.       Joint Parish Council.  Next JPC meeting 18 June. Cllrs Smailes and Helliwell would be the KHPC representatives.

 

7   Ongoing Matters/Updates

 

 

a.       Kirby Hill MSA proposals  The Chairman had written to Gareth Owens to thank him and the RAMS, on behalf of the parish council for all the invaluable work he had done towards HBC’s refusal of planning permission for the MSA. Councillors pledged their full and continuing support for Gareth and the RAMS as they fight the appeal by Heather Ive Associates against HBC’s decision.

The Clerk reported on the latest RAMS activity, which was aimed at having the appeal rjected but also preparing for the most likely outcome being a third public inquiry in October. Work had begun on producing the large amount of documentation that the RAMS would be required to produce as a party to the inquiry.

DCllr Brown told councillors that he had joined the RAMS in order to offer whatever help he could, but was limited to some extent by his councillor role.

The Clerk would use the Planning Inspectorate’s website to make online comments about the appeal on behalf of the Parish Council.                      ACTION CLERK

 

b.       Layby B6265/Highways Issues The clerk reported no further progress from NYCC regarding closure due to staff changes at Starbeck but said that he was still dealing with HBC Cleansing Dept over getting some of the filth and rubbish generated by the overnight lorry parking removed.   The clerk would also chase NYCC Highways at Starbeck about other outstanding issues, including the ‘siding out’ of the footpath between the Grange and the drive to Providence Lodge and the reinstatement of red markings on the road in front of the pub.                                          ACTION CLERK

c.       Commuted Sums The Clerk reported on the training event at Ripon Leisure Centre on 30th April at which new arrangements for commuted sums/106 monies were described and current balance sheets relating to each parish handed out. Under the new arrangements there were 7 instead of 4 categories of open space (plus village halls) to which monies could be allocated and the distance thresholds were now 1km (3km for outdoor sports facilities). The Clerk exlained that parish boundaries were largely ignored in the allocation and that a development in one parish could just as easily result in the developer’s contribution going to a facility in the adjacent parish because that had  the nearest appropriate facility to the development.

The Clerk also explained that the £999 still held in Kirby Hill’s account from the school development was subject to the old 400m threshold. The deadline for spending had been extended to the end of the current calendar .  £165 was also in account from the Crown Farm, Milby development and this needed to be spent on amenity green space by Oct 2011.  Councillors suggested further tree planting near the locks as an option .                                                                                                 ACTION CLERK

d.       Village Green/Grass cutting  The Clerk reported on the correspondence with Ms Sabin regarding the erosion in front of her property. She had claimed the main problem was traffic in and out of the school. It was agreed that the clerk would get estimates for repair and let Ms Sabin know that the council proposed to repair the damage. After repair some sort of ‘barrier’ such as posts might become necessary.                                                                                           ACTION CLERK

With regard to grass cutting it was proposed that the clerk should write to Aidan Foster to thank him for the continuing good service he was providing. Cllr Merson had asked the clerk to raise the matter of grass cutting of verges in Tinkler Lane Milby which had been done privately by residents for over twenty years. He wondered if the council might be able to make a contribution.  Cllrs regarded this as ‘opening a can of worms’ since thre were many areas in the parishes where residents who cut grass in front of their properties might wish to receive a contribution. The council pays to have the village green cut because the green is its property.                    ACTION CLERK

In relation to council cutting of verges etc. Cllr Renfrew asked about the hedge on the Helperby road in Humberton which had not been cut and so posed dangers to drivers coming round the corners. The Clerk would pursue this with NYCC, although roadside hedge cutting is generally the farmer’s responsibility.   ACTION CLERK

 

e.       Village Green bench The chairman reported that the repairs had been done. He thanked Cllr Wilkinson for fetching the timber. The Clerk pointed out that thanks were also due to the chairman for his work on this and his provision of bolts and varnish.

f.         A168/B6265 Roundabout  In response to the parish council’s request to remove the fencing, NYCC Highways had replied that they would monitor the situation regarding the ‘birdsmouth’ fencing and would  remove any illegal signs attached to it.

The clerk also reported that NYCC had passed responsibilty for the roundabout’s maintenance to Boroughbridge Town Council, Kirby Hill PC having declined to take it on. BBTC had in turn made sponsorship agreements with two local companies.                              

 

8   PLANNING

           

     a.    6.47.52.B.EIAMAJ   08/05860/EIAMAJ

            Heather Ive Associates  Outline Application for the erection of a Motorway

             Services Area (MSA)

            Following HBC Planning Committee’s refusal of planning permission on 17 March 

             2009 the applicant has lodged an appeal - Appeal ref:  APP/E2734/A/09/2102196

 

b.    6.47.83.FUL  09/01323/FUL

       17 The Grange, Kirby Hill  - Mr I Shepherd

       Erection of first floor side extension

Cllrs Smailes, McKenzie, Parr and Wilkinson had viewed the plans before the 24 April deadline and had had no objections. Clerk had submitted response to HBC.

 

 

 

Martin Rae

Parish Clerk

13 May 2009

 

 

 

NEXT MEETINGS:     

       “           14 July     7.00pm                 Bradley Studio Coronation Hall

       “           15 Sept    7.00pm                    “                      

       “           10 Nov      7.00pm                    “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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