Arkengarthdale Parish Council Minutes – 2012/13

14 May 2012 – AGM

14 May 2012

11 June 2012

9 July 2012

10 September 2012

8 October 2012

12 November 2012

14 January 2013

11 March 2013

11 March 2013 – Annual Parish Meeting Arkengarthdale Parish Council Annual General Meeting

The annual general meeting was held ON Monday the 14th May 2012, when apologies were received from Mr. Watkins.

Election of Chairman – Mr. Stubbs proposed and Mr. Lundberg seconded that Mr. Stones should remain as Chairman. Mr. Stones declared that he wishes to stand down as Chairman to let a younger man take over. He was gently persuaded to stay on even if only for one more year. Reluctantly he agreed. Councillors expressed their continued support in him. There is nobody to replace him with the amount of local knowledge he has. He also has the ability to resolve proems in a most conciliatory way. Mr. Stones said he would stay on the parish council but would then not be Chairman. Councillors were pleased he is staying on for now. He signed the declaration of office form and said he did not wish to claim an allowance.

Election of Vice Chairman – Mr Gale proposed and Mr. Lundberg seconded that Mr. Stubbs should remain as Vice Chairman. The standing orders are to remain the same. The dates for the next eight meetings are as follows: 11th June, 9th July, 10th September, 8th October, 12th November, 14th January, 11th March & 13th May.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read, approved and signed. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 8.12 Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 14th May 2012

The parish council meeting was held on Monday 14th May when apologies were received from Mr. John Watkins. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matter arising:

Car parking – The problem of cars parked near Lion House was again discussed, it all depends on where the residents park and how many cars are parked there.

Repairs to the track on High Green – The water pipe has now been repaired right up to the stop tap. Councillors discussed the next stage of repairs that need doing. It was decided to wait a while before putting gravel over the track until the ground has had a chance to settle. It was suggested that the residents who park cars on the green should put grass seed on the green where the grass has been eroded with constantly being parked on.

Friarage Hospital – Meetings were held in different places to make the public aware of the intended closure of the maternity ward and the children’s services. Mr. Gale said he attended a meeting at Hawes. It was well attended. Later on in May there is a rally at Northallerton. Mr. W. Hague will address the meeting, then they will demonstrate at Northallerton town. All this fighting to keep the facilities open is costing a lot of money. Mr. Gale said donations to the fighting fund have been welcomed. The parish council discussed the possibility of donating £100 towards it. The parish council have for some time had a policy of not making donations to charity, it was felt that the hospital is there for all the people from this area and an exception could be made.

Winter maintenance – Mr. Andrew Stones has asked that it should be minuted how grateful he was for the snow ploughing that Jack Stones had done during recent bad weather. Other residents shared the same opinion. Jack cleared the main road to Reeth when it was blocked in several places and the dale was cut off. We have good reason to be grateful to him. Councillors discussed the state of repair our snow ploughs are in. They have been repaired many times but still remain in poor condition. It was decided that we write to Mr. Woodford and ask for a new plough for next winter. The clerk was also asked to advise Mr. Woodford that the trees between the Low Row road and the school need pruning back. People have to drive into the middle of the road before they can look out for cars on the main road. Several residents have complained about this.

Affordable housing – The clerk said she wrote to Mrs. Madden after the last meeting and left telephone messages but she heard nothing. Mr. Gale said he was given the impression that a new survey would be carried out to establish how many people would still be interested in houses in the dale. Some people were originally interested but later on were not.

Memorial seats – We have still not been able to find a site which would suit the lady wanting to donate a seat and to obtain permission to locate it in any of the chosen places. Mr. Gale has been in touch with the Duke of Norfolk’s land agent, but so far no site had been agreed. There was much discussion about the number of seats we now have. Do we continue to accept seats insure and maintain them, or do we at some point put a brake in and accept none for a while. Mr. Lundberg has taken the insurance document away with him to double check on the insurance for the seats.

Diamond Jubilee - A letter was received from John Sparke, the treasurer to the jubilee committee, thanking the parish council for the £200 we sent them off to be able to organise the event. Tickets are being sold now for the evening do after the sports, when there will be a hog roast and disco.

Correspondence – Two letters were received from Mr. Woodford, one regarding water running on the road in various places and then freezing. The other letter is in response to the clerk’s letter advising Mr. Woodford of the problems there were when the ambulance tried to take an old lady to hospital from Booze and bring her back again. The ambulance driver said quite categorically that if it were not for the stone trough against the house he would have got up. Mr. Gale received an email from the ambulance service to say they have worked hard behind the scenes to resolve the problem of no access to Booze for an ambulance. They have located a 4x4 stretcher vehicle, with which they did a dummy run and found that for future appointments they will be able to use that. It was suggested the clerk should write a thank you letter to the ambulance service. A letter was received from Mr. David Williams advising the council of a mishap a driver of a large yellow excavator had on the way out of Langthwaite on the side of the Arkle. He also wrote to the Reeth Fire Service and the occupiers of Underhill. York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership wrote to offer composting bins for sale for £8 each. A number of letters were received from the National Park Authority.

Financial matters – a cheque was issued for £15 to pay for the school. A cheque will also be issued to pay £225.00 for the insurance for the year to the Zurich insurance when we get documents back from Mr. Lundberg. The clerk said the first precept payment has been sent to the bank of £11.00.

Planning – Application R/01/143 for conversion of a barn to a dwelling in Bouldershaw Lane has been refused. Application R/01/145 was received to erect a conservatory at Netherby, Langthwaite. The clerk was asked to write and support this application.

Local matters – Complaints were received about the state of the footpath leading through Arkle Town to the river. Some handrails have been requested. The clerk is to contact the National Park Ranger and advise him of this. There is a problem in the dale with telephones. Some very old copper wires have corroded and had to be replaced. We now have a situation where there are no more spare lines available in the dale. All the spare ones are used up. There are now residents waiting for months to get the telephone due to this shortage of lines. Mobile phones don’t work in places of the parish. The clerk was asked to write to Mr. W. Hague MP to enlist his help.

The next meeting is on the 11th of June. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 10.05 Arkengarthdale parish council meeting June 2012

A parish council meeting was held on Monday 11th June when all councillors were present. The chairman was a few minutes late, so the vice chairman Mr. Stubbs chaired the meeting. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. Matters arising:

Car parking – There were the usual problems with holiday makers staying in cottages and parking carelessly; sometimes without realising they are blocking the road. This has happened again at Langthwaite when the road to Storthwaite was blocked. Mr. Watkins said there were some problems in CB Yard, which resulted in more notices being put up and up to now they have worked. There was much discussion on the subject.

Repairs to the track on High Green – since the road was dug open for repairs, the infill has settled somewhat and will probably settle some more. Mr. Gale said he would contact the water authority to see if they are willing to level out what they had dug open. Since the metal inspection lids have been lowered the track is improved. Councillors decided not to have High Green put on the agenda for the time being. The vice chairman Mr. Stubbs said he would have a word with High Green residents to put some grass seeds on parts of the green where the grass has been eroded.

Affordable housing – Mr. Stubbs read out an email from Amanda Madden, the local housing enabler. She has been very busy in the Hawes area and High Abbotside, and suggested the parish council should do another survey to establish the need for housing. Councillors discussed this in some detail and felt that the need has been established for four houses, a site has been agreed and we asked for things to move forward on that basis. On his last visit to the parish council meeting, councillor Blackie said we should go ahead with this and not let months lapse. Mr. Stubbs is going to ask Amanda Madden to go ahead on this plan.

Friarage hospital – the clerk was in touch with Mr. Blackie after the demonstration he organised at Northallerton. There were in excess of 4000 people attended the rally at which Mr. William Hague MP was the main speaker. The clerk sent a cheque of £100 to the fighting fund, as was agreed by the parish council at the May meeting.

Winter maintenance – the clerk wrote the Highways department after the last meeting. Mr. Woodford is off sick and a reply was received from Mr. Linfoot. He asked for clarification on whose snow ploughs are used in the dale; he could find no record of this. We were supplied by the NYCC with a side blade which broke the very first time it was used and has not yet been repaired. We also have three V ploughs which have been around since the 1960’s. They have been used every winter by the local contactor Mr. Robert Stones and his family. In spite of the ploughs being in poor repair, they cleared the road after every heavy snow fall.

Memorial seats – the clerk had a phone call from Mrs. Crolla to get more details about where the memorial seat should be sent to now that permission was obtained from the Duke of Norfolk’s agent. A thank you card to the parish council was received from Mrs. Crolla to thank the parish council for all the effort they had put in to help her find a suitable location. There was some discussion about how many seats we can accept in the future. Councillors said they have seen brass memorial plaques on a wall instead of seats. As this is a very sensitive issue for the people who want to donate seats, we have to treat each offer with care not to offend. Diamond Jubilee – councillors said the whole weekend had been a great success, including the sports day, followed by the evening celebration when the marquees were available to use. The lighting of the beacon on Kitley Hill also went well and was well attended. It was decided that the clerk should write a letter to Mr. Richard Good and thank him and his team on the committee, and all who helped in any way to make the celebrations such a success.

Correspondence- A reply was received from the clerk’s letter to Mr. Hague about the problems with the telephones. A reply was also received from the National Park Ranger Mr. Michael Briggs, about the condition of the footpath from Arkle Town to the river. Councillors discussed this in some detail. It was decided not to go ahead with the handrails but to accept any improvements that can be made to the surface of the path. The Yorkshire Local Council Association wrote about adopting the new model code of conduct.

Financial matters – the clerk presented the end of year accounts and corresponding bank statements. Mr. Williams has audited the accounts; they were signed and dated at the meeting, ready to send to Mazars. A letter was received from the audit commission; to say that from the 1st September 2012 the accounts will be audited by a firm called Littlejohn LLP for five years. Because we are in a low income / expenditure band, there should be no fee to pay. Two cheques need recording, one for £15 to pay for the school, issued at the meeting and one for £100 to support the fighting fund for the Friarage Hospital, dated the 29th May.

Planning – Amended plans R/01/79D were received for general purpose building at West House Yard, Langthwaite. A letter of support was sent to support this development.

The next parish council meeting is on the 9th July. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.50 A parish council meeting was held on Monday the 9th July 2012 when all councillors were present. County Councillor John Blackie also attended the meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. Matters arising:

Car parking - We have the usual problems in the dale but nothing too difficult.

Affordable Housing – This subject was discussed at length. Amanda Madden feels that she has not enough evidence of a housing need in the dale. She would like another survey done by the parish council, to be able to move things forward if we can prove a need. Our councillors felt that to do such a survey will give a different result each time as people circumstances and needs change. Councillor Blackie felt that it might be necessary to knock on doors and visit each household to get a true picture of housing needs in the dale. Councillor John Watkins has offered to do another round of emails to contact all those with email facilities. Councillors said we are losing valuable time now. A need was established for four houses, two with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms. The land was available free near the car park from RDC. A Housing Association would be interested in building four houses. It was agreed that we would do the survey and see if we can move forward.

Winter Maintenance – a letter was received from Mr. Linfoot who is covering while Mr. Woodford is sick. He is not aware that there are any repairs to the snow ploughs outstanding. He will contact the Stones family direct and liaise with them to make sure we have a decent snow plough before winter. We had to persist a long time to get the right gritter, and with councillor Blackie’s help we have got that. Councillor Blackie said he will do all he can to help us get the snow plough.

The new model code of conduct – the clerk said she rang RDC about this. They claim to have sent the new forms out for councillors to sign but they have not yet arrived. The clerk also spoke to a member of staff at the Yorkshire Local Council Association. They have agreed to help us through any difficulties. We don’t have a parish council meeting now until the 10th September. Councillor Lundberg said that there have been some resignations from parish councils about the questions asked on the new forms. Councillors were grateful for Councillor Blackie’s input on the subject.

Memorial seats – The seat donated by Mrs. Cavola in memory of her late husband is now in place near the wall below Bouldershaw Farm.

Correspondence – a letter was received from the Rt. Hon. William Hague M.P to say that the manager of BT had advised him that the outstanding work in the dale has now been completed. It was decided that a letter of thanks should be sent to him for his intervention. We are particularly grateful to have the telephone and lifeline service repaired for Marjory Stones because she is elderly and infirm. A letter was received from the National Park Authority to say they have no objections to some self-seeded trees in Langthwaite being felled.

Financial – a cheque was issued for £15 for the school, and one for £40 for Mr. David Williams for his chosen charity; this is for auditing our accounts. His chosen charity is the Two Dales Football Club. The collection tin kept at the CB Inn for the parish council seat maintenance account was emptied at the meeting. It contained £16.85. A letter of thanks will be sent to Mr. & Mrs. Cody, for allowing the tin to be kept in their bar.

Planning – an application R/01/128B to hold the three day motorcycle trial over SSSI land at Arkengarthdale, Gunnerside, Reeth Moors, lovely seat Stainton Moor until 2016. The clerk was asked to write and support this application.

Local matters – councillor John Watkins said he had been trying to improve broadband facilities in the dale. There are still difficulties in this field. Councillor Gale said he is trying to get some culverts cleaned out on the Stang Road. Councillor Stubbs said he had been in touch with Mr. Robert Stubbs about putting some grass seeds on High Green.

The next parish council meeting is on the 10th September. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.50.

A Parish council meeting was held at the school on Monday the 10th September, when apologies were received from Councillor Stubbs and County Councillor John Blackie. One resident attended the meeting. Councillor Gale said since the new model code of conduct, we no longer need to put on agendas “declaration of interest”. The clerk noted his comments.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. Matters arising:

Car parking – no major problems of parking were reported

Affordable housing – since it was councillor Stubbs who liaised with Mrs Madden on this subject, we felt we should discuss this at the October meeting and see if we can move this forward. Councillor Blackie also usually has much input to offer on this subject.

Winter maintenance - we have not yet been supplied with a new snow plough. The local contractor is doing all he can to get sorted before a snow plough is needed, which could be anytime soon in the dales.

No waiting arrangements near the school – Mr. David Williams came to the meeting as a member of the school governors to discuss this. The parish council had received a letter on the subject, and there was an article in the press about it. The chairman invited Mr. Williams to speak on this. District Councillor Gale was able reassure everybody that there will not be any drastic changes as a result of this. The police are handing over duties to the County Council, such as parking and waiting outside schools. There will be no change to the road markings and to picking up of school children. Mr. Williams said he had written a letter to the council expressing the concern of school governors.

Correspondence – a letter was received from Mazars stating that they found the accounts in order. Enclosed was an invoice for £60 to be paid. A letter was received from the Audit Commission to say that the appointment of LITTLEHOHN LLP has been confirmed as our auditors for the next five years. They will replace Mazars. An invitation was received for two representatives to go to a training evening at Richmond, in connection with the new standards and code of conduct training on the 16th October at 6.30. Richmondshire District Council sent a copy of its core strategy. An invitation was received for a free training day at County Hall on how to deal with emergencies.

Financial – Two cheques were issued, one for the school for £15 and one for Mazars for £60.

Planning – There were no planning matters to discuss.

Local matters – Councillor Gale said he is still involved with R.D.C to get work done on pot holes and drains along the Stang road. There were some problems with a dog at Lion House. He growled at somebody and the police were called. Councillor Lundberg said this was not a problem for the council to sort. When there was problem with fouling we were involved; this was different.

Parish councillors have been made aware that a local handyman has been instructed to put a hand gate on a small area of walled in land in the village of Langthwaite. The parish council wrote to Land Registry in 2011 to make it clear that we did not want this land to become the ownership of any individual. The handyman has a letter from a solicitor to back his instructions; councillors feel they need to see this letter before we get back to Land Registry.

The next meeting is on the 18th October. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.13

A parish council meeting was held on Monday the 8th October 2012, when apologies were received from the chairman and councillor Gale. The meeting was chaired by the vice chairman, Councillor Stubbs. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. Matters arising:

Car parking – no serious parking problems were reported.

Land in Langthwaite – a letter was handed in from Mr. David Williams; he was unable to get to the meeting for which he apologised. He provided valuable information about the length of time he lived next to the small area of land, and that it had not been used by anybody for thirty years. Mr. Williams also did a search with Land Registry; they have no record of the area of land being registered to anyone. Two wooden uprights have been put in place to fix a hand gate. Councillors felt they should be removed. Councillors would also like to know on what strength the solicitor wrote a letter to the handyman, to authorise him to put the hand gate on. This will all be discussed at the next meeting.

Affordable housing – Councillor Stubbs brought an email from Amanda Madden. She suggested we do another survey before the next meeting, to which she would come along to discuss things. Councillor Lundberg felt strongly that we had the land available and a need for some affordable housing; we should not let the opportunity lapse to build four houses on the car park site. This view was supported by the other councillors.

Winter maintenance – the last lot of correspondence we had from the Highway Department was to say they will liaise with the contractor direct about the snow plough. Councillor Lundberg said he will see the contractor, M. Robert Stones this weekend and get an update from him.

Memorial seat – an offer of a memorial seat was made to the chairman recently, from someone whose family had connections in the dale. They would like the seat placed somewhere on the side of the Arkle Beck towards Booze Wood. Councillors discussed this; the land along there belongs mostly to the estate. There is not a lot of room anywhere along there to place a seat. Councillor Lundberg said we should be able to place new seats in places where the old seats are in poor repair. There is a seat on High Green that has been repaired in recent years and commented on as being in poor condition even after the repairs.

Correspondence – R.D.C sent a letter to advise the parish council of the need to close the road on Sunday the 11th November for the procession from Reeth to Grinton church and the Wreath laying ceremony. A letter was received from Mr. Ian Broadwith, the local National Park Warden, to say what repairs he has carried out recently on the footpath from Arkle Town to the Arkle Beck that we asked for.

Financial – R.D.C wrote to say that the second precept payment of £1100 has been sent to our bank. Two cheques will be issued when the chairman is available, one for the school for £15 and £17 to pay for the poppy wreath.

Planning – the application R/01/74D for a general purpose building at West House, Langthwaite has been approved. Also the application R/01/128B for the continued use of SSSI land for a three day annual motor cycle until 2016 has been approved.

Local matters – the clerk said some drivers are still unhappy about the overhanging trees at Low Row road end. One of Mr. Birks’ grandsons has trimmed some greenery back but tractor drivers are particularly badly placed when they drive out of there. Councillor Stubbs suggested we put this on the agenda for the next meeting. The vice chairman was asked to lay the wreath on poppy day at the war memorial. Councillors discussed the state of the Stang road. In spite of Councillor Gale being in touch with the Highway Department for some time, the clerk is to write to Mr. Woodford and ask when we can expect repairs to be concluded. During each heavy rain the gutters get blocked and the large volume of water runs down the road, breaking the sides of the road and causing further damage. Large potholes appeared as chunks of tarmac got washed out.

Councillor Watkins again expressed his concerns and disappointment about broadband in the dales. He feels we are all in the hands of BT.

The next meeting on the 12th November. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.16

A Parish Council meeting was held on Monday the 12th November when all councillors were present. The Chairman welcomed County Councillor John Blackie and Amanda Madden to the meeting. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising – Land in the village – A letter was received from The Yorkshire Local Council Association in response to the clerk’s enquiry. They need more information which we will provide, then they will pass this enquiry on to their legal department. Councillor Stubbs said he has lived in the village for 28 years, and in all that time no one has used the area of land. He has spoken to village residents, some of the senior citizens. They do not recall Mr. & Mrs. Collins using the area of land, or it being used by anybody for 50 plus years. The parish council Chairman, MR. Clark Stones can remember the wall enclosing the small area of land being built. He too cannot remember Mr. & Mrs. Collins using it. It has been overgrown with vegetation and ivy for many years. The clerk is to obtain a map showing footpaths in the village.

Affordable housing – Amanda Madden brought a form round to show councillors, this should be delivered to every address in the parish, to establish which residents have a need for affordable housing. Councillor Watkins has email addresses for a large number of residents; he has kindly offered to contact all he can by this method. The rest of the residents would get the letters hand-delivered by councillors. It is the parish council’s intention to see four family houses built on the site near the car park. We hope to move this forward in the next two weeks so Amanda can take it further.

Winter maintenance – salt heaps have been delivered to some parts of the parish. The salt needed for the gritting machine has not yet been delivered. We are no nearer getting a decent snow plough. Our contractor Mr. Robert Stones has been invited to look over some snow ploughs at the council depot. They are all broken. Councillor Blackie has been successful in getting the road to Marrick upgraded to a higher priority. This will be a great help to the residents up there to get ploughed out in bad weather. He has tried to get Arkengarthdale upgraded too, but up to now he has been unsuccessful.

Memorial seats – the chairman has been contacted by a gentleman from Kinninure; he would like to donate a seat in memory of his late wife. Councillors talked about a site along the Arkle Beck bottom. One area might be suitable, but it floods. It has recently been well and truly submerged. Councillors discussed the possibility of putting a new seat on High Green in place of a broken seat there. This was donated by Mrs. Stevens over twenty years ago. We have a London address for Mrs. Stevens; the clerk is to write to her and advise of the state of the seat and see what her intentions would be. Councillor Blackie said in some areas, when people donate a seat they are also asked to pay £100 maintenance fee, to be held by the parish council and used when needed for repairs.

Overhanging trees near the school – motorists are still complaining about the trees blocking vision, in particular for people who drive tractors. It was suggested the situation needs to be explained fully to the owner of the trees. Councillor Gale has kindly agreed to do that. As well as on approaching the road, there is also a problem, so far into the lane, an area where it could almost do with removing two trees to improve a blind corner. Problems at the Stang Road – Mr. Woodford replied to the clerk’s letter, he is aware of the difficulty of funding a proper repair on this road. He hopes in the future some money might become available to carry out such repairs. Councillor Gale has been working behind the scenes to try and get a more substantial repair done. The problem is lack of money.

Christmas tree lights – Councillor Stubbs said the lights need replacing, he will see to that. The tree the lights are fixed on is well spread out now; it is difficult to put a tall ladder against it.

Correspondence – The National Park Authority wrote to invite parish councillors to become Local Access Forum members. They also sent details of some meetings to be held in the near future. Councillor Stubbs is hoping to attend one meeting. A letter was received from The National Park Authority about plans to divert a footpath, number 42 near the church. This is in connection with putting a cattle grid in on that stretch of road. North Yorkshire Age UK sent details and a poster on the alternative travel voucher scheme.

Financial – R.D.C sent the precept form, which they need to have back much earlier now. The clerk has prepared a budget for the next twelve months. After discussion it was decided we would precept for £2,200, the same as last year. We have a healthy bank balance in case we had to have an election, which we would have to pay for. A cheque for £15 was issued to pay for the school for the previous meeting.

Local matters – the possibility of having a barrier erected outside the school gate was discussed. Councillor Gale said there are some sand bags in the car park. During recent heavy rain sand bags were needed up at Whaw. He suggested some could be stored in the disputed land area in Langthwaite and some should be stored in Whaw. Councillor Lundberg said the gutters near CB Yard on the left side need cleaning out. The clerk is to write to Mr. Woodford. Councillor Watkins said his telephone has been off for three weeks; he has contacted Mr. William Hague MP about the number of people who have problems with the phones.

The next meeting is on the 14th January. The chairman wished everybody a happy festive season. Thos concluded the business and the meeting closed at 10pm. A parish council meeting was held on Monday the 14th January, when apologies were received from Councillor Gale. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising:

Land in Langthwaite – we have not heard back from the Yorkshire Local Council Association where we asked for advice. The clerk is to write for an update.

Winter maintenance was discussed; it is very topical at the moment as we have frost and snow. On this occasion our local contractor was called out in decent time to salt the main road and it was kept open. We are no nearer getting a V plough that is in good condition. We desperately need one if we get very heavy falls of snow. The chairman said he spoke to a lady on the telephone at County Hall who was very helpful in supplying the gritter we have now. He has tried several times to speak to her on the telephone but has not been successful. It was decided to send a letter to her and see if she can help us get a decent snow plough.

Memorial Seats – the clerk said she wrote a letter to Mrs. Stevens who donated one of the seats on High Green, which is not now in very good condition. Mrs. Stevens contacted the clerk and said she will replace the seat with a new one. The clerk obtained some details from Sam Turners; councillors said a five foot plain slat would be suitable, to match the other seats on High Green. Councillor Lundberg said he will measure the existing seat exactly, then it should not be difficult to take down the existing one and put the new seat on the same base. The clerk will send Mrs. Stevens the details, and advise her on delivery to the dale.

Overhanging trees at Low Row junction were discussed again. Councillor Gale was going to have a word with the land owner, however he is ill at the moment and so Councillor Lundberg said he would call and see the owner. The possibility of passing these complaints to the Highways Department was discussed; that would be done if all else failed.

Christmas tree lights were very nice, very colourful. A letter will be sent to Mr. Smith and a cheque for £12 for the electricity used. Parish councillors put up the lights and thanks were expressed to all who helped.

Correspondence – the clerk wrote to the Rt. Hon Wm Hague MP about the number of people in the dale who have problems with their telephones. A reply was received from Mr. Hague, with a letter enclosed from the Executive Level Complaints BT Retail, who dealt with our complaint. They also mention in their reply the complaint received from our councillor John Watkins. He has also complained about the telephone and Broadband services in the dale.

Yorkshire Local Council Association sent legal topic note on members conduct and the registration and disclosure of their interest. RDC returned all councillors registration of financial and personal interest that our councillors completed. They are now kept in the parish.

Mr. Woodford replied to the clerk’s letter to say they will inspect the water seepage on the road near CB Yard and do the necessary repairs in due course. A letter was received from Kerry White about the rescheduled meeting to be now held on the 21st January. Councillor Stubbs is hoping to go to that. Citizens Advice Bureau wrote to ask if any member of the parish council would like to become a member of their board of trustees.

Financial – two cheques were issued, one for Mr. Smith for £12 for the Christmas lights and one for the school for £15. The clerk said she received an invoice from the school for £30, which was disputed. We pay them every month for the previous meeting. After much effort the clerk managed to trace the missing cheque for £15; it had been paid into the bank without marking it off as paid at the school. A day after our last meeting an invoice was received from Mr. Robert Baker for the grass cutting £210. The clerk consulted with the chairman and the other councillors; it was decided to pay Mr. Baker rather than hold his bill until today’s meeting. This cheque for £210 was then issued on the 24th November and is minuted in today’s minutes.

Planning – retrospective application R/01 124C for Hillside Farm South and application R/01/29D for alterations to the school have both been granted.

Local matters - Councillor Stubbs said a firm of scaffolders have erected scaffolding around a house in Langthwaite village and blocked a path around that property. Mr. Stubbs will provide an address for the clerk to write to the company and point this out. Two cars belonging to visitors to 2 Waterfall View were parked outside a property on the main road, near a bad bend; they partially blocked a footpath along there. Councillor Stubbs also expressed concern about the amount of water running down Booze road. The drains appear to take some water but not all of it. The clerk is to write to Mr. Woodford and advise him of this.

The next meeting is on the 11th March, which is the annual parish meeting. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.10

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 11th March 2013

A parish council meeting was held on Monday the 11th March 2013 following the annual parish meeting. Apologies were received from County Councillor Blackie and district and parish councillor Bob Gale, who is recovering from a serious illness. Councillors and the clerk wish him a very speedy recovery. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed.

Matters arising:

Affordable housing – this was discussed in some detail but due to heavy snow falls, Amanda Madden and councillor Blackie were unable to attend. This was then deferred until the May meeting.

Land in Langthwaite – the clerk said she rang the Yorkshire Local Council Association about a week ago to say that we had a meeting on the 11th March. Sheena Spence said we will get a letter before then. Unfortunately no correspondence came. The clerk rang again today before she went to work and left a message. Sheena Spence then spoke to Councillor Gale at his home. It was suggested at the meeting, since no response had come to the clerks letter to the solicitor when we asked for proof of ownership of the land, we should write to him again and say that since he did not reply to the letter, we will wait for two weeks for him to furnish us with some proof of ownership of the land, otherwise we will close the file. This was agreed as our next step.

Winter maintenance – there have been plenty of days when we have had severe frosts, icy roads and snowfalls. Residents in this dale are very lucky to have Robert Stones living in the dale and clearing the roads for the council. He does the main road and all the minor roads to all the hamlets, as well as the other roads in villages in the area around Reeth and further afield. Considering the very old snow ploughs he is using, he is doing a wonderful job and many people expressed their gratitude.

Memorial seats – the chairman said that Mrs. Stevens seat had been delivered to his house, ready to be placed on High Green when the old seat is taken down. Councillors Stubbs and Lundberg said they would do that. As the weather is now there is no urgency to do that just now.

Overhanging trees near the school – this is getting to be more of a problem and motorists keep complaining about it. Councillor Lundberg tried to speak to the owner of the trees but felt he had not made any progress. It was suggested we should write him a letter and point out to him that some trees need to be felled to solve the problem. As a last resort we need to ask the Highway Department to become involved*. It has emerged that Mr. Woodford from the Highway Department has retired recently. He has been in his job for many years and was at all times very helpful to the parish council. It was decided that a thank you letter should be sent to him and to wish him well in his retirement.

*Councillor Lundberg spoke with the owner on the 8th April and the offending trees will be dealt within 2-4 weeks, especially the ones on the west side in Bouldershaw lane

Correspondence – Some correspondence from Julia Mulligan, the recently elected Police and Crime Commissioner was received. There was a questionnaire included, which councillors completed. A letter was received from the Highway department, in reply to the clerk’s letter about the partially blocked drains at Booze. A letter was received from the Rotary Club of Richmond, to invite the parish council to enter a best kept village competition which they are organising. After discussion it was decided not to enter. The National Park Authority wrote to say their representative will come to a parish council meeting if asked. R.D.C. sent a letter outlining its policy for refuse and recycling collections in severe weather. The Spinal Injuries Association wrote to give details about its fundraising event on the 17th May by holding fish and chip suppers.

Planning – applicationR/01/105 C to erect a porch to replace the shelter at Mill Cottage, also application R/01/146A / 2B for the replacement of garage doors with windows at 1 Swallowholm cottages. The clerk wrote to support these applications after consulting the chairman. A letter was received from the National Park Authority to advise the parish council that they have given consent for the removal of one beech tree at number one, New Houses Arkengarthdale. They also sent the order for diversion of footpath, number 42.

Financial matters – three cheques were issued at the meeting, one for the school for £15, one for Mrs. Hutchinson for £35 as caretaker of the war memorial and one for the clerk for £920, which breaks down as follows: salary £650, fuel allowance £150, up by £10 and for next year’s expenses £120. The expenses for the year were £99.59. The clerk thanked the councillors for the increase in her fuel allowance.

Local matters – Councillor Lundberg said we should do any road resurfacing repairs on High Green any time now, but councillors felt it was too wet. It was agreed to discuss this at the May meeting, and then try to move it forward in summer.

Councillor Watkins said as well as there being no progress with Broadband, his telephone was out of action again. There were some complaints about cars parked on the roadside in bad weather, causing an obstruction for the snow plough and causing parking problems at school times, when parents bring and pick up children. The chairman will have a word with the residents concerned. The next meeting is on the 13th May, the AGM.

This Concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.40 Arkengarthdale Annual Parish Council Meeting 11th March 2013

The annual parish council meeting was held on Monday the 11th March 2013 when apologies were received from Councillor Bob Gale who is ill. He had intended to come to the meeting, but due to heavy snow falls he had decided against it. Councillors and the clerk wish Councillor Gale a speedy recovery. County Councillor John Blackie also sent his apologies.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read, agreed and signed. Matters arising:

Grass cutting – councillors were agreed that Robert Baker does an excellent job of cutting the grass and his charges are very reasonable. The clerk is to contact Robert and ask him to cut the grass again this year. There were no electors present and the meeting closed at 8.10