Arkengarthdale Parish Council Minutes – 2016/17

16 May 2016 – AGM

16 May 2016

11 July 2016

12 September 2016

7 November 2016

9 January 2017

6 March 2017

6 March 2017 - Annual Parish Meeting parish council annual general meeting

The parish council AGM was held on 16th May 2016 when all councillors were present.

Election of officers: Councillor Watkins proposed and councillor Harker seconded that councillor Stubbs should remain as chairman. He duly signed the acceptance of office document and thanked the councillors for their support. Councillor Stubbs did not want to claim a chairman’s allowance. Councillor Lundberg proposed that councillor Stones should remain as vice chairman. Sadly councillor Stones was not able to accept this, he felt it was now time to hand over to a younger man. Councillor Watkins then proposed and councillor Harker seconded that councillor Lundberg should be vice chairman. It was decided that standing orders should remain the same. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. The six dates suggested for future meetings are as follows: 11th July, 12th September, 7th November, 9th Jan 2017, 5thMarch and 14th May. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at18.07

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 16th May 2016

A parish council meeting was held on Monday the 16th May 2016 following the AGM. All councillors were present. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising:

Proposed works on the banks of the Arkle Beck – The chairman welcomed Mr. Michael Briggs to the meeting. They have had a meeting on site earlier and now Mr. Briggs was able to give a much better opinion on what sort of repairs need doing. Councillor Lundberg said there was also a problem a bit further down. They had a duck race there recently and on retrieving ducks from the river bank, found some big holes in the wall. It was decided that this repair would be added to the other and done at the same time. Councillors decided that before they can ask for contributions from the surrounding land owners they need a figure of cost. The National Park will contribute to this repair because it is a bridleway. The water authority use the road almost every day to go to the sewerage works but they are not being very helpful. There would be extra costs to add to the repair because some materials would have to be delivered away from the site and then be transported there. Mr. Briggs said he is very happy to provide specifications, oversee contractors and help in any way he can but he would not be able to chase in contributions. Upon further discussion by councillors, it was decided that the parish council could bear no financial responsibility for the repair of this or any other bridleway but would determine how best to assist in other ways and discuss further at the July meeting.

Sale of the chapel – The chapel is on the market, the price is more than £80,000 now.

The rough area near St. Mary's church – We have found nobody who is prepared to rake on the responsibility of repairing that area. The Duke of Norfolk is quite sure it is the county councils responsibility. A deep hole opposite the church's gate was repaired by their engineer on inspection but not the rest. The gamekeepers have done some minor repairs there, which is a help and is appreciated. It was decided since we have explored all possibilities to get it repaired without the outcome we had hoped for, we have to leave it for now.

Defibrillators – they are both ready to use and there will be a talk on how to use them next week at the CB Inn. A letter was received from Diane Coleman thanking the council for the donation and the help.

Correspondence – a letter was received from RDC advising the council that there is going to be a charge of 20p to use the toilet in Langthwaite. Councillors were not pleased with this news but felt that due to savings that have to be made, we have to accept it. A letter was received from Mr. Norman Brown of Richmond Rotary, inviting us to enter the tidy village competition. It was decided not to enter. A letter was received from Mr. Martin Sunderland who is now organising the poppy appeal.

Financial – Councillors were shown the end of year accounts which have already been audited by Mr. David Williams. The correct portion has been sent to Littlejohns as an outside auditor. Three cheques were issued, one for £15 for the school, one for £251.85 for the Zurich Insurance, and one for £50 for Mr. David Williams. He does not charge us anything for doing the accounts but accepts a donation for the Two Dales Football Club.

Planning – application R/01/56B for full planning permission for erection of sun room to replace existing conservatory has been granted

Local matters – councillors said there was an incident on the hillocks where a car was burnt out. The wreck had been moved but all the broken glass is laid there. It seems nobody is responsible for clearing this up as it is on private land. The clerk said the dustbins outside Lion House are still permanently on the road, right out on the tarmac. After numerous phone calls and letters to the right department, they remain there.

The next meeting is on the 11th July.

This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.31

Arkengarthdale Parish Council Meeting 11/07/2016

A parish council meeting was held on the 11th July 2016, when apologies were received from District Councillor Richard Beal and councillor Paul Harker.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed.

Matters arising:

Proposed works on the bank of the Arkle Beck – The chairman had two quotes for the works, these were looked at in detail. It was considered that if at all possible, the work should be done before winter. The chairman and councillors have worked very hard behind the scenes, talking to individuals and organisations that use the track for access. The cost will be just over £10,000 plus VAT. With different amounts of money that have been pledged, there will be a shortfall of approximately £7,000 plus VAT. It is now possible to advise local land owners and road users of this, so that the cost can be divided amongst them. The parish council cannot make a financial contribution towards this; it is a bridleway, which is why the National Parks are involved. The parish council will assist by negotiating with the contractor who gets the job and liaising with all the road users and land owners concerned. The project going forward is subject to sufficient contributions from interested parties.

Sale of the chapel – There was no more information on this subject. The chapel is for sale but the parish council is not involved and we will not put it on the agenda in future. chapel is closing next month and will presumably, also come up for sale.

Correspondence – A motor rally event will go through the dale on the 12th – 16th July.

A letter was received from NYCC to advise us on road closures in the area for repairs.

A letter and poster were received about changes to be introduced to the waste recycling programme. There will be shorter opening hours at recycling depots and charges will be made for tyres.

A letter was received from RDC to advise us that a meeting will be held on the 27th October at Mercury House to outline changes in the precept arrangements.

Financial matters – A cheque was issued for £15 to pay for the school.

A receipt was from the Zurich Insurance Company

Planning – Letters were received for the National Parks to say that proposed works at Low Lock Slack House and at the Old Chapel at Whaw have been granted.

Application R/01/133A for alterations at Spion Kop House has been received. The clerk is advised to write and support the application.

Local matters – There are some potholes outside the church and a dead tree at Eskeleth is in danger of breaking up. A large branch has broken off it and the tree should be taken down. The chairman is going to speak to the National Park Warden shortly, he will mention this to him.

The next meeting is on the 12th September.

This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.14

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 12th September 2016

A parish council meeting was held on the 12th September 2016 when all councillors were present. The chairman also welcomed county councillor John Blackie and district councillor Richard Beal to the meeting.

Matters arising: Councillors discussed progress with the project of repairs to the banks to the Arkle Beck. It seems the service providers, namely the water authority and the electricity board are the hardest to deal with. They use the road most frequently and have the heaviest vehicles. There is going to be a charge of some £2000 plus VAT on the total repair. Councillor Blackie said the parish council should be able to reclaim the VAT and this would reduce the price per road user considerably. Letters have been sent out to interested parties about contributing to the track repairs and some replies have been received. The parish council are looking into the possibility of reclaiming the VAT on the total account.

The chairman and councillor John Watkins reported on a meeting they had with Richmond district council with Chief Executive Tony Clark in the chair. District councillor Richard Beal also attended. The subject to discuss was the proposal to build four houses on the car park field. They reported to the council that they had a good meeting and were pleased with the outcome so far. It was decided to follow this up with a meeting with the National Park Authority. Councillor Beal has kindly offered to organise this meeting at Bainbridge, to be attended by parish councillors and county councillor Blackie. There is a need for affordable housing in the dale, and this has had a direct result of young families leaving the dale. There is concern that the children at the village school now only number thirteen, which means there is a risk of the school closing in time. Councillors felt that the issue of affordable house building needed to be treated seriously and with some urgency. There were examples like Keld, where in the last decade the number of residents has gone down and properties have become holiday homes, leading to a decline in all round services.

Correspondence – a letter was received from the Highway Department outlining it's road repair and maintenance programme for the next twelve months. There are some repair jobs listed between Reeth and Langthwaite, also some resurfacing work. A letter was received from Richmond Citizens Advice Bureau, outlining how many people they have been able to help and asking for a donation. We also received a letter from Friends of George Walker House. They look after people who suffer from dementia in the area. They rely entire on raising their won funds and also asked for a donation. It has been parish council not to send any donations as the precept is not our money to give.

Financial – a cheque was issued for £15 to pay for the school. Bank statements were received and a letter to advise on interest rate changes on the account.

Local matters – Councillor Beal brought a notice for our board advertising a meeting to be held at Reeth Memorial Hall on the 21st September at 7pm. On the agenda are: reviewing the 24/7 accident and emergency, maternity and paediatric services at the Darlington Memorial Hospital. These services are now under threat. Councillor Blackie said when this happened at the Friarage, the alternatives that were offered to soften the blow have now been withdrawn. The emphasis seems to be to channel patients to James Cook Hospital at Middlesbrough and to Durham Hospital. Both are 50-60 miles away from the upper dales. Also at the meeting Mr. Richard Marr will discuss local highways issues and gritting in the upper dales. Also on the agenda is an update on various upper dales prImary health care issues by Dr. Michael Brooks.

The next parish council meeting will be held on the 7th November. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 10.03 Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 7 November 2016

A parish council meeting was held on Monday 7th November when all councillors were present. Apologies were received from district councillor Richard Beal. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising: Work on the bank of the Arkle Beck – work started and progressed very quickly. Villagers started work on the Saturday, preparing the beck edge ready for the contractor to commence work on the Monday. Mr. Michael Briggs came to one of our parish council meetings, and was very positive and helpful from the start. He was there throughout the work, and the National Park Authority contributed generously to the cost. It was decided to put together a thank you letter for the Darlington and Stockton Times. Councillors said in view of the weather being so kind to us it was good to proceed with such speed. They are very pleased with the final outcome and thank everyone who came to give a hand. The job was completed on time and in budget. The contractor Mr. Peter Iveson made an excellent job and is thanked for his thoughtful approach to his work.

Councillor John Watkins has put his name down to become an elected member of the National Park Authority, to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of councillor Harold Brown. Councillor Watkins went to Bainbridge to a hustings; there are three other candidates on the list. Our council supported councillor Watkins and the papers will be posted after the meeting.

The possibility of building some houses on the car park land – there has been no progress since the last parish council meeting. The chairman attended a meeting at R.D.C where the matter was discussed. Councillor Watkins has agreed to chase things up.

Christmas tree lights – the chairman said they will be put up in due course, it's all in hand.

Correspondence – RDC wrote to say they would like to have our precept requirements before we have our next parish council meeting, so they were discussed in some detail. Councillor Lundberg said that since we are responsible for the track on High Green, we need to be mindful that at some point money needs to be made available for this. The parish council would only need under £2300. Councillor Harker suggested that since we have had such a steady requirement over four years, it might be a good time to ask for an extra £100 this year and in the future to build up a little reserve for jobs like the maintenance of High Green. After discussion it was decided to precept for £2300. Since 2008 we had set the precept for four years at £2000, and then at £2300 for five years.

We received a letter from R.D.C about BT wanting to remove redundant kiosks in the area. We have two kiosks in the parish and both are still well used. From the one at CB Terrace 44 calls were made and from Langthwaite 73. For some time the latter was out of order. It was reported and repairs were promised. Since mobile phone reception in the dale ranges from poor to non existent, the phone boxes are very important and a reply was sent to ask for both kiosks to be kept going.

Financial – a cheque was issued for £15 for use of the school and one for £17 to pay for the poppy wreath.

Planning – permission was granted for the three day motor cycle trial R/01/128B. Application R/01/148A for the conversion of a barn on Bouldershaw Lane to form a dwelling for for occupation by a rural worker was received. The clerk wrote to support the application. Alterations at Spion Kop R/01/133has been granted. Application R/01/133B for change of use of agricultural land to domestic curtiledge at Spion Kop was received. Letter will be sent in support.

Local matters – Councillor Lundberg reported a wall that was knocked down in Arkle Town about three weeks ago. It happened on a Friday and it was possible the bin wagon but we are not sure. It's a Highway matter and needs to brought to their attention.

The poppy wreath will be laid on Sunday at the war memorial by councillor Watkins.

The next meeting is on the 9th January 2017. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.20.

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 9th January 2017

A parish council meeting was held on Monday 9th January when all councillors were present. Apologies were received from County Councillor John Blackie. District Councillor Richard Beal was welcomed by the chairman.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising:

The possibility of building affordable houses on the car park land was discussed in great detail. Our chairman together with councillors Lundberg and Watkins attended a meeting at RDC where this was discussed. The latest news was that there is some new government funding available for affordable homes, however this was only for larger communities and groups that could take full control of the projects. This would not be suitable for Arkengarthdale. Richmond Council are continuing to look into the viability of our project and will let us have an update before our next meeting in March.

Damaged wall in Arkle Town – the clerk said she had reported the damage in November but nothing had happened despite promises that the wall would be inspected and repaired. The clerk will chase this up.

Work done on the bank of the Arkle Beck – councillors were pleased with the work and the speed in which it was carried out. Thanks were expressed to the contractor Peter Iveson for his efficient service; also to Michael Briggs from the National Park, for his help at the start of the project and throughout the work. Thanks were also expressed to all those who helped and those who contributed towards the cost.

Correspondence – RDC wrote to say that the new times and days for the refuse collections will begin after the 16th January. This is to save money and reduce the number of vehicles needed. Every household will be notified individually. The result of the election for a parish representative on the National Park was advised. This was won by Mr. Allan Kirkbride. The Yorkshire Dales National Park sent a statement of adoption for the local plan 2015-2030. A number of changes were introduced at the suggestion of the inspector, Mr. Simon Berkely, who was appointed to assess whether the plan was sound. The 2016-17 register of electors was received. A letter was received from BT about the two telephone boxes in the dale. They were making arrangements to have them removed. After consultation with the chairman, the clerk wrote again to Mr. Featherstone at RDC to protest. Councillor Beal said that BT has now withdrawn the threat of removal and that should hold for around another five years.

Financial – Cheques were issued as follows: £15 for use of the school room, £12 to Mr. Richard Smith for use of his electricity for the Christmas tree lights, £696 to Mr. Peter Iveson for the work carried out along the Arkle Beck and £60 each to Messrs Trevor Atkinson and Simon Atkinson for the rebuilding of a wall along the Arkle Beck. On the 15th November, soon after our final PC meeting of 2016, an invoice was received for £375 from Mr. Robert Baker for the grass cutting and this was paid promptly. Thank you letters will be sent to Mr. Richard Smith and Mr. Robert Stones for helping the chairman with the tree lights and some pruning work on the tree.

Planning – The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have approved the application for the three-day motor cycle trial until the 30th September 2021. Applications were received for alterations and to change the windows at Plantation Cottages, Stang Lane, Langthwaite – R/01/30F & R/01/30G/LB. This property belongs to our chairman's family and so he declared an interest and took no part in the discussion. A similar application was received for the adjoining property, Watsons Cottage, Plantation Cottages, Stang Lane, Langthwaite – R/01/30E/LB. The clerk was asked to write to the planning department in support of the applications.

County councillor John Blackie has advised that he has a small amount of money that could be made available to support any suitable local projects. Councillors will investigate potential projects where some of the money could be used.

The date of the next meeting is the 6h March.

This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.15

Arkengarthdale parish council

A parish council meeting was held on Monday 6th March 2017 when apologies were received from councillor Clark Stones, district councillor Richard Beal and county councillor John Blackie. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. Matters arising:

The possibility of building affordable housing on the car park and was discussed. RDC sent a detailed letter about the present position including the likely costs. Councillors debated the potential take up of any affordable homes and the type of families preferred.

Wall down in Arkle Town – the clerk said she had telephoned to chase this work up, only to be told that they could not advise when this would happen.

Financial – Three cheques were issued, one for £15 for use of the school room, one for £35 for Mrs. R. Hutchinson for materials she uses in her care of the war memorial and one for the clerk for £950.This covers £675 for her annual salary, £175 for travel expenses and £100 for general expenses. The clerk thanked the councillors for her payment.

Planning – application R/01/133B for Spion Kop House Whaw, for change of use of agricultural land to domestic curtelidge has been granted. Application R/01/152A was received for full planning permission for the erection of a single storey to form a workshop at Town End Whaw. A letter was received from the National Park regarding the planning application for the barn on Bouldershaw Lane. There is a planning committee meeting on 14th March which our chairman and councillor Watkins hope to attend and speak in favour of the application, which is recommended for rejection by the National Park. Note – the councillors did attend and the application was approved by nine votes to 1.

Local matters – councillor Watkins has been in touch with the Highway department about problems with the roadside at Whaw. This is being monitored on a monthly basis until permanent repairs can be carried out in the new budget term. Councillors also discussed problems on the Stang road where the tarmac is badly washed out at the side of the road and the culvert is blocked with a large stone. The clerk has received complaints about the lack of gritting on the Durham side of the Stang road. This is a potentially dangerous situation which needs to be addressed again. There is a problem with Yorwaste bin bags being left on the verge outside the entrance to Swallowholm and remaining uncollected. This is both an eyesore and a potential health hazard and RDC's environmental health will be notified. There is also a problem with the bins allocated for Booze residents which are being used by people in holiday cottages

The next meeting, which is also the AGM, is on the 15th May. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.17.

The parish council annual meeting was held on the 6th March 2017, followed by the March parish council meeting. Apologies itemised in the minutes for the latter.

The minutes of the previous annual meeting were agreed and signed.

The grass cutting for the year ahead was discussed, councillors are very happy with the way Robert Baker looks after the village greens, therefore the clerk is to write to him asking him to cut the grass during this coming season.

There were no electors present and the meeting closed at 8.05