Parish Council Minutes – 2013/14

13 May 2013 – AGM

13 May 2013

8 July 2013

9 September 2013

11 November 2013

13 January 2014

10 March 2014

10 March 2014 – Annual Parish Meeting Arkengarthdale Council Annual General Meeting

The Parish Council Annual General Meeting was held on Monday May 13 th 2013, when apologies were received from Councillor John Watkins.

Election of officers - Councillor Stubbs proposed and Councillor Lundberg seconded that Councillor Stones should remain as Chairman. Councillor Stones said he is getting old and feels he is not as sharp as he would like to be. All the Councillors assured him that he is an excellent Chairman and they would like him to stay on. Councillor Stones thanked the Councillors for their continued support in him and duly signed the acceptance of office form. He said he did not wish to claim an allowance.

Election of Vice Chairman – Councillor Lundberg proposed and the Chairman seconded that Councillor Stubbs should remain as Vice Chairman. He too thanked his colleagues for their support. It was decided the standing orders should remain the same. The dates of the next eight meetings were agreed as follows: 10June, 8 July, 9 September, 7 October, 11 November, 13 January 2014, 10 March 2014 and 12 May 2014.

The minutes of the previous AGM were read, agreed and signed. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 8.15 Arkengarthdale Parish Council Meeting 13 th May 2013

A Parish council meeting was held on Monday the 13 th May 2013, following the AGM. Apologies were received from Councillor John Watkins. Councillors were pleased that County Councillor John Blackie was re elected at the May the 2 nd election; they all wish him well.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved and signed.

Matters arising:

Affordable housing – due the forthcoming election, County Councillor Blackie was busy, but now that he is re elected, we hope in the near future we will be able to call on his help to move this forward.

Land in – After the last meeting the clerk wrote to the solicitor involved to ask once more for some proof of ownership of the land. If none was provided we would assume they have no further interest in the matter and we would close our file. A reply was received saying that the solicitor involved with this matter was on holiday and we would hear from him on his return. This was in the middle of March and no further correspondence was received. Councillors decided to leave the matter now.

Winter maintenance – after a very long and difficult winter, this subject was discussed in some detail. It seems the Highway department is planning ahead for next winter. There were some snow drifts in the dales in excess of twenty feet deep and some JCB’s were brought in to dig a way through these drifts.

Memorial seats – Councillor Stubbs took down Mrs. Stevens’ old seat on High Green put up the new one. The clerk advised Mrs. Stevens that her new seat is now in place. She is very pleased and hopes to come to the dales later this year.

Overhanging trees near the school – Councillor Lundberg said he had a word with the landowner in question, who said that he has a local handyman doing jobs for him and he would deal with the overhanging trees. He would need three to four weeks for the handyman to get to the job. After discussion it was decided if no improvement is made by the 10 th June meeting we will write to the Highway Department. Motorists are still complaining about the problem.

Repairs to the track on High Green - this is a job that needs to be done in dry weather. Various methods of repairs were discussed. It was decided to purchase one load of quarry waste; this will be spread over the track and a machine would be hired to hammer the gravel down. The whole area is inclined to be very wet, so it will not be easy to make a good lasting job.

Correspondence – a letter was received from AON, the insurance company that we insured with a couple of years ago. They offer generous discounts if we come back to them. Councillors looked at heir price and decided we were cheaper off staying with the Zurich insurance company. RDC sent details of the Local Plan Core Strategy Submission and Document Availability.

The National Park Authority wrote to advise us that our Area Ranger Mr. Michael Briggs is a key point of contact for the Tour de France. This will take place on the 5 th or 6 th July 2014. Financial – the clerk presented the end of year accounts with corresponding bank statements. Mr. Williams has been advised that the accounts are ready for him to inspect. He is on holiday at the moment but after his holiday he will deal with them for us. Three cheques were issued – one for £243.80 for the Zurich Insurance, one for the school for £15 and one for the Local Council Association for £107.00. This is for our membership for the year. The clerk said that £1100, 00 precept money had been paid into our bank account.

Planning – application R/01/105c for the erection of a porch at Mill Cottage has been granted. Application R/01/146A/LB for listed building consent for internal works and replacement of garage doors with French doors at 1 Swallowholm Cottages has been granted. Correspondence was received from the National Park Authority regarding the diversion of footpath number 42. They also wrote to advise the council that they raise no objection to remove one ash tree at Home Farm .

Local matters – Councillor Lundberg said the drain at the bottom of needs emptying. For more details contact Councillor Lundberg or Mr. Andrew Stones of New House, Arkle Town. Telephone 884397.

It was also reported to the council that the gate near Raw Bank cattle grid is broken. It is snapped at the bottom. This is in Parish, but it was decided the clerk should write to advise them of this problem. In its broken state it is allowing sheep through the gate.

The date of the next meeting is the 10 th June. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.23

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 8 th July 2013

A parish council meeting was held on the 8 th July 2013, when apologies were received from Councillor Watkins and County Councillor John Blackie. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising:

Winter maintenance – we are no nearer getting a steel V plough; we asked for this more than a year ago. It is absolutely essential that we have a decent snow plough before winter. It was decided the clerk should write a letter to Mr. Nigel Smith and express our deep concern over this lack of progress.

Overhanging trees at the school – Councillor Lundberg said he had marked some trees that were causing the problem; some will be taken out, others need pruning back. This work will be carried out shortly with the owners blessing.

Repairs to the track on High Green – This was discussed; it is scheduled to be done on the 14 th September.

Changes to the NHS funding were again discussed. They are to be phased in over seven years. Councillors felt that the seven years pass quickly. It was decided to write a letter to Mr. M.P. Councillor Gale said he was at a meeting at Reeth parish council when this subject was discussed. If the surgery at Reeth was to close, residents out of this dale would have to go to Leyburn, Richmond or . Apart from these places being much further away, in the winter Barnard Castle would remain inaccessible due to snow on the Stang. That only leaves Leyburn and Richmond.

Correspondence – a letter was received from the Butterwick Children’s Hospice, asking for a donation. The parish council no longer gives to charities, no matter how worthwhile the cause. A letter was received about the out of hours G.P. service at Catterick Hospital. Two Councillors had positive experiences there and commented favourably. A notice will be placed on the notice board, to give members of the public a chance to give some feedback.

Financial – a cheque was issued for £15 to pay for the school and one for £40 to “the dales football club”, Mr. David William’s chosen charity. Councillor Stubbs has kindly opted to take this to Mr. Williams. The CB seat maintenance tin was opened of £29.01; the clerk is to pay this into the bank and write a thank you letter to Mr. & Mrs. Cody. There were no planning matters to consider. The next meeting is on the 9 th September. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.07 Arkengarthdale parish council meeting September 2013

A parish council meeting was held on the 9 th September, when apologies were received from Councillor Bob Gale.

Our meeting was held following a meeting at the CB inn organised by parish councillor John Watkins and chaired by County Councillor John Blackie. A representative from BT Openreach attended the meeting, together with John Moore, Chairman of NYNET and County Councillor Carl Les, representing the National Park Authority. There were about 50 people there, decidedly unhappy about the repair times and maintenance of the telephones in the area. It was felt the BT representative got the message that people in the dale felt neglected. It is hoped that some good will come out of it.

County Councillor Blackie then attended our parish council meeting. The chairman thanked him and Councillor Watkins for all the hard work they have both put in to try and bring about quicker and more reliable repairs and also some improvement to broadband.

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

Winter maintenance – Mr. Barker of the Highways Department wrote to say the blades for snow ploughs had been delivered and one would be coming our way. This was at the beginning of August but no blade has arrived yet. The chairman said he would look into this to make sure that any equipment they send up here is suitable for the job.

Repairs to the track on High Green – The 14 th September had been mentioned to do the work. After discussion with councillor Blackie, it emerged that we might be able to claim a grant of £500 towards this work. It means delaying the work until the 5 th October. Councillor Lundberg has been in touch with the supplier of the materials, and the hire of the machines needed. He was thanked for his efforts. It will cost in the region of £5-600 to do the job.

Trees near the school – some work has been done and is satisfactory for cars, but tractors, being so much higher, still have obstructed vision. Councillor Lundberg said he will do some more pruning with the land owner’s permission.

Changing to NHS funding – a letter was received from Mr. William Hague, in reply to our letter. He shares our concerns and is making his colleagues in the health service aware of the problems this change would create. Councillor Blackie said he had a large number of councils get in touch with him on this matter, and is hoping there might be a change for small country practices to avoid closure. The National Park Authority also wrote a letter to the council expressing their concern about the threat of closing small surgeries in the countryside.

Correspondence – The Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan wrote to say they are looking for special constables to join the force. There was also a letter from the Police Response and Reassurance Directorate to bring us up to date with crime figures. They also outline some problems that occurred in the dale in the run up to Appleby Fair, in particular at Bainbridge. Mr. Norman Brown, who organised one of the tidy villages competitions, sent a list of entrants and the results. It was won by West Burton. A letter was received from the Highway Department about stones sticking out into the road on the Booze road; they will look into it. Part of the problem is that some of the offending stones are also part of the foundation of the wall. Financial matters – two cheques were issued, one to Mr. R. Baker for cutting the grass for £180, and one for £15 to pay for the school.

Planning – an application, R/01/147 was received for the conversion of the Old Butchers Shop in Langthwaite into a two-bedroomed dwelling house. An application, R/01/132A/OH was received, for Northern Powergrid to replace existing wooden poles between Reeth and Whaw. The clerk has written to support both applications.

Local Matters – Councillor Lundberg said that for a recent bicycle trial, blue and white ribbons were attached to existing poles in the dale to mark the course. Unfortunately, after the event these are not gathered up yet and look untidy. Councillor Stubbs said he would have a word with the organiser. Complaints have also been received about the litter deposited by cyclists riding through to Tan Hill and throwing away empty plastic drinks bottles and various wrappers as they ride through the dale. It was decided the clerk should write to RDC pointing this out; ask them to do a gather and take the matter up with the organisers. The street light near the church is not working. There is a hole dug by Morrisons in Langthwaite for the water authority; it is cordoned off and unfinished. There is a problem on the Stang Road where the Highway Department have recently done some work; heavy rain has washed the gutter out. All the above need reporting.

The next meeting is on the 7 th October.

This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.45.

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 11th November 2013

A parish council meeting was held on the 11th November 2013 when all councillors were present. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed.

Matters arising:

Winter maintenance – a snow plough is now ready for us to pick up at the Highway Departments depot.

Trees near the school – there has been some very effective trimming out of lower branches all along the footpath and round the junction. The parish council have received very favourable comments about that, but residents would like the work to continue right round to the end of the plantation. Mr. Ashley Markham of Cocker House wrote a letter to the parish council to that effect. After much discussion it was decided that the clerk should write to the Highway Department thanking them for their help in bringing this about, and ask for the inspector to come back and give advice about the rest of the overhanging trees. The parish council also received complaints about a tree planted close to the road in the garden of Lion House. This is now quite large and obstructs vision of motorists coming away from High Green to join the main road. This should be looked at by the inspector from the Highway Department, and advice given to make this junction safe. Things are further complicated at that junction by a number of cars that are parked on the left side as one drives up the dale.

Christmas tree lights – Councillor Stubbs said the lights can be switched on any time; it was decided to switch them on in December before the carol service in the chapel.

Correspondence – A letter was received from R.D.C about the new precept arrangements. The clerk was invited to a meeting where this was discussed in full. But she was ill at the time. She has been in touch with the department; the change that will be introduced is that the grant the government paid to the billing authority will change. We will discuss our precept requirements for the next year at the January 18th meeting. The National Park Authority wrote to say they are looking for new members to the Dales Access Forum membership. NYCC wrote to say that in order to achieve some £77m savings between 2015 – 2019, they propose to increase the charges for post 16 year olds from £360 to £480 per annum. A letter was received from Margaret Green about defibrillators which some parishes have been purchasing to hold in the parish. There was much discussion on this subject but it was decided that it is not a suitable option for our parish at present. Rural Action Yorkshire sent details of a credit based exchange scheme in the community.

Financial – a cheque was issued for £15 to pay for the school. Councillors agreed that there will be some expenses to pay for before our next meeting, in connection with the work on High Green. Councillors Lundberg and Stubbs were thanked for their efforts so far. It was agreed that the cheques can be issued when the work is completed and will be minuted in full after the January meeting.

Planning – Application R/01/132A/OH for replacing existing wooden poles is granted. Additional information has been sent regarding the application R/01/147 for the conversion of the old butchers shop in Langthwaite. Local matters – Councillor Lundberg said water is coming up from a blocked drain between Arkle Town and Langthwaite near the start of the iron rail fence. This runs across the road and towards Langthwaite and will be dangerous in icy weather. Councillor Gale said he had chased up the road repairs at Booze which are now completed. Thanks were expressed to him. The retaining wall at Booze in the area of Fairview House is down in many places. This has only ever been built with dry stones; it gets a lot of wear with more traffic now and also snow clearing in the winter. Councillor Gale said he would look in to this.

The next meeting is on the 13th January 2014. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.06 Arkengarthdale Parish Council meeting 13th January 2014

A Parish Council meeting was held on the 13th January 2014. Sadly, since we had the November meeting Councillor Gale has died. Before the council business, councillors observed two minutes silence as a mark of respect for Councillor Gale. There is now a vacancy on the Parish Council, which has been notified by RDC. There is also a vacancy on the district council, which is being dealt with by RDC. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed and signed. Matters arising:

The repairs to the track on High Green are holding out well. The invoices for some of the repair work are not yet in but will be paid in due course. So far we have paid £258.78 on the 18th November to Simon Winstanley.

Trees near the school – A reply was received from the Highway Department to the clerk’s letter. Councillors felt that we need a date when the rest of the trees in the plantation will be pruned back. There are also a number of other things that the clerk needs to write to the Highway Department about.

Winter maintenance - we have now got a new snow plough, after all this time.

Christmas tree lights – were switched on in mid December and looked very effective in spite of all the gales we had. Councillor Stubbs was thanked for his work; he said that the star at the top needs replacing for next year.

Precept requirements were discussed; it was decided to precept for £2200.00 in spite of the fact that we have a good reserve. We could have to pay out £1500 for a Parish Council election, e have to be prepared for that. The clerk said our expenses have been reduced by having cheaper insurance and having our accounts audited free of charge by Littlejohns. With Masons we had to pay.

Correspondence – Citizens advice Bureau wrote to introduce their new manager. The National Park Authority wrote to advise us of a motor rally on the 4th – 6th April, called the “Flying Scotsman”. More correspondence was received about the Tour de France later this year. This does not pass through our parish at all. The National Park Authority wrote and asked us to mark any green areas in the village of Langthwaite. After discussion it was decided to all our village green areas and post copies to them. Councillor Stubbs has kindly offered to do some photo copying of the conveyance of the village greens.

Financial matters – cheques were issued as follows: Arkengarthdale school £15, Robert Baker for grass cutting £210. Mr. R. Smith for power used for the Christmas tree lights £12. A cheque was issued on the 18th November for £258.78 to Simon Winstanley in connection with work on High Green. Some more accounts are outstanding for this and will be paid in due course.

Planning – application R/01/148 for the erection of a wind turbine at High Faggergill has been granted. The National Park Authority sent another copy of the application R/01/132B/OH for the replacement of the existing electric poles from Reeth to Whaw.

Local matters – there is a drain opposite Plantation Cottage at Stang Lane, which was blocked with leaves. On closer investigation it was found that there is an obstruction further in the drain, possibly a stone. A small amount of water can run past but when there is heavy rain the water runs on the surface and freezes, as happened on several occasions recently. This needs inspecting during heavy rain as it is alright the rest of the time. There is also a lot of water running down Whaw Lane and then freezing, causing drivers difficulty. The grit bins in Whaw are empty, also in Langthwaite. The road outside the church is in poor repair, this is the responsibility of the Highway Department; it needs resurfacing. At Booze there are a number of drains blocked, there was water freezing on the road recently making driving very dangerous. There is a self-seeded tree on the last bend up from Langthwaite, which has split during a recent gale. The part of the tree that fell away did not close the road. The part that is still standing is ready to snap at any time. This will block the road when it goes. It is marked in red. Please can you fell this part tree left standing there. There is also one more stone stuck out onto the road, which damages the sides of motorist’s tyres that needs dealing with. This is in the vicinity of the ramp leading to the footpath & stile on the left hand side as one is going up. The retaining wall between the two gates above Fairview House is down in several places. This was only ever built with drystone. There is more traffic on the road now as more permanent residents live there. Residents fear that with no proper retaining wall, the road will collapse in places.

The next meeting is the annual parish meeting on the 10th March. This concluded the business and the meeting closed at 9.12

Arkengarthdale parish council meeting 10 th March 2014

A parish council meeting was held on Monday 10 th March 2014, following the annual parish meeting. All councillors were present. It was our new councillor Paul Harker’s first meeting. The chairman welcomed him to the meeting and said he looked forward to his input on all parish council matters. The minutes of the previous meeting were read, approved and signed. Matters arising:

Winter maintenance – we have not had any snow recently, there have been problems with ice and blocked drains and gutters. These have been reported to the Highway Department and some have already been dealt with.

Overhanging trees near the School – the chairman was pleased to report to the council that the rest of the trees in the plantation have been cut back, and safety on that road is much improved.

Correspondence – A letter was received from the Highway Department in response to the clerk’s letter. The last paragraph of the letter dealt with the retaining wall at Booze, between the two gates at Fairview. They will carry out an inspection to the wall and the road and get back to us. Councillors felt if we have no reply by the May meeting we will chase it up. The dangerously split tree above Langthwaite will be felled. A letter was received from district Councillor Richard Beal, recently elected. He would like to attend one of our meetings soon. As soon as we know the dates for our next eight meetings we will pass them on to him. R.D.C wrote to ask if want to nominate somebody in the parish for an award. NYCC wrote to advise us of the local family history group day at Harrogate on the 15 th March. It was decided to pass this on to Mrs. Shirley Gale, who is involved with local history and archaeology. A letter was received from the National Park Authority to say one of their members would come to our parish council meeting if we wish. It was decided to ask for Mr. Harold Brown to come; he came to a meeting a few years ago. The National Park Authority also wrote asking the council to suggest any development sites for business and for elderly care accommodation.

Street lights – A letter was received from R.D.C to ask if we want to have our street lights turned off from midnight to 5am. It was decided to ask why the light in Arkle Town was not included on the list, also the light opposite the Methodist Chapel. Councillors decided we should put something about this on the notice board, so members of the public can express their views for our May meeting.

Financial matters – a cheque was issued for £15 to pay for the school. Also a cheque for £35 for Mrs. Hutchinson for materials used as caretaker to the war memorial. Mrs. Hutchinson has looked after the war memorial with dedication for many years. Unfortunately she now has a back problem, so we need to ask her if she can still do it. A cheque was issued for £925 for the clerk. This breaks down as follows: salary for the year £650, fuel allowance £175 and for next years expenses £100. The fuel allowance was increased by £25. The clerk thanked the councillors for the pay and for the increase in the fuel allowance. A bank statement was handed round; we have £4153.28 in the bank at the moment.

Planning – application R/01/1328/OH for replacing existing wooden poles and the wire conductors from Reeth to Whaw has been granted. Application R/01/21D to replace the wooden lunch hut with a stone built lunch shelter on Booze Moor has been granted. Application R/01/30D for full planning permission for change of use of agricultural land to domestic storage (retrospectively) at New Houses was received. The deadline for us to reply to this was the 5 th March. The clerk asked for this to be extended so it could be discussed at the parish council meeting; this was allowed. Councillors did approve the application on a split vote 2:1. However they are concerned with a number of inaccuracies in the application and a letter was drafted to the National Park Authority outlining these concerns. Councillor Stubbs declared an interest in this and therefore did not take part in the vote.

Local matters – it was mentioned that we have no flag pole in the parish, other than the one on the church. The possibility of acquiring one before marking the 100 th anniversary of the start of the first world war was discussed. It was decided it would be an expense in the future to maintain it in good order. Councillor Lundberg said a drain outside New House in Arkle Town is not working. It has been inspected but not cleaned. Councillor Harker said Beck Crooks bridge on the south side has suffered some damage where the mesh is washing out. He is quite happy bto take an inspector from the Highway Department there to show him the problem. Councillor Watkins said there is a problem between the two foot bridges near CB Yard. This needs to be brought to the attention of the National Park Ranger who can contact councillor Watkins to show him the problem. The area outside of CB Yard is badly churned up after a wet winter and vehicles pulling on to the grass verge. It was decided to discuss this again at the May meeting and see how it is best dealt with. There is a lot of water running down Raw Bank, in frosty weather this gets quite dangerous. As this is in Reeth parish, we need to advise Reeth parish council of this problem.

The next meeting is the AGM on the 12 th May.

This concluded trhe business and the meeting closed at 9.59

Arkengarthdale Annual Parish Council meeting 10 th March 2014

The annual parish council meeting was held on Monday 10 th March 2014 when all councillors were present. The chairman welcomed new councillor Paul Harker to the meeting. He wished him well and looked forward to his input on parish council matters. The minutes of the previous meeting were read, approved and signed. Matters arising:

Grass cutting – councillors were very happy the way Mr. Robert Baker looked after the village greens in the parish The clerk is to ask him to do the same for us this year.

There were no electors present and the meeting closed at 8.03