Autumn 2020 newsletter Since our Summer Newsletter, there Your Town Council remains active From the Mayor have been positive developments and has played its part in Ilkley’s This autumn Covid-19 remains a daily in the local, district and national coronavirus response. Switching to source of anxiety and inconvenience, response to the virus. Public online meetings has enabled more as well as a threat to livelihoods. health officials have a more up to residents to hear debates and have It is difficult to stay optimistic, and date and precise understanding their say. We have reorganised to our thoughts are with those who of its spread. Bradford Council is try and listen to community needs have lost loved ones. I hope Ilkley working closely with Public Health more closely and respond to the can reflect with pride on everything England and key local partners to climate emergency more vigorously. we have achieved as a community deliver a co-ordinated response. Councillors and staff are identifying so far and find new strength to Local GP surgeries have been open and initiating new projects, working make the best of the months ahead. throughout, caring safely for local alongside some wonderful partners. We will continue to take individual patients and now providing flu With limited resources, we can only responsibility for the collective vaccinations to those that need be effective as a Town Council if welfare and safety of everybody them. Our businesses have continued we find out what local people care by understanding and respecting to serve us safely, investing and about, and work alongside you to the isolation and social distancing training to become Covid-secure. make a difference. I hope that you rules, wearing face coverings and Local organisations have found new will find these pages interesting, that uploading the NHS Test and Trace ways to engage online and in socially those working for the town will feel App. I know as a community we will distanced ways. Our schools have encouraged, and that more residents take every step we can to care for reopened their gates to all pupils may feel the needs of others, protect the NHS, and played an enormous role in inspired to let keep our schools open and support re-energising and supporting young us know what our economy and cultural heritage. people and their families. Thank you you want to to them all. see, and join us in working towards it! Ilkley Mayor, Cllr Mark Stidworthy. Ilkley Moor and White Wells. Autumn 2020 newsletter Ilkley Town Council www.towncouncil.ilkley.org | 1 The new Green Spaces, Environment Why has the Town Council and Sustainability Committee has responsibility across these areas. reorganised its Committees? The Finance, Assets and Amenity Committee ensures that the Council’s Ilkley Town Council has reorganised its Committees to be more focussed on finances are carefully but flexibly our priorities, more responsive in engaging with residents, and more flexible managed. This committee also in our use of public funds. We hope to serve residents better and make the oversees Ilkley’s public toilets and most of the talents and interests of Councillors and staff. the Jubilee and Christmas lights. Our Planning Committee continues to meet We want to hear your ideas about every three weeks, harnessing the local what matters to you. Councillor effort knowledge of Councillors to respond to and funds achieve much more when planning applications across the town. aligned with shared community goals. The new Community Engagement We hope the reorganisation will help and Partnerships Committee seeks to Councillors to focus on our key themes refresh key relationships, for example of community engagement and with Bradford Council, Ilkley BID and the environment. Funds previously Ilkley’s voluntary sector organisations. available through the Awards and We also want to build new Projects Committee are now divided relationships across Ilkley’s cultural between these two areas and remain and sporting life, and particularly concerns underline our desire to open for public application. with young people and their families. protect our environment, address the Climate Emergency, finalise Details of Committee membership can Environment and sustainability our Neighbourhood Plan and make be found on the Town Council website, were highlighted at the May 2019 progress on safe active travel and the and members will be pleased to Town Council elections. These Wharfedale Greenway. answer any questions you may have. Transport, roads and rights of way Ilkley Allotments As part of its reorganisation, the Active travel is an important aspect Ilkley Town Council has 159 Town Council recently set up a sub- of our remit. We work with the allotment garden plots which are in committee to work on these issues. cycling community to improve the great demand so only one allotment possibilities for cycling in and around per household is permitted. Tenants The sub-committee meets on a the town including the Greenway. must live within the Ilkley parish monthly basis. Regular items on our We are also starting to monitor boundary and be over 18 years of agenda include parking, car parks, pedestrian rights of way in the town, age. road safety, traffic issues, active to ensure that it is pleasant and travel including the Greenway, and convenient to walk around. It was fortunate that working on pedestrian rights of way. allotments was allowed during We welcome comments and lockdown and subsequent restrictions. The streets in the centre of the town suggestions from residents on any The present health crisis has added (The Grove, Brook Street and Railway of these issues and our meetings are new challenges, but also rewards, to Road) are regular items on the open to the public. Please contact the allotment holders, many of whom agenda, since developments on these Clerk to give your views or for further have had more time than usual to tend streets are fundamental to the way information. them. Gardening takes your mind off ▶ Ilkley develops as a whole. 20 mph zones in both Ilkley and Ben Rhydding are also an issue of specific interest. Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC) have recently produced plans for such zones and presented them to the Town Council for consideration. These are based on extensive infrastructure including traffic calming and signage and are expensive (around £200,000 in total for both schemes). The Town Council is currently in discussion about these proposals with BMDC and looking to Typical traffic congestion on the Grove. see if there are cheaper alternatives. 2 | www.towncouncil.ilkley.org Ilkley Town Council newsletter Autumn 2020 Focus on the Green Spaces, IYCA at Little Lane Environment and Sustainability Ilkley Youth Club Association became a charity in 1996. We took over the Committee Children’s Centre at Little Lane when a nursery school closed. This The Green Spaces, Environment and with our Climate Emergency part of the centre is now occupied Sustainability Committee oversees Declaration ambitions before by All Saints Pre-School. The cost and supports the work of three sending it to Bradford Council for its of converting a council gardener’s subcommittees: Climate Emergency consultation in November and then garage to a youth club was funded by Declaration; Transport, Roads and on to inspection and referendum in local people and local professional Rights of Way; and Allotments. The May 2021. bodies. We now pay a low rent to the Ilkley Neighbourhood Development council for the building. Throughout, Plan working group also reports • Making representations to the all our efforts have been to maintain back to this Committee. government’s ‘Planning for the council youth services in Ilkley. Future’ consultation about the At the heart of our work is a concern need for urgent and ambitious On Monday nights we host LS29. This to help us all reduce carbon emissions national planning legislation is a group for local resident families across the town in the face of the to ensure zero carbon, energy who have children with additional climate and biodiversity crises. Here efficient and affordable new needs. It offers support, activities and are some ways we are working to housing. fun, and provides a social network for support the sustainability, climate sharing experiences and knowledge and Covid-19 resilience of our local • Promoting healthy streets and with other parents, together with community. safer walking and cycling by activities for children and their working to support the Wharfedale siblings. Wednesday night is a full • Partnering with Climate Action Ilkley Greenway and 20 mph zones in youth club night. On Friday IYCA fund to deliver an Ilkley Town Council Ilkley and Ben Rhydding. (with Ilkley Town Council support) a sponsored scheme of specialist session to assist school transfer to training for building professionals • Working to identify more space for upper school, to help youngsters on a SURE Insulation approach to allotments and local food growing. assimilate into upper school. This ‘Super Insulation and Air-Tightness’ session also runs as a youth club for appropriate for existing properties • Continuing to work closely with other young people. We believe this in the town to reduce carbon Climate Action Ilkley, local residents helps reduce tensions and has reduced emissions and fuel bills. and voluntary groups on the Ilkley anti-social behaviour in the town. Sustainability Plan. • Ensuring the Ilkley Neighbourhood With the help of local sponsors Development Plan is consistent Councillor Ros Brown, Chair (including Ilkley Town Council this year) we run the Summer of Fun events, involving ‘Clip n Climb’ and and keep it in good order. Now that the Youth Service. Covid-19 has made the crisis has eased, the Tenancy this year difficult. We ran two of the Agreement T&Cs will be applied, so planned three sessions, the third that neglected plots will be released having to be delayed.