Issue No. 19 May 2011 Parish Council News Allerton Incinerator Chairman’s Report 2010-11 Village Clubs Village News Moor Monkton History Part 4 Church News Weather Watch Cover Photo: Barn Owl over Redhouse Ings Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 1 Parish Council The Annual Parish Meeting was held on the 10th of May prior to the Parish Council’s Annual Meeting and the subject of the Allerton Park Incinerator was again raised. Cllr John Savage gave the meeting a summary of the situation so far in that, although the PFI contract has been awarded to Spanish company Amey Cespa, the fight is not over – the scheme has yet to gain planning permission. It is hoped that the decision on planning will be ‘called in’ and determined by the Secretary of State rather than NYCC themselves. Cllr Savage pointed out the irony of NYCC making serious cuts to services when by using an alternative Italian waste system (already operating in Darlington) they could save £13.5 million and it would be better for the environment and health. The proposed waste system will cost every man, woman and child in North Yorkshire an extra £290 per year for the next 25 years! (See report on page 4) There has been virtually no interest in improving the village Farmwatch Scheme. If anyone wants Farmwatch news by email contact [email protected]. The Parish Council was criticised for increasing the precept during the current economic climate, but Cllr Gibbs pointed out that the increase was mainly to cover the Clerk’s salary and Cllr Kirkham also highlighted the need to build reserves for the ‘village plan’ both of which were discussed at the October meeting prior to deciding the precept in January. Election of Officers Peter Gibbs was re-elected chair of the Council at the Annual Meeting on 10th May and David Kirkham was elected Vice-Chair. Cllr. Gibbs gave the meeting a report on the past year in office focusing mainly on the less than adequate gritting and snowplough service the village received during the severe winter, something Cllr Leather is working on improving with the cooperation of other local villages. He also stressed the need to raise parishioners awareness of the potential impact of the proposed incinerator at Allerton Park, the Council have agreed in principle to support the fight against the incinerator financially but half of the battle is against public apathy and it needs residents to act by opposing the forthcoming planning application. Cllr Gibbs reported that Howard Christmas has regretfully had to resign as Parish Clerk for personal reasons and was pleased to introduce the new clerk - Iain Pickering. You can contact Iain on 01904 737688 or 07802 188107, the email address remains [email protected]. Highways The general view of those attending the meeting on 10th May was that the A59 resurfacing work had been completed efficiently and with minimum disruption to residents. Comments were made that traffic was now travelling faster due to the improved surface and road marking issues had not been dealt with satisfactorily for residents turning into properties within the traffic islands. These issues and others will be raised at a forthcoming Highways meeting. Cllr Savage requested that he be ‘copied in’ to any The shiny new section of the A59 at correspondence sent by residents, so he may assist. Moor Monkton 2 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 Finance The draft balance sheet was presented to the Annual Meeting and showed a surplus of £1996.86 for 2010-2011. The accounts will be subject to internal and external audit and available for public inspection in due course. Payments to YLCA (annual subscription), Richard Kay Charity (schoolroom rent) and the previous clerk were approved. Noticeboard Cllr Gibbs thanked Phil Woodhead for his work on repairing and improving the Lane End noticeboard, Phil has waived payment for his services but asked that a donation to charity be made in lieu. Dates of scheduled Parish Council meetings for the coming year are: 5th of July, 11th of October, 10th of January 2012 and 8th of May 2012. Elaine Hall Chairman’s Report 2010-11 After a relatively quiet year for the Parish, I can report that the Council has made good headway in the administration and general running of the Council business. This year has seen the post of clerk change on two occasions. Thankfully with the earlier formulation of risk assessment and the creation of an annual schedule, the two transitions have passed with relative ease. The role of the clerk also now incorporates the duties of “responsible financial officer” which adds to the workload but makes for a more organised approach. This extra work has been recognised in the remuneration – one of the reasons for the increase in precept. After a severe winter that tested the county’s responses, it was apparent that the needs of Moor Monkton fell on deaf ears with regard to gritting and snow clearing. Hopefully we can address these issues before next winter. On a positive side, the main A59 has finally been resurfaced and has made a big improvement to the quality of life for the residents of Moor Monkton. We still have a county issue with the incinerator at Allerton Park that is likely to culminate very soon. As a council we are in opposition to this project but for the moment we will have to wait and see how things progress. Major decisions made by Central Government are slowly filtering down to local level, such as the changes to Planning regulations so this coming year I feel we will have to be vigilant in order that we don’t miss out on opportunities and likewise be aware of what we may have to comply with. Peter Gibbs Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 3 Allerton Incinerator North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) have awarded the contract for disposal of our waste for the next 25 years to Amey Cespa and a processing plant and incinerator may be built at Allerton. We still await the planning decision but there is a growing tide of opposition to the whole plan. There is a feeling that the scheme has not been thought through clearly enough by NYCC and perhaps, if they had taken the time to look more closely at a neighbouring scheme just over the North Yorkshire border in Darlington, then their conclusions may have been different. In the Darlington scheme, which is much smaller, the waste is dried and then mechanically sorted into combustibles, recyclables and waste. The combustibles can then be taken to an existing fossil fuel power plant and burned to produce electricity and district heating while the residue waste is put into landfill. The problems of the Allerton scheme as highlighted by opposition groups are: 1. Too much of the waste will be incinerated leading to more pollution. 2. Allerton is in the wrong place. It cannot provide district heating to neighbouring industry and population centres as there are none nearby thereby making it inefficient. 3. The incinerator plant is very expensive to build. 4. The plant is over sized and will need more waste than North Yorkshire is projected to produce. 5. North Yorkshire is a large area and all its waste will have to be transported to Allerton, adding to the cost. The advantages of a plant like the one at Darlington are: 1. Being cheaper and smaller, several plants could be built to treat the waste nearer to its source. 2. More useful energy is generated per tonne of waste. 3. No new incineration plant would have to be built. The opposition groups estimate that a system like that at Darlington would actually save NYCC £13.5 million per year over the one proposed at Allerton (equivalent to £290 per person per year). Robin Gordon Dog Fouling A complaint has been made to the Parish Council about dog fouling along the grass verge on the village main street. Obviously this is something to be avoided as it is unsightly and poses a health hazard. If you do not clear up after your dog immediately in a public space you could be served with a £50 fixed penalty. It is possible that the culprit is a dog that has wandered unattended outside its owner’s garden in which case it can be impounded. To reclaim your dog it could cost £55 plus £7 per day kennel fees. So please clear up after your dog when taking it out for a walk and also make sure that your garden is secure so your dog cannot escape. 4 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 Church News It is with great sadness that I have to report the resignation of Rev. Paula Robinson, priest in charge of Moor Monkton Parish. Paula came to us in September 2009 and has been a joy to work with. Unfortunately her health has deteriorated during the time she has been with us and the stresses involved in being vicar of nine parishes has taken its toll. Our very best wishes go with Paula and we pray that she mends soon. Badgers have been in Moor Monkton Churchyard for some time but over recent months have become a serious problem and are now invading some of the older graves. Natural England have been consulted and, in consultation with them and a local badger group, it is proposed to try and move them on and protect the churchyard and the graves from further destruction. One grave that has had to be tended to over recent months is the tomb at the rear of the churchyard close to the badger activity.