Nov 04

Burley Community Council

Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on Thursday 11 November 2004

Present: Mike Harris(MH); John Horton(JH); Fergus Johnson(FJ); Clive Myatt(CM); Sylvia Tilford(ST);Richard Thompson(RT); Tony Thompson(TT).

Also in attendance: Annette Wright, Ilkley Gazette)

In the chair: Bruce Speed

1. Apologies for absence: John Gundry(JG); Marjorie Hanbidge(MH); Caroline Jones(CJ); Ian Padley(IP); John Sparshatt(JS); Tom Sumner(TS); Mike Walker.

2. Minutes of the last meeting. These were accepted as a correct record and were signed.

3. Matters arising not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

Handbook: MH asked that members complete the checking of their sections of the Handbook by the next meeting. Earlier returns would be welcomed. To date £2000 of advertising in the Handbook has been committed.
BS thanked Chris Flecknoe, BMDC officers and others for their contributions to a successful Forum meeting.
Christmas lights: Installation has commenced and there was excellent progress last weekend. Work will continue over the next 3 weekends. Any request for additional funding support from IPC towards Christmas lights needs to be submitted by Monday November 15^th.

4. Correspondence

BS reported:

A letter from a resident in North Parade expressing concern about parking and seeking support for residents’ parking permits and for BCC to consult residents on their views. He has asked BMDC to explore the possibility of permits. BS has replied that the BCC Committee would not object to a review similar to the one that led to the disputed Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) for the village centre and indicated that the matter could be included in a Forum meeting. Consultation and consensus on this matter would be needed.
A letter from a resident in Greenfields Way asking that trees that obscure the lights on the footpath along Jumb Beck be cut back. This is a concern in other areas now that darker evenings are upon us. BS will write to Street Scene in whose authority the matter lies.
Newsletter of the Yorkshire Rural Community Council (October 2004) – passed on to the Parish Plan group.
Request, via MW, from the Governors of Burley Woodhead C of E School to support their application to have the footpath through their playing field closed. Dog fouling in the green areas is a hazard to the children and, while the school does not object to use of its play areas out of school hours by local children, it feels the best way to combat dog fouling is to close the footpath. BMDC is sympathetic and it would help if BCC were to support the closure. Access along the Jumb Beck footpath is an adequate nearby alternative. The Committee sympathised with the school’s problem with dog fouling but did not feel able to support closure of the footpath as a solution. It was suggested that the footpath could be re-routed and fenced off.
BCC has received a Diplome d’Honneur from the people of Tereli for our part in financing the public health project in the area. BS will make a frame for the certificate and arrange to place it in the library under the Tereli stick. A number of T shirts had also been received and Mary Wood has given one to Jon Snow who has continued to take an interest in the On-the-Line project. Tereli has had to take a number of actions to attempt to save this year’s crops from the locusts .

5. Treasurer’s Business.

MH circulated the joint BCC and BWCT Accounts Summary for October and made a number of specific points:

BCC Income:

The Roundhouse income is up now that classes are running in the Grange.

Appreciation for the donations towards the water feature and Christmas lights. Similar amounts have been received for both . The Scalebor pavilion contribution has been received from the Trojans Juniors.

BCC Expenditure.

Payment has continued towards the water feature although there are still payments to be made.. We are in a position to complete our current projects but may not be able to take on any further new projects this year unless additional income is secured. The request for a further grant towards the water feature from the IPC Awards Committee has been deferred to the February meeting in order to conform with Committee regulations.

BWCT Expenditure

The legal costs for the transfer of the pavilion have been paid. This month there has also been expenditure on signs for Scalebor and the Cornmill Pond, fire extinguishers for Scalebor pavilion and a lifebelt for the pond.

The total combined free funds currently stand at £10,205.

MH proposed that if there are any outstanding funds in BCC at the close of the financial year and the new parish for Burley goes ahead it would be nice to put signs in the village to mark the projects supported by BCC throughout its existence. The Committee supported this proposal.

TS has arranged for the electricity account for the village green to be sent directly to the Treasurer.

Burley and Menston Charities

CH reported.. There has been discussion of the impact of the proposed parish changes on this charity and suggestions made. It was the view of the BCC Committee that this is a charity in its own right and should not be affected by parish changes although the representation from councils may need to change – coming from the Burley and Menston parishes, rather than Ilkley.

6. Anti-Crime Partnership

CH represents BCC on this group. She reported that the first meeting of this Partnership which will meet every 3 weeks (see earlier Minutes) had been well attended. It had been a good meeting and CH felt that the community should benefit from this new initiative. The impact will be monitored with interest. Issues raised at the first meeting mostly related to Ilkley although there had been discussion of the problems in the Grange Road area of Burley (reported earlier). RT commented on the concerns expressed in Ilkley about crowding on pavements when the large number of young people leave Ilkley Grammar School at the end of the day. He explained that pupils are reminded by the school to be considerate. It was suggested that pupils could be represented on the Partnership Committee There were also some problems on the station in the evening but these were not linked to school pupils.

7.Current issues

7.1 Burley House Field

ST reported. JG has written to our 11 witnesses explaining the format of the Inquiry on January 25^th, and if required, January 26^th. Cross examination may be more intense than last time because of the conflict of evidence between ourselves and BMDC on the matter of hay-making during the last 20 years. He has also passed on to our barrister some further reflections on the evidence to be considered at the Inquiry.

7.2 Parish Plan:

PJ reported that 100 replies have been received, to date, to the Parish Plan questionnaire and that preparations are well in hand for the Parish Plan Consultative Jamboree on January 15^th in the Queen’s Hall. A press release on activities to date has been released. Currently the questionnaire is being seen as the first element of a two part inquiry with follow up interviews with a sample of 150 households in the New Year as the second part. It is important that the figures derived from the inquiry stand up to scrutiny. The questionnaire will also be distributed again with the January Bulletin. Software for the analysis of data has been acquired and can be made available to Ilkley and Menston if undertaking similar inquiries. Money to support the questionnaire exercise will be sought from the Community Chest. If sufficient time is available ST suggested that a small number of focus groups with children in the two village schools and with young people of secondary school age might be conducted as part of the consultation.

8. Reports from Sub-committees.

8.1 Local Government. Nothing to report

8.2 Planning.

John Horton reported on the application to demolish the garages at the Lawn. There was a need for garages by houses in the vicinity and the existing ones at the Lawn could be re-roofed in something other than stone slates and rented out. This point has been raised with Carol Bridges. It was acknowledged that currently the garages were in an unsafe condition and early action needed. The application for demolition could not be considered at the recent Ilkley Planning Meeting as it had not been made in the correct format.

8.3 SCAPAG. BS and CH were unable to attend the 3^rd November meeting at Wilsden Village Hall . However, we have been awarded £500 from the Environmental Services budget towards the water feature.

8.4 Projects. TS has reported that the electricity supply for the water feature has been installed and a meter is awaited. He has made provision for low voltage tree lights should these be set up in future. The cobbled area surrounding the wet area is in hand. Stone walls to support and protect the banks where water is drawn from the beck will be built before the contractors come to complete the installation.

8.5 Ilkley Parish Council Minutes: It appears that the ‘superloo’ is being disconnected from its present location in Queensbury but its transfer to Burley is not yet confirmed. Regret was expressed that it will not be in place by the time of the Christmas lights switch on.

8.6 Website: No report. Next meeting is on November 25^th.

8.7 Road safety: MW has said that matters discussed at our Open Forum in the October 21^st meeting were the main items raised so there is no further report.

Traffic counts have been taking place on the Burley by-pass. JS has proposed that BCC write to Leeds City Council about the dangers of the stretch of road between Otley and the Burley bypass.

8.8 Round Table.

FJ reported that the Round Table would be taking their float around the village at Christmas as usual. It was confirmed that we would be very grateful for the customary Christmas tree to go next to the Grange and for the sleigh for the Christmas Lights switch on. We would also appreciate it if the Round Table could provide a Santa for the sleigh. FJ was asked to liaise with Tom Sumner about delivery of the Christmas tree etc.
The Round Table party for senior citizens takes place on December 11^th. Names of people who would like to attend should be passed on to the Round Table. It was suggested that contact be made with the Open Door and the Luncheon Club. Guests will be picked up and taken home.

8.9 WRUG Nothing to report. The next meeting takes place next week.

9. AOB

The next BCC Coffee Morning is on 20^th November. The stall will be in aid of the Christmas lights and contributions for the stall were requested. TT offered to help.

TS has arranged for Jo Blythe, weather presenter on YTV, to switch on the Christmas lights.

10. Date of the next meeting. Thursday December 9^th at 7.30 in the Roundhouse

The meeting closed at 9.00 pm.

Sylvia Tilford, Hon Secretary s.tilford@btinternet .com