Minutes of the Full Council Meeting

(held Thursday 14 September 2006 in the Parish Rooms)

Commenced: 7.30pm – Concluded: 9.45pm

Present:

Cllr. Caroline Jones (Chair)
Cllr. Sylvia Tilford (Vice Chair)
Cllr. Keith Dale
Cllr. Kathryn Forrest
Cllr. John Horton
Cllr. Peter Jenkins
Cllr. Matt Palmer
Cllr. Peter Riley
Cllr. Mike Walker

Clerk:

Mrs Ann Saunders

95/06 Chairman‘s Remarks

Cllr Jones opened the meeting and noted that the issue of the Newsletter had been missed from the agenda and would therefore be added as an extra item.

96/06 Apologies for absence

None

97/06 Disclosures of Interest

Cllrs. Jenkins and Riley declared an interest in agenda item 15, Burley Bridge, as they are both members of the Burley Bridge Association and the Cllr Riley is member of the Ramblers Association also.

98/06 Public Participation

None

99/06 To Approve the Minutes of the Meeting of 10 August 2006

These were amended to add the words 'to remove' to the second sentence of the 4th paragraph on page 5. This now reads “Since the signs do not prohibit access BMDC does not propose to remove the signs”

The minutes were approved as a correct record and signed.

Proposed: Cllr Jenkins. Seconded: Cllr Dale

100/06 Matters Arising from the Minutes

Children‘s Play Area:

A letter had been received from Malcolm Wright stating that there would be a shortfall of £4,209, and asking the Parish Council to provide this funding. Work has already started on the play area and a decision on the request for funds would be made at the next Council meeting.

Queens Hall:

The provision of a broadband connection to Queens Hall had been satisfactorily resolved - Mark Davies has undertaken to arrange for the broadband connection to continue.

Burley Fountain:

No reply had been received from Tom Sumner regarding the schedule of maintenance for the fountain. It was agreed that a reminder letter should be sent.

101/06 Standing Orders

A copy of Ilkley Parish Council‘s Standing Orders had been circulated. Cllr Jones pointed out that all those in bold type were compulsory. Following discussion it was agreed that item 30 (the need to stand when addressing the meeting) should be struck out, and that the remaining standing orders should be broadly accepted subject to a formal review in 2 years time It was noted that document dates needed to be amended to reflect those of Burley Parish Council rather than Ilkley.

102/06 Budget

The draft budget had been circulated for discussion and formal approval. Income for 2006/7 totalled £49,900 (£3,000 from BMDC towards set up costs, £21,700 precept, £25,000 owing from Ilkley Parish Council, £200 SAP). Expenditure for 2006/7 was expected to be £21,136.

Cllr Jones confirmed that the £500 Chairman‘s allowance would only be used to offset any expenses she incurred on behalf of the council.

It was agreed that YLCA should be approached for advice on the auditing of the accounts, and that the money still owing from Ilkley Parish Council should be pursued.

The budget was then formally approved.

Proposed: Cllr Palmer Seconded: Cllr Walker

103/06 Insurance

Cllr Walker is awaiting a reply from Zurich insurance company. Once this is received it will be on the agenda for the next meeting.

104/06 Events

Following discussion it was agreed that the council should take part in Remembrance Sunday, and that a Civic Service should be arranged for January/February 2007. The Civic Service would take the form of a church service for the village with invitations to members of other districts and parishes, with an open invitation to the local community. An informal reception may then follow the service.

Proposed: Cllr Walker Seconded: Cllr Dale

The possibility of becoming more involved in the Christmas lights and associated fair would be discussed under agenda item 17.

105/06 Parish Plan Update

Section A - Traffic and Parking

was reviewed and actions achieved noted.

It was noted that the current roadworks on Station Rd made it difficult to comment on parking etc but that the situation on Prospect Rd was still unacceptable. Cllr Palmer informed the meeting that council officers were undertaking a full review of parking restrictions in the village over the next few months and that the Parish Council's views would be taken into account. It was agreed that a suggestion be made to restrict the number of hours that cars could park on Prospect Rd, thereby stopping all day parking.

106/06 Closure of College

Following discussion it was agreed that a pro-active approach needed to be taken if the Grange was to be retained for Community use and that a fully costed and viable proposal needed to be presented to the college as soon as possible.

A large number of possible uses for the building were considered, including:

· Adult education classes – lost as a result of closure of the Grange
· Nursery/ Crèche – lost as a result of closure of the Grange
· Privately run Classes
· A permanent office and meeting room for the Parish Council
· Workshops for small businesses
· Affordable housing – apartments on the upper floors

All of these possible uses of the building and any other unmet demand in the village needed investigating in terms of cost and viability. A capital cost would be involved in the project and grant funding would need to be investigated. The first steps would be to decide what the council is trying to achieve in taking control of the building and how this might be accomplished.

In order to take a detailed and fully costed proposal to the College as soon as possible it was agreed that professional advice and assistance should be employed. Given the need to act as quickly as possible Parish Council funds would have to be allocated to cover professional fees. Requests for professional help would also be put into the public domain via the Newsletter, local press, and by contacting those who had signed the petition against the closure of the Grange. The possibility of forming a Working Group to take the lead on this issue was also discussed, with its membership to be decided at a later date.

Bradford College had also written agreeing to re-instate the advisory committee. However its remit was limited and did not include looking at course venues. The committee is to include 3 students from the Wharfedale area and a member of the Parish Council. It was agreed that Cllr Tilford should be the Parish Council representative. Proposed: Cllr Jones Seconded: Cllr. Palmer A reply would be sent to the College to this effect and also suggesting that neighbouring Parishes should be invited onto the committee.

107/06 Newsletter

Cllr Walker had a list of current distributors and agreed to contact them to confirm that they were willing to continue in this role for the Parish Newsletter. It was noted that there would also be a small leaflet by Denis Warwick included in this month's distribution promoting his book.

Cllr. Tilford had received 3 quotes from local firms for the printing of the Newsletter. It was agreed to accept the lowest bid, which came from the current suppliers, Ellesmere Press at Skipton. The Newsletter is to be printed by 29 September.

108/06 Agenda for Neighbourhood Forum

The following suggestions were made for inclusion in the agenda for the Neighbourhood forum meeting on Thursday 19 October:

· Closure of the Grange
· Car Parking in the village
· Burley village Wildlife Group – Sun Lane and work undertaken on the grass verges.

109/06 Website

It was agreed that the Parish Council should have a page on the village website, www.burley–in–wharfedale.org, which would be kept updated for an annual fee of £100.

This would be reviewed annually.

Proposed: Cllr. Palmer Seconded: Cllr. Walker

110/06 Burley Bridge

A letter had been received from the Ramblers‘ Association answering some of the questions previously raised and seeking support for the bridge project. It was agreed that a reply be sent thanking them for their response but making clear that it would be inappropriate to comment on the details of their proposal as any future planning application would be subject to formal consultation.

111/06 Clerk‘s Matters

Approval was sought by the Parish Clerk to cover expenditure on:

· The book “Local Council Administration”
· SLCC annual membership
· A mobile phone to be the contact number for the Clerk until a permanent office was found
· A laptop computer

Three quotes were discussed and it was agreed to opt for one which was competitively priced and offered a local support service.

112/06 Contribution to Christmas Lights

A letter had been received from the Community Trust asking the Parish Council to meet the shortfall of £2,000 in the cost of this years Christmas lights. This included a one-off capital expenditure for the replacement of the scaffolding. It was agreed that this should be met but that the figure was based on the need for the extra capital and should not set a precedent for future years.

A letter would be sent informing them of this decision and also asking an input on the choice and colour of any new lighting.

113/06 Reports from Councillors on other meetings attended

Ward Tasking:

Cllrs. Dale and Riley attended a consultation event organized by West Yorkshire Police Authority (WYPA). The emphasis was on feedback re. Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Opinion on their effectiveness varied around the district but in Wharfedale they were judged to be a success. WYPA also sought views on replacing ‘back room’ officers with civilians. There would be no reduction in operational police officers, and there would also be a significant increase in Police Community Support Officers (PCSO). Representatives of the magistracy, parish and town councils, and local trade organizations attended the meeting.

Wharfedale Rail Users Group:

A separate report on this meeting will be distributed.

114/06 Correspondence

The following correspondence had been received:

a) YRCC – Notice of a regional event to be held at York Racecourse
b) KVS – A directory of infrastructure support organisations
c) Chamber of Trade – inviting a representative from the Parish Council. It was agreed that Cllr Walker would take up this role.
d) Shipley Area Committee agenda for the meeting on Wednesday 20 September

115/06 Schedule of Payments

It was unanimously agreed that the schedule be accepted.

Proposed Cllr. Palmer. Seconded Cllr Riley

116/06 Any Other Business

Cllr. Riley thanked Cllr Jones and Cllr Tilford for all the work they had done in undertaking the role of the Clerk until the appointment of Mrs Saunders.

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