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Minutes of the Town Council meeting
held on Monday 18th April 2011 at 7:15pm
in the Annexe Thirsk & Sowerby Town Hall.
Present:
Cllrs: D. Adamson (Chair), C. Hesmondhalgh, J. Marshall, A. Morton, C. Pack, M. Penson, F. Roberts, J. Watson.
Apologies:
Cllr J. Jackson (out of country), A. Robinson (other engagement)
326. Police Report
Cllr Dadd advised that he had been contacted by the Police who could not attend the meeting due to a large accident. He advised that the Police had three suspects in relation to the spate of graffiti in the Town.
Cllr Watson noted that the Police and HDC Street scene had been very pro-active in this matter. She hoped that the public would be vigilante and report any instances to the Police.
327. Reports on Matters Relating to Thirsk
327.a N.Y.C.C
Cllr Dadd advised that D.Law the Director of ACS was retiring and the new remit would include both health and social care.
Cllr Dadd expressed his best wishes to Cllr Jan Marshall and thanked her for all the work she had done in her time as a Councillor and particularly as a Town Councillor. He noted that she had always acted decently and that she was leaving the Town ‘a lot better’ for all her efforts.
327.b HDC
Cllr Adamson advised that the Town Council was losing three existing Councillors two of whom had a long service with the authority.
Cllr Carol Pack had been a Councillor for nearly 12 years , since May 1999, and had been involved in many things not least the formation of Thirsk in Bloom and subsequent floral transformation of the Town and success in the Britain in Bloom competition.
Cllr Pack advised that she had enjoyed every minute of her time with the council and that it had flown by.
Cllr Adamson referred to Cllr Jan Marshall and noted that he did not know where to start.
He advised that she had been on the Town council for 20 years and been responsible for and involved in numerous projects including East Thirsk Community Hall, the Millennium Green and more recently the Sensory Garden. Cllr Adamson noted that ‘Jan’ in true character had put her family before herself and he wondered who would be able to fill ‘all the slots’. He concluded that she would be sincerely missed.
Cllr Marshall remembered some of the activities that had occurred and the history of the Town Council. She advised that it had been an honour, a privilege and a joy to have been a Town Councillor for 20 years and to have helped achieve improvements for Thirsk.
The meeting extended Cllr Marshall and Cllr Pack best wishes for the future.
328. Minutes
328. a Town Council Meeting held on 21 March 2011
Resolved: that the minutes of the Meeting of the Town Council held 21 March 2011 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair subject to the amendment of Minute no.318.b to read ‘Committees from three to two’.
328. b Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Town Council Meeting held on 21 March 2011
Minute no. 304.b HDC
Cllr Adamson advised that HDC was to pursue legal action to facilitate the removal of the fences on the riverside path.
Minute no.322.b Land at Norby
Cllr Marshall advised that she and Cllr Hesmondhalgh had visited the site and they had noted that thre were a lot of car with no garage facilities and that the local children played on the street. It was considered that the land would be suitable for the provision of a young children’s play area.
Minute no.322.d Planning Application – Carlton Miniott.
Cllr Adamson advised that a site visit was to be held in May.
Minute no.325 Millgate Public Conveniences
The Meeting was advised that HDC had now included the additional land required with the exception of the footpath.
Resolved: that the Town Council accepts the transfer of the land and property in accordance with the terms previously specified.
329. Committee Minutes and Reports
329. a. Planning Committee
The Meeting received the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 4 April 2011.
329. b. Sensory Garden Working Party
The minutes of the working party held on 21 February and 21 March were received.
Cllr Marshall advised that Cllr Hesmondhalgh and she had now judged the poetry competition and that it was intended that lines from poems would be placed on seats and planters.
Cllr Hesmondhalgh advised that Cllr Marshall had offered to continue in a consultancy capacity on the Working Group until the project was finished subject to Town Council approval.
329.c. Open Areas
Cllr Marshall advised that the Open Areas Committee had considered the tree survey and had agreed with the recommendations which included coppicing and felling of certain trees.
It was noted that each committee needed to include their recommendations for work to be carried out with a view to tenders/quotations being sought, dependant on the likely amount of work involved.
Cllr Watson confirmed that the Central Areas Committee would consider the Survey.
Cllr Adamson advised that he had read the Survey and would report to the next Burial Board Meeting.
Resolved: that Committees submit recommendations to the Council in respect of tree work required.
330. Burial Board.
Cllr Adamson advised that a Burial Board Meeting was to be held on Thursday 21 April.
Resolved: that memorial applications in respect of Peter Barker, Mary Dodsworth, Mary and Anne Marie Farrelly and Melvyn Alan Thomas be approved.
331. Correspondence/Items Raised
331.a. Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places for Parliamentary Elections.
The Meeting received a letter dated 25 march from HDC with the proposals for Polling Districts and places.
Resolved: that the letter be noted.
331.b. YO7 Divert
A letter dated 8 April was received from the Chair of YO7 Divert inviting the Town Council to send a representative to meetings of the group.
Resolved: that consideration be held in abeyance until after the elections.
331.c. Request for Dog Waste Bin – Stoneybrough Lane
The Clerk advised that a resident of Stoneybrough Lane had requested the provision of a dog waste bin. Cllr Morton noted that there was a need in the area.
The Town council would have to buy the bin and the District Council would undertake the emptying.
Resolved: that the Town Council purchase a dog waste bin for siting at Stoneybrough Lane.
331.d. Sponsors Signs on Whitemare Roundabout
The Clerk advised that a request had been received from Calverts Carpets to increase the size of the sponsors signs on the Whitemare roundabout.
NYCC had stated that signs must not exceed 0.6square metre in size but there was concern that the size of the roundabout needed to also be taken into consideration.
Calverts Carpets also wanted confirmation that they would be the sponsors for the next 5 years before they invested in new signage.
Resolved
a) that NYCC be requested to confirm the signage size in relation to the size of the roundabout.
b) that Calverts Carpets be confirmed as the sponsors of the Whitemare Roundabout for the next 5 years.
331.e. Short/Long Stay allocation at Thirsk Car Parks.
Cllr Penson advised that she had attended recent meetings of the Thirsk and District Business Association and the short and long say car parks had come up with the feeling that there should be additional long stay provision.
Cllr Adamson advised that the car parking times were currently under review and HDC’s Engineer was to submit a report on car park usage and revisions.
Cllr Adamson would update the Town Council when details were to hand.
332. Finance
332.a. Accounts for Payment
Resolved: that the accounts for payment at 18 April 2011 be approved and cheques signed.
332.b. Balance Sheet/Budget Report for March.
Resolved: that the balance sheet and budget report for March be received.
333. Reports from Members/Representatives
Cllr Morton advised that the swimming pool had agreed an 8% increase in fees.
The management of the pool was to continue with Hambleton District Council.
Cllr Penson advised that she had attended two meetings of the Thirsk and District Business association on the 24 March and the 7 April.
Don Moore had been re-elected as Chair and as previously mentioned the issue of another long stay car park had been brought up. There was also going to be more shops undertaking Sunday trading.
Cllr Hesmondhalgh had attended a Finance Meeting of the CCA and the balances were better than expected.
Cllr Marshall noted that the Plinth on York Road had been damaged and the repair was in hand.
Following various joint meetings it was proposed that the Greens and Open Areas Committees joined to form one Committee.
Cllr Watson raised the matter of Councillor Training Courses especially for new Councillors.
It was suggested that that a training meeting could be held at Thirsk for all Local Councils in the YO7 area and that an approach to YLCA be made.
Cllr Watson advised that it had been reported in October 2009 that HDC would carry out a £100,000 refurbishment scheme in the Market Place and some 18 months later nothing had happened and the cobbled Market Place was in a terrible state of disrepair. Cllr Watson understood that no scheme had actually been submitted to Cabinet.
Cllr Watson advised that when the Market Place had passed to HDC a covenant had been included that the cobbles had to be retained and she questioned whether this included the condition of the cobbles. Cllr Adamson advised that he would pursue the matter with HDC’s Engineer.
Cllr Adamson thanked Councillors for the honour of being Mayor of Thirsk again and thanked Cllr Hesmondhalgh for her support as Vice Chair and the Town Council staff.
The meeting closed at 9.35pm
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