Mayor's Report 2016
It is almost 2 years since the Moorside Room was opened and it is now used regularly by a wide variety of groups. A children’s Film Club has been started and recent events have included a photographic display and an exhibition and book launch entitled, “Sailing in the wake of Captain Cook’s Ship ‘the Endeavour’”.
Meetings have been held by six commercial organisations and five local groups. There are three types of fitness classes here each week and also a children’s craft group meets each month.
Four local groups have taken up the offer of using the room free of charge on one Wednesday each month. There have also been birthday parties and a family reunion.
Having evaluated the running costs of the Moorside Room and noting the increase in revenues the Town Council agree that this is a valuable and popular community asset at an acceptable cost.
Flooding
There have been Flooding in Manor Vale Lane, Castlegate and Park Lane. The Town Council has expressed its concern to the relevant authorities and is keen to support those residents whose properties are at risk. There will be a meeting in the town tomorrow with representatives from NYCC including a Project engineer from the Flood management Team.
Planning
Unfortunately the future of old highways depot in Manor Vale is still unknown. An application for light commercial use was refused by RDC and recent application for residential development was withdrawn.
The Library
In July last year NYCC decided that our Library will be funded by the community and run by volunteers from April 2017. We are in discussions with NYCC and the library steering group to relocate the Town Council office to the library as soon as possible.
Initiatives
The speed of vehicles in the town and along the A170 has been of concern for several years and in November the council agreed to hire a temporary vehicle activated sign(VAS)that displays a 30 mph speed limit with two sockets at a cost £4000. These have been installed on the A170 and Gillamoor Road.
Information panels have been placed in the car park and on the main Town Council notice board.
Grants
During the past year the council has awarded the following grants:
£5,000 to Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band to contribute towards the cost of development of the Band Hall.
£2,500 to All Saints Church, for upkeep of the churchyard and the removal of a large diseased limb of the weeping ash tree;
£400 to Moorsbus Community interest Group towards the provision of a Sunday service in July, August and September.
Precept
The Council keeps a close eye on expenditure throughout the year and always endeavours to provide good value for money. This year when setting the precept we noted that for the second year there was no grant from Ryedale District Council and the near total withdrawal of funding from NYCC for grass cutting. The Council considered it important to maintain the grass cutting service and in order to achieve this, agreed savings across the budget. It was agreed that the precept be once again be set at £73,500. This is £24,500 per annum less than 5 years ago.
May 1st is going to be a great day for the town with the 3 events taking place; the Tractor Run, the 10K Run and the Tour de Yorkshire.
I’m sure everyone agrees that all the decorations are fantastic. Having the Tour de Yorkshire coming through the town gives us the opportunity to really showcase Kirkbymoorside and it’s great to see so many people getting behind the event. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the day in any way.
I would like to end my report by saying that it has been a great privilege and a pleasure to be your Town Mayor during the past year. I have enjoyed working with the Town Clerk and my fellow councillors and want to take this opportunity to thank them for their work during the past year.
Mayor Chris Dowie
Governance
Code of Conduct
Introduction
Pursuant to section 27 of the Localism Act 2011, Kirkbymoorside Town Council ('the Council') has adopted this Code of Conduct to promote and maintain high standards of behaviour by its members and co-opted members whenever they conduct the business of the Council including the business of the office to which they were elected or appointed or when they claim to act or give the impression of acting as a representative of the Council.
This Code of Conduct is based on the principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
Definitions
For the purposes of this Code, a 'co-opted member' is a person who is not a member of the Council but who is either a member of any committee or sub-committee of the Council, or a member of, and represents the Council on any joint committee or joint sub-committee of the Council, and who is entitled to vote on any question that falls to be decided at any meeting of that committee or sub-committee.
For the purposes of this Code, a 'meeting' is a meeting of the Council, any of its committees, sub-committees, joint committees or joint sub-committees.
For the purposes of this Code, and unless otherwise expressed, a reference to a member of the Council includes a co-opted member of the Council.
Member obligations
When a member of the Council acts, claims to act or gives the impression of acting as a representative of the Council, he/she has the following obligations.
1. He/she shall behave in such a way that a reasonable person would regard as respectful.
2. He/she shall not act in a way which a reasonable person would regard as bullying or intimidatory.
3. He/she shall not seek to improperly confer an advantage or disadvantage on any person.
4. He/she shall use the resources of the Council in accordance with its requirements.
5. He/she shall not disclose information which is confidential or where disclosure is prohibited by law.
Registration of interests
6. Within 28 days of this Code being adopted by the Council, or the member's election or the co-opted member's appointment (where that is later), he/she shall register all interests which fall within the categories set out in Appendices A and B.
7. Upon the re-election of a member or the re-appointment of a co-opted member, he/she shall within 28 days re-register any interests in Appendices A and B.
8. A member shall register any change to interests or new interests in Appendices A and B within 28 days of becoming aware of it.
9. A member need only declare on the public register of interests the existence but not the details of any interest which the Monitoring Officer agrees is a 'sensitive interest'. A sensitive interest is one which, if disclosed on a public register, could lead the member or a person connected with the member to be subject to violence or intimidation.
Declaration of interests
10. Where a matter arises at a meeting which relates to an interest in Appendix A the member shall not participate in a discussion or vote on the matter. He/she only has to declare what his/her interest is if it is not already entered in the member's register of interests or if he/she has not notified the Monitoring Officer of it.
11. Where a matter arises at a meeting which relates to an interest in Appendix A which is a sensitive interest, the member shall not participate in a discussion or vote on the matter. If it is a sensitive interest which has not already been disclosed to the Monitoring Officer, the member shall disclose he/she has an interest but not the nature of it.
12. Where a matter arises at a meeting which relates to an interest in Appendix B, the member shall withdraw from the meeting. He/she may speak on the matter before withdrawing only if members of the public are also allowed to speak at the meeting.
13. A member only has to declare his/her interest in Appendix B if it is not already entered in his/her register of interests or he/she has not notified the Monitoring Officer of it or if he/she speaks on the matter before withdrawing. If he/she holds an interest in Appendix B which is a sensitive interest not already disclosed to the Monitoring Officer, he/she shall declare the interest but not the nature of the interest.
14. Where a matter arises at a meeting which relates to a financial interest of a friend, relative or close associate, the member shall disclose the nature of the interest and withdraw from the meeting. He/she may speak on the matter before withdrawing only if members of the public are also allowed to speak at the meeting. If it is a 'sensitive interest' the member shall declare the interest but not the nature of the interest.
Dispensations
15. On a written request made to the Council's proper officer, the Council may grant a member a dispensation to participate in a discussion and vote on a matter at a meeting even if he/she has an interest in Appendices A and B if the Council believes that the number of members otherwise prohibited from taking part in the meeting would impede the transaction of the business; or it is in the interests of the inhabitants in the Council's area to allow the member to take part or it is otherwise appropriate to grant a dispensation.
Appendix
Any interest which relates to or is likely to affect:
(i) any body of which the member is in a position of general control or management and to which he/she is appointed or nominated by the Council;
(ii) any body:
(a) exercising functions of a public nature;
(b) directed to charitable purposes; or
(c) one of whose principal purposes includes the influence of public opinion or policy (including any political party or trade union)
of which the member of the Council is a member or in a position of general control or management;
(iii) any employment or business carried on by the member;
(iv) any person or body who employs or has appointed the member;
(v) any person or body, other than the Council, who has made a payment to the member in respect of his/her election or any expenses incurred by him/her in carrying out his/her duties;
(vi) any person or body who has a place of business or land in the Council's area, and in whom the member has a beneficial interest in a class of securities of that person or body that exceeds the nominal value of £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital (whichever is the lower);
(vii) any contract for goods, services or works made between the member's Council and the member or a firm in which he/she is a partner, a company of which he /she is a remunerated director, or a person or body of the description specified in paragraph (vi);
(viii) any gifts or hospitality worth more than an estimated value of £50 which the member has received by virtue of his or her office.
(ix) any land in the Council's area in which the member has a beneficial interest;
(x) any land where the landlord is the Council and the member is, or a firm in which the member is a partner, a company of which the member is a remunerated director, or a person or body of the description specified in paragraph (vi), is the tenant;
(xi) any land in the Council's area for which the member has a licence (alone or jointly with others) to occupy for 28 days or longer.
Mayor's Report 2015
Since the Moorside Room was opened just over a year ago it has been used by a variety of groups and there have been very interesting exhibitions by the History Group and Camera Club. There are now plans for a Film Club which will I think be a great addition to facilities in the Town.
Planning
During the past year the Council opposed plans to build a large residential development on fields to the west of the town, otherwise known as the Gladman development. Despite the best efforts of our District Councillor Sarah Ward and the Town Council the inspector’s decision was to grant planning permission subject to a number of conditions. The role of the Town Council and our two District Councillors will be to ensure that the conditions are met and to consider and comment on the more detailed plans when they are submitted.
We now know that Tesco will not be building a store in the town and at our meeting on Monday evening the Town Council agreed to contact the company to find out if the site is being sold for residential or commercial use. We want to ensure that it is not left in its current state any longer than necessary.
Recently the Council held a meeting with officers from RDC to discuss the selection of sites for future development. It was agreed that the Town Council would encourage the development of sites that do not jeopardise the character of the town and small to medium in size. It was also agreed that the Economic Officers of NYCC be asked to clarify why employment/industrial development in Kirkbymoorside has been restricted and the focus for this development has been prioritised in Helmsley. We would like to meet with the Economic Officers to discuss how we can be more involved in the consultation for economic development in Kirkbymoorside.
We have had lengthy discussions with the Brass Band, the Scouts, Ravenswick Estate and the owner of the former Highways site in Manor Vale. I understand that there is now a proposal for a building for combined occupation by the Band and the Scouts.
You may be aware that an application has been submitted to use the former highways depot for light industrial use and storage. This application has been considered by our planning committee and it was agreed that the site is not suitable for such use.
Fracking has been on our agenda several times and we held a very well attended public meeting on the subject. The Council agreed the following policy “We have a number of unresolved concerns about important aspects of fracking, and therefore are opposed to any fracking activities in our locality until such a time as satisfactory answers are forthcoming”.
Kirkbymoorside Brass Band
I want to congratulate the Band on the 200 Anniversary which is being celebrated this year. To mark the occasion they have had a piece of music, “Chirchebi Tales” specially written for the Town. This is a celebration of Kirkbymoorside and a ‘thank you’ to people in the Town for the support they have given the Band. The World Premier of the piece will be at a concert on Sunday 14 June at Helmsley Arts Centre.
The Library
The proposal by NYCC that our Library be funded by the community and run by volunteers is of great concern to the Town Council and I’m sure to many of you. We strongly oppose the proposal and have sent a detailed response to North Yorkshire. The scrutiny committee of the County Council will consider all responses on 5 June and then make recommendations to the Executive Committee, which will meet in July. Cllr Brampton has agreed to go to the meeting on 5 June to put the case for maintaining County funding for our Library.
The Sportsfield
The Town Council is now responsible for the administration of the Sportsfield and there is a Play Areas and Sports committee dedicated to this task. Leases have been drawn up with the individual clubs for their buildings and the areas of the field that they use. Discussions are taking place about the way in which the clubs can work together to improve the facilities.
Grants
During the past year the council has awarded grants to All Saints Church, Next Steps, a mental health group that meets in the town, the History Group and the Skatepark
In 2013 Lisa collected grant applications for section 106 funding from a number of organisations in the town and submitted them to RDC. Last year we heard that the applications had been successful and in total £107, 400 has now been received. The groups that have benefitted are:
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Kirkbymoorside Digital |
Purchase of computers and networking equipment and digital projector and screen |
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Kirkbymoorside Flying Club |
Replacement of existing shed on Kirkbymoorside Recreation field |
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Kirkbymoorside Football Club |
New storage facilities for equipment and kit |
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Kirkbymoorside History Group |
The creation of a memorial area within the old churchyard, previously the site of the spoil/rubbish tip |
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Kirkbymoorside In Bloom |
Completion of on-going tub & plaque refurbishment and purchase of equipment |
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Kirkbymoorside Junior Football Club & Cricket Club |
Purchase of a compact tractor |
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Kirkbymoorside Squash Club |
Replacement roof to squash court |
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Kirkbymoorside Tennis Club |
New Tennis Courts |
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Kirkbymoorside Town Council Old Library Working Group |
Development of the former library building, 9 Church Street, Kirkbymoorside now known as ‘The Moorside Room’ |
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Kirkbymoorside Town Council Play Areas Committee |
Improvements and repairs to skate park |
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Raising Cycling in Ryedale Group and Kirkbymoorside Environment Group |
Development of a network of safe and attractive cycle routes linking communities in Ryedale |
Initiatives
Two new initiatives that Lisa suggested and that the Council has supported, have been Canine Watch and Clean Up Our Town. Lisa has put a lot of time and energy into them and I want to thank her for that.
Precept
The Council keeps a close eye on expenditure throughout the year and always endeavours to provide good value for money. This year when setting the precept we noted the withdrawal of a £4,000 grant from Ryedale District Council and the near total withdrawal of funding from NYCC for grass cutting, amounting to almost £9,500 loss of income. The Council considered it important to maintain the grass cutting service and in order to achieve this, agreed savings across the budget. It was agreed that the precept be set at £73,500. This is £24,500 per annum less than 4 years ago.
I would like to end my report by saying that it has been a great privilege and a pleasure to be your Town Mayor during the past year. I have enjoyed working with the Town Clerk and my fellow councillors and want to take this opportunity to thank them for their work during the past year.
Mayor Chris Dowie
Mayor's Report 2014
Work on a Community Led Plan began in autumn 2011 and the plan was completed last year. The plan showed that people in the town wanted to see the former library building in Church Street refurbished for community use. Subsequently the Town Council had plans drawn up and these were displayed in the library in order to give everyone the opportunity to comment on them. The plans were displayed again after they had been approved and regular updates have been given so that the community has been kept fully informed throughout the work
The subject of parking was identified as a concern in the CLP and discussed at the town meeting last year. We have tried to improve the situation in a number of ways but little progress has been made. We discussed buying the carpark from RDC. However they valued it at £100,000 and we did not consider it feasible to pursue this option.
We were unsuccessful in our discussions with the British Legion about making their car park available for businesses, as they wanted to keep the area free for use by the blood bank and mammography vehicles. We have had lengthy discussions with NYCC about on street parking and consultation with the residents of Piercy End was carried out in February 2014, with 82% of respondents in favour of the proposal of having markers on the cobbles. These findings have been submitted to NYCC Highways to progress the matter.
In June last year the council resolved to ask NYCC to consult people in the town about imposing short stay restrictions on the cobbles in the centre of the town between West End and Tinley Garth and on the road from Spa to the Methodist Church. This consultation has not yet taken place and the reasons given by the NYCC are a backlog of other projects and staff shortages. They say they hope to begin the consultation shortly.
The Town Council has taken on responsibility for administration of the Sportsfield and has set up a committee to facilitate this. Savings have been made for the clubs by including the field on the council’s insurance schedule and we are in the process of signing a lease with individual clubs for their buildings and the areas of the field that they use.
The Council keeps a close eye on expenditure throughout the year and always endeavours to provide good value for money. When the budget was set for the current financial year we agreed to reduce our expenditure from £77,000 last year to £76,500 this year. However you will have noticed that there has been an increase in the amount that you pay to the Town Council through your council tax. This is due to RDC passing on only 50% of the grant that they receive from central government for town and parish councils, rather than the 100%, which they passed on last year.
During the past year the council has awarded grants to All Saints Church, Ryedale Carers Support, Next Steps a mental health group that meets in the town, the Kirkbymoorside Cricket and Junior Football Clubs, the 10K Run, the history group and the Environment Group.
It has been necessary to replace streetlights on Westfields, repair lights on Swineherd Lane and replace litterbins at Old Road and the play area.
The design for new “Welcome to Kirkbymoorside” signs was approved last year and the signs were erected in the summer. Feedback has been positive and market traders have said that they noticed an increase in trade after the signs went up.
Issues regarding the application by Gladman to build on fields to the west of the town have taken up a great deal of time during the past year. The current situation is that RDC’s planning committee refused Gladman’s third application and Gladman have now appealed against that decision. The judicial review into the granting of permission for the second application is on hold pending the outcome of the appeal. One piece of good news is that Gladman have withdrawn their challenge to the Local Plan Strategy.
There is nothing new to report regarding the Tesco store. Their spokesperson has told us that they plan to open the store next year.
In November last year the town clerk collected grant applications for section 106 funding from a number of organisations in the town and submitted them to RDC. Last month we heard that the applications have been successful and Ryedale will be contacting each club individually about how the money will be paid to them.
I would like to give you details about the cost to the community of the work that has been done here in the Moorside Room. The total cost of the work is just less than £80,000. Of that £40,000 was received from NYCC for refurbishment when the library moved to Church House, we will receive a grant from RDC of £20,000 through section 106 funding. The cost to the community and the money that will be paid from the Town Council’s reserves is £20,000, which I believe represents excellent value for money.
As you can see the Moorside Room has been beautifully refurbished and it is now available for community use. Booking forms are on the worktop and are available from Lisa at the Town Council office. We are keen to hear from any group or organisation that would like to use the room.
The open day last Saturday was very successful and the Made in Kirkby exhibition was seen by a large number of people. I’m grateful to Jim Wright for taking part in the exhibition and for leaving his beautiful paintings in place so that we can all enjoy them this evening
At this point I want to thank Lisa very much for all her work in putting the exhibition together, promoting the event, setting it up last Friday and doing everything to ensure it ran smoothly. This involved a great deal of extra work for Lisa at a very busy time of year. So thank you very much Lisa for your contribution to a very successful day.
I also want to thank our architect John Paul and the builders, Buffoni Hemmingfield for all their work on the project and also all our Town Councillors for their commitment to turning this building into something that would be a real asset to our community. In the Moorside Room I believe we have something of which the whole town can be very proud.
I would like to end my report by saying that it has been a great privilege to be your Town Mayor during the past year. I have enjoyed working with the Town Clerk and my fellow councillors and want to take this opportunity of thanking them for their work during the past year.
Mayor Chris Dowie.