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CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

Chairman’s Report May 2022

The past year has seen a lot of properties changing hands in the Parish, some residents having moved to other areas, some have moved into care and sadly some who have passed away, all of them will be missed. We welcome all newcomers and hope they will take an active part in maintaining the community spirit that Sheriff Hutton is renowned for.

The last year has been another busy one for the Parish Council. We have been consulted on
 21 Planning applications mostly for extensions to existing properties and some for developments in the tourist industry.  

The most contentious application is for a Travellers’ Site to be located on Cornborough Road. Over 30 people attended the March council meeting to make their feelings known to the Council. There have been over 70 objections posted on line. This land has been the subject of 2 previous contentious applications both of which were turned down for residential purposes. As with the previous applications, the Parish Council were strongly against it as it does not wish to see any residential occupancy for whatever purpose on the proposed site.

Over the past year a lot of work has already been carried out on the site and residential caravans are being used without planning permission. Ryedale Council have been kept informed of the activity and requests made for intervention by the Enforcement Officer to no avail. The application is still under consideration by Ryedale Planning Department prior to submission to the Planning Committee and we will be informed when it will be discussed.
We await with apprehension for the decision. 

The Parish Council is extremely frustrated at the lack of action taken by the Enforcement Officer on this issue and several other outstanding issues within our Parish and these will continue to be rigorously pursued until an outcome is achieved.

The parish speed matrix is rotated across 3 sites, Daskett Hill, North Garth Lane and York Road. We must thank members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group who oversee this.
Regular readings are taken and analysed. The results show whilst there is speeding in all areas the major problem is Daskett Hill where traffic speeds up the hill and in many cases is still exceeding the speed limit across the roundabout and down New Lane. The information is shared with the Neighbourhood Watch Group who use it in conjunction with the information they gain from their Speedwatch programme. 

Sheriff Hutton Parish Council was one of the first Parishes to sign up to the 20 is Plenty campaign whose aim is to reduce the speed of traffic through villages. More are now signing up, in the hope that something can be done to make it safer in our villages, particularly where busy roads pass through. 

A second defibrillator has been purchased and is located in the East End of the Village. The first one is located in the West End at the Methodist Church. It is understood there is a proposition to provide a third one at the Village Hall which will cover those taking part in sports events and those using the Village Hall.  

A new grass cutting contractor was appointed but due to unforeseen circumstances it took sometime before the cutting was deemed to be satisfactory. After discussions with the contractor it was decided to renew the contract for a second year and monitor the standard.

All roads and pathways in the Parish are in bad condition and issues are constantly being referred to the Highways Department.

Grants have been made to the Parish Church towards the cost of a maintenance programme being undertaken and the cost of grass cutting. The Bowling Club were given a grant towards the cost of repairs to equipment to maintain their green. Covid had a devastating impact on fund raising greatly reducing the funds available to them. A new programme of fund raising is underway and a recruitment campaign was started to attract new members of all ages but only resulted in a few joining.

The Play Area was also given a grant towards the cost of replacement balance beams. The original beams have been a real favourite over the last 35 years but now need to be replaced like for like. The area is a great village asset, very well used and enjoyed. Whilst the Village Hall Committee pay for the insurance and ground work maintenance all costs for maintenance, repair and replacement of equipment must be paid for by fund raising.

The Parish Council undertook a survey of trees in the village and decided on a planting scheme to replace trees that have been removed for various reasons and to enhance other areas of the village. 4 trees have already been planted and the remaining 20 will be planted in the Autumn/early winter. It is hoped to enlist the help of members of the Gardening Club with the planting exercise.
The new trees are native varieties which will provide interest throughout the year. Councillors would like to extend sincere thanks to Jeremy Dick for his invaluable help. His expertise and knowledge will benefit the village for years to come. The Scheme will be registered as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy. 

To keep our village looking tidy we need to keep on top of any maintenance work. For the past couple of years we have been fortunate to be able to use the services of a local handyman who has cleared the steps up the bank in Main Street and cleared overgrown vegetation in various other areas of the village. He has always completed the work to a very high standard in a very amiable manner.

New Christmas lights were purchased for the tree in The Square and provided a good display.

There are several parking issues in the village and we have made many attempts to arrange an onsite meeting with a representative of NYCC Highways Department to discuss what can be done to alleviate the situation. They are very reluctant to send anyone to meet up with us citing Covid as one of the main reasons. We will continue to pursue this with our new County Councillor.

The main problem is the road between The Green and the Little Green when cars are parked inconsiderately at the narrow point result in delivery vehicles and refuse vehicles being unable to reach the East End. No Parking notices have been purchased and installed and seem to have improved the situation.

Other areas include the road to the Church which causes a problem for traffic accessing The Croft; parking outside the bus shelter at The Green causing severe problems for traffic turning left from Coble Lane; parking in The Square along the Triangle, causing problems for vehicles and the school bus turning into West End Road from New Lane.

Parking on footpaths causes problems in all areas of the village for people using mobility scooters and prams and pushchairs. Motorists should be aware of the new traffic regulation which could result in a heavy parking fine.

The Parish Council is considering the installation of electric car charging points and has been in discussion with the Village Hall Trustees who are supportive of the initiative and wish to be involved in future discussions. Grants are now being made available towards the cost and this will be discussed further in the next year.

Sadly Mrs Elaine Nelson resigned from her position as parish councillor, for personal reasons. Her knowledge of the parish and her hands on approach were of great benefit to the council.  

At this point I would like thank Louise Pink our Parish Clerk for all her hard work and all that is involved in keeping us on the straight and narrow and ensuring the Parish Council runs efficiently and effectively.

My thanks also to all Parish Councillors, Marcus Oxendale, Dave Smith, Martin Dodd, Sally Wright and Samantha Warriner. They all play an active part and never shy away from anything that is needed to be done

Not many people realise the amount of time Councillors give to the running of Sheriff Hutton. From installing waste bins, Christmas Lights, monitoring the defibrillators, overseeing the tree scheme, meeting up with contractors, monitoring the state of the village to providing a listening ear to issues raised by residents and bringing them up at meetings, etc. Far more is involved than just turning up to Parish Council meetings.

Again my sincere thanks to them all for their willing involvement. 

Due to the reorganization of local government in North Yorkshire the last term of office for Parish Councillors was been reduced to three years. Following the recent election new councillors will serve for a period of 5 years. Subsequent terms will revert to 4 years.  

I was extremely pleased to hear all present councillors have been returned to serve for the next term and I am sure with the addition of new councillor Stephenson Sheriff Hutton Parish Council will continue to operate as well as ever under the guidance of Louise our Clerk.

The next year will be a year of transition from District Councils and County Council to the new Unitary Council from 2023 and we wait to see how the situation pans out. Hopefully it will be a better system than has operated over the past few years where we feel Ryedale District Council has not served our area as well as it did in previous years.

I would like to express thanks to our District Councillor Eric Hope, who has served us well over the past years but who due to ill health has stood down this year. Thanks also to County Councillor Caroline Goodrick for her work on our behalf. It is good to see that she has been returned to represent our area as an Independent Councillor. We look forward to seeing her at our meetings to keep us up to date with changes and also to be our champion on any issues arising.  

Penny Bean
Chairman Sheriff Hutton Parish Council 
May 2022








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