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Annual Report of the Chairman of Haworth, Cross Roads & Stanbury Parish Council
April 2010
This is the second Annual report I have had the pleasure of submitting to the Parish since I was first elected as chairman and I can once again report that your Parish Council has remained active and effective during the last twelve months.
The most important news as far as the Parish Council is concerned is that during the last twelve months we have gained our certificate recording our qualification for Quality Council Status. This is a massive achievement for Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council as we had to meet a whole legion of rigorous tests which confirm that we are working to the highest possible standards. Apart from the fact that all the Parish Councillors are happy to have it confirmed that we are using the best possible practice, having the Parish Council achieve Quality Council Status is confirmation for everybody in the Parish that the money you give us in the form of the precept on the Community Charge is being spent wisely and in accordance with the highest standards of audited accounts. It also assures you that we work in accordance with best standards of procedure and are effective in our relationships with neighbouring Councils and the District Council.
At this stage I would like to pay tribute to my deputy chairman Cllr Peter Hill and our Parish Clerk Glyn Broomhead for their efforts and persistence in delivering Quality Council Status. It has proved worthwhile and they should be justifiably proud of what they have helped this Council deliver.
It was in March 2009 that the Parish Plan was published and, following a short time while the Plan team gathered their breath after three-years of work compiling the document, we are now looking at how to put into practice all the action points given to the Parish Council within the document.
We have already delivered on quite a number of the action points within the Plan and that’s a matter of some pride to both me and my fellow Councillors although we fully understand that in so far as the Parish Plan is concerned we have merely made a start and there’s so much more to do. In fact we’ve reached the stage when so much progress has been made and the circumstances the Parish now faces since the Credit Crunch that we have to think about up-dating the Plan.
An important part of making the Plan work for the three villages is routed through our Environmental Committee which is chaired by Cllr. Lesley O’Brien from Stanbury. During the last 12 months she and her team have set about implementing a programme that will have an impact on the way we look and feel. They have invested in a resident’s planting and improvement programme on the Brow while putting in place well thought through developments in Stanbury and Cross Roads. We have also taken part in the Urban Village Scheme sanctioned by Bradford MDC. This has resulted in the young people of Cross Roads and Brow being involved in improving various corners of the environment in their own districts.
One of the major successes of 2009 has been the ‘Kidz R Worth It' play scheme which has been run in partnership with Oxenhope Parish Council thanks to funding secured from the Big Lottery Scheme. This has been delivered thanks to the District’s Play Champion Cllr Ian Shackleton. He put together the team that attracted more than 200 young people to the free, open access scheme that ran through the school summer holidays and was later introduced to the half term and subsequent holiday periods. This has successfully provided great activities for children and is something that we would like to continue into future years, funding permitting.
We hope to explore the possibility of founding a constituted body, possibly a charity, in partnership with Oxenhope PC that will concentrate on delivering this and other similar schemes for young people in this part of the Worth Valley.
During the year we welcomed two new Councillors Mark Pullen from Cross Roads and Steve Illingworth from Haworth. Both have proved to be sound acquisitions with Mark leading the successful campaign to acquire quality Christmas decorations and a tree for the residents of Cross Roads while Steve has been working hard towards acquiring suitable signage for the approaches to Cross Roads and Haworth via Brow Moor Road.
Rosie Broomhead resigned during the year after deciding that she no longer had sufficient spare time to continue on the Parish Council. I would like to thank her for all her efforts on the community’s behalf.
I have represented the Council on the Bradford Council Parish and Town Council Liaison Group that meets quarterly to oversee the relationships and projects that take place between the two levels of Local Government. Besides negotiating the introduction of electronic planning applications and administration we have undertaken review of the Charter that governs our working relationships and the Planning Protocol which provides the blueprint for the way in which the Planning procedures are managed between District and Town and Parish Councils.
We have also been represented on Bronte Country Partnership by Cllrs. Barry Thorne and Alan Watts; the South Pennine Branch of the Yorkshire Local Councils Association by Cllr Mark Pullen and the Sustainable Urban-Rural Fringe working group by Cllr Hill and myself. Cllr Rosemary Key is the chair of the Worth Valley Contact Point Management Committee while Cllr Rosemary Key and Cllr Ian Shackleton serve as governors of Lees Primary School and Cllr Hill as a governor to Haworth Primary School.
Cllr Hill is also a District Councillor and we were both delighted and proud to learn recently that he is to become the new Lord Mayor of Bradford in May 2010. He is to be congratulated on achieving this position and his wife Gill is to work with him as Lady Mayoress. This appointment will by necessity limit his time but he has agreed to remain as a Parish Councillor which is very much appreciated as he brings both sound advice and experience to our workings. He is the second member of the Parish Councillor to hold the exalted office as Cllr Barry Thorne is a former Lord Mayor of Bradford.
JOHN HUXLEY Chairman
Finance & Overview Committee Annual Report 2010
This year has been a busy one for the committee with five meetings over the year.
After posting our application for Parish Council Quality Status (QS) at the end of last year, we were please to be confirmed as a Quality Parish Council mid year, receiving our certificate and logo in the Autumn. Thanks again go to Cllrs. Ian Shackleton and Barry Thorne for their work on internal audit that is an integral part of QS.
All of the £10,000 ward investment fund, granted to the Parish by our district councillors, has been allocated and most is now spent. The outstanding being for a number of new public seats that were put on hold due to the winter weather.
This year the Council undertook an audit of its risk schedule, which included insurance, finance, bookkeeping, risk analysis and new contracts of employment for staff.
A review of the Council’s Standing Orders (Sos) and Financial Regulations was undertaken in the latter part of 2009 as these had not been updated since 2003. The final draft SOs were approved by Council in January 2010, only to be overtaken by the long awaited publication in February of the new National Association for Local Councils model Standing Orders, which are now before the Committee. Should these be adopted by the Council, the work already undertaken to revise the Council’s Financial Regulations and Planning Protocol will not be wasted as these will be appended to any new Standing Orders.
Last year we managed a standstill budget. However, dramatically lower interest rates on moneys invested, the rising costs of services and the change in 2009 of Parish Council elections which sees us responsible for our own election costs, have resulted in a small increase in the annual precept. Prudent management of our finances has kept this down to a 3% increase – in real terms around an extra 40p a year for a band D property.
Finally, I would like to thank our Parish Clerk Glyn Broomhead and the members of the Finance & Overview Committee for their work in the past year.
Peter Hill, Chairman of the Finance & Overview Committee
Planning Committee Report - 2009 – 2010
Following the tragic loss of the Planning Committee Chairman Cllr Anne Knott, I was asked to resume the role of Chair of Planning, a role that I passed on to Cllr Knott several years ago. Anne chaired this committee with passion and an energy that will be sorely missed.
Cllr Knott also created and maintained close connections with Bradford MDC’s Planners in Keighley and we have tried to maintain that invaluable line of communication throughout the last year. The situation was further compounded by the reluctant resignation of the Vice Chair, Cllr. Beverley Watts, due to pressure and heavy work load outside of the Parish Council. I should like to publicly thank her for all her sterling efforts during a difficult time and will miss her valued input. The role of Vice Chair has been filled, coincidentally, by Beverley’s father, Cllr Alan Watts, who has stepped up to the plate and serves the Parish Council well in this capacity.
We considered the usual diversity of planning applications throughout the year and ensured the Parishioners’ views were represented at Planning hearings and whenever Planning issues were debated. During the year, given the downturn in the national economy, there has been a marked reduction of planning applications in the local area and indeed resulted in February’s Planning Meeting being cancelled due to there being no Planning Applications to consider.
The Parish Council continues to negotiate with Bradford MDC concerning the introduction of electronic documentation for planning applications There are still difficulties concerning the introduction of IT protocols to Planning Meetings and the matter has yet to be resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned. However it is now possible for the public to view planning applications via the internet.
Ian Shackleton, Chairman – Planning Committee
ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUP REPORT 2009/2010
Since taking over the role of chair of the Environmental Committee in July 2009, I have primarily endeavoured to conclude outstanding matters and bring together all areas of the Parish, with parity (Cross Roads, Brow, Mill Hey, Stanbury, Haworth), in particular promoting and enhancing the beauty of our villages, to the benefit of the residents.
FLORA
Stanbury has long been considered rather dowdy and has been neglected when planting throughout the Parish. Endeavours to obtain hanging baskets proved to be unsuccessful, as we were unable to use street lights for health and safety reasons. In summer 2009 the Environmental Committee paid for 5 large planters to be made, planted and situated throughout the village. Thanks to Steve Thorpe for this excellent work. Total cost £1031.
A contribution of £1000 was made to local resident Paul Hartnell, who has been responsible for the vast improvement to Brow and his dedication is to be commended.
Haworth enjoys funding for Haworth in Bloom and therefore the focus has been on the entrance points to Haworth, rather than Haworth Village itself.
Bulb Planting
The sum of £150 was allocated to Steve Thorpe to provide bulbs and these we redistributed throughout the Parish for planting. In Stanbury a village day was organized, when we had a general village tidy, planted bulbs, decorated the Christmas tree inside and outside church and retired to the local pub where a Christmas Fayre was being held. I look forward to seeing the fruits of our efforts throughout the Parish.
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS
This year the Christmas tree lights in Haworth were worthy of praise and I hope that we shall maintain the standard in future years. Thanks to Cllr Pullen a grant of £600 was obtained for Christmas tree lights in Cross Roads. Cross Roads shall now benefit from having a Christmas tree and lights on an annual basis. Total cost £1480.
Stanbury also obtained a grant of £875 towards Christmas tree lights and funds were added from the Stanbury Village Society to purchase 8 strings of lights to illuminate the village. Unfortunately the lack of an electricity source proved to be problematic.
The Council provided Stanbury with a Christmas tree at a cost of £100.
OUTSTANDING / ONGOING PROJECTS
Welcome signs – Brow/Cross Roads
Councillors Mark Pullen and Steve Illingworth are working on the provision of welcome stones for Brow and Cross Roads, which should be in place within the next 2 months. The estimated cost is £400, which shall cover the engraving as Cllr Illingworth has successfully negotiated the provision of the stone for free.
Central Park play equipment
£500 has been allocated towards the cost of Central Park play equipment. This will count as a third party funding to assist in grant applications. Cllr Shackleton is leading this project.
Picnic Benches – Stanbury.
Picnic benches for Stanbury were approved pre summer 2009, but failed to be provided. 2 picnic tables with benches have now been ordered, to be in place for summer 2010 – cost £900. These will be securely fitted by Bradford Council.
Planters – Cross Roads
We aim to have planters on the approach to Cross Roads by BT exchange in place by summer 2010.
Hanging basket trees – Stanbury
We are continuing to look for effective ways of providing colour/flowers to the village and the provision of hanging basket trees is being considered. The initial consideration was for Stanbury, but these could be placed throughout the Parish
Brow - Paul Hartnell is planning to place guttering on the stables to provide water for Brow. We hope that his efforts shall encourage other residents and where possible the Environmental Committee shall offer its support.
ON HOLD
The provision of a seat outside Haworth School has been placed on hold, pending development at the school.
I would like to thank all members of the Environmental committee for their support in this very short period that I have been heading the committee, I hope that we shall work together throughout 2010/2011 to make a real difference to the environment in our Parish. I welcome any suggestions from other council members. Thanks should be extended to Steve Thorpe and local schools, whose ongoing work enhances the beauty of our villages. Year end funds stand at £7373.00
Lesley O’Brien, Chair of Environment Working Group
Worth Valley Police and Community Contact Point Report 2010
The Contact Point has had another good year. Finances are healthy, visitor numbers remain stable. As usual we are plagued with complaints about "Clamping".
Sadly Hilary left in December to move to Cheshire for personal reasons, Margaret Smith was appointed to take her place and I am pleased to report we seem to have appointed another excellent Co-ordinator, she is currently working on some new ideas to improve the Newsletter.
I am also pleased to report that our youngest Volunteer, Amy, has joined North Yorkshire Police, our loss is their gain and we wish her every success in her new career.
Finally I would like to thank all the Volunteers without whose help the Contact Point would not be the success that it is.
Rosemary Key, Chair of the Management Committee
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