Council News

Settle Town Council Newsletter – Issue No 15 - July 2008

Welcome to the latest update on what your Town Council has been concentrating on in the last couple of months. We hope you will find this helpful. If you want to contact the Town Clerk, Peter Leng, or any of the Councillors, our contact details can be found overleaf. You are also very welcome to attend Council meetings which are held at 7.30pm in the Council Chamber, upstairs in the Town Hall, usually on the first Monday of the month. There is no obligation to stay for the whole meeting and you have an opportunity to speak at the beginning, if you wish to do so. Why not come along and see what happens?

New Councillor: This is a good time to introduce our new Councillor. Joe Lord has been co-opted onto the Council to fill the vacancy left by Tom Algie who resigned from the Council in May. Joe is Settle born and bred and lives in Mill Close. He is the youngest member of the Council and is employed by North Yorkshire County Council as a Youth Worker. As such, he is looking forward to representing the interests of young people in the council’s activities. After his co-option, the Mayor, Cllr Barbara McLernon, welcomed him to the Council and wished him a long and happy career as a Settle Town Councillor.

Settle In Bloom: This initiative was started by the Town Council and the Council continues to provide financial support as it believes that Settle residents appreciate the difference that it makes to the town. The Yorkshire In Bloom inspectors carried out their first visit during May and gave a very positive report commenting that “When considering what to write about this entry, we came up with three words to describe the Settle in Bloom team; drive, enthusiasm and focus. Throughout the visit we were impressed with the community spirit and how many residents were involved with this initiative. The team members were enthusiastic and proud of their town and their achievements. In a relatively short space of time the team and community have achieved an awful lot and from the information gained, they have numerous plans for the future. This entry can only go from strength to strength.”

Youth Shelter: This was completed and opened at the beginning of June. Although not popular with all parishioners the young people love it and are using it regularly. We are working with the Youth Council to explore ways in which young people can have more input into the area, including caring for the shelter and the immediate area around it. The Council is going to provide a new litter bin at the side of the shelter which was something that the young people suggested would be a good idea.

Youth Forum: The Council has agreed to support the first 4 meetings of Settle Youth Forum and the first of these took place on 4th June. Around 30 people attended, representing many organisations or individuals who work with or care about the welfare of young people in Settle. The aim of the first meeting was to enable people to make contact with each other and to provide a positive environment for exploring issues. This was a successful first meeting, with several important issues being addressed and those present, going away with things to do and having met new people. The next meeting will take place in November.

Grant for Allotments: The Council is looking into the possibility of applying for a Local Food Grant from the Lottery Fund in order to improve the allotments. This will be discussed at the next meeting of the Allotments Committee.

Bus Shelter: We would be interested to hear your views on whether you feel Settle should have a bus shelter and suggestions for where this may be placed. As with everything it is not straightforward, but surely not impossible!

Lorries: This continues to be a difficult issue but the Council is exploring ways in which the number of lorries coming through the town can be reduced as this was one of the top issues mentioned by parishioners completing feedback forms a couple of years ago. Settle Primary School pupils recently carried out a survey of traffic through Settle on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This was extremely interesting (and somewhat frightening!), but supported the Council view that the problem, though difficult, does need addressing and we are pleased to see young people becoming involved in local issues.

Land at the side of Quaker Garth: The small piece of land, including two seats, situated at the side of The Quaker Meeting House, is owned by Craven District Council. The District Council contacted the Town Council some time ago to ask if it would be interested in taking ownership of this land and the Town Council has expressed an initial interest, but is awaiting further information from CDC. This has to be carefully considered but could be an asset to the town. Do you think it would be a good idea for the Town Council to take ownership of it so that we can improve it for the town? Let us know your views.

Litter Picking Campaign: The Council has decided to take a bit of an initiative in litter picking. We would like to thank all the people in Settle who do pick up litter. It is very much appreciated and we know that many of you do it quietly for no thanks, other than the satisfaction of having made our town look better! Some of the Councillors met recently and picked up all the litter at the bottom of the many sets of steps around the Town Hall. (It was pretty horrible!) However most litter is not too bad to pick up, especially with a 'litter picker' and we are planning to have a 'donate an hour to Settle campaign' some time during August. This will probably become a monthly event and we would like to encourage as many of you as possible to come along and 'give an hour to Settle'. The date and time will be advertised, but feel free to donate an hour at any time of your choosing!

www.settletowncouncil.org.uk: Just a reminder that we have a Town Council website which includes agendas, minutes of meetings etc. It is a very new site and the Council would welcome any comments and suggestions for improving it. The website was constructed and is maintained, by two members of the Council on the Council’s behalf.

Common problems and who to contact:

Footpath and road problems including signs: North Yorkshire County Council. Tel: 0845 8727374

Dog fouling: Craven District Council dog warden Tel: 01756 706399

Litter: Craven District Council. Tel: 01756 706374

Lighting: All three councils own lights in Settle, therefore the easiest thing to do is to contact Peter Leng at Settle Town council Tel: 823617 and he will ensure it is reported to the correct authority. Settle Town Council is responsible for 166 street lights and we have a system in place to repair these quickly.

Settle Town Councillors – July 2008	Tel (01729)
Barbara McLernon – Mayor ‘Brock Roy’, Kirkgate, Settle, BD24 9DD,	822364
Ian Robinson - Deputy Mayor 21 Yealand Avenue, Giggleswick, Settle, BD24 0AY,	823552
David Heather Ivy Well Cottage, 5 The Green, Settle, BD24 9HL,	823660
Ann Ambrose 2 Northfields Crescent, Settle, BD24 9JP,	822809
Marion Armstrong Craggs View, 20 The Green, Settle, BD24 9HL,	823458
Geoff Craven 2 Ingfield Estate, Settle, BD24 9BQ,	822648
Beth Graham The Mains House, The Mains, Giggleswick, Settle, BD24 0AX	823588
Trevor Graveson Attermire House, Castle Hill, Settle, BD24 9EU,	823559
Joe Lord 80 Mill Close, Settle, BD24 9BX	07814 956 393
Alison Marshall The Cottage, 1 The Green, Settle, BD24 9HL,	822744
Donny Whaites 12 High Hill Grove Street, Settle, BD24 9QH,	823446
Peter Leng - The Town Clerk Town Hall, Market Place, Settle, BD24 9EJ, e-mail: clerk@settletowncouncil.org.uk Telephone: 01729 823617 (Fax 01729 824379) Peter is the Clerk to the Council and the Responsible Financial Officer and is also responsible for supporting the council in its work. He reports to the council as a whole and not to individual members. Formal contact with the council should always be through the Clerk.

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS – YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2008

31 March 31 March

2007 2008

£ £

Balances brought forward	22413	22894
Plus Annual Precept	39500	42000
Plus Total other receipts	49535	44649
Less Staff costs	35175	37976
Less Loan interest/capital repayments	NIL	NIL
Less Total other payments	53379	51937
= Balances carried forward	22894	19630
Total cash	22894	19630
Total fixed assets	75134	80025
Total borrowings	NIL	NIL

1) The 2007/08 figures are subject to external audit.

2) Decrease in other receipts: £4886 (Reduced grant receipts, Cemetery and Market income)

3) Increase in staff costs: £2801 (Annual pay review and additional hours worked)

ALA/PFL 07/08

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Settle Town Council Newsletter – Issue No 15 - July 2008

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS – YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2008