12th July 2025
MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL
Held in the Village Hall on 10th July 2025
1. PRESENT: Chairman N MacDermid, Cllrs A Dewsnip, C. Dickinson, T Hall and J Locke.
Also in attendance Cllr A Paraskos (NYC), and M Richards (Clerk)
2. Apologies: Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Cllrs K Tharby and S Gallimore.
3. Declaration of Interest and Notification of changes in the Members’ Register of Interest: None.
4. Public participation. No items submitted.
5. Minutes of the previous meeting on 12th June were proposed as a correct record by Councillor Dewsnip and seconded by Councillor Dickinson. The Chairman then signed the minutes.
6. Matters arising
a) Horsepond Beck – wall deterioration. Cllr Paraskos will follow up
b) Cherry(?) tree – Cllr Dickinson has continued to water, condition now improved. He will continue to monitor.
7. Planning
Applications Received
None.
Decisions
None
The Chairman commented that as there is no meeting in August, should any planning
applications be submitted for Council comment, in the first instance an application should be
made for an extension to the response deadline. Should this not be possible or feasible, a short
planning meeting should be arranged with also the expenditure approval process, but no other
business. Councillors noted.
8. Chairman’s communications.
All items dealt with as part of the agenda.
9. Clerk’s correspondence
a) New Assertion 10 – 2025-26 AGAR.
The clerk explained that there is to be a new “Assertion” in the 2025-26 AGAR, which will require all parish councils to have adopted a .GOV internet domain and .gov email addresses for all councillors (and employees) in this year, or there will be a negative comment in the external auditor’s report. This is not a “qualified” audit report. The Chairman asked what this process involved and the clerk explained that a .gov approved registrar must be appointed to buy the service and set up the domain. The cost will be some £100, with an ongoing annual cost of some £50. Councillors discussed and agreed in principle for the clerk to proceed but to have detailed information available for the September meeting before matters are finalised.Implementation of an IT policy is also recommended as part of this process and the clerk will also take this into account.
b) Local Nature Recovery Strategy – consultation. The clerk had circulated this consultation previously. It has little impact on the Parish Council and is directed mainly at landowners, land managers and farmers. The strategy is intended to drive nature recovery, along with associated environmental benefits. Its main purpose is to identify appropriate actions and suitable locations to enhance existing habitats or create new habitats, where this is most likely to provide the greatest benefits for nature and the wider environment. Councillors noted the objectives of the strategy and were supportive but did not feel a need to take part in the consultation.
C) QUICKLINE COMMUNICATIONS. THE CLERK HAD RECEIVED A COMMUNICATION FROM THIS COMPANY PROMULGATING ITS BUSINESS, WHICH IS TO PROVIDE “FAST AND RELIABLE BROADBAND SOLUTIONS TO RURAL AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE REGION, …DELIVERING THE WORK THROUGH THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PROJECT GIGABIT PROGRAMME”. COUNCILLORS DISCUSSED. IT WAS NOTED THAT SOME TIME AGO A RESIDENT FROM PLOMPTON WAS ENGAGED IN A LENGTHY ATTEMPT WITH OTHER BROADBAND SUPPLIERS TO IMPROVE THE BROADBAND SERVICE. THE CHAIRMAN SUGGESTED THAT FORWARDING THE QUICKLINE COMMUNICATION TO THIS RESIDENT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE HELPFUL. THE CLERK WILL ACTION.
10. Parish Matters
a) Plompton. Cllr Hall advised that the “triangle” drains were still blocked and the potholes in the road towards Wetherby were still bad. Although reported to Highways several times, no action has been taken. Cllr Paraskos agreed to take this up with Highways, as well as the missing black and white marker posts at the same location.
b) Village upkeep.
i) No Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ) signs. All signs had been placed on posts at the entrance roads into the village. Over time they have become faded and one is missing. The clerk will contact the relevant Trading Standards Officer to request replacement or refurbishing.
ii) A new arrangement to maintain the roadside verges up and down Pannal Road and elsewhere in the village, previously undertaken by the village handyman, is now needed. Some clarification is needed regarding work undertaken by Rudding Estate and NYC in these locations, before a schedule/plan of work can be drawn up for the Follifields contractor. The clerk will contact both parties to identify and confirm their scheduled work areas.
c) Guilders Bridge, Plompton Road. The Chairman informed councillors that the two signs, agreed at a previous meeting, had been erected on wooden posts. Unfortunately, the day after, both posts had been pulled out of the ground and laid by the bridge stonework, by a person or persons unknown. Both signs have been re-positioned in alternate locations
(including on the footpath sign at the entrance to the field). It was re-iterated that the purpose of the signs is to warn drivers that the police are issuing “penalty tickets” to those vehicles that park on the bridge and footpath. The signs are there with the aim of improving safety AND to help people avoid fines.
d) The road name sign at the top of Main Street is damaged. This had been reported previously to NYC. The clerk will ask the local contractor to examine and repair if possible.
Also, the streetlight at the top of Main Street is still not working. This will be re-reported to NYC.
11. Traffic calming.
a) VAS Speed Sign – Cllr Dickinson reported that there was an increase in traffic speeds
<30mph (68% of vehicles as a base line reduced to 63% last month) and <35mph (91% base line and 89% most recent). There were also more vehicles (+10) were recorded at 50-55mph.
There was no apparent explanation for these changes. The Chairman will make a FB posting to inform residents.
b) Haggs Road. The clerk has been informed that, following the conclusion of the consultation process (ends today 10th July) the installation of the 40mph zone will proceed as soon as possible.
c) Installation of “speed pipes” on Plompton Road. The results of the survey, which revealed a very low level of speeds in excess of 30mph, will be discussed at the September meeting.
12. Follifields
a) Unofficial gate from a house on Parkside, directly into Follifields. The clerk has written to the houseowner asking for the gate to be removed and the hedge made secure. Response awaited.
b) The possible existence of the noxious weed, Japanese Knotweed. The Follifields contractor has confirmed that this is not Knotweed. No action by the PC proposed.
13. Finance
a) Review of finances, approval of expenditure.
. Balance at the bank on 10th July 2025 in Current Account £1,075.87 and Deposit
Account £25,670.68, total £26,746.55. Bank statements to be initialled by the Chairman in
confirmation, as part of his payment authorisation process. Monthly Reconciliation –
reconciliation as at 10th July was provided, with receipts and payments in the period
12th June to 10th July, reconciling to the account balances shown above. Councillors
then unanimously agreed the 6 amounts below for payment.
| Clerk’s salary | M Richards | £298.69 | Bank transfer |
| PAYE | HMRC | £199.12 | Bank transfer |
| Clerk’s salary (August payment) | M Richards | £298.69 | Bank transfer |
| PAYE (August payment | HMRC | £199.12 | Bank transfer |
| Follifields grasscutting | S Bush | £92.40 | Bank transfer |
| Bridge signs | Colton Signs | £52.80 | Bank transfer |
b) The Clerk briefly ran through the Summary and Cumulative budget statements
explaining the updates from June receipts and payments. In the Follifields memo account, the
Chairman queried the Fundraising receipt of £1,808.97 which he asserted had been received in
March. Whilst he accepted that the cash banked had been after the date of the March meeting,
he thought it would be more accurate for the March statement to be corrected retrospectively with
the £1,808.97 recorded as a receipt in 2024-25 and the b/f balance (of £1,808.97) recorded
correspondingly in the April and succeeding months. The clerk accepted the Chairman’s
reasoning and will make the necessary adjustments.
Items for the next meeting
None reported although Cllr Dickinson did mention the proposed law change which will allow
remote parish council meetings. Councillors briefly discussed but it was acknowledged that as
all councillors lived locally it was unlikely this facility would be needed, other than in
exceptional circumstances. Also by holding meetings in the village hall it makes it easier for
the public to attend.
The meeting finished at 8.35pm
Date of next meeting – Thursday 11th September 2025, commencing at 7.30pm, at Follifoot Village Hall.