9th April 2026
MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL
Held in the Board Room, Rudding Park Hotel on 9th April 2026
PRESENT: Chairman N MacDermid, Cllrs A Dewsnip (Vice Chairman), T Hall, S Gallimore, J Locke and K Tharby. Also in attendance, NYC Cllr A Paraskos and M Richards (Clerk)
1. Apologies: Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Cllr C Dickinson.
2. Declaration of Interest and Notification of changes in the Members’ Register of Interest: None.
3. Public participation. No items submitted.
4. Minutes of the previous meeting on 12th March were proposed as a correct record by Councillor Dewsnip and seconded by Councillor Hall. The Chairman then signed the minutes.
5. Matters arising. Dealt with as part of the agenda.
6. Planning
a) 26/00865/FUL – Replacement of single storey extension, replacement porch, new rooflights to rear elevation and parking area to front. 10, Hillside Follifoot.
The Chairman displayed the location and the existing/proposed plans and elevations. Councillors had no objections, but the potential impact of the increased off-street parking was queried as was the potential for undesirable spread of chippings from the driveway. Nevertheless, a SUPPORT response was agreed.
b) 26/01134/FUL – Proposed alterations to existing two story dwelling including single storey and two storey front elevation extensions. Alexander House, Pannal Road, Follifoot.
The Chairman displayed the Design and Access Statement and ran through the salient points. Councillors were happy with the details shown and agreed the proposed development was a visual improvement. A SUPPORT response was agreed.
c) 26/01388/FUL – Change of use of 2no. holiday accommodation units (sui generis) to 2no. dwellinghouses (Use Class C3) Beagle Cottage, Rudding Park, Home Farm and the Pheasantry Track, Follifoot.
The Chairman displayed the proposed plans, observing that there was no change in the physical layout as the application was purely for change of use. He did note however that the smaller property is slightly below the NDSS size requirement for a residential property. This however, is for consideration by the Planners and, as this proposal will be a benefit to the community with additional residential provision rather than holiday accommodation, councillors agreed to SUPPORT the application.
d) 26/00603/FUL – Single Storey Rear Extension and demolition of outbuilding. The Gardens, Main Street, Follifoot.
Councillors had previously considered the application and agreed a SUPPORT response. That decision was hereby formally ratified. NB – noted that the application was subsequently approved.
Decision
e) 26/00413/FUL – Demolition of existing side extension and erection of replacement side extension. Stonecroft House, Plompton Road, Follifoot. GRANTED
Councillors noted the above decision and had no comments, having previously supported the application.
Other
f) Northern Gas Network (NGN) structure, Plompton Road.
The Chairman provided a further update. The complaint has been elevated to Level 3 which means it now is with NGN Directors for consideration. A response is still awaited but it now seems doubtful whether the equipment will be re-located and the Chairman believes, from a Parish Council perspective, the main considerations should be safety and visual amenity. Thisaspect will be considered in due course.
7. Chairman’s communications.
a) Harrogate Town Council – meeting re Neighbourhood Plan.
The minutes of the meeting had been circulated previously and the Chairman summarised the
main points for councillors’ information:
– as part of the Plan, involve those Parish Councils which adjoin the Town Council border;
– this “overarching” Plan would provide benefits for those PCs in terms of eg co-ordinated
transport arrangements, leisure facilities, employment opportunities etc;
– the overall cost of the Plan would be in the region of £60,000 – contributions from the
involved PCs have been suggested of £8,000 each.
The Chairman observed that this would not be realistic for this PC but could offer manpower
contribution (probably him!) in lieu. Councillors then proceeded to discuss other elements of
Neighbourhood Plans, noting particularly that the Parish Council had previously considered
establishing its own Neighbourhood Plan but had concluded that potential benefits were
outweighed by the cost of production. One of the main financial benefits from a Neighbourhood
Plan was an increased share of CIL funding but again, as this had not been significant in the
past, it was not necessarily a material consideration. A councillor then suggested that
parishioners’ views should be sought before any further consideration and the Chairman
confirmed that this was part of the formal process for establishing a Plan. In any event, a further
joint meeting is planned for the 27th April and he will attend on behalf of the PC and report back
in due course.
b) Crimple Greenway – a communication had been received from the Practice Director of the
Crimple Commons initiative, inviting councillors to become involved. Unfortunately, there was a
technical fault with the email (or its attachment) which meant, unbeknownst to the clerk, that
councillors had not received the message. He will resend and re-schedule the item for the next
meeting.
Other items included as part of the agenda.
8. Clerk’s correspondence
a) SWARCO – maintenance contract. The free initial maintenance contract for the VAS is due to
expire. The company has supplied the details of a new 3-year contract priced at £666.87.
Councillors accepted the probable need for a maintenance contract but asked whether a yearly
contract was available and also the cost of a breakdown call out. The clerk will follow up.
9. Parish Matters
a) Plompton.
Cllr Hall confirmed that most of the outstanding issues as previously notified had still not been
resolved, particularly the black and white marker posts needing replacement. In addition, he has
reported some fly tipping on the lay-by, and there were estate agents’ signs on the Triangle,
obstructing sight lines The clerk will report again, scheduling all previous notifications, and
contact the estate agents, requesting removal of the signs.
b) Village upkeep
i) Post Office and Plompton notice boards. The clerk will instruct the contractor to proceed with
the Post Office board (once approval received from the property owner for the stonework) and to
inspect the Plompton board to assess whether a repair is feasible.
ii) Unregistered land off Spofforth Lane – trees interfering with telecoms cables. The clerk had
attempted to locate contact points and telephone numbers for Openreach, but despite lengthy
internet searches, had been unable to do so. The only information available indicated that
“connection etc problems” should be raised with individuals’ service providers for them to contact
Openreach – an unsatisfactory response. The Chairman agreed and he will write to the local
MP.seeking assistance.
c) Spring litter pick – a very well attended event with a pleasing mix of adults and children. Cllr
Dewsnip did comment that the somewhat reduced amount of litter collected had been a direct
result of NYC’s directive not to operate on the 60mph zones, due to a Health and Safety
requirements.
d) Memorials for Unice Cansfield and Ceris Sladdin. Councillors are still consulting with the
respective families to confirm wording etc. The clerk will consult PC records to establish exact
dates of Unice Cansfield’s involvement with the Parish Council.
10. Road Safety
a) VAS Speed Sign – Cllrs Dickinson and MacDermid have reversed the direction to capture data
of vehicles entering the village – data to be presented at future meetings.
b) Installation of speed survey “pipes” outside the Riding Stables confirmed for 15th April
11. Follifields
a) Cllrs MacDermid and Gallimore will undertake their “walkround” to confirm any maintenance
work or repairs needed but especially as a result of the ROSPA inspection.
b) It was noted that the contractor had just commenced grass cutting and the grass was quite
long. It may well be that an earlier commencement date is needed in future years. To discuss with
the contractor.
c) Table tennis equipment. Councillors discussed the best options for storing the equipment (bats,
balls etc) but ultimately agreed there was no viable alternative to the metal box currently in use.
Noted that the bats needed replacing and the Chairman will arrange purchase.
d) Football pitch-side bench. The contractor is experiencing difficulty in sourcing the wood for this
purpose. Cllr Hall suggested “Grantley Sawmills” should have the requisite timber. The clerk will
inform the contractor.
12. Finance
a) Review of finances, approval of expenditure. Balance at the bank on 9th April 2026 in Current
Account £506.74 and Deposit Account £23,474.24, total £23,980.98.74. Bank statements to be
initialled by the Chairman in confirmation, as part of his payment authorisation process. Monthly
Reconciliation – reconciliation as at 9th April was provided, with receipts and payments in the
period 12th March to 9th April, reconciling to the account balances shown above. Councillors then
unanimously agreed the 6 amounts below for payment.
| Clerk’s salary | M Richards | £308.26 | Bank transfer |
| PAYE | HMRC | £205.50 | Bank transfer |
| Subscription | YLCA | £347.00 | Bank transfer |
| Room hire – Rudding Park Hotel | M Richards | £25.00 | Bank transfer |
| Website (3 years) | S Smith | £373.25 | Bank transfer |
| Security software | M Richards | £54.99 | Bank transfer |
b) The Chairman briefly ran through the budget statements explaining the set up for the new
financial year. He will discuss with the clerk a few minor amendments which need to be made.
Councillors had examined the budget statements prior to the meeting and had no questions or
comments.
c) Draft Final Accounts statement. The clerk briefly ran through the statement, explaining the
material changes compared with the previous year. The Accounts and supporting documentation
will be presented to the internal auditor for his review and the formal AGAR statements will be
available for sign off at the June meeting.
13. Items for the next meeting
None notified.
The meeting finished at 9.20pm
Date of next meeting – Thursday 14th May 2026, commencing at 7.30pm. To be held in the Board Room in the Main House of Rudding Park Hotel. This is the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council and will be preceeded by the Annual Parish Meeting, commencing at 7.00pm.