Pickering Town Council

Annual Report
 

1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010

Overview of the Town Council’s achievements and activities by Councillor Brian Baker,
Town Mayor, 2009-10 

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as town mayor of Pickering, a town which is so attractive to residents and visitors alike. Currently the worst effects of the recession do not seem to have affected the community too badly; indeed there are now virtually no empty shop premises and several new businesses have opened, but I write this before the election and a new budget. Hopefully, the former coal yard site will be developed soon though whether by Lidl for a food store or the county council with a realigned Vivis Lane we don’t know. My time as town mayor has reminded me of the importance of local voluntary organisations whether they contribute to the quality of life or the look of the town. For younger residents the start of the Newbridge Park venture provides a venue for them to develop both cycling skills and confidence; furthermore, the first professional cycling event to be held in the town and nearby Dalby Forest has provided a new impetus for this form of transport showing that it can be challenging, entertaining, simple and “green”. This will be followed by other events for residents and visitors: the 60’s Festival, a continental market (4 July), Yorkshire Day and Wartime Weekend.   

During the year Arthur Aslett and Natalie Warriner, having given many years of good service to the community as town councillors, resigned and we welcomed Joy Andrews and Andrew Danby and, more recently, John Stott to the council. 

Below is a summary of the council’s achievements and activities during the year in terms of the objectives it set itself. 

Improve the look of the town centre 

We have worked with a number of groups in order to ensure that the town centre continues to be an attractive environment for residents and visitors. The council is committed to funding a shared street cleaning machine which will operate  frequently and efficiently in each of the five market towns. It is hoped that this will be in place and working during the summer months. We have financed improvements to Riverside Walk, provided extra litter and dog litter bins in response to public demand, organised regular litter-picks throughout the town, monitored weed control and identified areas for action, and planted spring bulbs in public areas. In conjunction with the children of Pickering Community Junior School, we have identified the need for repairs and improvements to The Ropery public toilets and ensured that the district council undertook these repairs and made plans for improvements. We have also initiated consultations with the district council and market traders to further improve the Monday market for both customers and traders and continued to promote improved signage in the town. 

Work for the safety of residents 

We have worked closely with the police and local residents to improve the safety and security of particular areas of the town including the town’s play areas and the castle. We have closely monitored the town’s lighting, effected a number of repairs and replaced several units. (Please note that replaced units may take some time to come into service as we are dependent on the electricity supply company to reconnect them.) We have worked with the local Highways and Transportation authority to highlight town centre road safety issues and pinpointed areas of action, in particular the large number of pot holes and stretches of highway that need repair. Progress on work to alleviate flooding is not going as fast as those whose properties continue to be at risk would like. The valuable work of the Ryedale Flood Defence Group seems to have taken place a long time ago! The near misses in last July and December and then again this past January have reminded us all that the full implementation of the schemes for “slowing the flow at Pickering” cannot come soon enough. We use our representation on the Programme Board to add to other local lobbying to ensure that flood water is retained upstream of the town to be released slowly over a longer timescale to minimise the sudden rise in water levels which cause flooding. In the interim we have a rota of duty councillors to help and advise residents whenever flooding occurs.

Promote and develop “Pride in Pickering”  

There are now five “Pride in Pickering” groups: Business engagement, Open Spaces, Litter and Dirt, Roads and Footpaths and Youth Engagement.   

The Business group has been working to link to other initiatives such as the Town Team, the case for a town caretaker and the development of the market and Market Place. They have endeavoured in all cases to maintain a dialogue with local businesses and keep them informed.    

The Open Spaces group meets with the aim of improving areas of Pickering where it is felt necessary when finances are available. Amongst the areas currently being given priority are Smiddy Hill and the trees on Middleton Road.  

The Litter and Dirt group continues to organise litter picks in the town every two months and have cleared 64 bags of rubbish from the streets. They work closely with the Dog Warden to encourage all dog owners to remove any mess made by their pets on the town’s footpaths. They have linked with the Council for the Preservation of Rural England to devise a puppet show to educate school children about  the national campaign to stop litter and fly tipping and have presented certificates to the tidiest school grounds and provided litter pick tongs for Pickering Community Junior School.  The co-ordinator,  Councillor  Hepworth was invited to the British Library in London to give a presentation on the work done with volunteers in Pickering.  

On Roads and Footpaths, we are working with the Walkers are Welcome group. This newly formed organisation is encouraging its members and others to “adopt a footpath”. Through systematic monitoring we hope to keep them in good repair.  We also continue to lobby the Highways and Transportation authority about the poor condition of many sections of our roads – the western end of Middleton Road comes to mind but I am sure that many of you will have other sections in mind. Sections of verge, too, are damaged by those who will park their vehicles there and it is not just visitors and delivery drivers who are to blame. The verges set off our town; they play their part in its attractiveness. 

The Youth Engagement group has good links with all three of Pickering’s primary schools and maintains regular e-mail contact with the schools’ own councils, sending monthly reports about council meetings. Children identify topics they would like councillors to discuss.   

Work to improve car parking facilities in the town 

We have urged the police to deter illegal parking in the town and ensured that there is additional parking for major events. We have continued to lobby the district council and North Yorkshire County Council for increased affordable parking. We have also emphasised the need for adequate parking in all new developments. We have also lobbied the district council to encourage the market traders to park their vehicles in the public car parks thus relieving pressure on on-street parking in the town. 

Work with Ryedale’s market towns and the district council for the benefit of the community 

We continue to meet regularly with members of the other Ryedale town councils to discuss common problems and to lobby for improvements to services. As a result, the five of us have agreed to part fund a mechanical footpath sweeper which will ensure a more effective cleaning regime.

We are still in discussion with the district council about the new development plan for the town and we continue to emphasise the importance of ensuring that any housing growth reflects the genuine needs of local people, is matched by improved infrastructure and does not change the nature of the town. We continue to lobby for a community park and additional allotment land. We have resisted over-development, persuading the district council to reduce the percentage of new housing development in our area. We have met, wherever possible, potential developers to ensure that proposed new developments meet the specific needs of Pickering people and will bring benefits to the town. 

Provide training for town councillors  

Local council work is demanding and our councillors see the need for training.  This year councillors have attended sessions on the power to promote well being (a new power to promote the social, economic and environmental well being of local communities),  chairmanship, “Councillor skills” for new councillors and “Recession busting in Ryedale”. 

Achieve and maintain quality status 

The Quality Parish and Town Council scheme is designed to provide minimum standards for local councils and enable them to represent the communities they serve more effectively. The tests exceed the statutory duties of local councils and represent the standards that an efficient, well run council should achieve. The council achieved quality status in June 2009 and continues to work to maintain it. 

Engage and support voluntary organisations in the town 

Councillors work closely with many of the town’s voluntary organisations - Pickering in Bloom, Walkers are Welcome, the Town Team and Pickering War Memorial Charitable Trust to name but four - and, through our grants budget, respond to requests for funding. The organisations and events that have received grants this year are: “Yorkshire Day in Pickering”, the Teddy Bears’ Picnic and Family Fun Day, Stape Silver Band, the Christmas lights group, the Senior Citizens’ Christmas party, Ryedale Air Cadets, Pickering Town Junior football club and the Next steps mental health resource centre in Castlegate.  

Keep you informed about council activities and local issues 

We continue to endeavour to keep you fully informed of our activities. We are indebted to the “Gazette and Herald” and the “Malton and Pickering Mercury” whose representatives attend, and report on, our meetings. We have published four newsletters in the “Pickering Beacon” and we have improved our website so it is easier to access information – www.pickering.gov.uk. Our agenda, papers and decisions are also published on the website and may be accessed at the Library and Information Centre. You are always welcome to visit the office in the Memorial Hall. We have used our three public notice boards in the town - situated in the Market Place, the southern end of Potter Hill and the western end of Eastgate – together with the notice board in the Memorial Hall to advertise our own activities and those of local authorities and voluntary organisations. In addition, we are visiting the local primary schools on a regular basis not just to inform the children about local issues but to seek their views about how to bring about improvements to the town. 

In closing, may I send my best wishes to you all and my personal thanks to those who have assisted me through this most enjoyable year. 

Brian Baker

Council aims for 2010-2011 

a)       involve the Pickering community in identifying the town’s present and future needs;

b)       work with the police to secure good order in the town;

c)       promote “Pride in Pickering”;

d)       promote and develop Pickering for the benefit of both residents and visitors;

e)       work with Ryedale’s market towns and the principal authorities for  the benefit of the community;

f)       provide training for town councillors;

g)       maintain quality status;

h)       engage with, and support, voluntary organisations;

i)       keep members of the public informed about council activities and local issues.

Financial Statement

Summary 1 April 2009 - 31 March 2010

Estimated expenditure for the financial year just ended is £133394.81. It is an estimate mainly because work is still outstanding on some of the footway lights; however it is not thought that the estimate is far out. It is also lower than the budgeted figure mainly because a change in the lighting contractor led to lower costs and a re-evaluation of work that had to be done.

Ryedale District Council was asked to collect £116,000.00 from Pickering’s council tax payers. This meant approximately 83p per week for Band D properties. The balance was to be met from miscellaneous sources of income including cemetery fees, a contribution from North Yorkshire County Council towards the cost of cutting the verges and the interest from the council’s reserves.

The services that the council provides include: the cemetery in Whitby Road; the maintenance and inspection of seven play areas; cutting 44000 sq ms of verge;  the maintenance of public seats and litter bins, and maintenance of footway lighting. The council is always interested to know your views about its services and how they can be improved and particularly appreciated the favourable comments about the maintenance of the verges and the cemetery. Footway lighting is subject to an annual inspection but some lights need attention between inspections. If the light has a number on a yellow background it is, usually, the responsibility of the county council and the number to ring is 0845 366 9504; if the number is on a blue background it is our responsibility. If you spot a light that needs attention, please let us know its number and location. The play areas are sited at Manor Drive and Hawthorn Lane (equipment for pre-school children and into the early teens); Greenlands (a goal post), Paddock Close and Garden Way (equipment for young children and up to fourteen), Otter Drive and Troutbeck Close (equipment for pre-school children). We remain grateful to those Pickering people who lock and unlock the play areas for us.

The council’s accounts are subject to internal and external audit regimes. The internal auditor is appointed by the council and has to meet tests of independence and competence. The external auditor is appointed by the Audit Commission. The internal audit, on the basis of assessment of risk, carries out a selective assessment of compliance with relevant procedures and controls that are in operation during the financial year. The exercise is undertaken each autumn and, again, after the finalisation of the accounts. The council will soon submit a return to the external auditor. This includes a statement of accounts as well as a further statement that the councillors acknowledge their responsibility for ensuring that there is a sound system of internal control. Following the submission of the return, the accounts for 2009-2010 will be made public in the summer. Notices alerting members of the public to their availability will be posted on each of the four council notice boards and on its website.

To contact Mr J A Husband, town clerk, or Mrs B Fearnley, his assistant, please ring  (01751) 476503, e-mail  townclerk@pickering.gov.uk   or call  in at the  office  which is open Monday to Friday inclusive, 9am until 1 pm. The office is housed in the Kitching Room which is situated on the first floor of the Memorial Hall, Potter Hill, Pickering, YO18 8AA.