Hellifield Parish Council

Chairman's Annual Report (May 2024)

It hardly seems like 12 months since I last prepared Hellifield Parish (“HPC”) Council Chairman’s Annual report, time flies when you’re having fun as they say! It hasn’t however all been fun over the last 12 months. I have had (and still have) major health issues which have made life difficult to say the least. In addition HPC has existed with a “skeleton” team of Councillors and has largely been kept able to function at all due to the sterling efforts of Julie, HPC’s hard working and very efficient clerk without whose efforts I am almost certain HPC would not have been able to function and carry on business as usual, from dealing with finance and accounts to managing /organizing allotments (including dealing with “squatters” !!)), helping organize VAS equipment and a huge number of other tasks, too numerous to mention in a very limited number of paid hours (which have been supplemented by Julie carrying out unpaid hours). HPC’s accountant John Bownass has only today passed compliments on Julie’s management and keeping of HPC’s books/accounts. Sincere thanks to Julie and well done, both from me and on behalf of HPC for your efforts.

Around the village generally much work and maintenance has been carried out by our excellent handyman James Webb and his work has contributed hugely to the village being in a decent condition and pleasant for people to enjoy as they carry out their daily lives, from cutting HPC areas of grass to playground maintenance, bench repairs, painting, and lots of jobs that go largely unnoticed but which would certainly be noticed if not carried out.

I would also like to thank former Councillor Barry Hills for his service, particularly his efforts with regard to playground maintenance. Although you have given up on the council now Barry, your efforts have been appreciated.

A fairly recent addition to HPC is Councillor Wayne Harding (aka “H”) who has already been proving his value to HPC and who has been giving practical/physical help with playground repairs and general maintenance, thank you Wayne.

Thanks as always to North Yorkshire Councillor Simon Myers who always offers support and help to HPC both personally and financially with various grants, as well as thank you to Simon for standing in as a temporary HPC Councillor when required to enable the council to be quorate.

Hellifield resident Neil Bates will be joining HPC as a Councillor at HPC’s next meeting and I am sure he will be a valuable addition to the Council.

As to the future of HPC I am very happy to be able to report and look forward on a brighter and more positive note than has been the case of late. Things are looking more promising for the future as HPC have received several applications from residents to be co-opted onto the Council. These applications are currently being processed as to formalities and are to be considered for approval at HPCs next meeting for co-option onto the Council at the September meeting. If all these applications are approved and proceed, Hellifield will for the first time in several years have a full council. Here’s looking forward to that situation coming to fruition.

As always HPC would like to thank on behalf of the people of Hellifield the numerous volunteers (too many to individually mention) who by their actions make  Hellifield a more pleasant place to live such as Carol Weston–Moore and helpers, and Maralyne Cadman who do planting in various locations around the village.

On a less positive note, vandalism although fortunately not as major an issue in Hellifield as in some places continues to raise it’s ugly head in acts such as defacing the bus shelter, the underpass, breaking playground equipment and fences and strewing bottles etc on the playing field at Station Road which is both unsightly and dangerous. This also has the effect of diverting funds from where they could be spent better than on carrying out repairs and tidying up after mindless vandalism. People are urged to report any instances of such anti social behaviour to the Police immediately they see it occur.

As to HPC’s year just passed I do not propose to go into and reiterate the many matters that have occurred during the year as these are covered by minutes of meetings. There are however a few matters/items which stand out and which I will briefly mention (this is only scheduled to be a short meeting not a catalogue by me covering past events!).

The bench commissioned by HPC  to commemorate  King Charles coronation has at last been installed at the picnic area on Back Lane which is a very pleasant place.

VAS equipment has after a lot of issues now been installed and is in use in 2 locations in the village (outside the school and at the layby near St Aidans church) with a 3rd location on Gisburn Rd currently being worked on and hopefully to be commissioned shortly. It is to be hoped that this equipment will have an impact and reduce speeding through the village. Thanks is due to Paul Emsley and team for their hard work and considerable tenacity in bringing this project to fruition.  

HPC has continued to support various charities and events which in turn benefit the local community including (but not exclusively):  The Hellifield Herald (distributed to every household in Hellifield free) and the Beer Festival, (this year it is to be held next month on June 14th and 15th and will hopefully be well supported as this event raises a considerable  funds for many deserving local causes).

One new innovation that has been introduced earlier this year by PCSO Julia Runciman of the Police is a monthly drop in at The Institute where village residents can meet with the police, raise any issues on policing that they wish to and chat about police related concerns generally (this is sponsored by HPC who pay the room hire for these events) .

HPC is hopeful of being able to provide some new/enhanced playground equipment in the relatively short term when we receive awaited funds from the developers of  “The Gables” (behind Becks & Townsons).

The Christmas lights “switch on “ event is always massively supported by both old and young but particularly by young village residents and seems to HPC to be a worthwhile and enjoyable way of having a village get together each year. Thanks are given to those who make it possible, not least of which are the WI who have always done the catering at this event, not to mention Santa Claus who graciously gives up his time to see the younger community members!

I am hopeful that this year will be a good one for HPC with a bolstered council and give best wishes to all the residents of Hellifield  whose environment HPC strive to make a little better given the modest resources and manpower at its’ disposal.

Chairman's Annual Report (July 2023)

 This is my report as Chairman of Hellifield Parish Council (HPC) for May 2022 to May 2023.

I do not propose to go through every item which has been placed before HPC in the last year which are all adequately covered and available in HPC meeting minutes on HPC’s website.

There are however various items and people worthy of mention:

Firstly it has not been an easy 12 months. Unfortunately at the end of the last Council a year ago, 6 out of seven Councillors decided it was time for them to retire from office, together with Mary Blackwell who had been HPC Clerk for 8 years. This resulted in considerable difficulties caused by this sudden and virtually complete exodus of man/woman power and the incumbent knowledge and skills that went with the departing Councillors and Clerk. I decided that given this situation I had to stay on to give some continuity and a knowledge base for the new Council although I did foresee that this would be difficult as has proved to be the case. 

The situation facing the new Council has been exacerbated by the fact that there are quite a number of requests and proposals from people for matters to be dealt with and addressed. Sadly the number of such proposals and requests for action are not matched by preparedness to give up time and also physically take part in the implementation of proposals and actions required. A number of attempts to fill some further Council places have taken place and are ongoing.

This brings me to my next point(s).

I would like to very sincerely thank Councillor Barry Hills for stepping into the vacuum left by the departure of all but one of the incumbent councillors at the end of the last council (Barry particularly for his work in seeing HPC playgrounds and equipment maintained in a safe functional and usable condition).

I also thank Mary Kenning for the year that she put in as a Councillor. Unfortunately Mary resigned by email 1 hour before the Annual Parish Meeting and the HPC meeting (both arranged for 18th May) with no notice and no reason given, then or since. This left HPC inquorate, unable to hold meetings or even approve the annual accounts.

I would also like to thank James Webb our village handyman for all his work around the village, and Simon Myers now our representative on the new unitary North Yorkshire Council (NYC) who has been very helpful to and supportive of HPC, as was Chris Moorby before his role was discontinued under the new local governance arrangements. Judgement is reserved on the effectiveness of the new NYC arrangements, whilst noting there has not yet so far as I understand even been a substantive planning meeting by the new authority.

I reserve special thanks for Julie Sleath, HPC’s new clerk who has dived head first into this role and certainly hit the ground running. It is my view that the fact that HPC has been able to function with any semblance of normality has been very largely due to Julie’s efforts and input. The Clerk and I live almost in the centre of the village (the last Clerk lived in Harrogate, not a bad idea) which seems to attract people attending our house unannounced up until around 9:00 p.m. It is good people feel they have access but not always entirely convenient!

Given that HPC has been operating with three Councillors and the Clerk, no new major projects have been undertaken during this last 12 months. It has been a case of trying to maintain the status quo as far as possible, and repairing and replacing as necessary rather than any earth shattering new projects. It is a tribute to my colleagues as already mentioned particularly Councillor Barry Hills and the Clerk to HPC, my wife Julie Sleath that by and large it has been business as normal.

Thanks to the various volunteers around the village who do planting and other tasks to make the village a more pleasant environment in which to live.

HPC has pressed (quite often successfully) for the usual road, pavement and street lighting repairs as required over the year (often with assistance from now NYC Councillor) Simon Myers. In addition, there have been some minor but practical improvements to the village:

A bench was sited and installed at the entrance to Hammerton Drive to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee (installation work carried out free by Greg and his team from GT Builders, thank you Greg).

The HPC official noticeboard had become dilapidated to the point it was surprising it was still surviving and HPC has had this replaced with a splendid new one crafted by local master of wood Colin Ward.

A further new bench has been commissioned by HPC to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III and although this has now been delivered, due to various issues including illness on the part of more than one of our limited number of HPC Councillors this has not yet been sited/installed, this will hopefully be dealt with shortly.

One subject worthy of mention that is noticeable that local people will have seen on their council tax bills is that only one item has gone down, which is HPC’s share of the budget which if I recall correctly reduced by 2.1%.  

Various playground equipment, fencing etc has been repaired or replaced.

It is very regrettable that wanton vandalism continues to plague the village, particularly the playgrounds and equipment stored therein, and the underpass and bus shelter. This mindless damage is time consuming and expensive to rectify. 

All allotments are let and rents collected by the clerk.

The Christmas light switch on and event in the Village Hall (Institute) was as always extremely well supported. Thank you to the WI for catering at this event.

HPC has supported in a limited way the laudable Hellifield Herald which is run by volunteers and distributed free of charge to every household in the village.

HPC being unable to organise any event for the celebration of King Charles III’s coronation did again give limited financial support to an “open to all villagers” event held in the grounds of St Aidans Church.

Another organisation which benefits numerous local causes is the Hellifield Beer Festival. HPC were proud to nominate this organisation for an award in the closing legacy awards of Craven District Council, where recognition was given at CDC Closing presentation. Also, congratulations to PCSO Jayne Grace who was  recognised for her services to the Community at the Legacy awards event.

There are various charity reports. Representatives who are here will present their own reports, I will read any reports out for those not present.

I hope that the forthcoming Council year will be a successful one for HPC and the village generally. Anyone who feels that they could contribute by offering their services as a Councillor please feel free to contact the Clerk and consideration will be given to any valid application.

That concludes my annual report apart from the charity reports which will now follow.

P.S. Given that this report was written in May and we are now approaching the end of July, I would like to mention the following: Thanks again to Simon Myers, who has taken the temporary role as HPC Councillor to assist HPC in getting going again. Wayne Harding and Angie Pedley are stepping into the breach and being co-opted as Councillors which should leave HPC in a far better position going forward and thanks to them both in advance.  

Julian Sleath - Chairman of Hellifield Parish Council

Chairman's Annual Report (May 2022)

My report this year is slightly different to previous ones as it is my last final report as Chairman. Having being co-opted to the council in June 2003, becoming vice chair in 2004 and then chairman in 2005, I have seen a lot of improvements and achievements by the parish council during my reign of almost 19 years. Here is a summary of the more memorable ones:

  • Station Road playing field had a complete refurbishment with various funding, grants and 106 monies. MP Julian Smith opened it in September 2010
  • Both Station Road and Thorndale Street playgrounds have been well maintained with various new equipment installed (with huge input from former Cllr Bob Moore)
  • Flooding in the centre of the village became an issue, especially after the Hammerton estate was built. Meetings and pressure applied to Craven District Council led them to agree to pay for replacing a section of old culvert down the side of the Institute allowing surface water from the new houses to be piped into it further upstream. Unfortunately, it meant the public toilets had to be demolished.
  • CDC refurbished the car park and HPC liaised with them to maintain the grass, lighting and to keep it free of charge to use.
  • We have been consulted on a vast range of planning applications and I have attended many site visits and spoke at planning meetings & consulted about the parish boundary changes
  • Four years ago, we embarked u[on a street light upgrade programme to replace 57 parish street lights to LED due to their age and condition and to save electricity costs. Together with our clerk Mary we engaged NYCC along with Electricity NW and withs some input on my part, we completed the programme within budget and timescale. In fact, I connected the final new light on my last day as Chairman.
  • The Land on the Hammerton approach was transferred to HPC by the developers which enabled us to build a bus shelter. Recently I installed a light in the shelter following a spate of vandalism and arson.
  • The parish council provided hanging baskets and plants along with the troughs at either end of the underpass and the village markers. In addition, we have provided and installed the village Christmas tree and lights. Hard wiring was put place last year which will make installation in future years more straightforward. 
  • In my term I’ve attended 2 services for the licensing of new vicars for our parish – the latest being the Revd James Rodley who has recently joined us.
  • The War Memorial had a complete refurbishment and a very formal rededication service was organised by the British Legion.
  • Along with my vice chair, Cllr David Statt, we have attended the Annual Remembrance Service each year. Doing the readings, laying a wreath and reading the names on the War Memorial is a very moving experience which I feel very privileged to be part of.
  • We have organised 2 beacons on Haw Hill - thanks to the land owners for giving us their permission. I was very involved with both and pleased to say they were very well attended
  • The allotments have been maintained and well used and there is usually waiting list of villagers wanting one.
  • The parish council maintain the 16 benches around the village and replace them when necessary. The latest being a new bench to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee. The family of the late former councillor Lloyd Popay have also placed a bench in his memory down Back Lane.
  • Ex-councillor Bob Moore set up the village Emergency Plan in conjunction with NYCC. During the recent floods, councillors were monitoring the beck and flooding on the square.

I’ve worked with four different clerks in my term as Chairman and how things have changed in 19 years. My first clerk was the late Angela Lawson. Back then in 2003 Angela used to run round the village putting planning applications and correspondence through councillors’ doors for reading and passing on to the next councillor (who hopefully wasn’t away). And to where we are today with emails, WhatsApp and Zoom meetings in the pandemic, when our clerk did a fantastic job of getting every one online despite the limited technical ability of some of our councillors! 

On that note, I’d like to thank Mary our Clerk (who’s retiring soon after 8 years) who has really moved HPC forward on the technology and communication front and James our Handyman, who continues to keep our village clean and tidy. I’ve said it before, we are very fortunate to have such good employees, without them very little would have happened, so thank you both.

And finally, I’d like to thank all the parish councillors I’ve worked with and the other volunteers, without which our village wouldn’t be half the place it is.

I can’t name you all, but on behalf of Hellifield Parish Council, as outgoing Chairman, thank you all so much for your valued input and contributions, and I hope it continues for the new council. It’s been a privilege to have served the community for almost 19 years

And my best wishes to you all especially our new clerk Mrs Julie Sleath and the new councillors for the future challenges that lay ahead.

Brian Hugill

Chairman of Hellifield PC

June 2003- May 2022.