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ESCRICK PARISH COUNCIL Annual Report

The Parish Precept for 2007/08 was £9,000, unchanged from last year and will remain at £9,000 for 2008/09.

As usual the grass cutting of the village green, playing field and verges was the major expenditure in the year together with the various insurances and electricity bills. Parish council funds were quite healthy with no major expenditures in the previous year, so we invited local groups to bid for grants to support capital expenditure that would benefit the parish. All of these submissions were successful and have all been disbursed at a total cost of just over £2000.

The council also commissioned a survey by the Rural Trust to look into the demand for affordable housing in the village. This took place earlier this year and we expect to receive this report in the near future.

The council funded the production of the Antisocial Behaviour leaflet that was delivered with the Parish Magazine in the Spring.

Roads and Footpaths:
The major expenditure this year was the extension of the pavement from Skipwith Road to Gashouse Woods; previously residents had to walk on the road to reach the gate into the woods. The Parish Council funded all of the cost of this.

A new speed limit sign was installed on the approach to the village from Skipwith, and new white lining was carried out at the junction of Carr Lane and Main St where a number of near misses involving pedestrians and vehicles have occurred. This has been a joint initiative between the school, the council, the Highways Department of the County Council, our district councillor Mrs Casling and the police community support officers and we would like to thank all of these.

The Highways Dept carried out a number of repairs to the pathways around the village, mostly as a result of notifications from residents either directly or through the council, so we ask that parishioners who notice significant cracks in the pathways should report them to the clerk.

The Highways Dept are currently carrying out a study to look at the future development of the A19 from Selby to Crockey Hill.

Lastly, a proposal was made by a group of landowners for an Escrick Bypass, funded by development surrounding the new road. A public meeting took place in the Autumn which was extremely well attended. It was felt by all that there was insufficient detail in the proposal to proceed with the questionnaire that the parish council wish to conduct, and the representative of the landowners indicated that they would carry out further work to achieve this, but to date nothing has been received by us.

Environment:
A new streetlight provided by the Parish Council has been installed on Skipwith Road near Derwent Court.

The bus shelter on Main Street was repainted with an anti-graffiti surface. This has worked extremely well.

The council and the school are supporting a complaint from a resident about flooding at the junction of Main St and Carr Lane, which we believe to be a health hazard.

Planning:
There were few controversial planning applications this year with the majority of the applications for domestic extensions. We welcomed the application for a farm shop at the Hollicarrs and the Hair Salon near the Post Office. Brian Forster has carried out his work in dealing with these applications in his usual efficient manner. Our thanks to him.

Village Green:
The events on the Village Green – the Summer Dinner and Christmas Tree lighting – were a great success. The pond was cleared of overgrowth and surrounding trees were trimmed. Our thanks go to the committee for their hard work on behalf of the village.

Escrick Playing Field:
The old paddock area near the A19 was redeveloped to be a nature trail, with several hundred trees planted, a natural pathway and an oak seating area – a very welcome project which will be a great asset in years to come. The committee are planning a 10k run this summer to support the development of an adult fitness trail in the area.

Visitors:
The Council was pleased to welcome our Police Community Support Officers to several of our meetings, Police Inspector Pegg and Alison Linnegar from Selby District Council.

Chairman's Note:
We were very pleased to hear that our Post Office was not included in the closure list as it is a very valuable asset to the village.

My particular thanks go to Mrs Vicky Cumberland, our Clerk for carrying out her duties ably and efficiently and to all Councillors for their support and dedication.

Lastly, many thanks also to District and County Councillor Liz Casling who has assisted us in many instances in the past year.

Attendances At Meetings To Date (7 meetings):
S. Smowton: 7
B. Forster: 6
W. Reader: 6
I. Reynolds: 6
C. Wainwright: 6
M. Russell: 6
G. Mannix: 6
P. Skilbeck: 6
C. Forbes Adam: 6
J. Reader: 4
L. Coulson: 3

Dist. Coun. E. Casling: 6

Steve Smowton - Chair, Escrick Parish Council