Chairman's Report April 2011

As this is my final report before the present council ends its term of office, I would like first to look back over the past four years and review what has been accomplished on behalf of the town during that period. There is much for which to give thanks. It is also very noticeable that the majority of the good things that will be mentioned could not have been accomplished had it not been for the help and co-operation of many other people and groups.
It would be tedious to mention everything but some of the highlights are:

· 2007 The achievement of Quality Town Council status with all the accompanying work done by our clerks and assistant clerks to gain their respective CiLCA (Certificate in Local Council Administration) and Working With Your Council awards from the Society of Local Council Clerks.

· 2007 Reorganisation of the council's financial records with the installation of a new computerised book-keeping program coupled with an improved budgeting system providing much improved and more timely reports. Reorganisation of the out-dated committee structure to form four working committees each of which would also take its turn to act as a Planning Committee.

· 2008 The introduction of a rolling programme for the maintenance of trees on the open spaces and greens and the provision of an all-weather surface to the much used Public Right of Way across the Memorial Park

· 2008 Flooding problems were tackled: (i) on the Millfields, by the dredging and clearing of drainage channels in connection with the Wetlands ponds and (ii) pro-active involvement with, and financial support for, work at Ninevah (Thirsk Road) to provide a solution to the problem of regular flooding of the cottages.

· 2009 Purchase of a new banner for 2487 Squadron Air Training Corps and its dedication at their 40th Anniversary Service in the parish church on 11th October of that year.

· 2009 Commencement of a dialogue with First Easingwold (Forest of Galtres) Scout Group about how the council could support their Dawney Outdoor Activity Centre Project part of which is on land owned by the council.

· 2010 Representation on the Working Group chaired by David Kenworthy that met to consider how the town should respond to NYCC's third attempt at a scheme for the Market Place - the Easingwold Service Centre Transportation Strategy (SCTS) - resulting in the agreement of the scheme that is currently being admired by visitors and residents alike.

· 2010 Completion of the refurbishment of the Memorial Park's junior area and securing the funding to refurbish the toddler area thus achieving the original objective signalled at its diamond jubilee in 2005 to completely renew this facility which had fallen on hard times.

· 2010 Successful outcome to the negotiations to provide additional land as an extension to the parish church burial ground. This has secured an important facility for the town for the foreseeable future.
All the above matters have run alongside a host of other activities which include:

· Operating a weekly market on a Friday in accordance with the Town's Charter that was granted in 1639.
· Running a highly successful annual Easingwold in Bloom competition.
· Safeguarding the land on the Millfields and in the town centre that is held by the council as Custodian Trustee.
· Commenting on all planning applications referred by Hambleton District Council.
· Administering the 23 allotments that are in the custody of the council.
· Maintaining a total of 34 public seats throughout the town as well as all the equipment in the Skate Park and the Playparks.
· Arranging for an annual display of appropriate lighting and a tree over the Christmas period.
· Encouraging a wider use of the town's facilities by (for example) having Band Concerts in the Memorial Park; a permanent Orienteering Course on the Millfields; and numerous functions throughout the year in the Market Place.

You will understand why, at this point, I wish to pay tribute to my seven co-councillors and to our clerk and assistant clerk (including their predecessors) for the huge amount of work that they have done over this four-year period. Nor should it be forgotten that, in the case of the councillors, this vast input of time and effort is entirely voluntary. The only reward is the satisfaction in seeing a job well done and, from time to time, some appreciation of our efforts.

Turning to the present, the workload has increased yet again with the local consequences of council cutbacks. Hambleton District Council (HDC) wish to save funds by passing on to the town council their responsibility for the public toilets in the Market Place. This is unlikely to save council taxpayers any money because it will automatically result in an increase in the parish precept so the overall amount payable will remain the same as if HDC had increased their rate. Therefore the town council is exploring the possibility of these facilities being provided by alternative means such as the library or the Galtres Community Centre (GCC).

Mention of the library is a reminder that this is also a victim of council cuts - in this case North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC). I chaired a Town Assembly at the GCC in February this year at which it was made crystal clear to County that the town and its surrounding villages did not accept their strategy of axeing many of the 42 libraries and preserving a core of only 18 - which did not include Easingwold!

One of the positive points to emerge from all the comments arising from the official Consultation is that the town council may be able to help preserve our library by renting part of the building for its own use as offices. Even more exciting is the possibility that, under the provisions of the Localism Bill currently making its way through Parliament, the library will be a "listed asset of community value" for which there will be pre-emption rights to purchase by local community groups (including town council) should County wish to dispose of it. This would be the best possible outcome as it would bring the building into the council's custody and provide us with a permanent home.

Not everything has been a success story. The attempt to bring some order to the chaotic nature of car parking in the town was twice voted out by the town with a consequential free-for-all that consistently causes problems for pedestrians and bus drivers - not to mention the loss of funds in consultants' fees that would have been better spent on improvements to the town. In the absence of enforceable restrictions, it may be that the council will need to take powers in future to clamp those motorists thoughtless enough to park on our new footpaths. A further disappointment is that, after three years of pressing, we are still waiting for a wheelchair-friendly path into the town from Springhill Court. The opportunity to improve the safety of pedestrians in the town at the junction of Chapel Street and Tylers' Walk was lost when attempts to reverse the one-way system of egress and access to the GCC was not accepted by their management committee. More recently, the town has failed to provide enough candidates for an election so our Quality Council status will now be forfeit and whilst our reserves will benefit, there will no longer be a requirement to publish a quarterly Newsletter. Such is the nature of democracy!

I cannot close without referring to the immense privilege of being the town's Mayor over the past two and a half years. Supported by my wife, Valerie, we have attended several events and occasions to represent the town and this has been a large "reward" additional to the one that I mentioned earlier. Everywhere that we went, we were conscious that we were ambassadors for the town and it has been a great pleasure to represent you in this way. The functions have varied from being introduced to Princess Anne at the Galtres Centre to attending a "muster of mayors" (Valerie's term, not mine) to meet other mayors in the county at the invitation of the Chairman of NYCC. It is with some regret that I will be handing over the chain of office at the first meeting of the new council. However, I have no regrets at passing on the responsibilities that accompany that chain and I wish our successors well in their continuance of those matters already in motion and in their stewardship of the town's resources over the next four years. I trust that you, too, will give them your wholehearted support.

W B Taylor, Chairman