Melsonby Parish Council

Following on from comments and an email from parishioners re pedestrians, some with dogs, walking on roadways around the village the PC contacted Highways re road signage and received the following response:

Thank you for your e-mail.

Whilst I note and appreciate the request for warning signs to be placed on the approaches to the village,  I regret that this is not something that we would take forward.

Just to confirm that the warning sign in question is usually used with the associated plate advising of the lack of footway for a given distance at locations where an existing footway has a break in it and then starts again further along the road.  You will appreciate that throughout the County there are countless similar locations to those mentioned in your e-mail on the approaches to villages which do not meet the above description and it would not be reasonable to sign them all not least because of the possibility of drivers potentially becoming oblivious to the message and therefore not taking notice at the locations where they are more clearly needed.

With regard to the provision of new sections of footway,  I regret that funding for this type of work is not presently available.

Notwithstanding the above, if there is general concern about the speed of traffic at a given location then you may wish to consider making a report to the  ‘Traffic Bureau’ at North Yorkshire Police using the form to be found on our website by following this link:

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/road-safety/speed-limits-speeding-and-road-safety-concerns

Once a completed form is received, relevant evidence relating to speed of vehicles and casualty history will be gathered and the local  ‘95 Alive Partnership’ which includes representatives from the Police, the Fire And Rescue Service and the Council will then assess the findings and identify any actions that the group consider to be appropriate and effective. This may include consideration of educational initiatives, temporary matrix sign deployment,  or enforcement measures. Speed limits on these roads is generally 60mph.

Another option that the residents may wish to consider is setting up a  ‘Community Speed Watch’ scheme with training and equipment provided by the Police.  We already have this.

I’m sorry that I cannot be more positive but trust that you will appreciate my position.

Ian Beighton

Highways – Area 1

North Yorkshire Council

Please see the update below on 6th February 2024.

An agenda item at the January 2024 meeting raised a question regarding the replacement of the Green Bins.

Item: The existing small green bins are to be replaced by a 240l bin at double the cost. What will happen with the smaller bins and this is a considerable increase in costs.

The Parish Council raised this with NYC Councillor Angus Thompson. Please see his correspondence below.

Dear All,

I can appreciate that the new scheme appears to be inefficient but in fact the reverse is true. We within the old RDC District have been out of line with other councils in terms of size of bins etc. and it is by bringing everyone onto a uniform system, so everyone has the same size of bin and the same charge, that we can make savings across the county.

Some were paying more than RDC customers, some were paying less eg. Selby residents who weren’t charged for green bins. The end product however is savings across the county.

It is not just a question of the size of bins, but the vehicles required to collect the rubbish. If we are all on the same system ie. identical bins, then savings can be made on the vehicles. You may have noticed that Harrogate yellow vehicles have been used in the last 9 months to collect recycling and non recycling rubbish. This is because Harrogate had a surplus of vehicles, RDC had a deficit. Hence saving money.

When it comes to ordering replacement lorries, then discounts for bulk buying should come into play, but ONLY if we are all on the same system.

Savings like this can only be achieved if we are all on the same system. Harrogate lorries could not be used for RDC green waste if they were geared up for larger bins whilst our bins were the smaller ones.

I hope this clarifies any confusion.

Regards,

Angus Thompson.

UPDATE: Received from NYC via Councillor Angus Thompson dated 2nd February 2024:

Dear Councillor Thompson

Thank you for your email. 

Yes, you are correct residents can keep their existing 140 small bin, but they will have to pay the increased charge of £46.

There has been no requirement to make any changes to the bin wagons, the wagons are able to collect a whole range of bin from 140 litres to 1100 litres.

Regards

Amanda Dyson

Area Manager (Waste & Street Scene)

North Yorkshire Council

Mercury House

Station Road

Richmond

DL10 4JX

There is currently one resident in Melsonby who is a part of the Community First Responder Scheme for the NHS. Could you spare 5 Hours minimum per week to provide the village with a valuable service. Melsonby currently shares Gillings kit, however if responders can grow in numbers, we could gain a dedicated Melsonby kit. Further information on the scheme is available to view on the Parish Council website.
If you would like to speak with Steve McLean, the current responder prior to officially making contact with the coordinator in Richmond. Please email Steve at stevenmclean217@gmail.com

The Home Upgrade Grant phase 2 (HUG2) is available to help homes that are not on mains gas and have poor quality insulation and inefficient heating systems. 

The grant can be used for improvements such as insulation and solar panels to air source heat pumps and smart heating controls. 

These will help save money on energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

To qualify for the new scheme residents must have a household income of £31,000 or less and/or meet other eligibility checks.

Properties must also be technically suitable for the measures available in the scheme and have a low energy efficiency rating (between D and G on an energy performance certificate).

Private rented properties are eligible to apply although landlords must contribute at least a third of the total cost of the upgrade. 

This scheme is now open and we are working with community interest company YES Energy Solutions who will deliver the improvements to homes. They can be contacted by calling 01422 880 100 or visit the
YES energy solutions page https://www.yesenergysolutions.co.uk/
to find out more.
You can also visit our website www.northyorks.gov.uk/hug2
to register your details to find out more about the scheme.

This is to inform you that North Yorkshire Council will be undertaking drainage works at the above location.
The works are currently programmed to commence on Monday 08 January 2024 and will be undertaken with a Temporary Road Closure in place for a period of up to five days.
Advance warning signage advising of the works will be installed on site shortly. Whilst the works are in progress, a fully signed diversion will be in place. On-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the closure. Please be advised there may be extended periods when access will not be possible due to the nature of the works and physical constraints of the site.
Please note, this work is part of an extensive programme and therefore, some adjustment to this start date or the duration of the works may be necessary should unforeseen circumstances such as significant weather events or emergencies on the highway network arise.
To ensure the delivery of these works we request your assistance in the following ways:
· Please contact the Customer Service Centre on 0300 131 2 131, to identify any special access needs you may have prior to work commencing.
· Please make arrangements to store your vehicle at an alternative location
· Please co-operate and comply with any instructions issued by the traffic management operatives and take extra care whilst within the works area
May I draw your attention to the Councils Corporate Privacy Policy by using the following link https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/privacy-notices. When submitting a response, we will record personal information including your name and address.
For further information, including diversion information and to sign up for alerts please go to; https://one.network/
I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any disruption that these works may cause and would again request your cooperation to help ensure an efficiently and safely executed project.

Yours faithfully
Customer Service Centre

St James’ the Great church, Melsonby, dating from 1115, is our Anglican parish church. It is united with two local churches to form the Stanwick Group of Churches. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The church tower hosts four bells, the oldest of these was cast in 1370 and has ‘Johanes had me made’ engraved into the metal, the next in 1718 and the latest two in 1875.

What is the Melsonby Bell Project?

The church bells are held on worn out and dated fittings, they are very difficult to ring for beginners and having four bells limits what can be rung by experienced ringers. This makes it difficult to teach and retain ringers and to attract existing ringers. The Keltek Trust, a charity that rescues bells from closed churches, has offered us a set of six bells from a former church near Leeds.

It is proposed to install these six bells and two newly cast bells on modern fittings. The 1370 and 1718 bells will remain in the church. A new frame will allow easier access for visitors to view the bells and it is envisaged that “open days” to visit the tower will become a regular event.

Why is it important to the wider local community?

Melsonby has no village hall and at a time when the Church of England is closing church buildings, we hope to secure the future of St James’ by making as much use of the church as possible, including a more numerous and active bell ringing group. The church holds concerts and events, has a weekly café and Post Office; hosts a book and jigsaw lending library and has a recycling centre. The meeting room is hired out for office use and meetings and a village choir hires the church on a weekly basis. The investment in new bells is known to attract new ringers and an active bell ringing group will support the continuity of the church as a community asset and a place of worship well into the future.

Bells typically last for hundreds of years and there is therefore a rare opportunity to have an engraving on the new bells, creating a legacy for a family, business or association for many centuries to come.

What is needed to complete the project?

The raising of circa £150,000 by December 2024. 

How will it be achieved?

The funds will be raised through a combination of:

• Donations in return for an engraving on the bells creating a lasting legacy, and
• Various other fundraising activities over the coming year.

How can you help?                                                        

You can support the project in three ways:

• Do you know a benefactor who may wish to contribute who you can introduce us to?
• Do you have contacts / friends who may be able to help in some fashion to support the project?
• Would you be able to spare some time to help in the raising of the funds or offer marketing / publicity support?

How can you learn more?

Come to one of our two open events at St James’ Church on

Tuesday 21^st November 2023 from 7-00pm to 8-00pm or

Saturday 25^th November 2023 from 2-00pm to 3-00pm or

Contact the Melsonby Bell Project Team on MelsonbyBells@gmail.com