Wolsingham Parish Council

Annual Report April 2021 to April 2022

 

This year has seen some progress with our long- term plans, starting with the election of a new council with effect from May 2021. As always, it takes some time for a new group to become comfortable working together and to agree how to proceed.

There were seven continuing members but also 4 new members, one of whom (Cllr J Bell) had long standing concerns about how the council was run, including several complaints and queries which remained to be resolved.

The recurring issues in meetings throughout the year have been;

1. Doctors Gate track damage by 4x4 vehicles. This Green Lane has been seriously damaged by excessive use. DCC Highways, the landowner and Durham Police continue to try to limit this damage, by monitoring users and advising them, also by considering closure of the track. This would be a complex and expensive legal process, and we have had regular reports on the effects of their efforts.
2. Glyphosate weedkiller use by DCC on paths and green spaces has been a recurring concern over several years now and was highlighted again this year. What one person sees as ‘untidy weeds’ another sees as wildflowers and biodiversity, and these perspectives compete. We continue to press for more limited and careful use of ‘weedkillers’ only where necessary, but still the situation is not satisfactory.
3. The decision last year to improve the Angate Street toilets by adding accessible facilities has involved considerable work, in agreeing designs, obtaining planning consent and drawing up specifications. We are now ready to complete the work, but despite repeated efforts we have not found any contractor willing to undertake the work at an acceptable cost. This may be because most competent builders are dealing with a backlog of work due to the Covid restrictions, so prices are currently inflated or delays are long. We will continue to seek a suitable contractor.
4. Similarly, the Kiosk and Toilets development at the St Anne’s Centre has been specified, plans agreed and implementation is imminent. However, we have also been unable to find a contractor able to undertake the work at this time for an acceptable price.
5. Tennis Courts; in our consultation findings in 2019, the next project identified would be to provide Tennis Courts. We have conducted detailed surveys of the available sites at St Anne’s, visited and consulted with different Tennis Clubs which are successful (and some which are not) to arrive at a specification which would provide durable and effective courts. However, we were concerned to find that this would cost around £120,000+, and that conditions required by funding bodies could not be met as we do not currently have a viable Tennis Club. We therefore consulted again (through the Town Crier) and then called a pubic meeting to verify the findings. As a result, we have suspended this development, which is not economically or socially justifiable. The findings and background information are still available if the situation should change in the near future.
6. Longstanding unresolved complaints by Cllr J Bell relating to the Chair and the Clerk, together with other associated issues, were a disruptive feature of the Parish Council meetings up to September.  However, following the involvement of the Deputy Chair, and a mediation meeting chaired by staff from the County Durham Association of Local Councils, an understanding was reached which has allowed the Council to work together effectively as a coherent and cooperative group since then. Thanks are due to CDALC for their involvement
7. Our June meeting was cancelled due to the Clerk’s unexpected illness. This led us to explore the possibility of employing an apprentice to support the Clerk and to prepare a future clerk. However, these efforts were unsuccessful, and we were advised that, if the Clerk is ill or resigns, the expectation would be that councillors undertake his duties without pay or training! This remains an unsatisfactory way to deal with succession planning in my view.
8. Another persistent concern has been damage to a wall adjacent to the allotments, apparently caused by self-seeded trees beside the wall. Many people attended the council meeting in September to protest the suggestion that these trees should be removed, and we have explored several alternative ways to solve the problem, including structural survey of the wall, and arboricultural advice on the trees, their care and environmental value. This matter is still not resolved, but is in process.
9. We have updated our Health and Safety Policy to accommodate recent legislative changes.
10. We have allowed and facilitated the development of a cycle track in the trees beside the River Wear, which has been well used by young people last autumn and may be useful again in the summer weather.
11. Footpaths; there is an ongoing concern over the closure of an unregistered footpath by Leazes Lane, and several residents have requested a DMMO to register this path. Partly because of Covid, this matter has been delayed and will not be resolved before DCC Highways Committee meet on 24th May. Other footpaths in the area have been maintained with the work of Wolsingham Wayfarers, and the repair of the deteriorating footpath beyond Jack Walker Bridge is in hand by DCC Rights of Way team in the near future.
12. As a result of the severe weather which disrupted power supplies in Weardale for several days, we reviewed our ‘Civil Crisis Management’ strategy. In fact, Wolsingham coped better than most areas of the dale, and no direct call was made on our services, though the St Anne’s Centre was requested on standby at one stage. We considered setting up ‘neighbourhood wardens’ as had worked in Frosterley, but could not justify the time and effort this would entail, and the data-protection’ issues involved in keeping lists of ‘vulnerable’ families. A minor amendment was made to the wording of the policy, noting the problems of communication when ALL systems fail, and reverting to face to face contact with councillors in such a case.
13. Prof. Gary Bosworth from Northumbria University has, with our support, been conducting research into factors affecting rural economies, comparing Wolsingham with another similar village in Norfolk. He reported to us in November and has now arranged some workshops to help businesses develop in Wolsingham. This matches one of the outcomes of our consultation in 2019, to support local business development.
14. We have used Covid support grants to fund improvements in the Town Hall and St Anne’s Centre.  This has included new heating, redecoration, LED lighting, insulation and latterly new flooring in the main hall of the Town Hall. These updates and improvements will be with us for many years
15. The annual budget for this year included £2000 ‘set aside’ for Jubilee Celebrations. We have asked anyone who wishes to arrange events to collaborate, and arranged meetings for that. Final allocation of funds for this will be decided at the May Council meeting.
16. Despite the limiting effects of Covid and isolation, this has been a successful year in maintaining and improving facilities in the villages of Wolsingham and Thornley.There remain some outstanding building projects, but these are now ready to implement as soon as suitable contractors can be found. Our budget plan for the next year includes a further small reduction in the Precept, without any reduction in services or limitations on our development plans.
17. This achievement has been dependent on the unstinting efforts of our Town Clerk, Gordon Dobson, who quietly implements all of our decisions. The thoughtfulness and care which councillors have exercised has allowed to deal with any challenges and continue our work. I appreciate all those who have contributed to this process.

David Sugden

Chair of Council