Nether Poppleton Parish Council

Nether Poppleton Parish Council

Annual Report – April 2008

I am pleased to be able to present the annual report for the last twelve months. It has been another busy year for the Council with some lengthy meetings and a great deal of constructive discussion. Unlike previous years we have not undertaken any Joint Meetings with our colleagues on the Upper Poppleton Parish Council.

To report on some of the items we have discussed I will start with areas that the Parish Council are directly responsible for.

We continue to upgrade the Allerton Drive garden with grass cutting and hedge trimming.

As previously reported, litter remains an ongoing problem. It is hoped that regular litter picks will improve this situation.

The Common Land areas which are owned by the Parish continue to be improved with regular grass cutting and tree surgery. In addition, during the last two years, Councillors have planted approximately 125 kilos of daffodils, bluebells, snowdrops and crocuses in the area between the War Memorial and the boundary stone near the Poppleton Centre. We have also planted approximately 75 kilos of daffodils along Millfield Lane. It would be our intention to continue this bulb planting annually and we would welcome suggestions from residents as to other areas that would be suitable for planting.

Whilst Poppleton is not seen as a high crime area we continue to work with the authorities to monitor problem areas. Between February 2007 and February 2008 the following crimes were recorded in the area.

·  Burglary of dwellings - 10

·  Burglary of businesses - 4

·  Burglary shed/garage - 6

·  Theft of vehicles - 3

·  Theft from car - 11

·  Theft (other) - 20

·  Fraud - 1

·  Criminal damage - 15

·  Cycle theft - 8

·  Drugs - 1

·  Nuisance youths - 24

·  Nuisance vehicles - 17

·  Disorder - 2

These figures only indicate crimes recorded to the police and may not show the total picture.

The Council has representation on many village and local organisations these include.

·  Local planning applications

·  Ainsty group of Parish Councils

·  Cycle/ Footpath Parish links

·  Moat Fields Management Group

·  Poppleton Community Trust

·  Poppleton Ousebank School Governors

·  Poppleton Youth Action Group

·  Rural West York Ward team

·  Ward Committee representative

·  Poppleton Wild Life Trust

·  Yorkshire Local Council Association

·  Joint Police Liaison Group

All meetings listed are reported back to the Parish Council by the representatives. This ensures that all councillors are fully updated on all matters that are relevant to the Council.

We are continuing to work on the development of the Poppleton circular walk and the proposed development of the Moat Fields area. Within the next two months we will be installing three stone seats in this area.

For the last three years we have set a budget of £17,200. However, when setting the budget for the current year we have had to increase it to £21,000. This is almost entirely due to increase expenditure on assets owned by the Council. The main changes are for work that is required on the Moat Fields and the Wildlife area.

This is only a sample of the work currently being undertaken by the Parish Council. Hopefully the introduction of a Parish magazine will keep residents informed of all future developments. This will be delivered to all the residents by the councillors at least twice a year.

In concluding the Annual Report all Councillors would like to offer their thanks to the Clerk for the work he undertakes and for the many hours he puts in over and above his paid duties.

Signed on behalf of Nether Poppleton Parish Council

David Tomlinson – Chairman

April 2008