It is disappointing to find that once more Upper Poppleton Parish Council has not attracted enough candidates for an election to be called on 1^st May. This is despite the fact that we held an Open Day on Saturday 22^nd March. Several village organisations, including Nether Poppleton Parish Council, had displays on that occasion and many people were attracted to the event. Our grateful thanks go to Helen and James Mackman for all the hard work they put in on behalf of the Parish Council, to all Parish Councillors who helped, and to all the village societies that put on exhibits of their work. Fortunately, we are now in a position to co-opt parishioners on to the council and this we hope to do soon.

Arguably the most important work of Parish Councils concerns planning, whether it be for a minor residential alteration or a complete housing estate. The Parish Council does not, at the moment, make planning decisions but it is consulted upon all planning applications. Because of the limited time between an application being received and the time that the City Council is required to make a decision, Upper Poppleton Parish Council elects a Planning Sub-Committee each year. Each Councillor on the sub-committee makes his or her own comments and these are then forwarded to the City of York Council. When the application comes before the Planning Committee making the decision, the Parish Council is allowed three minutes in which to put its case. This is in addition to the time allowed for an applicant and an objector. When a decision is reached, the Parish Council is also notified of the result and of any subsequent appeal.

The Parish Council has dealt with a wide variety of planning applications during the past year from conservatories and tree preservation to more substantial developments. We have always tried to do the right thing by the village as a whole but this is sometimes difficult. It is important to look at potential development from a neighbours’ point of view and anyone who might have been affected by a planning application has been consulted in the past year. I trust that the incoming Parish Council Planning Committee will always bear this in mind when considering new applications. Similarly it is also important to keep up to date with site visits, planning meetings, appeals, public inquiries and inspectors’ reports to ensure as far as possible that inappropriate developments do not take place.

Problems concerning the Village Greens are of ongoing concern for the Parish Council. Parking on the Greens is a major problem, for this is not only unsightly, but also affects the grass itself and can create an uneven surface. Similarly, rubbish skips and notice boards create difficulties for the same reasons. In parts the turf on the greens has become rutted and potentially dangerous for the unsuspecting pedestrian. It is not generally realised that, where they already exist, the driveways are also part of The Greens and the ‘No Parking’ rule applies to them also. The existing driveways are for access only and the Parish Council is forbidden to grant any further entrances.

The gas authorities are currently engaged in an exercise to replace old gas pipes and replace them with new plastic ones but unfortunately this has left The Green in extremely unsightly confusion and it is not yet known when the matter will be resolved but we are pressing for The Green to be restored to its original condition as soon as possible.

A major item concerning the Greens was the felling of a lime tree near the Methodist Church in October 2002. The tree was found to have open cavities, decay and a major deterioration of the wood, in May 2002. In the interest of public safety, the Parish Council therefore decided that the tree should be removed and replaced with a Tilia x Euchlora. Two new trees have also recently been planted near Manor Farm on The Green.

When the Ward Committees were created about three years ago the per capita allowance previously given to Parish Councils was withdrawn. The money was instead placed at the disposal of the Ward Committees. This meant that instead of around thirty or fifty Parish Councillors deciding major local issues, just two or three City of York Councillors would, and I quote, "have responsibility for allocating bigger local budgets." A booklet produced at the time stated that, "the ward committees will have to consult with existing parish councils before they allocate this money", but no formal or informal arrangements yet exist. All decisions are therefore made solely by City of York Councillors and any requests are absolutely at their discretion.

As a consequence, parish council precepts have generally risen over the years and a question of ‘double taxation’ has arisen in many instances. In other words, residents of parishes sometimes pay in full for their own services and also contribute towards similar services in other parts of York. For example when the per capita allowance was still received, Upper Poppleton Parish Council purchased what are now known as ‘dog bins’. The per capita allowance it received also enabled it to pay for the costs of emptying the bins. Now that the allowance has been withdrawn however, the Parish Council still has to pay over £1000 per annum for emptying the bins but, through the Council Tax, its parishioners also have to pay for emptying similar bins in other parts of York. The consequence is that over £1000 must be raised by precept to pay for something that is included in other York residents’ council tax bills.

A web-site for Poppleton was created some time ago and Upper Poppleton Parish Council took some pages within it. The site has recently changed hands but Parish Council agendas, minutes, planning applications etc should soon be available again after logging on to www.poppleton.net

We have learned just recently that the York to Ripon ‘bus service is to be re-routed through Upper Poppleton with a stop near The Green. We are also hopeful that this could lead to ensuring that, in winter, Hodgson Lane will receive some gritting if it becomes a ‘bus route.

It could be argued that Poppleton will eventually be swallowed up into the urban area of the City of York, like Acomb and Clifton. But, if it is inevitable, and how quickly this happens, depends to a great extent upon this Parish Council. Already, the strip of Green Belt dividing the villages from the urban area of the City of York is at its narrowest around Poppleton and we are currently experiencing several attempts by various agencies to develop in the Green Belt within the Upper Poppleton parish. These include proposals to include Park & Ride and Waste Disposal sites within the Green Belt. There are also proposals to take some quite large areas out of the Green Belt and designate them for building. If the Parish Council is not alert to these proposals as and when they occur, and is not prepared to oppose inappropriate planning applications, it will soon find that the Green Belt around Poppleton has disappeared. Is this what Upper Poppleton deserves or what the residents expect?

Finally, I would like to thank all my colleagues for the hard work they put in to caring for the village. Unlike many other similar jobs the work is unpaid and is really a labour of love. This is not just a question of turning up once a month for the meetings but is an ongoing period of concern for everything that happens around them. I would also like to thank our clerk for his tireless efforts in looking after the day to day matters of the Parish Council and ensuring that everything is kept running smoothly, both financially and legally.

This will be my last meeting as chairman of a full Parish Council meeting, and indeed as a parish councillor. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to wish Upper Poppleton Parish Council well in the future.

David Thompson (Chairman)