Dave Amies – Chairman – The Post Office , Ryhall
Adrian Gombault – Vice Chairman – Elm Tree Cottage, Belmesthorpe
David Wilby – County Councillor – Orchard House Essendine Road, Ryhall Stamford PE9 4HE dwilby@rutland.gov.uk
CLERK : Sarah Gresty, Tar Cottage, Ryhall Heath, Ryhall PE9 4EF 077189 00848 clerk@ryhallparishcouncil.co.uk
Ryhall Parish Council Website www.ryhallparishcouncil.co.uk
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
This year, like last, has continued to be dominated by significant international problems. We continued where we left off from the previous year with Covid and its continuous mutations, causing difficulties to all, but especially those with underlying health issues. As is the case with close communities, families and friends have offered assistance wherever possible. My thanks go to you all.
Recently the extreme difficulties faced by the people of Ukraine have been at the forefront of the news. People of this community, the children and parents of Ryhall CE Academy and country as a whole have drawn together to supply much needed essentials to those who are suffering. A huge thank you! Internationally there is a struggle with costs rising on all products which will in the forthcoming weeks and months add to the difficulties that we all face. I was pleased therefore that in January the Parish Council voted unanimously to make no increase in our precept. Although a small contribution, I am sure the residents of Ryhall and Belmesthorpe were grateful.
In the early part of this reporting year we continued to conduct our meetings through zoom, working hard to ensure that matters that had come to our attention could be resolved and actioned. On traffic issues we had a positive result with the erection of a new light on Foundry Road, offering more security to a poorly lit stretch of road. As we moved into the summer months the Junior Travel Ambassadors of Ryhall CE Academy started an initiative to make people aware of speeds that vehicles were travelling through the village. The Ambassadors approached the parish council, who immediately offered assistance on this matter; undertaking community speed checks (my thanks to Stella, Andrew, Debbie, Sarah and everyone else who chipped in), a parish survey was undertaken and recommendations made to the parish council. This matter has been enhanced to seeking a 20mph speed limit through part of the village and ongoing discussion with RCC will hopefully draw this to a conclusion. The Parish Council have continued to keep Ryhall CE Academy informed of progress and hope that the next report will contain a successful conclusion.
With the partial opening of lockdown monthly meetings could start to take place, albeit in a variety of venues due to the closure of some facilities. We have been, as always very vigilant, on highway issues ; Phil Davies has constantly been inspecting road and pavement repairs, supplying the parish and county council with his well-documented reports on quality and standards, again my thanks for those reports.
Andrew Nebel has kept the parish council current on Health and Wellbeing issues not just locally but across the county, highlighting all relevant areas of concern, progress and initiatives that will impact on our lives in this eastern fringe of the county. A huge task on broad shoulders!
July offered the parish council a shock with our parish clerk of 26 years Caroline Adams giving 3 months’ notice of retirement. The PC cannot thank you enough for your dedication to the position. An interviewing panel would need to be convened! We were indeed fortunate that David Wilby kindly offered his patio for outdoor meetings to enable all the pre-interview paperwork to be in order before the interviews com-menced. Thanks to David, Stella and Adrian for your time and commitment.
In September, with sadness, we were informed that Bob Rushby had passed away; a former councillor who had given 9 years’ service until his retirement in 2018.
At the September meeting Alison Glover (parishioner), who is kindly representing the parish council at the Climate Change Forum, gave a detailed report of the meetings she had attended. Various ideas had been discussed, including rewilding areas, reduction of waste and recycling but it was very pleasing to have an immediate impact with a line of young trees being planted on the western verge of the A6121.
In October, Sarah Gresty, the successful applicant for the parish clerk position, was unanimously endorsed by the parish council. Followed by her taking up the reins in November, Sarah has thrown herself into her workload with drive and determination. She has made changes where she felt they have been warranted and I would like to thank her for all the work she has done in working with the committee through the change, but also to all the councillors for the support you have given Sarah.
At this time we also accepted the resignation from Jo Gresty (potential conflict of interest.) I would like to thank him for all the work he has done with the Ryhall meadows playing fields and also for his offer to continue in a consultancy role while we undergo a change in members.
In addition, we said goodbye to Richard Coleman, who has resigned as one of our RCC councillors; again I would like to offer the thanks of the parish council and parishioners for the work that you have undertaken on our behalf.
Nick Bellairs has worked throughout the period with the Allotment committee to ensure we have an excellent working arrangement and a facility that is well supported by the community. At the time of writing this report I was delighted to see the installation of a new secure gate on site.
We have had a number of planning applications during this period and my thanks go to Emma Sismore, Stella Smith and Nick Bellairs for their professional approach to what can be a difficult task, and for their assessment, understanding and objectivity on what can be a very emotive topic. As we are all well aware, the significant projects at St George’s Barracks, and the Stamford North Development have also hovered in the background. We have been kept appraised of these developments by David Wilby RCC, for which we are grateful, and to date they have had only low impact on our community.
Which, in the later part of this year, is a lot less than the Mallard Pass Solar Farm project has offered. This is an area that will have an impact on the parish and the surrounding area. There has been a significant amount of consultation, an extraordinary parish council meeting (which was very well attended) and a Mallard Pass Action Group has been formed. While this is unlikely to reach the parish council planning committee it is something that will affect us all and quite rightly we all have our thoughts and concerns on the course of action proposed. Those thoughts must be heard!
At the end of the year Ryhall and Belmesthorpe were delighted to welcome the High Sheriff of Rutland and his wife for a tour and informal discussion with members of the local community. The discussion covered many topics and the High Sheriff was delighted with a detailed historical talk on the church and an invitation to Ryhall Hall.
As this report draws to a close, I have, with great reluctance accepted Emma Sismore’s resignation from the parish council. I would like to thank her not just from myself but also from all members of the parish council for her dedication and work on the parish council and planning committee.
Finally, we draw to the end of the year where we started with an endorsement of the proposed precept for the parishes of Ryhall and Belmesthorpe for the coming year. My thanks go to Adrian Gombault and Sarah Gresty for a detailed financial presentation which kept questioning to a minimum and allowed us not to seek an increase in the precept for our parishioners for the forthcoming year.
