Newsletter Autumn 2022

Litter Pick 

Our next litter pick will be held on Saturday 29th October from 10am until 12 noon commencing in the Village Hall Car Park. Pickers, Hi Viz Jackets and rubbish bags will be provided but please bring your own gloves. We would appreciate your support for this important activity. 

Residents Responsibility for Cutting Back Overgrown Hedges and Trees 

 

Residents are being reminded to cut back any hedges or trees on their land that are causing a hazard to the public. In recent weeks North Yorkshire County Council’s highways teams have seen an increase in reports of pavements being obstructed and road signs obscured by overgrown trees and bushes. Executive member for NYCC Highways and Transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said: “With bird nesting season behind us we are encouraging people to cut back their trees and hedges that could be putting pedestrians and road users at risk. This includes hedges or trees that are reducing the width of footpaths, obscuring street lights and hiding road signs. Please do your bit in maintaining vegetation on your property for the safety of others.”

The Parish Council, Village Hall and St Michael’s Church have had tree surveys carried out earlier this year and there is a quantity of ash die-back and ash heart rot found to be affecting some of them. There are a number of large ash trees within the Beckwithshaw area which are adjoining roads and pavements. If any of them belong to you, please check them thoroughly for dead wood in the canopy (possible die-back) and other signs that your tree(s) could be infected, such as leaching of a black fungal growth on the trunk (ash heart rot).

 Private landowners and occupiers have responsibility for:

 • ensuring growth does not obscure road signs;

 • maintaining visibility for road users, particularly at junctions and on the inside of bends;

 • ensuring growth does not prevent the passage or affect the safety of people using a road,

footway, cycleway or public right of way, including cyclists and pedestrians;

 • removing dead or decaying trees and other growth that may fall across the highway;

 • removing branches that may prevent the passage of high-sided vehicles or obstruct light

from a street light;

 • ensuring the highway is left clear of debris from cutting work;

 • arranging for hedge and tree maintenance works to be undertaken.

If you do not maintain your trees and hedges, and if your vegetation is causing an obstruction or presenting a danger, NYCC Highways Department will tell you that work to cut the offending vegetation must be undertaken within 14 days. If action isn't taken, or if it is an immediate safety issue, they may carry out the work and recover costs from you. If you would like to register an area of overgrowth which you are concerned about please go to https://myaccount.northyorks.gov.uk/vegetation (there is no requirement to log in) and place

a dot on the map.

 

Energy Information 

In these times of high energy costs Harrogate Borough Council have provided the attached advice (see below) on self-help on efficiency and information regarding helplines for inclusion in our newsletter. We hope you find it informative and useful. 

Platinum Jubilee Photographic Archive of Parish Residents and Activities 

In our last Newsletter we mentioned that we are compiling a memorial Photograph Album to form an Archive of residents and Village activities at the time of the Platinum Jubilee. Anyone wishing to contribute should forward a post card sized hard copy of the photograph to Jean Galloway our Parish Clerk. 

20’s Plenty 

We are disappointed by the actions of unidentified people who have continually broken the wooden posts supporting our banner opposite the junction with Shaw Green Lane. Despite this negative behaviour the P.C. is committed to continuing its campaign to reduce speeding through the village. We would be pleased to receive any information regarding the perpetrators of this wilful damage. 

Charity Donation

 

Beckwithshaw Church is open daily to receive donations if you would like to give items for the Red Cross shops (unwanted clean clothing, shoes, accessories, books, homeware, bric-a-brac, CDs, DVDs, toys etc) or to their foodbank.

P.C. Vacancies 

We are inviting anyone interested in joining the P.C. to come along to our monthly meetings or contact Jean Galloway our Parish Clerk. You will be made most welcome.  

 

Generally

 

·        We continue to report blocked drains and culverts, potholes, damaged signs,

road markings, etc. via the online Parish Portal. 

·        We continue to monitor and comment on the Local Plan and Planning Applications

within the Parish. 

We invite you to join our monthly meetings. The first 15 minutes of every meeting are set aside for Parishioners to come along and voice their concerns.

Meeting dates as shown on website www.beckwithshaw.org are:-

 

Tuesday 15 November 2022, Tuesday 10 January 2023, Tuesday 14 February 2023

and Tuesday 14 March 2023.

 

 

                                             kind regards,

                                                           

Derek Spence  Chairman

 

 

Parish Clerk, Mrs J H Galloway, 1 Moor Park Close, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, HG3 1TR

Tel. 01423 536232

 

 

 

 

Energy Advice

Please see below for our energy advice contacts and remember  

Although the government have supported the price of energy, the cap price is only an indicator, if we have a cold winter, bills will be higher. So:- 

Read your meter regularly and keep a record, so you can see what you are spending. This will help if you need to make further savings  

Remember switching off saves money  

Close curtains at dusk to keep the heat in 

Can you manage cooler - set your house thermostat lower and put on a jumper. 

If you know all this, help a young person learn it and more. 

 

Energy Information from Harrogate Borough Council 

 

·                  Harrogate Borough Council, alongside York and Craven Councils, are about to launch a scheme with E.ON to deliver energy efficiency measures to homeowners and tenants who rent their home from a private landlord. Eligible residents can apply for these grants to cover a variety of energy-saving installations, and will be added to the waiting list until the official launch of the scheme. 

·                  A household’s total income must be £30,000 or less, or someone in the home receives a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit or Income Support. An applicant’s home must also have an EPC energy efficiency rating of D, E, F or G. 

·                  For more information and to check your eligibility, visit www.eonenergy.com/green-homes-grant. Alternatively, call E.ON on 0333 202 4820 to see if you’re eligible.  

 

·                  Warm & Well in North Yorkshire provides local help with high energy bills, switching to cheaper energy suppliers, grants, energy debt and energy efficiency as well as advice on keeping warm in the home. Contact 01609 767555, email wnw@northyorkslca.org.uk or visit www.warmandwell.org.uk  

 

·                  For simple energy advice and self-help on energy efficiency and reducing energy bills visit www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk or www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/reducing-home-heat-loss/ 

·                  Age UK has advice on energy prices, what support is available and what you can do if something goes wrong. Visit www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/debt-savings/energy/  

 

·                  The UK Government Energy Bills Support Scheme is a £400 discount on bills and will automatically be applied to all households with a domestic electricity connection in Great Britain. To find out more visit www.gov.uk/government/news/energy-bills-support-scheme-explainer