Parish Meeting to Parish Council

The first Parish Meeting was held on 4th December 1894 at 7pm in the School Room that was used for the purpose until the Village Hall was built in 1939.

The meetings were open to all ratepayers with a chairman being elected from those present. Robert Piper Loy was the first to take the chair. The meetings were not held on a regular basis:

12 held between 1894 and 1899

15 held between 1900-1909

13 held between 1910-1919.

The records for 1910 show that two Overseers of the poor were appointed with pay to distribute charity money in Hutton le Hole. The total was £1 from Parochial Charities. In 1912 the Assistant Overseer was asked to make enquiries about the 6sh 8d charity money from the vicar of Lastingham. It does not appear in the records as having been paid until 1914 and then only a single amount without the arrears. Payments from charities continued, according to records, until the late 1950s. School Managers were also elected at the Meetings.

Selected Items from the Minutes 1923-1959

1923

The Meeting voted in favour of the postman having a half-day holiday on Saturdays.

1927

The Chairman was asked to write to Kirkbymoorside District Council about the water supply as it was inadequate.

1931

A discussion took place about the collection of refuse. It was decided that a voluntary scheme was felt to be more satisfactory than collection by Kirkbymoorside District Council.

1934

Discussion of Rights of Way Act 1933. A committee was appointed to map all footpaths.

1935

Request sent to Kirkbymoorside District Council for larger reservoir.

1936

Waterworks manager, G H Leek, attended. A decision was taken to replace the present reservoir with one holding 10,000gallons. Cost approx £200.

1938

Talk of Air Raid precautions and Wardens. The latter were appointed in 1939.

1939

Appointment of representative on Village Hall Management Committee.

1940

New water scheme approved. The original cost has escalated from £200 to £698.

1941

Old Coronation tree to be taken down as it was dangerous.

1944

Request to Sanitary Inspector to investigate open drains in the village.

1945

As Mr W Wood had left the village who was to be in charge of the hearse?

1946

Desire for more buses and for NRCC to take over the upkeep of the road from Old Wives’ Bridge to Ox Close.

1947

Collection of refuse was promised once a fortnight by Kirkbymoorside District Council. (This topic appears in all minutes from 1941.)

Letter received from York to ask if anyone would take on the Post Office  otherwise it may have to close.

1948

Lord of the Manor asked to repair walls of pinfold.

Post Box site rented from Manor of Spaunton for one shilling. Secures site for 12 years then 1d in perpetuity.

1949

Request for polling booth in Hutton for future elections.

Suggestion that a meeting be held to consider forming a Parish Council.

1950

Concern about the amount of traffic using West Road as there was no bridge on wider East Road. (Requests for a bridge appear as early as 1937. Eventually constructed in 1967.)

Request for electric light to be installed in telephone box.

Kirkbymoorside District Council seeking suitable building site in Hutton. (Resolved some 4 years later.)

1951

Quality of water in Hutton questioned.

1952

Work to start on new water supply in June.

1953

Lord of the Manor needs to attend to repair of pinfold.

Still no decision regarding council houses. Parks objected to site on Common Land.

1954

Mrs Ventress’s garden recommended as building site.

1955

Discussion on need for public toilets in village.

1956

Complaints re cars parking on village green – Highways to be contacted about stones along verges.

1958

Council houses could only be let at £3 per week – possibly too expensive for villagers.

1959

Mr Darley prepared to give land for public toilets if permission to build given.

**********

This brief insight into the community and its concerns shows to some extent that many of the problems faced at the time are still with us today. Refuse collection, attention to road surfaces, water quality, the length of time it takes for matters to be implemented, etc.

Although mention of becoming a Parish Council appears in the minutes of the Parish Meeting of 1949 it was not formed until 7th November 1973.

The first council meeting was held in the Village Hall on Monday 11 February 1974. The Chairman was Sir Colin Harrison and the Clerk Mr Oliver. They remained together in office until 1979. Meetings of the Parish Council were held more frequently than those of the Parish meeting but still not on a regular basis.

Since 2003 meetings had been scheduled, when possible, for the first Tuesday of each month with the exception of January. In 2019 this became the second Tuesday of each month with the exception of January.

The position of clerk over the years has been held by a member of the community on a voluntary basis. With no volunteer forthcoming on the retirement of the clerk in 2010 the council had to advertise the post and offer remuneration to secure the services of a clerk.