Welcome and Introduction

I am pleased to welcome all those in attendance this evening. I welcome colleagues, staff and representatives of the public – especially Council award winners, their friends and relatives. We appreciate your being here.

This AGM marks the half-way point of the current Town Council and a suitable point to reflect on progress so far on our achievements. It is fair to say that good progress has been made but, as ever, we are ambitious to achieve even more.

Thanks

It is traditional to start with three sets of thanks:

To the community for its support, whether reflected through attendance at meetings (thank you for attending this evening!), talking to us on the phone or by email, or working through one of Otley’s other great organisations that share their ideas, expertise, and enthusiasms as we work together for Otley.

To the Council staff, who respond so diligently to the needs of residents, Councillors and the Council administration. We have a largely settled team now and colleagues are helping us ensure value for money and effective administration. We are grateful for the way in which staff help to manage Council projects and provide excellent support for the public, including maintaining the Council’s commitment to a public enquiries desk and telephone service. And who hide their frustration with new demands and ideas from Councillors extremely well.

I would like to note the very helpful contribution from our Deputy Clerk, Nicola Woodward, who is stepping down in the next couple of months to focus on other commitments, including continuing as Bramhope Parish Clerk, in which role we will continue to work with her. She will be missed in Otley.

To my fellow Councillors who have been unfailingly helpful and supportive. I am grateful for all their voluntary hard work on behalf of the community; as the elected public body for the town we have a special responsibility to do all we can to keep Otley special and thriving.

Achievements

Two years ago, when this Council was elected, we specifically said that we would fight for Otley – preserving its unique and wonderful character – work for Otley – using our position as the elected body for Otley to coordinate support for the Otley environment and our residents – and invest in Otley – using our income wisely and efficiently and attracting in other funds wherever possible. I believe we are doing well in each of these areas.

Statutory Duties and More

I always point out at this stage that The Town Council is a parish council with limited statutory responsibilities and relatively limited finances. We are also appreciative of the need to keep those finances tightly controlled and to use the precept carefully to provide services to residents and achieve our aims. This year we again only put the precept up in line with inflation – typically by less than the cost of a cup of coffee per household.

Nevertheless, although resources are tight, we perform a significant role in the community and, using the money we do have, we can do a surprising amount of good on behalf of the community. We keep our civic traditions alive, including funding the welcome activities of the Mayor, arrange community events, support the business community and other key organisations, and use our planning influence and the Neighbourhood Plan to keep Otley special. We look after key assets in the town. We sponsor and support projects to improve the lives of residents, make the town centre more attractive and improve the general environment. We do all this in partnership with Leeds City Council and Councillors and with our great community organisations. And we do it understanding that the money we have is largely from Otley residents and that their needs come first. I would like to highlight just a few of our achievements over the last year.

Fighting for Otley

We are proud that our Planning Sub-Committee remains vigilant, scrutinising all planning applications made for Otley. The Councillors on that panel are diligent and experienced and we believe that Town Council comments make a difference. In particular, we use the Otley Neighbourhood Plan to challenge applications which we think will spoil the townscape or green spaces of Otley. We are currently beginning the process of reviewing the Neighbourhood Plan. This is a community document and anyone with an interest in being involved in the review should speak to a Councillor or Officer this evening; we might be able to use you!

Additionally, the Travel and Transport Sub-committee pulls together community knowledge and enthusiasm in this vital area and allows us to be more effectively vigilant on issues such as the airport and other public transport.

This evening sees the presentation of the first Otley Town Council Sustainable Building Awards. We are delighted that these worthy winners showcase two great building refurbishments in Otley: one a domestic property and one for a mixed-use commercial redevelopment. We hope the award will encourage developers and owners to work with Otley’s heritage to meet the needs of the environment more widely.

Working for Otley

The Town Council works with others to ensure that the Otley environment improves for residents and businesses.

As I hope everyone now knows, 2027 and 2028 will be significant years in Otley’s history as we recognise 800 years of the wonderful Otley Bridge and remember the granting, 800 years ago, of the market charter. Plans for this double-celebration are advancing, and we hope to share them soon.

It should already be clear about how partnership is at the heart of our activity and way of working: we have engaged again with Otley BID and different interest groups, charities, and organisations in the nature recovery, sustainability and community support spheres.

We continue to fund the Visit Otley and Buy in Otley websites and also the Town Benchmarking Survey which is really useful for decision-making to support business. The provision of the town centre public toilets for residents and visitors are a major Town Council commitment. This year, we are introducing information totems into the town centre which will smarten up the way we provide visitor information.

The Community Development Committee regularly makes small grants to community groups and local charities to help them in their work. We continue to fund the Town Christmas lights, the Lights Switch-on and the Remembrance Day activities. Individual Councillors do case work and support local groups directly by lobbying and joining in activities.

Investing in Otley

Ongoing funding supports the maintenance and development of Gallows Hill Nature Reserve, which this year gained a new dipping pond for the use of families and schools. The increased use of the nature reserve provides challenges; as an accessible, enjoyable place for a walk, we recognise that we will continue to need to develop it further and carefully. We have also spent a large sum on refurbishing the Buttercross this year, another important action to preserve this piece of Otley’s heritage that is still serving as a shelter, a meeting place and an occasional charity stall. Other minor works have also been funded from our assets fund, established to ensure we can always look after the parts of our town’s fabric for which we are responsible.

Apart from our small grants scheme, we seek and spend more significant sums to support environmental and other projects. Following on from previous grants to the Chippendale Centre, Prince Henry’s 3G pitch and to Otley Cricket Club, we have been delighted this year to support Otley Common, the important scheme to preserve the wonderful Otley Methodist Church building for community use. This scheme is ongoing but has made remarkable fundraising progress. The Town Council continues to watch and support the project as it continues.

Much of our work requires partnership with Leeds City Council as the principal authority and with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), as the body with strategic responsibility for transport. We are particularly pleased, this year, at being able to give crucial financial support to City Councillors and Leeds Officers to refurbish many of Otley’s Playparks; it was good to do this with ideas and help from community groups for Weston and Caxton Parks. Money from WYCA was used to help pay for the town centre totems, to extend our electric bike hire scheme and to produce leaflets encouraging short walks around Otley. We are optimistic of receiving more funding this year for small walking and cycling Street Vision projects.

Conclusion

We believe the Council is responsive to the needs of the town, its organisations, and residents. I am personally grateful for the support of a great team of Councillors and office staff and for the spirit of cooperation that ensures Otley organisations work well together for the benefit of the town.