How your local councillor spent their £10,000 last year

Happily, all of the nine councillors who represent Craven divisions on North Yorkshire Council gave out all of their allocated £10,00 in 2023/24.

Money went to all sorts of organisations and projects, including improvements to roads and footpaths, the buying of gazebos for events, the buying of defibrillators and anti-speeding equipment. 

Here is how they spent their allowance:

Cllr Philip Barrett (Glusburn, Cross Hills and Sutton-in-Craven, NY Ind).

Fund the conductor's fees and practice room hire / Sutton's Got Brass, £2,000; Fund the fees for the Sparkle and Ice activities at the winter camp / Cross Hills Rangers, £800; Fund the contractor's materials and labour costs of resurfacing a section of a PROW in Sutton in Craven / NY Countryside Services, £5,000; Provide a contribution towards the running costs of the community library / South Craven Community Library, £2,200.

Cllr Andy Brown (Aire Valley, Green).

Fund the catering and equipment for the coronation events in Kildwick / Kildwick Parish Council, £300; Purchase a new soil roller and folding due brush / Cononley Bowling Club, £500; Fund the hiring of equipment and tents for the Cononley Gala / Friends of Cononley School, £500; Fund the improvements to the facilities at the club / Cowling Football Club, £500; Fund the lighting improvements in Kildwick village / Kildwick Parish Council, £500; Fund the purchase of thermal imaging equipment / Cononley Village Institute, £300; Fund the purchase and installation of a defibrillator / Cowling Parish Council, £500; Fund the improvements to the village hall car park / Bradley in Bloom, £700; Fund the improved signage to walks on the Leeds Liverpool canal starting in Farnhill Parish / Farnhill Parish Council, £345.20; Fund the improvements to the shelter at the recreation park in Lothersdale / Lothersdale Parish Council, £500; Purchase a new mower for the cricket club / Bradley Cricket Club, £4,000; Improve the safety signage outside Cowling Primary School / Cowling School Parent Teachers Association, £300; Fund the improvements to the facilities at the club / Cowling Football Club, £1,054.

Cllr Richard Foster (Wharfedale, Con).

Fund the venue cost and entertainment for the event / Pride in the Dales, £500; Fund the refurbishment of the library including lighting, flooring and shelving / Grassington Primary School, £3,000; Fund the upgrading of the village lighting to timers and LED / Draughton Parish Council, £2,280; Fund the entertainment and Spitfire at the1940s weekend / Grassington 1940s, £500; Fund the Wharfedale Dales bus on a weekend from Ilkley to Grassington / Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, £1,000; Purchase a mower to maintain the duck pond area / Rylstone Parish Meeting, £450; Purchase of new equipment for the toddler group / Grassington Toddlers, £500; Fund the painting of the phone box which houses the village defibrillator / Halton East Parish Meeting, £625; Fund the new website design and construction / Upper Wharfedale Concert Club, £600; Purchase a table tennis table, room hire and training for the community activities / Grassington Devonshire Institute, £545.

Cllr Robert Heseltine (Skipton East and South, Con/Ind).

Fund the coaching and training of volunteers for the junior cricket teams / Skipton Cricket Club, £2,000; Fund part of the cost of upgrading the disabled toilet facilities / Sandylands Sports Centre, £2,000; Fund the hire of Musicians & Soloists of the Brahms Requiem in Skipton and Settle / Langcliffe Singers, £1,000; Fund the supply and fitting of kitchen equipment for the new club house / Skipton Community Sports Hub, £2,000; Fund the trips and visits to the theatre/cultural for members / Craven Open Door, £1,000; Fund the purchase and planting of plants for the 2024 Skipton Town Centre Floral Displays / Skipton in Bloom, £2,000.

Cllr David Ireton (Bentham and Ingleton, Con).

Purchase a gazebo for the Austwick Street Market and Cuckoo Festival / Austwick Parish Hall Council, £485; Fund the artists fee, room hire, refreshments, advertising and printing costs for the Christmas concert / Longstaffe Education Foundation, £650; Fund the improved crossing facilities on the A65 through Ingleton / NYC - Traffic Engineering, £5,000; Fund the proposed 30mph speed limit on the A65 / NYC - Traffic Engineering, £3,865.

Cllr Simon Myers (Mid Craven, Con).

Fund the catering for the Big Lunch and the Big Help Out for the Coronation event / Long Preston Parish Council, £300; Fund the Village Hall Music night and Village Picnic for the King's Coronation village celebrations / Kirkby Malham Parish Hall Committee, £500; Fund the catering for the community Coronation party / Scothsrop Parish Meeting, £300; Purchase a new Coronation Bench to commemorate the Coronation / Hellifield Parish Council, £500; Installation of a defibrillator for Winterburn village / Winterburn Defibrillator Group, £999; Fund the repairs to the caretaker's cottage roof / Long Preston Village Institute, £2,000; Purchase of mowers and strimmers for maintaining and enhancing public areas of Gargrave including wildlife areas / Gargrave Wildlife Working Group, £600; Fund the 40th Anniversary concerts in Skipton and Settle / Langcliffe Singers, £600; Fund the purchase of new lights for the Christmas Tree / Gargrave Parish Council, £400; Purchase and installation of a VAS for Hellifield on the A65 / Hellifield Parish Council, £2,150; Installation of a VAS sign for Coniston Cold / Coniston Cold Parish Council, £1,651.

Cllr David Noland (Skipton North and Embsay with Eastby, Green).

Fund the theatre performance at Skipton Library on Sunday  July 9/ Skipton Pride Steering Group, £350; Fund part of the cost of upgrading the disabled toilet facilities / Sandylands Sports Centre, £1,500; Purchase of new seating for the family room / SELFA Skipton, £500; Fund the coaching courses, safeguarding and First Aid courses for the volunteers / Skipton Cricket Club, £1,500; Fund the two trombonists for the concerts / Langcliffe Singers, £300; Fund the hire of the Town Hall and purchase seeds for children at the annual Environment Day in Skipton / Skipton Rotary, £740; Fund the creation of wellbeing zones within the wooded area of the school grounds / Friends of Water Street Primary School, £300; Fund the continuation of the Cravenlink Sunday Bus Service / Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company, £1,500; Fund the purchase of material and equipment for the Imaginarium Workshops / Craven Arts House, £800; Fund the insurance for the newly formed social enterprise / Share Skipton, £700; Fund the purchase of a new bow, case and repair to the acoustic Bass / Ermysted's Grammar School, £920; Fund the provision of a 4 Plate Boiling Top for the new kitchen at the Hub / Skipton Community Sports Hub, £570; Provide 1-2-1 sessions and online course to offer support to people dealing with bereavement / Cruse Bereavement Support Craven & District Branch, £320.

Cllr Andy Solloway (Skipton West and West Craven, Ind).

Fund the purchase of re-usable flags and banners to promote Pride events / Skipton Pride Steering Group, £500; Fund part of the cost of upgrading the disabled toilet facilities / Sandylands Sports Centre, £1,500; Purchase new furniture and chairs for the community centre / Broughton Road Community Centre, Skipton, £500; Purchase of training equipment for junior coaching / Skipton Cricket Club Juniors, £1,500; Purchase of new seating for the family room / SELFA Skipton, £1,500; Fund the Soprano and Bass Soloists costs for the 40th Anniversary concerts / Langcliffe Singers, £600; Fund the workshop costs including hire of the PA system and materials for the workshop / Skipton Puppet Festival Song Workshop, £500; Fund the purchase of new roll out goals for the junior football teams / Skipton Juniors Football Club, £1,000; Fund the purchase of new recycled benches for the community garden / Carleton in Bloom, £400; Fund the purchase of pop-up football goals for the club / Skipton Juniors Football Club, £1,000; Purchase a Thermal Imaging Camera and a large dehumidifier / Share Skipton, £400; Purchase a replacement grit bin and refills / Broughton Road Community Centre, £300; Purchase a dog waste bin for the public footpath on Aire View, Carleton / Carleton Parish Council, £300.

Cllr David Staveley (Settle and Penyghent, Con).

Fund the Soprano and Bass Soloists costs for the 40th Anniversary concerts / Langcliffe Singers, £600; Fund the refurbishment of the cemetery gates and new sandstone post / Horton-in-Ribblesdale Parish Council, £950; Fund the purchase of materials for the renovation of the 1905 cricket club pavilion / Settle Cricket Club, £1,000; Fund the purchase of dog fouling signs / Settle Beavers Group, £450; Fund the external lighting for Horton Sports Pavilion / Horton in Ribblesdale Parish Council, £800; Purchase and installation of new CCTV for the pool / Settle Pool, £1,000; Fund the ancillary fit-out items for the accessibility improvements of the Drill Hall / 1st Castleberg’s (Settle) Scout Group, £2,000; Fund the accommodation, transport and activities at the event for Settle’s Andy’s Mans Club / The Place in Settle, £2,000; Purchase suitable learner music and a couple of student quality cornets for the junior/learner / Giggleswick & Settle Brass Band, £600; Purchase timing and safety equipment for the annual races / Settle Harriers, £600.