Bill Hoult

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Bill Hoult

Liberal Democrats on North Yorkshire County Council have announced their intention to “call-in” the Council’s decision to freeze the level of the school clothing allowance at £60 a year. This means that the decision will be sent back to a committee to be looked at again.

The Executive Members of the Conservative-run Council decided last week not to increase the support to less well-off families in line with inflation, but to extend the scope of the allowance to include children whose parents are in receipt of the highest rate of Working Tax Credit.

Liberal Democrats feel that this will increase financial pressure on poorer families.

In reality this is a reduction in support for disadvantaged families. Around 700 families in

The extension of the scheme to families receiving the maximum level of Working Tax Credit is welcome but we feel that the rate should be increased in line with inflation. That is why the decision has been “called in” to ask the Council to reconsider its policy.

Another concern is that  the Tories have used inflation as a justification for raising the charges for home to school transport yet not applied the same reasoning to those people who will be hardest hit by freezing the clothing allowance, it is a tardy decision and applies double standards.

Cllr Bill Hoult

I am a local District and County councillor for Knaresborough and a former Mayor of our Town.

Harrogate Borough Council 

I represent Knaresborough King James Ward and am the Chair of the Community and Partners Scrutiny Commission and a member of The District Development Committee.

North Yorkshire County Council

I Represent Knaresborough Division, am Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the County Council and Vice Chair of the Audit Committee. I also serve on the Transport and Telecommunications Scrutiny Committee, the Chief Officers Appointments Committee and the Planning and Regulatory Committee.

Other

Trustee Harrogate and District Council for Voluntary Services, Member of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty JAC, Chair, Knaresborough LINKS Youth Club Charity; Member, Rennaissance Knaresborough; Member, Harrogate Local Strategic Partnership; Member, LGA Urban Commission; Vice Chair, Knaresborough Community and Police Group, Hon Secretary, Blind Jack Statue Working Group. 

In my spare time I enjoy fell walking and reading.

Allowances and Expenses

North Yorkshire County Council

A basic annual allowance of £8772 plus an allowance of £4518 as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group.

Travel Expenses (mileage, train fares). Lunch provided in the County Council dining room or a buffet when meetings finish at lunchtime.

A computer and printer with paper and Ink cartridges.

Harrogate Borough Council

Basic allowance of £4285 plus an allowance of £2820 as Chair of the Community and Partnership Scrutiny Commission.

Travel Expenses

Other

No allowances

Travel Expenses for meetings of Nidderdale AONB, Gouthwaite Reservoir Management Committee and the Urban Commission.   

N.B

A full register of my “interests” may be accessed on the North Yorkshire web site (access by link)

Courtesy Friends of Thornborough Henges 

North Yorkshire County Council has conceded that a planning permission given to Tarmac to excavate gravel at a site near Nosterfield North Yorkshire is fatally flawed following the threat of legal action by protest groups. The approval will be withdrawn and the whole application put before the planning committee again.

The controversial decision is near the  prehistoric Thornborough Henges often referred to as “The Stonehenge of the North”. One claim is that the three henges form part of a prehistoric religous site.

The legal challenge refers to 8 issues, three of which the County Council have conceded.

An application to excavate a much larger area was originally refused but the current application was approved by the Council’s Planning and Regulatory Committee in January 2007 despite strong opposition and a 10,000 name petition.

The application will be reconsidered at a meeting of the Planning Committee on the 20 May 2008 at 1000hrs at Masham Town Hall. The meeting will be held in public session.