New Blog and Website

Welcome to our new blog and the North Cave Parish Council website.  Firstly, we would like to thank those of you who are looking in on neighbours and who have stepped up during the lockdown, these acts of kindness make all the difference to this fabulous community that we live in.  We would also like to acknowledge North Cave Primary School for the amazing work they are doing to keep our children educated and we mustn’t forget the village shop which has kept us all supplied with our essentials and more during this difficult time.

I became a Parish Councillor in North Cave three months ago, time which has flown by in the blink of an eye.  I will be honest and say I am still finding my feet with the role; it is like starting a new job but part time and in addition to running a business and raising a family.  I joined because I love this village and I wanted to give something back and I joined at a time when the group morale is at its lowest and public perception is at it’s worst. But despite that all the Councillors are still working hard behind the scenes to make this a better place to live.  We have an extremely dedicated Clerk who will often go above and beyond for local residents and has patiently listened to me on numerous occasions as I try and understand the policies and correct procedures. 

We keep coming back together with the same questions; what can we do to help and how can we make it better?  We keep returning to the same answer, communication.  It seems simple but everyone is worried about getting it wrong and that is normal, it is ok, it is how we will learn going forward.  Social media encourages people to post rash comments with little thought of their impact or consequences.  Comments can be posted which are out of context and we can understand why Parish Councillors across the country are reluctant to use it, they are volunteers, trying to do good.  But it is something as a group we are actively discussing. We have this new website, something that two of the Parish Councillors have worked very hard on over the last six months and very soon we will have a better communication plan worked out which will encompass those with internet as well as those who do not have access.

To address some of your concerns, we are aware of and I can confirm that we are taking the current parking issues around Nordam seriously; we are liaising with ERYC and have been in touch with other parish councils in rural areas, it is a problem faced up and down the country.  That is not to downplay the situation, but it is to make you aware that various suggestions have been put forward and are being considered.  The Emergency plan is under review at present and it was fantastic to have a volunteer come forward during our last zoom meeting to assist with salting should they be required, something that has not happened in all the years the request has been published in the Village Link. 

We continue in the background to work through planning applications as they are made as people push on with developments and improvements in the area.  We are liaising with ERYC and local residents regarding traffic issues in the village and we keep ploughing through the reports and policy updates that come through to our inboxes almost daily at the moment. 

We all enjoy living and working here and it was fantastic to see the nostalgic post about North Cave in the past on the community page recently, as one resident said at our last meeting it would be great if we could work together to rebuild that and as Parish Councillors we couldn’t agree more.  I think with the residents, community groups and Parish Council working together there is no reason why this shouldn’t be an even happier and thriving society.

Bear with us whilst we learn as a group new ways of working and engaging with you, we only meet once a month for a limited time and try to get as much done through group email as we can during the week but rest assured we are here and we are listening.

Heather McQueen-Pearson