FIVE new grants totalling nearly £138,000 have been approved by Ryedale District Council.

The funds were awarded to various local causes at a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee last week.

One of the grants was a £20,722 fund awarded to Norton Town Council towards the cost of a new pump to be deployed in Norton when flood warnings are in place, to prevent ground water and sewerage flooding.

Ros Tierney, town council clerk for Norton, said: “In partnership with local people, neighbouring Malton and other local authorities and Government agencies, we will create a Community Resilience Team and Emergency Action Group to deploy the pumps.

"All volunteers and staff will be given full training so that we are fully prepared and can work together as a team.”

The flood money was welcomed by Norton councillor Di Keal. She said: “This is excellent news for Norton. An extra pump when we have another flood will mean that pumping will hopefully be able to start sooner as the will be stored locally. Alongside the other flood alleviation measures that have been installed recently - the gulley under the road and railway near the County Bridge - the new pump with help deliver the emergency plan for Norton will really help protect homes and businesses in the town.

“Norton still needs a bigger solution to ongoing flooding problems and we will continue to campaign for increased permanent pumping capacity, but the temporary pump will be a big help until this is in place.”

A further £117,000 of open space and recreation grants were funded by S106 Developer Contributions - money given to the council by developers as a condition of gaining planning permission.

The successful applicants for this money were Lady Lumley’s School, which got £78,000 for the replacement of its AstroTurf pitch, Sherburn Playing Fields Association, which got £10,000 towards ground maintenance equipment, Slingsby Sports Field, which got £20,000 towards resurfacing the tennis courts, and Norton Town Council, given £9000 towards new equipment at the skate park.

Cllr Luke Ives, chairman of the approving committee, was pleased to award the grants.

He said: “It’s fantastic we’re starting to spend these S106 sums. They are serving the purpose for which they were intended.”

The next round of grants will be awarded in March 2018, with a closing date of January 5 2018. For details, go to ryedale.gov.uk