Minutes APM 8th May 2024

BRAMPFORD SPEKE
MINUTES OF ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Wednesday 8th May 2024

Present: 8 members of the parish including Cllr A Birmingham, Cllr E Hollingsworth, Cllr S Luxton, Cllr W Honan, Cllr N Vickers, Cllr R Tillett and Cllr B Hillson

In attendance: Ms Tracy Watkins (Clerk)

Welcome by the Chair of the Parish Council Cllr A Birmingham who gave an explanation about the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting. It was not a meeting of the Parish Council. Its formal purpose was a meeting of the registered electors of the parish, convened and chaired by the Parish Council, at which electors discussed parish affairs and, if they wish, pass resolutions.

Cllr Hillson was welcomed back and we all wish him a continued speedy recovery. Cllr Hillson wanted to thank the village for being so supportive.

The Council formally acknowledges that Cllr Vickers is stepping down after the July meeting. We thank her for all her hard work and support. A big thank you from everyone.

Apologies: None received.

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 10th May 2023 – Were agreed as a true record

Annual report from the Parish Council

Cllr Birmingham (Chairman)

APM: Chair Report May 2024
The past twelve months have seen continued challenges around the world and within our own village.

The troubles in Gaza and Ukraine continue to influence life throughout the world and in the UK, with political uncertainty and financial challenges something we now live with.
In the village, Councillors’ work has continued throughout the year. Often Councillors undertake their duties quietly in the background, with most residents not aware of the time and commitment given by Councillors, working as volunteer community leaders to ensure the village continues to function and the views of residents are heard and represented.

There are times when Councillors roles are brought sharply into focus. This occurred during the past few months with regard to discussions and events around the Stonilands field housing development proposal. This is a significant issue for the village to consider, and in doing so, it has drawn divisions within the village and posed difficult questions for Councillors to deal with. I know Councillors have felt uncomfortable at times dealing with this.

Moving on, we all wish that a way forward can be found that can meet the needs and characteristics of our village. I would like to express thanks to the small community group of Brampford Speke villagers who are collaborating with the BSUPC CLT to explore alternative ways to provide some form of acceptable Affordable Housing within the village boundaries.

We are pleased to welcome back Councillor Hillson and wish him well in his journey back to full health. Councillor Vickers has signalled her intention to step down from the Council and we all take this opportunity to thank her for her valuable contribution to the Council.

During the year, the Village Hall was re-roofed, a major task and one most needed. A big thank you goes to our very generous benefactor for making this happen and to the Trustees of the Village Hall for their continued stewardship of the hall. The King’s Coronation bench has been installed opposite the church and again we offer thanks to the small number of villagers who donated funds to make this happen. Thanks also to Pete Smiley for organising the De-Fib training events and for offering to repeat the event later this year. Looking forward, we have Victoria Robinson from EDDC joining the September PC meeting to talk about the concept of establishing a ‘Community Food Bank/Fridge Larder’ in the village.

I would like to offer my thanks to all Councillors and the Footpath and Road Wardens for the time and effort they give to their roles in carrying out their duties.
Finally, a big thanks also to Tracy Watkins who has guided through the year as our Clerk.

I now invite Councillors to say a few words about the areas they lead on.

Cllr Birmingham - Finance Report

The Annual Audit has been completed for this year and governance requirements complied with.

Year-end accounts are available to view on line.

Annual operating costs continued to rise during the past year and this has resulted in an increase in the Precept monies sought. The Council is committed to closely managing costs and discretionary expenditure closely to ensure best value is achieved.
The repairs to the village hall roof were only achieved with the support of a very generous donation from a resident. Further repair work on the porch area is being considered for 2024, hopefully supported with some grant availability and local fund raising, the remainder of the costs to be covered from the fund’s reserves held by the Village Hall Trust.

Earmarked reserves have been reviewed and reclassified to recognise the ongoing financial demands as currently seen.

The budget approved by Councillors for 2024-25 is available to view on the PC website.

Cllr Richard Tillett:

Highways: Road/snow warden duties handed over to Peter Stewart during 2022; have retained highways brief as councillor. Quiet year, no major issues.

Village Hall (PC representative on management /trustee committee, jointly with Will Honan): Re-roofing completed successfully with large grant from local resident. Porch woodwork deteriorating, major repairs required and will be commissioned shortly. Hall bookings are healthy but support from PC (£2000 pa) remains necessary.

Village communications (jointly with Nicola Vickers): community email list reaching over a hundred addresses, to facilitate communications between the PC and residents. Community WhatsApp group (not PC project) now has over 100 members. Monthly PC news item for Speke Up. Newcomers’ handbook updated this year.

Community Land Trust: (PC representative on CLT committee; this activity suspended in past six months). Proposed affordable housing provision at Stonilands under continuing discussion after discussion at PC meeting March 2024. Recent news of possible separate project by unknown provider on different village site but no information available at present.

Cllr B Hillson:

Footpaths - Footpaths have been generally muddy and flooded since Christmas however at the time of writing are starting to show signs of drying up. As usual at this time of the year vegetation is now growing rapidly ahead of the annual cutting programme which normally starts in June/July. A report was made in November 2023 regarding the overgrown laurels on FP7 (Water Steps). The Landowner is an ex-Brampford Speke resident who now lives in Ireland. Contact has been made and the landowner has visited with a contractor and agreed a programme of works to be carried out. The handrail needs attention and quotes are being obtained. We now have regular budgeted clearances of Station Hill and have applied for funds for 2024/25 to continue this. No major works are currently planned.

Cllr S Luxton:
Report for the Verges 2023-4.

The verges were cut once last year doing the minimum necessary to protect wildlife habitat and minimise cost.

This year will probably be the same approach and not cutting until June or when necessary. Priority will be road safety areas.

Hopefully one cut again but it will depend on the weather and the amount of growth during the season.

Cllr E Hollingsworth:

The tree-in-railings is looking really happy and healthy (in spite of a few minor knocks and being surrounded by tarmac). The blossom was particularly lovely this year and goldfinches are nesting in its branches. I understand that minor repairs to the railings are being organised. Thanks to everyone involved.

The WW1 trees are now ten years old and the site resembles a small open woodland. Most of the trees are thriving (one birch has died and has become a habitat for mini-beasts). The tussocky grass beneath is a great habitat for small mammals (voles, shrews, mice, etc) which, in turn, feed the tawny owls, stoats, weasels, etc. This week a cuckoo was heard and a barn owl floated by. There are plans for a barn own nest box to be installed in time for next year’s breeding season. 12 species of bat were recorded at the site by the Devon Wildlife Trusts Greater Horseshoe Bat project last summer. A bat walk is being organised for June - details in Speke Up nearer the time.

Cllr W Honan:
Planning applications update for APM, 8th May 2024

East Devon planning department recorded eight property applications from Brampford Speke during the period from April 2023 to March 2024. All applications were related to residential property.

The property applications were again mostly small in scale. Some applications were related to previous submissions. All applications in the current year ending March 2024 were approved and the Parish Council did not object to any application.

It should be stated that this survey only relates to applications submitted to East Devon Planning Department, so it does not include possible future development at Stonilands or elsewhere in the village.

Cllr N Vickers: Communications
a. Adding new details to the email subscription list
b. Handing out Welcome Packs to new residents
c. Communicating information on ad hoc basis to parishioners.
d. One coat of oil done for Coronation Bench – still needs two more. Been waiting for dry weather. Once done, plaque can be attached.

Any other ‘parish affairs’ matters

Gypsy Lane – It is very wet. Is there anything that can be done? It is a public footpath and as such owned by DCC. Cllr Hillson will discuss with Wynn Stait and also DCC to raise concerns. Looks like a soakaway needs to be put in.

The problem of speeding tractors through the village from the digestor company has been raised. The situation is getting dangerous. Suggest people take photo’s of registration numbers and report to the police. The community need to get involved. Cllr Tillett will add something to Speke Up.

Meeting finished at 8.18pm.