January 2016
Morebath Parish Council
Chair’s Report January 2016
At the November meeting, Kevin Stewart, Chief Executive of Ironman UK, was invited to give a talk on the annual triathlon event. Councillors appreciated the effort that his organisation was putting into reducing the amount of litter discarded by the athletes during the competition. A donation of £500 was gratefully received as compensation for the inconvenience caused by the event in 2016.
Cllr Hatton provided an update on the outcome of the recent SCARF meeting that coordinates the work of all the local agencies involved in Road Safety. One positive development was that the Police have said that Morebath could join the Community Speedwatch Programme. MPC agreed to join the scheme if enough volunteers came forward to operate it. A minimum of 6 volunteers is required by the Police, so if you would like to become involved, please send your contact details to the Clerk at clerk@morebath.org.uk.
Cllr Smeeton outlined a plan to improve the Environment of the parish, concentrating initially on the two entry points to the main village. The plan included an annual grass cutting programme for the parish, as well as landscaping the area around the old railway bridge by planting shrubs and adding new signage. Cllr Andrew also reported to the meeting that MPC are currently in discussion over DCC’s intention to devolve at least part of the cost of grass cutting to the parish. If implemented as planned, this would put a strain on MPC’s budget for 2016/7. It was considered that MPC may have to cap expenditure next year at a fixed percentage of the precept.
At the November meeting, MPC also agreed to support Morebath Cricket Club in the renovation of its pavilion, and will be applying for TAP (Town and Parish) funding on its behalf. In addition, Councillors accepted the request from the Parish Church Council to contribute £650 towards grass cutting in the church graveyard, but for this financial year only in the light of expected budget pressures in 2016/7 and following years.
At the January meeting the Parish Council approved the Budget for 2016/7. Although it was anticipated that local authorities would continue to devolve expenditure to parishes as pressure on their own budgets mounted, MPC decided not to increase the Precept demand next year. Agreement was also reached on the level of service that the parish will require for grasscutting by MDDC in the next financial year, including the frequency of cuts and grass areas to be covered.
Cllr. Hatton reported on behalf of the Road Safety Working Group that there had been no meeting with a DCC Highways representative regarding road safety measures for Morebath village. MPC was therefore still awaiting information and guidance from DCC Highways on appropriate traffic calming measures for the parish. There had also not been adequate feedback from the recent speeding review of traffic travelling though the main village. This was frustrating the working group’s efforts to develop a comprehensive plan for the parish. It was agreed that the Chair should write a letter to DCC Highways asking for more detail on their speeding figures and a response to the paper provided by MPC for the recent SCARF meeting.
Cllr. Smeeton reported on behalf of the Environment Working Group on the proposal to enhance the appearance of the entry points to the main village, and was asked to bring a costed plan to the March meeting. He also reported on the action MDDC is taking to deal with the resurgence of rodent activity on Church Path that is affecting nearby homes. In response to complaints from a number of residents, the Parish Council decided to write formally to MDDC to ask them to ensure that there was a proper rodent control protocol in place by a qualified contractor for the duck barns that had been identified as the source of the problem, as well as to seek a longer solution to the problem. District Cllr. Moore offered to take up the matter on the Parish Council’s behalf.
Jeff Andrew