Agenda for April 2024 Meeting
Newton St Cyres Parish Council
Notice of Meeting of Parish Council
Dear Councillors
I hereby give notice that a Meeting of the above-named Parish Council will be held Council will be held in the Club Room, Parish Hall on Thursday 4 April 2024 at 7.00pm
All members of the Council are hereby summoned to attend for the purpose of considering and resolving upon the Business to be transacted at the meeting set out hereunder.
Dated this 27 March 2024
Signed Jane Hole
Clerk to the Parish Council parishclerk@newtonstcyres-pc.gov.uk 01392 851148
Public Participation
Public Question Time. Members of the public are invited to give their views and ask questions on issues on this agenda or to raise issues for future consideration by the Parish Council.
Formal Business
(Members of the public may not take part in the formal business of the Parish Council except under special circumstances)
01/04/24 Apologies - To receive apologies
02/04/24 Declaration of Interest
To receive declarations of personal interest (PI) and disclosable pecuniary interests (DPI’s) in respect of items on this agenda
03/04/24 Minutes of the last meeting – to be agreed and signed as a true record
3.1 Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 7 March 2024 (previously circulated)
04/04/24 Newton St Cyres Parish Council Issues relevant to Mid Devon District Council
4.1 Planning Applications
None
4.2 Planning Decisions
4.2.1 24/00237/HOUSE - Erection of single storey rear extension and front porch following demolition of existing conservatory and porch at Winscombe, Sand Down Lane, Newton St Cyres – grant permission
4.3 Report from MDDC State of the District debate – 20 March in Tiverton
4.4 To consider email from Tree Protection Officer re TPO requests– details circulated separately
4.5 Report from District Councillors on issues relevant to the parish
05/04/24 Newton St Cyres Parish Council issues relevant to Devon County Council
5.1 Report from County Councillor on issues relevant to the Parish
To include update on rock face opposite Station Road, A377
06/04/24 Finance
6.1 To agree Payments and note Receipts:
|
Expenditure – current account |
£ |
Receipts – current account |
£ |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Groundworks – return of unspent NHP grant |
3,568.00 |
Donation for RW work |
200.00 |
|
DALC – Cllr training |
36.00 |
|
|
|
Simon Saunders – Village green grass cutting |
80.00 |
|
|
|
J Hole – Salary and expenses |
404.65 |
|
|
|
HMRC – PAYE |
58.20 |
|
|
6.2 To approve on-line authorisation for this month’s payments.
6.3 Balances (after above transactions)
6.3.1 Parish Council Current Account balance: £9,000.78
6.3.2 Footpath Account: £88.02 (included in Current Account balance)
6.3.3 Car Park resurfacing fund balance: £7,292.39 (separate Bank account)
6.3.4 Neighbourhood Plan grant: £0.00
6.4 Financial Statement and Budget Monitor – see below
6.5 To agree purchase of throw lines and batteries - Throw lines £18.59 x 6 = £111.54; Batteries £15.95 x 5 = £79.75 (grant application?)
07/04/24 Other Parish Council Matters
7.1 To vote on nominations for Community Volunteer of the Year 2023 (nominations circulated separately)
7.2 Update on meetings held with the Church, Parish Hall and Rec Ground re provision of grants
7.3 To consider any other nominations for assets of community value
7.4 To consider frequency of grass cutting on Village Green and other areas and to consider biodiversity of banks (eg Church Lane)
7.5 To discuss email re damage to hedge banks – see below and to consider possible actions
7.6 Report from Crediton Cluster Meeting 19 January – Cllrs G Barnell, L Ouldridge
7.7 Quarterly Report – Emergency and Resilience – Cllr P Stephenson
7.7.1 Report from Flood Group meeting 14 March 2024. To agree any actions especially with reference to the February flooding incident – letter/leaflet distribution and to consider options for action re flooding at Camps Bridge
7.7.2 To note Report from Resilience Forum meeting 22 March 2024 (see below) and to consider any actions
7.8 Quarterly Report – Footpaths – Cllr A Staite
7.8.1 To agree priorities for Footpath work to include path from Sandown Lane to Pump Street
7.9 Quarterly Report – Travel and Road Safety – Cllrs J Dean, A Staite (report circulated separately)
7.9.1 To set up a meeting to discuss priorities for future RWS work
7.9.2 Update on work at Newcombes Lane
7.9.3 To discuss Illegal and dangerous parking at Sand Down lane – see below
08/04/24 Forward Agenda Planner/Minor Matters and Items for Future Agenda
To report minor matters of information not included elsewhere on the agenda and to raise items for future agendas. Councillors are respectfully reminded that this is not an opportunity for debate or decision making.
8.1 Review of agenda planner for future meetings. Copy circulated
09/04/24 Date of next Parish Council meeting: Annual Meeting Thursday 9 May 2024 at 7pm in the Club Room
End of Formal Business
Public Participation
Agenda Item 6.4
Agenda Item 7.5
Dear Parish Council
These photos were taken today as I walked the lane between Wykes Cross and The Beer Engine.
Whilst my photos can't reflect the true level of damage and subsidence, they give some idea of how these and many other banks in the area have been devastated by a combination of heavy duty flailing - totally destroyed hedges - and scouring into the sides and tops of the bank.
That, combined with run off from the fields after so much rain, has totally unnecessary significantly damaging consequences.
Can the Parish Council discuss this, please, with a view to acting to preventing further destruction like this in the parish?
Please let me know your views on this.
Many thanks,
Agenda Item 7.7.2
Summary of the Whole Society Resilience Forum, Devon Prepared, held on 22nd March 2024
At this meeting, we heard talks from representatives of Devon Communities Together, Devon County Council, the Environment Agency, Reading University, Kingsbridge Town Council and Dawlish Town Council. The talks covered the roles of different parts of DCC and the Environment Agency in a variety of situations including mitigation of risks and responses to emergencies, identifying and mitigating risk at a local level and the lessons to be learnt from experiencing actual emergencies. I also attended workshops on the impact of climate change and on involving the community in the mitigation of flooding risk.
Here are a list of ideas arising from the day that may be useful to us:
- Devon County Council produce a variety of leaflets about managing water. The leaflet ‘Living with Water’ nicely covers the legal responsibilities of landowners whose properties have rivers, streams, ditches or culverts running through or alongside their property. If we could get sufficient leaflets, we could distribute them to landowners alongside the Shuttern Brook together with a suitable covering letter. The idea would be to get the landowners to take more care in looking after their stretch of the brook.
- Tom Dauben of the Environment Agency can help us with the mitigation of flooding at Camps bridge. If we send him the exact location, his team will produce a map that shows exactly where the water is coming from. This we can take to the relevant landowners to indicate they are causing a problem. His team could also suggest mitigation measures the landowners could take (and be paid for!) to reduce the problem. His email is Dauben@environment-agency.gove.uk.
- Information regarding insurance for volunteers from DCC. The snow wardens are covered by DCC as are the road wardens, provided they are doing approved tasks. The Sarah Act 2015 covers the situation where someone is injured by a volunteer. This states that provided the volunteer was acting properly and was attempting something of benefit to the community/injured person, then they would not be held responsible for the damage done. It behoves Parish Councils however to have sufficient insurance to cover damage to volunteers.
- We may be able to increase discussion on local issues by providing a large map of the Parish that could be present at e.g. Coffee Mornings, this could be annotated by Parishioners and then discussed with them as to how to rectify problems (without incurring huge costs!)
- Bradninch had what I felt to be an excellent resilience plan. Here are some of the ideas that may interest us:
- Volunteer ‘Angels’ who act only in an emergency but are prepared to knock on doors to check if all is OK. Bradninch found sufficient volunteers because on the whole, they were expected to do nothing. This copes with the problem of vulnerable people.
- The area is divided into sectors with a nominated person controlling each sector (could this be linked to Neighbourhood Watch?). This person is a link for the Angels to the central control. Again, largely they would do nothing, but maybe they could be linked up using WhatsApp.
- The resilience group has a list of doctors/nurses who live in the area and who may be prepared to help in an emergency. This may apply to other specialities e.g. tree surgeons.
- The resilience plan itself was distributed to all local organisations. Each type of emergency was listed in a table with a list of the actions to be taken and who would take them.
- The resilience group had provided contact details to important organisations – police/ambulance/fire/gas/water/electricity etc to make sure they knew who to contact.
- Several ways to increase peoples’ awareness of what they could do about climate change were discussed. Here are some possible ideas:
- The council could have a ‘Year of the …..’ e.g. Water butt.
- The council could post some eco-challenges e.g. who do you bank with? Are they eco-friendly? Both of these we could do through the Newton Wonder.
- We could keep a ‘Journal of Positive Actions’ on our website where people could post (perhaps anonymously), some positive action they have taken. Could the school get the children onto this?
- We could use the LCAP tool from Exeter University (Local Climate Adaptation Tool) which may make some suggestions about how our particular parish could adapt to/mitigate Climate Change. We might be able to write this up on the Newton Wonder or include it our annual Newsletter.
Liz Ouldridge
Agenda Item 7.9
Agenda Item 7.9.3
Dear Nicola
I've been contacted by a farmer who rents a field for his sheep, accessed by a single gate near the junction of Sandown Lane and the A377 here in NSC.
He's very upset because a car owner persists in parking his or her car on the pavement next to the gate and near the junction with the A377. This prevents him from parking his transporting trailer against the kerb and forces him to park in the centre of the road to load and unload thereby blocking it.
I took the attached photo last Sunday of, what I think must be, this vehicle. It was there the preceding day too.
I also understand that his neighbours are also concerned that this vehicle also regularly blocks use of the pavement. I hope you are able to help prevent this from continuing.
Many thanks Graeme Barnell
Good morning Graeme
It's a tricky one. The vehicle isn't essentially doing anything wrong (unless blocking the pavement as you mentioned – in which case we could only deal if we find it in situ and someone unable to pass (I know, its madness)) and wouldn't necessarily know they were causing a problem unless they are there when he is trying to unload. Therefore I would suggest a delicate approach so not to upset anyone. Having said that, the vehicle isn't registered as being immediately local. Do you have any idea which property they may be visiting/staying at?
Regards, Nikki
Dear Nikki
Thanks for your prompt response. I've forwarded an email from the neighbour. She provides more detail. We don't know whose is parking there or we would have had a word.
Given the location of the parked cars adjacent to the regular and frequent bus service into Exeter it might well be people who work there want a free park and ride spot.
Is it possible for the Police to produce an advisory notice on vehicles parked there? It might tell the owner that he or she is obstructing access to the field because the farmer can't park to unload/load his trailer and also blocking use of the pavement by local people.
You could let me have a supply of such notices and I'll apply under a wiper blade.
Graeme
I have been up there this morning and there is another different car there. It seems this isn't just one person. I do not believe we have enough to treat this as obstruction. The landowner can get in and out and can still stop to unload (albeit that it is an inconvenience). The only long term answer is double yellow lines. The landowner could still legitimately park and unload but others can be dealt with.
I wish I could offer you something more helpful in the short term. If I see anyone with a vehicle there I will certainly speak with them. Would a very clear sign on the gate be worth a try?
Nikki
Suggested sign
The Council has been advised that cars are routinely being parked on the pavement by the access to the grazing field (close to the A377, near the Parish Council Notice Board).
The obstruction of the pavement and the roadside at a busy main road junction, where large agricultural vehicles, logging trucks with trailers and the farmer’s livestock trailers is of concern for the safety of everyone.
May we ask that this area is kept clear and safe at all times so that access and use of the pavement are not obstructed.
We do appreciate your co-operation. If you are aware of any non-residents obstructing the Lane, please let me know.
Thank you.