Agenda for September 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 5 September 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 29 August 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)
01/09/24 Apologies - To receive apologies
02/09/24 Declaration of Interest
To receive declarations of personal interest (PI) and disclosable pecuniary interests (DPI’s) in respect of items on this agenda
03/09/24 Minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 4 July 2024 (previously circulated)
To be agreed and signed as a true record
04/09/24 To consider recruitment campaign for Parish Councillors
05/09/24 Newton St Cyres Parish Council Issues relevant to Mid Devon District Council
5.1 Date for NHP meeting – to consider Cllr G Barnells suggestion that the meeting planned for September is postponed until further information is available from the Government
5.2 Planning Applications
To note consultations since July 2024 (responses made under delegated authority)
24/00911/LBC - Listed Building Consent for the installation of 6 replacement windows Location: Fine Oak Cottage Newton St Cyres Exeter – no comment
ii) Consultation as a neighbouring Parish - 24/00696/MFUL- Erection of an agricultural building for free range egg laying unit at Summerhay Farm, Shobrooke – to consider suggested planning condition
5.3 Planning Decisions
i) 24/00766/HOUSE and 24/00768/LBC Erection of replacement porch at 1 Broadgate Cottages, NSC - grant permission
ii) 23/00040/MFUL - Variation of condition 2 of planning permission 18/00414/MFUL (Erection of extension to brewery to include alterations to provide additional restaurant/bar floorspace, amended entrance arrangements and outdoor dining area, and erection of 11 holiday lodges) to allow substitute plans relating to the layout of the 11 lodges and position of site road that serves the lodges Location: Yellow Hammer Brewing Limited Hanlons, NSC – grant permission
III) TPO no. 24.00004 – confirmed for tree in the field adjoining West Town Road and Church Lane and TPO no. 24.00003– confirmed for tree on track to NSC Sewage Works
iv) 24/00911/LBC – LBC Consent for the installation of 6 replacement windows at Fine Oak Cottage, NSC
iv) 24/00124/LBC - to replace chain-link fence and hedge with 7m x 1.7m concrete block rendered wall Location: 33 The Village, NSC – application withdrawn
v) 24/00875/HOUSE - Erection of extension and conversion of existing garage to living space at Elmhurst, Church Lane, Newton St Cyres – grant permission
5.4 Report from District Councillors on issues relevant to the parish
06/09/24 Newton St Cyres Parish Council issues relevant to Devon County Council
6.1 Report from County Councillor on issues relevant to the Parish
6.2 Report from meeting with Neighbourhood Highways Office (NHO) and Cllr M Squires held in August – see below
07/09/24 Finance
7.1 To agree Payments and note Receipts:
|
Expenditure – current account |
£ |
Receipts – current account |
£ |
|
Paid in August – to ratify payments |
|
P3 grant (ringfenced for footpaths) |
700.00 |
|
Unity Trust Bank – fees |
18.00 |
NSC Rec Ground – survey contribution |
425.00 |
|
Daniel Richards – grass cutting July |
170.00 |
|
|
|
NSC Church – grant |
1,000.00 |
Receipts Car Park Account |
|
|
NSC Parish Hall – grant |
2,000.00 |
Interest as at 30/6/24 |
49.29 |
|
NSC Parish Hall – room hire |
37.00 |
|
|
|
Now Survey (Southern) Ltd – Rec survey |
1,020.00 |
|
|
|
J Hole – Salary and expenses |
393.78 |
|
|
|
J Hole – reimbursement for def battery (Village centre) |
336.00 |
|
|
|
HMRC – PAYE |
52.40 |
|
|
|
To be paid in September |
|
|
|
|
PKF Littlejohn – External Audit fee |
252.00 |
|
|
|
Daniel Richards – grass cutting August |
170.00 |
|
|
|
J Hole – Salary and expenses |
401.15 |
|
|
|
HMRC - PAYE |
58.40 |
|
|
7.2 To approve on-line authorisation for this month’s payments
7.3 Balances (after above transactions)
7.3.1 Parish Council Current Account balance: £8,063.10
7.3.2 Footpath Account: £788.02 (included in Current Account balance)
7.3.3 Car Park resurfacing fund balance: £6,608.56 (separate Bank account)
7.4 To note successful conclusion of AGAR Limited Assurance Review for 2024
7.5 Update on changes to bank mandate – to note Cllr D Harris has been added
7.6 Financial Statement and Budget Monitor – see below
7.7 Quarterly Bank Reconciliation – circulated separately
7.8 To agree updated Financial Regulations – circulated separately
7.9 To consider membership of Devon Communities Together £24.00 – Cllr J Browne, Cllr J Rimbon-Whittaker to advice
08/09/24 Other Parish Council Matters
8.1 Review of roles and responsibilities in light of Cllr vacancies
8.2 Resilience – walking the Shutternbrook - outcomes
8.3 Follow up re slurry incident – to note follow up email to EA
8.4 Service agreement with parish organisations to be reviewed in October
8.4.1 Review of service agreement for Parish Hall
8.4.2 Review of service agreement for Church
8.4.3 Review of service agreement for the Rec Ground – yet to be signed. To agree to contact DALC for advice on application to Public Works Loan Board
8.5 Quarterly Report – Travel and Road Safety – Cllr J Dean
To include Road Warden review (see below) and update on Crediton/Exeter Cycleway Steering Group
8.6 Volunteer Policy - inc recruitment/risk assessment/suitability
8.7 DALC AGM 2 October 2024 10am to 4pm – to agree attendance
09/09/24 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.
9.1 Review of agenda planner for future meetings. Copy circulated
10/09/24 Date of next Parish Council meeting: Thursday 4 October 2024 at 7pm in the Club Room
Agenda Item 6.2
Travel and Road Safety
Meeting with Steve Tucker (DCC Neighbourhood Highways Officer), Margaret Squires (Devon county councillor), John Dean (chair) and Graeme Barnell (NSC PC) 22/8/24
GB highlighted the fact that traffic along the A377 is increasing and is likely to increase further as more housing is developed in the Crediton area and beyond. Also, that our main concern is the effect of this traffic flow on our communities. We were invited by Steve Tucker to submit proposals in respect of each of the three priority locations via Cllr Mrs Squires. Steve agreed to assess and cost these proposals with the help of appropriate colleagues in DCC Highways
These are the three main areas of concern that were discussed.
1. The A377 crossing at Tytheing Close near the old school building (now the Newton View housing development). Residents of Tytheing Close have to cross the A377 to access the bus stop heading towards Crediton and the footpath down to the village centre. In the past various options have been considered such as a pedestrian crossing, but the county council are reluctant to consider this because of the proximity to the one in the main village (and I suspect the cost). Perhaps the most feasible option is a central traffic island, like the one at the entrance to Half Moon village, which would give those crossing the road the safety of crossing half of the A377 ‘carriageway’ at a time.
The crossing would be in a 30mph zone and there is ample space for the carriageway to be widened to accommodate the island. It would also have the advantage of providing traffic calming to traffic heading westwards as they enter the 30mph zone. According to ST, the estimated cost would be £25k-£30k.
2.The A377 crossing at Smallbrooke. National speed limit applies here, There are light up signs in both directions warning drivers to slow down if their speed exceeds 40mph. The main reason for crossing the road would be to get to the bus stop, which would be very challenging for young children (going to or returning from school) and the aged. In addition, there is no footpath on the north side of the A377 to access the bus stop, just a grass verge that can become very overgrown in summer and muddy in winter.
There is no room to introduce a traffic island here and compulsory speed restrictions are unlikely to gain much support from DCC in the absence of any ‘data’ to prove that current measures are inadequate. GB suggested the construction of a formal footpath on the north side of the A377 and I proposed fitting advisory speed restriction signs at the approach to the chicane, like this…
3.The school and Station Road. There is no signage at all, and it would be almost impossible for anyone to realise there is a school there unless you are a NSC resident. We have reapplied for a 20mph speed restriction zone to DCC but have yet to hear whether our application has been successful. ST suggested we apply for a 7-day speed review of traffic along Station Road. As a minimum we need ‘wigwag’ lights with school signage which flash during school drop off and pick up times. DCC realise this and have ‘offered’ a small contribution to the cost. ST estimates that each wigwag would cost £3k-£5k, installation costs would depend on whether there would be easy access to electrical power or whether solar panels would be necessary. Every time the issue of school signage is discussed MS raises the necessity for the school to complete a school travel plan. GB and I are keen that this does not become an obstacle to our plans.
I feel we need to:
- Agree what the best options are at each of these sites
- Agree what prioritiy we should allocate for each site
- Determine the cost
- Decide how each option should be paid for
John Dean August 2024
Agenda Item 7.6
Agenda Item 8.5
Road wardens
I recently met with Nick Gillon to discuss how the road warden scheme (RWS) is running and what actions the parish council (PC) could take to support the team. Nick feels that the PC has adopted a largely ‘hands off’ approach, leaving the running and decision making to the road wardens (and Nick in particular). However, he feels that the PC should undertake a strategic overview of the RWS and decide on priorities for the type of work they should undertake. This is needed to future-proof the scheme as existing members leave and new ones are recruited.
The scope of their work is wide-ranging and includes, but is not limited to:
- Pothole repair or reporting to DCC
- Clearance of road drains and ditches
- Hedge trimming
- Footpath maintenance including clearance of vegetation to reduce the risk of slips and trips
- Road sign cleaning and repair
Much of the work the RWS carries out is in response to problems raised by members of the local community, but a proactive rather than reactive approach is preferred where this is practicable. For example:
- Routine flood prevention activity in January and February
- Summer weed clearance of footpaths in the village
The focus should be on public health and safety and compliance with environmental standards with a planned maintenance schedule wherever possible. We would be very pleased to learn of any other areas of work that should be considered. Obviously, much of this work should fall to the DCC to undertake, but the realities of a cash strapped council means that if the RWS do not do it, it is likely it will never be done.
The PC has submitted a funding request to cover the cost of equipment that would allow RWS to extend its scope of work (e.g. strimming). But at the time of writing the outcome of this bid is unknown and no timescale for a decision is available. Therefore, I propose that the PC make £500 available to the RWS in advance so that work could get underway swiftly.
I propose that the PC set aside some time at a future meeting (October?) when Nick would be able to attend so that we could discuss these matters.
John Dean August 2024
Agenda Item 9.1