Minutes from Annual Parish Meeting May 2025

DRAFT

Newton St Cyres Parish Council

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Wednesday 14 May 2025

in the Parish Hall at 7.00pm

Present:

Parish Councillors (Cllr L Ouldridge as Chair) and Parish Clerk, and approx. 2 members of public

 

Cllr L Ouldridge  welcomed everyone to the meeting

 

1. Apologies

Cllr M Herpoltd-Bright

 

2. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Thursday 29 May 2024

Agreed and signed as a true record

 

3. Chairman’s Report – Cllr G Barnell

 

The last year has seen a busy one for the PC. Some, but by no means all, of our work is summarised below.

We have also seen some changes in our membership and our roles and responsibilities.

Since last May three councillors Alison Staite, Peter Stephenson and Jenna Browne have, sadly, left us and one new Councillor, Monika Herpoldt-Bright, has joined. The Council currently has six Councillors and three vacancies. We extend our thanks and gratitude to those who have left the Council, for their hard work for the community.

Particular thanks must also be given to Steve Parker who served as our Footpath Warden for many years and worked tirelessly, over that time, to ensure our footpaths are properly maintained.

Finally, I would like to thank Jane Hole, our excellent Parish Clerk, who has responded brilliantly to the many challenges that have faced us during the year. She has ensured that the Council has been well informed and supported. We continue to be grateful to her for her skills and knowledge. 

The PC has also recently rotated its key leadership positions. I explained some time ago that I would not seek to remain as Chair of the Parish Council for longer than two years. I believe it important that our principal leadership roles are shared and changed regularly.

Liz Ouldridge has now been elected as our new Chairperson for the coming year. John Dean has been elected as our Vice Chair. Both bring large reserves of skill and experience to their respective roles. They will both have my continuing support

We are keen to hear from individuals who would like to join a friendly and active team of Councillors and who are interested in making a difference in our community.

 

Parish Council Priorities

The Council has six main priorities. These include:

1. Working with the County Council to improve road safety, repair dangerous roads, and mitigate the impacts of road traffic on our communities. This includes promoting safe road crossings where there are none, lobbying for pavements and improving active travel alternatives including footpaths and the Crediton to Exeter Cycleway (aka The Boniface Trail).
2. Promoting care for our environment including promoting biodiversity, growing food, planting trees and renovating hedgerow
3. Responding effectively to real and potential emergencies, including the risk of flooding, by ensuring the Parish has up to date resilience plans together with the right equipment and a well organised network of volunteers.
4. Promoting sustainable growth and change in our communities by engaging actively with MDDC and other local councils in the Planning process.
5. Improving local facilities and services through a more proactive engagement and partnership working with key organisations in the Parish like the Parish Hall, Recreation Ground, the School and the Church
6. Encouraging new projects and volunteering, particularly involving parents and younger Parishioners.

 

To help us take forward our priorities we have the key areas of our work led by individual councillors. These lead responsibilities are set out below. These may change when new Councillors join.

 

The Environment - lead Councillor Donna Harris.  Donna has successfully worked to: -

• Extend the use of and to renew the Parish allotments
• Maintain public grassed areas in line with PC policy on mowing.
• Renew and replace hedgerow
• Extend Tree planting
• Open conversations with landowners on environmental issues

 

Partnership Work and Volunteering- Leads Jocelyne Whittaker and Monika Herpoldt-Bright

Monika and Jocelyne have successfully worked to: -

• Coordinate our volunteer litter pickers and our Community Watch scheme.
• Encourage community schemes and initiatives
• Recruit volunteers
• Encourage partnership working with key community organisations including our School, the Recreation Ground, Parish Hall and the Church

 

Roads, paths and travel-Lead Councillor John Dean.  John has successfully worked to: -

• Oversee and develop the Parish Road Warden Scheme
• Coordinate the Parish Community Speed Watch scheme
• Produce locality traffic management and road safety plans (Tytheing, Station Rd, Smallbrook etc.)
• Promote active travel including the Exeter to Crediton Cycleway (aka the Boniface Trail)
• Work with Devon County Council Highways Dept to get things done.

 

Resilience including responding to emergencies- Lead Councillor Liz Ouldridge. 

Liz has successfully worked to: -

• Produce and publicise Parish resilience plans.
• Maintain and renew resilience equipment and storage facilities.
• Organise and recruit a network of resilience volunteers
• Ensure we are prepared to respond to local emergencies including the deployment of resilience volunteers and equipment and responding to flood warnings and alerts.
• To engage with Devon County Council, the Environment Agency and with Landowners to get things done.

 

Planning, Regulation and Development– Lead Councillor Graeme Barnell. 

I have been responsible for: -

• Responding to planning applications, compliance with planning decisions and planning regulations and also with other regulatory issues involving Government agencies.
• Partnership working with the Crediton Cluster of local councils and with MDDC Planning Department in respect of local planning and development matters.
• Negotiating service and funding agreements with the Recreation Ground, the Parish Hall and the Church.

 

It is important to highlight significant progress in most of these areas of work. I’m particularly pleased to report:

• the continued success of our Road Warden Scheme
• the successful reestablishment of our Speedwatch Scheme
• the emergence of a local hedgerow renewal and tree planting initiative.
• significant progress with DCC in  planning for the Boniface Cycleway.
• Partnership agreements with the Church, Recreation Ground and Parish Hall.

 

The PC’S workload is both extensive and ambitious. You don’t need to be a Councillor to support us with these tasks. Please contact our Clerk Jane Hole if you’re interested in helping.

 

You can contact the Parish Council via phone (see website for individual Cllr contact details) or email (parishclerk@newtonstcyres-pc.gov.uk ) or use the QR code.

 

4. Britain in Bloom – presentation on the parishes entry

Three facilitators of the Britain in Bloom competition gave a presentation on the Parishes entry and answered questions

 

The meeting closed at 8.30pm