Minutes from December 2024 meeting
DRAFT
Newton St Cyres Parish Council
Minutes of Newton St Cyres Parish Council Meeting held in the Parish Hall Club Room on Thursday 5 December 2024
The meeting commenced at 7.00pm
Members present
Cllr G Barnell (Chair) Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright
Cllr J Dean Cllr L Ouldridge
Cllr D Harris Cllr J Rimbon-Whittaker
In attendance: C/Cllr M Squires (left 7.30pm), J Hole Parish Clerk
Public Participation
There was none
Formal Business
01/12/24 Apologies
There were none
02/12/24 Declaration of Interest
None noted
03/12/24 Minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 7 November 2024
Agreed and signed as a true record
04/12/24 Newton St Cyres Parish Council Issues relevant to Mid Devon District Council
4.1 Planning Applications
None
4.2 Planning Decisions
24/01282/FULL - Erection for an agricultural storage building at Bidwell Barton Farm, NSC – grant permission
24/01433/LBC -Listed Building Consent for the creation of 2 ensuite bathrooms on first floor at 1 The Village, NSC – grant permission
24/01512/CAT - Notification of intention to reduce the height of 1 Lawson Cypress tree by 3m; removal of branches to the side of 1 Mulberry tree; removal of 1 Holly tree; removal of branches on Laurel/Sycamore tree and removal of trunk of 1 Poplar tree within the Conservation Area at 2 Newton House Newton St Cyres Exeter EX5 5BL – grant permission
4.3 Report from District Councillors on issues relevant to the parish
There was no report
05/12/24 Newton St Cyres Parish Council issues relevant to Devon County Council
5.1 Report from County Councillor on issues relevant to the Parish including update on bus services
A response from DCC re the poor bus service had been circulated and was noted. Cllr G Barnell had requested bus services to be added to the next Crediton Cluster Group meeting. C/Cllr M Squires had reported the overhanging branches at the bus shelter at Half Moon and noted that the bus shelter was in a poor state of repair. It was resolved:
- To discuss the bus shelter at Half Moon at the next meeting to decide if the shelter should be repaired or taken down (after consultation with Half Moon residents)
To note PC responses to DCC Transportation Consultation and response to Boniface Trail consultation
The response drafted by Cllr J Dean and Cllr G Barnell had been circulated and was noted. The response to the DCC Transportation Consultation had called for the Boniface Trail to be more prominent in DCC Transport Plan
5.2 Update on priorities list sent to C/Cllr M Squires. To agree meeting to discuss priorities
A response from C/Cllr M Squires had been circulated and was noted.
After discussion it was resolved: to hold a public meeting in February to discuss road issues and what the Parish Council’s priorities should be
06/12/24 Finance
6.1 To agree Payments and note Receipts
These were agreed as:
|
Expenditure – current account |
£ |
Receipts – current account |
£ |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Church – surgery x 6 |
60.00 |
None |
|
|
Parish Hall – surgery x 1 |
10.00 |
|
|
|
Friends of the Arboretum – surgery x 2 |
20.00 |
Receipts Car Park Account |
|
|
Gardening Club - surgery x 1 reimbursement to Clerk |
10.00 |
None |
|
|
Nick Gillon – RWS expenses |
5.70 |
|
|
|
J Hole Reimbursement for 6 x permissive path signs |
23.28 |
|
|
|
J Hole – Salary and expenses |
403.24 |
|
|
|
HMRC – PAYE |
59.00 |
|
|
6.2 To approve on-line authorisation for this month’s payments
Cllr J Dean and Cllr D Harris
6.3 Balances (after above transactions)
6.3.1 Parish Council Current Account balance: £9,280.40
6.3.2 Footpath Account: £788.02 (included in Current Account balance)
6.3.3 Parish Hall Car Park maintenance fund balance: £6,654.37 (separate Bank account)
6.4 Financial Statement and Budget Monitor
Noted
6.5 Quarterly Bank Reconciliation
This had been circulated and was noted and signed
6.6 To note DCC have awarded £437.00 from the Community Enhancement Fund for the purchase of hedge trimmer/brush cuttler and battery charger
It was resolved: that the Clerk would claim the above grant from DCC
6.7 To agree budget for 2025/26 and set precept.
A draft budget had been circulated together with notes and proposals by Cllr G Barnell. It was noted that expenditure in recent years had grown faster than income and money saved in previous years and carried forward had been funding the additional spend. However, this year, the forecast carry forward figure was significantly less and once reserves of approx. 40% of the precept (£5,619.00) were taken into account, it was evident that the additional money required
would have to come for an increase in the precept which had not seen a significant rise for many years. The proposed budget was £4,000.00 less than last year and budget figures had been reduced as much as possible.
After discussion it was resolved:
- That the total budget for grants would be £5,000.00
- To grant the Church £1,000.00 towards setting up the Garden of Peace and Reflection. The management of the land owned by the Parish Council adjacent to the Churchyard will now transfer to the Church pending formal agreement on the legal transfer of land ownership by the Diocesan authorities. The grant will be paid in May with a request that the scheme is carried out in the 25/26 financial year. The broken fence posts would be replaced.
- To earmark a grant of up to £2,000.00 for the Parish Hall as a contribution to repair the damp in the Club Room. Quotes for the work to be submitted to the Parish Council to consider prior to the payment of any grant. Both the Parish Hall Committee and the Parish Council agree not to contribute to the Hall Maintenance fund in 2025/26
- To grant the Recreation Ground £2,000.00 towards the installation of new play equipment and the maintenance of the existing play equipment. This would top up the approx. £10,000.00 S106 money will be claimed from MDDC. The grant will be released together with the S106 money following receipt of appropriate quotations and a timetable for the work.
- To increase the precept to £16,500 an increase of 14.86%. This was an annual increase of £5.87 for a Band D property
- To reduce Parish Council expenditure in 2025/26 from £20,026.00 (2024/25) to £16,649.00 a reduction of 16.9%
- That the Council should in future ensure that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, the precept is set at a minimum of 95% of proposed expenditure.
A copy of the agreed budget is attached at the end of the minutes
07/12/24 Other Parish Council Matters
7.1 Quarterly Report – Development and Planning – Cllr G Barnell
A report had been circulated and was noted. Cllr G Barnell gave a brief summary of his discussions with D/Cllr S Keable, MDDC Planning Portfolio Holder: MDDC were waiting for the outcome of the Government’s consultation on the proposed changes to the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) and on increased housing development targets. A 70% increase in MDDC target has been proposed by the Government. MDDC were also waiting to hear if the Government will fund a new junction on the M5 which in turn will affect the Culm Garden Village development, which if it goes ahead will add 4000 additional homes toward MDDC target.
There is still discussion about whether MDDC will consult local Councils in the spring on proposed sites for inclusion in the new Local Plan. There may need to be a new “call for sites” to ensure they can meet the Governments new housing targets and “contingency” sites might need to be identified. If MDDC do consult then the Parish Council would need to consult locally with parishioners. Given the continuing uncertainties around the new Local Plan, Cllr G Barnell thought it would be premature to re-start work on the Neighbourhood plan and undertook to keep the Parish Council updated on MDDC site consultation and the Governments decisions about changes to the planning system
7.2 Quarterly Report – Travel and Road Safety – Cllr J Dean
A report had been circulated and was noted. Cllr J Dean gave a brief verbal summary to note that although DCC response indicates that our three priority areas (crossing at Tytheing Close, signage at Smallbrook and school signage) have been raised before, one important and significant change is the increasing volume of traffic on the A377 due to developments in Crediton and beyond.
Noted that Community Speedwatch have 8 volunteers
Following the parish walkabout a work schedule will be devised to include routine clearance of roadside vegetation.
Cllr J Dean noted that he had little success when trying to contact landowners either by phone, text or emails to raise issues of concern and a workable list of land owner contact details was required.
It was resolved:
- To ask C/Cllr M Squires to request that DCC carries out a vehicle count on the A377. This would allow comparison with data collected prior to the installation of the pedestrian crossing.
- That the Clerk would forward land owner contact details to Cllr G Barnell who would add the contacts he was aware of
7.3 To agree delegated authority to the Clerk to respond to planning applications received in December and January that cannot be granted an extension following consultation with Cllrs
This was resolved
08/12/24 Forward Agenda Planner/Minor Matters and Items for Future Agenda
8.1 Review of agenda planner for future meetings.
Cllr L Ouldridge noted that the QR code for reporting issues to the Parish Council would soon be up and running. The agenda planner was updated.
09/12/24 Date of next Parish Council meeting: Thursday 6 February 2025 at 7pm in the Club Room
End of Formal Business
Public Participation
There was none
The meeting closed at 9.00pm