Minutes from May 2026 meeting

 DRAFT

Newton St Cyres Parish Council

Minutes of Newton St Cyres Parish Council Annual Meeting held in the Parish Hall Club Room on Thursday 7 May 2026

 

                   The meeting commenced at 7.15pm

Members present

Cllr L Ouldridge (Chair)                        Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright

Cllr J Campbell                                       Cllr M Marshall

Cllr J Dean                                               Cllr J Rimbon-Whittaker

Cllr D Harris                                            Cllr R Vinner

In attendance: C/Cllr S Keable (arrived 9pm), D/Cllr M Binks, 6 members of public (5 left at 7.30pm and one at 8.15pm), J Hole Parish Clerk

 

Formal Business

01/05/26    Election of Chair and Vice Chair

• To accept nominations for the election of Chair – to receive the Chair’s declarations of acceptance of office form

Cllr L Ouldridge was proposed by Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright and seconded by Cllr R Vinner and it was resolved unanimously to elect Cllr L Ouldridge as Chair.  Cllr L Ouldridge duly signed the declaration of acceptance of office form for the position of Chair and chaired the meeting.

• To accept nominations for the election of Vice-Chair

Cllr J Dean was proposed by Cllr L Ouldridge and seconded by Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright, and it was resolved unanimously to elect Cllr J Dean as Vice-Chair

Public Participation - Standing orders to be suspended.

The “Who is Who” in the bus shelter by the Village Green was out of date – Clerk to update.

Could the grass behind the noticeboard be cut to allow easy access to the footpath map on the back of the noticeboard and could a note be put on the front of the noticeboard to say the footpath map was at the back?  Cllr D Harris would arrange for the grass to be cut, and the Clerk would update the noticeboard.  Cllr I Marshall noted that the footpath map had faded.

The Parish Hall would be putting on various events to raise funds for the hall – could as many Parish Councillors as possible attend to support events?

Standing Orders re-instated and back to Formal Business 

02/05/26    Apologies

                       D/Cllr S Chenore, C/Cllr S Keable arriving at 9pm

 

03/05/26    Declaration of Interest

                       None noted

 

04/05/26    Minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 2 April 2026

                       Agreed and signed as a true record.

 

05/05/26    To agree allocation of areas of responsibility to include representatives for liaison with Church, Parish Hall, Rec Committee and Arboretum

5.1                  Current roles are detailed on website.

                       Suggested amendments to areas of responsibility had been circulated, and a few other minor amendments were proposed.  It was resolved to accept the proposed amendments and to note Parish liaison representatives as follows:

                       School                       Cllr J Rimbon-Whittaker

                       Church                     Cllr I Marshall

                       Parish Hall                Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright

                       Rec Ground              Cllr R Vinner

                       Arboretum               Cllr L Ouldridge

                      

06/05/26    Annual Reviews

6.1                  Review of policies and to agree new IT Policy

                       It was resolved:

• To review policies every other year (apart from those listed in Standing Orders as requiring annual review)
• That Cllrs would review the following policies for agreement at the next meeting.

 

 

Cllr J Dean	Training
Cllr D Harris	Climate emergency
Cllr J Rimbon-Whittaker	Community engagement, digital and social media, media communications and volunteers
Cllr L Ouldridge	Co-option, grant, equal opportunities
Cllr R Vinner	Health and safety
Clerk	Complaints

 

                         Noted that Standing Orders and Financial Regulations had been reviewed in the past year.

• To remove the Village Green policy
• That the draft IT Policy required some amendments and Cllr J Dean would consider these ahead of the next meeting. Consideration would also be given to possible cloud storage.

6.2                 Memberships - to agree payment of Clerk’s membership of SLCC (approx. £112.00)

                       It was resolved to agree this payment.

6.3                 To agree Travel and Subsistence Allowances (in line with HMRC recommendations - £0.45 per mile) For Clerk and for Road Warden Scheme volunteers.

                       It was resolved to agree the mileage rate and noted that Cllrs could also claim mileage to training courses.

6.4                 To confirm dates of Council Meetings up to December 2027

                       It was resolved to confirm dates for the Parish Council meetings as the first Thursday in each month with no meeting in January or August.  The date for the Annual Parish Meeting would be confirmed nearer the time.

6.5                 Bank Mandate and Signatures – To review Bank mandate for Unity Trust Bank – to sign forms to add Cllrs J Campbell, R Vinner and I Mashall

                       All Cllrs except Cllr J Rimon-Whittaker and those listed above were bank signatories. 

                       It was resolved to carry forward the signing of the forms as further information from Cllrs I Marshall and R Vinner was required.

6.6                 To agree insurance

                       Insurance documents had been circulated, and it was resolved to accept the insurance quote

6.7                 Review of Risk Assessments – to agree timetable for review

                       It was resolved to review Risk assessments in July.  Cllrs would review risk assessments for their own areas of responsibility and Cllr M Helpoldt-Bright would review the risk assessment for assets and the Clerk and chair would review the overall risk assessment

 

07/05/26    Newton St Cyres Parish Council Issues relevant to Mid Devon District Council

7.1                 Planning Applications - none

7.2                 Planning Decisions

                       26/00339/CAT - Notification of intention to reduce Leylandi Hedges to approximately 1.2m in height within the Conservation Area at Coburg Cottage Pump Street – permission granted

7.3                 To agree Planning Checklist and Guidance for considering planning applications

                       Cllr J Campbell had drawn up suggested guidance for considering planning applications and a planning checklist and these had been circulated.  Following his recent training course, Cllr J Campbell wished to make some changes and these would be circulated ahead of the next meeting for final agreement.

7.4                 To consider MDDC Transfer of assets

                       An email from MDDC had been circulated listing MDDC Parish Assets.  It was resolved that there were no assets that the Parish Council wished to acquire

7.5                 Report from District Councillors on issues relevant to the Parish

                       A report from D/Cllr S Chenore had been circulated and was noted.

                       Update on the new build lodges at Half Moon - Cllr J Campbell noted that he had reported a possible sewage leak to MDDC.  This should also be reported to the Environment Agency.  D/Cllr M Binks reported that it appeared planning conditions had not been breached at the present time, but this would be kept under review

                       D/Cllr M Binks agreed to check on the progress of the removal of four abandoned cars from the Station Road area

 

08/05/26    Newton St Cyres Parish Council issues relevant to Devon County Council

                       Minuted here but taken at after item 10

8.1                 Report from County Councillor on issues relevant to the parish

                       C/Cllr S Keable reported that DCC were looking at improving the bus stop area at the Langford Road junction, Exeter to Crediton side.

                       There would be approx. 4 months of road works at the Tesco roundabout.

                       School signs – C/Cllr S Keable noted that the school travel plan called for more than just road signs and markings and as such this presented a significant cost.  Parish Cllrs agreed that signs and markings would be a good start and C/Cllr S Keable agreed to set up a meeting to discuss further.

8.2                 To consider a banner on the Newton House bridge “Welcome to NSC, please drive slowly through village MAX 30 mph” (permission would be required from Newton House)

                       It was noted that the bridge was in the conservation area.  It was resolved to consider this for next year’s budget. 

 

09/05/26    Finance

9.1                 To agree Parish Council Payments and note Receipts

                       These were agreed as:

Expenditure – current account	£	Receipts – current account	£
Defib Store 2 x defib pads - already paid	153.60	Allotment rents	360.00
DALC – Annual membership	391.08	Precept	8,685.50
ICO – Data Protection Registration (DD)	47.00	PH Car Park Maintenance Fund
Unity Trust Bank – bank charges March (DD)	7.00	Interest (March)	35.36
N Gillon RW mileage (Jan to April 26)	32.85
Transfer to Car park maintenance account	1,000.00	Receipts Footpath Account
Insurance – Clear Councils	728.06	Interest (March)	3.38
NALC – Planning training for J Campbell	42.00
H Campbell reimbursement for Station Garden supplies	64.10
Greenleaf Garden Services (April)	135.00
J Hole – reimbursement for PPE for RW	25.83
J Hole – Salary and expenses	419.93
HMRC – PAYE & Employers NI	66.79

9.2                 To approve on-line authorisation for this month’s payments

                       Cllr J Dean and Cllr L Ouldridge

9.3                 Balances (after above transactions)

9.3.1            Parish Council Current Account balance: £14,240.00

9.3.2            Footpath Account: £655.17 (separate account)

9.3.3            Parish Hall Car Park maintenance fund balance: £6,891.94 (separate account)

9.4                 Financial Statement and Budget Monitor

                       Noted

9.5                 Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2025/65 (AGAR) – Copy on website/circulated

9.5.1              To note internal audit report

                       The report had been circulated and was noted.  It was resolved to add Data Protection to the Risk Register as recommended.

9.5.2              To sign Certificate of Exemption stating that during 2025/26 the higher of the authority’s income for the year or gross annual expenditure did not exceed £25,000.

                       It was resolved to sign the Certification of Exemption, and this was duly signed by Cllr L Ouldridge. 

9.5.3              AGAR – to approve and sign Part 1 Annual Governance Statement 2025/26

                        It was resolved to approve Part 1 and this was duly signed by Cllr L Ouldridge

9.5.4              AGAR – to approve and sign Part 2 Accounting Statements 2025/26

                       It was resolved to approve Part 2 and this was duly signed by Cllr L Ouldridge

9.5.5              AGAR – to note Asset Register

                       The asset register had been circulated and was noted

9.5.6              AGAR - to note dates for public inspection as 3 June to 14 July 2026

                       Noted

9.6                 To agree appointment of internal auditor for 2026/27

                       It was resolved to appoint Prof Paul Collier for the 2026/27 audit

9.7                 To agree a new laptop for the Clerk (not in budget) – approx. cost £423.00 net

                       The Clerk’s laptop was 7 years old and had not been working properly.  It was resolved that the Clerk could purchase a new laptop

9.8                 To note grant application on behalf of NSC Britain in Bloom (BIB)

                       A grant application had been submitted to MDDC on behalf of NSC Britain in Bloom           

9.9                 To agree delivery charge for arboretum boards £68.00 (not in budget)

                       It was resolved to accept the delivery charge

9.10               To agree maintenance work required this year – (bench/noticeboard post/phone box by Beer Engine)

                       Cllr L Ouldridge proposed drawing up a more detailed maintenance/renewal schedule using the asset list so that items such as computer renewals could be factored into future budgets.

                       It was resolved

• to repair the noticeboard post at Langford and paint the phone box by the Beer Engine. It was thought that the bench on the green would be painted by the BIB volunteers
• that Cllr L Ouldridge would draw up a maintenance and replacement schedule.

 

10/05/26    Other Parish Council Matters

10.1               Areas of responsibility reports

                       Parish Hall – report from AGM and update on planned works to entrance hall

                       It was noted that the Parish Hall were considering re-modelling of the entrance hall, kitchen and toilets and a survey was currently in the Newton Wonder.  Funding would need to come from grants.  The hall was

                       Arboretum – Cllr L Oldridge reported that a tree inspection had taken place and risk assessments were being updated.  The notices to be placed on the new noticeboards would be circulated before being published

                       Allotment update and to consider what improvements can be made to access and water provision 

                       The Clerk reported that 4 plots had been given up and 4 other plots would likely be given up during the year, although the rent had been paid.  One tenant had yet to pay.  The two people on the waiting list no longer wanted an allotment.  It was resolved that the Clerk would advertise plots in the Newton Wonder.

                       The tree that had fallen on a tenant’s fence had been removed by Cllr D Harris.  The removal of three dead trees that had already been paid for remained outstanding as was a quote for removing other dead/dying trees.  It was resolved

• the Clerk would chase up the outstanding removal of dead trees that had already been paid for and would obtain a quote for the removal of other dead trees
• to ask the grass contractor to cut the grass down the middle of the allotments as soon as possible

                      

                       It was agreed that water provision was less of an issue than access and tenants should be able to harvest water using water butts.  It was resolved that Cllr L Ouldridge would ask the landowner about pedestrian access across the field before the allotments.

10.2               Service agreements with Church, Hall and Rec – to note all have been signed and to agree payment of annual grants

                       Service agreements had been signed, and copies were passed to the Clerk.  Payment of annual grants would be made in two halves with the first half paid next month and the second payment paid after October

10.3               To consider future of land by churchyard – nothing that the church does not want to acquire the land for a new churchyard

                       After discussion it was resolved to offer the land for the arboretum to use. Markers would need to be kept noting the boundary and the sign stating the land was donated would need to remain.

10.4               Update on bench at Woodlands     

                       The bench owner was happy to cut the grass around and under the bench.  It was resolved to note this in an email to the owner asking him to maintain the bench and to remove the bench if any complaints were received

10.5               To agree attendance at coffee morning surgeries

                       Attendance was agreed as

                       9 May                        Cllr L Ouldridge, shadowed by Cllr J Campbell

                       13 June                     Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright, shadowed by Cllr I Marshall

                       11 July                       Cllr M Helpoldt-Bright

                       12 September          Cllr J Rimbon-Whittaker

                       10 October               Cllr R Vinner

10.6               To note defibrillator pads have been replaced – should we buy paediatric pads for the Rec? (£85.00)

                       Cllr R Viner agreed to check if paediatric pads were compatible with the Rec defib and if, so it was resolved to purchase paediatric pads for the Rec defib

10.7               To note request from Wildwood Trust for foamex/metal poster on a wooden post to be placed at the Station Road entrance to FP4

                       The poster had been circulated, and it was resolved to agree it could be posted as requested

10.8               Picture of Cllrs for website and possible lanyards (not in budget)?   

                       A photo was taken for the website

 

11/05/26    Minor Matters and Items for Future Agenda

                       Cllr M Herpoldt-Bright noted that our PCSO was not available at present.  The Clerk would find availability for the Club Room for a possible NHW meeting in June/July

                       The shutten brook had received a good water quality test result

                       Cllr I Marshall was progressing the petition regarding a crossing at Tytheing Close

                       The Clerk would not be able to attend the meeting on the 2 July and Cllr D Harris agreed to write the minutes

 

12/05/26    Date of next PC meeting: Thursday 4 June 2026, 7pm in the Club Room, Parish Hall          

Public Participation - End of formal business

 

The meeting closed at 9.30pm