Minutes from Annual Parish Meeting May 2018
Newton St Cyres Parish Council
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Thursday 3 May 2018 in the Parish Hall Club Room at 7.00pm
Present:
The Chairman of Newton St Cyres Parish Council, Cllr D Baker presided.
Attending were Parish Councillors, Cllr P Hare-Scott (MDDC), the Parish Clerk, and 12 members of the public.
Cllr D Baker welcomed everyone to the meeting
- Apologies
Cllr G Quicke, Roger Wilkins
- Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Wednesday 27 April 2017
The Chairman requested those present at the last Annual Parish Meeting to approve the minutes. They were signed as a true record.
- Chairman’s Report
The Parish Council has held 11 meetings during the year plus an Annual Parish Meeting. These meetings have been regularly attended by our District Councillor, Peter Hare-Scott and where possible by our County Councillor Margaret Squires to whom we are very grateful for their contributions and continued support. It has been an extremely busy and active year with regular items relating to planning, Police reports and Highways matters.
The continued developments in Crediton and north of the Parish raises concerns with the increased traffic flow and pollution through the Parish and this matter has been raised with our MP, District Council and County Council. A pollution monitor has been erected in the middle of the village and will be monitored over the next twelve months to check the pollution in the village.
Our current allotment holders continue to look after the area as best they can, and for this we are grateful. Cllr Graeme Barnell is the lead Councillor for Allotments and will be holding regular meetings with allotments holders.
The Parish Council have spent considerable time liaising and working with the many groups in the village including the Flood Resilience Group, the Arboretum, the Recreation Ground, the Parish Hall, Boniface Trail and the Church.
The Parish Council pays for the Churchyard to be kept tidy and have acquired extra land for a new Churchyard when the current one is full.
The Community Speed Watch group has ceased to operate due to lack of support. The Council looked at purchasing an ANPR camera which would have recorded the speed of all cars at all times but this was not acceptable to the Police.
The Parish Council are keeping a watching brief on the proposed Greater Exeter Strategic Plan which will be looking at developments over the next thirty year and will make the necessary comments should it affect this parish and its parishioners.
The Parish Council have endeavoured to be as transparent as possible and have this year produce two newsletters, Winter and Summer, and the Annual Directory and which were delivered to each household. Regular Parish Surgeries are held in conjunction with the Coffee Mornings held in the Parish Hall on the first Saturday of the month. We now also have a Facebook page and a website.
This year continues to be a difficult year with the County Council continuing to withdraw services and expecting them to be picked up by Parish Councils but still continuing to impose unacceptable levels of regulations. We have contracted Thoverton Parish Council’s handyman to keep the parish tidy as there was no response for this role from our parish.
We have undertaken an Affordable Housing survey which has indicated a need for a number of affordable houses which hopefully will be built on the old school site and it is hoped the Council’s views are considered when the old school site is developed so that it includes affordable housing. It is the Council’s intention to continue to maintain the school footpath from Sand Down Lane to Pump Street after the school has moved.
The Parish Council have been very actively involved in ensuring that the new School and associated housing development takes place in Station Road and it is pleasing to note that work has already started with some houses already sold and the school nearing completion. The Council are working hard with all concerned to provide a safe footpath from the new school to the river bridge.
The Parish Council own both telephone boxes in the village. The one at the Station is used as a Book Swap Shop under the guidance of Cllr Chris Southcott. The phone box in the village houses the village defibrillator and provision for some book swaps. Thanks to Geoff Jackson and Tim Sedgwick for looking after this telephone box.
The Parish Council has been represented at the Raddon Hills Group of Parish Council meetings which involves all parishes from Bickleigh to Cowley and back to Crediton and involves 13 parishes in total. This has proved a valuable vehicle through which to pressurize the higher authorities. We are pleased that Jane Hole (our Clerk) is also Clerk to the Raddon Hills Group.
Finally thanks to our MDDC and DCC Councillors for their work during the year and my fellow Councillors for their contributions and hard work during the year.
Our Parish Clerk, Jane Hole, continues to provide us with excellent service and it has been a pleasure to work with her. She has dealt with the business of the Parish Council in a most efficient manner and being a qualified Parish Clerk has allowed the Council to adopt General Power of Competency. This allows the Council to undertake any action it wishes as long as it is legal!
Thanks also go to Daphne Clague who has taken over the role of Auditor for the Council in an honorary capacity.
To all our Parishioners, thank you for your support for our many ventures. The Parish Council will continue to strive to help all its Parishioners. My personal thanks to you all for your support over my 9 years as Council Chairman and I wish the new Chairman and the village all the very best.
Councillors’ attendance at Parish Council meetings 2017/18
There have been 11 Council meeting and Councillors attended the following:
Jim Enright - 11
David Baker - 9
Jill Baker - 9
Gina Quicke - 9
Steve Parker - 9
Adam Reeves - 9
Chris Southcott - 11
Paul Taylor - 9
Graeme Barnell - 5 (elected Sept. 2017 – 6 meetings)
- Parish Council Unaudited Financial Statement for year ending 31 March 2018
Circulated to all present and noted
- Public Participation/Questions
A parishioner asked how the precept level is decided and what flexibility there is? Cllr D Baker replied that the precept is set once a budget has been agreed and there is no restriction on how much the Parish Council can ask for, although if it needed to increased greatly there would be parishioner consultation.
The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance and the meeting closed at 7.20pm