Parish Council Minutes: March 2023
DRAFT MINUTES
These minutes will be agreed at the Parish Council meeting to be held on 11th April and might be subject to slight amendment
The Minutes of a Meeting of Oakford Parish Council, held in the Committee Room at Oakford Village Hall on Monday 13th March 2023 at 7.30 pm
Present:
Cllr’s G Baylis, (Chair), R Brain, J Cousins, J Cridland, L Gould, J Mayer and V Stevens.
In attendance:
County Cllr R Chesterton, District Cllr R Stanley, one member of the public and the Clerk, Mrs J Larcombe.
147/03/23. To receive apologies for absence.
No apologies received.
148/03/23. Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest.
149/03/23. Public Forum.
The member of the public asked if faults on the footpath that runs through Town Wood could be looked at. Cllr Gould will speak to Tony Northcott, Oakford’s Footpath Warden, to find out who is responsible. Cllr Chesterton asked to be included in any correspondence.
Actions: Cllr Gould to speak to Tony Northcott regarding faults on the footpath that runs through Town Wood to find out who is responsible. Cllr Chesterton to be included in any correspondence.
150/03/23. To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 13th February 2023 as an
accurate record of the meeting.
The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting and they were duly signed by the Chair.
151/03/23. Matters arising from the minutes, not covered elsewhere on the agenda.
None.
152/03/23. Planning
a) To comment on any planning applications received before the meeting.
No applications received.
b) To note any planning decisions made by MDDC.
No decision notices received.
c) Update on response to letter sent to MDDC regarding criteria for decisions on PNAG applications.
The letter was emailed to Angharad Williams, MDDC Development Management Manager, on 15th February 2023. Ms Williams acknowledged receipt of the letter on the same day saying ‘Thank you for your email. I will come back to you as soon as I can’. No further response has been received.
d) Any other planning matters.
None.
153/03/23. Highways
a) Any matters to note or report.
b) Update on actions regarding flooding on Rookery Hill.
Cllr Stevens has spoken with the landowner who agreed that it was a problem and wants to look into getting it sorted. Cllr Stevens has offered to help with this. If water is redirected into the field side of the road the field becomes a quagmire. Highways need to be asked where they stand. The new Neighbourhood Highways officer might not know where the drains run. Councillors to go online and report the flooding.
Action: Councillors to report the flooding online.
c) Update on actions regarding the condition of the road from Spurway Miil to the A361 and the lack of appropriate warning signage and safety barrier at Hangmans Hill.
Cllr Chesterton reported that he had put in a request for appropriate warning signs but it is likely to be another 2 to 3 years before anything is done because of finances. Cllr Cridland reported the defective signs online and received the response ‘The site was inspected and there are width restriction boards at both ends of the route. Current signage is suitable’. It was felt it would be useful to meet with the Neighbourhood Highways Officer.Cllr Chesterton reported that he had spoken to the Neighbourhood Highways Officer regarding the condition of the road from Spurway Mill to the A361 and they had discussed what could be done.
d) To report on the levels of salt/grit in the grit bins in the parish.
Cllr Mayer reported that one grit bin has been damaged and is smashed up. She tried to report it but the bin is not on the map.
e) To discuss the DCC Snow Warden Scheme.
If the Parish Council joined the scheme and someone agreed to become a warden and complete the training it would be able to get free salt/gritting material. This would be in 25kg bags and would be delivered to 1 site. It would need to be covered whilst it was being stored. It could be used to fill up grit bins. Councillors noted Oakford is on the side of a hill and it is difficult to grit roads that are on a hill. It was agreed not to progress joining the Snow Warden Scheme because it is too logistically difficult.
f) To discuss the DCC Road Warden Scheme.
Anyone carrying out work would need to complete Chapter 8 training. They would then be covered by DCC’s insurance. Cllr Brain asked whether it was the thin end of the wedge if the Parish Council is going out and doing what Highways should be doing. He felt they should be improving services and said he was totally opposed to joining this scheme. Councillors questioned where you would stop and where would you draw the line in a parish the size of Oakford. Cllr Baylis said you can do as much as you decide and you can still report defects. You could fill in the smaller potholes that Highways choose not to fill or will take a long time for them to get to. It was agreed not to join the Road Warden Scheme.
154/03/23. Reports
a) County Cllr.
Cllr Chesterton reported that Donna Manson, the new DCC Chief Executive took up her post on 17th February and although he has only met her once he has been hearing positive things about her. A new Head of Childrens’ Services is being appointed and will need to address the serious issues raised in the latest Ofsted monitoring report.
Since April 2022 27,000 potholes have been reported. 10,000 of these were in January 2023 alone as a result of the freeze, thaw, freeze cycle of weather. The backlog of 3,000 potholes have now reduced to 2,000 and is getting less. There was little need to grit the roads in November but since then the need for additional gritting runs has affected planned improvement work.
Government funding to support the recovery of bus services following Covid ends on 31st March. There was some early indication that some funding would continue but this is looking less likely now and DCC is looking at what they are going to do now.
In November 2022, some 1600 residual waste bins were analysed across the Devon County Council administrative area and the findings of the report were that more of the residual waste could have been recycled.
b) District Cllr.
Cllr Stanley reported that since the start of the change to 3 weekly residual waste collection recycling rates have increased. It took 2 difficult meetings this month to get the budget for 2023-24 agreed. There have been changes to the Leader of the Council and members of the Cabinet. Changes to the PSPO are being looked at tomorrow. Cllr Stanley asked if the rubbish had been removed from the MDDC owned car park and agreed to follow this up when he was told it had not. He told councillors this would be his last meeting as he would not be standing for re-election. On behalf of the Parish Council Cllr Baylis thanked Cllr Stanley and Cllr Moore for all that they had done.
Action: Cllr Stanley to find out what is happening about the collection of the rubbish in the MDDC owned car park.
Cllr Chesterton left the meeting.
c) Report from Batsworthy Cross Wind Farm Community Fund – update and discussion meeting.
Cllr Baylis reported on the meeting for Parish Council Chairs and Clerks and representatives of community groups organised by Penny Schofield who manages the fund for Devon Community Foundation (DCF). One of reasons for holding the meeting was to make funding more transparent. A document on what groups can apply for was handed out at the meeting. The application process is being looked at but DCF needs a consistent process across the county and the funds they manage. Any organisation considering making an application can speak to Penny for advice on making the application. There will be another meeting in 6 months and then annually.
Oakford Village Hall are considering putting cladding on the outside of the Village Hall to provide insulation but there are concerns about the cost of obtaining planning permission. An application could be made to the Batsworthy Fund for the cost of the project. Cllr Stanley said he would find out if planning permission is needed.
Action: Cllr Stanley to find out if planning permission is needed to put cladding on the outside of the Village Hall.
155/03/23. Community Area
a) Any points to note from inspection of community area.
This was carried out at the same time as the site visit. There were no points to note.
b) To minute the planting of the landmark tree.
A 7 ft bare rooted Crab apple landmark tree was supplied by Devon Wildlife Trust. A number of councillors met on the morning of 18th March and planted the tree. A plaque commemorating the Coronation of King Charles III will be purchased and put in beside the tree.
c) Follow up to the awarding of the contract for grass cutting for 2023.
A check had been made to ensure the contractor chosen to cut the grass for 2023 had adequate insurance and it was found that he didn’t have enough cover. Cllr Mayer noted a problem with the other quote the Parish Council had received. It was decided to start the tender process again with the new contract to start on June 1st. A tender document with all the details will be produced by the Clerk and Cllr Brain.
Action: Cllr Brain and the Clerk to produce a tender document.
Cllr Stanley left the meeting.
d) To minute the submission of the S106 grant funding application for fencing materials.
Cllr Moore spoke to Jo Williams, MDDC S106 Officer, and she agreed on this occasion to accept the quote for the fencing materials only because in this case the labour is being provided for free. The Clerk has submitted the application and is waiting to hear that it has been approved.
e) Report from the site meeting to consider the installation of a path.
Councillors discussed the possibility of installing a path when they met at the Community area to plant the tree. It was felt that a path was needed from the entrance up to the new gate to be installed as part of the fencing around the play equipment. This will be added to the agenda for the April meeting. Councillors acknowledged the cost of installing a path around the field would be prohibitive.
Action: the Clerk to add an item to the agenda for the April meeting to discuss the installation of a path from the entrance to the Community Area up to the entrance to the fenced off play equipment.
f) Any matters to note.
No matters to note.
156/03/23. Update on the purchasing and siting of waste bins.
The waste bin purchased for the triangle of grass around the Oakford sign has been put in place. Cllr Mayer is still trying to get the second bin.
157/03/23. Finance
a) To approve any invoices or expense claims presented for payment.
It was resolved to make the following payment:
Mrs J Larcombe - £199.85 Clerk’s salary for February plus printing and broadband for 2022-23 (Payment ref: 2223/25).
It was agreed that the invoice from Oakford Village Hall for the hire of the committee room for 2022-23 meetings could be paid when it was received.
b) To note any receipts since the last meeting and the bank balance.
No receipts since the last meeting. The Current Account balance is £8,410.27
c) To minute the check of bank reconciliations.
Cllr Cousins reported that he checked the bank reconciliation for the quarter ending 31.12.22 and it was correct.
158/03/23. Update on CHT moving the defibrillator to the phone box.
This has been booked for the week commencing Tuesday 11th April.
159/03/23. Reminder about District/Town & Parish Council Elections on May 4th (including Voter ID).
Councillors were reminded that their terms of office ended on 9th May and they would need to submit a nomination form to MDDC by 4pm on 4th May if they wanted to stand for re-election. Nominations can be submitted from 30th March and need to be submitted in person. The Clerk will email the nomination form to councillors. The Notice of Nominations will be published on April 5th. Anyone attending a polling station in person will need ID.
160/03/23. To report whether there have been any issues with smell from the sewerage treatment works.
No issues reported.
161/03/23. Correspondence.
The following correspondence was noted:
DALC Newsletters
MDDC press releases
Hedgehog Highway Project
Bus service changes in Devon April 2023
Bampton Town Council – invitation to Oakford parish councillors to attend DALC
Councillor training in Bampton (date to be agreed and costs shared)
162/03/23. To agree the date of the next meeting.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 11th April 2023. Monday 10th April is the Easter Bank Holiday so the meeting will be held on a Tuesday.
The meeting closed at 9.15pm.