Skip to main content

This site uses cookies to make things simpler. Find out more about cookies

Annual Parish Meeting 2023 Minutes

Minutes of Stoodleigh Annual Parish Meeting , held in the Parish Hall on Wednesday May 31 2023 at 7.00pm

Members present -: Chairman Cllr W Knowles  Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson  Cllr S Davey  Cllr J Mansfield  Cllr G Parkman  Cllr C Payne

  1. Apologies for Absence – received from Cllr D Wotton
  2. Declarations of Interest – none received
  3. The Public – 16 members in attendance
  4. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held May 25th 2022 - this were approved and signed as a correct record
  5. The Retiring Chairman’s Report – the newly re-elected Chairman Cllr W Knowles gave his report for 2022/23, copy attached. Cllr Widdowson thanked him for his contribution towards the smooth running of the parish during his chairmanship.
  6. Reports

The Cricket Club – Dick Sibley reminded everyone that the cricket club had been in existence for over 100 years. The league side had won promotion to Division2 and the “friendly” side was always open to invite and accommodate new members. Mike Webber continues as President and landlord of the ground. The pitch is maintained to a high standard and visiting teams are often complimentary. The projects for 2023 are to service the specialist gang mowers and refurbish the tea room. Jeannie Knowles suggested that here might be some grant funding available to assist from either MDDC or DCC.   The social after match venue is exceptionally well catered for at the Stoodleigh Inn, many thanks.

Parish Hall – Viv Menear, report attached.

The Garden Club – Shirley Cope, report attached. Owing to the late spring the reopening of the SWAP Box has been delayed but should be functioning once more at the beginning of June. The snail damage issue should be sorted. Textiles and electrical items are not acceptable items for deposit.

St Margaret’s Church – Penny Norman and Yvonne Lang. Copy of the report attached. The efforts of the Berry brothers in keeping the churchyard looking so well and tidy was publicly thanked. Much of the funds held by the Church are in restricted funds and therefore not accessible for the general running and repairs. This type of expenditure can only be met from monies held in the general fund. Fund raising is therefore always an issue and one of the most successful ways to date is by having a charity stall twice yearly in South Molton Pannier Market. £800 was raised in 2022 and despite the significant rise in the cost of living the April 2023 market attendance  proved worthwhile.

The treble bell will be repaired entirely through additional funding – remarkable as the estimate is £8000

The History Group – no representation submitted

The Parish Website – report attached from Geraldine Talbot

Trustees of the Stoodleigh Inn – Lizzie Issacs represented Julian Ayre. Some electrics still needing sorting but apart from that the considerable, recent investment had proved worthwhile. The customer base covers a diverse range of age and background and confirms the venue as both valued and a relatively profitable meeting point for the whole community. If there is interest in becoming a trustee of the Inn, please apply to Hole & Pugsley, Solicitors.

  1. Open Forum

Tim Hugill offered to organise a workshop type of event to simplify the confusion with the current offers circulating by broadband and communication companies.  Starling was recommended by Lizzie.

Potholes – the Parish Council feel somewhat reliant on highlighting and supporting their concerns to Richard Chesterton DCC. The problem is so well known but does not seem to be diminishing. The current repair strategy seems highly inefficient, substandard and requires urgent scrutiny. 

Japanese Knotweed has been found in the parish and a Community email will be posted to help with identification of this highly invasive plant.

The newly appointed County and District Councillors have offered to hold informal surgeries during the half hour preceding an advertised parish Council Meeting. Arrangements are being put in place to facilitate such.

Church path – the surface problems have been repeatedly reported.  Overhanging branches have been dealt with by Willie Knowles; the owner is in agreement but taking remedial action on her part seems slow.

Some new advisory road signs have been requested including for the one broken at Coleford Bottom, the gate needs repair and blackthorn bushes need attention. A footpath sign opposite Down Farm is broken. The suggestion was made to have a map in the Parish Hall displaying the local footpaths. A reminder was given that the deadline for submission of any evidence of use in connection with the Definitive Path Review is June 2nd.

Repairs to the wall between the churchyard and the playground have not progressed at all. The ownership and consequently the liability for the work required is still under discussion. The general consensus was that it would be worth taking legal advice from a specialist property lawyer to reach a conclusion. DALC may be able to offer advice. The site requires cleaning before any work could commence. Estimate for repair is £12,000+