Minutes July 30 2018

Minutes of the Meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council, held Monday July 30th 7.00pm in the Village Hall

Members present -: Chairman Cllr P Talbot Vice Chair Cllr D Honnor Cllr L Biles Cllr G Parkman Cllr P Pennington

1. Apologies – these were received from Cllrs Knowles and Rigamonti

2. Declarations of Interest – none made

3. The Public – there were no members of the public present

4. Minutes of the Meetings held May 14th and 30th 2018 – these were approved and signed as a correct record. May 14th comprised the Annual Parish Council followed by the Bi monthly Parish council Meeting. May 30th was an Extra Ordinary Meeting primarily to sign off the accounts for the financial year.

5. Planning Reports and outcomes –

18/00981/NMA Land and Buildings west of Whitnole Beeches, permission granted

18/00776/LBC rebuilding at Cove Cottage

18/00875/FULL retrospective application to retain the farm track at Gibbet Moor

18/01000/FULL revised plan for replacement dwelling, Ashcombe Farm

18/01100/CLU garage & 1 st floor annexe West Whitnole, (administrative requirement for past work) The above are still awaiting decision by MDDC.

6. Reports

a) County Council National Trading Standards are using promotional material to raise public awareness against scams, some of which have involved local people. Work on the A361 should start 3 rd September and the contractors are holding an open meeting at Sampford Peverell on the 14th August to explain their plans and schedule. DCC conducted a questionnaire on rail travel – among the conclusions were that by purchasing a combination of short distance tickets this may be a cheaper option than buying a single one covering the entire journey. Air fares may also work out more economic. Carlton Lodge is soon to reopen taking in 70 pupils. At present pot holes need to be over 4cm before repair, surface dressing is also been done on rotation regardless of immediate need: this approach is being reviewed. Parking offences will be more strictly enforced in future. Last year 400K in fines was not recovered. The gritting lorries have been used this summer to correct the melting tarmac. District Council Premier Inn is back on track after a gas main had to be moved. The multi-storey car park will be open 24 hours. A new entrance is going in and the major demolition work will start in September. A planning application for a Lidl store has been submitted. The Learner Pool at the Exe Valley Leisure Centre is back in use. The Three Rivers Project won an award for Best Design and the main work will start this month. A tender is out for improvements to the Tiverton Market area. The Local Plan Review will be held on the 20th & 21st September and District Cllr Moore would like to encourage attendance. The flood prevention scheme at J28 has been approved by the Environment Agency. Garden Village funding has been approved for Cullompton. The 2017/8 MDDC accounts have been successfully signed off . Only 10 out of 51 parishes have responded so far to a Town and Parish questionnaire sent from the Communications Section of MDDC. Unless there are more papers returned the results are meaningless.

b) Parish Councillors Cllr Pennington reported that the Church Path drain has been rodded and this should solve the flooding problem. The Chairman had taken issue with advice that council minutes can be destroyed after 4 years – he believed this to be misinformation. District Cllr Moore will make further enquiries. The road surface at Dry hill is breaking up and needs attention.

c) The Police – no communication despite the Clerk asking if the PCSO wished to remain on the circulation list

7. SOS Emergency Telephone Consultation ND Link Road – the general consensus was that the need for such a facility was more or less obsolete and too expensive to warrant retention. The following response from the Chairman was AGREED -: That Devon County Council be informed that: “The Parish Council is not prepared to contribute towards the cost of maintaining or replacing the SOS telephone at Stoneland; the Parish Council considers that the telephones are the responsibility of the highway authority and that the cost of maintaining or replacing them should not fall solely on the parish within which they are located. It is not appropriate for the Parish Council to agree or disagree with the removal of the telephone at Stoneland. That is a matter for Devon county council as highway authority.”

8. Highways – several issues had been raised at the Annual Parish Meeting and forwarded on to Steve Leigh. His detailed reply was read out to the meeting. To summarise -: the repairs to Stoodleigh Drive are in hand. Erecting advisory road signs by DCC are now considered to be both expensive and ineffective with the popularity of Sat Navs . Many roads within the county are unsuitable for heavy vehicles and diversions therefore of little benefit. Vehicles should always be driven in accordance with the conditions.

9. The Playground – it is accepted that the general surface needs some attention. Cllr Knowles has made some enquiries as to the best solution for repair. Rubber matting costs £18.90 per sq m and would cost £1600 + the contractor cost to lay it. Bark for the area equates to 14 bags totaling £1200. The Chairman had found some rubber chip bonded material which might require less surface preparation and be longer lasting. All solutions will be fairly costly and further investigation is needed. The ideas for additional equipment suggested at the Annual Parish Meeting were discussed. Cllr Biles favoured something more targeted at older children ie. A zip wire. Cllr Pennington backed the idea of a climbing frame or wall. Kevin Swift MDDC is currently evaluating items for the Tiverton Trim Trail and it was thought that he might be a good point of contact. Bolham playground was recommended for an informative visit although the space at Stoodleigh might be a limiting factor. The topic is to be carried forward onto the next agenda.

10. Defibrillator training –a minimum of 10 people are needed for this to be arranged. A few attendees at the Annual Parish Meeting expressed interest. A Community Email will be circulated giving opportunity for others to register.

11. The Telephone Kiosk – thanks to Chris Whitehead and Trevor Cope shelving is now in place and only some minor work is outstanding. Shirley Cope has asked for a pin board and also suggested that the name displayed should be changed to “Swap Box”. This new title suggestion was unanimously AGREED. Any donations from those participants with nothing to “exchange” should perhaps go into the Village Hall fund. Any parking issues should be carefully monitored.

12. Historic Signpost Restoration – the signpost at Vial’s Corner seems to be the most popular one to repair first and Malcolm Jones is willing to coordinate the work. Although a number of individuals initially appeared keen to offer help in the general restoration this enthusiasm has dwindled somewhat. Next in line for attention would be the signpost at Kissing Gate as this also has visual impact on entering the village. The Chairman AGREED to action the start of work.

13. The Church Path - the drain has had some attention. The gates have been adjusted and now fully function.

14. Dog Fouling – the Chairman had previously circulated a letter via Community Email drawing attention to the problem and this seems to have had some effect. The problem seems less prevalent. There are already reminder signs at the end of Church Path. The MDDC website has an existing facility for reporting offenders. District Cllr Moore will enquire as to the effectiveness of this site.

15. Change of May 13 th 2019 Parish Council Meeting Date - it was AGREED to amend this to 20th May 2019. The Clerk had realised that it would otherwise clash with an Oakford Parish Council meeting.

16. Finance

Current HSBC balance as at 12/7/18 £10,047.26 A copy of the spreadsheet was circulated.

The request for a donation towards Victim Support was declined Payments were APPROVED to St Margaret’s Church £400 and to Community First Insurance £236.91.

The Clerk explained that the insurance cheque issued in May had apparently been mislaid at the destination and asked for reissue.