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Minutes Council Meeting Nov 29 2021

Minutes of the Meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council held in the Parish Hall on Monday,November 29 at 8.00pm

Members present -: Chairman Cllr L Biles  Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson  Cllr G Parkman  Cllr G Talbot

County Cllr R Chesterton and District Cllr A Moore

  1. Apologies – these were received from Cllr Davey, Cllr Knowles and Cllr Payne
  2. Declarations of Interest – none declared
  3. The Public – no one in attendance
  4. Minutes of the Meetings held September 28th and October 30th – these were approved and signed as a true record
  5. Reports

County Council – a detailed report had previously been circulated by County Cllr Chesterton. There were no subsequent questions forthcoming

District Council – completion of the budget exercise for 2022/23 has been completed as far as possible until the government settlement figure is finalised.   There is currently a £234,000 shortfall. Although staff recruitment is technically down, the vacancies have to be made up with more expensive agency staff so this is not reflected in the overall cost.

The Parish Boundary review will soon be out for comment and this is an opportunity to rationalise the number of councillors for each division although any change will not take effect until 2023.

Councillors – the SWAP box is now closed until next year. A branch has fallen down, partially obstructing the Church Path and the Chairman offered to investigate and contact the landowner responsible.

  1. Planning Applications and Outcomes

18/01711/MFUL Formation of an open silage clamp, access Gibbet Moor Farm NGR288069 117081 – awaiting decision. Discussion scheduled for December 1st.

21/01420/FUL Change of use from agricultural to part small holding, breeding kennels and temporary mobile home NGR 289870 116865 Stoodleigh X – awaiting decision

21/01856/PNFG Alteration of a forestry track, woodland at NGR 290108 119599 Wheatland Plantation – development accepted

21/01869/TPO To fell 2 ash trees Jessica Cottage – permission granted

21/01953/FUL Associated operational development in conjunction with 20/02111/PNCOU NGR 293585 120325 West of Valley View Farm – awaiting decision

21/02277/TPO To fell 12 ash Trees and reduce the crown of 1 oak tree protected by 85/00002/TPO, Part Ford Plantation NGR 291332 118592 – awaiting decision. The Parish Council may decide to visit before responding to MDDC.

District Cllr Moore outlined the standard procedure for when the Planning Officer is dealing with a complex or possibly contentious planning application.

6 enforcement notices have been issued regards some unauthorised activity in Great Wood

The method of reporting possible contraventions has now been modified so that any information can be logged and easier to collate. The facility is available on the MDDC website and data remains confidential.

  1. Highways – the councillors present were unaware of any current issues of significance
  2. The Playground – some repairs have been made to the slide structure and swing supporting post. The bill for the work was presented too late to feature on the agenda but Cllr Widdowson felt prompt payment of the £268.27 was in order and therefore he would settle the account to be reimbursed later.  The minor ground level discrepancy,  identified in the annual inspection will now be rectified next year. Some of the existing equipment is showing signs of wear and may soon need to be replaced rather than constantly repaired.

The churchyard boundary wall has been damaged and some stones dislodged. The particular area has been roped off and warning signs erected. The Clerk was asked to contact Chris Whitehead for an estimate on repair and meanwhile Cllr Widdowson volunteered to help clear the overgrown vegetation.

  1. Autumn Market 30th October – this apparently was well attended and made a profit. Cllrs Widdowson and Talbot had represented the council: much of the conversation centred on planning issues and better ways to raise public awareness.
  2. Mid Devon Mobility – this facility appears to be more widely used than previously thought.The topic will be revisited at the March meeting along with any other requests for donations.
  1. Agenda Circulation – although this could possibly be improved, publishing details of agendas, planning applications etc on Community Email would create a significant workload and merely be duplication. It was decided that a quarterly reminder on where to look for such information would be sufficient.
  2. S106 Funding – it was decided that the £810 should be immediately released to the Cricket Club and the purchase, insurance and maintenance of the bench would transfer accordingly
  3. Future meetings with Covid considerations – the option to hold remote meetings is no longer allowed. Future meetings will be held in the Parish Hall on a Monday with the later start time of 8.00pm.
  4. Finance

HSBC current account as at 12/11/21: £9412.40

Payment was approved to C Hill: £625

The proposed budget was discussed and after adjustments, largely concerning a significant increase for playground improvements it was decided unanimously to raise the precept for the first time since 2012 to £6000. Proposer Cllr Parkman, seconded by Cllr Widdowson.