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Minutes Council Meeting May 22 2023

Minutes of Stoodleigh Parish Council Meeting, held in the Village Hall on Monday May 22 2023, immediately following the Annual Meeting

Members present -:

Chair Cllr W Knowles  Cllr S Davey  Clllr J Mansfield  Cllr G Parkman  Cllr C Payne and Cllr D Wotton

County Cllr R Chesterton & District Cllr R Gilmour

  1. Apologies – received from District Cllr C Adcock and the Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson
  2. Declarations of Interest – none declared
  3. The Public – there were 4 members in attendance
  4. Minutes of the Meeting held March 27th – these were approved and signed as a true record. Approval of the Minutes of the 17th April Planning Meeting were carried forward as the Clerk had not received a copy of such although the outcome was known

Mr & Mrs Coles, Dryhill had asked for the following statement to be recorded to make their position clear following the publication of the last council minutes held March 27th .

“As Devon County Council decided on 9 March 2023, there is no public right of way through our property;

Nobody has permission to walk or ride over the track through our property leading to Barehills Woods “

  1. Planning Reports & Outcomes -:

23/00408/CAT notification to fell 1 garden maple tree, Rowhill – no objection

23/00540/CAT notification to fell 2 ash trees within a conservation area, Dagrenel – no objection

23/00542/CAT notification to carry out work on 7 trees at Court Gardens Cottage – no objection

  1. Reports

County Council, there had been a limited number of announcements during the last 7 weeks because of the election period but with a new Chief Executive in post all services would soon be under review. Richard Chesterton was feeling positive about the future. He was only too well aware of the backlog on road maintenance and the pot hole issue. The decision as to which pothole repairs get quicker attention is more complex and at times the cost effectiveness of repairing some while ignoring others a few yards away is questionable. The website for the public to report damage to road surfaces is still functioning and the “What 3 words” method to accurately pinpoint the location is proving helpful.

District Council, newly elected Rachel Gilmour gave a highly comprehensive summary of her career to date. Planning is one of her key interests but the final decision on which major areas she will take a lead role will not be officially announced until Wednesday. The idea from the District Council to hold a surgery before a Parish Council Meeting was encouraged. Arrangements would have to be made for the Village Hall to be opened at 6.30pm and discussion regards issues of confidentiality would need to be respected and accommodated.

Local Councillors – Cllr Davey had earlier that evening contacted Mrs Leaper, Stoodleigh Court about a tree partially blocking Footpath 1.  The matter is in hand. The missing sign at Coleford Bottom has been reported.

LCWO has agreed that horse riders and walkers can continue to use Footpath 10 through the woods but not the hunt under any circumstances

Cllr Mansfield asked whether DCC was liable for the repair to the playground wall. There was some discussion and District Cllr Gilmour offered to look into the matter after some of the background of the situation was explained.

The correspondence on hiring charges from Rebecca Brown has been passed over to the Village Hall Management Committee for resolution.

  1. Training Requirements – there was interest shown. Clerk to contact Penny Clapham, Bampton to ascertain whether any local training was scheduled or if booking was to be made through DALC.
  2. Washfield Definitive Map Review Proposal 2, Green Lane between Shilhayes and Springfield Cottage – this has been circulated on the Website and Community Email
  3. Annual Parish Meeting Agenda – apart from the usual annual reports from the groups and organisations within Stoodleigh the council had a few suggestions.  These include the Church Wall repair, Church Path repairs to the surface and drains, re-opening the Swap Box, bridleways and footpaths needing attention and submission of User of Evidence forms concerning Green Lane

Nothing more has been heard from Dave Harris, Shadow Ponds although at one time he wished to present his planning ideas in advance of submitting a formal application.   

  1. The Clerk –

She announced her intention to resign in September. Pay was not the major issue but she wished to inform the council that the salary should be reviewed each year and 28 days paid holiday a year was a legal requirement. Arrangements for a new Clerk should be put in hand.

  1. Annual Auditor’s Report

This has been approved for 2022/23. The few points raised by the internal auditor were briefly explained. Some minor corrections could and would be made.

  1. The accounts were approved for 2022/23
  2. The Exemption Certificate was approved
  3. Section 1 of the Annual Governance Form was approved
  4. Section 2 of the Annual Governance and Accounting Form was approved
  5. The Statement of Internal Control was approved
  6. The dates for the exercise of elector’s rights will be published
  1. Finance

HSBC current account as at 12/5/23        £8247.56

Payments were approved to St Margaret’s Church £400 (agreed in March)           

RoSPA £140.40

DALC £89.92   Admin £68.59   Clerk salary + HMRC £300   DA Wright £77.38

Community Insurance £213.81  Tax & Accounts £56.88