January 2022

UPLOWMAN PARISH COUNCIL: MINUTES OF MEETING

 

Held on Thursday 20^th January 2022 in Uplowman Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm.

There were no members of the public present. Minutes by Mr R Hodgson, Clerk. Action points in bold.

Approved on 17^th March 2022

 

1. MEMBERS PRESENT

1.1 Present: CllrsM Moore (Chair), N Branton, K Baugh, A McCombe, D Westerman, and R Adcock

 

2. APOLOGIES, PROCEDURAL MATTERS AND REPORTS FROM MDDC & DCC

2.1 Apologies for absence for family reasons had been received from Cllr D Thomas.

2.2 Cllr Slade had circulated a report on DCC matters. The number of reported potholes had fallen by 27% over 4 years. In response to this, councillors unanimously agreed that this was not the experience in Uplowman and indeed the potholes had noticeable got worse and become a serious concern. Additional funding was available for care homes. Cllr Slade’s ‘locality’ budget remained open for small grants.

2.3 Cllr Radford had circulated a report on MDDC activities. The Parish Boundary Review was out for consultation. The local economy was showing mixed response to the pandemic with some sectors growing and job losses in others. Budgeting for 2022-3 was almost complete with maximum allowable £5 rise in Council Tax planned. Savings would be made by going to 3-weekly refuse collection. Cllr Moore commented that the Parish Boundary Review could affect all parishes locally and she encourages all councillors to complete the consultation.

 

3. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING (18^th November 2021)

3.1 Draft Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 18^th November 2021 had been circulated. There were no changes requested and they were signed by the Chair as a true record of that meeting.

 

4. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

4.1 All matters would be covered by the Agenda.

 

5. FINANCES

5.1                  Current Balance: £5055.18

               Income since last meeting £0.00

5.2 The following payments were approved and cheques signed to effect the disbursements:

Church Housing Action Team (CHAT), donation, £25.00

5.3 It was noted that the change of signatory from Mr Norman to Cllr Moore was in place. From this meeting, Cllr McCombe would replace Mr Milner as the third signatory as agreed in November. He took the papers for completion and subission to Nat West.

5.4The Clerk represented the draft budget for 2022-3. This did not include any village projects. It was agreed that it represented a good estimate of predictable regular expenditure. On a show of hands, it was agreed by all to request a precept of £3,300 for 2022-23, which the Clerk would do.

5.5 It was further agreed to continue UPC’s membership of the Devon Association of Local Councils and to permit MDDC to deduct the subscription from the precept payment.

 

6. PLANNING APPLICATIONS

6.1 21/1728/FULL: Hr Chieflowman, convert barn to dwelling. MDDC had approved this

6.2 21/02032House&033/LBC: Uplowman Hse, refurb storage shed. MDDC had approved these.

6.3 21/01431/House: 6 Crossways, extension to rear. MDDC had approved this.

6.4 21/02462/Full: Willow Barn reposition stables. UPC consulted neighbours and had made no objection but had noted need for drainage of the field. MDDC decision awaited.

6.5 21/02187/Full: Rosebank erect new shed. UPC made no objection, noting that this building had

previously been accepted as suitable for Class Q conversion. MDDC decision awaited.

6.6 Ms A Williams had accepted an invitation to address UPC’s March meeting. Cllr Moor noted that the online planning briefing sessions that Ms Williams was presenting each month helpd to clarify planning issues.

 

      7. VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

7.1 Uplowman community broadband project : Work was ongoing but had not progressed significantly since the previous meeting.

7.2 Parish News grant: The Clerk reported that the Sampford Peverell & Uplowman News had offered a grant of £550 from the magazine’s income.

7.3 There followed discussion about suitable community projects that UPC could undertake. The following projects were proposed and the councillors named in parentheses agree to investigate options and costs:

Public Address system for the hall (Cllr Adcock);

New village signs (Cllr Branton);

Framing of historic map (Cllr Adcock);

Automatic ‘count down’ traffic calming signs (Cllr Westerman).

Other projects discussed but not take forward included: A Christmas Tree for the Green, flower beds at the village entrances, footpath signs, and an additional dog waste bin.

7.4 The Clerk noted that as the pandemic receded and ‘normal life’ was returning, producing a fortnightly newsletter was becoming unsustainable. It was agreed that the emailed newsletter would become monthly and the Clerk would develop a powerpoint template that any editor could use.

 

8. SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTHY LIVING

8.1 Cllr Moore had recently been sent a useful ‘Guide to Network Connections’ outlining the steps involved in setting up community energy schemes. She would circulate to all councillors for future discussion.

 

9. CORRESPONDENCE

A list of correspondence received and sent had been circulated. Attention was drawn to the following items of interest that were not covered elsewhere:

9.1CHAT had written asking for support. Cllr Branton said that CHAT was an important local charity and the needs for its services for the homeless were increasing, thanks to the pandemic. She proposed that CHAT should be added to the list of local charities supported by UPC, which was agreed by all.

10. HALL AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION

10.1 Arrangements were in hand to erect a fence at the road end of the pitch and new equipment was being bought for the kitchen. The firework night had been one of the best so far from a fund-raising perspective. Cllr Adcock reported that the defibrillator is registered with the emergency services.

 

11. EMERGENCY PLANNING AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

11.1 Unfortunately, Cllr Thomas would not be able to conduct first aid training. A local trainer would be happy to do it for £40 per head, considerably less than other local providers. It was agreed that UPC would subsidise 50% of the cost and participants would be asked to pay £20 each. The Clerk would arrange two sessions in the Hall.

11.2 Devon Communities Together’s recent newsletter had offered assistance with setting up emergency plans. It was agreed tthat the Clerk would invite their expert, Martin Rich, to a future meeting.

12. STATE OF ROADS IN PARISH

12.1Cllr Westerman had reported 80 potholes on the DCC website. However, nearly all the first 40 he had reported were subsequently removed. Cllr Westerman would monitor the outcomes of his reports. It was agreed to query the removal of the records from the website with Cllr Slade following Cllr Westerman’s investigations.

12.2 The Clerk had been in touch with DCC regarding the footbridge at Lands Mill. DCC had informed him that new foundations were required and that the work would be done in the summer to avoid unnecessary disturbance to the surrounding fields.

 

13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting was confirmed for Thursday 17^th March 2022, expected to be in the Hall.

The meeting closed at 9.01pm

Public discussion:

None

MINUTES OF 20 January 2022