March 2011
MINUTES OF MEETING Held on 17th March 2011 at the Village Hall, Uplowman, starting at 7.45pm. Approved on 19 May 2011
Mr D Hannon (councillor, DCC), Mr R Radford (councillor, MDDC) and 1 member of public present Minutes taken by R Hodgson, Clerk. Action points in bold.
1. MEMBERS PRESENT
1.1 Present: Mr D Hamer (Chairman), Mr R Branton, Mr R Norman, Mr R Adcock and Mr T Milner.
2. PROCEDURAL MATTERS 2.1Apologies for absence had been received from Mrs S Brown (farming commitments).
3. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING (13 January 2011) 3.1The minutes of 13 January had been circulated previously and were signed without amendment as a true record of that meeting.
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
4.1The Chair reported that the Clerk's Appraisal had taken place with himself and Mr Branton. It had provided a useful opportunity to review the Clerk's job description and get feed-back from the Clerk. All feedback from the consultees had been positive in respect of the Clerk's work. The Meeting expressed its appreciation of the Clerk's attention to his duties.
4.2A recent HMRC rulling meant that henceforth the Clerk must be regarded as an employee. Therefore, a new contract had been drafted. Mrs P Milner would draft a guide as to how this change might best be achieved while minimising the need for returns to HMRC. The job description had been updated and it was noted that a number of additional duties had been introduced as a result of new legislation since the Clerk's present contract was agreed in 2002. The meeting expressed its thanks to Cllr and Mrs Milner for their work on this and confirmed that Mrs Milner be appointed as UPC's agent in dealings with the HMRC on this matter. The Chair and Vice Chair were authorised to sign a new contract with the Clerk once this was finalised. 4.3Cllr Milner had drafted the village welcome pack and there were on-going discussions with Mrs Holley regarding its scope and content.
5. FINANCES
5.1 Current Balance: £ 6394.80
Income since last meeting£ Nil
5.2The following payments were approved and cheques signed to effect the disbursements:
Clerk's honorarium to end of March (£362.50) plus expenses (£9.15)
To DCC for signage for the school footpath (£65.00).
5.3The Clerk presented a draft of Income and expenditure figures for 2010-11, which were duly noted. No significant changes were expected by the year-end.
6. PLANNING/LICENSING APPLICATIONS
6.1 10/01863/LBC: Shapcott, replace thatch, has been granted by MDDC.
6.2 09/01848/F: Higher Reed Fm, Erection of Agricultural dwelling, has been granted by MDDC.
6.3 10/01739/F: Land at Higher Locks Fm erection of wind turbine, has been granted by MDDC.
6.4 11/00161/PNAG: Greenend, Erection of Agricultural storage Building, has been granted by MDDC.
6.5 11/00374/F: Greengate Cottage: Erection of extensions. To be considered at a site meeting on 26 March.
6.6 UPC had received complaints about the untidy state of land at E Mere Cross. The Clerk would draft a letter to the Landowner for the approval of the Chair.
6.7 Similar complaints had been received relating to Melway Stables. Mr Adcock would investigate.
7. 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:
7.1 Devon Fire Service had sent a consultation paper on their new corporate plan. Councillors had looked through this. Mr Milner commented that it appeared operational rather than strategic and it seemed that decisions had already been taken.
7.2Nomination Packs for councillors were distributed to those who wished to stand again. It was agreed that copies of the Good Councillor Guide might be obtained after the new council was sworn in at the May meeting.
8. HALL AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION
8.1Replanting of trees beside the leat had been undertaken. The heater controls were to be modified and some of the exterior lighting changed to reduce energy consumption.
9. EMERGENCY PLANNING AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
9.1The Police reported that a number of shed break-ins had taken place recently across the district, including at least one in Uplowman. Power tools and scrap metal were being targeted and everyone should be vigilant and secure equipment with alarmed locks. All suspicious activity should be reported to assist in building a picture of the criminal activity.
10. VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
10.1The cherry tree had now been planted in the school playing field to mark completion of the path.
10.2The Clerk drew attention to the passage of the Localism Bill, which would provide increased powers to Parish Councils to undertake local services for the benefit of their communities.
10.3Cllr Milner had drafted the village Welcome Pack and was still discussing its contents with Mrs Holley.
11. STATE OF ROADS IN PARISH
11.1There was extensive discussion regarding the possible siting of another grit bin. The conclusion reached was that the two places where a bin was most use already had one. Other hills where access was difficult during icy weather would need more than a single bin. Therefore, it was decided not to apply for another bin. It had been mentioned that DCC were investigating road clearing contracts with local farmers similar to their stand-by hedge-cutting agreements, which could help to sort out problems on rural access roads.
11.2 The Whitnage road now had bad potholes. All potholes deeper than 100mm should be reported via he DCC website or by calling their hotline.
11.3 It was agreed to continue with the grass-cutting arrangements as last year. The Clerk would confirm this with Mr Veen.
12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting would be the Annual Meeting on Thursday 19 May 2011, in the Hall starting at 7.30pm with the Annual Report and public discussion. The meeting closed at 9.50pm
Public Discussion
Police report: PCSO Simms introduced Special Constable Nick Sellick who would be in our patch while PC Rich was on Maternity Leave from April. PCSO Simms reported that there was county-wide rural crime at present and all should be vigilant. 'Be secure, be vigilant' was his buzz-phrase. The police could supply alarmed padlocks for about £7 to help secure property. All suspicious activity (eg. 'Gate-sellers' with no gates to sell) should be reported. PCSO Simms said that although there would be much-publicised cuts in police numbers, the team in Cullompton was not expected to change as a result.