May 2013
MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING Held on 16th May 2013 at the Village Hall, Uplowman starting at 8.00pm, Approved on 18/07/13
Cllrs D Hannon (DCC), R Radford (MDDC), PCSO Simms and three members of the public present. Minutes taken by R Hodgson, Clerk. Action points in bold.
1. MEMBERS PRESENT
1.1 Present: Cllr T Milner, Cllr R Branton (in the Chair), Cllr R Adcock Cllr R Norman and Cllr V deHann.
2. PROCEDURAL MATTERS
2.1 Apologies for absence had been received from Cllrs A McCombe (unwell) and K Lovell (family illness).
2.2 The Clerk called for Nominations for the Chair for the coming Year. Cllr Milner was proposed by Cllr Adcock, seconded by Cllr deHann and elected unopposed. He took the chair. Cllr Branton was proposed to serve as as ViceChair by Cllr Milner, seconded by Cllr Adcock and elected unopposed.
2.3 Cllr Milner noted that the ongoing illness of her husband made it difficult for Cllr Lovell to attend and he proposed that she be offered leave of absence during Mr Lovell's convalescence. This was agreed by all.
3. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING (21st March 2013)
3.1 The Minutes of 21st March had been circulated previously. No errors or omissions were reported and the Minutes were duly signed by the Chair as a true record of that meeting.
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
4.1 There were no matters arising that would not be covered by the Agenda.
5. FINANCES
5.1 Current Balance: £5901.50
Income since last meeting (Precept, less DALC subscription) £2428.12
5.2 The following payments were approved and cheques signed to effect the disbursements:
V DeHann, materials for Parish Map (£28.92)
Community First, Annual Insurance Premium (£191.14)
UHRA, Hire of Hall (£30.00)
W J Veen, grass-cutting etc. (£106.00)
5.3 The Clerk presented the finalised end of year accounts, which were signed by the Chair. The Annual Accounting Statement had been circulated and this was approved unanimously before being signed by the Clerk and Chair. The Clerk read the Governance Statements, which were all agreed unanimously as applicable before being signed by the Clerk and Chairman.
6. PLANNING/LICENSING APPLICATIONS
6.1 13/00128F School House Annex Remove Condition 5. MDDC had Approved
6.2 12/01664/MFUL Gt Curham Farm, Brithem Bottom. solar Fm 20.8ha. UPC objected to change of use of farmland. Revised scheme has been submitted.
6.3 13/00185/MFUL Buckhayes Fm, Cove solar 15.2ha. UPC objected to change of use of farmland.
6.4 13/00399/F: The Beeches, retain Ag Building - MDDC refused permission.
6.5 13/0390/LBC: Stagg Mill, internal alterations. UPC had no Objection
6.6 Land at East Mere Cross:: MDDC is considering. The Enforcement Officer had requested whether councillors could provide any historical evidence of unauthorised use. Councillors to consider.
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 MDDC were holding consultations on the proposed Tiverton Eastern Extension on the coming Saturday in Tiverton and the following Tuesday in Halberton. There was discussion around the location of the proposed junction onto the A361, which would not be at the present Uplowman Road bridge as originally intended. Consequently, traffic from Uplowman, including the additional traffic avoiding Halberton, would have to pass through the Extension, past the proposed school. Councillors felt that there was nothing to be gained from objecting to the relocation of the junction.
8. HALL AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION
8.1 Cllr Adcock reported that Hall profits had reduced from the previous year.
9. EMERGENCY PLANNING AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
9.1 PCSO Simms reported that comparing 2011-12 with 2012-13 Uplowman Parish had seen a reduction in crime by 42.9%. Assaults,, dwelling burglaries and other thefts had reduced by 100%. The Police had attended 25 incident s during the past year, mainly highway problems resulting from the inclement weather. This was an increase from 12 the previous year. Cllr Milner commented that this was good news and cause for celebration and thanked PCSO Simms for his report.
10. VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
10.1 Neighbourhood planning: The school was still working on th e 3-D map project. Cllr Milner would undertake a Project Plan.
10.2 The TAP fund was to be repeated in 2013-14. The Clerk would enquire whether there was any possibility of funding for the dog bin (see below).
10.3 Cllr Norman had removed the angle-irons protruding close to the new seat.
10.4 The location of the dog-bin was further discussed and it was agreed that a location by the entrance to the sewage plant would be less obtrusive than one on the road-side. The Clerk would discuss with MDDC
11. STATE OF ROADS IN PARISH
11.1 The Whitnage road was improved. Cllrs Norman and Branton would look at the flooding issue near Greenend and propose remediation.
12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday 18th July.
The meeting closed at 9.45pm
Public discussion.
Cllr Milner presented his report on the council's activities over the past year - see next page.
It was noted that the waste bin on the Green was overflowing again, causing a nuisance with smells and flies. It was also being used by some as a dog waste bin. The Clerk said he had reported this and requested that it be emptied more regularly.
It was noted that a line of trees had been recently planted along the boundary of The Beeches field, close to the main sewer pipe and the suggestion was made that UPC should write to inform South West Water Plc. Councillors preferred to wait until MDDC had considered the matters raised.
Uplowman PC 16/05/13
Chairman's Report on the 2012/13 year.
This is my second year as your Chairman and I must thank my fellow councillors for their support during a busy year. In addition a special thank you to our Clerk, Robert Hodgson, who continues to go that extra mile for the Council and the community.
Once again thanks must also go to Des Hannon of Devon CC and Ray Radford, in his Mid Devon DC role, who attend most of our meetings and contribute to keeping us informed of other council matters.
We started the year by completing the school path project with the installation of flashing signs (wig wags) at the end of the path which, after a few teething problems, are now working to improve safety. We are grateful to Councillor Des Hannon and Devon County Council for funding this scheme that was identified by the school.
In July we adopted a Revised Code of Conduct for Councillors which ensures that Councillors work solely in your interests. It may seem like excessive paperwork but it is important to know that you can trust your councillors and that there is a code of conduct that must be followed.
It was also the Jubilee year and whilst the bulk of the preparations and the day were undertaken by an army of volunteers the Parish Council was pleased to be able to give a commemorative spoon and certificate to all the children in the parish. Everyone I have spoken to enjoyed the day and the children with have an extra memento to look back on.
Planning applications can be simple or complex, liked or disliked. We have had our share of each. There was a particular application for a waste transfer station that galvanised the village to get involved and numerous letters of objection were sent to Devon County Council who decided to refuse the application. The Parish Council also objected but the important aspect of this was the ability of residents to become involved. It is hoped that the Council will be able to advise people of such important issues through email to ensure a wide response.
Wind and solar farms are very much in the news lately and the effect of them extends outside the boundaries of any one Parish. We were asked to comment on a large Solar farm nearby which we objected to due to the prime farm land to be used. At some point we will have to look at such eco installations within the Parish which will no doubt divide opinions.
We have started the first tentative steps towards a Neighbourhood Plan under the Localism Bill. We have held a meeting of Councillors to discuss the way forward and how to involve everyone. Already the school has prepared a 3-D model of the Parish which it is hoped will assist in preparing a Plan. It is anticipated that next year will see the start of the process but to do it properly it may take more than a year and will require outside assistance.
Trevor Milner
Chairman