November 2013
MINUTES OF MEETING Held on 21st November 2013 at the Village Hall, Uplowman starting at 7.40pm. Approved on 16 January 2014.
Cllr D Hannon (DCC), Cllr R Radford (MDDC) , PCSO Simms (Neighbourhood Beat Officer) and two 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 Norman, Cllr R Adcock, Cllr R Branton & Cllr A McCombe.
2. PROCEDURAL MATTERS
2.1 Mrs Lovell had tendered her resignation due to family pressures. The Clerk had already informed MDDC and posted the prescribed notice on the board. If there was no call for an election it would be possible to co-opt a replacement at the end of November.
2.2 The Chairman said that this meant there were now two vacancies on Uplowman PC. Two parishioners had expressed an interest in filling the vacancies and were present. He outlined the duties of a councillor and invited Sarah Floyd and Kevin Baugh to introduce theselves, which they did. After thanking Mrs Floyd and Mr Baugh for their interest, it was decided to wait until the notice period for Mrs Lovell's resignation had elapsed before making a decision on both co-options. The Chair would arrange this by email, backed up by a teleconference if needed and the new councillors would be informed early in December.
3. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING (5th September 2013)
3.1 The Minutes of 5th September 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 from the previous Minutes that would not be dealt with under the Agenda.
5. FINANCES
5.1 Current Balance: £4832.54
Income since last meeting £Nil
5.2 The following payments were approved and cheques signed to effect the disbursements:
W J Veen, grass-cutting etc. (£67.00)
R Hodgson, Clerk's expenses (£18.40)
R Branton, Reimbursement for Remembrance wreath (£20.00)
Tiv & District Comm Transp Assn, donation for Ring & ride (£25.00)
5.3 It was agreed that a new edition of The Clerk's Manual should be purchased. The Clerk would arrange this.
5.4 The Clerk presented a provisional budget for the year April 2014 to March 2015. He informed the meeting that MDDC had decided that they would be passing on the relevant portion of the Council Tax Benefit Support Grant from central government this year but might not in the future. It was noted that MDDC's support grant for Uplowman's functioning chuirchyard had ceased fron the current year. That being the case, the proposed budget was not significantly changed from the current year's budget. Cllr Hannon said that the outstanding money given by DCC for the school path should be either spent on an agreed project or returned by the end of the current financial year. After discussion, it was agreed propose by Cllr Milner to adopt the proposed budget, seconded by Cllr Branton and agreed unanimously. Subject to confirmation by the January meeting, Uplowman's Precept request for 2014-5 would be for £2500.00.
6. PLANNING/LICENSING APPLICATIONS
6.1 12/01518/MFUL PV Array at Netherexe. The refusal of permission was being appealed.
6.2 13/00793/F: Swandhams poultry Fm, replace poultry buildings. No decision yet.
6.3 13/00711/LBC: Hill Farm: Conversion of redundant Barn. This had been refused by MDDC on grounds of unacceptable impact. Nothing further could be done by UPC until the applicant had decided how to proceed.
6.4 12/01664/MFUL: PV Array at Gt Curham Farm. An appeal against refusal of permission had subsequently been withdrawn.
6.5 13/00185/MFUL: PV Array at Buckhayes Fm: The refusal of permission was being appealed.
6.6 13/01416/MFUL: PV Array at Venn Farm SP. This matter was discussed. Cllr Branton proposed that an objection be made to the proposed change of use of prime agricultural land. Others considered that the impact of the scheme would be minimal. A vote was taken and by 3 to 2 it was decided to make no comment.
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 DCC had written to inform that, due to a £5.5m funding shortfall for the road repairs needed after the 2012 floods, there would be reduced road maintenance for the following 4 years. Cllr Hannon said that he was working on extending the Snow Warden scheme to cover minor road maintenance so that local councils could undertake work such as drain clearing.
7.2 MDDC had enquired whether UPC wished to maintain the current policy of no specific housing allocation for Uplowman. After discussion, it was agreed that until UPC's planned community consultation was completed the existing policy should remain in place. The Clerk would inform MDDC
8. HALL AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION
8.1 Cllr Adcock reported that the disabled access would be upgraded and baby-changing facilities installed in the disabled toilets. The fireworks evening had been good but had only covered its costs, probably due to poor weather deterring attendance.
8.2 Cllr Adcock noted that the carpark, extensively used by parents delivering children to the school path, was deteriorating. Cllr Hannon agreed that spending the outstanding DCC funds on repairs might be acceptable and that proposals should be forwarded to him for consultation with Highways.
8.3 The willow area behind the hall would be removed and it was not decided what might replace it. Cllr Radford would enquire of MDDC what funds remained in the Section 106 'pot'. Cllr Adcock said that UHRA would draft a proposal.
9. EMERGENCY PLANNING AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
9.1 PCSO Simms reported that there had been one non-dwelling burglary in the previous 6 months in Uplowman. He said that D&C Police had been very proactive in keeping crime under control but vigilance was still needed.
10. VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
10.1 The Neighbourhood Planning meetingagreed at the September meeting had not occurred and it was agreed to put this on hold until after the MDDC Local Plan revision was ready for consultation, expected to be in February.
10.2 Uplowman's TAP Fund would amount to £301. Cllr Milner had written to Sampford Peverell soliciting support for an application in respect of a dog-waste bin and was awaiting a reply.
10.3 The documentation to adopt the telephone kiosk had been signed but there had been no response from BT. Cllr McCombe would follow up on this.
11. STATE OF ROADS IN PARISH
11.1 A pothole had formed at the top of Uplowman Hill. The Clerk would report it.
12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting was scheduled for Thursday 16th January 2014.
The meeting closed at 9.50pm
Public discussion.
The issues of safety around the Hall discussed previously remained and would be considered by the UHRA at their meeting the following week.
The leat was not flowing properly. Cllr Norman said he was dealing with the matter.