Summary of the Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 19th November 2019 by Roz Fox
Present: Councillors Ruth Churchill (Chairman), Tim Greenshields, Julie Baker, Ann Nolan, David Searle, Sue Bartlett and Roz Fox. Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Lesley Harper.
In attendance: Cllr Ian Hall and two members of the public.
The Meeting was preceded by a demonstration of the new Parish Council website given by Dr Ann Nolan. This allowed PC Members to get a good idea of how the website would look and what sort of information could be posted on it. It was evident that Cllr Nolan had done a great deal of work on the project including ensuring that all the legal requirements were met and that Minutes of previous Meetings were accessible.
Declarations of Interest: None
Minutes: The Minutes of the Council Meeting held on the 15th October 2019 were adopted as a true record. The Minutes of the Playfield Committee Meeting held on 15th October were also adopted as a true record
Matters Arising: Cllr Greenshields said the Surveyor had been out to look at the Ropewalk and he was still waiting to hear from Brian Maxwell of Beviss & Beckinsale as to whether it was worth pursuing a claim of ownership.
Police Report
There was only one reported crime in the 2 months period preceding the meeting which was violence without injury.
County and District Reports:
County Report
Cllr Hall had circulated a report in advance of the Meeting, explaining that the local Council was currently ‘in purdah’ pending the forthcoming General Election.
He reported that there had been a positive Meeting regarding Healthcare for the local community, details of which would be advised after the Election.
Broadband: A public consultation is due to run until 10th December following the Open Market Review that took place in the summer. The contract between Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) and Gigaclear had been cancelled and a new company called Jurassic fibre www https://jurassic-fibre.com/ now have an operations base established on Heathpark and will be working up the A30 towards Dorset and South Somerset after completing their first phase delivery, although it was thought this could take 18 months or longer.
District Report
Cllr Hayward was unable to attend but he had circulated a report in advance of the Meeting stating, amongst other things, that:
Devon County Council recently voted to bring forward the target date to make East Devon District Council “Carbon Neutral” from 2050 to 2040; setting them at the very forefront of climate change action in Devon.
Cllr Mike Allen (Honiton) had been instrumental in bringing forward debate within the Council on establishing policy to ensure that the EDDC Corporate Plan (via Overview Committee) includes the following aspirations: That no-one in East Devon is destitute without immediate help and that nobody should be in involuntary poverty for more than two year’s duration.
Cllr Hayward said he acknowledged that there seemed to be a fresh consultation each week promoted by EDDC, ranging from Council Tax to Social Care; and he understood that residents might get a bit fatigued by these constant requests for feedback and interaction. He pointed out that if Council failed to consult the residents, then it could be accused of acting without mandate and in an arbitrary and cavalier fashion. He exhorted the public: “Therefore, if you see a consultation that appeals, please spare a few moments to engage and participate. Without your voice and comments, Council is nothing”.
Democratic Period: There were no comments from members of the public
Finance
Accounts for Payment
These comprised Community Shop £21.30, S. Bartlett £44.00, Salaries £164.82, Hawkchurch PCC £100, Lottery Wins for November, £75.00 and the RBL Poppy Appeal £20.
S106 Update
Tim Greenshields reported that a Meeting with Selena and Jamie was scheduled to take place at the Playing field wc 24/11 to discuss how to spend the available S106 grant.
Planning Applications: It was decided to support the application for a hobbies room at Parricks Bungalow and to support the lighting column for the Playing Field. It was further decided to offer no objection to the replacement conservatory and garage roof at Wyld Court and to support the revised application for the annex and stable.
Highways Cllr Greenshields advised that the Lengthsman had failed to turn out on two occasions and was becoming increasingly difficult to contact. It was suggested that a replacement might have to be found.
Rights of Way
The planned works on BW14 (Stonebarrow to Hawkmoor), have been the subject of extensive discussions between the landowner and DCC regarding the route and how best to make the path easier to traverse by improving the drainage and the gates. A final decision on the way forward is expected shortly.
Precept: It was unanimously decided to keep the precept at the current figure of £10,000.
The Next Meeting will be on Tuesday 21st January at 7.30pm. There will be no December Meeting.
