Bridford Parish Council Minutes of PC Meeting 5th February 2018

Minutes of a meeting of Bridford Parish Council held at Bridford Village Hall on Monday 5^th February 2018 at 7.00pm Present: Cllrs F Miles (Chairperson), G Hearnden, A Lord, R Dowding, E Price, T Evans, J Padgham, Mrs J P Banks (Clerk). Dst Cllr Amanda Ford and Cnty Cllr Jerry Brooks attended for part of the meeting. No members of the public were present.
1	Apologies: – none
2	Declarations of Interest – none
3	Public Discussion – it was reported by a Parish Councillor that an electricity pole at the top of School Lane is overgrown with ivy. This will be reported to Western Power.
MATTERS ARISING
4	Minutes – the Parish Council resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 8^th January 2018 as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
5	Allotments – one annual rent due 1st October, remains unpaid. Chaser letter to be sent.
6	Play Area – the Parish Council has received two grants of £600 from Dst Cllr Ford and £1,000 from Cnty Cllr Brook to assist with the purchase of an outdoor table tennis table and the preparation of the site. The PC has also applied to the Elector Fund at TDC and has yet to hear if the application has been successful.
7	Bridford Hill and Snow Warden – the hill is not treated as many times as the gritter lorries go out, but the volunteer Snow Warden system is currently working well. Grit supply is an issue. Bags of salt/grit left outside appear to be waterlogged and rendered unusable. Snow Warden to be asked to liaise with the farm manager to see if it can be kept under cover. Snow Warden is in contact with DCC Highways to ascertain exactly how many 25kg bags were delivered in January this year and to order more supplies. The Parish Council agreed that it would have to pay for it if necessary.
8	Parish Plan – a date to be set to review the Parish Plan. Meeting to take place at the Bridford Inn. Cllr Price to ascertain which is likely to be the quietest night at the pub.
9	Village Garden – Roger Clark and his team of helpers have cleared a lot of the garden. It now needs to be decided how much should be spent on replanting. Richard Hearnden has been asked to suggest what should be planted and an estimate of the cost of the new plants.
10	Parish Footpaths – most of the footpaths have been walked by members of the Parish Council. A reminder of the ones still to be checked will be sent out.
ANY OTHER MATTERS ARISING
11		District Councillors Report – Cllr Ford had not arrived at this time
12		County Councillors Report – Cllr Brook had not arrived at this time
13		Meetings attended by Parish Councillors – Cllr Dowding and Cllr Lord attended the Village Hall Annual Meeting. The minutes of the meeting and the annual accounts were put in the circulation folder for the Councillors to read. The Clerk took part in an ‘online’ meeting / presentation by PKF Littlejohn LLP setting out the new criteria and instructions for completing the annual return. There is not a lot of difference from previous years. At this point the subject of the new Data Protection laws which come into force on 21st May was raised. The Clerk is aware and has been in contact with DALC to find out what training and information is to be made available.
Dst Cllr Amanda Ford joined the meeting at 7.20pm – she was welcomed by the Chairperson and invited to speak
		Phil Shears has been appointed by democratic vote to the permanent position of Managing Director of TDC. Connecting Devon and Somerset broadband rollout, regarding the Teign Valley Ward – it is anticipated that the Phase 2 roll out will be completed in the near future. The £500 voucher system will be re-introduced which will be available to households that are struggling to achieve the required connection and speed of broadband. Council budget 2018 – the level of Council tax will see a rise of £5 or 3.12%
Dst Cllr Ford left the meeting at 7.35pm
PLANNING
For Discussion
14	Cedar House, Bridford – re proposed erection of standalone double garage (DN{PA ref 0016/18) The Parish Council’s comments remain the same as for the previous application which was withdrawn. The PC Planning Committee submitted its report and objected to the application.
Cnty Cllr Jerry Brook joined the meeting at 7.45pm – he was welcomed by the Chairperson and invited to speak.
	It is budget month at DCC. Efficiency savings have to be made. The Government has made a one off payment of £10m for Social Care. Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay have combined forces to become one of ten pilot areas Adult Care and Health will see a 6.1% increase, Child Services 5.5% and Community and Public Health 2.9% Public Health is a serious concern. In certain parts of the county, there has been a slight increase in teenage pregnancy. Corporate Services will see a reduction of 1.7% with Highways Infra-Development down 2.7%. The budget goes to Council on 15th February and is expected to go through without too much argument. DCC will be reviewing the salting procedure in the county and there may be the opportunity to find out how the actions of the Council are considered. DCC was successful in its bid for additional money for its road network. Cllr Brook has been asked to chair a task group looking at polution but this will not apply to the Teign Valley. Cllr Miles asked if there is any risk of a need to downgrade the needs of rural communities and spend more on the towns. Cllr Brook replied that it will take a lot of balancing but money will be there. Cllr Miles asked if there is to be a discussion over the policy of salt/gritting, how would Bridford, as one of many, be serviced by the ‘blue light’ services? Bridford sees itself as a special case by way of geographical location. Some roads which are a gritting priority have other alternative routes. Bridford Hill does not. Cllr Brook was thanked by the Parish Council for making funds available for the Table Tennis project from his locality budget.
Cnty Cllr Brook left the meeting at 8.05pm
15	Seven Views. Bridford – re proposed replacement dwelling (DNPA ref 0015/18). The Parish Council undertook a site visit following which its report was submitted on an informal basis, strongly supporting the application. This decision was ratified at the meeting this evening. DNPA will be advised.
16	Any planning items for discussion since publication of the agenda Field at Manley Mead, Bridford – re proposed erection of general purpose secure agricultural building (DNPA ref 0055/18) Site visit to be arranged.
For Information– none
17	Any planning items for information received since publication of the agenda A letter has been received from Nick Savin in response to the PC’s letter to DNPA over various planning issues. The Parish Council is impressed with Nick’s helpful reply. Details of Cedar House ‘for sale’ details were circulated. The Parish Council will forward details to DNPA
FINANCE & ACCOUNTS
18	Internal Audit 2017/18 – the Parish Council resolved to appoint Penny Clapham to undertake the internal audit for the year end 31st March 2018. External Audit 2017/18 – PKF Littlejohn LLP have been appointed nationally to undertake the external audits for the year ended 31st March 2018. Bank Interest Rate – the bank interest rate has increased from 0.05% to 0.10% for balances of £1+
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21	Account balances as at 4th December 2017 Current account Investment account		£5,652.13 £3,745.50 £9,397.63
22	INCOME DCC Locality Budget Grant to assist Table Tennis project Bank Interest December 2017		£1,000.00 £ 0.30 £,1000.30
23	EXPENDITURE Mrs J P Banks re January 2018 salary Mrs J P Banks Admin Expenditure 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2017 Mr G Dicker re grass verges / allotments Bridford Village Hall re room hire for PC meetings 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2017 £48.00 Re contribution to PO rent 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2017 £52.00		£ 200.93 £ 175.66 £ 154.98 £ 100.00 £ 631.57
24	Account balances as at 8th January 2018 Current account Investment account		£6,020.56 £3,745.80 £9,766.36
25	(Balances include earmarked funds: £120 refundable allotment deposits / £3,563 Play Area / £67.50 Village Garden / £136.76 textile bank)
The Parish Council resolved to accept the accounts and authorise the expenditure. Cllr Dowding, delegated by the Chairperson, checked the cheques to the invoices and the reconciliation to the bank statement.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
26	Litter Posters – the Parish Council agreed that the village does not have a litter problem and that it was not necessary to display warning posters.
27	Car Parking – there are areas in the village that are unsafe for parking, on the bend opposite the telephone kiosk and by the junction box near the end of Butts Close. Cars parked outside houses in Moreton Terrace reduce the road to one lane. A suitable piece of land needs to be identified for use as a village car park. Sites suggested were the area of grass in front of Oxenpark Gate, the area of land at the top of School Lane, above the allotments (if the owner was willing to sell or lease), the field at the top of Pound Lane next to Oxenpark Gate (owned by the builder who built the Oxenpark Estate) and the layby at the top of Pound Lane. The Parish Council decided that the best site would be the grass area at Oxenpark Gate, but this could be the subject of a section 106 agreement. Cllr Evans pointed out that there is an electricity source on this piece of ground so another idea could be to install a charging point for electric vehicles. Enquiries will be made at HM Land Registry to see who owns the land. Village car parking will be the main topic at the Annual Parish Meeting in May.
28	Any items for discussion received since publication of the agenda The Great British Spring Clean – TDC will be supporting Keep Britain Tidy’s national Great British Spring Clean 2 – 4 March 2018. Litter picking kits available. The Parish Council agreed that Bridford does not have a litter problem but suggested that the details should be forwarded on to the Scouts.
ITEMS FOR INFORMATION
29	Nomination for Queen’s Royal Garden Party – Cllr Ann Lord has been nominated with a companion, to attend the Queen’s Royal Garden Party in June.
30	TDC Dates of Easter Recycling Collections – date to be published on the website , notice boards and in Unity magazine.
31	Village Hall Grant Application to Dartmoor Communities Fund – the Parish Council sent a letter of support to DNPA in connection with the Village Hall’s grant application
32	Any items for information received since publication of the agenda Invitation received from the Chairman of TDC to the Parish Council Chairperson to attend the Teignbridge District Council Civic Service on 4 March at Bishopsteignton. Notification received from Chris Marrrow (Forest Management) of work likely to commence mid February in the Laployd and Smithacott blocks of Tottiford Woodlands to thin out the trees. Haulage will probably follow from early March onwards with the whole programme taking up to four months to complete. The main impact will be timber lorries hauling timber through the village from Laployd to the Teign Valley road. Sections of the bridleway will have to be closed off while work is taking place next to or close by them.
33	Public Discussion – Cllr Lord reported complaints about slurry running down the road in the village. The complainant was advised to report it to the Environment. Cllr Miles reported complaints that the road surface is being destroyed where cattle are crossing the road at Lowton Lane. Cllr Hearnden will speak with the Farm Manager. There is an ongoing problem on the road between Heltor and Plaistow green where the road is constantly flooded. This will be reported to DCC Highways.
34	Date of next meeting – The next meeting will be held on Monday 5th March 2018 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Village Hall
	Original minutes signed by the Chairperson 5th March 2018
	CIRCULATION Newsletters, Reports & Circulars Healthwatch Voices Winter 2018 Dunsford PC approved minutes of November 2017 meeting Dunsford PC approved minutes of December 2017 meeting Dunsford PC draft minutes of January 2018 meeting Christow PC approved minutes of December 2017 meeting TALC draft minutes of November 2017 meeting Miscellaneous SLCC Annual Accounts 2017 Correspondence sent Various

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