Minutes of a meeting of Bridford Parish Council held at Bridford Village Hall on Monday 6 January 2014 at 7.00pm.
Present: Cllrs S Purser (Chairman), G Hearnden, E Price, D Goodwin-Hughes, T Evans, A Lord, J Bingham, Mrs J P Banks (Clerk) and two members of the public.
AGENDA
1 Apologies – Cnty Cllr J Brook
2 Declarations of Interest – the Chairman declared a personal interest in item 11 and Cllr Evans declared a personal interest in item 12 on the agenda.
3 Public Discussion – the owners of the land at Heltor (ref item 11) explained details of their current project and their justification for requiring a temporary residential caravan and tool store.”
A Councillor reported a lot of mud and slurry across the road at Brooks Garage which is also going through the water course at the Barton. The Parish Council will write to the owners of Seven Acre Farm to ask them to clean the road.
The Chairman closed the Public Discussion and brought forward item 11 re:
Land at Heltor, Bridford – “the Parish Council would normally suggest that Dartmoor National Park should consider the relevant planning laws and legislations when considering this case. However, the Parish Council understands that it is the land owners’ intention to remove the residential caravan from the site in the summer when the current project has been completed and the Parish Council would therefore suggest that if an Enforcement Order is made, it should not be implemented for a period of time so that the current project can be completed and the applicants given the opportunity to remove the residential caravan.”
MATTER ARISING
4 Minutes – the Parish Council resolved to approve the minutes of its meeting held on 2nd December 2013 as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
5 Allotments – nothing to report
6 Play Area – a dead rat was reported in the Play Area but nothing was found
7 Village Hall – the upstairs room has been closed until further notice, pending an insurance assessment, due to what is believed to be the original ceiling plaster falling through the new suspended ceiling.
8 Textile Recycling Bank has arrived and is situated in the Village Hall car park. The price originally quoted by Rag Bag of £500 per ton has been reduced to £400 per ton with effect from 1st January 2014.
9 Closure of B3193 for essential road repairs – following a public meeting, the road will not now be closed on a long term basis. There will however be short term closures necessary in order to carry out the work. Closures will be between the hours of 9.00am – 3.30pm, the first closures commencing 13 – 17 January.
ANY OTHER MATTERS ARISING
9b Blocked Gullies, Bridford Hill – Highways has indicated that it will not be possible to get the ‘gully sucker’ lorry out to Bridford but will ask the Lengthsman to unblock them.
9c Snow Warden – Cllr Goodwin-Hughes has obtained a supply of high visibility jackets and vests for use by his team of volunteers in return for a donation of £20 to Devon Air Ambulance. These will be kept with the gritter. Two tons of salt/grit have been delivered, bringing the supply back to full compliment. A Councillor asked if Bridford could also be supplied with sandbags. Teignbridge will be approached and if a supply of sandbags can be made available, the Parish Council will ask Tom French if they could be kept at the Nurseries.
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10 Meetings Attended by any members of the Parish Council
The Chairman attended a meeting at Christow re the proposed closure of the B3193 Valley Road. Approximately fifty members of the public attended this meeting. Details – see item 9
PLANNING
Items for Discussion – none
11 Any items received for discussion since publication of the agenda
Land at Heltor, Bridford – unauthorised use of land (caravan) and siting of caravan for tool shed (DNPA ref ENF/0188/13) Already discussed and detailed above.
Items for Information
12 Burnicombe Farm, Bridford – Notice of Appeal against Enforcement Notice. The Parish Council has previously submitted its comments and has nothing further to add.
13 Pound Cottage, Bridford – application withdrawn
14 Seven Views, Bridford – application withdrawn
15 Any items for information received since publication of the agenda – none
FINANCE & ACCOUNT
16 Account balances as at 1st January 2014 – current account £3,825.97 and deposit account £3,082.94 (balances include £851 earmarked for Play Area, £25 Christmas tree expenses & £150 balance of refundable deposits for allotments)
Balances allow for all expenditure and income detailed below.
17 Income
Bank Interest re November £ 0.26
18 Expenditure
Mrs J P Banks re Clerk’s salary for December 2013 £ 170.51
Mrs J P Banks re admin expenditure 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2013 £79.10
Mrs J P Banks re use of home as office 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2013 £54.00 £ 133.10
Mr D Goodwin-Hughes reimbursement of high visibility vests £ 20.00
Bridford Village Hall contribution to PO rent 4 Oct – 27 Dec £44.50
Bridford Village Hall room hire Oct/Nov/Dec £48.00 £ 92.50
SLCC purchase of Clerk’s Manual 2013 + postage £ 35.50
HMRC re Clerk’s PAYE quarter ended 5 January 2014 £ 127.80
The Parish Council resolved to approve the accounts and authorise the expenditure.
The Chairman checked the invoices to the cheque book and the reconciliation to the bank statement.
FOR DISCUSSION
19 Adverts on Bridford Website – the new website would benefit from a lot more use. The Parish Council decided to encourage advertisers to use the site and resolved not to charge whether from within or outside of the Parish. This will be reviewed in twelve months.
With regard to the old Bridford website, although it is no longer paid for, enquiries have revealed that it would seem that it cannot actually be closed down.
20 Any items for discussion received since the publication of the agenda
Best Kept Village in Devon Competition – item to be put in Unity to try and get somebody willing to take the project on board.
FOR INFORMATION
21 Lengthsman’s Schedule – will be working in Bridford 24 / 25 February 2014. This will be on
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the agenda for the February meeting so that a list of jobs can be submitted.
22 Notice of Road Closure – Seven Acre Farm to Smithacott Cross from Monday 24 February until Monday 10 March 2014
23 DCC Public Transport Consultation – how to reduce its Public Transport budget. This relates to bus passes. The consultation can be accessed by visiting http://new.devon.gov.uk/publictransportbudget
24 Invitation from Moretonhampstead PC to meeting 28 January at White Hart Hotel – Cllr Lord and one other hope to attend.
25 DCC Accommodation Strategy Meetings – PC invited to send two representatives to gather views to help form proposals for the future of DCC Residential Care Homes – Bridford Parish Council will not be represented.
26 Warnings
A recent spate of overnight thefts from vehicles has been reported in the Teignmouth area, the majority of vehicles having been parked on private driveways. Thefts have also been reported from vehicles left at local beauty spots, entry being gained by smashing windows and forcing locks. Vehicle owners are reminded to take all valuables with them when leaving cars unattended and to ensure that all windows and doors are securely locked.
27 Any items for information received since publication of the agenda
Grow Wild are offering between £500 and £5,000 for groups including parish councils to create a ‘community space’. Details by visiting http://www.growwilduk.com/get-funding
Mobile Library – changes will come into effect from April 2014 with the loss of a number of Mobile Library stops. The only one in this area will be at Longdown.
28 District Councillors Report from Dst Cllr Stephen Purser
Plan Teignbridge has been approved subject to thirteen changes, none of which will affect this part of the Valley. The Plan will however, effect future local planning applications which will referred to the Plan when decisions are made. The Executive is beginning its budget setting process. There will be no increase in council tax.
A Parish Councillor asked if there was any news of the proposed closure of the public toilets in Christow. Dst Cllr Purser stated that he was part of a representation for the Valley at a meeting with Teignbridge and it was hoped that some sort of deal could be done.
29 Public Discussion
Overgrown Hedge – a Councillor asked about the cutting back and tidying up of the hedge at the top of Pound Lane which was postponed last year due to the nesting season. A quote had been obtained but was excessive due, not to the actual cutting back of the hedge, but to the shredding and disposal. The contractor will be asked to quote again in respect of cutting the hedge only. If acceptable, the Parish Council will then form a working party to dispose of the debris.
Christmas Tree – the Chairman confirmed that no funds were required towards Christmas tree expenses this year but the agreed £25 allocated should be carried forward as it was likely that new lights would be required next Christmas. The usual letters of thanks to be sent to Roger Clark and his team, Mr & Mrs Dowthwaite and Tom French.
30 Date of next meeting – Monday 3rd February 2014 at the Village Hall. All are welcome.
………………………………………………Chairman 3rd February 2014
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CORRESPONDENCE FOR CIRCULATION (Appendix A)
Newsletters
DCC Emergency Management December 2013
Reports and Agendas
Progress Update: Connecting Devon and Somerset
Letters sent
Various
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