Minutes of Winkleigh Parish Council Meeting

WEDNESDAY 24th February 2016

7.30pm Winkleigh Community Centre

1.2.16PRESENT: Cllrs Flockhart (Chair), Pearce (Vice-Chair), Jacobs, Hodgson, Melanie Borrett (Clerk/RFO)

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Dist Cllr Boundy, Penny Griffiths

2.2.16APOLOGIES: Cllrs Kane, Turner

3.2.16MINUTES - The signing of the minutes of the PCM held on 4th February 2016

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Hodgson, and Resolved; that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting on 4th February 2016 be approved by the Council, all in favour, motion carried

4.2.16DECLARATION OF INTEREST IN MATTERS TO FOLLOW: None

5.2.16PUBLIC PERIOD I

6.2.16COUNCIL VACANCIES - Clerk

There are currently 5 casual vacancies on the Winkleigh Parish Council which are eligible for co-option. They are advertised on Parish Notice boards, website and within the current edition of Distinctly Winkleigh.

7.2.16PLANNING- Chair

a)Returned from TDC

  1. 1/1297/2015/FUL – Unit 3 Beechlea Farm, Winkleigh, change of use from B2 to B2 and B8, GRANTED.
  2. 1/1311/2015/AGM – Barn at Park Farm, Winkleigh, Change of use of agricultural building to no 1 dwelling under Class Q(a), GRANTED

b)New Applications

1/0090/2016/FUL – Tallat, Taw Mill, Taw Mill Lane, Wembworthy, Chulmleigh, Rear Single Storey extension to provide additional bedroom, bathroom & living space

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Jacobs, and Resolved that; WPC have no objections and application be approved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried.

8.2.16FINANCE

a)Precept – Clerk

WPC have submitted the precept for 2016-17 of £16975.00equating to an increase of £4.96 per household per year.

An annual increase of £3072.00, which is a 22% rise on 2015-16. The Precept request approved by WPC does not include the awarding of ANY grants for 2016-17 and the increase is due to reduced income and the rise in administration and running costs of the Parish Council. The reduction in income arises from the reduction in the amount of government LCT grant, lower predicted income from the cemetery bungalow rent and cemetery fees, for the financial year. The increased costs includes general annual cost increases and a rise in of the number of hours the Clerk is contracted to work from April 2015, in order that we legally comply with the freedom of information act, and transparency code, increased responsibility for budget control, the cemetery and the cemetery bungalow administration.

b)Receipts & Payments – Clerk

  1. Schedule of all receipts and payments since 4th February 2016. (See Appendix A)

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Hodgson, and Resolved that; the schedule of paymentsbeapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried

  1. Transfer of £1780.00 from reserves to current account to pay for bungalow survey £780.00 and income deficit throughout financial year.
  2. Proposed by Cllr Pearce, seconded by Cllr Flockhart, and Resolved that; the sum of £1780.00 be transferred to the current account from reserves, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried

c)Bank Reconciliation & Budget to date report – Clerk

Current bank reconciliation (See Appendix B) and year to date budget(See Appendix C)

Clerk reported no issues or concerns.

9.2.16CURRENT BUSINESS MATTERS

a)Internal Auditor appointment – Clerk

Internal Auditor Accounts and Audit Regulations reportfor WPC to resolve to:-

  1. WPC to establish an Internal Audit Plan – Deferred to be revisited June 2016
  2. WPC to establish an internal Audit working party – Deferred to be revisited June 2016
  3. WPC to agree terms and conditions for Internal Auditor

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Jacobs, and Resolved that; Aims Accountants, Okehampton Terms and Conditions beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried

  1. WPC to appoint an Internal Auditor and agree engagement letter and fee.

Proposed by Cllr Hodgson, seconded by Cllr Pearce, and Resolved that; Aims Accountants, Okehampton be appointed as Winkleigh Parish Internal Auditor for a period of 1st April 2016 to 1st June 2017 at a fee of £400 plus VAT, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried - Action Item - Clerk

b)Winkleigh Parish Council Standing Orders WPCA014/15 – Clerk

Current Standing Orders as amended 22nd April 2015 to be ratified and adopted by Full Council and review of model standing orders set for 29th February 2016

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Hodgson, and Resolved that; Standing orders as amended 22nd April 2015 be ratified with immediate effect, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried

c)Village Design Statement – Chair - Penny Griffiths

Update on VDS and village illustration. A hard copy has been sent to TDC, and now in the process of engagement with the Community and with the Winkleigh Society to promote awareness of the VDS. Penny and Pauline Warner invited to attend forthcoming PCMs with any future updates and were thanked for their contribution to the Community.

d)Traffic Issues WPCA001/15 – Cllr Pearce

Update on signage progress – Work should commence April/May 2016 to begin signage relocation.

CPAG have been consulted in relation to a public consultation regarding traffic calming along Townsend Hill, and have agreed £1000 (of the £3000 earmarked and held by WPC for CPAG actions) could in principle be used,subject to WPC approval. A further update on traffic calming proposals will be produced at a future pcm

e)Winkleigh Cemetery Terms & Conditions 2016– Clerk

28/10/2015 Minutes 1.10.15a Resolution made to fully accept revised Cemetery Terms & Conditions for April 2016 to be ratified by full Council as current Cemetery Terms & Conditions before publication.

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Hodgson, and Resolved that; Cemetery Terms & Conditions 2016 as amended 28th October 2015 be ratified with immediate effect, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried

f)The Queens 90th Birthday Beacons– Cllr Hodgson

WPC to consider participation in The Queens 90th Birthday Beacons – 21st April 2016

Winkleigh doesn’t have asuitable place for a beacon. An open invitation to a tea party between 3pm and 6pm, in honour of The Queen’s 90th Birthday could be held in the village hall, on a bring and share basis with minimal costs incurred from hire of premises, purchase of refreshments and decoration.

Proposed by Cllr Hodgson, seconded by Cllr Flockhart, and Resolved that; WPC support the funding of the celebration of The Queen’s birthday to a maximum of £150 unless other resolution should follow and the fair committee to be approached regarding provision of entertainment and an advertising flyer is to be produced immediately to be included with distribution of forthcoming issue of Distinctly Winkleigh, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion CarriedAction Item – Cllrs Hodgson & Turner

10.2.16NEW BUSINESS

a)Clerks Annual Appraisal – Chair

Clerk’s annual pay increment due 1st April 2016 and annual appraisal due by 20th April 2016, Cllrs to appoint Clerk appraisal group to make recommendations at next pcm 23rd March 2016

Clerks pay scale point is determined by National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services ‘green book’ adopted by SLCC and NALC, which factors in the size of the Parish, Management and financial responsibilities, additional responsibilities over other Parishes, such as Cemetery Management and administration and Property Management regarding the Cemetery bungalow.

Cllrs Flockhart and Jacobs to comprise of the Appraisal Group and arrange Clerks appraisal and report prior to pcm 23rd March 2016. Action Item – Cllrs Flockhart & Jacobs

b)North Devon Records Office – Clerk

Report on the future of the North Devon Records Office and Formal Request to Town and Parish Councils to respond formally to the following questions.

  • Does your council agree to enter into a partnership agreement reflecting the proposals in this report?WPC Response “no”
  • If so: How much will your council contribute towards the funding requirement?
  • Will this be an annual amount, or a single payment at the outset of the agreement, to be spread across the three years?

c)Soakaway and Road surface issues outside the Church– Clerk

The concerns raised by Parishioner’s at the last PCM regarding issues outside the West and North Gates of the Church have been reported to DCC Highways and we await their response, DCC references W16876611, W16876619, W16876599

d)Training Courses – Clerk

Due to resignation of Cllrs and no internal auditor, we currently have 2 reserved places at a cost of £30 each on the DALC external audit preparation course to be held in Exeter on 22nd March 2016. Clerk already booked onto the Course. Volunteer(s) to go on the course before placement is cancelled. Cllr Jacobs to be booked onto the Course.Action item - Clerk

11.2.16REPORTS

a)Members to volunteer to join/Reshuffle Internal and External Groups -Chair

  1. FINANCE group – RFO Melanie Borrett, Cllr Jacobs
  2. VILLAGE HALL Committee – Cllr Turner
  3. CEMETERY GROUNDS Group – Cllr Pearce, Cllr Hodgson
  4. BUNGALOW Group – Cllr Pearce, Cllr Turner
  5. ASSET MAINTENACE Group – Cllr Pearce, Cllr Flockhart
  6. PLAYING FIELDS Committee – Cllr Jacobs
  7. EMERGENCY PLAN – Cllr Kane
  8. CHULMLEIGH PPG – Anne Balcombe
  9. TAAG – Cllr Flockhart, Cllr Jacobs
  10. TIDY Group – Cllr Jacobs, Cllr Kane
  11. PLAN REVIEW Group – Cllr Flockhart, Cllr Kane

b)Bungalow Group – Clerk

  1. Bungalow Survey has not been received.
  2. Security light approved to be fitted to the rear porch of the bungalow by WPC at a cost of £100, early 2015 has still not been carried out, therefore, WPC to consider alternative electrical contractors under tender process or accepting a quote under £500 in accordance with current standing orders. Mike Wilson to be contacted to give a quote - Action item - Clerk

c)Emergency Plan Group – Cllr Kane

Emergency Plan Review update – Deferred to PCM 23rd March 2016 due to Cllr Kane’sabsence.

d)Asset Group – Cllr Pearce

WPCA010/15 Council to reconsider if the requirement to purchase a larger litter bin outside Folly Cottage is still justified.

Asset Inspection 2015 called for a larger bin to be fitted at this location due to overflowing. Clerk reported TDC have agreed to pay for and install a larger bin which will be carried out in due course.

e)Tidy Group – Cllr Jacobs

  1. A3124 right to North Tawton where the verge damaged during hedge cutting – tenant to arrange for verge to be repaired
  2. Shute Lane useable access update-Emails to John Baker (TDC) have not been responded to, further enquiries to be made with view to making lane more useable – any work carried out on lane must be in compliance with constraints upon the lane
  3. P3 Partnership Scheme for Winkleigh - P3 scheme is an initiative that encourages Parish and Town Councils to look after their rights of way. P3 parishes use local volunteers to maintain and improve their paths. Email version ofP3 Partnership leaflet available from Clerk on request or available online at Action item - Cllr Jacobsto make enquiries with P3 Partnership to obtain details on implementation by Parish Councils and to bring proposal to create a Winkleigh Scheme, to WPC at next PCM on 23rd March
  4. Urban grass cutting scheme update –Attended a meeting with sports centre regarding combining grass cutting together with village verges and obtaining of tenders/quotes which should be being sent directly to the Parish Clerk.

f)District Councillor Report– Dist Cllr Boundy

In the last month, attended Safer North Devon Partnership meetings and received updates from fire service, police, volunteers, probation services and social services, discussed work plan for our 4 health issues, namely mental health, smoking, physical activity and obesity, plus, by request, TDC are also going to concentrate in the future on alcohol and drugs. The smoking awareness signs for play areas will be up by Easter which will be extended to the Country play areas.

Attended the Police and Crime Panels meeting where they voted on the precept for the Police, amounting to a 1.99% increase, for which all Cllrs voted in favour, regarding the 101 police answering system problems, the Police Commissioner has given an extra £250,000 towards improving the service which is partly due to a non-compliant computer system.

Attended the farm crisis network dinner, and mental health awareness day and the speakers are open to invites from the Community to provide talks to bring awareness to mental health problems.

New Homes bonuses, from Community and Council funds, each of 23 wards in Torridge will have a pot of £10,000

each for Community projects, this means for 2016/17 there will also be a corporate pot of approximately £200,000 that local Parish or Town Councils, voluntary organisations and community groups can bid in to it to be used for a new project that would benefit the Community. There is essential criteria to fulfil. Proposals up to £5000 will be determined by Head of Paid Services in consultation with the local ward councillor, Proposals over £5000 to £10,000 will be determined by the Head of Paid Services in consultation with the local ward councillor and the leader of the Council. Proposals over £10,000 will be initially considered by the Head of Paid Services, the Leader of the Council, the local ward councillor and a recommendation will be made to the next available meeting of the Community and Resources Committeewho will consider the recommendations and will consider whether to release the monies. The funding will usually be released when there is commitment to spend the money, any unrealised NHB project monies must be returned to TDC

Individual District Councillors will still have £1000 grant fund awarded from 1st April 2016, for their wards.

Action item – Dist Cllr Boundy to send NHB fund criteria and application form to Clerk

g)Councillors Legal Responsibilities - Clerk

Reminder to Cllrs that the Clerk is their adviser only, on all matters, whether on policy, finance, procedure etc and it remains the legal responsibility of the Council to approve them, and they that are held accountable not the Clerk.

12.2.16CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARISHONERS

Ice on Hatherleigh Road – Clerk

Request received for WPC to arrange gritting of road in vicinity of Roames Bungalow due to run off and standing water turning to ice and causing road traffic collisions. Consideration of requesting permanent signage warning of icy road surface.

13.2.16PUBLIC PERIOD II -Only for matters arising from this parish council meeting

14.2.16REMINDERS & LATE ITEMS AT THE CHAIRMAN’S DISCRETION

a)Formal entry into the burial register of Mrs Minnie Keenor plot 788, register 362

b)Neighbourhood Plan Event – 18th March 2016 invitation to Cllrs

c)Highways Conference – 16th March 2016 invitation to Cllrs

d)Future residential development – land off Eggesford Road

A pre-planning application has been received by WPC offering consultation with developers.

Proposed by Cllr Flockhart, seconded by Cllr Pearce, and Resolved that; WPC hold an Extra-ordinary Parish Council Meeting on 16th March 2016 and invite TDC, the developers, applicant and agent to attend as guest speakers, with a copy of the Village Design Statement and Community Plan with covering letter, sent with the invite, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried.

Cllr Hodgson requested that the Chair allow an extended public period immediately following the guest presentation, all in favour.

15.2.16LETTERS AND CORRESPONDENCE

a)Support for Rural Funding letter to Geoffrey Cox MP - Clerk

Request to support letter from local Parishes to MPs concerning reduction in services for rural communities, all in favour, Action Item - Clerk

b)Riverfly Project –Clerk

Monitoring of the health of rivers and streams in the Torridge catchment area, request for community volunteers and offer of free training course Saturday 14th March 2016, Hatherleigh Community Centre

c)Local Plan briefing note –Clerk

Extract from Full Council 8th February 2016 Cllr Watson: Lead Member Planning and Development

Briefing Note: Progress Report on the North Devon and Torridge Local Plan

A project plan has been prepared to manage the progression of the Local Plan to the point at which it will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Examination. The project plan provides for submission at the end of May 2016 following the conclusion of a series of consultations, the final outcomes of which will be reported to this Council on 9th May 2016.

d)Crime Report – Clerk

Nothing to report

16.2.16CONSULTATIONS – Clerk

North Devon and Torridge Local Plan 2011-2031 - Representations should be made during the period 11th February to 24th March 2016

To make representations on a series of targeted consultations relating to:

  • a proposed policy relating to wind energy development (non-statutory consultation in accordance with the Councils’ Statements of Community Involvement);

Proposed by Cllr Hodgson, seconded by Cllr Flockhart, and Resolved that; WPC send the response prepared by the Chair, beapproved by the Council, all in favour, Motion Carried.

and

  • a series of Additional Proposed Main Changes related to the insertion of Policy ST19A: Starter Homes Exception Sites and associated supporting text into the Submission Draft of the Local Plan (Regulations 19 and 20).

Representation is further invited on the associated Sustainability Appraisal material in accordance with the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004.

WPC declined to respond

17.2.16DATE OF NEXT MEETINGS

16th March 2016 7.30pm – Winkleigh Village Hall – Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting

23rd March 2016, 7.30pm Winkleigh Community Centre

27th April 2016, 7.30pm Annual Meeting of the Parish – any groups, societies that wish to give a presentation to contact the Clerk with details

25th May 2016, 7.30pm Annual Parish Council Meeting(Chairman’s report, Election of chair, vice-chair and group memberships)

Meeting Closed 21.37pm

APPENDIX A – PAYMENTS & RECIEPTS

Financial statement : / Winkleigh Parish Council
Meeting date: / 24th February 2016
Total all balances :
29th January 2016
Current / Reserve
3458.93 / 17643.18
Payments since / last PCM / 4th February 2016
Payment reference / Payment method / Details / TOTAL COST
PM096/15 / STO / A Ware - Cemetery Maintenance / 185.00
PM095/15 / DD / EDF Electricity to square / 20.00
PM097/15 / STO / Clerk basic salary February / 670.83
£875.83
Items for payment
Payment reference / Cheque no. / Details / TOTAL COST
PM098/15 / 1698 / Clerk overtime & mileage Jan 2016 / £76.96
£76.96
Receipts since / last PCM / 4th February 2016
Receipt number / Receipt reference / Details / TOTAL AMOUNT
RC071/15, RC076/15 / BACS / Interest December & January / £1.41
RC072, RC073, RC074, RC075/15 / BACS / Leahy - Rent x 4 weeks January 2016 / £398.40
RC077/15 / 100356 / Burial Fees Keenor / £55.00
RC078/15 / 100357 / Burial Fees Williams / £65.00
RC079/15 / 100357 / Burial Fees Keenor / £70.00
£589.81
Monies held in the reserves account
Reserves Account Balance / Amount / Details / UNALLOCATED BALANCE
17643.18
-3000.00 / Earmarked CPAG
-5000.00 / Restricted Bungalow Contingency
-7500.00 / Earmarked 6 Mths Precept Council Contingency
-780.00 / Earmarked Bungalow Survey
-1000.00 / Income deficit transfer to current account
896.40 / Rent due upto 31/3/2016
£1,259.58
Bank Transfer request 24/2/2016 from reserves to Current account / £1,780.00

APPENDIX B – BANK RECONCILIATION