YARCOMBE PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES
Held in The Jubilee Hall, Yarcombe, Monday 27th November 2017 at 8.00 pm
In Attendance:
Cllrs N Randle (Chair) L Pidgeon, D Barnes,S Parris, C Stone, S Horner, A Long, M Tomkinson, T Wiggins,S-J Martin (Clerk & RFO), Cllr P Diviani and Cllr I Chubb.
Members of the Public present – 6
The Chair welcomed everyone to the last meeting of the year.
1. Apologies for Absence:
No apologies for absence were received.
2. Declarations of Interest
No declarations of Interest were declared.
3. Minutes.
The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 2nd October 2017, copies of which had previously been circulated to Members, were adopted now to sign next month.
4.Open Session for Public Participation.
Sandra Newton raised an issue of a stop sign being needed on the lane adjacent to Clematis Cottage which exits on to the old A303. This junction currently has a “give way sign” but cars are pulling straight out.
RESOLVED:
Clerk to email Helen Selby with a request for a change in signage.
5. Parish Council Priorities
The meeting in January will focus on Community Engagement and an invitation will be sent to all our Community Groups, inviting them to send a representative to discuss how they perceive parish priorities and to provide an up date with The Yarcombe Inn.
This meeting was a discussion on Highways. Cllrs Pidgeon and Barnes attended a meeting on Highways run by Tom Vaughan, Neighbourhood Highway Manager (East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon). They reported that although he was very understanding of the issues raised – they were all the same issues that are raised within out Parish but there was nothing within the meeting to help. A couple of key points were that the grass cutting through the Parish only raises £0.20p per meter and that only £40.00 per pothole repair is given. The potholes too have to be 4” deep to be repaired and so often, individual potholes are left until there are a series in a similar area.
Cllr Randle explained he travels all over the Country with Parish and Town Councils and there are the same issues everywhere and more and more it is a case of having to so things for ourselves.
We could train up Chapter 8 people to repair potholes, teaming up with other Parishes and although it was raised that if we put the Precept up to cover the repairs, we are effectively paying for it twice, Cllr Randle advised we get what we pay for and if we want anything more, then we shall have to pay more.
Cllr Pidgeon referred to the Clerks notes concerning Membury’s offer of joining forces with a Lengthsman.
Cllr Chubb advised Shute Parish obtained some soft tarmac and have a Whacker to repair small potholes before they get too bad.
Cllr Stone asked Cllrs Chubb and Diviani if the road repair through the village was funded through a locality programme or nationally and they confirmed it was national monies that funded it.
RESOLVED:
Clerk to email the Membury and Stockland Clerks with a view to joining forces with a Lengthsman.
It was decided to hear the Reports received before the Finances.
6. Reports received:
- County Councillor
Cllr Ian Chubb reported:
A road in Membury had been closed for 3 days whilst a lorry which had got stuck was removed.
As with potholes, any needs for changes in signage needs to consistently be chased with the relevant department and many meetings had been attended.
He also stressed the importance of everyone reporting potholes through the online pothole link and Cllr Randle queried whether we had notified the Parish through the voices of the link, to which Clerk confirmed it had been in the voices several times
- District Councillor
Cllr P Diviani reported:
He had been ill again and in hospital for a few days and been up to London which was very interesting concerning the Governments house building scheme where it had stated it needed to be building 400,000pa but had only built 200,000 for many years and hence the crisis in the housing market isn’t going to go away any time soon.
The devolution idea is still running around with a view to getting some serious money into the area
- Police
A crime report was received for between 04/09/17 – 26/11/17
1 Crime was reported, being a Drink Drive conviction after a male was involved in an RTC
Cllr Randle also cascaded that PC Anning had resigned from the Police
- Yarcombe Community Land Trust
Cllr Hornerread out a report from Phillip Bearn concerning the ongoing 3 sites in Marsh, one of which being very possible and, the potential land swap of a piece of land on the edge of the village with a piece within the centre of the village, being the Terrier racing car park and 4/5 acres of prime village land.
Cllr Horner raised that land agents are encouraging land owners to demand market rates for land but there is a maximum of £7,500.00 that can be paid per site for it to be “affordable”.
Cllr Diviani mentioned there have been land swaps and precedents set to the planners may look favourably.
- Reports from Individual Councillors
- Cllr Pidgeon advised we had obtained some “no cold call stickers” and that they would be placed in the entrance to The Belfry and Cllr Tomkinson advised she would let Miranda know for the next round of e-voices.
- Cllr Barnes advised the plan to use the plainings from the A30 and place them in Clifthayne Lane to improve the lane, unfortunately didn’t materialise. He also mentioned that he was very impressed with Helen Selby and the amount of work she had managed to achieve for the village.
- Cllr Stone reported he is now working on improvements to Blackhayes Farm and would welcome comments back from Councillors concerning the Handyman / Lengthsman person specification.
RESOLVED:
Clerk to email Helen Selby with our thanks.
6. Finance
Congratulations were given to Lesley and the Pub Hub for raising so much money towards the Yarcombe Inn Community project.
The Clerk read out the financial position as per the Clerks Report and the budget was discussed.
Cllr Horner was asked for details about extra grant funding from the Plunket Foundation and he confirmed we can claim an additional £2,000.00
RESOLVED:
Clerk to amend the budget in line with our discussions and re-submit for our January meeting.
6b - Payments were approved and made in line with the following schedule:
Date / Payee / Details of Payment / Chq Nr / £11.11.17 / Josie Miles / Crowd Funding refund / 558 / 90.00
20.11.17 / Sarah-Jane Martin / Clerk Salary x 2 months / 559 / 405.24
20.11.174 / HMRC / Paye / 560 / 58.54
The Clerks Report
To deal with decisions required from correspondence received. A response from the council is required for:
- Claire Gregory, resident in Marsh has requested 2 new Neighbourhood Watch signs as their have faded. Clerk has contacted the Police and replacement ones are £10.00 each. Would we like to support plus obtain 2 for Yarcombe?
RESOLVED:
Clerk to order 4 signs, 2 for Marsh and 2 for Yarcombe
- Invitation to join CPRE Devon – Campaign to Protect Rural England £36.00pa. Literature and Newsletter with Clerk.
RESOLVED:
It was decided we would not join.
- email from Membury Parish Clerk asking if we or Stockland would like to join them in the next round of Parishes Together Funding ending Feb 2018 – they are trying to recruit a Lengthsman and have someone in mind who can clear the ditches.
RESOLVED:
Clerk to email the Membury and Stockland Clerks with a view to working together with a Lengthsman.
- An invitation to attend the Council Chamber at the Knowle onTuesday 5th December between 6pm and 8.30pm. An event to be hosted by EDDC, to provide an opportunity for you to hear from the Leader of Devon County Council, Councillor John Hart, who would like to talk to colleagues across the District in Town and Parish Councils about issues facing the County Council over the forthcoming year.
RESOLVED:
Cllr David Barnes to attend and Clerk to email notifying EDDC.
8. Planning
To receive and endorse the Planning Decisions of the Council taken since last meeting under delegated authority
- email received from David Cocker at EDDC “I have received new information regarding the development behind the aircraft hangar. It requires Planning Permission and I am pressing the owner to apply for the building/caravan/shipping container and ground works”.
- Certificate of lawfulness for the use of Watchford Lodge as a single private dwelling house (with no link to leisure and tourism activities at Watchford Farm) - Watchford Lodge Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9LZ Ref. No: 17/1153/CPE - Received date: Mon 15 May 2017 - Approved
- Addition of third line to existing overhead lines - Land North & East of Lower Pithayne Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9AB-Ref. No: 17/2277/OHL - Received date: Tue 12 Sep 2017 - No objections
- Extension to agricultural building – Grove Well Farm, Yarcombe, Honiton, EX14 9BJ Ref. No: 17/2524/FUL - Received date: Tue 24 Oct 2017 - Status: Pending Consideration
No questions to Cllr Long concerning planning were asked.
To confirm the date of the next meeting being Monday 8th January at 8pm in The Jubilee Hall, Yarcombe
Part A of the meeting closed and Cllr Randle asked the public to leave (That under Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public (including the press) be excluded from the meeting, as exempt information, of a commercially sensitive nature, is likely to be disclosed and on balance the public interest is in discussing this item in private confidential session).
The Councillors were asked if they were happy to resolve to accept 2 non-Council members,who have input relevant to the decision making to stay, to which Cllr Tomkinson proposed and Cllr Stone seconded.
Part B continued in confidential session.