DRAFT Minutes of the Monthly Meeting of Cornworthy Parish Council held

In St Peter’s Church on Monday 13^th February   at 8.00pm

 

Present: Cllr Kirkland (Chair), Cllr Bradley (Vice Chair), Cllr Hunt, Cllr Bailey, Cllr Ronson, Cllr Hubbard, Cllr Worthington and Cllr Hawkins (DCC) were present as was C Campos Parish Clerk.

 

Open Forum

The Village Hall Committee informed CPC of their intention to apply for a grant from the ACRE Jubilee Fund to improve the Village Hall and to ask for support from the Parish Council. It was decided in order to give Councillors the chance to fully consider the matter and give it the attention it deserves, that that an extraordinary meeting to fully discuss the proposal would be held early the following week. Subsequently the Council agreed to schedule this meeting on Monday 20^th February in St Peter’s Church at 8.00pm

1          Apologies   were received from Cllr McKay

2.    Declarations of Councillor’s Interests None

3.       Approval of Minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting of CPC held on Monday 9^th January 2022 were approved

4.       Matters Arising from the Minutes

Poo Bins and Bags  It was agreed to purchase three dispensers and a supply of bags to be placed in The Green, Willow Lane  and at the entrance to Charleycomb Woods.

Diversity Policy CPC voted unanimously to adopt the Diversity Policy drafted by Cllr Hubbard. The Chairman thanked him for his work on this and it was agreed it should be reviewed annually and posted on the CPC website.

5          Local Issues

5.1             Parishioners Correspondence to Action

Follow up correspondence from a resident who raised concerns as to the state of the village at the last CPC meeting. This was due to be discussed in detail later in the meeting  

• Devon County Council Highways

Resurfacing work from the Church from Furze Hill still due to take place 20/2/23-3/3/23   Cllr Hunt to meet with DCC tomorrow to discuss the repairs and drainage issues

Cllr Bailey asked about the status of missing Grit Bin in Allaleigh. This has been reported to DCC but so far it has not been replaced. The clerk will report again this time with a photo of the site supplied by Cllr Bailey.  Cllr Hunt will also raise this at his meeting with DCC

7.       Planning

	Retrospective extension to garden accommodation building 1 Jaspers Cottages Cornworthy Totnes TQ9 7EX 1690/21/FUL The Council had no objections

 

• To discuss the CPC Budget for 2023/24 Cllr Hubbard remarked that the Clerks salary represented a significant proportion of available funds and that this proportion had increased over recent years.  Cllr Kirkland explained that CPC had taken the decision not to put the precept up during the Cost-of-Living Crisis and that CPC had reserves to offset this. The Council voted unanimously  at the CPC meeting held in January 2023 to accept and finalise the budget.
• To update on the upkeep of the Village and its assets

9.1 A quote to repair and renovate the map board has been received for £384.56. It was noted the cost of a new map should be added to this. It was felt the map is enjoyed by many residents and the cost of repairs was approved.

9.2   State of Villages Road and Payments the Clerk has been in touch with the Localities team at SHDC regarding the mossy pavements and weedy roads. Cornwothy is on the list for a visit from  a sweeper van. However, resources are stretched so Cornworthy is in a queue with other South  Hams villages.  CPC was advised to ask our SHDC Councillor to intercede on our behalf and Cllr Hawkins recommended the Clerk also contacts Cllr Baldry who is Head of Waste at SHDC.It was also noted that residents could play their part by clearing the weeds outside their homes. CPC is committed to resolving these issues. Therefore, the situation will be reassessed at the April CPC meeting giving time for SHDC to resolve these issues, and if no progress has been made consider employing as lengsman as has been done in the past.

9.3 Bench and Table by Oak tree    CPC needs to source a portable power washer to be discussed at the next meeting

10.          Local measures for gritting the Parishes roads and the appointment of a Snow Warden

There has been no response to the advertisement for new Snow Warden. This will be rerun in the Parish Magazine and reposted on Facebook. As an aside it was agreed to pay for the Clerk to receive a copy of the Parish magazine as she lives out of the areas.

1. To update on the Highway Enhancement Fund.

The budget for this year has been spent and next year’s fund will only cover the cost of tools and materials not labour. Therefore, it was agreed to discuss an application to the fund in tandem with the possible employment of lengsman at the March meeting along with possibly organising a Residents Village Tidy Up Day.

12    .           Finance

12. 1                Receipts

             Lloyds Bank Interest £3.60

12.  2    Payments

To authorise the following payments:

• C Campos January Salary £240
• HMRC January PAYE £60.00
• Village Hall Electricity for Xmas Tree Lights £50
• Use of Church for CPC meeting 9/1/23 £35
• VETS training session + First Aid kits £250.80

12.3          Financial Report

Cashbook Balance      £15,826.11

Allocated reserves      £ 8437.60

General Fund              £ 8020.71

Total                            £16,458.31

11.Reports

a Clerk -The Clerk gave a brief update on her activities during the month

b Tree Warden – No Report

 c Defibrillators – Cllr Kirkland reported that these are all working, although during cold weather  they may show a fault but can still be used.

d Volunteer Emergency Telephone System – Cllr Ronson reported that we now have a VETS number which she has checked and is working. The next training session will be at Blackness Marina on 23^rd March at 6.00pm. Cllr Kirkwood thanked Cllr Ronson for all her hard work in setting up this vital service for our Parish. There was some discussion on how to publicise the system. Cllr Ronson suggested posting a leaflet about the service through every letterbox and CPC will proceed with this. Fridge magnets will also be produced as  Cllr Hawkins has offered to cover the cost of these from next year’s locality budget.

e Village Hall – The Clerk will request that the Committee supply a regular report.  Plans have been drawn up for a new village hall and will be submitted to SHDC for outline Planning. Permission. Should this be approved, then  an open meeting for all residents to discuss options would be arranged.  Following on from that  here will need to be a referendum for the Village to decide whether to retain the current Village Hall or build a new one. CPC has chosen to fund the cost of applying for Outline Planning permission with a grant from DCC. A decision on whether CPC puts its name to the application for outline Planning permission will be deferred untll the March CPC meeting.

f Climate Change – None received

g Coronation Working Group -Cllrs Ronson and Bailey reported that plans for Coronation Celebrations  were  well underway with entertainment booked including a Falconry display and a Bouncy Castle.

g South Hams District Council Councillor – None received

h Devon County Councillor – Cllr Hawkins reported that big budget meetings at both SHDC and DCC would take place later this month. The Health and Well Being Centre in Dartmouth is progressing and is due to open mid-April.

14.Items for March Agenda

 Upkeep of the Village and its assets

Publicising   VETS to residents

Cleaning Benches

Residents Village Tidy Up

Village Hall

The next Parish Council Meeting is on Monday 13^th March 2023 at 8.00pm

100 Club Draw

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