Clerk’s Report July 2023

Clerk’s Report to Sticklepath Parish Council July 2023

If any Member of the Public wishes to see details of the correspondence or matters mentioned please contact the clerk, details below.

General Tasks

• I have forwarded lots of emails to the councillors, and read others which proved to not be of interest to Sticklepath.
• I have submitted an article on the last meeting to the July Beacon which was published.
• I commented on the 39 Oaktree Park Planning Application 0222/23 saying ” Sticklepath Parish Council would like to point out that the store shown on the application plan is not a part of the original dwelling. Therefore when calculating the 30% rule in accordance with the Dartmoor Local Plan Clauses 3.8.4  to 3.8.7, the original dwelling size should not include the store. It is possible that the conservatory will therefore increase the size beyond the 30%.”
• I changed the Council bank account to require 3 signatories and to receive online statements and letters instead of paper.
• I communicated with the Stagecoach Bus Company about the road closure, but their response came through too late to make any difference. However, they say they will improve their reactions to road closures.
• I liaised with Josh, our Neighbourhood Highways Officer, on the morning of the Road Closure; and I’m sure his prompt response speeded up the work.
• I submitted our Certificate of Exemption to the External Auditor. I received an auto-response, but they will not officially acknowledge it for some time.
• I have responded to a resident who reported the state of the Sticklepath signs and the path from Ladywell to the bus stop. Our Road Warden has this in hand.
• I have sent the new asset replacement values to the insurance company.

Website

I have published the following pages/posts:

• Parish Council Minutes and associated reports
• AGAR and all associated documents.
• Walking and Cycling Survey

Police Liaison Meeting

When Sticklepath was having problems with Anti-Social Behaviour last year, I enquired from Devon County Councillor James McInnes whether there we could get any direct links to the police. He responded with details of South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership (CSP). I got in contact with them and subscribed to their mailing newsletter, and then suddenly was invited to an online liaison meeting. I was not sure what it was all about, but decided to attend. I was really pleased that I had done. The quarterly meeting is open to all councillors (and clerks) at district, town and parish levels and was hosted by Inspector Chris Conway of Devon and Cornwall Police, together with Sergeant Thomas Ottley, and Claire Birch from CSP. It was a fascinating insight into the work of the police in the West Devon area (Tavistock, Okehampton, Princetown, North Tawton, Hatherleigh, Chagford and associated villages and countryside, 450 square miles). The area is covered by 50 officers and staff. Insp. Conway was honest, open and informative. In brief he covered:

• Okehampton Police Station will re-open within the next 8 months, probably weekday mornings, manned by a civilian member of staff that they are recruiting.
• They are trying to improve their interaction with the public, and can be followed on Facebook, Twitter and in written communications such as Oke Links and a newsletter.
• West Devon has the lowest crime rate (per 1000 people) in Devon and Cornwall, e.g. 2.4 anti-social behaviour reports compared with an average of 4.4. Resourcing is allocated by the crime rate.
• West Devon also has the highest firearms registration. They have introduced enhanced checks since the murder in Plymouth, so there is a backlog of firearm licence renewals; people are encouraged to apply early.
• They are implementing a ‘red time’ policy, so that all officers are out in the community at critical times such as midnight to 3am, after football matches and commuting times.
• They are implementing a ‘Primary tasking’ policy, so that all officers are aware of current priorities, such as anti-social behaviour in Okehampton and drug dealing in Tavistock, so that they are all on the look-out for information that could forward those enquiries.
• They are implementing ‘Green Routes’, specific problem areas that will always be covered when patrolling.
• They have cadets who can support local events, and aim to have an officer presence at any event with over 1,000 people.
• They are struggling to bring down the backlog of email, and apologise for the unacceptable response times on email and phone. The enquiries are triaged by their initial description of subject, so important items should be dealt with quickly.
• The web chat is manned by the same people as the 101 phone team at the same time.
• It would help if people had all the information that was needed in the initial contact, e.g. dates and times, registration numbers, contact details of witnesses.
• 20mph zones are not enforced by the police, but by highways traffic management. There are speed bumps etc and 20mph zones on other A30 diversion routes.

The CSP representative also described the work that they do. They are responsible for ‘Let’s Talk Teenagers’, there will be a primary school version in the autumn. They are also looking for ways to engage with dads and male carers. They have information to combat stalking, domestic abuse and exploitation. Money is available from criminal assets to fund mental health and community interest projects.

There are also teams of Community Payback workers available to help with projects at a price.

There was the opportunity to ask questions and raise interests.

The next meeting is on Wednesday September 6^th. I highly recommend that at least one councillor should attend.

Agenda Items

10. Asset Register – Some of the inspection items were allocated to Alison Cruse who hasn’t been a councillor for some time. Councillors please could you look at the register before the meeting, and if assets are not already allocated to somebody, offer to inspect them on the schedule indicated.