Parish Council
Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on 12 June 2019 at 7.30 pm in Sticklepath Village Hall.
Present:
Cllr Cruse (Chairperson), Cllr Sales, Cllr Daniel, Cllr Bell and Cllr Loader.
In attendance:
Lois Rowlands (Clerk).
2 members of the public.
468/1 Apologies
Cllrs Moore and Grubb for personal reasons.
468/2 Public participation
The public participation session is not considered part of the meeting and, as such, is not minuted.
468/3 Approval of minutes of meeting 8 May 2019
The minutes were approved as an accurate record and were signed by Cllr Cruse.
468/4 Declaration of interests
None.
468/5 Matters carried forward
5.1 Village gateways – report from Cllr Moore was read out by Cllr Cruse. Copy attached to agenda on village website: www.sticklepath.org/parish
Gateway by Ladywell – All agreed signage will be – Sticklepath “Logo” and “Welcome to our Village” – cost approximately £100. Cost will be met from surplus funds carried forward from last year and the unused budget for election expenses. ACTION: CLLR MOORE (Chairs note : following this, agreed by e-mail to amend wording to ‘Sticklepath welcomes careful drivers)
Willey Lane – Cllr Bell thinks that the verge being considered was too narrow for the gateway. c/f July to consider other positions or whether to just use signage “Please Drive Carefully” and the village logo rather than use a gateway if siting it is going to prove difficult.
5.2 Walks leaflet – revised leaflets have now been printed and are in our in local pubs, the shop and the 2 dispensers. The initial batch was incorrectly printed by Inkprint. All agreed that, instead of disposing of them, they are to be distributed to tourist information office, pubs and shops outside our local villages. All to ask Clerk for supplies. ACTION: ALL
5.3 Tractors through village and parking in Oak Tree Park – Parking in Oak Tree Park has improved and vehicles are not being left at the junction with Willey Lane. However, it is worth alerting all residents of the village that there will be an increase of traffic during the summer from tourists and agricultural traffic. Agreed to put an appropriately worded notice on the village website and Facebook page. ACTION: CLERK
5.4 Lengthsman/drainage jobs – Quote received from contractor and Clerk has obtained 2 recommendations from other local authorities. All agreed to instruct him to visit as soon as possible to properly clear drains which are currently an issue. Thereafter, engage him on a troubleshooting basis. ACTION: CLERK
468/6 Planning
None.
468/7 Finance
7.1 Accounts and Budget figures were circulated prior to meeting.
7.2 Data Protection Fee – noted this is no longer payable by small Parish Councils.
7.3 The following payments were approved – set up by Clerk, approved by Cllr Cruse:
Mrs L Rowlands Salary (June) £182.17
Mrs L Rowlands Gift for internal auditor £ 11.50
West Country Grounds Maint Grass cutting £348.00
InkPrint Printing of walks leaflets £294.50
Came and Company Insurance 2019 – 2020 £473.07
468/8 Matters Arising
8.1 Playing field wall repair – Contractor provided a quote for playing field wall repair. Other areas may need work. Agreed to ask him to meet Cllr Bell to discuss. Also, look at sources of funding – start with James McInnes’ Locality Fund. ACTION: CLERK, CLLR BELL, CLLR CRUSE
8.2 Verges – Wild flowers have now seeded. DCC are considering “wilding” verges around the county. Discussion between Councillors over which areas to cut and which areas to leave in the future. All agreed that Contractor should come and cut all the verges asap. They appreciate this may incur additional cost as the grass is very long and will need to be cleared away. Cllr Daniel to contact DCC about verge wilding project. c/f September to discuss wilding up of all areas within the village and whether funding is available. ACTION: CLERK AND CLLR DANIEL
8.3 Weed spraying – funding has been received for weed spraying for this year and the weeds have recently grown considerably. Clerk has instructed contractor to spray using weedkiller, as previously agreed and he is waiting for dry weather. Cllr Cruse read out a notice, which a resident had posted in South Tawton, in which the resident expressed their disapproval at the use of weed killer. Agreed that contractor will come to weed spray asap. Cllr Daniel to investigate getting a working party together for future weed clearance and the equipment which will be needed. c/f July.
8.4 Environmental projects –
a. Planters for gateways – cost of up to £50 each approved for 2 planters.
b. Litter picking – Clerk has received information from insurers regarding insurance cover and health and safety advice for volunteers. Cllr Daniel to draft risk assessment and advice for volunteers. c/f July. ACTION: CLLR DANIEL
c. Road sign cleaning – as above. c/f July. ACTION: CLLR DANIEL
8.5 Welcome to Dartmoor Project (DNPA) – All agreed to be involved in the project. Cllr Sales would be happy to be a contact for the project organiser. Clerk to provide Cllr Sales’ contact details to co-ordinator.
8.6 Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy consultation– Noted but all agreed it was not relevant for the Council to take part in consultation.
468/13 Chairperson’s Actions
Cllr Cruse thanked Jerry Stephens for hoisting the Union Jack at the flagpole on notable dates.
468/14 Dates to note/correspondence received
Eastern Links – 20 June – Cllr Daniel to attend.
17 June to 26 July – Period for public rights to inspect parish accounts – noted.
Cllr Daniel reported she is on waste committee at WDBC. With effect from October 2019, 3 WDBC will be providing households with 3 recycling bins so that they can send more waste to recycling rather than landfill. There will be a trial of a 3 weekly black bin collection taking place in 1000 homes, following which, the collection will be reviewed. Information will be provided to householders in due course. Residents can contact West Devon Borough Council online at: https://www.westdevon.gov.uk/ or by telephoning them: 01822 813600.
Also, cost of dog bin and litter bin emptying will be increasing from April 2020.
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 31 July 2019 at 7.30pm
PART 2 DISCUSSIONS
The Council went into Part 2 discussions.
Meeting ended at 9.15pm.