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Mins. November 2022

Minutes Uploaded on November 4, 2022

IPPLEPEN PARISH COUNCIL

 

Minutes of Meeting held at Ipplepen Millennium Centre

 

On Tuesday 1st November 2022 at 7.15pm

 

In attendance:

Coun.Palethorpe (Chairman)             Coun.Rattlidge

Coun.Mrs.Olding (Vice Chair)                        Coun.Smith

Coun.Carnell                                       Coun.Jerwood

Coun.Mrs.Calland                               Coun.Farrow

Coun.Burnham

Miss Cat Freston – Parish Clerk

 

Coun.Dewhirst – District/County Councillor

 

Three members of the public present

 

The following minutes will be considered for approval at the next Parish Council Meeting and may be subject to change until that time.

 

82) APOLOGIES –  e  Coun.Ranjit (Apologies approved unanimously).

 

83) DECLARATION OF INTEREST –  Coun.Carnell declared an interest on Planning Application 22/01915/FUL – Three industrial units at Buttlands Industrial Estate, Totnes Road.

Coun.Carnell left the room whilst the Planning Application was discussed and did not vote.

 

84) MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

 

Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 4th October 2022 were approved and signed by the Chairman.

 

85) PUBLIC QUESTION TIME – One member of the public asked if there were any updates on the parking around the co-op – There are no further developments to report as awaiting a response from DCC.

 

86) CORRESPONDENCE AND OUTSIDE BODIES – Parish Clerk

 

  1. The AED’s have now been upgraded. CU medical have supplied three new batteries for the Defibrillators which are £170.00 + VAT each. It was agreed unanimously for the purchase of the new batteries. The Parish Council thanked Bruce Hooker who has been dealing with the arrangements for the upgrades.
  2. Dewhirst has emailed asking if the Parish Council would consider converting the bus shelters roofs to ‘living roofs’. Action – The Parish Clerk to contact the clerk at Bishopsteignton Parish Council to get some more details.

Counc.Mrs.Olding mentioned that the bus stop outside the Wellington Pub had brambles overhanging and coming into the bus shelter. Action – Coun.Palethorpe will have a look.

  1. A Parishioner has emailed informing the Parish Council that they would like to trim the twisted hazel bus in the Village square. The work would include trimming, clearing the weed and general debre and removal. All Councillors are happy for this to be done.

OUTSIDE BODIES – Nothing to report.

 

87) DISTRICT & COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT – Coun.Dewhirst

 

County Report

 

Safer driving could be encouraged and traffic flow would be improved on the county’s urban roads if the County Council were to take on new powers to enforce ‘moving traffic offences.’   That’s the conclusion of council watchdog The Corporate Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee, who, following a Spotlight Review, has recommended to our Cabinet that we should apply to Government for these powers.

Moving traffic offences (MTO) include driving through a ‘No Entry’ sign, driving the wrong way up a one-way street, entering yellow box junctions when there is no clear exit and driving where motor vehicles are banned.

Currently these offences are monitored and enforced by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Road Safety Team.   But the Spotlight Review concluded that if correctly implemented, the new powers could reduce traffic congestion and even reduce the number of accidents.

We invited expert witnesses including representatives of drivers’ groups, including the AA, senior members of our traffic management team, Superintendent Adrian Leisk, the Roads Policing Strategic Lead at Devon and Cornwall Police, and David Barry from Transport for London, to give their views.   Additionally, we invited the views of Cardiff City Council and considered the approaches of other Local Authorities including Hampshire County Council, Kent County Council, and Norfolk County Council.

The review heard that 91 per cent of upper tier councils would consider taking on MTOs, with the highest anticipated benefits being safety and congestion and improved air quality.   In 2021 police in Devon recorded 1,215 collisions, just under a quarter of which either resulted in fatalities (27) or lead to serious injuries (262).

The County Council has received additional funding to help households weather the rising costs of living, to help pay for food, energy and other essential items.

The latest bid amounts to a little over £5 million and should cover the winter period through to Easter 2023. It will take Devon’s total level of Household Support Funding received so far to just over £15 million.

The funding is to support households in most need that are struggling to pay for food, energy, water bills and other related essentials.  And specifically, those households that may not be eligible for other support that is already available from the government.

Plans have to be submitted by the end of this month to the Department of Work and Pensions, setting out how we, with our eight District/City councils and other voluntary and community partners will make the latest funding available.   Plans are expected to include:

 

  • an allocation to specifically support families in receipt of Free School Meals
  • Some funding will also go to provide financial support for food and other essentials to eligible low income households with children and young people
  • Devon’s District/City councils will plan to continue helping households that are in greatest financial need and struggling to pay for food, energy and other related essentials
  • Citizens Advice Devon will continue to receive funding to support households using pre-payment meters, to help with energy costs
  • Working with the Cosy Devon Sustainable Warmth project, the fund will also be used to pilot a scheme to provide minor but rapid energy efficiency improvements to the homes of eligible households
  • And the Devon Community Foundation is exploring how best to deploy funds to voluntary and community organisations that support specific groups who may struggle to access the help and support they need

 

I have had lots of requests for an update on the Avian Flu outbreak.   There are a number of avian flu outbreaks in flocks and wild birds across the district and alongside this, authorities are hearing of instances of the (well meaning) general public picking up sick or dead birds and taking them to vets/animal hospitals etc.   We need your help to discourage this action as they could be putting themselves at risk, and instead we want to direct people to contact DEFRA’s helpline 03459 335577 if they see unwell/dead birds that meet the threshold just published.

  • one or more dead bird of prey or owl
  • 3 or more dead gulls or wild waterfowl (swans, geese and ducks)
  • 5 or more dead birds of any species

For anything that falls outside this threshold, our waste crews have been tasked with collecting dead birds only on public land and our customer support teams have been advised on the protocols, should the council be contacted.  Decisions will be made based on the location and the priority given to its removal, as well as any risk to staff.

On private land it is the landowner’s responsibility to safely arrange disposal of the carcasses.   If possible, wear disposable protective gloves when picking up and handling dead wild birds (if disposable gloves are not available, a plastic bag can be used as a make-shift glove).   When the dead wild bird has been picked up, the bag can be turned back on itself and tied, enclosing the dead wild bird within the bag.   The bag containing the dead wild bird should then be placed in a second plastic bag (preferably leak proof).   Care should be taken not to contaminate the outside of the bag remove any gloves or other hand coverings used, by turning them inside out and then place them in the second plastic bag, taking care not to touch the outside of the gloves with bare hands tie the second bag closed and dispose of in the normal household waste (general refuse lidded bin outside) and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water

 

District Report

An independent audit report has given a ‘good rating‘ to the way the £13 million Future High Street Funded regeneration plans for Newton Abbot’s Town Centre are being run.    The report from Devon Audit Partnership will be considered by next week’s Audit Scrutiny Committee.

Teignbridge have joined forces with Teignbridge CVS to support local residents, businesses and communities through the cost-of -living crisis.   The initiative will involve leaflets, social media posts, videos, and stories pointing people to where they can get help – whether that’s to reduce their energy bills or to apply for one-off grants that might help them through a difficult patch such as losing a job or needing to find a new house.

The campaign will focus on older people, young families; and people on income support, as well as small and medium sized businesses in the region who might be struggling with higher energy bills or a reduction in income through people needing to tighten their belts.   It breaks down information into several themes:  housing and homelessness, energy and fuel poverty, food, money and debt, and health and wellbeing.

Teignbridge CVS has developed a ‘Worrying about money’ web tool and an accompanying leaflet will be distributed to local households and through food banks and other support outlets.   For more information please see our cost of living page.

Mental health issues can affect anyone, at any time.   As we return to fast-paced life, taking a moment to pause and reflect on ourselves is rarely at the top of our to-do list.   The theme of World Mental Health Day this year is ensuring mental health and wellbeing for all becomes a global priority, but this starts with focussing on and prioritising your own mental health.

This day is a prompt for us to reignite our efforts to protect and improve our mental health.   It is an opportunity to talk openly about how we are feeling and a reminder to reach out if you are struggling.

Due to Coronavirus we all experienced isolation, and the move towards working from home means many of us still spend time alone.   As the winter nears and the days get shorter, our regular routines can be disrupted, so it’s a great time to remind ourselves of the basics.

People are encouraged to take an hour out to reflect on our lives, and where we might implement some positive habits.   This isn’t just for those already affected, prevention is just as important as a cure.

The charity Mind has outlined 5 steps we can take today to begin making positive changes or creating healthy habits:  Connect with other people;  Be physically active;  Practice mindfulness;  Learn a new skill and give to others.

 

Alistair Dewhirst – alistair.dewhirst@devon.gov.uk

 

88) PLANNING – Coun.Farrow

 

The Minutes of the Plans Meeting held on 19th October 2022 were approved and taken as read

To consider the following planning applications:

22/01915/FUL – Three industrial units at Buttlands Industrial Estate, Totnes Road.

Comment: Coun.Farrow proposed no objection. Seconded by Coun.Rattlidge (All unanimous)

Appeal – 22/00057/NONDET – Appeal against the non-determination of application 22/00808/CLDP – Certificate of proposed lawfulness for use of land for siting of touring caravans sited throughout the year and used as main place of residence at Ross Park Caravan Park, Moor Road.

Comment: Coun.Farrow proposed that he will put the wording together and circulate to all Councillors before the comments are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.  (All unanimous)

 

89) AMENITIES

 

The Minutes of the Amenities meeting held on 11th October 2022, were approved and taken as read.

 

Recreation Ground Issues

 

The Adventure Trail has been repaired/upgrade with new stepping posts, ropes and a new up and over climbing frame.

 

It is very regrettable that the goalposts have been used by some young people as a climbing frame resulting in not only the new net being destroyed but also the goalposts falling and injuring a young boy. This is the second incident of this type so for Health and Safety reasons the goal posts have been removed from the Recreation Ground.

 

New waste bins have been received to replace those that have been vandalised and the junior picnic table has been repaired.

 

Ground Maintenance

As a result of the very mild autumn the grounds maintenance contractor has been busy around the Parish cutting the grass as required.

 

Allotments

The six monthly allotment inspection was carried out on the 14 October 2022.

Recreation Ground Toilet block

The redecorating of the toilet block at the Recreation Ground is due to start on Thursday 3rd November 2022. Coun.Burnham will speak to the Contractor about signs and providing the Parish Council with a Risk Assessment.

 

An email has been received from Ippleplant. The Amenities group will arrange to meet with Ippleplant to discuss.

 

90) FINANCE & PERSONNEL – Coun.Mrs.Olding

 

Balance No.                                                                                       £  78,501.87

MCMC – Reimbursement for electricity                                             £        20.60

Mill Centre – Rent                                                                               £        55.00

Football Club – Rent                                                                           £      150.00

HMRC – VAT Refund                                                                                    £    3,723.25

TDC – CIL Payment                                                                           £    7,881.21

 

Balance                                                                                              £   90,331.93

 

Invoices Received and Approved:                                                  £     9,622.46

                       

Balance                                                                                              £   80,709.47

 

Reserve Account Balance                                               £ 137,240.54

 

                                                                                                            £  217,950.01

Items to discuss:

 

  1. A date was arranged to hold a precept budget & Clerk’s Appraisal meeting on Tuesday 29th November 2022 at 7pm.

 

91) HIGHWAYS & RIGHTS OF WAY – Coun.Smith

 

  1. Some patching work has taken place in Mayfair Road.
  2. The A381 Footpath is due to start work on Monday 7th November 2022 by the Contractors.
  3. The next Highways meeting will be on Wednesday 16th November at 6.30pm.

 

92) NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – Coun.Rattlidge

Teignbridge are launching Regulation 16 which runs from Monday 31st October 2002 for six weeks and ends at 12pm on Monday 12th December 2022. The details can be found on Teignbridge’s website.

 

93) REMEMBRANCE SERVICE – SUNDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2022

13 Councillors will be attending the Service. The road closure notice’s and parking signs will be put up and the road will be closed to all traffic and parking will be suspended from 10:15am to 12pm.

Action – The parish clerk to send a letter saying thank you to the W.I for the beautiful poppies they have put on the War Memorial.

 

94) PUBLIC QUESTION TIME – No comments

 

95) To note the date of the next PC meeting: Tuesday 6th December at 7.15pm

 

Meeting Closed at 20.40pm.