IPPLEPEN PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting held at Ipplepen Millennium Centre
On Tuesday 1st October 2024 at 7.15pm
The following minutes will be considered for approval at the next Parish Council Meeting and may be subject to change until that time
In attendance:
Coun.Palethorpe (Chairman) Coun.Smith
Coun.Carnell (Vice Chair) Coun.Rattlidge
Coun.Farrow Coun.Latter
Coun.Jerwood Coun.Burnham
Miss Cat Freston – Parish Clerk
Coun.Dewhirst – County Councillor
Coun.Palethorpe District Councillor
Three Members of the public present
81) APOLOGIES – Coun.Mrs.Calland, Coun.Ranjit (Apologies approved unanimously).
82) DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – No declarations of Interest.
83) MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 3rd September 2024, were approved and signed by the Chairman.
84) PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Kerry McCabe from TRAYE (Totnes Rural Area Youth Engagement) gave a talk about Youth Club projects. TRAYE was set up in 2016 and they now run in ten different rural locations and have eleven different projects. Kingskerswell is the newest project. TRAYE is run by Professional Youth Workers. They work with children from the ages of 8 years old up to 19 years old. They have a youth forum. TRAYE is normally run every two weeks with food and free entry. They can learn to cook at the youth club and take part in other activites. Parish Council’s have put in £3,500 per year for TRAYE to run in their Parish’s. There is funding/grants available through the Local MP.
They are in touch with 757 young people who attend their Youth Clubs over the ten different locations.
Coun.Palethorpe proposed to move agenda item 8 before agenda item 5 as there were members of the public present, seconded by Coun.Carnell (Agreed unanimously).
85) PLANNING – Coun.Farrow
District Councillor, Coun.Palethorpe is on the Planning Committee for TDC, so will not comment or vote on any Planning Applications discussed below.
To consider the following planning applications:
The Minutes of the Plans Meeting held on 18th September 2024 were approved and taken as read.
To consider the following planning applications:
24/01543/TPO – Pruning of Ash tree (T6) at Land To The East Of North Street And West Of Tremlett Grove, Ipplepen.
Comment: Coun.Carnell proposed that Ipplepen Parish Council object to this application for the following reasons:
- Ipplepen Parish Council would like to see a more detailed report as to the condition of the tree, than what has been submitted with the Planning Application.
- Need further justification as to why the work is needed.
Seconded by Coun.Latter (All unanimous).
24/01485/TEL – Installation of a 17.5m high FLI ATS1301 lattice tower, 3No. antennas, 2No. 0.6m dishes, 1No. GPS Node, and 2No. ground-based equipment cabinets and ancillary development to be situated within an 7x7m compound with 2.1m close board timber fence along with the additional installation of native hedgerow at Townsend Hill, Ipplepen.
Comment: Coun.Farrow proposed that Ipplepen Parish Council have no objection to this application, Seconded by Coun.Smith (All unanimous)
24/01498/TPO – T19 – Walnut. Phased crown reduction (Retrenchment exercise) – Yr 1 Reprofile the canopy by reducing the overall extents by 2m, approx 1m below the previous reduction pruning points. Yr 3-5 Reduce the overall again canopy by a further 0.5m below the Yr 1 pruning points T23 – Multi stemmed Ash. Fell at 2, Thorn Orchard.
Comment: Coun.Farrow proposed that Ipplepen Parish Council have no objections to this application, Seconded by Coun.Smith (All unanimous).
86) CORRESPONDENCE AND OUTSIDE BODIES – Parish Clerk
- An email has been received from DCC about the bus shelter on Clampitt Road. They have asked if the Parish Council have plans to refurbish, replace or keep the shelter. Action – Clerk to obtain quote from Ace Shelters who installed the bus shelter by Meadow Park, with a seat and report back at the Parish Council meeting in November.
- An email has been received from TDC regarding the Planning Forums that took place in September. The next Planning Forum will take place on Wednesday 5th February 2025 and Monday 10th February 2025 at Forde House.
- An email has been received from A B Coaches regarding their daily service in and out of Ipplepen transporting children to and from Churston Ferrers. Their task is being made more difficult due to other vehicles causing obstruction along Foredown Road and East Street. There only option to avoid completely blocking the village is to use Clampitt Road and Biltor Road. They are experiencing a lot of damage to their vehciles due to the overgrown hedges and foliage on both of those roads. Action – Clerk to reply and inform that their email will be sent to Councillor Dewhirst to respond.
Outside Bodies: – Coun.Smith attended the Stoneycombe Quarry meeting in September.
Coun.Rattlidge attended the Councillor Advocate on 11th September at Exeter Racecourse.
87) DISTRICT & COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
September has been a busy month at the District Council where I have been working with officers and the community in my role on the Executive on the delivery of the three major projects in Newton Abbott funded through the Future High Street Fund which has brought £12m of investment into the town.
The Queen Street enhancement work to widen the pavements is progressing well and on target to be substantially completed as planned by the 30th of November. There will be some minor works to be completed in the New Year a following the busy Christmas period.
Progress on the enhancement of the Market Hall and Market Square is now gathering pace with the existing market traders, moving to the mini market hall, the former Post Office at the beginning of October.
Work on preparing the Bradley Lane Mill site to make it available for much-needed homes is moving forward, and the perimeter security fence to prevent anti-social behaviour has now been completed.
There are a number of issues affecting residents as we approach the winter months and especially around the cost of living crisis that many are experiencing and those that may not be receiving the winter fuel allowance this year. If there’s anything I can help you with then please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I am pleased to have been able to contribute funding from to Teignbridge District Council Councillor Community fund towards the new and improved lighting for theatre productions in the Village Hall.
Are you claiming all you can?
People are entitled to benefits by law, but millions of pounds go unclaimed each year. It is estimated that the total amount of unclaimed support across Great Britain is now £22.7 billion a year.
People don’t make claims for a number of reasons:
- They may not feel entitled to make a claim
- They may view some benefits as charity or be too embarrassed to claim
- They may feel frightened or confused by the application process
Don’t feel embarrassed to claim what you’re entitled to claim and please contact Teignbridge CVS or Citizens Advice who will be able to help answer your questions around benefits. They will also help you to complete a benefit calculator to check what benefit she might be entitled to, all of which is confidential.
Are you eligible for Pension Credit?
Pensioners should check if they could be eligible for Pension Credit to secure the Winter Fuel Payment, worth up to £300 per household. Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income.
There are up to an estimated 880,000 households across the UK eligible for Pension Credit who are yet to claim, and we are urging people to check whether they or their loved ones are eligible for this support Pensioners need to apply for pension credits by 21 December 2024, to receive the Winter Fuel Payment. Find out more on the Government website.
Scam warning – be aware
We have received reports of a scam text message claiming to be a “Parking Penalty Charge Notice” from a ‘local council’ asking you to pay a fine via a suspicious link. Please DO NOT click on the link or provide any personal details as this is not from Teignbridge District Council.
David Palethorpe
Cllr for Ipplepen – Teignbridge District Council
County Report – Coun.Dewhirst
A decision by the previous Government, to establish the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority (CCA), was deferred in June pending the General Election in July. The proposal to create a CCA has been given the green light by the new Government, the two councils confirmed on Thursday 19th September.
Devon and Torbay’s final proposal for the CCA followed a widespread consultation that drew responses from a cross-section of organisations including Devon’s District councils, Town and Parish councils, and representatives from the business, education and skills, housing, transportation, health service providers and voluntary sectors.
Last month, the two Leaders wrote to the new Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State (SoS) for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, asking the Government for a meeting to discuss the proposal. Now, the Government has confirmed that the Devon and Torbay proposal, first submitted to Government in May 2024, is officially back on track.
It’s hoped that with draft regulations to create the CCA to be made this Autumn, the CCA could hold its first meeting early in the New Year.
The CCA will hopefully deliver the devolution deal – a whole raft of powers, responsibilities, and funding, devolved to Devon and Torbay from Whitehall – and will enable important decisions to be made locally on local priorities such as jobs and skills, housing, and the environment.
With potential for the range of devolved powers to expand, the current proposals would see the new body having direct control of adult education to create up to 50,000 new training and retraining opportunities by 2030.
Through Local Skills Improvement Plans, the proposed CCA will work with business and education leaders to create a stronger, joined-up relationship between employers and schools, colleges and universities to provide the skilled workforce the local economy needs for the future.
The Government has re-confirmed the transfer of £16 million capital funding to invest in new green jobs, homes, skills, and business growth and accelerate Devon and Torbay’s transition to a net-zero economy, capitalising on the area’s world-leading expertise in green science and technology.
The Government is offering a stronger partnership with Homes England, capitalising on the Affordable Housing Programme and Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund to create a joint action plan for affordable housing schemes for local people and reduce homelessness. The proposal includes additional land assembly and compulsory purchase powers and would facilitate greater Community Land Trust-led delivery.
On transport, the proposed Deal builds on the Councils’ long history of working together on local transport planning. The proposed Deal will strengthen this approach and improving the efficiency and co-ordination of public transport. There is an ambition to introduce a single ticketing system for travellers and investment in services to provide greater access to public transport.
The CCA would be responsible for working with Devon County Council, Torbay Council, District Councils and the business and education sectors to support high growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, marine engineering, defence, photonics and digital.
Alistair Dewhirst – alistair.dewhirst@devon.gov.uk
88) BLACKSTONE CROSS
A meeting was held on 19th September 2024 which was well attended and aimed at residents on Blackstone Road and Clampitt Road. There is another meeting planned for Wednesday 23rd October between 3.30pm and 8pm in the Village Hall. Every resident will receive a letter informing them of the meeting.
89) AMENITIES – Coun.Carnell
The Minutes of the Amenities meeting held on 10th September 2024, were approved and taken as read.
- Three tenders have been received for the verge and tree clearance on A381 between Foredown Road and Moor Road.
RESOLUTION: Coun.Palethorpe proposed to accept Tender A, Seconded by Coun.Smith and agreed unanimously at £2,160.00 including VAT.
The contractor is First Cut Trees Limited. Action – Clerk to notify the successful contractor.
- b) Four tenders have been received for Solar Panels on the Millennium Centre roof.
RESOLUTION: CounPalethorpe Proposed to accept tender A for £12,673.00 on the basis that it meets the grounds that the Millennium Centre will require and to run the heaters in the Recreation Ground toilet block. Seconded by Coun.Burnham, agreed unanimously. The successful contractor is Morrell Electrical Limited. Action: Clerk to notify the successful contractor.
- c) Allotment inspections – TBC
- d) Carnell queried whether Planning permission would be required for theA381 works and has been assured that no permission is required.
- e) Clampitt Road toilet refurbishment – Coun.Carnell and Coun.Palethorpe met with the contractor to agree details for the various new fittings. The cisterns are to be concealed and stainless steel wc and urinal fittings will enable easier cleaning. Mechanical forced air ventilation will also be fitted. There has been an increase to include these new specifications of £4,000. Coun.Palethorpe proposed we accept the variations of the contract, Seconded by Coun.Farrow (All unanimous). The total cost of the refurbishment will be £37,020 plus VAT. The Contractor has asked for a deposit to be paid of £12,500 plus VAT, Coun.Palethorpe proposed we pay the deposit, Seconded by Coun.Carnell (All unanimous).
- f) A report was received regarding the Zip wire and the wooden steps in the junior play equipment. Outdoor Play have carried out the repairs to the Zip wire and Coun.Carnell will report at the November Parish Council meeting regarding the wooden steps.
- g) The locks have been changed on the Recreation Ground toilets, to lock at 5.30pm.
90) SKATE PARK
The Parish Council have received one tender for a new skate park. Coun.Rattlidge would like to hold a Skate Park meeting to discuss the tender received in more detail. A meeting will be held on Tuesday 29th October at the Mill Centre at 7pm. Action – Clerk to email all Councillors the tender documents and reply to company to let them know the Parish Council will be holding a meeting to go through the tender as it is quite an extensive tender document.
91) FINANCE & PERSONNEL – Parish Clerk
Balance No. £ 32,913.63
MCMC – Reimbursement for electricity £ 9.89
Mill Centre – Rent £ 55.00
TDC – Precept Payment for second half of 2024/2025 £ 36,646.00
Balance £ 69,624.52
Invoices Received and Approved: £ 4,630.24
Balance: £ 64,994.28
Reserve Account Balance £ 195,767.54
£ 260,761.82
Items to discuss:
- a) Approval of Parish Council’s Annual Insurance
RESOLUTION: It was proposed, seconded and agreed unanimously to approve the Insurance Renewal at a premium of a three year fixed price at £4,262.04 as quoted by Hiscox Insurance Company Limited.
92) KERSWELLA CARE
81 visits were made to medical appointments in September.
A grief Café will be held on Wednesday 2nd October 2024 after 2pm at the Hub.
Digital Drop-in will be held on Wednesday 9th October 2024 from 10.30am at the Hub.
The Renegades will be in the Hub from 1.30pm on Wednesday 9th October 2024.
The Moorland Hotel, lunch out will be held on Monday 14th October 2024, pick up at Hub at 11.30am and return 2.30-3pm. There is a £5.00 charge towards transport.
Friday 25th October 2024 – Free lunch from 12pm to 2pm.
93) REMEMBRANCE SERVICE SUNDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2024
The Parish Clerk will order the Poppy wreath.
94) HIGHWAYS & RIGHTS OF WAY
- Smith is still waiting for one more quote for the VASS.
- Biltor Road and Conniford Lane have been resurfaced.
- Footpath 12 will have works carried out in the next couple of months.
95) PUBLIC QUESTION TIME – No comments
96) To note the date of the next PC meeting: Tuesday 5th November 2024 at 7.15pm
Meeting Closed at 21.29pm.