Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
Held on Wednesday 9 November 2005 at 7.30pm
In the Meeting Point, High Bickington

Present:
Myc Riggulsford (Chairman), Roger Bickley, David Brown, Stella Burrows, Roger Keen, Mike Leatham, Peter Tucker

In attendance:
Mr John Rawlinson - County Councillor 5 Members of the public Mrs Di Carter - Clerk

1. Apologies for absence.
   Apologies were received from Stan Parker and David Venner.

2. Matters Raised by the Public
   A concern was raised about a planning application considered by the Parish Council at their additional meeting on 26 October without consultation with the public and the conflicting dates given for responses from the Parish Council and the public. This matter would be dealt with under Planning issues.

3. Minutes of the Parish Council meetings held on:
   

   1. 12 October 2005.
      The minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2005 were accepted and adopted by the Council. The Chairman signed the minutes.

   2. 26 October 2005
      The minutes of the additional meeting held to consider applications for the councillor vacancy and to deal with planning applications which, due to time constraints, required decisions before the meeting on 12 October. The minutes of this meeting were accepted and adopted by the Council. The Chairman signed the minutes.

4. Matters Arising from the Minutes of the meetings held on 12 and 26 October 2005.
   

   1. To ratify the co-option of Mr Roger Bickley to the Council. The Chairman welcomed Roger Bickley and said he felt sure he would be a great asset. In turn Mr Bickley thanked Councillors for their vote of confidence and he looked forward to serving the Council and High Bickington. Mr Bickley signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

   The Chairman welcomed Mr John Rawlinson to the meeting and invited him to address the meeting.

   Mr Rawlinson reported that it has been agreed to provide a zebra crossing to replace the traffic calming at Fountain Fields.

   Repairs will be carried out on the road between Week Cross and the village before March with surface dressing being planned after March.

   Resurfacing the road through the village is on the priority list for next year.

   Mr Rawlinson reported that the settlement from Government for Devon is unsatisfactory yet again and will inevitably result in cuts to services being required. Mr Rawlinson has the portfolio for adult services and in order to continue with the present level of service an increase of 3% in council tax would be required which would not be acceptable, and there will have to be cuts in the service and staff levels.

   Peter Tucker queried the decision to award the provision of care services to one company. Mr Rawlinson said that in awarding this contract quality of service was taken into account more than cost of service. However, the decision has resulted in a financial saving as well as, it is hoped, an improvement in the quality of service. The contract will be reviewed on an annual basis.

   Mr Rawlinson confirmed that Devon is at the bottom of the league for settlements to County Councils with no account apparently being taken of the cost of providing services in rural areas.

   From next year in addition to 5-8 year olds, 8-11 year olds will also be receiving free school transport if they live more than 2 miles from the school. The qualifying distance for 11-16 year olds is 3 miles.

   Councillors expressed their support for the new Chief Executive of Torridge District Council, Mr John van de Laarschot. Torridge has now been awarded 1 star.

   The Chairman thanked Mr Rawlinson for attending the meeting. Mr Rawlinson left the meeting.

5. Police Matters
   PC Hagan had e-mailed the Clerk and reported few incidents in the village. He had visited the village on 3 November to conduct speed checks. The results showed that between 3pm and 4pm 59 vehicles travelled through the village from Libbaton at less than 30mph, 27 at 30mph and 2 at 32mph. The Clerk was asked to pass this information on to the resident who had raised the question of speeding vehicles through the village.

   The Clerk was asked to convey concerns to PC Hagan about vehicles parking on the pavements in North Road, particularly at night, causing problems for pedestrians.

   The Chairman read a letter from A/Chief Inspector P Davies in response to the Parish Council's letter. In this letter he agrees to look into the possibility of setting up a police surgery for High Bickington.

   Following concerns expressed about the annual rise in the police proportion of the council tax, the Chairman agreed to keep this matter in mind but did not feel it appropriate to raise this matter at the present time.

6. Parish Plans
   

   1. November update. In David Venner's absence David Brown presented the November update and reported on the Exhibition held on 29/30th October. Most of those visiting the exhibition expressed their approval of the new plans but there were a few who expressed concern. 6 new members of the CPT were gained from those visiting the exhibition.

   2. Community Directory - This has now been printed and David Brown expressed thanks to David Venner and the village postman for delivering them.

   3. Sports and recreation survey. Anyone wishing to complete these forms can still do so by obtaining a copy from David Venner. The application for grant funding has been submitted to Sport England.

   4. Public Inquiry - the final draft of the Parish Council case to be presented to the Inquiry has been prepared and will be circulated in the Councillors' folder. It is hoped the Inquiry will be held in the village. Dates are 17th, 18th and 19th January. Members of the public can attend the Inquiry. Peter Tucker expressed concern that there would not be a pre-Inquiry meeting, it is up to the Inspector how the Inquiry will be conducted but it was hoped that residents would not be precluded from putting forward their points of view. Any available details of the Inquiry will be published in Ramblings and the Chairman asked David Brown to keep the Council informed of developments.

   5. The County Council has paid for a feasibility study of the sewage situation and capacity is acceptable but there is a need for work to be carried out to cope with the storm water, the estimated cost of this work is £100,000.

7. Barton Meadow
   

   1. Village Hall site. Mike Leatham circulated a paper on the hall site at Barton Meadow. He was concerned that a decision on the way forward has not been reached. It is felt that for a variety of reasons the site is not suitable for a hall. If the Little Bickington Farm plans go ahead it will be necessary to raise funds to provide a hall on that site. In order to obtain funding partners it would be essential for the Parish Council to contribute and the sale of the Barton Meadow hall site would provide this funding. If the Little Bickington Farm plans do not go ahead there will still be a new school and there will be a need for the hall to be built somewhere. £100,000 has already been provided for this purpose from the Fountain Fields 106 agreement.
      Mike Leatham said he would like to get to the stage whereby the Parish Council gives the CPT the authority to talk to Pearce about the future of the site and give them permission to put in an outline planning application subject to 2 conditions:

      1. That the Parish Council asks the CPT to ensure they get the best valuation for the site.

      2. The Parish Council will retain the final decision as the owners of the site.

      Peter Tucker felt that before a decision was made it was necessary to obtain the following information:

      1. The actual area of the site available

      2. The area required for a suitable hall

      3. The area required for parking requirements for the hall

      4. Any other areas that will be required to service the hall.

      The Chairman felt that the strip of land sold to the Parish Council by Mrs Harpun should not be included in the discussions with Pearce and this should be dealt with separately with proceeds going to the Parish Council. Any proceeds from the sale of the site would be handed to the CPT in order to avoid additional audit fees for the Parish Council. The CPT acts as the agents of the Parish Council regarding the Little Bickington Farm project. Decision: It was agreed that before a decision on the future of the hall site is made an investigation will be carried out to obtain the information listed in (i) to (iv) above.

   2. Barton Meadow Recreational Play Area.
      Peter Tucker felt that the Committee has succeeded in providing a very successful play area but as the Parish Council owned the land the Committee should provide quotes and plans as required for audit purposes before any further work is undertaken. The Committee plans to plant some trees and the terms of the planning permission state that Torridge District Council has to agree to the planting plans. The Committee was asked to obtain 2-3 quotes for the purchase of the trees and provide a planting plan for the Parish Council to approve before taking the matter further. An invoice has been presented to the Parish Council for the provision of tarmac surfacing at a cost of �1,125.00 plus VAT. Councillors present agreed that this payment be approved. David Brown reported some apparent problems with the tarmac. Roger Bickley agreed to act as the liaison Parish Councillor for the Barton Meadow Recreational Area Committee. The Committee was asked to keep the Parish Council informed of any change in the plans for the Committee.

8. Matters Raised by the Chairman
   The Chairman raised concerns that more residents had not completed the sports and recreation survey forms and urged everyone to do so. The Clerk had obtained details of low flying civilian and military aircraft criteria. Before further action is taken it was agreed that details of complaints be obtained. The Village Christmas Fayre will be held on Sunday 27 November in Poplar Terrace from 5pm - 8pm. An official road closure has been obtained from the relevant authorities.

9. Maintenance
   

   1. Highways.
      Large potholes have appeared at the bottom of Leigh Hill as a result of heavy lorries using the road. The Clerk was asked to ascertain when repairs are likely to be carried out at Langridgeford Lane. It was felt that a camper van reported as being abandoned may be parked on private land. A blocked gulley was reported between Woodrow Farm and White Bridge House. Pavements: The Clerk reported that Highways have said they are not able to replace the bollard in the High Street on the resident-owned pavement. It was pointed out, however, that the bollard would replace the previous one which was on the road. The Clerk will follow this up. It was agreed that residents should be informed of their responsibility with regard to the pavements and to check that they have public liability insurance cover.

   2. Footpaths and byways - there was nothing to report.

10. Finance
    

    1. Accounts as at 31 October 2005. The Chairman presented the accounts as at 31 October 2005. Councillors unanimously agreed to approve the September cheque payment to the Clerk. Mike Leatham declared an interest in Ramblings and did not take part in the decision, unanimously agreed by Councillors eligible to vote, on the payment of £5.83 to Ramblings. An additional cheque to TKB Tucker for £1,321.87 (incl VAT) for tarmac work at Barton Meadow was approved.

    2. Clerk's Salary
       The Clerk left the meeting whilst this item was discussed. Decision: Councillors wished to thank the Clerk for her work during the past year. It was unanimously agreed by Councillors present that as from 1 May 2006 the Clerk's salary will be: Spinal point 18 (increase of 1 spinal point) plus estimated 2.7% annual increment = £1,875.10 p.a. = £156.26 per month.

    3. Budget 2006/07.
       Subject to £300 being allowed for surfacing work to the car park, an increase in the amount paid as grants of £40 and £1,000 being allowed for election costs it was agreed that the budget be approved as presented. Decision: Proposed by Peter Tucker and seconded by Mike Leatham Councillors present agreed that the precept for 2006/07 be set at 15%, ie £6,641. It was further agreed that residents should be made aware of the reasons for the increase of 15% in the precept which was due largely to the introduction of election charges by Torridge District Council which had a significant impact on the Council. Cum page 497

    4. Honorariums
       The Clerk reported that she has written to the Inland Revenue again and a reply is awaited.

11. Planning
    

    1. Planning applications considered at the additional Parish Council meeting held on 26 October 2005:
       These were as reported in the minutes of the meeting. Plans were on display at this meeting and decisions reported. A resident expressed concern about the impact the retrospective application which the Parish Council supported for kennels at White Bridge House would have on his property with regard to noise. He was unhappy that this application had been considered by the Parish Council without public consultation. David Brown explained that the Parish Council did not have any legal obligation to consult with the public, this obligation is with Torridge District Council. High Bickington Parish Council did so out of courtesy in order to receive any local concerns before making their recommendations to Torridge District Council. However, due to time constraints this was not always possible and decisions are sometimes made by the Planning Committee; these decisions are then ratified by the full Council. Residents can inform Torridge District Council directly in writing of any objections to applications.

    2. Planning applications received before the meeting:
       1/1978/2005/COU New kennel block consisting of 10 no. kennel cubicles, office, store, toilet, wet (shower) area and covered walkway.
       White Bridge House, High Bickington
       Mrs S E Teenan
       Following a discussion the Clerk was asked to write to Torridge District Council stating that there was concern that the plans as submitted contain insufficient information to allow the Council to know whether this application is a replacement for, or an addition to, the retrospective application for kennels already in use. They would also like information on the following:
       

       1. Number of dogs to be accommodated

       2. Soundproofing facilities

       3. Security

    3. Certificate of Lawfulness - additional ancillary domestic accommodation.
       Southwood Farm, High Bickington
       The Council is being asked to confirm the accuracy of the statements being made to establish whether the development is lawful. Following a discussion it was agreed to respond as follows: The Council has no knowledge which would cast doubt on the statements made.

    4. Planning decisions:
       There were no planning decisions.

    5. Proposed Biomass Power Station, Winkleigh Airfield. There was no further information available on this application.

    6. TDC Planning Seminar - 17 November 2005. David Brown, Stella Burrows, the Clerk and Roger Bickley, if able, will attend.

12. Correspondence
    

    1. A letter from Mr John van de Laarschot was read to the meeting.

    2. North Devon District Council - submission draft Statement of Community Involvement - invitation to comment - in circulation pack.

    3. Letters of thanks for grants were received from The Meeting Point and High Bickington Pre-School.

    4. West County Ambulance Service - response to letter from Parish Council regarding location of addresses and an invitation to attend the control centre - in circulation pack.

    5. BT - letter informing the Parish Council that plans to remove the payphone at Ebberley Arms have been cancelled.

    6. DCC - Parish Lengthsmen Scheme - monitoring forms - in circulation pack.

    7. Devon Woodland Competition - details handed to David Brown.

13. Outstanding matters.
    There were no outstanding matters.

14. Items for information
    Stella Burrows reported on a meeting she and Councillor Rawlinson had attended regarding Adult and Community Learning. The scope of the programme is being broadened but will be subject to available funding.

15. Date of next meeting
    Wednesday 14 December 2005 in the Meeting Point at 7.30pm

    There being no further business the meeting closed at 10.05pm.