ASHPRINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the PARISH COUNCIL MEETING on Thursday June 1st, 2023 at 7.30 pm held in Ashprington Village Hall.
Present ; Cllr Rogers {Chair}, Cllr.Thompson, Cllr L. Stocks, Cllr S. Paterson,
Also present: County Cllr J. Hawkins, Michael Read, Clerk. One member of the public.
- Declaration of interest in items on the agenda – None.
- Apologies; M. Pearey, Tree Warden, P Macey, P3 Co Ordinator, Cllr T. Green, Cllr K. Throgmorton, Cllr S. Greaves {Vice Chair},
- The minutes of the Parish Council meeting and Annual Meeting dated May 11th, were approved and signed.
- Matters arising from the meeting of May 11th, not on the agenda;
Double Yellow Lines Placement.
Cllr Stocks pointed out that the placement of the lines, now marked on the road surface was not as applied for by the Council being longer and more extensive. DCC Highways claim that the line needs to be longer so as to create more room for the gritter lorry to pass through pinch points in the village. Cllr Hawkins stated that conflicting advice had been given to him and that he had been advised that the lines could be reduced in length but not extended. It was agreed and voted unanimously on, that we would accept the length of the lines for now as to change the order might mean that if the gritters could not pass through the village, the parish might well have the gritting service cancelled as has happened in Cornworthy.
Up the Creek event
A written request has been received from the organizers to part fund the event on the quay near the Maltsters Arms. Cllr McKay has also received a request and is giving it due consideration. For its part, the Parish Council has not allocated any funding for this event and feels that as the event made a small profit last year the event could be self-funding. The position of Cllr McKay is unknown.
Tuckenhay Bus Shelter
Cllr Stocks reported that Tuckenhay Bus Shelter is in a bad way and needs attention. The Chair agreed to speak to Cllr Throgmorton to agree when the work can be completed.
Parking at the Coronation Plot, Tuckenhay.
Cllr Thompson reported that parking of vehicles was again becoming a problem and recently the Recycling Team were unable to access Bridge Terrace. The Clerk will write to Sarah Moody/Hayley Duffy requesting their help.
War Memorial
The Clerk has now passed the revised estimate to Cllr Throgmorton and Ian Bentlett so that a grant application to the War Memorial Trust can be made.
- P3 Report.
Nothing to report.
6.District and County Councillor Reports
District Council
Not present.
County Councillor Report
Cllr Hawkins stated that a request for grant funding would be for a maximum of £500 for this year owing to his grant being reduced by 50%. The funds might be allocated towards a plaque marking the planting of the Coronation tree and Tuckenhay Bus Shelter.
7.Tree Warden Report
The oak tree at Springbank House has now been felled.
- Planning
1291/23/HHO The Stables, Yetson. Two storey extension, garage, workshop store & plant room solar panels and removal of wall. The Council does not object to the proposal {the buildings} but felt some of the proposed materials were unsuitable.
1281/23/TCA 7 Holly Villas. Field Maple Crown and Lift. Approved SHDC.
- Correspondence
A parishioner has written to the council requesting funding for a decorative container to be placed on the verge on the ZC44 between Bow Creek and Ashprington Village. The parish agreed to donate £30 towards the cost.
- Finance.
Treasurers Account -Balance £28.606.95. Cemetery Account – £353.84, P3 Account – £487.71. A/cs Approved and Payable –N.Mallalieu – £85.28.{Defibrillator Bill}. £80.50 – Tree to mark the Kings Coronation.
- Ash Meadow Report
General maintenance is proceeding as planned with regular work parties. Thanks to all volunteers.Our technology information board on web site and Facebook are being used well and we now have a special dedicated email address which is: ashmeadowcontact@gmail.com
Easter egg hunt: Very successful event raising over £120. Intention to run in future years. Thanks to Pub for donation for Easter eggs
Unfortunately the weather affected the Coronation celebrations and we had to run the cream tea event in the Village hall but on the Monday regardless of the drizzle great fun was had by all who attended.
Future Events:
Tractor fest Plans proceeding well for the fest on 22nd July
Sports day: No decision yet as to the date for this event. Someone else might need to take on the lead task of organising as it has been the same people doing this for many years.I hope everyone agrees, that the Coronation memorial Ash tree trunk, now in its final position at the bottom entrance looks fantastic especially with all those initials of the younger members of our community carved into it. Neville has now also made two Ash posts to mount the new carved Ashmeadow sign again for the bottom gate. This area will now look very much tidier and cared for once that is in place as well. Thanks to Neville Lewis for his outstanding pieces of carving. I will be arranging a small plaque to show what we have done and why. Sophie and I have met with Julian Carnell director at Sharpham following concerns expressed to him by an unknown individual, that we were building a “BMX track” on the meadow.
We both felt this was a positive and useful meeting on site to show him that we were NOT building a BMX track. We also took the opportunity of advising him regarding our plans for the meadow by giving him a summary of our five-year plan and some notes on our activities both past and planned this year for the meadow. He did have a couple of requests, which are reasonable for a leaseholder, regarding a risk assessment for the child’s bike track and a copy of the PC’s insurance. We also explained about the tractor Fest plans and our new slide positioning.
Thanks to Simon for producing a temporary disclaimer sign which we will be producing in more permanent material soon
Equipment purchase. We have agreed to purchase our new slide and arrangements for that are proceeding. We are building the mound and the contractor will be installing the slide.
VAT Reclaim. Formal meeting notes – Mike Read, Barry Lunt and I met formally to discuss at length our purchase of the new slide and the possibility of reclaiming VAT. Unfortunately guidance from specialist concerns who advise PC’s suggests “outside bodies” are not allowed to reclaim VAT through the PC unless the full cost of the equipment is from the PC’s own resources and the order is placed by council and the invoice is paid from council funds As we are a registered CIC in our own name and hold out own bank account despite the fact that all major directors are members of the Parish Council it was still felt, whilst it is a little confusing reading, we would be considered an “outside body” and having raised our own funds we would be unable to reclaim VAT . This is disappointing but investigations for complete clarity will continue and if it is found we could claim we can do so within three years of the order being made. We have used the advice of our friendly accountant who whilst feeling we may be able to claim a refund was less than confident. If anyone knows of a skilled VAT specialist who might provide some advice pro bono please let us know. In the meantime, Chris is investigating opportunities of our CIC registering for VAT in its own right as the VAT payable on all future plans for equipment might be in the region of £4000.
Composting site
As we forecast, it is clear, and concerning, that many more homes are using the site for green waste disposal rather than paying the council. Unless the SHDC can increase their shedding visits we may not be able to cope, particularly if SHDC are not prepared to help fund for improvements we need to assist our needs. No need for action just yet, as not a huge issue so far, but we are keeping an eye on it. Thanks to Robert for pushing the pile back when it got rather large. This is however not something we should be depending on.
It is also clear some villagers are taking a bit of an advantage by depositing very heavy large sawn logs (takes to two lift) which do not burn easily on the bonfire pile and also bits of old fencing. This is not green waste and we should request villagers not to do so. This is now more necessary as following another recent complaint we do need to keep an eye on wind direction for the burning of material which cannot be shredded. If disposal of wrong material does get to be an issue this is one area we may have to refuse entirely in the future.
As no meeting of the Ash meadow committee has been held since last report for please see updated info in red.
Carry forward actions from previous minutes:
To investigate possibility of improving bottom gate disabled access. Funding for this event may prove difficult to obtain. (KL)
To investigate method for CIC to receive direct donations (BL)
Actions agreed:New tree labelling system to be actioned by Lynn and Simon. Simon has provided suitable solution to permanent labelling. Possible use of QR code to identify tree positions. Special thanks to Simon for producing some excellent labels now being used by Lynn
Proceeding with plans to build new slope for new long slide beside play hut. First load of topsoil has been delivered and we are arranging for spoil from Nigel’s build site to be delivered as soon as weather permits to avoid ground damage. To be completed a.s.a.p.
Finance: Chris is away just now – No real change of consequence since last report. We are in good shape. I will attend the meeting on Thursday evening and, with Chairs permission, be willing to discuss any matters which might arise as part of this report.
- Ashprington Village hall report.
The AGM was held on 24th May and was followed by a meeting of the committee. All officers and committee members remained the same. The Chair and the Treasurer gave their reports, both stating that the year had gone fairly well but there were areas that needed looking at. The Treasurer reported a satisfactory balance but if there was to be a major expenditure the current income would not be sufficient for the upkeep of the hall to the standard that there is at present. There was a discussion about raising the hire rental but a decision was deferred until the next meeting in October. The lawn mower needs replacing, new dishes and utensils need to be purchased and the dishwasher needs attention. Next year’s charity will be Devon Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service (also known as the Devon Blood Bikes) who are a team of volunteer riders, drivers, call handlers and fundraisers dedicated to providing a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service, supporting the NHS in delivering blood and other medical samples, equipment, medication, patient notes, donor breast milk, tissue and blood samples, to hospitals, air ambulances and other NHS establishments – and even to patients’ homes throughout DeVon., Future events were decided upon to include a Christmas Party on December 9th and an Italian night including a fun Italian themed quiz on September 16th at 7.00pm Tickets will be £15 – bring your own drink. There will also be a raffle.
Other Business/Councillors Areas of Responsibility.
Mobile Library Service
The future of the Mobile Service is under review on cost grounds. The Councillors feel that given the lack of public transport, its vital to retain the service. The Clerk, Cllr Paterson, Cllr Stocks have responded to the Review.
Information Board on Coronation Plot, Tuckenhay.
The condition of the map on the board is deteriorating. Enquiries have been made to see whether there is a second copy or whether the existing board can be preserved.
Local Elections Forms
Councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangements for delivery of various forms appertaining to the recent local elections. The Clerk agreed to write to SHDC expressing those concerns
Next Meeting – Thursday July 6th, 2023 in Ashprington Village Hall @ 7.30pm..
The meeting closed at 9.06pm.
Michael Read, Ashprington Clerk. spooks49@michaelread.plus.com Tel. 01803 732047
Download the meeting minutes in Microsoft Word format here: PC Minutes June 2023