SOUTH PERROTT PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 27th August 2024 in the Village Hall
Present: Cllr Tom Scott-Malden, Cllr Richard Footitt, Cllr Robin Ketteridge, Cllr Martyn Gillingham and Cllr Sue Coutanche
In Attendance: Katie Armstrong (Clerk), and 14 members of the public.
| Item No. | Action | |
| 2024/016 | APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllr Craig Monks and PCSO Alex Bishop. | |
| 2024/017 | CO-OPTION OF MEMBERS Cllr Richard thanked all people who had registered an interest in being co-opted onto the council. The council had reached a decision based on the support already given to the council and to the village over a number of years. It was proposed by Cllr Richard to co-opt Martyn Gillingham to South Perrott Parish Council. This was seconded by Cllr Tom and was AGREED unanimously. It was proposed by Cllr Richard to co-opt Sue Coutanche to South Perrott Parish Council. This was seconded by Cllr Robin and was AGREED unanimously. Cllr Martin and Cllr Sue JOINED the meeting. | |
| 2024/018 | MINUTES Addition under minute 14c – Mr Stephen Legg advised the Parish Council that he had received a government grant to create agricultural tracks on his family’s farm. He would therefore be transporting stone from Pipplepen Lane to Picket Lane in order to create an agricultural track from Picket Lane to Langmore Lane and then along the bridleway that forms part of the farm towards Mosterton. It was proposed by Cllr Tom and seconded by Cllr Robin that the amended minutes were to be approved for the 19th June 2024. They were signed by the Chair. | |
| 2024/019 | MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES AND RAISED BY MEMBERS Tree on Church Hill Work has been completed and Dorset Council planning department has been notified. The council would like to thank all the residents who helped with this project. Training Cllr Richard is to attend the planning training in September. New training dates will be offered to all councillors. Trees for the Village Council has identified some areas in the village to plant trees. The trees (various varieties) are available free from the Woodland Trust and are expected to be available in the Autumn. Volunteers will be needed to help plant the trees and also to maintain them. Residents will be updated in due course. | |
| 2024/020 | PLANNING Applications handled since last meeting P/LBC/2024/04047 This application was considered by councillors who agreed unanimously that there are no objections. It was noted that the building concerned is grade II listed and is, therefore, subject to a number of planning constraints that will negatively affect energy efficiency. Decisions notified by Dorset Council since last meeting Nothing has been received New applications to be considered Nothing has been received Tree Applications Nothing has been received Other Planning Matters WD/D/20/01708 There have been no further updates since the planning appeal was rejected on 2nd February 2024. The council requested that the Clerk contact the planning office to find out whether the enforcement notice has been complied with. | Clerk |
| 2024/021 | REPORTS FROM DORSET COUNCILLOR, POLICE OFFICER, RIVER WARDEN AND FOOTPATHS OFFICER DORSET COUNCILLOR Cllr Craig Monks is on annual leave. He can be contacted by email at cllrcraig.monks@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk . POLICE OFFICER There are no issues to report in the village and surrounding area. He will be attending the Saturday Café on the 21st September. RIVER WARDEN Council received the following report. Although, to many, the Summer has been disappointing with limited sunshine, the month of June was the 16th driest on record. However, 77% of total rainfall fell on just three days, June 15th to 18th. Groundwater levels, however, have been exceptionally high but there have been no reported incidents of flooding in South Perrott. (Martyn Gillingham) FOOTPATHS OFFICER Council received the following report. For the past month the farmers at Picket Farm have been constructing agricultural tracks as part of a government backed scheme to improve access within fields for agricultural machinery. These tracks are locally referred to as ‘Yellow Brick Roads’; although they are not ‘Rights of Way’, in places where they follow existing footpaths, including part of the middle section of Langmoor Lane bridleway, their sandstone surfaces will make walking easier. The lower section of Langmoor Lane, south of the ‘coffin’ bridge, still awaits repair as it continues to deteriorate. Following the most recent (18/06/24) correspondence from DC’s Senior Ranger (West), Stuart Semple, it seems unlikely that any funding will be available in the foreseeable future to expedite these repairs. It is time to consider other options including grants. Stuart Semple, in his last email to me, did mention that he was looking into this. Many footpaths are now very overgrown partly through lack of use due to a combination of factors, including the weather. The continuing closure of the bridleway traversing the Environment Agency’s Flood Relief Scheme is limiting access to the Parrett Trail up to Chedington. The current access is only possible via the River Parrett in Bailey’s Lane (wellies required!) or the permissive path whose future is uncertain. In correspondence with Stuart Semple, I have requested a site visit to review the condition of our local footpaths, but this has yet to be arranged. (Sue Coutanche) | |
| 2024/022 | MILLENNIUM GREEN Cllr Martin gave an update on the next steps. The legal documentation associated with the resignation of the existing Trustees and the appointment of South Perrott Parish Council as the sole Trustee is proceeding, albeit slowly! Natural England and Dorset Council have now given their consent to the proposed appointment. The Draft Deeds include an Attestation Clause, provided by Natural England’s solicitors, for signature purposes on behalf of the Parish Council. Once agreed, this clause can be used for signature purposes if the Parish Council enters into any legal documentation in the future. It was proposed by Cllr Richard to approve the wording of the Attestation Clause. This was seconded by Cllr Tom and AGREED unanimously. Cllr Tom then proposed Cllr Richard and Cllr Robin to be the authorised signatories. This was seconded by Cllr Sue and AGREED unanimously. | |
| 2024/023 | LENGTHSMAN Cllr Richard shared an idea about employing a lengthsman for around 8 hours a month to do maintenance work around the village. A few other options were discussed. This will be investigated further and added to the next meeting agenda. | Clerk |
| 2024/024 | ENVIRONMENT ISSUES a) Consider the appointment of Wardens Cllr Robin suggested that to increase participation in the community, especially by young people, this might be achieved by the creation of ‘junior wardens’ to assist with specific tasks within the Parish. The junior warden role could be to support our current wardens, or to take on other responsibilities. Cllr Robin also suggested the appointment of an Environment Warden to help oversee environmental issues within the Parish. These ideas were supported unanimously. A poster will be designed to advertise these roles and it will be posted on social media and the notice board. b) Overhanging trees and plan for verges This is a general problem and in particular at the junction of Pipplepen Lane and the A356. Although councillors will contact Dorset Council when they are made aware of issues, residents are encouraged to report issues themselves directly on the Dorset Council website. C) To consider the purchase of planters Cllr Robin suggested that planters are purchased and placed at the entrance to School Hill. These could be planted with flowers or fruit/vegetables and maintained by residents. It was proposed by Cllr Sue to purchase two planters. This was seconded by Cllr Tom and AGREED unanimously. | Cllr Robin Cllr Robin |
| 2024/025 | FINANCE a) To consider taking over maintenance of the defibrillator Cllr Martyn spoke to his report already circulated to councillors. Currently the Village Hall maintain the defibrillator from the initial funds gathered for its purchase. These funds are now nearly depleted and the Village Hall has asked the Parish Council if they would take over the maintenance of the defibrillator, as a village asset. The current service agreement is with the Heartbeat Trust at a cost of £162 a year. It was proposed by Cllr Richard to take over the service agreement at its renewal next year, building the cost into the budget for 25/26. This was seconded by Cllr Sue and AGREED unanimously. b) To approve mileage costs for the Clerk Mileage costs were circulated to councillors prior to the meeting and Councillors APPROVED this cost. c) To consider purchasing poppies and tommy silhouette for Remembrance Sunday Cllr Tom reported that poppies are £5 each and a Tommy Silhouette is £175. Council thought that this would be an appropriate investment and there was some discussion about where they might be placed in the village. In addition, Cllr Tom will source a new flag to be flown from the church tower, as the one purchased last year has been damaged by the wind and rain. It was proposed by Cllr Richard to purchase the items. This was seconded by Cllr Sue and AGREED unanimously. d) To consider purchasing a Christmas Tree It was proposed by Cllr Richard to purchase a Christmas Tree for the village. This was seconded by Cllr Robin and AGREED unanimously. Further discussion will take place as to where the tree is sited. | Cllr Richard Cllr Tom Cllr Tom |
| 2024/26 | MATTERS OF REPORT AND ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING a) Chairman First Aid Course for residents Both St. John’s Ambulance and the Red Cross have been contacted and the cost of running a course is approx. £325+VAT for 12 people. The face-to- face course lasts for 4 hours with a half-hour break. Dave McSkelly has agreed to co-ordinate names of interested residents. Cllr Richard proposed that the Parish Council subsidised the cost for residents. This was seconded by Cllr Sue and AGREED unanimously. Phone box in the pound The Clerk has reported to BT that the telephone in the Pound is no longer working. BT has a responsibility to maintain phone boxes in areas where the mobile signal is very poor. A BT engineer will visit the phone box within 5 working days to assess the problem. The Clerk was asked to monitor progress. Movement of stone from Pipplepen Lane to Picket Farm A complaint had been received from a resident about the noise of the stone being transported through the village. The Legg family had been made aware of this and are endeavouring to complete the work as soon as possible. Mr Stephen Legg advised the meeting that the stone movement will be completed this week. b) Clerk Pipplepen Solar Farm update The clerk reported that the project has been delayed until 2028. c) Members It was requested to add the following items to the next Parish Council agenda. Digital Voice EV Charger Plastic Free Community | Clerk |
| 2024/27 | DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 5th November 2024 at 7pm. |
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