SOUTH PERROTT PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 10 th November 2022 at 7.30pm the Village Hall
Present: Cllr Jonathan Baker, Cllr Yvonne Harris, Cllr Tom Scott-Malden, Cllr Gill Denny In Attendance: Jane Thicknesse, Clerk, and 6 members of the public.
The meeting scheduled for Thursday 8 th September 2022 was cancelled due to the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II
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Item No. |
Action |
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Public discussion of items on agenda A resident raised an issue about the state of Pipplepen Lane (see Agenda Item 2022/056) |
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2022/054 |
Apologies / Declarations of interest / grant of dispensations Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr Bavalant Barber and PCSO Alex Bishop. Declaration of Interest – Cllr Harris Agenda Item 6b. |
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2022/055 |
Approval of Minutes of meeting held on 21 st July 2022 The minutes of the last meeting were approved, and were signed by the Chairman. Proposed by Cllr Scott-Malden and seconded by Cllr Denny. |
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2022/056 |
Matters arising from Minutes of meeting held on 26 th May 2022
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Clerk
Clerk
Clerk |
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2022/057 |
Update on The Pound Project The Chairman reported that The Pound project was nearly complete. Trees had been pollarded, the noticeboard moved and the lectern/plinth installed. The final things to be done are installation of the new bench and relocation of the rubbish bin. It was agreed that the work had hugely improved the appearance and the area now seemed much bigger and tidier. The Chairman expressed his thanks to Michael Stevenette for his foresight, sponsorship and determination with this project and also to Terence Wybrow for all his hard work. |
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2022/058 |
Wall in Manor Close Since the last meeting Paul Thomas, Building Control, Dorset Council has visited the site to discuss possibilities with the Cllr Baker, Cllr Scott-Malden and the Clerk. Due to ownership not being known, various utilities bordering the wall, the difficulty of access and prohibitive expense of a stonemason, the decision/advice was for the Parish Council to reinforce/make safe the wall themselves by installing 2 wooden panels supported by concrete posts. It was suggested that an alternative (and permanent) solution would be to take the whole wall down and sell the stone to cover the cost of the work. This was decided against and the Council proposed to spend up to £400 to make safe the wall. Proposed Cllr Baker, seconded Cllr Denny and unanimously approved. A date for the work is to be decided and volunteers to help with the work will be sought. |
Chairman/ Cllr Scott-Malden |
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2022/059 |
Planning Matters a. Applications handled since last meeting b. Decisions notified by DC since last meeting c. New applications to be considered d. Tree applications since last meeting e. Other Planning Matters i. WD/D/20/001708 – Coach and Horses Cllr Harris left the meeting for the duration of this agenda item The Clerk reported that the appeal against the planning decision had been lodged on 23 August and will be decided by written representations. Following advice from Dorset Council, SPPC submitted a brief comment requesting that the appeal be dismissed for the reasons set out in its objections to the planning application. To date no decision has been made and there is no indication of how long the process will take. |
Clerk |
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2022/060 |
Reports from Dorset Councillor, Police Officer, River Warden and Footpaths Officer a. River Warden Following the heatwave conditions in the Summer, the Autumn has been mild but wet. This has not caused any problems, apart from where gulleys blocked by Autumn leaf fall have resulted in minor localised flooding. The dip in the A356 towards Crewkerne being one example. We were fortunate to have a visit from the Dorset Council Highways Maintenance Team at the end of the Summer, who spent time in Picket Lane clearing the gulleys of vegetation. Reservoir Update – Ryan Lloyd, Project Engineer at South Perrott Reservoir, has reported as follows:- “The construction work on the spillway, which includes topsoil and seeding to the trafficked areas, has now been completed, (see photo) and the site was vacated on 4 November. The bridleway closure will remain in place over the winter to allow grass establishment, and to prevent damage to the recently reinstated ground during this wetter period. Our contractor will return in the Spring to remove the temporary fencing to restore full access to the site and the Millennium Green. As this will be the last Reservoir Update, the Environment Agency would like to thank, once again, the local community for their patience and support for this important project.” Martyn Gillingham Tel: 891931 , Email:mcvgillingham@btinternet.com b. Footpaths Officer In my September update I commented on the drought conditions that had prevailed since early August. The footpaths had hardened and cracked, and the River Parrett had dried up completely. Now, unbelievably, it hasn’t stopped raining for a number of weeks and it’s frequently torrential! As a result, the footpaths are soft, muddy and slippery again and the River Parrett is now flowing freely. Langmoor Lane – erosion of the banks has been an ongoing problem for over a year. The Council’s Senior Ranger inspected the Lane earlier in the year and agreed that restoration work was required. In mid-September a local resident reported that part of the bank had collapsed about 50 yards up the lane from the coffin bridge towards Mosterton. This made the path at this point very dangerous to walk. The Clerk reported it to the Rights of Way team at Dorset Council on 23/09/22, with the expectation that they will come and repair it. To date this has not happened and I followed it up again this week and will continue to do so until it’s repaired. The Parrett Trail/Bailey’s Lane – The EA have completed the work on the Flood Improvement Scheme but the Bridleway will remain closed until next spring and part of the Millennium Green (MG) will also remain fenced off until then. The MG can no longer be accessed via the Engineers Road. The footpath which forms part of the Parrett Trail can be accessed either via the river or the permissive path across Ian Neal’s field. The EA have kindly put chippings on the wooden steps at the MG end, where they had sunk and were dangerous. The footpath then continues across the MG and is exited by the stile and then continues up to Chedington. Please continue to enjoy our beautiful countryside and remember to always observe the Countryside Code. Sue Coutanche SP Footpath Officer c. PCSO A local male has been sentenced following a conviction for sexual offences. The Judge sentenced him with a 3 year community order, with conditions to complete up to 60 rehabilitation activity days and a 3 month electronically monitored curfew. He was also issued a 5 year Criminal Behaviour Order not to own, possess, or look after any dog, unless whilst in company with the dog’s owner and a 5 year sexual harm prevention order. Whilst there have not been any locally, we have seen 3 Land Rovers stolen (one was recovered with parts stolen) across the Bridport Section in the last couple of months. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us, at the time, on 101. Call 999 if you believe a crime is in progress. Apologies for having to miss my last engagement at the village coffee morning. My next attendance is on Saturday 19th November at 9.30. PCSO Alex Bishop d. Dorset Councillor |
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2022/061 |
Review and Adoption of SPPC Policies Prior to the meeting the Clerk had circulated copies of the proposed South Perrott Parish Council Standing Orders. After a brief discussion they were adopted, proposed by Cllr Scott-Malden, seconded by Cllr Baker. A copy will be placed on the website and it and will be reviewed annually. South Perrott Parish Council Data Protection and Data Privacy Policies will be reviewed at the next meeting – copies will be circulated prior to the meeting. |
Clerk |
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2022/062 |
Highways Nothing further to 2022/056 |
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2022/063 |
Correspondence Following discussion it was decided to remove Correspondence as a regular agenda item for future meetings. The Clerk will reinstate as necessary. |
Clerk |
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2022/064 |
Finance a. Financial Status Payments made since 14 th July 2022
Income since 14th July 2022
New cheques/payments for consideration
Bank balance as at 10th November 2022 £6424.52 b. Audit The Clerk reported that the audit had for 2021-22 had concluded with no discrepancies and no recommendations. The annual accounts for 2021-22 can be found on the SPPC website. The Clerk reported that the audit for 2021-22 had concluded with no discrepancies and no recommendations. The annual accounts for 2021-22 can be found on the SPPC website. c. 2023-24 Budget/Precept The Clerk agreed to circulate the first draft of the budget and suggested that it should be looked at again once Dorset Council had provided the tax base so that the effect on the precept could be studied closely. A final draft will be provided before the January 2023 meeting when the budget must be approved and precept request submitted to Dorset Council. d. Village Christmas Tree e. Donation from the Flower and Produce Group |
Chairman/ Cllr Scott- Malden/Clerk All |
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2022/065 |
Matters of report and items for the next meeting a. Chairman i. Dorset Council – Working Together The Chairman reported that there is a new initiative to produce a ‘Working Together’ document to clarify the relationship between parishes and towns and Dorset Council. A copy of the draft proposal and timeline for development can be found on the SPPC website. ii. Banking iii. Change of Day and Time for Future Meetings Proposed Cllr Scott-Malden, seconded Cllr Denny and unanimously approved. b. Clerk c. Members |
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2022/066 |
Dates of Future Meetings Tuesday 10 January 2023 at 6.30pm Tuesday 14 March Tuesday 9 May Tuesday 11 July Tuesday 12 September Tuesday 14 November The meeting closed at 8.57pm |
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Public Session to raise items for future agendas |