WEST CREWKERNE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on
Tuesday 14th July 2020 via Zoom Conferencing
Members Present
Mrs Julia Borland (Chairman)
Mrs Caroline Broom
Mr D Yeomans
Mr Frank Freeman
Mr Mike Best (Somerset County
Councillor)
Mrs S. Osborne (South
Somerset District Councillor)
Also present
1 Members of the Public
Miss Jackie Parsons (Parish
Clerk)
1. The
Chairman, Vice-Chairman Joint Burial Committee members had agreed to stand for
the next year in view of the regulations coming out due to Covid 19. This was agreed by everyone at the meeting.
2. Apologies for Absence.
Roger Franklin and Frank Freeman (Parish Councillors) both were having
technical difficulties joining the meeting, although Mr Frank Freeman did join
the meeting at a later stage.
3. Public Open Forum
The one member of public had nothing to say at this stage of the
meeting.
4. Declarations of Interest in items on the
agenda (Pecuniary or non-statutory interests).
None of the Parish Councillors declared any Pecuniary or non-statutory
interest in any items on the agenda.
5. To approve the minutes of the Parish
Council Meeting held on the 10th March 2020.
The minutes were approved by the meeting and proposed for approval by Mr
D Yeoman and seconded by Mrs C Broom.
6. Matters arising from the minutes not
covered elsewhere on the Agenda.
No matters were brought up for discussion.
7. Planning Matters.
West Crewkerne Parish Council is a
Statutory Consultee for Planning Applications
and
as such does not make the final decision on any application. Any decisions and comments made by the Parish Council
will be fed into the planning process and added to the report by the Planning
Officer. South Somerset District Council
is the Planning Authority and will issue the final decision notice (Planning
Determination) once their investigations into the application, consultation
period and decision making process has been completed.
A):
20/00293/HOU The
Coach House Henley Manor Henley Cross Crewkerne TA18 8PQ, External Alterations to replace one velux
roof light and install one new velux roof light on front elevation of
dwelling. Received 30th January
2020.
Application permitted with conditions on
7th April 2020
B):
20/00423/TPO Hillside
Farm Hewish Crewkerne Somerset TA18 8QS,
Application to fell one deciduous tree as shown within the South
Somerset District Council (WECR 1) 2010 Tree Preservation Order, Woodland 5,
Confirmed 15.11.10. Received 30th
January 2020.
Application permitted with conditions 17th
March 2020
C). Fuzzy Ground and concerns
raised. Update from Councilor Best
regarding his discussions with the planning enforcement department at SSDC.
Councilor Mr Mike Best stated
that he had reported the matter to the enforcement team at the Planning
department but he had heard nothing back from them. Mr Tim Wills the enforcement officer has now
left South Somerset District Council. Mr
M Best has an executive meeting on Thursday and will try and find out the
person who has taken over the case. Mrs J Borland stated that she had seen within
the last week to ten days vehicles being removed from the site but there was
still a lot of vehicles on the site, Mr M Best (Somerset County
Council will follow the matter up. D): 20/00292/HOU The Coach House Henley Manor Henley
Cross Crewkerne TA18 8PQ, External
Alterations to replace one velux roof light with a conservation roof light and
the installation of one new conservation
roof light on front elevation of dwelling.
Received 30th January 2020.
Application permitted with conditions 7th
April 2020
E):
20/00737/HOU Batternhay Hewish Lane West Crewkerne TA18 8PU. Existing garage to be demolished and erection
of a new garage. Received 30th
March 2020
Application permitted with conditions 12th
May 2020.
8. Highway
Matters.
Planning permission having been given for the
150 houses off Lang Road, will safety improvements be put forward by Councillor
Best for Cathole Bridge Road crossroads.
Mr M Best (Somerset County Councillor) stated
that Crewkerne Town Council is taking legal advice over the decision to allow
the 150 houses off Lang Road. Also shown
on the Inspector decision document is the re-routing of a footpath on to the
road. Mr M Best stated that as far as he
was aware this did not go through planning.
Also the Inspector who approved the planning
application visited the site during lockdown.
Although there is an upgrade to the Cathole Bridge Road there is no
mention in the application of any improvements to the cross-roads, so Mr M Best
has started a dialogue with the Small Improvement Scheme team at Somerset
County Council but he has also had discussions with Somerset Highways over the
increased traffic this development is going to cause on Cathole Bridge Cross
Roads. . Mrs S
Osborne stated that the re-routing of the footpath was not presented at the
Area West meeting and the regulations Committee meeting and re-routing
footpaths is fraught with obstacles.
Roundham
Small Improvement Scheme - Work has been completed.
The scheme now needs to be evaluated and the
Chairman Mrs J Borland asked Mr D Yeomans if he would contact the Police
Inspector he had been dealing with to either set up a meeting with himself or
set up monitoring equipment to evaluate the number of vehicles going through
and the speeds at which they are travelling.
Mr D Yeomans will arrange this course of action.
Mrs J Borland stated that there had been a
lot of resurfacing work carried out on the B3165 and gullies dug out by
Somerset Highways but they have not always dug out the drains so that flooding
will still occur if the drains are blocked.
9. Reports from Councillors, including
District and County Councillors.
Mr
M Best (Somerset County Councillor) stated that Somerset County Council
Highways have received extra funding and are putting that money into the
maintenance of the roads. The Somerset
County Council is looking to get all children back to school by September this
year. The Somerset County Council is
going down the route of preparing a case to become a unitary authority and
submitting their proposals to Central Government when an approach is made to
them by Central Government. Whatever business
case is approved then they will be working probably over the next two years to
implement the plan.
Mrs S Osborne (South Somerset District Councillor)
the District Council has implemented all the Government schemes and has just
finished work on a recovery plan after Covid 19. They are also looking at entering into a
joint scheme with Devon County Council to provide electric charging points in
South Somerset District Council car parks so that the Council retains control
over the land. There are holes in the
District Council budget due to Covid-19 pandemic which the District Council is
looking at ways to make up the shortfall and the forecasts for the budget is
also probably going to drive the re-organisation of local government. Simon Fox from planning has left South Somerset
District Council and he was the lead specialist in the planning side of the
business case that the Local Councils in Somerset are working on to put forward
as an alternative to the Unitary Authority that the County Council favour. Again this plan will
be submitted to Central Government when called for by the Secretary of State. Mrs S Osborne concluded by saying that South
Somerset District Council are working extremely hard at this present time as
well as delivering Covid 19 recovery and support.
Mrs
J Borland had nothing to report. Mrs C
Broom had nothing to report. At this
point Mr F Freeman joined the meeting, having overcome his technical
difficulties and had nothing to report. Mr D Yeomans stated that the top of Stakers
Cross continues to be a dumping ground for rubbish that people do not wish to
take to the recycling centre. Mrs S
Osborne stated that Streetclean or environmental health could be asked to
install hidden CCTV cameras there for a short time to capture any
offenders. Mr D Yeomans stated he would
monitor the situation and review at a later date.
10. Finance
A) To pay:-
1.
Clerk Salary of £316.15 which includes travelling expenses. Cheque No.331
2.
HMRC - £73.00 Cheque No.330
3. Crewkerne Joint Burial Board Precept of £3170.00 Cheque No.332
4.
Annual Public Liability Insurance of £257.60.
This has already been paid.
Cheque No. 329
5. SALC Annual Subscription when received
6.Grant
to the Village Hall as agreed in the Precept of £800. Agreed by the Parish Councillors.
B) The Clerk proposes to exempt the West
Crewkerne Parish from the External
Audit. The approval of the Parish Councillors is
needed to take this course of action. Proposed for agreement by Mrs J Borland and
seconded by Mrs C Broom and agreed by all the Parish Councillors on the Zoom
meeting.
C) To approve
the Annual Governance Statement Proposed for approval of the Annual
Governance Statement by Mrs C Broom and seconded by Mr F Freeman and agreed by
all the Parish Councillors present at the Zoom meeting.
D) To approve
the Annual Receipts and Payments account for the year ended 31st
March 2020. The Annual Receipts and
Payments proposed for approval by Mrs J Borland and seconded by Mr D Yeomans and
all Parish Councillors in agreement.
E) To agree the
bank reconciliation as at 31st March 2020. Proposed for agreement by Mrs J Borland and
seconded by Mrs C Broom and all the Parish Councillors were
in agreement.
F) To approve the Annual Statement of Accounts to
31st March 2020. Proposed for
approval by Mrs C Broom and seconded by Mr F Freeman and all the Parish
Councillors were in agreement.
G) The exercise
of Public Rights to the financial records of the Parish Council will be
available from Monday 20th July 2020 to Friday 28th
August 2020. The start date had been
amended to Tuesday 21st July 2020 as the paperwork was being signed
on the 20th July by the Chairman.
H) To confirm
the appointment of the internal auditor.
Mr
M Wilson had agreed to be auditor for next year and the Parish Council thanked
him for his work this year.
11. Correspondence;
A):
Various e-mails. Coronavirus updates from various sources, Avon and Somerset
Constabulary, Somerset Waste Partnership and Rural Bulletin.
B): Broadband coverage in West Crewkerne-
what plans for completion of coverage in this area? (this question raised by a
parishioner)
Gigaclear lost the contract for the
installation of Broadband and there has been nothing since then either from
Somerset County Council or South Somerset District Council. The area of West Crewkerne which is a rural
area needs a reliable Broadband coverage.
The Chairman asked if Mr M Best could follow this up with the County
Council.
C): A query has been made regarding the siting
of a mobile home and the erection of a sign within the parish.
The Clerk was asked to write to the Planning
office at South Somerset District Council to ask whether planning permission
was needed for the siting of this mobile home and then contact the owner to
make the necessary application for planning permission.
12. To confirm
that the next meeting of the West Crewkerne Parish Council will be
held on Tuesday 8th September 2020 either by Zoom or at
Clapton & Wayford
Village Hall at 7.00pm. Confirmed that meeting will be held on the
above date.
The
Chairman stated that the village hall committee were meeting mid-august
to discuss when the hall would be
opening again.
Chairman
---------------------