Chapel Allerton Parish Council Clerk: Miss Caroline Harris, Westlake Cottage, Moorland Street, Axbridge, Somerset, BS26 2BA Tel: 07857 788079 E-mail: chapelallertonparishclerk@yahoo,com
Minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting on Monday 8th April 2019 at the Old School Room Stone Allerton
Present: Cllrs Torrens-Spence (in the Chair), Duggan- Rees, Filmer, Denbee
17 parishioners attended and the clerk, Caroline Harris
Emma Chorley, planning officer from Sedgemoor District Council
Apologies for absence: Cllr Wallach
Minutes of meeting held on the 30th April 2018 were read and agreed as a correct record of the meeting.
County report – Cllr Bob Filmer made the following points: • Last 12 month have been challenging due to financial pressures including Revenue Support Grant being replaced and 2/3 of the total budget being spent social care. This had left less than £40,000,000 to pay for everything else and resulted in an overspend of £19,000,000. The Council has however made significant savings and 90% of savings targets have been met resulting in an underspend of £1,000,000 allowing the re-building of reserves to begin. Budget for Children’s Services has been increased from £65 million to £85 million • The way libraries are provided has been changing and Cheddar is a local example of a library being run by volunteers and functioning as a community hub • The Council has been working closely with Taunton Musgrove Hospital and central Government advisors to improve patient outcomes. Delayed discharge cases are down by 70%. • Ongoing unitary authority ‘conversations’ between District and County Councils. • Somerset Rivers Authority have been set up and are doing a lot of flood prevention and maintenance work. Dredging has been taking place of the river Parrett and Axbridge area rivers are still to be dredged. • Aims to reduce use of single use plastics and increase the scope of kerb-side collections for residents in Sedgemoor. There will also be a change-over to burning rubbish to generate power and discontinue using landfill • Ways to improve flooding problem ‘hot spots’ in Allerton areas are being investigated • County have agreed to carry out speed checks along Top Road
New Village Design Statement presentation by Emma Chorley • A Village Design Statement (VDS) is one of the tools used for neighbourhood planning. This should be an illustrated document stating what makes the area unique and special, eg Roof tiles, window style, walls etc. • The updated version for our villages needs to address concerns and key issues and be clear and reasonable in what it seeks to achieve. Needs to reflect the community as-a-whole and be useable in practice. Needs to aim to give clear and unambiguous advice and guidance on how to retain and enhance distinctiveness of the area. • Important to project manage the process strongly. To come up with draft objectives. To have a key team of people with designated roles. It is a lengthy process (typically 18 months) to draft a VDS, it is a good plan to start with informal community engagement to learn what is important to the community. At least 2 rounds of consultation should be done. Good to encourage people to get involved so the community has ‘bought into the plan’ once drafted. • Emma leads a small team at the planning department who will be happy to give advice and help the VDS group • Unlike a neighbourhood plan there is no referendum, but the planning department will ask for objections so important it reflects most people’s opinions • It needs to be ‘deliverable’ and compatible with district and national guidance and realistic. • Reassurance given that the core planning strategy is very strict and the other ‘tier’ areas are a priority for development. Consultation has however shown that there is demand in countryside designated areas for a small amount of infill and development for local people. • Advised the meeting that planning works best collaboratively • The new VDS can cover other areas such as Weare. Designated area needs agreement with outside boundaries.
Chair’s Report • Tribute paid to Cllr Roger Fielder – very sad loss of a village treasure. • The number of 5 councillors has been restrictive and has caused a problem of non-quorate meetings. Efforts continue to increase the number to 6 but this will be a long process, 2023 at the earliest. There will not need to be a Parish election in May as 5 councillors were nominated and these will take up office at the next parish council meeting on 13th May. • Our local District Councillor was present and although he is not standing for election, purdah prevented him speaking but thanks were given for all his previous service. • Sedgemoor have finalised the Local Plan which is available on their website. A printed excerpt about countryside areas had been provided for the meeting • Road safety issues -Problems on Top Road continue, also speeding reported in Rectory Road and on the road from Mark. • Cllr Duggan Reese has cut back the hedge on our side of the bridge which has improved viability and therefore safety, thanks were offered to him • Finance – ‘we are in the black’ by approximately £11,000. There have been several additional expenses pushed onto us as a Parish Council that are no longer funded by Sedgemoor therefore the precept will have to increase next year again. Figures were available to the meeting for the last 5 years’ precept amounts which showed that it has not been increased in that time (been decreased last 2 years) and still one of the lower precepts locally. • True speed have installed broadband in the Old School Room and this will be free of charge for ever which is very good news • Thanks were given to all the local people including Johnny, Roger, The Rambling Association, Snow wardens and Dale Plowman who do so much for the villages.
Report from Jake Dade – read by the clerk • 22 calls to police over a 12 month period (Chapel Allerton, stone Allerton, Biddisham and Lower Weare), mainly consisting of theft, burglary and domestic/assaults. • Burglaries and Thefts in 12 month period covering Axbridge, lower Weare, Wedmore and Chapel Allerton: 18 Residential burglaries 9 commercial burglaries + 2 attempted 1 distraction burglary (Only 1 Burglary in Chapel Allerton in 12 months) 2 burglaries relate to farm equipment/tools being taken.
19 Thefts have also occurred in the last 12 months 3 Involving farming machinery/equipment being taken 2 incidents involving animals being taken • Fly tipping- No reports • Drug offences in the last 12 months - one • Speeding A38 Covert speeding device set up between 6/3/19-12/3/19. Count of vehicles- 81,721 vehicles above the limit 2,701. (2.7%) Average speed- 46.2 MPH. 50 MPH limit Midweek around 2-3% and Weekends around 5% of vehicles speeding. • Parishioners questions highlighted the need for more information about local speeding. Clerk undertook to ask PCSO Dade for more detail about whereon the A38 the monitoring was done and also figures for trends to give context and present this at the next Parish Council meeting.
Meeting closed at 8.50pm Wine and nibbles were served. Caroline Harris Clerk to Chapel Alllerton Parish Council