MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SHEPTON MONTAGUE PARISH COUNCIL HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL, SHEPTON MONTAGUE ON THURSDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 2017 AT 7.30pm (Draft minutes for approval at the next meeting.) Present: Paul Williams (acting chair), Richard Reed, Andrew Wiley, Janet Robinson, Margaret Hill (Clerk). 1. Apologies for absence: were received from Richard Ellis (currently abroad), and Anna Groskop, County Councillor. 2. Declarations of Interest: None 3. Minutes of last meeting: were signed as a correct record. 4. Matters Arising: · Traffic through village: the clerk had not yet followed this up with Colin Fletcher’s successor. Action: Clerk to follow up. · Proposed change of access at Hadspen Estate. The letter of support was sent to Planning on 26.7.17. Notification has since been received that a Planning Application no: 17/04130/S73 has been submitted and Parish Council comments invited. Action: Clerk will check that the proposal is the same as outlined at the last meeting and, if so, will respond to the Planning Dept. referring them to our letter of 26.7.17 in support of this proposal. 5. Planning application no. 17/04044/FUL Construction of elevated pedestrian walkway within existing woodland at Hadspen House. Council considered the plans and drawings submitted and concluded that there were no objections to the proposal. Action: Clerk to return this comment to Planning Dept. 6. Grove Cross junction: Paul Williams and Janet Robinson had attended a meeting on 19th October organised by Pitcombe Parish Council to discuss the urgent need for improvements at the intersection of the A371 and A359. The meeting had been called to establish if there was consensus among attendees for taking action to improve the safety of the junction. Representatives from local Parish, Town, District and County Councils were in attendance as well as from Haynes Motor Museum, Emily Estates, Avon and Somerset Police and County Highways. Paul Williams explained that the meeting had concluded that, after considering various options and associated costs, the best way forward for improving the junction was to stagger it. Anna Groskop (County Councillor) requested that all attendees wrote a letter stating their support of improvements to Grove Cross with details of any financial contribution they were prepared to make towards the costs. Letters to be sent to Pitcombe Parish Clerk with copies to David Warburton MP, Nick Weeks, Chair of Area East Committee and County Highways. (More detailed notes from the meeting are in the appendix to these minutes.) Members agreed to send a letter of support and to pledge £100, subject to receiving details of the use of the funds, to demonstrate the commitment of the 9.11.17 Page 1 of 8 Parish Council. In addition, residents should be asked, via the village website, to ensure that all accidents and near-misses at Grove Cross are reported to the police in order to ensure that all accident data accurately reflects the situation on the ground. Action: Clerk to send letter to Pitcombe Parish Clerk, and also place request on village website. 7. Community transport: A letter had been received from SSDC regarding the future of the South Somerset Community Accessible Transport Scheme (SSCAT) and asking for help in funding it, through the precept. Members felt that this service was little used in Shepton Montague and we are too small a Parish to bear such additional cost on the rates. 8. Somerset Fingerpost Restoration Project: The clerk had already circulated information about this project, the aim of which is for local authorities to work with the community to restore these landmarks and return them to their former glory. Somerset County Council and the Southwest Heritage Trust have produced a handbook to provide all the information required to enable Parishes and community groups to decide if they would like to take part in the project. (Full details can be viewed at: www.somerset.gov.uk/policies-and- plans/schemes-and-initiatives/somersetfingerpost-restoration-project/ ) Members agreed to take the first step in the project, which is to survey all the fingerposts in the parish and to enter the required information into the Survey App. Action: Andrew Wiley volunteered to download the App and report back. Somerset County Council will be offering all volunteers ‘Highway Safety Awareness Training’ in the form of a half day local workshop. Only volunteers who have successfully completed this workshop will be allowed to carry out cleaning and painting work on fingerposts. The clerk had already expressed the interest of the Parish Council and requested dates and details of this training, when they are available. Should members of the parish wish to become involved with this project then please email: [email protected] and let the Parish Clerk know as well ([email protected]). It was noted that there is no funding available for this restoration work. 9. FINANCE: Budget for 2018-19 and setting of Precept: Members considered the accounts for 2017-18 (see below). Total expenditure for the financial year ending March 2018 is expected to be approximately £2,100 and there will be just under £3,000 carried forward to 2018/19. The budget for 2018/19 is very similar, totalling just under £2,000. Members therefore decided to maintain the precept at the existing level of £1,935. A cheque was signed to Mr. Hibberd in settlement of his invoice for £750 for churchyard maintenance for the year. It was agreed that the work had been done well and his services should be engaged again for 2018/19. Action: Clerk to send off cheque and letter thanking Mr Hibberd. 9.11.17 Page 2 of 8 INCOME 2017/18 Bal B/F £3,155.19 Precept £1,935.00 Govt grant £ 10.00 Total Income £5,100.19 EXPENDITURE 2017/18 Budget SALC £ 55.00 £ 55.00 o/s Village Hall £ 100.00 £ 100.00 o/s CAB £ 20.00 £ 20.00 o/s Clerk £ 495.00 £ 495.00 o/s Insurance £ 275.00 £ 257.60 Audit Churchyard maintenance/mowing £ 750.00 £ 750.00 Slabs for grit bin £ 10.74 Adoption of BT phone box £ 1.00 Donation to Village Hall (acoustic improvements) £ 200.00 Purchase of salt/grit bin £ 300.00 £ 225.80 Total expenditure £1,995.00 £2,115.14 Income minus expenditure £3,105.19 £2,985.05 10.Correspondence: · Salt/grit for parish bins: District Council will replenish the salt/grit bins as required. The 4 older bins need checking to see if the salt/grit within them is still useable. The fifth bin is new so will need filling. Action: Paul Williams agreed to check the 4 bins and let the clerk know so she can advise District. Paul will also collect the offered sacks from the depot on 25th November. · Christmas tree re-cycling: It was felt that a re-cycling compound was unnecessary. 11. a.o.b: Richard Reed reported that several of the drains are blocked on the main road through the village, right from the Montague Inn to the junction with the A371. Action: Clerk to request drain clearance. 12. Open discussion There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.31pm. Chairman ___________________________ Date________________ 9.11.17 Page 3 of 8 APPENDIX Improving the Grove Cross Junction Meeting notes 19/10/2017 Present: John Knight – Chair (Pitcombe Parish Council), Mark Blissett (Somerset County Council Highways), Les Cheesman (North Cadbury and Yarlington Parish Council), Lucy Comer (Pitcombe Parish Council), Caroline Donald (Pitcombe Parish Council), Anna Groskop (County Councillor), Chris Haynes (Haynes Motor Museum), James Hood (Bruton Town Council), Ewan Jones (Bruton Town Council), Kerry Jones (Somerset County Council Highways), Sara Lackford (Haynes Motor Museum), Mike Lewis (County Councillor), Barry Moorhouse (Castle Cary Town Council), Pek Peppin (Castle Cary Town Council), Janet Robinson (Shepton Montague Parish Council), Paul Rawson (Emily Estates), Sue Seager (Emily Estates), PC Sara Stephenson (Avon and Somerset Police), Alan Wells (Pitcombe Parish Council), Paul Williams (Shepton Montague Parish Council). Clerk: Zöe Godden The meeting began at 13:00. * Note: The order of business varied slightly from the published agenda. These notes are presented in the order in which matters were addressed but please note that all the aspects of the agenda were covered. · Introductions – John Knight welcomed everyone to the meeting and all attendees introduced themselves. · Aim of Meeting - Consensus and Ownership of the proposed project – John Knight explained that the reason for the meeting was to establish if there was consensus among attendees for taking action to improve the dangerous junction at Grove Cross. John said that Pitcombe Parish Council was happy to drive an improvement project as the junction was located in the Parish of Pitcombe but that, as a very small Parish, Pitcombe needed other stakeholders to get behind any improvement project. John asked attendees to indicate whether they agreed that action was needed at Grove Cross and if they supported the idea of driving improvements. Paul Williams (Shepton Montague Parish Council) – Agreed that the junction was dangerous and supported any improvements. Les Cheesman (North Cadbury and Yarlington Parish Council) – Agreed that there were many accidents and near misses at the junction and added that North Cadbury and Yarlington was also seeking a reduction in the speed limit to 40mph on the A359 towards Haynes Motor Museum. 9.11.17 Page 4 of 8 Mike Lewis (County Councillor) – Said that a Small Improvement Scheme application may be submitted for the A371. James Hood (Bruton Town Council) - Said that Bruton wanted more information before giving support to any project. Bruton would not want to see the A359 becoming a more major road or to see more traffic directed through Bruton town.