ARLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of Arlington Parish Council held on Tuesday 12 July 2016 at the Tea Rooms, Arlington Court, Arlington at 7:30pm.

16.  Present:

Cllrs B Francis (Chair), Ms A Chylak, Mrs L Hill and R Kilburn.

In attendance:

Mr T Squire (Parish Clerk).

17.  Apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Mrs L House, Mrs J Kimberley, Cllr R Edgell (DCC).

18.  Public Consultation

None – no members of the public present.

19.  Declarations of Interest

Cllr Ms Chylak declared an interest in item 22 regarding a tree survey from the National Trust.

20.  Approval of Minutes of the meetings held on 31 May 2016 

Minute 14 was amended to read that Cllr Mrs House had tendered her apologies for being unable to attend this meeting, not Cllr Mrs Hill.

The amended minutes were agreed and signed as a true record.

21.  Matters Arising from the last meeting

Mr Mather had cut the overgrown hedges on corners. Thanks were extended to Mr Mather for his work.

22.  Highways

It was reported that lining work had been carried out in the parish, including at the top of the Wistlandpound car park.

It was reported that some sections of road were due to be resurfaced.

Cllr Kilburn reported that he had approached East Down Parish Council regarding employing a lengthsman. He would be attending their next meeting. the subject would be discussed further at the next Rural alliance meeting in October. He now had a map of drains in the area, some of which had been cleared.

It was noted that the best method of reporting blocked drains, potholes etc was via the interactive map on the DCC website. This could be found at new.devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problemParishioners were encouraged to report problems by this method. The more times that a problem was reported, the more likelihood in getting repairs being carried out. 

Cllr Ms Chylak reported that the National Trust had a strong risk assessment process in place with regard to trees, which was approved by the National Tree Safety Group.

Members of staff had received training in order for them to carry out visual surveys. Specialists were called in if considered necessary.

Areas were zoned in order of risk, based on the length of time that people spent under the trees. Trees in the visitor area, where people were likely to sit under them, were assed as high. Those along the public roads were assessed low or medium, depending on the amount of traffic. Those along the A39 were assessed as medium risk.

Surveys were carried out after strong winds, during which time some areas would be closed to the public.

It was noted that a branch had recently fallen off a Beech tree, which had not been considered a risk. Beech trees were known as sometimes shedding what appeared to be a healthy branch.

Dead trees were only felled when considered to be a risk, as they were considered a valuable habitat for wildlife. Although dead, the trees were often in a strong state for several years.

23  .Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations

Minutes of the last meeting of the committee were circulated to councillors.

Cllr Mrs Hill reported that everything had been arranged for Sunday’s celebration. She was hopeful that all the costs would be covered by the Sweetings Charity.

The number of people attending would depend on the weather, but they were catering for 150 people.

24.  Arlington Magazine

Cllr Kilburn reported that the next magazine would be the last to be produced by Mrs Roff, for health reasons. It was hoped that there may be someone willing to continue producing the magazine. The possible of joining with Kentisbury was a possible option.

Due to the uncertainty of the magazine the importance of a parish website was considered essential.

25.  Future of the Parish Council

It was agreed to obtain further information on the pros and cons of changing from a parish council to a parish meeting.

Clerk to enquire if DALC could attend a future meeting to explain the difference etc.

26.  Planning

No planning applications received.

27.  Correspondence

Items of correspondence had been circulated to councillors prior to the meeting, and were noted:

Date of next Parish Forum: 9 August, 7pm at Brynsworthy; DALC Newsletter – July 2016; Details of t5his year’s TAP Fund.

Public Consultation, until the end of July, on proposed improvements to junctions on the A361 and new three lane sections. Details of the proposed improvements, and consultation document were available on the DCC website.

28.  Reports

1.County Councillor

No report received.

2.District Councillor

No report received.

29.  Finance

1.Payments

1.Clerk’s wages and expenses   £87.38      Cheque No. 201

The account was agreed for payment.

30.  Matters Raised by the Councillors.

Cllr Kilburn reported that East Down PCC had net received the grant towards the upkeep of the churchyard. It was agreed to issue a replacement cheque for £140.Cheque No. 202

31.  Items for consideration for the next Agenda

Arlington Magazine and Website;  Future of the parish council.

32.  Date of next meeting:

Tuesday 13 September 2016, 7.30pm at Arlington Court tea Rooms.

Cllr Mrs Hill tendered her apologies for being unable to attend the next meeting.

Future meetings would be held on 8 November 2016;  10 January 2017;  14 March 2017;  9 May 2017; 

11 July 2017;  12 September 2017;  14 November 2017. 

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8:20pm.

Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chairman