Annual Parish Council Meeting – May 2023
BELSTONE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes for the Annual Meeting of Belstone Parish Council held on 15th May 2023 at Belstone Village Hall following the Annual Parish Meeting
Councillors Present:
Michael Ash (Chairman), Paul Boyce, Peter Cooper, Jon Pike, Simon Hill. Andrew Booth.
Also Present: Sally Fullwood (Clerk)
The Chairman asked the meeting to stand in memory of Pat Bray who was a member of the council for many years
2023/24-019 Election of Officers
• It was proposed by Cllr Cooper and seconded by Cllr Pike that Cllr Ash be elected as Chairman of the council for the next year. This was agreed. His Acceptance of office form was signed.
• It was proposed by Cllr Cooper and seconded by Cllr Pike that Cllr Hill be elected as Vice-Chairman of the council for the next year. This was agreed.
2023/24-020 Signing of Acceptance of Office forms
The Chairman welcomed Andrew Booth as a new councillor.
Acceptance of Office forms were signed. It was agreed that Cllr Weaver could sign her acceptance of office form at a later date.
2023/24-021 Apologies for Absence
Cllr Theresa Weaver sent her apologies, which were accepted.
2023/24-022 Disclosures of interest
There were no disclosures of interest on matters to be discussed at the meeting.
The Notification of Parish/Town Council Member Interests were distributed for return in hard copy to the Clerk by 1st June 2023 for her to send to West Devon Borough Council.
2023/24-023 Minutes of Parish Council meeting
The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 17th April 2023 were considered, agreed and signed as a correct record.
2023/24-024 Signing of Consent to Electronic Communication
Six councillors filled in their consent to receive the summons by electronic communication. Cllr Ash will continue to receive his summons on paper.
2023/24-025 Representation on other bodies
The following representatives were agreed:
• Village Hall Committee – Cllr Weaver
• Eastern Links Committee – This is being done by rotation, Cllr Hill volunteered to do the next one when notified
• Sticklepath Village School Trust – Cllr Cooper
• Greener Belstone – Cllr Weaver
2023/24-026 Meeting Dates for the rest of 2023-24
The meeting dates for the remainder of the year were confirmed:
Monday June 26th
Monday July 24th
Monday September 11th
Monday October 23rd
Monday December 11th
Monday January 22nd
Monday March 11th
2023/24-027 Chairman’s Announcements
The Chairman reported that the Platinum Jubilee Plaque is getting illegible. It was agreed to continue to inspect it.
2023/24-028 Clerk’s Report
The Clerk’s Report, previously circulated, was noted.
The correspondence from a resident regarding music at The Tors for the Coronation was noted. The Clerk had replied that it was not the remit of the Parish Council, and it is hoped that the resident will sort it out directly with Dicky at The Tors.
2023/24-029 Planning
There had been no planning applications within the parish. There was one application in Okehampton Hamlets to which it was agreed there was no need to respond.
2023/24-030 Coronation
The Coronation engraving had been completed.
There had been no suggestions forthcoming regarding finance for the lamp. Cllr Pike raised the possibility of crowd funding one half with a grant from the locality budget to supply the other half.
It was agreed that the Clerk should approach both Cllr Daniel of West Devon Borough Council and Cllr McInnes of Devon County Council for grants. If the lamp replaces the old one, then Belstone’s public lighting will be 100% green.
Cllr Pike proposed that a Crowd Funding page should be set up. This was agreed. Action: Clerk.
To publicise the page, the Clerk will do a website article with details of the light which was recommended by the Highways Department. Action: Clerk
Cllr Cooper questioned whether the light was suitable for the village.
Action: Cllr Pike will circulate the details of the light.
Once the light is in place the Village Christmas Tree may need to find a new location although, if necessary, the lamp could be temporarily removed.
2023/24-031 Finance
A. Recent Transactions
• Income – First Instalment of Precept £1,750.
• Expenditure – Car Park £611.11, Ink Cartridges £33.37, DALC Subscription, £85.98, William & Triggs Engraving (Deposit & Completion) £385.20, Information Commissioners’ Office £35.
• Total Balance (15/05/23) £3,875.97 (including £460 election reserve)
B. Any Payments to be Authorised
It was agreed to authorise the following payment:
Insurance Payment £145.80 (the same as last year)
2023/24-032 Parking
It was agreed that a Parish Meeting regarding parking in the village could be held in combination with a future Parish Council meeting.
It was agreed that it was important that Josh Scillitoe (Neighbourhood Highways Officer), Rob Taylor (Dartmoor National Park Warden), Michael Reddaway (Lord of the Manor) and the Belstone Commoners should be invited to attend.
Action: Clerk to contact Josh Scillitoe and Rob Taylor to discuss options for a date. September 11th would be the first choice and July 24th the second choice.
2023/24-033 Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct for the Council was reviewed, approved, and signed by the Chairman.
2023/24-034 Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) Ballot
The ballot papers for the DNPA election had not been received in time for the meeting. It was agreed to decide the vote of the Council via email and conversation.
2023/24-035 Cattle Attacks on Dartmoor
A letter had been received regarding advice to farmers and Commoners about cattle attacks. It was agreed that the Parish Council should not get involved and that the correspondent should contact the Commoners directly. Action: Clerk
2023/24-036 Items for Next Parish Council Agenda
A review of the Asset Register is overdue. Action: Clerk to send the Asset Register out with the minutes so that the assets can be inspected before the next meeting.
The Clerk reported that the Internal Auditor’s report had already been received, and the AGAR would be signed at the next meeting.
The next meeting is on Monday June 26th.
The meeting closed at 9.10 pm.