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Yarcombe Parish Council April 2008 I begin this month’s report where I left off last. If you remember there I was jailed in the jubilee hall so that I would be there when needed. Well one month later all the councillors and I were at the same time both impressed and alarmed when at the start of the meeting our Chairman, Lesley Pigeon (she who really ought to be obeyed) brandished a small wooden club (gavel?) which had been made for her specifically to keep us all in order. Under such duress everybody quietly resolved to be on time and to behave impeccably from now on. It did however occur to me that as I sit at her right hand I am always well within range whereas everyone else sits well back (and probably further back in future) and have at least an even chance of ducking if that symbol of authority is aimed in their direction! Is this fair I ask? Ah well…… to business. We have had a further update on the ongoing work on the A30 by the sewage farm. The pipe work has now been diverted and the pinning of the banks has begun. The colony of dormice seem to have disappeared. I just hope that our cat had not read about them in the February issue! The highways department apologise for the long runs of the traffic lights from time to time but ask that everyone remains patient. One accident has already occurred when someone thought the lights were broken and drove on. The lights will be up and down at various points between now and June, but the project is at present more or less on schedule. The Maple tree which had been ordered has now been planted in the lay by to replace the Oak which had to be removed. The temporary barrier opposite the Taunton road junction has fallen down the slope behind it. Despite our attempts to fish it out and replace it the barrier blows over in the slightest wind. This has been reported several times but the Parish Council has now agreed to formally write asking for a more robust solution since this is a potential safety issue. Meanwhile please take care when walking or driving nearby. PC Clive Vickery reported three crimes in Yarcombe and Marsh. Two of these were an attempted theft and an attempted burglary which were thwarted by the good security measures which were in place at both properties. Two initiatives for children and young people are being led by Parish Councillors. Tony Long organised a cycling awareness day in conjunction with the local police. This will have occurred by the time you read this but half a dozen Yarcombe and Marsh young people were expected to attend the session which was to teach safety skills to cyclists. Helen Matthews is leading the search for a suitable place for a children’s playground in the Parish. Funding will need to be sought for the equipment but the first thing to be resolved is where such a facility might be located. One proposal is to convert the tennis courts at the back of the Jubilee Hall and another suggestion is for a local landowner to be asked to kindly rent out a piece of land, hopefully at a peppercorn rent. This will be a major discussion point at the Annual Parish meeting (see below) so if you have a viewpoint please come to the meeting and let us know. Since last month two further requests for recycling bins have been made and these have been ordered. Just let us know if you do not have one. There has been some improvement in the dog fouling problem since signs were put up in the centre of Yarcombe. At the next opportunity the Parish Council will review progress and decide when the signs can be removed. As previously mentioned the Annual Parish Meeting will take place at 8pm on Thursday 8th May in the Jubilee Hall. In common with 9500 other Towns and parishes all over England and Wales this is the meeting held in May when the community traditionally meets and anyone can raise matters which they would like the Council to take account of. There will be an opportunity to hear reports from Parish, District and County Councillors and discuss with them the issues which matter in Yarcombe and Marsh. This year we will discuss the proposals to merge the County and District councils in Devon into three or more unitary authorities. That is a change which will affect everyone. We will also seek opinions on the proposed play area and anything else which Yarcombe and Marsh residents wish to raise. So if you are content with everything and want things to stay just the way they are please come and say so. If you don’t turn up things might change without your knowledge. If you think something ought to be done about some aspect of community life you are invited to come and say so. If you cant be bothered to raise it things might never change. As an added incentive we will lay on tea and coffee or a glass or two of wine to help the discussion along. We look forward to seeing you and I have even obtained an assurance that the Chairman will keep her clu…. gavel in its holster for the entire evening. Really.
Nick Randle Parish Clerk
Yarcombe Parish Council Report March 2008 We are now in the last month of the Council’s Year and are starting to look forward to the Annual Parish Meeting which will this year be held on the evening of Thursday 8th May in the Jubilee Hall. This month’s Parish Council discussed the proposals for a Review of Local Government in Devon which has been ordered by the government. As it turns out this is a really significant development which will affect every one of us. In two years time both Devon County Council and East Devon District Council will probably have ceased to exist! A body called the boundary committee are now in Devon and will recommend a new local government framework which will eliminate one tier of local government and establish new unitary authorities to deliver council services. It is hoped that this will save money but whether it does or not it will certainly change everything. The Annual Parish Meeting this year will be devoted to this subject and with the help of a guest speaker will be attempting to answer such questions as “Who will run schools in the future and who will collect the rubbish? Who will maintain the roads and deal with planning applications or manage council housing? Every Council service from Bus Passes and libraries to footpaths and social services will be affected. All are invited to come along and find out about it or have their say. Look out for further information. The Parish Council has committed itself to achieving Quality Parish Council Status by the end of this year. Quality Parish Councils have demonstrated that they are well run and are giving good service to the community. If (when) a unitary authority takes over from the District and County councils, Quality Parish Councils should have a lot more influence, so this is an important decision at a time of change. Yarcombe and Marsh are well endowed with an excellent network of footpaths which are a real asset to our community. Unfortunately the Parish Council has learned that despite this there are many instances of people routinely walking over private land without having first obtained permission to do so. Residents are therefore respectfully asked please to stick to the footpaths or otherwise obtain the owner’s permission before crossing private land. A maple tree has been ordered to replace the oak tree which has had to be removed from the lay-by. This will be planted shortly. Those householders who notified us that they did not have a recycling bin should by now have received one. Please let me or one of your Councillors know if you do not have one. As mentioned last month there will be significant road works on the A30 near the sewage works which by the time you receive this will be in progress. This work will be ongoing until September. At the Parish Council’s request the highways department have recently been in Yarcombe filling potholes and looking at other maintenance problems. We now have a running database of highway problems in the Parish and we will keep a track of how long it takes to fix them. If you know of any potholes or drainage problems which have not been attended to for a while please let me or your councillors know so we can make sure they are on the list. Finally I regret to report sinister doings at the Parish Council. I emerged from the gents after this month’s meeting to find the village hall in darkness and everyone gone! I assume our Chairman had locked me in to ensure that I was on time for the next meeting. Fortunately I managed to get out before I starved to death! Nick Randle Parish Clerk
YARCOMBE
PARISH COUNCIL
FREEDOM
OF INFORMATION PUBLICATION SCHEME In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2002, the following information is available to any member of the public on request from the Clerk, Mary Smith at Glebe Farm, Yarcombe or e mail on yarcombeparishclerk@btinternet.com on payment for the relevant photocopying 1. COUNCIL INTERNAL PRACTICE & PROCEDURE Minutes of Parish Council, limited to 2 years Procedural Standing Orders Annual Report to the Parish Meeting 2. CODE OF CONDUCT Councillors’ Declaration of Acceptance of Office Councillors’ Register of Interests Councillors’ Register of Interests Book 3. PERIODIC ELECTORAL REVIEW Information relating to the last Periodic Review of the council area Information relating to the latest boundary review of the council area 4. EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE & PROCEDURE Clerk’s terms and conditions of employment Clerk’s job description 5. PLANNING DOCUMENTS Responses to planning applications 6. AUDIT & ACCOUNTS Annual return form * Annual statutory report by internal & external auditor * Receipt/Payment books, receipt book, bank statements * Precept request * VAT records * Financial Standing Orders & Regulations Assets Register Risk Assessment (* - limited to the last financial year)
Signed:
Date: This information has been posted on the Parish Noticeboards and on the Yarcombe Website www.yarcombe.net
1 April 2003
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