Milverton Parish Council Report

November 2016

Milverton Parish Council met on 7^th November to consider a very full agenda that covered a diverse rage of topics from planning to public toilets.

Councillors discussed two significant planning applications. The first was for Prior Approval to convert an Agricultural Building near Spring Grove Cross to residential use. Councillors voted to unanimously oppose the application and posed several questions to TDBC planners about the proposal and the history of the site.

The second application was for 5 houses in High Street which attracted a lot of interest from nearby residents. Whilst the Parish Council is supportive of small affordable housing developments in the village it did not consider this site suitable as the application made no reference to the Conservation Area or its impact upon it. Councillors also expressed concern about the vague nature of the proposal and the strong possibility of overlooking adjoining properties because of the size and width of the site. As a result Councillors voted unanimously to object to the proposal..

Councillor Jenkins briefed the meeting on the Creedwell Planning appeal which was to be heard the following day. The Parish Council would be supporting the TDBC planning officers but also casting doubt on the value of the Certificate of Lawfulness.

Madam Chairman reported on a useful meeting with the new NHS Partnership that was taking over the Milverton and Wiveliscombe GP practice. Although it was early days the Partnership had employed new staff and was moving to firm up arrangements in other areas. There would another meeting in December and representatives of other parishes with patients at the Practice would be invited.

Councillor Mrs Pine reported that the long awaited repairs and widening of the footpaths around Milverton Court had now been completed by SCC.

Councillors received the latest speed readings from the indicator device in Wood Street, They noted that that speeds recorded meant that Wood Street qualified for inclusion in the SCC Speed Indicator programme. To facilitate this SCC was prepared to install a post and Councillors agreed that this would be a good idea.

Councillor Cotton, the Chairman of the Amenities Committee reported that the asbestos reports on the toilets had been received. They did not reveal any unexpected levels of asbestos but it was acknowledged that any proposed work on the Fore Street toilets would require a new specific survey as well as specialist involvement. Councillors also discussed TDBCs new toilets and street cleaning contractors quote for carrying on the service. The price for both toilets would increase by about 160% meaning the Precept would have to effectively double. Given that TDBC had consistently maintained that it would continue to service the toilets 'at cost' this was a very disappointing outcome. Councillors also recognised that this increase would bring Milverton Parish Council into the Government's proposed capping regime. After some debate about this and the possible implications of village referenda Cllr Mrs Hoyle proposed a motion that the Parish Council could no longer afford to run the Fore Street toilets as public conveniences but would nevertheless be interested in taking on the building for other community uses. This was passed unanimously. It is fair to say that Councillors are extremely disappointed by the recent asbestos revelations and the now steepling costs. These issues plus the fact that the whole business has been dragging on for 3-4 years and just highlights the complete unreasonableness of a higher tier Council cascading services onto very small parishes with extremely limited resources.

Councillors also discussed the development of an Emergency Plan for Milverton which would cover events such as extreme weather which may not prompt an immediate response from the Emergency Services. The Plan has been referred back to the Emergency Committee who will meet on 6^th December with a view to finalising the documents and setting out arrangements for it's wider dissemination within the village.

TDBC Councillor Wren spoke briefly about the roll out of Universal Credit and the need for recipients to claim and maintain accounts on-line. Clearly this raises an issue about support for those without the skills or access to computer equipment or with poor connectivity. He has spoken to TDBC about possible access to the hub computer in the Creedwell Community Rooms and will be working with officers to find the best way to make this work. He is also likely to put out a call for volunteers to help vulnerable residents who do not have friends or family to help with claims and changes of circumstance.

As well as removing the large red maple in the Jubilee Gardens Councillors discussed cutting back the shrubs on the boundaries so that the gardener Lucy Reynolds could get the borders under control again. He was asked to draw up a contract to cover both areas of work.

In October the Council spent £980 on salaries, gardening and asbestos surveys.