Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 7.30 pm at Woodah Farm

 

Present: Cllr A Newton-Humes (Chairman), Cllr J Sawyer, Cllr H Brook, Cllr K Salter, Cllr C Wood (from the Open Forum), District Cllr A Swain, 2 members of the public and A Miller (Clerk)

1         Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The Chairman welcomed everybody.

2         Declarations of Interest / Requests for Dispensations

None.

Open Forum

Cllr Wood arrived during the Open Forum. The following points were raised.

• A member of the public, whose planning application was discussed at the previous meeting, gave details regarding the proposed development. The Planning Authority will make its decision later than it was planned, due to delays in statutory consultations.
• Condition of the roads: the side of the roads are crumbling; gullies are not maintained by Devon Highways, and the water does not flow in the gullies.
• Rectory Lane: a Southwest Water (SWW) vehicle has been damaged using the lane and there is a possibility that SWW stop sending vehicles to the sewage treatment plant if the road is not repaired.
• Communication from Highways regarding road closures is not adequate.

3         County and District Councillors’ and Police Reports

District Cllr Swain gave an update about the budget setting at Teignbridge District Council.

He also mentioned that he has still money available in his Community Fund for community groups. Cllr Salter agreed to contact a community group in Doddiscombsleigh to apply for grants for 20 Is Plenty signs with children’s drawings.

County councillor and police reports were forwarded to the Parish Council.

4         Ratification of Minutes of Previous Meeting

Resolved The Minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting of 13 January 2026 were unanimously accepted as a true record.

The Chair signed the Minutes.

5         To Discuss Littering in the Village

Cllr Sawyer reported that members of the public had drawn his attention to the issue. Littering is highly visible in several parts of the village. The Council agreed that it is a regular problem and decided to return to the topic at the next meeting.

6         To Receive an Update About Installing a Second Defibrillator in the Parish

The Clerk reported that there is an estimate for the installation, which is below the limit for inviting tenders for the job. The contractor, WTR Plumbing Heating & Electrical Contractors Ltd, is waiting for dry weather to install the defibrillator. The Council agreed that the estimate is value for money.

Resolved The Parish Council agreed to order the work from WTR Plumbing Heating & Electrical Contractors Ltd.

The Teign Valley First Responder, who will carry out regular defibrillator checks, offered defibrillator training for donations. The Chairman agreed to contact the pub for possible dates for the training.

7         To Receive an Update About a Bus Shelter Incident in September 2025

The Clerk reported that the insurance company called the Parish Council regarding the settlement of the claim. They agreed to wait with the settlement until the work is done.

8         To Receive an Update About the Parish Council’s WIX Website

The Clerk reported that the previous website and all the data have been deleted. The WIX account can be closed only in September 2026, after the purchased domain name expires. The account is linked to the gov.uk email address now.

9         To Discuss Highways Issues

9.1       To Receive a Highways Update

• The Clerk reported that due to his other commitments, the lengthsman has resigned from his position. The Parish Council agreed to thank Barry Green for his time and work for the Council in the last two years.

Resolved The Parish Council agreed to have a tender for lengthsman services.

• Regarding the reported fallen leaves on the roads the Council received a response from Teignbridge District Council. They believe it is a Highways issue and Devon County Council should deal with it. Clerk to report it to Devon Highways.
• Regarding the condition of Rectory Lane – Clerk to report it to Devon Highways.
• Cllr Wood, the Snow Warden, reported that grit has been ordered.

9.2       To Receive a Parish Path Partnership and Footpath Update

It was discussed that the wet weather increased the level of Batts Brook, but the bridge on footpath 2 was still in place on the day of the meeting. The overhanging tree on footpath 5 still cause difficulties for walkers.

The system of reporting footpath issues is changing.

Failed paths need to be reported on the same Devon County Council webpage where problems with roads are reported:

https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/

The Parish Council can still get a grant for minor works – currently it is £110 for Doddiscombsleigh. For works not covered by the minor grants the Parish can still bid, but it might be more difficult to get funding.

Currently the Parish Council is waiting for the 2025/26 minor grant to be paid into the bank account.

Deadline for this year’s forms is 31 March 2026.

10     To Discuss Finance

10.1   To Receive a Finance Report

The total bank balance on 31 January 2026 was £16,512.55. After deducting the amount of earmarked funds and grants, the general reserve was £6,131.88.

10.2   To Receive an Update About the Banking Arrangements

The signed form regarding the card program administrator changes was sent to Unity Trust Bank and it was forwarded to Lloyds Bank.

10.3   To Sign the Letter of Engagement for Internal Audit

The Council agreed in May 2025 that the internal auditor for this year is Kate Berry. The Chairman signed the Letter of Engagement for Internal Audit.

10.4   To Approve Expenditure

Venue hire 10 February 2026 £10.00

Card monthly fee Jan 2026 £3.00

Unity Bank account fee Dec 2025 £6.00

Office mobile phone top up £5.00

Key for notice board £4.50

Resolved The Council unanimously approved the expenditures.

11     Clerk’s Correspondence

The Clerk reported that the Parish Council received a planning decision notice – the application was not consulted before:

26/00105/CLDP Barn, Shippen Barton – Certificate of Lawfulness for proposed installation of solar panels on pitched roof – refused

12     Date of Next Meeting

10 March 2026

13     Chairman’s Remarks

The Chairman thanked everybody for their participation and closed the meeting at 8.42 pm.

 

Signed…………………………………………………………

Chairman

Date