Draft Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on Tuesday 14 July 2026 at 7.30 pm at Woodah Farm

Present: Cllr C Wood (Chairman), Cllr K Salter, Cllr H Brook, Cllr R Crocker, 3 members of the public and A Miller (Clerk)

1         Welcome and Apologies for Absence

The Chairman welcomed everybody present. Cllr Newton-Humes sent his apologies as due to work commitment he could not attend the meeting.

Resolved The Parish Council approved the absence.

2         Declarations of Interest / Requests for Dispensations

Cllr Salter declared a financial interest in item 8.3 and asked for a dispensation.

Resolved The Parish Council gave a dispensation to Cllr Salter to stay in the room and to speak about the topic when members of the public were allowed to speak at the meeting, because the item was a general discussion about the planned development and its effects and not an actual planning application.

Open Forum

Due to the prolonged dry weather, the watercourses dried up at several places around the village. There is a smell from dried streams. Environmental Health to be notified about the problem.

3         County and District Councillors’ and Police Reports

The Parish Council noted the written reports from the Police and from Cllr Swain.

4         Ratification of Minutes of Previous Meeting

Resolved The Minutes of the Annual Council meeting of 19 May 2026 were unanimously accepted as a true record.

The Chair signed the Minutes.

5         Councillor Vacancy and Co-option

Following the Annual Meeting, Cllr Sawyer resigned from his councillor position. The Notice of Vacancy was published. The District Council confirmed that no request for election was received and the Parish Council can now co-opt a councillor to fill the vacancy.

Currently there are two vacancies that can be filled by co-option.

No applications were received.

6         To Receive an Update about Defibrillator Training

Cllr Brook reported that the two training sessions were very popular and participants found them very helpful. There is further interest to hold another training session and the Parish Council agreed to organize the event for November.

Resolved The Parish Council agreed to give a donation of £100 to the South West Ambulance Charity, chosen by the trainer.

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

The Clerk reported that the insurer reimbursed the Parish Council for the cost of the repair work. The majority of the excess was recovered by the solicitor. Both the repair and the financial settlement have been concluded.

8         Planning

8.1       To Note Planning Decisions

The Parish Council noted the following decisions.

• 26/00660/HOU Shire Cottage – Part extension to existing raised decking to east elevation – permission granted
• 25/02082/HOU and 25/02083/LBC Duckspool Cottage – Erection of ancillary outbuilding to accommodate Music Room and new carport with associated landscaping works – refused
• 26/00847/AGR Matthews Farm Lowley Cross – Proposed new general purpose agricultural building – prior approval not required

8.2       To Discuss a Planning Application

26/00933/FUL The Nobody Inn – Siting of two glamping pods on land in ancillary use to Nobody Inn public house

Resolved The Parish Council discussed the proposal and decided to ask for clarification about the following points:

• What is the position of Teignbridge District Council’s Heritage Department about the proposal? The Conservation Area Character Appraisal for Doddiscombsleigh positions the field in the conservation area and in an Archaeological Potential Area. Considering the previous strong opposition from the Heritage Department against developments on the pub field, the Parish Council would be interested in their opinion about the proposal, which requires permanent structures – sewer connections and access paths – on the pub field.
• The proposal contains a storm drain installation leading to a nearby watercourse. This watercourse is situated at the opposite side of the road, which is the main road through the village and also a bus route. Has Highways been consulted about the planned pipe installation, which requires a full road closure?
• The drain installation will affect the raised footpath between the church and the pub, which is maintained by the Parish Council. The Parish Council would like a reassurance that the footpath will be fully reinstated after the drainage works have been completed.

8.3       To Receive an Update from the Local Plan Working Group

The Parish Council noted the response that the Working Group received from South West Water regarding the sewer connections of the ten planned houses. South West Water was of the opinion that the current system can accommodate the sewer from the development, but the storm water cannot be discharged into their system.

9         To Discuss Highways Issues

9.1       To Receive a Highways Update

Road Warden Scheme

The Clerk reported that tarmac and tac spray have been ordered and delivered at the end of June. The tarmac needs to be used up before December 2026.

A member of the public emailed the Parish Council about insurance regarding the road warden scheme. It was clarified that the work is insured by Devon County Council. Volunteers insured by the Parish Council, within the core cover.

Lengthsman

Resolved The Parish Council agreed to modify the ordered grass cutting work. The monthly lengthsman work between April and October consist of:

• Cutting the grass at the raised footpath
• Strim back vegetation around the gateway signs
• Strim back vegetation around the bus shelter.
• Once a year cutting back the vegetation opposite Greystones.

The Parish Council agreed to meet with the lengthsman the following week to discuss drainage works for winter.

The Parish Council also agreed to cover the higher cost of grass cutting from the contingency amount in the budget.

The grass at the Triangle will be cut by volunteers.

9.2       To Receive a Parish Path Partnership and Footpath Update

The Parish Council’s minor grant application was approved, a payment of £110 is expected.

10     To Discuss Finance

10.1   To Receive a Finance Report, Budget – Actual Comparison and to Approve the Bank Reconciliation

The total bank balance on 30 June 2026 was £20,111.24. After deducting the amount of earmarked funds and grants, the general reserve was £8,705.43.

Since the last meeting the compensation has been paid for the bus shelter incident: full amount, £2,394.98 from the insurer and £90.18 of the £100 excess from the solicitor.

The VAT refund of £1,099.07 was credited to the current account and an interest of £77.48 was credited to the savings account.

The Parish Council noted the finance report and the budget – actual comparison.

Resolved The Parish Council approved the bank reconciliation for 30 June 2026.

10.2   To Review the Banking Arrangements

The Clerk reminded the Council that only Cllrs Newton-Humes and Crocker could approve online payments. The other councillors need to contact Unity Trust Bank to allow access to the online system.

10.3   To Discuss How to Use Up the CIL Fund

The Clerk reported that the Parish Council needed to spend £2,415 of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money by the end of the financial year and another £1,014 by the end of the next financial year.

The Parish Council agreed to ask the District Council if the replacement of the notice board at the Triangle would be suitable for CIL funding.

10.4   To Approve Payments

Venue hire 14 July 2026 £10.00

Card monthly fee May – June 2026 £6.00

Unity Bank account fee Apr – May 2026 £14.00

Office mobile top up Jun – Jul 2026 £10.00

Clerk’s salary and expenses £978.78

Lengthsman fee for May 2026 £109.20

Lengthsman fee for June 2026 £117.60

Resolved The Council unanimously approved the payments.

11     To Discuss a Possible Date for Litter Pick in the Autumn

The Parish Council agreed to organize a community litter pick on Saturday, 19 September 2026 at 10am, starting from the Triangle. Volunteers can receive a tea and coffee at the pub after the event.

12     Clerk’s Correspondence

The Parish Council received an email enquiring about cultural assets and events in the village. The Council agreed that the Doddiscombsleigh Art Show, concerts in the Sheldon Centre and community events and concerts in the church were important cultural occasions for the community.

13     Date of Next Meeting

Ordinary Meeting of 15 September 2026

There will be an additional Ordinary Meeting on 27 April 2027, as it was indicated at the annual meeting, as local elections seem to be likely in May 2027.

14     Councillors’ and Chairman’s Remarks

The Chairman thanked everybody for their participation and closed the meeting at 9.03 pm.

Signed…………………………………………………………

Chairman

Date