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Annual Report 2008

The Annual Parish Meeting is held in May each year. This is the occasion when Committee Chairmen report on the activities of their Committee in the past year. It is also the opportunity for registered electors to raise matters of importance in the parish.

Minutes of the Annual Parish (Town) Meeting

held at the Pollyfield Centre, Bideford on

Thursday 12 May 2008 at 7.00 pm.

when Councillor D M Ratcliff (Town Mayor) Presided

ATTENDANCE: 46 people attended the meeting.
001 WELCOME BY THE TOWN MAYOR

The Town Mayor welcomed everyone to the meeting and read out the relevant paragraph of the Local Government Act regarding a meeting of the parish electorate.

002 MINUTES

Minutes of the Annual Parish (Town) Meeting held on 24 May 2007 were approved and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes be signed and approved as a correct record.

003 ACTIVITIES OF BIDEFORD TOWN COUNCIL DURING 2007/2008

The Town Mayor read out the content of his report as follows:

This past year has been an extremely active year. From the May elections last year we have seen a significant change in the make up of our Town Council with many new faces now finding their feet. The duties of the Mayor are to attend civic functions locally and in other parts of Devon, representing Bideford. I have in this busy year been actively supporting many of our local organisations as they form an important part of our town’s structure.
The Bideford Regatta and Carnival were events which surpassed anything we have seen for some years and were, to say the least, fantastic. A word of thanks to those who arranged and supported them. The Christmas Light switch on was another event unseen before with a fantastic turnout of residents on a bitterly cold night. I am pleased to say that we will be seeing the return of Rudolph and his gang this year. My thanks again to those who worked and still work extremely hard on this exciting venture.
This year has seen a significant increase of the workload for the Mayor, with new challenges coming before us, breaking down barriers to open clear communication channels between the Town Council and various agencies to enable us to begin to understand each other more clearly and begin sensible dialogue for the success of Bideford.
I, like so many, enjoy my ‘comfort zone’ and to relax, but I can assure you that little time has been taken up with this. My working day begins in the very early hours attending to correspondence. Answering questions from people at 6.00 am in the morning is nothing unusual and indeed my day can end in the very late hours of the day. Job Done!
The Town Hall staff have worked extremely hard this year and with the guidance of the Town Clerk the Council has achieved Quality Status. The Council has yet to realise the fruits of its labour, but we will continue to work hard and hopefully bring opportunity to us all.

004 TOWN COUNCIL’S WORK DURING 2007/2008

a. Allotments Committee

Councillor Powell, Chairman of the Allotments Committee for 2007/2008, read out the content of his report as follows:
The Town Council currently has 114 full size plots and 16 half-size plots with the waiting list currently at approximately 20 persons.
As in previous years, developments in the quality of our Allotments have continued apace. It is beyond reasonable doubt that the Town’s Allotments are looking at their best; I would suggest, probably since the Halcyon days of post-war Britain.
At Marland, plans are now well advanced with the installation of double entrance gates to give the Allotment its first ever vehicle access point. I extend the Council’s grateful thanks to Westcroft School for their co-operation in this project. Additionally, Marland will shortly become the Town’s first Allotments to have access to running water, courtesy of Midas Homes who are currently developing an adjacent site.
Extensive work has been undertaken at Tricks to remove debris (including asbestos) from the site, replace defective gate posts, and carry out major tree surgery along its boundaries. A significant re-defining of some of the Allotment plots on this; our oldest Allotments site has also taken place. Plans for 2008/2009 include the planting of a natural hedge to replace lost trees, and the re-siting of the lower entrance.
At Pollyfield, after a faltering start, there is now a focused Allotment Association intent on improving this site too; with a clearly defined central pathway accessible to wheelchairs, already in-situ. Plans in 2008/2009 focus on improving the security of this site with the introduction of a natural hedge boundary, hopefully to be provided from the development of the redundant land to the upper end of the site.
Expenditure year to date is approximately £4,400 with Rental Income of £2,410. Rent has been collected on all the plots. You can find more details on our allotments on the Town Council web site.

b. Staffing, Finance & General Purposes Committee

Councillor Powell, Chairman of the Staffing, Finance & General Purposes Committee for 2007/2008, read out the content of his report as follows:
This year saw the absorption of the Staffing Committee into the Finance & General Purposes Committee. With that, came the difficult decision regarding the continued losses of the Town’s Pannier Market, and after long and careful thought the position of Market Manager was made redundant and the Market Management Committee charged with the task of returning profitability to the Pannier Market.
On a brighter note, the Council has finally realised its wish to introduce individuality to its Town Signs, with the decision to adopt cast burgundy & gold nameplates which will include a motif, details of its Twin Towns, and possibly a new inscription acknowledging its extraordinary and unique place in history.
Bideford Town Council has adopted the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act, and is currently giving serious consideration to the appointment of a Road Sweeper and an Environmental Crime Officer to operate under a Service Level Agreement with the District Council.
In this financial year the grants given to local organisations will total £49,265 with a further £2000 awarded under the terms of Section 137 of the Local Government Act.
The Precept for 2008/2009 has been set at £343,000 which consolidates the Council’s financial position and continues to strengthen its ability to provide for the community of Bideford. This Precept equates to a Council Tax charge of approximately £1.34 per week per Band D property.
c. Planning Committee
Councillor Christie, Chairman of the Planning Committee for 2007/2008, read out the content of his report as follows:
Currently the Town Council is a consultee for all planning applications in the Bideford area and we either recommend approval or refusal of each application. Decisions taken by us have to be ratified at the next full Town Council meeting where all councillors have the opportunity to amend or overturn a recommendation of the planning committee at full Council.
At the beginning of each meeting there is the opportunity for members of the public to discuss a planning application with the total session time being limited to 15 minutes. During the last year attendees have been few owing to the absence of overly contentious applications.
A few applications have been ‘called-in’ by town councillors who are also members of Torridge – thus ensuring they will be discussed by the Torridge District Council Plans Committee which is the final arbiter on all applications.

d. Market Management Committee

Councillor Ratcliff, Chairman of the Market Management Committee for 2006/2007, read out the content of his report as follows:
This committee enjoys some good public attendance from market traders and
2007 - 2008 has seen some interesting if slightly contentious changes. The role of this committee is taking on a positive outlook as we approach a new council year. With the Market Steering Group, there is an exciting new initiative with market traders and council members involved in the day to day running of the Pannier Market premises.

The Pannier Market is currently the home of the longest photo in Devon “The Bideford Lights”, and was the venue for a very successful Christmas show. The Market Management Committee looks forward to another year of successful events. The Committee is also responsible for the allocation of Butchers’ Row and market shop units and these are advertised in the local press, as available.

005 UN-AUDITED ACCOUNTS OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR THE FINANACIAL YEAR 2006/2007

The un-audited accounts of the Town Council for the financial year 2006/2007 were distributed to those present.

006 PRESENTATION BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF TORRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL

The Mayor welcomed Mr John van de Laarschot, Chief Executive of Torridge District Council, who gave an update on activities within the Bideford and Torridge area. He said that in the last 12 months there had been some good progress made in terms of co-operation and communication between the County Council, the District Council and the Town/Parish Councils. This was typified by the meetings which had been held between the Leader of the Council, the Mayors and Town Clerks. Discussions had taken place regarding how the best possible services can be provided at the lowest possible cost and significant progress had been made in these areas. The District Council has been looking at how best to increase the economy of the town in terms of both new housing and business development. The area needs to attract people with disposable incomes. Mr van de Laarschot advised that the drop in facility at the Pollyfield Community Centre was working well, and that Devon County Council in co-operation with the Towns/Parishes were looking at ways of moving forward with this type of initiative. He then touched upon the study which had been carried out by Terence O’Rouke and advised that if development was to be commercially viable, then it needed to be led by the private sector. Torridge District Council is currently working with the South West Regional Development Agency, as they will be an integral part in driving these projects forward. They are also working with the developers on how the sites might best be used to drive up the local economy. The District Council has also been working on improving residents’ quality of life through such initiatives as installing CCTV to help residents feel safer. Mr van de Laarschot then reported that the Boundary Commission has provided a new challenge in that they are looking at new ways of providing governance in Devon. In the past it has not always been clear to the end customer which tier of government is responsible for which service and a unitary authority is currently being investigated. Discussions are underway and a recommendation will be made to the Secretary of State by the Boundary Commission by the end of this year.

007 PRESENTATION OF GRANT CHEQUES TO LOCAL ORGANISATIONS

The Mayor presented the grant cheques to local organisations.

 

008 MATTERS RAISED BY REGISTERED ELECTORS WITHIN THE TOWN OF BIDEFORD

• Mrs F Creighton-Balfour asked why so many trees in Bideford are being cut down – particularly in Victoria Park.

• Mr Gaston Dezart asked why the residents of Tarka Point had not been invited to the meeting

• Mr John Harding asked whether it would be beneficial for individual reports to be adopted.

The business of the Meeting having been completed, the Mayor thanked the Members for their attendance and the Meeting concluded at 7.40 pm.