THE May meeting was the first of Newton St Cyres Parish Council since the recent elections.

Seven councillors were elected, unopposed.

At the start of the meeting a further two people were co-opted onto the council, thus ensuring there continues to be a full council complement.

The council voted to adopt the Power of Competency, which it was eligible to do as more than two thirds of the council were elected and the clerk is appropriately qualified. The parish also has a new district councillor, Cllr Graeme Barnell.

During the meeting Cllr Jim Enright was unanimously elected Chairman of the Council.

Other officers and representatives, as well the council responsibilities were distributed amongst the members of the council.

Full lists of councillors, their offices and responsibilities can be found on the Newton St Cyres Parish Council website: https://parish.middevon.gov.uk/newtonstcyres .

The council’s policies and procedures were reviewed. Most of these are also posted on the website. Some need to be reviewed in light of the new composition of the council.

Items arising from Areas of Responsibility:

• Footpaths – The footpath support paper which allocated a footpath for each councillor to walk twice a year should be reviewed and Cllr Steve Parker will update this for the next meeting.

• Allotments – A tenant has reported a problem with rats on the site and has asked if rat poison could be used and whether other tenants would be able to share the cost. After discussion it was resolved that rat poison should only be considered as a last resort. Cllr Liz Ouldridge will investigate and reply to the tenant. It was also noted that the site had no formal risk assessment. This should be corrected when the risk assessments are reviewed.

HIGHWAYS MATTERS

• Resurfacing of the A377 through the village and in Half Moon – After a considerable wait and much correspondence, the badly pot-holed areas on School Hill, and in Half Moon were resurfaced in early May.

• Concrete blocks at Langford Bridge – These cannot be moved back, it was decided that the parish clerk should urgently contact Devon County Council to request the white lines to be adjusted in this area to allow space for the blocks and give a reasonable width to the carriageways.

• Advertising signs on the A377 – These are, strictly speaking, not permitted on Highways land and can be a distraction for motorists or even a danger if they obscure motorists’ view. After discussion it was resolved that the Parish Council did not wish to have a blanket ban on advertising signs. It was resolved that any issues with signs would be dealt with on an individual basis. If a sign posed a health and safety risk, then it may be necessary to consult with Highways.

• Station Road – concerns have been expressed about the speed of vehicles along Station Road. This is a 30mph zone but vehicles are reportedly frequently seen to exceed this. If this is true it is a potential hazard, particularly with the new school located on this road. A SCARF review of vehicle speed was to be undertaken and the parish clerk was asked to request an update on progress with this. She was also asked to request progress on moving the school flashing lights to the bottom of the hill near the Post Office and installing a dropped kerb near the school gates. The council has requested a school warning sign and zigzag lines near the school gates. The clerk was also asked to follow this up.

• Entrance to Station Road from the A377 – The A377 Action group has written to the council concerned that this entrance still poses a hazard, particularly to pedestrians crossing the road. The council noted their concerns but also noted that crossing the road near the footpath to Court Orchard was in any case a safer option as there was a central island with bollards to protect pedestrians and a clearer view of traffic coming from Crediton.

• Godolphin Close – the potholes at the entrance to Godolphin close have been reported to DCC.

• Five Elms Lane - The drain at the end of Five Elms Lane is scheduled to be cleared by December this year. DCC reported that the associated gully was cleared in March.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on June 7 at 7.30pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend. There will also be a Parish Surgery at the Coffee Morning held on June 1 in the Parish Hall.

Liz Ouldridge