ALTHOUGH its budget has not increased from last year's figure of £115,000 Crediton Council Tax will drop, albeit only by 4p, because of the extra houses built in the town.

For a Band D equivalent property, the town's share of the council tax would be 44.26p instead of last year's figure of 44.31p.

At their monthly meeting on Tuesday, members approved the recommended budget set at its twice-delayed finance committee meeting, held last week (January 13).

Weather issues were among items that cropped up at this week's council meeting that will receive further discussion.

Refuse, gritting

and snow

Cllr Richard Adams felt that refuse collections could have been better during the cold spell. "Some of the main roads were passable and there was no reason why refuse along those roads could not have been collected sooner," he said, adding: "There could be a scheme where, in any bad weather, people can take refuse bags to a main road point for collection."

However, Cllr Bob Wright, also a member of Mid Devon District Council, explained that contractors Viridor had closed the district council refuse site during the afternoon because it was dangerous. Refuse lorries were arriving back, unable to unload and unable to be used again until the site re-opened.

Councillors will discuss this problem at a future meeting.

On another question of roads, snow and ice, Cllr Wright said the town council should make a list of priority roads for gritting.

Cllr Nick Way, also a district and county councillor, reported that Devon County Council was forming a Task Group to look into how roads were affected during the snow.

This would include offering more responsibility to town and parish councils for local supplies and use of road grit and salt.

Cllr David Nation wondered if townspeople who had ideas where grit bins could be usefully placed could write to the town council.

Cllr Way reported that county council officers would be looking at the disintegrating surface of the road on Barnfield.

Parking issues

Something else for another meeting will be car parking in the town. Cllr Tom Connell said Crediton Chamber of Commerce had ideas for parking it had put forward two years or so ago that it would like to look at again.

"We (he is a member of the Chamber) want to do this now because it is important for this town. The two new supermarkets are attracting a lot of people to the area. We need to attract these people into the town and to be able to park easily," he said.

Cllr Connell added that Crediton had "everything to attract economic growth". He would like a working party to be formed with members from the town council and the Chamber of Commerce.

Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking said the town council "needed to push this year" to start to find some solution to the town's parking problems.

Parking on Churchill Drive

Cllr Wright said that with building work going on at Queen Elizabeth's Community College, parking had become an even bigger problem, especially on Churchill Drive.

That road had often been blocked by cars parked on both sides of the road, with the police being called on occasions because vehicles had not been able to get through.

He added that the seat on People Park had been repaired and was back in place.

New street signs

Cllr Walter Brown said that, with Crediton Library on Belle Parade to be refurbished, there was concern that there were no signs in the town to direct people to the Library.

Quotations had been sought for new black and gold heritage style finger signs. Four would cost £459 plus installation costs.

It was suggested that signs showing the Information Centre could be removed for the time being. Signs might be needed for the Museum to be created at the Old Town Hall. Where the new signs and a new post would be put is to be discussed further.

Multi use games area?

Looking at Devon County Council's consultation paper on current and future demand for outdoor sports provision led councillors to wonder if this would be a part of any new single-site school in the town?

An all-weather pitch of a multi-use games area (MUGA) would be a boon. It was felt the town had outgrown some of its existing sporting facilities. There was also the problem of its football pitches on Lords Meadow often being unusable because they were poorly drained.

Cllr Tom Connell queried the future of the present site of Crediton Rugby Club. Had this land been blighted by its possible use as part of a single-site school? The club needed a suitable alternative site.

Cllr Nation reported that a provisional date in March had been set for the public inquiry in the district council's Local Development Framework, which would include this site.

Teen shelter

During public question time Mr Mike Szabo asked if there had been any consultation over a possible teen shelter to be built in the town?

Cllr Nation replied that there had not yet been any formal consultation, except with the Youth Service, which is consulting with its Outreach workers and with young people.

Council chairman Cllr Frank Letch added that this had been the main project put forward by the council for using the £5,000 Tesco was giving the council for the town.

The idea had been put to Tesco, but so far there had not been an answer as to whether it liked the idea.

It was pointed out that, so far, the teen shelter was just an idea. No potential sites had been chosen. Once Tesco had agreed to this use of its money - or not - then the town council would talk further.

News in brief

The assistant town clerk, Mr Martin Ashley, reported that the town council office would be closed for a day at some time during the coming week while it was redecorated as part of the redecoration of the Mid Devon District Council offices on Market Street at Crediton. He hoped to be able to answer the telephone as much as possible.

Cllr Anne Hughes was elected as the town council's representative on the Boniface Link Association, which works with Fulda in Germany and Dokkum in The Netherlands.

A £500 donation was approved for Carewise (Involve Mid Devon) which wants to have an after school club for young carers in the Crediton and Copplestone area, meeting once or twice a month.

Costs of running this for a year, meeting once a month, would be £2,164. The club would be based in Crediton.

Planning

There were no objections to the four planning applications in front of this meeting. Planning decisions are made by Mid Devon District Council.

They were for the erection of a two-storey extension at 5A and 5B Courtis Gardens; to extend the time limit for the building of one dwelling following a previous granting of outline planning permission at 1 Landscore Close and adding two dormer windows at 77 Cromwells Meadow.

Also, a revised scheme for a development affecting a right of way (Waresfoot Drive) at the back of 100 High Street to build a house after demolition of three garages. Councillors had no objections to this so long as the public right of way was disrupted as little as possible during the work.