MID Devon District Council is being asked by Crediton Town Council if it could provide a point for drinking water with a tap for filling bottles.

Pupils of Landscore Primary School wrote to Crediton Town Council asking for drinking water fountains in the town.

It was suggested that near the play area in Newcombes Meadow could be a site for the first one, and the Town Council agreed to ask Mid Devon District Council to provide one in its public park.

Cllr Anne Hughes congratulated the children on their "brilliant letters" to the town council explaining their idea.

Cllr Letch reported that at a district council meeting he had challenged that council on its spending for the Town Hall at Tiverton of more than £118,000 (£55,000 had been budgeted), whether that was just for the building or with the land behind.

He had also asked if a further £82,000 was spent on the land behind the Town Hall. He had asked for a breakdown of all those costs.

He said he had also challenged the district council’s figures for spending on its council building in Crediton, the one the town council had hoped to buy. This had included £40,000 for caretaking which the district council said was for maintenance and repairs. Councillors seemed to think this was an excessive figure.

The district council had budgeted £26,000 for this. The town council does the caretaking, for which it charges the district council £107 a month.

Cllr Letch said he could not see what repairs had been done in the last three or four years. "The district council budgets for £26,000, spends £42,000 and we cannot see that anything has been done," he commented.

He had also asked for, and said he had been promised, a breakdown of the maintenance and repair costs. He said a report of that meeting would be on the district council website and there was an audio recording of the meeting.

VACANCY

Three candidates stood for co-option to the town council for Lawrence Ward and after interviews, Andi Wyer was elected.

He had previously been a town councillor. He and his family had moved to Crediton 15 years ago. He had joined the town council six years ago, but stood down for various reasons.

"I am active and hard working and would like to come back," he told the council.

Cllr Letch commented on the "good selection of excellent candidates", advising them not to forget to stand for election in May.

REBUILD HOME

A planning application and for Listed Building consent to rebuild the fire damaged building at 2 Buller Square off Downeshead Lane met an enthusiastic recommendation for approval by the district council, the deciding authority.

WHAT WORK?

Mid Devon District Council is to be asked to give a record of maintenance and repair work to the town square over the last four years.

It also urged use of earmarked reserves for an overhaul to include a new membrane and surface and to look at the footway around the square because several paving stones were cracked.

Approval was given to pay the travel costs for Cllr Letch to go to the Crediton Avranches Partenaires event at Avranches (Crediton’s twin through St Boniface in France) in September.

This broke down as 388 miles totalling £194 and the costs of the ferry crossing. Cllr Letch explained that he would be going as Mayor of Crediton and as a translator, he would not be charging any other costs. Cllr Joyce Harris took the chair for this item, Cllr Letch left the room.

SPEED WATCH

Cllr Anne Hughes reported a request for more volunteers to take part in community speed watches. Contact either herself (01363 773131) or Cllr Bob Wright (01363 773566).

Cllr Hughes also asked if a crowd funding group could be set up within the town council. This would be a future agenda item.

Cllr John Ross reported that Crediton Hospital League of Friends had looked at four requests for funding, granted funds for one and needed more information for the others.

It was also actively seeking someone to take over as chairman (contact 01363 772716 or 84859).

He said he had been to a crowd funding seminar which encouraged people to seek funding through a website, there were training workshops. He said groups and organisations were more likely to attract crowdfunding.

Cllr Letch reported that he and Bert Jewell had looked at the town gardens in the council’s Floral Crediton competition.

Cllr Mike Szabo reported the the visit of the Britain in Bloom judges "had gone well" and he had gone to the opening of the new work at Crediton Congregational Church.

He also suggested a way to solve the traffic problems at Landscore was to follow the buses, by using Westernlea and Tuckers Meadow, making Threshers one way.

POLICE IDEA

At the start of the meeting Ms Vicky Booty, Advocate Link Officer at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner gave an outline about the Councillor Advocate Scheme.

She said this was a fairly new idea, quite a simple thing to improve communication between councillors and the police. It was about trying to create transparency. There were seminars to explain fully as well as full information on the website: www.devonandcornwall-pcc.gov.uk .