IN future it would seem that more responsibility could fall on Crediton Town Council because of cost cutting by Devon County Council and Mid Devon District Council.

This is the sort of thing for which the National Association of Local Councils, whose chairman is from Mid Devon, has been campaigning - local councils taking on more responsibility.

Looking at the future of the town’s public toilets, members were told it would cost £12,000 a year to keep two toilets open - Market Street and Newcombes Meadow (off Union Road).

Cllr Liz Brookes-Hocking remarked that the toilets were needed. At its meeting on Tuesday, the town council agreed not to take over the buildings but to pay the district council for the service. The toilet at The Green would stay closed.

PLAY AREAS AND SQUARE

For more than a year, the town council has been looking into taking over the town square from the district council.

However, negotiations have been slow and councillors were now saying the square was “in a dreadful state” through lack of maintenance.

It was said that the square was supposed to have a major renovation every three years, which the district council had known from the beginning, but this had not happened in the past two and a half years at least and its condition was deteriorating.

Looking at the future of the town’s play areas, the council was told by its chairman, Cllr Frank Letch, also a member of the district council, that its consultation on play areas had not yet ended.

When it did, the district council officers would make a recommendation to its Managing the Environment Policy Development Group at its meeting in November on which play areas should close because of financial cuts. This would then go to the district council Cabinet, probably in November and could go to the full council in the new year.

At Crediton it was proposed to close the play areas on Greenway, Spinningpath Gardens, Fulda Crescent and Beech Park.

Cllr Letch said there had been four responses to the district council’s survey for Greenway.

Beech Park saw 28 responses plus a petition for it to remain open signed by 61 people.

The district council was putting forward closure of 27 of its play areas as part of “a managed decline” of play areas.

The suggestion had been that the play areas become public open spaces.

Mrs Dalley reported that the town council’s Wildlife Area Committee had put forward a recommendation that the council looked at taking over the play areas at Greenway, Fulda Crescent and Spinningpath Gardens and that it looked at financing the one at Beech Park.

Councillors liked this idea. Cllr Andi Wyer asked why the district council had not suggested closing the second play area on Queen Elizabeth Drive instead of the one at Beech Park.

This was to be put to the district council.

Crediton officially ‘one of

the best places in the

country to live’

Crediton was congratulated on being listed among the top 20 places in the country to live by Rob Nicholls before he spoke to the town council about his idea for Crediton Woods.

Crediton was in 14th place, below Shebbear (7th) and Cullompton (12th), with Colyton at 16th place.

The league table was compiled by onefamily.com.

Mr Nicholls was suggesting setting up a small area of woodland on the edge of Lords Meadow Industrial Estate as an area to include children’s open play areas, and provide a range of walking and nature appreciation spaces.

Members of the council liked the idea and agreed to start the process. Mr Nicholls said he had contacted the Woodland Trust which, in principle, supported the plan, so long as public support could be shown. It was possible the charity might fund up to half the cost of trees and other work.

FINANCING

The council agreed to support an application for £1,000 grant for the 2015-16 financial year from Crediton Age Concern.

A request from Mrs Margaret Haydon to put a small plaque at Upper Deck in memory of her late husband, Charlie, was granted.

It was also in favour of a totem pole memorial to Samuel Crocker to be put on Peoples Park beside the Scout Memorial Garden. The pole would be about eight feet high.

Cllr Letch reported he had been invited to the Rugby World Cup exhibition at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter which included photographs from Crediton.