KINGSTEIGNTON TOWN COUNCIL
FULL COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 8 JANUARY 2014
Present:
Mayor: Councillor J Foxwell
Deputy Mayor: Councillor C Meathrel
Councillors: B Austen, L Foxwell, R Harris, K Jones, A Lonsdale, J Morris, B Moss, R Peart, D Rollason, B Thorne, G Wickham
Admin Assistant: Mrs S Simmons
County Councillor T Dempster
District Councillors: M Walters and J Lambert
Ellen Grindley, Mid Devon Advertiser
Public: Ms S Cozens, Ms L Rollason, Mr J Stacey (Village Trust Members)
Reverend Mark Smith
Police Report
PCSO Pike gave the following report:
· The PSP (Problem Solving Plan) on the car parks at Halfords and Next re Boy Racers is working well.
· Theft of BMX bikes all at the same time in Newpark Road.
· Theft of 4 catalytic converters off cars in the same area as above.
· During the festive break, there have been several parking issues.
· Cop cards are being launched again for the children to collect from any Police Officer.
· Community Messaging Service – available F.O.C. to anyone who wishes to register, (leaflets available from the police or council office).
Public Participation
A report of the site visit held on Wednesday 31 December, 2013, was provided by Ms Liz Rollason of The Kingsteignton Village Trust and given to Cllrs prior to the Full Council meeting tonight.
Ms Rollason advised that the planting programme discussions had been going on for the last two years, with the previous Mayor, Councillors and Mr Paul Humphries of Trees 4 Devon.
On behalf of the Village Trust, Ms Rollason suggests stepping back and letting KTC look at the planting programme, decide what trees are desired and then go back to them with a decision in order to move forward. Ms Rollason said that at the end of the day the lawn maintenance is the responsibility of KTC.
From previous meetings, both schools and Cllr Austen as Tree Warden are ready to assist.
District Councillor Reports
Councillor Mike Walters
The Government Inspector Geoff Salter has written to Teignbridge District Council outlining some proposed changes so the emerging plan - which sets out where homes, jobs, employment land and community facilities will go over the next 20 years - can be formally adopted. Mr Salter's statement of proposed modifications was issued after a public hearing into the emerging Plan in September of last year. The vast majority of Plan Teignbridge 2013-2033 remains unchanged.
It is considered that the emerging Local Plan can now be given very significant weight in planning application decisions. The next step is to go through the Inspector's proposals and respond if necessary."
It is hoped Plan Teignbridge can be formally adopted early this year. Until that happens, any existing Local Plan policies remain in place along with national planning guidance.
Mr Salter will return to Teignbridge on 14th February 2014 for the public hearings in the charging schedule for the Community Infrastructure Levy, the new levy which allows communities to get the infrastructure it needs from new developments. Comments can be submitted to Programme Officer Lisa Edwards, Teignbridge District Council.
The proposals for draft main changes to the plan as far as Kingsteignton is concerned are as follows:
1. Deleting KS2 Ware Barton (a 12-hectare site for employment development), Kingsteignton, and designating it as 'Undeveloped Coast'.
2. Deleting KS7 North of Passage House (a 6-hectare site allocated for leisure uses), at Kingsteignton, (the southern end of Woodmere Way/River Close)
Homeless people in Teignbridge
Homeless people in Teignbridge are being given the chance to live in their own homes after Teignbridge District Council gained a £100,000 Government funding boost. Teignbridge has been given the Empty Homes Programme funding by the Homes and Communities Agency to bring empty homes back into use as affordable properties.
Teignbridge was one of 10 authorities in the South West to benefit from the funding announced by Communities Minister Don Foster.
The council's housing team will be working with private sector landlords to bring empty homes and commercial premises into use as affordable housing by the end of March 2015. The scheme will enable Teignbridge to provide grants to developers in return for a leasing arrangement which will enable them to let property to homeless people at affordable rents.
So far properties in Teignmouth, Dawlish, Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton are earmarked for refurbishment. Empty premises can be considered as a wasted resource at a time when there is a shortage of affordable housing and high numbers of people in housing need. Every empty property which can be brought back into use could house someone who needs a home.
Waste Collection in Teignbridge
The current practise of collecting cardboard with food and garden waste in green bins needs to be reviewed in light of expected legislative changes. Compost not meeting the EU ‘PAS100’ quality standard (or an agreed alternative) will not count towards recycling rates if revisions to the Waste Framework Directive are adopted. Whilst achieving PAS100 compost is possible with food and garden waste, it is accepted that compost made from a feedstock including cardboard cannot meet the standard. Collection of cardboard as a dry recyclable will require significant changes to the current waste collection system and related vehicles and infrastructure. A significant amount of work has been undertaken to assess the options available in conjunction with the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Eunomia Research and Consulting, Devon County Council and the other Waste Collection Authorities. Any changes to the Teignbridge recycling service would ideally be linked to the vehicle fleet renewal process and therefore require delivery in line with that time frame.
Energy from Waste – 2014 sees a move away from reliance on landfill to dispose of Teignbridge’s residual waste and into incineration facilities which utilise the energy produced. The Exeter facility is expected to be fully functional by June 2014 and will take waste from the north of the district. The Plymouth facility will be operational by November 2014. Waste will be
transferred to this facility in bulk from a transfer station expected to be at Bickley Ball.
Councillor Joan Lambert
Cllr Lambert reported the following: Teigngrace has recently been under 4½ inches of water and that it is getting worse due to the infrastructure not working. Due to this Cllr Lambert stresses ‘please do not walk on the edge of the river’. Also that Pottery Cottages, Newton Road have been flooded out again. Cllr Lambert said we have to do something about the way the water is running off. Sandygate has been flooded again and that we should have a stock of sandbags available here.
We are expecting bad snow from America which will reach us in February and we need grit/salt to be made available, particularly at Gappah, Fosterville and Badcombe – where residents get completely cut-off. Highways cannot do these roads because of them being narrow lanes.
Cllr Lambert talked about empty homes and said that we are getting into the Devon Choice successfully and what we need to do is make sure that the unused homes are made available to people needing housing and that the properties must be to a good standard and fit to live in, some of the ex. service personnel are needing these homes.
Cllr Lambert asked all Councillors where are our nearest natural springs. The answer was New Cross; - where 600 houses are to be built – watch this space!
Cllr Meathrel thanked and responded to Cllr Lambert and said that he had been very much involved with the residents who have been flooded. Not all Pottery Cottages were flooded, it four properties and not all of them wanted sandbags. The Sandygate Inn is in consultation with Tracey Pike and Martin Stewart about having sandbags available. All helpline telephone numbers have been on the KTC website and Newsletter for some time now.
Councillor Beryl Austen
Teignbridge meetings commenced yesterday with an Executive meeting and next will be Overview and Scrutiny and a Special Full Council Meeting on the 14th. Comments are invited over a six week period on the initial financial plan proposals for 2014/15.
A Call in has been lodged with regard to the sale of the Shaldon Ferry Boat Workshop which has been tendered for by 23 Organisations comprising the Shaldon Regatta Association for community use and by an anonymous bidder whose bid is proposed to be accepted. Although the successful tender purports to be for the use of the Community this is not assured and if it were the case then there would be no reason to overbid Shaldons tendered figured. There is considerable support for this action to be reversed.
I received a call on Boxing Day with regard to Idefords lack of land line phones due to damage from storms. An assurance had been given that the service would be resumed on the 2nd January but I was requested to try and obtain earlier connection by the Chairman of the Parish Council. Teignbridge’s Emergency Services were in full operation over the whole Christmas and New Year Holiday period and I was assured that the 2nd January was an early date compared with other areas and no better offer could be made. All mobile phones and the internet were fully operational. Because of an incident where the daughter of a lady in her 90’s had been unable to contact her mother she had contacted the police who sent a squad car to her residence, confirmed that she was well and not at risk and informed her daughter that there was no need for concern. I think that is a good and caring service. Things are now back to normal for local residents.
Requests for sandbags were dealt with where requested during the danger of flooding. Services have been at full stretch but generally the best that could be done has been done and many staff of the District have not had a break over the last there weeks.
I am now informed by a local weather expert that we should get ready for snow, so we shall see!
Councillor Anne Lonsdale
Cllr Lonsdale reported on the following:
There are more working households living in poverty than non-working ones, new research suggests. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) ‘Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion’ report showed that just over half of all households surviving on less than 60% of the national median income were in work. The New Policy Institute report tracked income, education and social security, and includes government data. It found that working adults without dependent children were the most likely to be living in poverty are at all-time lows.
Julia Unwin, chief executive of JRF, said: “We have a labour market that lacks pay and protection, with jobs offering precious little security and paltry wages that are insufficient to make ends meet. While a recovery may be gathering momentum in the statistics and official forecasts, for those at the bottom, improving pay and prospects remain a mirage.”
Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves said: “It’s not right that millions of people are going out to work, working harder and harder, and can’t afford to bring up their families.” But a DWP spokesperson said: “Despite claims to the contrary, work absolutely remains the best route out poverty – children in workless families are around three times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families.
“Our welfare reforms are designed to further increase work incentives and improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities, with the (new benefit system) Universal Credit making three million households better off.” Private Sector Bias Is ‘Killing’ Big Society
The ‘Big Society’ is leaving millions behind, a new report has warned. Think tank Civil Exchange has conducted its Big Society Audit 2013, setting out the dangers of private sector monopolies running services and cuts to the most disadvantaged. People with disabilities are bearing 29% of the cuts and only one in five people living in the most deprived areas now feel that they can trust others, compared to nearly three-quarters in the most affluent areas. Mega-corporations are now running many public services, despite the government’s commitment to diversify, the report states, Contracts are also facilitating “a race to the bottom” on quality. The audit does show that there has been significant growth in communities taking control of local amenities and the level of volunteering has risen, but Civil Exchange is calling for a new model for public services to improve further.
More investment in early action and social infrastructure, increased understanding of the potential of the voluntary sector and designing services collaboratively are all needed, Civil Exchange has urged. The government must also ensure that Big Society operates ethically and guarantees not to cut costs at the expense of quality.
Director of Civil Exchange and principal author of the report, Caroline Slocock, said “Millions of people, especially those who might need it most, are being excluded from the Big Society, as cuts hits them hardest and trust in others – the social glue that holds the Big Society together – fails to bind disadvantaged communities.