Draft Minutes 2026 May 11

May 20, 2026 | Minutes

DRAFT Minutes of the Meetings of Blackawton Parish Council held on
Monday 11 May 2026 at 7:30 p.m. in Blackawton Village Hall

Present: BPC and SHDC Cllr Rake, BPC Cllrs Coe, Hadow, Luckens, and Thomas were present, as were Clerk A Thom, and DCC Cllr Brazil for his report. There were no members of the public present.
Absent: Cllr Oughton.

Annual Meeting of the Parish Council

  1. Election of Chair

It was unanimously resolved to re-elect Cllr Rake as Chair.

  1. Chair’s Signature of Declaration of Acceptance of Office

It was resolved that Cllr Rake can sign the declaration after the meeting.

  1. Election of Vice-Chair

It was unanimously resolved to re-elect Cllr Oughton as Vice-Chair subject to his acceptance.

  1. Vice-Chair’s Signature of Declaration of Acceptance of Office

Deferred in the absence of Cllr Oughton.

  1. Apologies for absence

Apologies have been received from Cllr Oughton.

  1. Terms of Reference for Personnel Committee and Subcommittee

It was resolved to approve the document.

  1. To appoint members of the Personnel Committee and Subcommittee

Cllrs Rake, Oughton, and Hadow were re-appointed to continue as the Personnel Committee and Subcommittee.

  1. To appoint the Chair of the Personnel Committee

It was unanimously resolved to re-elect Cllr Rake as Chair.

  1. BPC’s Delegations of Authority to the Clerk

The proposed document was implemented by resolution. The Clerk’s authority to grant dispensations has been removed to make the document consistent with BPC’s practice.

It was resolved to implement the risk assessment regarding the appointment of a Cllr as temporary clerk and RFO. The delegation for the Clerk and RFO to authorise expenditure without consultation would be revoked while a Cllr temporarily fills the roles.

  1. BPC’s Standing Orders.

It was resolved to adopt the proposed document. There are no new model standing orders.

  1. BPC’s Financial Regulations

It was resolved to adopt the proposed document. There are no new model financial regulations.

  1. Asset Register as at 31/03/26

The Asset Register was confirmed.

  1. Arrangements for insurance cover in respect of all insurable risks

The new three year agreement which ends 3/5/29 was noted.

  1. Subscriptions to other bodies, Contracts, & Direct Debit Mandate

The arrangements were reviewed and no changes were made.

  1. Review of the Council’s Bank Signatory Mandate, and the Banking arrangements’ security and efficiency

It was agreed that the existing three signatories are sufficient pending the co-option of a new Cllr. The mandate will be updated to remove the Cllr who resigned recently.

  1. Approval of the list of due payments which arise on a regular basis as the result of a continuing contract, statutory duty, or obligation, and which will be authorised by the Council and paid in response to correct invoices

The existing list was confirmed.

  1. 25/26 financial year expenditure incurred under s.137 of the Local Government Act 1972

The expenditure was noted (£307.78).

  1. List of the Council’s Policies and Procedures

The list was noted. The Clerk advised the meeting that the Data Retention and Disposal Policy was reviewed in March 2026 and its approval by BPC will be on BPC’s June Agenda, as will Disciplinary and Grievance Policies. The review of Privacy Notices will be addressed by the July meeting of BPC.

  1. 2026 Statement of Internal Controls

The Statement was approved.

  1. 2026 Risk Register Review, Business Continuity Plan, Risk Assessment for the Temporary Appointment of a Councillor as Clerk (Proper Officer) and RFO

The proposed documents were confirmed and Cllr Luckens was reappointed to be a Temporary Clerk (Proper Officer) and RFO in the event of the in the event of the sudden absence of the Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer.

The Council acknowledges that a Cllr in the role of Clerk and RFO combines member and officer functions, and that the councillor assisting by temporarily carrying out the roles is not trained or experienced in the roles, therefore the arrangement presents some risk. To mitigate these risks, the delegated authority granted to the Clerk to authorise payments alone would be suspended with immediate effect and the Temporary Clerk/RFO shall not approve any payments (with the bank). Training BPC Cllrs, such as the training booked for June 2026, also mitigates the risk and helps to ensure correct practice.

  1. Time and Place of Ordinary Meetings of the Full Council

The Parish Council will continue to meet on the second Monday of every month except August at 7:30 pm in the Blackawton Village Hall.

  1. Appointments to special areas of responsibility:

    1. Blackawton Tree Warden

The meeting confirmed the arrangement of the two tree wardens sharing the role.

    1. Snow Warden and Footpath Warden.

The meeting noted that these positions are currently vacant.

May Meeting of the Parish Council

a. Open Forum

There were no members of the public present.

b. Councillors Forum

No matters were raised.

  1. Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Oughton.

  1. Declarations of Interest

None declared.

  1. Minutes of Previous Meetings

It was resolved to approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 April 2026.

  1. Report from South Hams District Council Councillor

SHDC Cllr Rake reported that Fusion Leisure is in administration. SHDC had already lined up a replacement provider: Parkwood Leisure who operate in Torbay and elsewhere. So a smooth transfer of Centres and staff will take place. Membership and bookings will all be transferred. There is a cost to SHDC because it will not paid be under the contract and accrued bad debt will be written off. SHDC is paying an administrator to run the Centres during the changeover and Parkwood is paying differently. Parkwood will take share of turnover. It is expected the Centres will run at a small loss, but they are an important community asset. Under this arrangement there is more incentive to increase business. SHDC has more input in targets and VAT can now be reclaimed by SHDC. Centre user numbers have now improved and are better than prior to the COVID pandemic.

SHDC is now starting to make grant payments to residents under an heating oil support scheme. It is means tested. Residents can apply via the SHDC website or by phoning SHDC. If residents use gas heating they can apply to a related fund.

SHDC had an above budget 2025-26 year end financial position which has now been spent on the Leisure Centres.

It is expected that the Secretary of State will make a decision about Local Government Reorganisation in early July.

  1. Report from Devon County Council Councillor

Deferred pending the arrival of DCC Cllr Brazil after other meetings.

  1. Planning Applications

    1. South Hams District Council’s Planning Decisions

The following decisions were noted:

  • 0917/26/ARC Bow Farm Blackawton TQ9 7AH. Application for approval of details reserved by condition 7 (Sustainable Drainage Option) of planning consent 1799/25/HHO. Discharge of Condition Approved.

  • 0865/26/TCA 3 Church Hill Blackawton TQ9 7BQ. T1: Oak – remove, too large, causing excessive shading, too close to power line. Raise No Objections.

    1. Review of New Applications

  • Variation application for a premises licence (SHPL0398) at Dartmouth Golf & Country Club, Blackawton, Dartmouth, TQ9 7DE for Supply of alcohol, ADD to the non-standard timings to permit sale of alcohol to residents of the hotel and bona fide guests at all times ON/OFF the premises (24hours a day). Live Music, to extend the terminal hour for live music Mondays to Saturdays until 01:00 the following mornings and Sundays until midnight, indoors only. Plays, to permit performance of plays Sundays to Thursdays from 19:00 to 01:00 the following mornings, indoors only.

No comment is being submitted by BPC.

The following application was noted:

  • 0895/26/PAA Wild Bank Farm Blackawton TQ9 7AA PAA for 0211/26/AGR Application to determine if prior approval is required for five polytunnels/.

  1. French Furze Development

Some outstanding snagging work has been done to the Business Units, including cleaning the exterior. Work is scheduled this week for kitchen sockets and to address water ingress. The traffic management plan is outstanding and expected. Then another meeting will be held with the developer. The Business Units CIC has been offered £20,000 from SHDC, which SHDC holds under s106 to be used for economic development.

  1. Wind Turbine Feasibility Study

It was resolved to accept the proposal to increase the Steering Group membership to three Parish Councillors (Cllrs Rake, Coe, and Hadow), three members of Sustainable Blackawton, and the Clerk, and that the Steering Group will require four present to be quorate. The Study provider has provided an initial project plan, draft risk register, and project structure. They have completed the initial local area study and will present it to a Steering Group meeting next week.

  1. Creation of a Blackawton Community Emergency Hub

Cllr Coe will follow this up with the Village Hall Committee.

  1. Report from Devon County Council Councillor

DCC Cllr Brazil reported that the reinstatement of the Slapton Line road would cost about £20 million. DCC is waiting for the Government’s decision about whether the Government will fund the works. In the meantime DCC is working to improve the back-roads, mainly those running north-south (i.e. Five Mile and Three Mile roads). It is planning works to improve line of sight, to tarmac passing places, and may create new passing places. About £1.5 million will be invested.

There is now a one way traffic system creating a circular flow of traffic in Kingsbridge town centre and the traffic lights have gone. There is free car parking in the Quay and Fore Street car parks from 2pm. Cllr Brazil encourages residents to try to shop in Kingsbridge and to support our local towns.

DCC has just had its briefing on the 2025-26 financial year-end financial position, which was very positive. The outcome changed from an expected deficit to a surplus. DCC has been able to invest in Children’s Services and repairing potholes. There are four new teams in Devon which work to fix potholes on the same day they are reported or the next day. £15 million has been borrowed for preventive maintenance. This was possible because the Government paid its SEND debt, which in turn allowed borrowing to save more in long term. Doing things well is saving money e.g. there are more full time social work staff so less is spent on higher cost temporary staffing. Pilot scheme research was done evaluating filling nearby potholes as well as the identified fault. The data is being considered by the DCC Cabinet on 20 May. The evidence supports this approach if the ‘nearby’ area is not too big.

Cllr Brazil offered funding from his DCC Locality Budget for BPC’s planned regular strimming of the visibility splay at Forces Cross by the Blackawton Parish Lengthsman. This was supported by BPC Cllrs.

Cllr Rake raised an issue with car parking in the Grove damaging an area of grass verge. Work is needed to establish who owns the affected land and residents’ preferred solution.

Cllr Brazil reported that land has been purchased to create another community woodland at West Charleton. DEFRA has bought the land and the Woodland Trust is providing the trees and fencing to protect the trees from deer. Volunteers will be needed to plant the trees.

  1. Finance

    1. Update on Current Financial Position

The Reports (which show a total balance of £71,174.71 and an unearmarked general fund of £30,655.06) and Bank Reconciliation were noted.

    1. Payments

It was resolved to authorise the following payments:

  • Clerk April Expenses Reimbursement £8.04

  • Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management 2026/2027 Membership £110.00

  • Highway safety training £132.00

  • Grounds Maintenance:

        • War memorial £36.00

        • Cemetery biodiversity cut £42.00

        • Cemetery cuts 1, 15, and 29 April £315.00

        • Churchyard cuts 1, 15, and 29 April £342.00

  • Society of Local Council Clerks Annual Fee £200

Payment authorised since the last monthly meeting noted:

  • Rowan trees, stakes, ties, & fertiliser £672.52

  1. Parish Lengthsman Contract

As noted earlier in the meeting, strimming the visibility splay at Forces Cross has been added to the Parish Lengthsman’s contract.

  1. Correspondence

The following were noted or considered:

  • Email 30/4/26 from Strete Parish Council regarding the Start Bay Coastal erosion

  • Invitation Caroline Voaden MP to Town and Parish Councils, Role of Neighbourhood Plans in planning policy, Halwell & Moreleigh Community Hall, 11/6/26 13.45 – 15.15.
    Cllrs Rake and Coe will attend as BPC’s representatives.

  1. Annual Community Meeting on Wednesday 13 May 2026

The arrangements for the meeting were finalised. Cllr Coe will arrange refreshments. Cllr Hadow gave her apologies.

  1. Next Meeting

It was confirmed that the next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 8 June at 7:30 p.m.

The meeting closed at 20:59.