Council Meeting – 5th January 2026

The following Councillors are summoned to attend:
Cllr J. Abbey, Cllr I. Mitchelmore, Cllr T. Fletcher, Cllr J. Harris, Cllr S. Lange, Cllr I. Luscombe, Cllr P. Osborne and Cllr G. Sutton.

Cllr J. Brazil, Cllr L. Lawford, Kate Palmer, Keith Widger and members of the public are invited to attend.

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 5th January 2026, in Slapton Village Hall (main hall), at 7.00 pm.

The public comment section is 15 minutes in duration with 3 minutes allocated per person. If any parishioners wish to speak in relation to a matter on the agenda, please contact the clerk by email clerk@slaptonparishcouncil-devon.gov.uk 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

AGENDA

1) APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Does the PC resolve to accept the reasons for the apologies for absence from…?

2) DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: Councillors are invited to declare any disclosable interest they may have in any items to be considered. They are also reminded to consider whether, in the light of recent activities, any items within their Register of Interests should be updated.

3) PUBLIC COMMENT

4) COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLOR REPORT

a. Cllr J. Brazil
b. Cllr L. Lawford

5) MINUTES OF THE MONTHLY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 1st December 2025, if agreed, to be signed by the Chair as a true and correct record. (See separate document 5).

6) PLANNING

a. Applications (for resolution):

i. 3486/25/HHO Carlane House, Carr Lane, Slapton, TQ7 2PU
Householder application for erection of veranda.
PC Comments by 8th January 2026

ii. 3645/25/LBC Brook Cottage, Brook Street, Slapton, TQ7 2PW
Listed Building Consent for proposed replacement of four oak lintels & one external door due to deterioration beyond reasonable repair.
PC Comments by 29th January 2026

b. Decisions (for information):

i. 3305/25/TCA Carlane House, Carr Lane, Slapton, TQ7 2PU
T3: Prunus Sp – Remove deadwood and abnormal proliferation growths
T4: Plum – Remove to allow construction of greenhouse
T5: Camellia – Remove to allow construction of greenhouse
T6: Ilex aquafolia – Crown height reduction by 3mtrs to try to improve form and to increase light to understory
T7: Mountain Ash – Remove to allow construction of greenhouse
T8: 3 x Camellia – Remove to allow construction of greenhouse
T9: Clerodendron – Remove to allow construction of greenhouse
T11: Tulip – Remove deadwood
T12: Magnolia grandiflora – Remove 1 x lowest limb over neighbours & Crown lift limbs over roof to give 1 metre clearance due to overhanging neighbours property
T13: Hazel – Coppice to ground level to increase light to area and allow for replanting and Hazel regrowth
T15: Maple – Remove deadwood & Crown lift to 3 metres to increase light to area and allow for replanting
T20: Hazel/Holly Hedge – Coppice to ground level due to overgrown hedge, thinning in bottom, poor low level screening value. Coppicing will increase light to area and allow for replanting and hedge regrowth
SHDC decision: No objections raised

ii. 3352/25/TPO Kippax, 2 Chantry Hill, Slapton, TQ7 2QY
T1: Ash – remove, dieback present, losing limbs, ivy infestation
T2: Poplar – crown reduce by 3m overall, growing through T1
SHDC decision: Refused

c. Tree Works (for information): Referred to Tree Wardens

i. 3659/25/TPO Homeleigh, Wood Lane, Slapton, TQ7 2QX
T1: Beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) – Reduce whole crown by to previous pruning points on east, west,
north and south sides of crown. Tree has more vicious re growth in a north easterly direction over house, reduce by 3-4 meters on north east side of crown (over house) & reduce remaining crown by 2-3 meters. All to previous pruning points to increase light levels in house and to garden.
T2: Yew (Taxus baccata) – Reduce whole crown, north, south, east and west by approximately 1.5m due to becoming over dominant in small garden.

ii. 3658/25/TPO 5 Chantry Hill, Slapton, TQ7 2QY
T1: Beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) – Drop crotch reduction of whole crown by approx 2/3 meters on east, west, north and south. To remove limb extremities with poor vigour/dieback, tightening crown down to denser lower growth. Owner worried about limb failure particularly over neighbours property.

d. Withdrawn: None

7) MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION

a. Recreation ground: Proposed upgrades to be presented by Kate Palmer.

8) PROPOSALS FOR DISCUSSION AND RESOLUTION

a. Budget and precept: Consider draft budget and agree precept demand for financial year 2026-27 (see separate document 8a 1, 2 and 3).
b. Slapton Line Alliance: Consider letter from Strete Parish Council regarding interest in joining the Slapton Line Alliance (see separate document 8b).
c. Annual village clean: Agree date for winter 2026-27.
d. Annual Parish Meeting (APM): Agree date for APM in 2026. Note: APMs must be held between 1st March 2026 and 1st June 2026 and start not earlier than 6.00 pm.
e. Bus Shelter: Consider appointment of suitably qualified individual/company to carry out a risk assessment of potential locations for a bus shelter including within Greenbanks play park, Townsend Cross and Brandis Park to consider safety/viability of all possible locations.

9) CLERK’S REPORT: Update from Clerk on matters arising since December’s PC meeting.

10) CHAIR’S REPORT: Update from Chair on matters arising since December’s PC meeting.

11) COUNCILLOR REPORTS: Update from Cllrs on matters arising since December’s PC meeting.

12) REVIEW OF ACTION LOG: Update on any pending actions/actions requiring a status update in the action log (See separate document 12).

13) FINANCIAL MATTERS

a. Payments to approve: Does the PC approve the payments below, which have been examined, verified and certified by the Clerk and RFO? (See separate document 13a).

Payment no	Details of payment	Amount GBP	Paid for noting
95	Village Hall: November PC meeting. Invoice no C121118/25, dated 02.12.25	20.00
96	Village Hall: November Community Café. Invoice no C121119/25, dated 02.12.25	100.00
97	Heathfield Groundworks (digger for buddleholes). Invoice dated 08.12.25	360.00
98	J W Harris: Labour for buddleholes. Invoice no 01, dated 08.12.25	100.00
99	Cranheath Sweepers: Village Clean. Invoice no INV-6952, dated 11.12.25	1,940.40 1,617.00 + 323.40 VAT
100	Nick Mathias: Road warden December + additional work relating to buddle hole clearance. Invoice no 2198/26, dated 13.12.25	426.63
101	B Moor: Clerk’s salary Dec 2025 plus £24.00 WFH allowance	845.20
102	Woolston Accounts: Dec payroll. Invoice no INV-1022, dated 30.12.25	20.00
PAY103	SERVICE CHARGES REF: 472127648	4.25	Paid

*Additional invoices received after the agenda has been issued will be available for review at the meeting

b. Balance at bank

Balance as per bank statements on 29.12.25	Amount GBP
Community Account	15,961.32
Commercial Instant Access Account	14,337.26
Total	30,298.58

c. Receipts summary

Receipts as per bank statements on 29.12.25	Amount GBP
Community Account (see transfers below)	0
Commercial Instant Access Account December interest (also see transfers below)	6.56
Total	6.56

d. Transfers and updates to cost centres (for information):

i. £250.00 in office expenses cost centre moved from Community Account to Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account and ringfenced for Chair’s laptop.

ii. £140.98 in elections cost centre moved from Community Account to Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account and ringfenced to bring total amount for elections to £2,000.00.

iii. £600.00 in village maintenance cost centre year end 2025-26 and £108.64 defibrillator c/f from year end 2024-25 moved from Community Account to Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account and ringfenced to bring total amount towards SWAST defibrillator renewal (due November 2027) to £708.64.

iv. £30.00 moved from Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account to Community Account into village maintenance cost centre to go towards payment of plaque for bench at Carr Lane.

v. £494.44 moved from Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account to Community Account into Community Café cost centre to cover costs for year end 2025-26 leaving £363.67 in Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account to c/f for winter 2026-27.

e. Third quarter bank reconciliation: Does the PC agree that the bank reconciliation can be signed by the Chair and another Cllr as correct? (See separate documents 13e 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8).

f. Third quarter budget update (for information): See separate document 13f.

The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on
Monday 2nd February 2026 at 7.00 pm at Slapton Village Hall (main hall).

Signed: Bella Moor, Clerk      Date: 30.12.25

DRAFT MINUTES

Those in attendance: Cllr J. Abbey (Chair), Cllr I. Mitchelmore (Vice Chair), Cllr T. Fletcher, Cllr J. Harris, Cllr S. Lange, Cllr P. Osborne (left at 9.07 pm) and Cllr J. Brazil (arrived 8.30 pm and left 8.47 pm).

Kate Palmer and Keith Widger were also in attendance, at the invitation of the Parish Council, to discuss a matter on the agenda. Both arrived at 7.00 pm and left at ~7.40 pm.

No members of the public were in attendance.

114:25 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: The Parish Council resolved unanimously to accept the reasons for the apologies from Cllr G. Sutton and Cllr I. Luscombe. They also acknowledged apologies from Cllr L. Lawford.

115:25 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: Cllr I. Mitchelmore declared a non-registerable interest in Agenda item 8e as he lives at Brandis Park, which is one of the proposed locations for a bus shelter. It was agreed that he would leave the room, not participate in any discussions regarding this matter and would not vote. Cllr J. Harris declared a non-registerable interest in Agenda item 13a as one of the payments for emergency work on the buddleholes is to him. It was agreed that he would not vote to resolve the payment could be made.

116:25 MINUTES OF THE MONTHLY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 1st December 2025
were agreed and signed by the Chair as a true and correct record.

117:25 PLANNING

a. Applications (for resolution):

i. 3486/25/HHO Carlane House, Carr Lane, Slapton, TQ7 2PU
Householder application for erection of veranda.
Cllr Mitchelmore proposed, Cllr Lange seconded and it was resolved unanimously that the PC has no comment to make on this application. Clerk to action.

ii. 3645/25/LBC Brook Cottage, Brook Street, Slapton, TQ7 2PW
Listed Building Consent for proposed replacement of four oak lintels & one external door due to deterioration beyond reasonable repair.
Cllr Mitchelmore proposed, Cllr Lange seconded and it was resolved unanimously that the PC has no comment to make on this application. Clerk to action.

118:25 MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION

a. Recreation field: Kate Palmer explained that Slapton Ladies Activity Group would like to donate £650.00 towards upgrades to the recreation field. She presented the following suggestions: earthworks (cut and slice) to level the ground and create bunds, native hedgerow planting along North and East boundaries on top of the bunds, relocation of the 5 bar gate and installation of a pedestrian gate. She has been discussing costs for digger hire and grass seed with parishioners and has managed to recruit a volunteer digger driver for one day. The plans are not yet fully costed. Keith Widger, who the Parish Council leases the land from, confirmed that he would not be averse to works being carried out. Cllrs thanked Kate Palmer for her motivation and work on her proposals and thanked both Kate Palmer and Keith Widger for attending. Cllr Osborne proposed, Cllr Lange seconded and it was resolved unanimously that the matter should be added to the next agenda for further discussion. Clerk to action.
Kate Palmer and Keith Widger left.

119:25 PROPOSALS FOR DISCUSSION AND RESOLUTION

a. Budget and precept: The draft budget was revised at the meeting. Cllr Osborne proposed, Cllr Abbey seconded and it was unanimously resolved to agree the revised budget and submit a precept demand of £28,030.00. Clerk to action.
b. Slapton Line Alliance: Cllr Osborne proposed, Cllr Abbey seconded and it was resolved unanimously that the PC would like to join this alliance. Clerk to action.
c. Annual village clean: Cllr Harris proposed, Cllr Abbey seconded and it was resolved unanimously that the village clean should be carried out by Cranheath in the 2nd week of December 2026. There was discussion about the need for the Road Warden to blow down Prospect Hill (from just beyond the top of White Close), from September through to February/until all leaves have dropped. Clerk to action.
d. Annual Parish Meeting (APM): Cllr Abbey proposed, Cllr Lange seconded and it was resolved unanimously that this would be held on Monday 20th April 2026 at 6.30 pm. Clerk to book Village Hall.
Cllr Mitchelmore left the room before the next item was discussed, did not participate in any discussions and did not vote.
e. Bus Shelter: Cllr Osborne proposed, Cllr Lange seconded and it was resolved that a risk assessment should be commissioned if an appropriately qualified individual/company can be appointed. The Clerk noted that DCC Highways has been asked three times to recommend an approved contractor but no information has been provided to date. Clerk to action.

120:25 COUNTY COUNCILLOR REPORT: Cllr J. Brazil

a. Budget: The budget settlement from the Government was better than initially anticipated, meaning that fewer cuts will have to be made to services such as libraries and support on homelessness.
b. Libraries: Ways to transform library services (to keep libraries open for the same hours but to reduce costs) are being explored. Currently, libraries cost ~£7.00 to £8.00 per head to run in Devon and this figure is only ~£2.00 to ~£3.00 in Cornwall so the model that Cornwall has adopted will be explored further.
c. Slapton Line Partnership: The next meeting will be a working party meeting on 15th January 2026 at Follaton House, where Natural England will explain statutory designations.
d. Inland routes: Cllr Brazil has met with DCC Highways regarding upgrades to inland routes.

121:25 CLERK’S REPORT: Update from Clerk on any matters arising since December’s PC meeting.

a. Summarised incoming emails.
b. Confirmed that SHDC’s Elections Team has given the go ahead to coopt a Councillor.
c. Submitted 3rd quarter VAT refund claim on 04.01.26 for £413.35.
d. Reported parishioner has notified Road Warden of flooding on route between Start Bay Centre (old school) and Loworthy. Cllr Harris requested that the Clerk report this to DCC Highways. Clerk to action.

122:25 CHAIR’S REPORT: Update from Chair on any matters arising since December’s PC meeting.

a. Attended meeting between Lou Hoskins (SLP Adaptation Manager), Dan Field (SHDC) and James Morrison of Save our Shoreline. James presented off shore solution to replace shingle at Skerries. A survey is needed first, which would cost £50k to £80k. The costs to replace the shingle (including dredging) would be several million. There was also discussion about whether sanitised wrecks off shore could be a possible solution. Lou Hoskins and Dan Field acknowledge that the Slapton Line Partnership has never discussed natural or off shore solutions before.

123:25 COUNCILLOR REPORTS

a. Cllr Fletcher has received a concern from a parishioner about potholes along the A379 between Torcross/Stokenham/Chillington. The Clerk explained the process for reporting potholes to DCC. Cllr Abbey offered to follow this up.

124:25 REVIEW OF ACTION LOG: Status update from Cllrs:

a. Cllr Abbey confirmed that she had researched the use of seagrass to prevent coastal erosion and confirmed that it is only suitable for use where the sea bed is sandy so would not be viable solution for Start Bay.

125:25 FINANCIAL MATTERS

a. Payments to approve: Cllr Mitchelmore proposed, Cllr Lange seconded and it was resolved to approve the payments below, which have been examined, verified and certified by the Clerk and RFO. Clerk to action payments.

Payment no	Details of payment	Amount GBP	Paid for noting
95	Village Hall: November PC meeting. Invoice no C121118/25, dated 02.12.25	20.00
96	Village Hall: November Community Café. Invoice no C121119/25, dated 02.12.25	100.00
97	Heathfield Groundworks (digger for buddleholes). Invoice dated 08.12.25	360.00
98	J W Harris: Labour for buddleholes. Invoice no 01, dated 08.12.25	100.00
99	Cranheath Sweepers: Village Clean. Invoice no INV-6952, dated 11.12.25	1,940.40 1,617.00 + 323.40 VAT
100	Nick Mathias: Road warden December + additional work relating to buddle hole clearance. Invoice no 2198/26, dated 13.12.25	426.63
101	B Moor: Clerk’s salary Dec 2025 plus £24.00 WFH allowance	845.20
102	Woolston Accounts: Dec payroll. Invoice no INV-1022, dated 30.12.25	20.00
PAY103	SERVICE CHARGES REF: 472127648	4.25	Paid
104	Village Hall: December Community Café. Invoice no C011125/26, dated 03.01.26	100.00
105	Village Hall: December PC meeting. Invoice no C011126/26, dated 03.01.26	20.00
DD106	VC Warehouse: Dec phone. Invoice no 1016549, dated 01.01.26	11.94 9.95 + 1.99 VAT

b. Balance at bank

Balance as per bank statements on 29.12.25	Amount GBP
Community Account	15,961.32
Commercial Instant Access Account	14,337.26
Total	30,298.58

c. Receipts summary

Receipts as per bank statements on 29.12.25	Amount GBP
Community Account (see transfers below)	0
Commercial Instant Access Account December interest (also see transfers below)	6.56
Total	6.56

d.Transfers and updates to cost centres (for information): Cllrs acknowledged receipt of the following information:

i. £250.00 in office expenses cost centre moved from Community Account to Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account and ringfenced for Chair’s laptop.

ii. £140.98 in elections cost centre moved from Community Account to Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account and ringfenced to bring total amount for elections to £2,000.00.

iii. £600.00 in village maintenance cost centre year end 2025-26 and £108.64 defibrillator c/f from year end 2024-25 moved from Community Account to Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account and ringfenced to bring total amount towards SWAST defibrillator renewal (due November 2027) to £708.64.

iv. £30.00 moved from Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account to Community Account into village maintenance cost centre to go towards payment of plaque for bench at Carr Lane.

v. £494.44 moved from Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account to Community Account into Community Café cost centre to cover costs for year end 2025-26 leaving £363.67 in Commercial Instant Access (Savings) Account to c/f for winter 2026-27.

e. Third quarter bank reconciliation: Cllr Fletcher proposed, Cllr Mitchelmore seconded and it was resolved unanimously that the bank reconciliation should be signed by the Chair and another Cllr as correct.

f. Third quarter budget update (for information): Cllrs acknowledged receipt of the third quarter budget update.

 

The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on
Monday 2^nd February 2026 at 7.00 pm at Slapton Village Hall (main hall).