Council meeting 5th October 2026
SLAPTON PARISH COUNCIL AGENDA
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Monday 5th October 2026 in Slapton Village Hall (main hall) at 7.00pm
The following Councillors are summoned to attend: Cllr J. Abbey, Cllr I. Mitchelmore, Cllr T. Fletcher, Cllr J. Harris, Cllr S. Lange, Cllr P. Osborne, and Cllr J Hallett
Cllr J. Brazil, Cllr L. Lawford and members of the public are invited to attend.
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
- APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Does the PC resolve to accept the reasons for apologies for absence from…?
- 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.
- PUBLIC COMMENT
- COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLOR REPORTS
a) Cllr J. Brazil
b) Cllr L. Lawford
5. MINUTES OF THE MONTHLY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 7th September 2026, if agreed, to be signed by the Chair as a true and correct record. (See separate document 5).
6. PLANNING
a) Applications (for resolution):
2377/26/HHO Windfall Sands Road Slapton TQ7 2QN Demolition of existing building/ parking area, formation of permeable parking and associated external works.
b) Decisions (for information):
Application:1326/26/AGR Buckland Woods Slapton TQ72RE Erection of Forestry Building
Decision: Refused
Application:1589/26/AGR Buckland Woods Slapton TQ72RE Erection of Forestry Building
Decision: Refused
Application:12158/26/PAA Buckland Woods Slapton TQ72RE Erection of Forestry Building
Decision: Approved
Application: 2083/26/FUL Thorn Park Slapton TQ7 2QX Erection of a general-purpose agricultural building
Decision: Approved
Application: 1941/26/HHO Hillcrest Wood Lane Slapton TQ7 2QX Replacement Incidental Building
Decision: Approved
Application: Torr Farm Slapton TQ7 2RD Installation of ground mounted solar with associated infrastructure
Decision: Approved
Application: 1417/26/VAR Meadow Court Slapton TQ7 2PR Vary condition 2 (plans) of planning consent 0581/24/VA
Decision: Approved
c) Withdrawn: None
7) MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION
a) Slapton Line
b) Community cafe
c) Village sweep
d) Signs
8. PROPOSALS RESOLUTION
a) PCC: Does the PC approve payment of annual £250.00 to the PCC for mowing/upkeep around the war memorial?
b) Community grants: Does the PC approve the community grant notice? – see separate document (8b)
c) Does the PC approve the sign request policy? – see separate document (8c)
d) Does the PC approve the fee for Devon Audit Partners? – see separate document (8d)
9. VACANCIES AND CO-OPTION
10. CLERK’S REPORT: Update from Clerk
11. CHAIR’S REPORT: Update from Chair
12. COUNCILLOR REPORTS: Update from Cllrs
13. REVIEW OF ACTION LOG: Status update (see separate document 13)
14. 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)
| INV NO | DETAIL | AMOUNT | PAID |
| 66 | Mowing: memorial | 250.00 | |
| 67 | DCC: Internal audit Invoice 64014264 dated 24th July 2026 | 1,083.00 | |
| 68 | PKF: External audit Invoice SB20262709 dated 24th September 2026 | 252.00 | |
| 69 | H Iles: Clerk’s salary Sep 2026, plus £26.00 WFH allowance | ||
| 70 | HMRC: PAYE Income Tax. PAYE reference 120/LA58268 | ||
| 71 | Expenses: H Iles £39.75 (printing Mar-Sep) | 39.75 |
*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 29.09.26 | Amount GBP |
| Community Account | 23,081.51 |
| Commercial Instant Access Account | 14,489.41 |
| Total | 37,570.92 |
c) Receipts summary
| Receipts as per bank statements on 29.09.26 | Amount GBP |
| Community Account
|
14015.00 |
| Commercial Instant Access Account
|
5.95 |
| Total | 14,020.95 |
d) First 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 (13d)
e) Second quarter budget update for information only – see separate document (13e)
f) External audit complete
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on Monday 2nd November at 7.00 pm at Slapton Village Hall (main hall).
Signed: Hannah Iles, Clerk Date: 28th September 2026
Those in attendance:
Cllr I. Mitchelmore (chairing meeting), Cllr T. Fletcher, Cllr S. Lange, Cllr P. Osborne, and Cllr J Hallett. Hannah Iles (Clerk) and Nick Mathias were also in attendance. Nick Mathias left the meeting at 19.17.
DRAFT MINUTES
OCT26:
- APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Cllr Abbey and Cllr Harris sent their apologies in advance of the meeting and these were sanctioned by the council.
- DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: Councillors were invited to declare any disclosable interest they may have in any items to be considered. None were declared
- PUBLIC COMMENT
Nick Mathias was invited to speak to by Chair. All the buddle holes have been cleared, but two are completely blocked (Prospect Hill, White Close) and one is broken at the entrance. Clerk to inform Cranheath. Due to the SWW leak the ditches are completed blocked at the top of Five Mile Lane, and another one blocked towards Loworthy. It was noted that councillors will obtain quotes (in line with the PC’s Financial Regulations) for unblocking the ditches, to be reviewed at the next meeting.
4. COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLOR REPORTS
a. Cllr J. Brazil – no report
b. Cllr L. Lawford – no report
5. MINUTES OF THE MONTHLY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 7th September 2026, were signed by the Chair of the meeting as a true and correct record.
6. PLANNING
a. Applications (for resolution):
2377/26/HHO Windfall Sands Road Slapton TQ7 2QN Demolition of existing building/ parking area, formation of permeable parking and associated external works.
Councillors discussed the application noting the permeable surface reducing road surface water and will remove an additional car from the road.
Action: the clerk to lodge a comment of “no comment”
b. Decisions (for information):
Application:1326/26/AGR Buckland Woods Slapton TQ72RE Erection of Forestry Building
Decision: Refused
Application:1589/26/AGR Buckland Woods Slapton TQ72RE Erection of Forestry Building
Decision: Refused
Application:12158/26/PAA Buckland Woods Slapton TQ72RE Erection of Forestry Building
Decision: Approved
Application: 2083/26/FUL Thorn Park Slapton TQ7 2QX Erection of a general-purpose agricultural building
Decision: Approved
Application: 1941/26/HHO Hillcrest Wood Lane Slapton TQ7 2QX Replacement Incidental Building
Decision: Approved
Application: Torr Farm Slapton TQ7 2RD Installation of ground mounted solar with associated infrastructure
Decision: Approved
Application: 1417/26/VAR Meadow Court Slapton TQ7 2PR Vary condition 2 (plans) of planning consent 0581/24/VA
Decision: Approved
c. Withdrawn: None
7. MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION
a. Slapton Line – There have no further updates. Councillors noted that wording of the access restrictions announcement was poor and caused unnecessary panic in the village.
b. Community cafe will be open 2.30 to 4pm. It has been decided that Cllr Mitchelmore and Cllr Lange will put the rota together for November. Councillors will decide at the December PC meeting if they can rota sufficient volunteers for 28th December (bank holiday)
c. Village sweep is to be organised for the beginning of December
Action for clerk: obtain quotes for the November meeting in line with financial regulations
d. Signs: councillors agreed that the clerk will laminate a sign for the area next to the Carr Lane bench to advise that the bench is for public use and that everyone is welcome to use and the council will look at potential permanent signs in keeping with the area. The information sign next to the bus shelter will be cleaned on an ad hoc basis as needed. Thanks to Cllr Osborne who cleaned the sign when it was flagged to the council that it needed to be wiped over.
8. PROPOSALS RESOLUTION
a. Cllr Osborne proposed, Cllr Mitchelmore seconded and the council unanimously approved the annual payment £250.00 to the PCC for mowing/upkeep around the war memorial.
b. Community grants: Cllr Lange proposed, Cllr Hallet seconded and the council unanimously approved the community grant notice to be displayed on the PC noticeboard and PC website.
Action for clerk: display grant notice
c. Cllr Fletcher proposed, Cllr Mitchelmore seconded and the council unanimously agreed to approve the sign request guidelines. The document will be referred to as guidelines rather than a policy with the aim of a fair and consistent process in line with regulations to the procurement and installation of signs by the PC.
d. Cllr Lange proposed, Cllr Mitchelmore seconded and the council unanimously agreed the fee for Devon Audit Partners
9. VACANCIES AND CO-OPTION The advert for the two current vacancies is still within the notice period.
10. CLERK’S REPORT:
Cllr Safety and Privacy Mandate: effective 29th June 2026 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government enacted new rules to protect elected members from intimidation which mean that the principal and parish authorities must no longer publish the home addresses of elected of co-opted councillors on public registers of interest.
Planning reform and committee call ins: Effective 31st October 2026 new rules will restrict the rights of parish councils to call in contentious planning applications to a committee for a final vote, shifting more towards planning officer-led or automated determinations (The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning (England) Regulations 2026).
Audit compliance – assertion 10 and digital governance: To pass future annual audits the council must ensure that all official correspondence uses generic, authority owned emails (councillors and employees must not use personal of business accounts). Additionally, the parish council website must comply with WCAG 2.2 AA digital accessibility laws.
Laminated posters for all of the bus services between Slapton and Dartmouth and Kingsbridge have been displayed at the bus shelter along with the new fare car poster (taxi).
There is consultation on Hackney Carriage fares.
The missing dog waste bin has been replaced.
Friends of the Dart have launched River Hub, a free and public place tp see what is happening to the River Dart.
11. CHAIR’S REPORT: None
12. COUNCILLOR REPORTS: Update from Cllrs
Complaints received regarding use of quad bikes on the bridgeway to start in contravention of The Highway Code (Rule 158). Members of the public who contact the council will be advertised to provide any evidence they have to the police using the non-emergency number or online.
Cllr Osborne thanked Nick Mathias for his hard work and the noticeable difference he makes to the village, this was agreed with by all councillors present.
13. REVIEW OF ACTION LOG: The action log was reviewed and completed actions closed off. Cllr Mitchelmore reviewed the emergency plan and anyone who no longer needed to be included was removed. The defibrillator training cannot proceed as the facilitator is not responding to communication from the PC.
14. FINANCIAL MATTERS
a. Payments to approve: The Council reviewed the projected overspend on the Audit Fees cost centre in relations to payments for items 67 and 68. It was noted that while the internal and external audit fees had been budgeted at £972.00, the actual forecast expenditure stood at £1,112.50, resulting in a variance deficit of £140.50 (excluding VAT). Members discussed the appropriate funding mechanism to clear this shortfall before the closing of the financial year accounts and the council approved the utilisation of the Operational Reserves to fund and completely offset the £140.50 overspend on the Audit Fees line, ensuring the cost centre reconciles to a net-zero balance for the year-end audit trail, if required. Cllr Osborne proposed, Cllr Mitchelmore seconded and the council unanimously resolved to fund the audit shortfall on the budget, there is sufficient funds available in the operational reserves, to ensure compliance with its statutory AGAR obligations and to approve the payments below, which have been examined, verified and certified by the Clerk and RFO.
| INV NO | DETAIL | AMOUNT | PAID |
| 63 | Mathias Property Solutions: Road Warden for Aug 2026. Invoice no 2396, dated 6th Sep 2026 | 361.34 | 11/9/26 |
| 64 | H Iles: Clerk’s salary Aug 2026, plus £26.00 WFH allowance | 525.56 | 28/9/26 |
| 65 | HMRC: PAYE Income Tax. PAYE reference 120/LA58268 | 131.40 | 28/9/26 |
| 66 | Mowing: memorial | 250.00 | |
| 67 | DCC: Internal audit Invoice 64014264 dated 24th July 2026 | 1,083.00 | |
| 68 | PKF: External audit Invoice SB20262709 dated 24th September 2026 | 252.00 | |
| 69 | H Iles: Clerk’s salary Sep 2026, plus £26.00 WFH allowance | 551.56 | |
| 70 | HMRC: PAYE Income Tax. PAYE reference 120/LA58268 | 131.40 | |
| 71 | Expenses: H Iles £39.75 (printing Mar-Sep) | 39.75 | |
| 72 | Lloyds: Service Charge. Ref: 489626729 | 4.25 | |
| 73 | Mathias Property Solutions: Grass Cutting for Sep 2026. Invoice no 2422, dated 29th Sep 2026 | 406.25 | |
| 74 | VC Warehouse: phone. Invoice: 1017890 dated 1 Oct 2026 | 11.94 | DD |
| 75 | Hall Hire: Parish Council Meetings. Invoice no C091259/26, dated 29 Sep 2026 | 20.00 |
*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 29.09.26 | Amount GBP |
| Community Account | 23,081.51 |
| Commercial Instant Access Account | 14,489.41 |
| Total | 37,570.92 |
c. Receipts summary
| Receipts as per bank statements on 29.09.26 | Amount GBP |
| Community Account
|
14015.00 |
| Commercial Instant Access Account
|
5.95 |
| Total | 14,020.95 |
d. First quarter bank reconciliation: Cllr Lange proposed, Cllr Osborne seconded and the council unanimously agreed that the bank reconciliation can be signed as correct.
e. Second quarter budget update.
The Clerk presented the current budget monitoring report for the financial year ending 31 March 2027. The Council reviewed projected overspends on specific cost centres and considered and approved the reallocation of ring-fenced reserves and unbudgeted income to balance these lines, with final adjustments and balancing transfers to be formally approved toward the end of the financial year.
Chair’s Laptop: To note that the specific ring-fenced reserve of £250.00 carried forward from 2025/26 for the Chair’s laptop has now been fully utilised.
Highways & Maintenance Offsets: To utilise the DCC Traffic Calming Grant reserve (£377.00 carried forward from 2025/26) to offset expenditure on traffic signage.
To utilise the Emergency Village/Parish Maintenance Reserve carried forward from 2025/26 to offset expenditure on scalpings.
Section 145 (Community Café) Funding: To note that while the Localities Grant from Cllr Lawford remains outstanding, the projected overspend on the Community Café line is currently offset by the £363.67 ring-fenced DCC Growing Communities Development Grant carried forward in reserves and the £300.00 grant funding received from Cllr Brazil.
f. External audit complete: the AGAR Section 3 (External Auditor Report and Certificate) for the the 25/26 financial year was presented to the council and formally considered. There were no points of note. Cllr Lange proposed, Cllr Mitchelmore seconded and the council unanimously resolved to accept and approve the External Auditor Report and Certificate for the year ended 31 March 2026 and to set the fee for each copy of the AGAR at £10. The Notice of Conclusion of Audit and completed audit return will be published in accordance with the Accounts and Audit regulations.
20.19 meeting closed
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on Monday 2nd November at 7.00 pm at Slapton Village Hall (main hall).
