Minutes Council Meeting January 27 2026
DRAFT Minutes of Parish Council Meeting 27 January 2026
Minutes of the meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council, held at 7pm on Tuesday 27 January 2026 at Stoodleigh Village Hall
Members Present: Charman Cllr W Knowles, Vice Chairman Cllr J Widdowson, Cllr Mansfield, Cllr G Parkman, Cllr C Payne Cllr D Wotton
Cllr S Lodge Devon County Council, Cllr C Adcock Mid Devon District Council
1. Apologies received from Cllr B Wotton, District Cllr M Stratton
2. Declarations of Interest - none
3. Those present were invited to declare if they intended making an audio recording of the meeting. Nothing declared
4. The Public – opportunity for the public to speak on items on the agenda.
There were 15 members of the public in attendance.
A member of the public stated they objected to the minutes of the last meeting and were invited to speak at this point. The Chairman explained that this was the opportunity for members of the Public to speak if they wished. The member of the Public did not expand on their comment.
Another member of the public raised the issue of standing water where a drain was blocked. Cllr Lodge acknowledged this and gave an update on the standing water near the A361.
Another member of the public raised the issue of potholes and that filled ones were re-appearing. Cllr Lodge explained the process for reporting potholes on an interactive map and that the emulsion used to repair the potholes will not stick in the current weather. Cllr Lodge agreed this is an ongoing issue and suggested people keep reporting them.
5. Minutes of the Meeting held, 25 November 2025 were approved and signed, noting that a member of the public had raised an objection.
6. Planning reports and Outcomes –
25/01391/HOUSE Single storey and first floor extension to North elevation following demolition of existing extensions; extension and replacement of bay windows; gable roof extension to South elevation; installation of roof lights and solar panels Holmingham Farm Bampton - Decided - Grant permission
25/1435/FULL Replacement of stable block with farm office, wood store and bat roost Land and Buildings at NGR 294500 119610 Hazels Farm Stoodleigh - Decided - Grant Permission
25/01524/LBCDOC Details pursuant to the Discharge of Condition 5 of Listed Building Consent 25/00908/LBC relating to sample of slate and details of the new bat slates Ford House Stoodleigh - Approval of LBC Discharge Of Condition
25/01536/FULL Erection of a self build replacement dwelling, to include change of use of land to domestic garden and free-standing solar panels Highfield Stoodleigh - Since the agenda was circulated, this application has been Decided - Grant Permission
25/01644/CAT Notification of intention to remove 1 Goat Willow tree; prune lower crown of 1 Perry Pear tree by 4m; prune branches overhanging boundary of 1 Birch tree by 4m, prune 1 Ash tree and 1 Sycamore tree by 4m and prune base of 1 Fir tree up to 2m within a Conservation Area 3 Court Gardens Stoodleigh - No objection
26/00008/PNCOU Prior Approval for the change of use of land to a temporary campsite consisting of up to 3 pitches under Class BC for a period of 60 days from 01/05/2026 to 31/09/2026 Land at NGR 289763 119964 Little Wood Oakford – Awaiting Decision
26/00054/FULL Variation of Condition 3 of Planning Permission 20/01789/FULL (Change of use of hall solely for use by holiday makers to public use) to: The development hereby permitted shall not be used other than as a function hall: a. where the function hall is booked in conjunction with the use of the holiday accommodation at Duvale Priory, for a maximum of 130 people at any one time inclusive of the occupiers of the holiday accommodation; or b. where the function hall is not booked in conjunction with the use of the holiday accommodation at Duvale Priory, a maximum of 130 people minus the number of persons occupying the holiday accommodation|Buildings at NGR 294446 120596 Duvale Priory Bampton - Awaiting decision
There was a discussion about planning application 26/00054/FULL. Concerns were raised about how many days events may happen and whether excess noise would be enforced. A vote was taken with 4 Councillors objecting and 2 supporting subject to concerns raised.
7. Reports
County and District Council – circulated prior to meeting
Cllr Lodge reminded people about the Libraries Consultation and encouraged people to express their views and share ideas of how this service could be delivered. Cllr Lodge had chaired a meeting about the issues with Pharmacies in Tiverton where they heard from people having difficulties getting medication. This is due to a reduction in Pharmacies available since one chain had gone into administration.
Cllr Adcock gave an update from the District Council. Green Enterprise grant will be available with a maximum of £5000 per project and spoke about Warm Homes Grants.
Parish Councillors – no reports
8. Parish Council meeting dates were discussed as the Stoodleigh Parish Council meeting dates currently clash with Templeton Parish Council meetings for every meeting except May. This means Cllr Lodge is unable to attend both meetings. It was agreed that subject to the Village Hall being available, Stoodleigh would move their meetings to the first Tuesday of the relevant months, with the next meeting being 3 March 2026 (subject to hall being available)
9. Highways
Potholes were discussed and people were reminded to keep reporting them.
One of the Parish Councillors noted that no road sweeping was being done. Cllr Adcock agreed to check the situation.
Concern was raised about spreading of a liquid substance near Ashill Farm. The tarmac at the edge of the road at Cold Blow Cross is breaking up due to the size of the vehicle. There have been reports the substance running down the road following discharge over the hedge. Cllr Knowles will to speak to the Farmer.
Cllr Lodge gave an update where a Landowner had put a curb in a gateway pushing water further down the road. It was concluded that this was not an issue.
A Farmer using Quoit at Cross, has asked if the 30 mph signs could be moved as they are causing issues when turning. Cllr Lodge will look into this. Cllr Widdowson to provide location what3words.
Traffic claiming signs at Stoodleigh Inn were discussed. Parish Council could put up their own. Two possible locations were suggested which are on private property. Cllr Lodge gave an update on the Twenty’s Plenty Scheme which still has not been finalised. Agreed that the Parish Council would wait for the Scheme.
10. Notice Board
The notice board is now installed and thanks were given to Steve Partridge for making the new notice board.
11. Chris Whitehead memorial plaque
The memorial plaque is now on the wall of the playground. Cllr Widdowson agreed to let the family know that this had been done.
12. Playground to include potential funding
The playground equipment is rotting. Martin Baker (builder), negotiated for Travis Perkins to supply the materials to repair the equipment free of charge. The Councillors agreed that a letter of thanks should be sent to Travis Perkins and Martin Baker.
Three playground equipment suppliers had been contacted with quotes up to £18,000 to replace the existing equipment. One Company could rebuild at an estimated cost of
£2,500 + VAT. There would be additional costs for cement, ballast, and steel. It was agreed that funds had been put aside to do this work, in the knowledge that it would need doing at some point. The play equipment needs to meet certain standards.
Cllr Widdowson proposed installing a rubber surface to go around the see-saw which had been quoted at £275+VAT, which needs to be done before the inspection in March. This was approved.
The Clerk pointed out that there were likely to be expenditure levels which would require quotes to demonstrate value for money for the work on the playground. Clerk to check levels and requirements.
13. Clerk and Councillors email accounts
From the next financial year, as a minimum, Parish Councils must have their own domain with .gov or .org for the Clerk email address. It is recommended that all Councillors have this type of email address. There are a number of providers and it was agreed to look into this further before deciding.
14. Finance
HSBC current account as at 12/01/26 £6,671.99
Unity Bank Savings Account £4,978.85 (interest £27.29 received)
Expenditure to date against the budget prediction was reviewed.
All invoices and receipts approved for payment.
It was agreed that the Signatories for the Banks should be Cllr Knowles (Chairman), Cllr Widdowson (Vice Chairman) and Jane Brand (Clerk to the Parish Council). Clerk to arrange the change from previous Clerk to current Clerk and change the address for correspondence for both banks.
The next meeting will be Tuesday 3 March 2026 (subject to hall availability)
Meeting ended 20:25