The Area We Cover
The Parish Council covers Tedburn St Mary and Pathfinder Village and the surrounding areas. The exact parish boundaries are shown on the Tedburn St Mary Boundary Map.
Who is on the Council?
There are ten members of the Council, including the Chairman and the Vice Chairman. Our Chairman is Linda Bellshaw and the Vice Chairman is Pat Moody. A full list of Council Members, their contact details and the Committees they sit on is available on this site.
Council Members are elected every four years, at the same time as the District Council elections take place. If a Councillor resigns during their term of office, the Parish Council has a statutory duty to advertise the vacancy and to notify the relevant officer at the District Council that this has been done. Unless the required number of parishioners request an election, the Parish Council is then free to co-opt someone to fill the vacancy until the next election.
We employ a clerk to run the administration of the Council. Our current clerk is Jane Clark. The registered address for the Parish Council is Tillerton Barn, Tedburn St Mary, Exeter, EX6 6ER, the phone number is 079 323 86023 and the email is parishclerktsm@yahoo.co.uk
Council Meetings
During the Coronvirus lockdown the council has not met, however, it is now holding virtual meetings. The first was held on Monday 29th June 2020 at 7.30 pm and the next is due on 14th August. We then hope to revert to the meeting schedule, meeting on the first Monday of each month. If you wish to join the meeting please see the agenda on the agenda page and use the links (video or by phone) shown.
Under normal circumstances we meet twelve times a year on the first, non-Bank Holiday Monday of the month, in the John Bromell Room of Tedburn St Mary’s Village Hall and also at Pathfinder Village Hall.
The meetings usually start at 7.30pm but occasionally start at 7.00pm if there is a presentation by an outside agency.
The meetings are open to the public, but the public are not allowed to speak outside the introductory Open Forum section of the meeting.
Occasionally (for example, during Planning matters) we also drop Standing Orders. This means that members of the public can speak about matters that concern them, or where they can contribute to the debate.
Copies of Minutes for recent meetings are downloadable from this website.
What We Do
The Parish Council is a statutory body. This means that we have set powers and responsibilities, including in relation to housing, allotments, roads and planning.
We discuss local affairs, from potholes in the road and uncut hedges to the closure of the Fingle Glen Gap.
The Parish Council’s powers are limited, but we can recommend action to the District and County Councils and other agencies, based on local knowledge, and we can provide a useful conduit for parishioners to get local issues raised with higher authorities.
We also provide financial support to local organisations where the rules and finances allow us to do so, including to the Tedburn Times.
Under the GDPR which is effective from May 25th 2018 we draw your attention to our Privacy notice which details how data we hold and receive is processed.
How We Work
A great deal of the Council’s work is done between Council meetings.
Each Councillor is a member of one or more Sub-Committees.
All Councillors are also members of the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
A summary of the work of our Committees is as follows. For further information, please contact one of the members of the Committee. You can find their contact details on the ‘Your Councillors‘ webpage
Allotments
We have helped the Allotment Association set up allotments in the Village. For further information, please see the Allotments webpage.
Footpaths and Bridleways
This Committee, comprising of Jonathan Putt and Terry Tume, looks after the footpaths and bridleways within Parish boundaries, making sure that they are kept clear and safe.
We employ a person to strim the paths three times a year. The footpaths and bridleways are regularly walked, and in February each year a formal inspection is made and delivered to Devon County Council.
Maintenance and improvements are covered by special annual funding from Devon County Council called the ‘P3 Grant’
Cemetery
The Parish Council owns the Cemetery at the Little Chapel. We nominate a Caretaker to maintain the Cemetery, and employ a person to mow the grass.
Our Clerk organises the purchase of burial plots and cremation plots.
This Committee is run by Councillors Bellshaw, Rodda and Bromell
Welfare Trust
The Welfare Trust allocates trust funds to the disadvantaged of the parish. Councillors Bellshaw, Bromell and Moody sit on this committee.
Neighbourhood Watch
The parish is listed as a Neighbourhood Watch scheme area. Please liaise with the Police o non emergency line 101 to report any possible criminal activity in the Village. Cllr Jones is the Councillor responsible for Police Liaison.
Housing
The Housing Committee works with Teign Housing and developers Hastoe Homes about existing and proposed affordable properties within the parish. This committee is chaired by Councillors Bellshaw and Moody.
Website
Any queries about the website should be sent to the Webmaster at Webmaster@tedburnstmary.com
The Other Organisations We Work With
The Parish Council act as Trustees to the Village Hall and therefore receives regular monthly reports through the Councillor representing it on the Village Hall Committee. The current representative to be appointed. . A similar report is received from the Recreation Association to whom the Parish Council leases a field at a peppercorn rent. The current representatives are Councillors Moody, Putt and Taylor.
The Council is a member of TALC, which is the Teignbridge Association of Local Councils. This is a forum for Town and Parish Councils within the Teignbridge area to discuss general issues of concern and interest.
Planning
All local planning applications submitted to Teignbridge District Council are considered by the Parish Council. We have no right to veto a planning application, but our comments are noted by the Planning Officer and Teignbridge’s Planning Committee.
If we feel that an application has special issues for consideration, perhaps because there have been objections, we can ask the District Councillor to recommend that it is placed in Category B. This means that it will be considered by the full Planning Committee at Teignbridge, rather than just the Planning Officer, and that there will probably be a Site Visit by members of that Committee.
We welcome written comments from members of the public about planning applications. We always give careful consideration to these letters.
Local Projects
We undertake small local projects. We have obtained a new bus shelter, helped arrange the allotments, have brought the Website up to date and are working with developers to bring new affordable housing to the Village. We have developed a new play area in the centre of the Village for smaller children. Further to this we are looking at expanding facilities at the Recreation Ground for slightly older children.
How We Are Funded
We receive an annual payment, which is allocated from the Council Tax collected by Teignbridge District Council. This is called the “Precept”, and is itemised on your Council Tax bill.
We spend this money by supporting the Village Hall and the Recreation Association, on maintaining the Cemetery at the Little Chapel and the churchyard, employing the Clerk, and on various other projects.
Our Accounts are inspected annually by an external auditor.
How You Can Get Involved
As well as coming to meetings, points which parishioners want to raise can be submitted to the Clerk by letter or email at parishclerktms@yahoo.co.uk or raised in the “Questions raised by the Public” section of each Meeting (which is always at the beginning).
April 2020
Tedburn St Mary 