Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT 2024 – 25

 

1.0    Introduction

1.1      This report provides a summary of the Council’s actions and achievements during the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, referenced to the eight programme areas laid out in the Strategic Delivery Plan approved by Council on 6 August 2024.

 

2.0      Programme Area A – Administration and Finance

 

2.1      Oversight of the Council’s financial and administrative affairs is undertaken by its Finance and Human Resources Committee, Chair Councillor Richard Foss.

 

2.2      All administrative and finance targets were achieved during the year including a successful audit of the 2023/4 accounts and the approval of the 2023/4 Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR).

 

2.3      A key issue for Council during the year was the replacement of the Parish Clerk as a consequence of the retirement of the previous postholder, Sally Smale. Following a successful recruitment exercise led by the Chair, Vice Chair and Chair of Finance and Human Resources, the Council appointed Bleddyn Griffiths who took up post on 16 December 2024. The Parish Clerk is employed for 17hrs per week.  In reviewing how our Parish Clerk works we took the decision to base the Clerk in the office for two days a week. It was felt that this would improve the accessibility of the Council for residents.

 

2.4      We were also successful in reducing the number of councillor vacancies from four to three with the recruitment and cooption of Councillor Chris Field who took up the post on 4 February 2025.

 

3.0      Programme Area B – Asset management

 

3.1      The Council continued to manage and maintain its land holdings and built assets.

 

3.2      Our most significant asset is the QE2 Recreation Ground, pavilion and associated outbuildings. In accordance with best practice and compliance with audit recommendations, we continue to work on setting up a charitable trust to manage these facilities and in the meantime the Council supports Modbury Association for Recreation and Sport (MARS) – Councillors Barbara Price, Tony Price and Dave Trigger sit on the MARS Committee – to undertake most of the tasks of managing bookings and maintaining the facilities.

 

3.3      We wish to acknowledge and thank the volunteers who continue to promote and manage the facilities on the Council’s behalf. Recreational sports continue to flourish with many more groups being developed. Football, Bridge and Taekwondo being particularly successful last year.

 

3.4      Other assets are generally managed by the Maintenance Committee, Chair Councillor Phil Smith.

 

3.5      The Council maintains three separate play areas in the town – at the Memorial Hall, at Palm Cross and at Champernowne. All are inspected on a monthly basis for safety by South Hams District Council (SHDC). Much of the routine maintenance work is undertaken by our handyperson contractor but it has also been necessary to request warranty work by the original installers of the timber play equipment at the Memorial Hall and Champernowne.

 

3.6      During the autumn of 2024, the timber adventure trail in the upper Memorial Hall play park was condemned as unsafe and had to be fenced off whilst we undertook a tendering exercise which resulted in its replacement with a low-maintenance, recycled plastic alternative at a cost of £13,400 ex VAT. The project was completed on time on 4 March 2025 and we successfully bid for grant support to cover 75% of the cost.

 

3.7      The Council also owns or leases other public open spaces at Palm Cross Green, the Millenium Meadow and Wood and the Galpin Street Community Orchard as well as allotments at Church Lane (which has recently been purchased by a private owner for continued community use) and the Palm Cross estate.

 

3.8      The Palm Cross car park is managed and maintained by the Council and occupancy during 2024/5 averaged 80%.

 

3.9      The Council also owns and maintains a storage facility at Palm Cross Green, principally for the P3 and Road Warden teams.

 

3.10    We continue to maintain a network of parish benches. In the last year a new bench, funded by private contribution, was installed on the Ayleston Cross road and a new picnic bench was installed at Champernowne play park.

 

3.11     Last autumn the Parish Council purchased the old telephone box in Poundwell for a nominal sum to be used as a mini museum.

 

3.12    Finally, we took occupation of a new office in Modbury Court in April 2024 which provides much improved accommodation for the Clerk as well as improved meeting facilities for councillors, a police surgery and other community groups, such as Modbury Caring.

 

4.0      Programme Area C – Town and Countryside Improvement

 

4.1      The Council continues to support various community initiatives to improve the built and natural environment of Modbury. Although not officially representing the Council many of our Councillors participate in the volunteer groups in the Town and we are lucky in that this enables us to have a good grasp of the initiatives planned and review how we can link in our work and support them as necessary. We work closely with the Millenium Meadow Committee, Galpin St Community Orchard Committee, Modbury Wildlife Action Group (MODWAG), Modbury Bloomers, Modbury Litter Pickers and the Modbury Traders Group.  We offer our thanks to them for their continued involvement in making Modbury a pleasant place to live.

 

4.2      Councillor Sarah Wyatt is the Council’s official representative on the Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Modbury Chamber of Commerce.

 

4.3      A town improvement plan was developed in 2024 in partnership with the Traders Group and other interested residents to develop a variety of actions to improve the aesthetics of the town. Councillors Wyatt and Turner continue to lead on this work.

 

4.4      To date this has included supporting the work of  Modbury Bloomers, to create a ‘Modbury in Bloom’ appearance around the town with the purchase of additional plant pots and troughs, and securing four free water butts from South West Water. These were located strategically around the town to help with watering in the dry season.

 

4.5      In addition, specially designed Modbury flags and poles have been installed above the shops to be displayed between the months of May and September with additional bunting provided for the town.  Funds were secured from the Chamber of Commerce and a substantial donation from a Modbury resident to purchase both flags and poles.

 

4.6      The Council also arranged for railings along Church Street to be painted and organised a Marvellous Modbury Makeover weekend to encourage voluntary effort to tidy up the town ahead of the May Fair and the summer season. This included weeding of the town centre pavements and Poundwell car park, sweeping of Fullers Ope, jet-washing of the health centre walls and the decoration of the highways bollards around the town. We are very grateful to the residents and traders who supported this initiative by either coming to help and tidying up their own areas or those near them.

 

5.0      Programme Area D –  Development Control

 

5.1      The tasks of commenting on planning applications, implementing the Council’s Neighbourhood Plan policies and liaising with the statutory planning authorities rests with the Planning Committee and Chair, Councillor Ann Turner.

 

5.2      During the last year, the Council commented on numerous routine planning applications and 2 major applications, including an appeal.

 

5.3      The first major application was related to the proposed development by Baker Estates at Penn Parks who appealed the refusal of planning permission by South Hams District Council. The Parish Council had objected to certain aspects of the original application and the Chair of Planning attended a public inquiry in October and December 2024 to repeat its objection. The appeal was dismissed by the inspector in a decision dated 29 January 2025.

 

5.4      The second major application – a pre-planning consultation by Bloor Homes in relation to a proposed new development to the west of Long Park – was considered in a meeting with councillors in September 2024. Bloor Homes were reminded that the site did not feature in either the Neighbourhood or Joint Local Plans but at that stage no detailed responses were given as a plan had not yet been submitted for comment.

 

6.0      Programme Area E – Housing and Regeneration

 

6.1      We continue to lobby for improved delivery of affordable housing in Modbury and, to this end, opposed the reduction (from 30% to 10%) in Baker Estates proposals for affordable housing on the Penn Parks planning application and appeal.

 

6.2      Further attempts were made during the year to bring underused buildings back into use, including the Chapel in Church St although to date these have been unsuccessful.

 

7.0      Programme Area F – Sustainability

 

7.1      The Council’s sustainability agenda is largely driven by the Sustainability Working Group led by Chair, Councillor Ann Turner.

 

7.2      During the last 12 months the Working Group has produced and adopted a new Sustainability Strategy and a separate Action Plan.

 

7.3      The Council supported with grant and the use of its facilities at the QE2 Recreation Ground Modbury’s first-ever Nature Fest event, something which we hope will become an annual event.

 

7.4      We have successfully applied for Tree Preservation Orders on endangered trees and continue to work with the Tree Warden on such matters.

 

7.5      We are also working with other statutory agencies to resolve flooding at Orcheton.

 

7.6      The Council continues to support the Erme River Alliance and has supported volunteers by providing water testing equipment to provide data which will assist in making the case to South West Water (SWW) for improved sewage treatment and reduced spillages throughout the Erme catchment.

 

7.7      We have been approached by SWW to discuss further investment in the sewer system in the town and councillors have had two meetings – in January and February 2025 – with SWW engineers. This is likely to become a major ongoing issue for the Council as we aim to manage the impact of the major, disruptive works due to start in mid 2025.

 

8.0      Programme Area G – Transport, Road and Path Networks

 

8.1      The Council, through its Maintenance Committee, continued its support for the Devon County Council (DCC) Road Warden and Public Paths Partnership (P3) Schemes during 2024/5 although both were affected by the resignation of the local warden/coordinator.

 

8.2      The Road Warden, Rob West, resigned from his post in early December 2024 but Councillor Bill Cole has been recruited to take his place and a meeting was held in March 2025 to mobilize the potholing team and a new supply of repair compound was secured later the same month. Pothole repair work recommenced early in the new financial year.

 

8.3      Councillor Cole also leads the highways drainage team and they have been busy during the last year clearing buddle holes and drainage gullies around the rural road network, working with local landowners to help disperse surface water. He has also acted as the Snow Warden during the past winter, whilst Councillor Phil Smith acted as Flood Warden.

 

8.4      During the year the Council lobbied DCC hard to secure investment in the main carriageway of the A379 and was rewarded by the repainting of the pedestrian crossing in January and the resurfacing of the potholed approach into Modbury from Plymouth in March 2025. The Council’s handyperson contractor has also been engaged in repairing and rebedding unstable and unsafe paving slabs around the town centre.

 

8.5      In the late autumn of 2024, the Council received the resignation of the P3 Coordinator, Adam Slater, and the small team of volunteers who undertook minor maintenance and clearance work on the public path network. Although Councillors Tony Price and Phil Smith continued to undertake minor works, including the annual survey for DCC, most of the repairs to gates, stiles and signage has had to be undertaken by the Council’s handyperson. The recruitment of a new Coordinator and team will be a priority for the new year.

 

8.6      We have also continued to lobby for improved public transport connectivity, especially to Ivybridge, but without success.

 

9.0      Programme Area H – Community Engagement and Partnership Working

 

9.1      Our objectives under this heading include engaging with residents, enhancing our community well-being, and fostering local initiatives that strengthen the parish’s social and cultural fabric.

 

9.2      Last year we provided community grants to the Modbury Messenger, Modbury Memorial Hall, Citizens Advice Bureau, MODWAG, South Hams CVS, Modbury Caring, the Tourist Information Centre and the Four Rivers Dementia Alliance.

 

9.3      Councillors hold a Saturday surgery every week and through the increased opening hours of our Parish Office we have offered more opportunities for residents to engage with the council. Other ways in which we have communicated include:

 

• Using our social media and website offering although with the change over in Parish Clerk last year there has been some delays in this development;
• Submitting articles to the Messenger over the year ensuring that residents have been kept abreast with projects and Council endeavours;
• Providing a monthly summary of the Council meeting to the Messenger;
• Ensuring all public meetings are advertised on Parish notice boards and the website.

 

9.4      Through our engagement we have been able to identify a number of issues raised by the public during the year and this has included: traffic speed, safety of access to the QE2 Recreation Ground, loose paving stones around the town, water quality, reduced number of volunteers, lack of youth facilities, reduced number of visitors, financial hardship for individual families and individuals, lack of social housing and specific housing for older residents.

 

9.5      Responses to some of these issues have been referred to earlier in this report but other initiatives taken to address residents’ concerns include:

 

• We have applied again to Devon Highways for 20mph speed limits in specific areas;
• We have sought improve street lighting along the access to the QE2 Recreation Ground;
• We attempted to develop a speed awareness response but a lack of volunteers has not yet enabled us to take this forward;
• We set in motion the potential for a community fridge and a review of youth provision within Modbury.

 

9.6      The Council continues to be officially represented on the Modbury Welfare Committee (previously the Fund for the benefit of the Sick Poor in Modbury) who provide grants to individuals in the parish.

 

9.7      To support our cultural heritage we have set up a Heritage Working Group, membership of which incudes the History Society and interested residents. The Group will be developing initiatives using the wonderful history of Modbury to encourage visitors.

 

10.0  Financial Implications

 

10.1    Outturn expenditure in delivering these activities totalled £83,984 in the year. This represented an overspend on the original budget for 2024/5 of £11,787.

 

10.2    Income was also greater than budgeted – £85,119 against a budget of £66,317 – meaning that, overall there was a modest surplus of £1,135.

 

10.3    The expenditure total is equivalent to an average of £102 for a Band D property. This compares with the precept figure for the year of £69.95 per Band D property.

 

10.4    This excellent financial outcome was due, in the main, to the successful acquisition of additional funding and the judicial management of Parish finances.

 

11.0  Conclusion

 

11.1     This report summarises the activity undertaken by Modbury Parish Council during 2024/5 and demonstrates that substantial progress has been achieved in delivering on its four-year objectives despite difficult circumstances, including changes in personnel and shortages of volunteers.

Modbury Parish Annual Report 2024/5: Approved 3 June 2025

V4 20/5/25