THE November meeting of Sandford Parish Council was chaired by vice-chairman Brian Fyfe in the absence of the chairman.

In the “Quiet Moment”, at the start of the meeting, the council remembered Diana Edworthy who had recently passed away.

Meeting with Road Safety Officer – Devon County Councillor Mrs Margaret Squires was still pressing for this.
In the meantime complaints were continuing over the problem of vehicles parking under the sign post at the top of Rose and Crown Hill. This was causing a visibility issue over vehicles exiting Sandford Square and was also in contravention of the Highway Code and rules over parking near junctions. The Clerk was asked to contact Crediton Police for advice.
A “Concerned Parishioner” had sent a letter on the current Back Lane, Rose and Crown Hill, and the Square parking issues.

The parishioner had set out the current problems, together with suggestions to resolve the various issues including the installation of double yellow lines.

The Parish Council discussed the content in detail.

It was agreed the letter would be very useful when the Parish Council was finally able to meet with the Devon County Council (DCC) Road Safety Officer to convey the thoughts and suggestions from the resident.
In the meantime a meeting was suggested to discuss parking signage in the Square.
Lodge Corner and Pond Corner - Cllr Steve Haley felt that at the same time urgent attention was needed to the dangerous state of the road at these locations.

Cllr Squires advised that she was meeting with Steve Tucker (DCC Highways) the following day and would visit these locations. Cllr S Haley was invited to attend.

Casual Vacancy – No request had been received to hold an Election. The Parish Council could now advertise the Casual Vacancy and request “Expressions of Interest”, by December 1, 2021, to be considered at the December 2 meeting.

Future of Sandford Congregational Church and Hall – The Clerk had formally written to the Congregational Church Federation in Nottingham and a response was awaited. Cllr Brian Fyfe offered to make enquires locally as to the possibility of Sandford Parish Council continuing to use the Hall to avoid it deteriorating.

Charlie Werner had replied, over the suggestion that SACA, the charity that ran Sandford Stores, lead an initiative to purchase Sandford Congregational Church for use as an Community Hub, stating that SACA is now registered with the Charity Commission as a small charity.

This means that SACA can only accept up to £5,000 each year. It has a small group of trustees that allocate funds to the requests it receives, most of which have been profits from the shop.

The trustees were in agreement that they are unable to take on such a project.

They said that their terms and conditions do not allow them to deal with large sums of money.

One suggestion made was that the Congregational Church could be turned into low cost flats for local people. A suggestion was that the Parish Council could take on this project as other Parish Councils have done elsewhere?

Play Area Sub Committee Meeting - A successful meeting had taken place to consider the 2021 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) safety report.

The question arose as to whether the fence between the Toddlers and Junior Play Park could be removed.

The Clerk advised that this had been erected following a recommendation from ROSPA in one of its previous Safety Reviews.

Basket ball hoop and further new equipment – Cllr Dave Hope agreed to pursue possible sources of grant funding.

In advance of this a further consultation was suggested, with youngsters and their parents, to hear their suggestions and ideas for new equipment.

The date of the next meeting was agreed as December 2 at the Sports Pavilion.
In the meantime it was agreed to pursue the purchase of an electric heater for the Pavilion. Also to make enquires, in view of the closure of Sandford Congregational Church Hall and the Parish Hall being booked every night of the week, about the possible use of the Hall at Sandford School as a venue for future Parish Council meetings.

MJV