Parish Councillor Vacancy

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There is currently a vacancy for a councillor on Mary Tavy Parish Council, following a recent resignation. If you are interested in joining the council, please read the information in the attachment below to confirm that you are eligible and then contact Katherine Anness, the Parish Clerk for further information (email , telephone 01822 616047 or use the Contact Form on this website).

Being a councillor need not be the onerous task that some people assume it to be. If you care about the parish and how life in it might be improved then please consider putting yourself forward. If elected you will be working with other councillors to introduce some positive changes in our community.

The closing date for applications is Monday 4th September 2023

A list of current councillors can be found in the Parish Councillors section of the Parish Council dropdown menu on this website.

Hedges and Ditches in the Parish

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Now that the bird nesting season is over, August is a good time to tidy and cut back hedges where needed and to clear ditches ahead of autumn and winter rains.

Parishioners are reminded that it is generally the landowner’s responsibility to keep hedges cut back and ditches clear of debris and blockages. Guidance issued by Devon County Council can be found here (ditches) and here (hedges) and in the attachments below

Vision Zero: A Collaborative Initiative to Reduce Deaths and Serious Injuries on Devon & Cornwall’s Roads

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This is from the Vision Zero website (https://visionzerosouthwest.co.uk/):

Vision Zero is a collaborative project between a number of organisations across Devon and Cornwall. The one thing they all share is a commitment to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries in the region to zero.

Vision Zero is led by a partnership board which includes a wide range of experts from all around the South West including senior police and fire officers, leading clinicians, councillors and the police and crime commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The board meets four times a year to discuss ideas and decide what actions can be taken to further drive down the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Vision Zero’s ambition is to cut road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2040 – and to reduce current numbers by 50% by 2030.

In 2021, 47 people were killed and 647 were seriously injured on the roads of Devon and Cornwall. That number MUST come down. While the region is one of the safest when it comes to road safety, we believe that any death or serious injury is too many.

Visit the website (https://visionzerosouthwest.co.uk/) to learn more about the initiative and to read some case histories.

Notice of Vacancy- 7 July 2023

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A by-election to fill the vacancy will be held if within 14 days of the date of this Notice (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Bank Holidays) ten electors from the Parish give notice in writing to the Returning Officer requiring that such an election be held.

The address of the Returning Officer is: West Devon Borough Council, Kilworthy Park, Drake Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 0BZ. A request for an election can also be scanned and emailed to , but the document must contain “wet ink” signatures.

If no such notice for a by-election is given by at least ten electors, the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.

West Devon Borough Council Survey On Walking, Wheeling And Cycling Needs

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WDBC are asking for input on walking, wheeling and cycling needs in the borough. The survey is being carried out by Cycling UK.

What stops you from running errands, seeing friends and getting around in easy and convenient ways? What makes it easy or difficult to walk, wheel (mobility scooters or wheelchairs) or cycle around in your area?

We want to hear from people in South Hams and West Devon. Your local councils are working on a project to improve the area for local people to get about, please let us know: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DevonTravel

40 mph Speed Limit On The A386 Around The Mary Tavy Inn/Lane Head Junction: Progress!

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We are pleased to report that Devon County Council have officially approved the Parish Council’s request for a 40mph speed limit on the A386 around the Mary Tavy Inn junction. The decision was taken at the DCC Cabinet Meeting held on 14th June. The 40mph limit will replace the current National Speed Limit (60mph) on this stretch of highway.

A site visit was made in May by the DCC Cabinet Member for Highway Management along with County Councillor Philip Sanders and Highways Officers (including the Road Safety team). They all supported the proposed speed limit of 40mph, overturning the initial Highways recommendation that no reduction in the speed limit was necessary.

The scheme will be delivered pending suitable funding being identified and once identified, the works will be added to the Traffic Order programme with delivery likely in 2024/25.

In plain language this means that we should get the speed limit reduced to 40mph in 2024/25! The Parish Council will maintain a dialogue with DCC Highways to ensure the change is made as soon as is practicable.

The current Parish Council would like to thank the previous Parish Council for pursuing this issue, the people of Mary Tavy for supporting it and completing the petition and the owners of the Mary Tavy Inn for providing CCTV images that highlighted the dangerous nature of this stretch of road.  Thanks also go to Terry Pearce (the then West Devon Borough Councillor) for his support as well as to Devon County Councillor Philip Sanders and the West Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC).

 

West Devon Housing Needs Survey. Drop in Session in Mary Tavy, 3.30-6.00pm June 12th

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THE FOLLOWING COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY MARY TAVY PARISH COUNCIL FROM WDBC. THE DROP IN SESSION WILL BE AT THE CORONATION HALL IN MARY TAVY ON MONDAY 12TH JUNE FROM 3.30 TO 6.00PM.
“In response to West Devon Borough Council’s declaration of a housing crisis in 2022, we will be carrying out Housing Needs Surveys across the borough. We will be carrying out the Housing Needs Survey in your area in June 2023. To understand the housing need in more areas, we are doing this in clustered groups, so this cluster will include Lydford, Mary Tavy and Peter Tavy parishes.
There will be a community drop in session, where people can come along and ask staff any questions they have about the survey and have assistance to complete it, about affordable housing, or any other questions they might have.”

Mending Potholes On Roads In Mary Tavy Parish

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Mary Tavy Parish Council has joined Devon Highways’ Road Warden Scheme. 2 councillors have been trained (at Highways’ expense) as Road Wardens by completing the Chapter 8 (Signing, Lighting and Guarding) course.

You can see a description of the Road Warden Scheme and the activities Wardens can undertake here: https://www.devon.gov.uk/communities/opportunities/road-warden-scheme

One of the tasks Road Wardens can perform in the parish is to fill small potholes that are not big enough to meet Highways’ intervention criteria. Highways personnel will only fill potholes that are larger than 300mm in length/width, are more than 40mm deep and have a vertical edge. More details of “Highways-actionable” potholes can be found on their website at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/report-a-pothole/

This website should also be used to report potholes that you believe meet Highways’ intervention criteria.

In order for the Road Wardens to deal with minor potholes, Mary Tavy Parish Council has acquired a quantity of cold fill tarmac that is recommended to give a lasting repair. This material has been obtained free of charge by means of a grant from Devon Highways.

In the coming weeks the Road Wardens will make a start on repairing potholes that, in their judgement, will not be fixed by Highways but can be improved using cold fill tarmac. The first defects to be treated will be a series of potholes in Chapel Lane, Mary Tavy.

The Road Wardens have 2 requests:

  • If people would like to volunteer to help with the work, please contact one of the Wardens using the details below. Highways allow a maximum of 2 volunteers to work alongside each Road Warden. High visibility jackets and work gloves can be supplied as required. No experience is necessary.
  • We would like to compile a list of potholes in Mary Tavy Parish that may fall within the scope of the Road Warden activities. While there is no guarantee that the Wardens will get to every pothole reported to them, they will at least be aware of the defects, can inspect them and prioritise those holes that need filling.

 

The Road Wardens:

Paul Reid

Email:

Martyn Griffiths

Email:

 

 

Declaration of Result of Poll: New Borough Councillor for Mary Tavy Ward

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Robert Oxborough has been duly elected as the West Devon Borough Councillor for Mary Tavy Ward

 

Mary Tavy Parish Cemetery: Headstone Inspection Programme May 2023

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Notice is hereby given that all headstones in Mary Tavy Parish Cemetery will be inspected for stability during May 2023.

This will involve a basic hand test to determine if there is movement in the headstone and to what extent. The test will be carried out by a trained staff member who has completed the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management’s (ICCM) course in memorial inspection.

Grave owners will be notified if a problem is found.

The staff member undertaking the assessment will make a decision on the memorial’s overall safety based on a dynamic risk assessment for which they have been trained. Once inspected, each memorial will fall into one of three categories- 1, 2 or 3. For more detail on the category system that will be used, please download the Memorial Management Policy below.