Draft Minutes for the PC meeting 27th July 2026

Corscombe, Halstock and District Parish Council
Draft Minutes for the Parish Council meeting 7.30pm on the
27th of July 2026

Meeting was held at Halstock Village Hall.

Councillors present: Roger Hallett (RH), Deborah Childs (DC), Henry Lovegrove (HL), Helen Sherwood (HS), Grant Prior (GP), David Hallet (DH), Freda Hennessy (FH) Paul Worthen (PW) and Richard Fry

4 members of the public

The meeting was chaired by Cllr. R. Hallett

1. To receive and accept apologies and declarations of interest.
   Apologies from Cllr. Clarke, Cllr. Arnold and Cllr. James
   Declarations of Interest from Cllr. R Hallett re item 10 and Cllr. Worthen Re item 8 re P/PABA/2026/03747
2. To approve the draft minutes of the Parish Council Annual meeting held on 18th of May 2026 (A), Parish council meeting held on the 18th of May (B) and the Extraordinary meeting on the 11th of June (C)

• Minutes Parish Council Annual meeting proposed Cllr. R Hallett, seconded Cllr. Lovegrove approved 4/4
• Minutes Parish Council meeting proposed Cllr. R Hallett, seconded Cllr. Lovegrove approved 6/6
• Minutes Parish Council Extraordinary meeting proposed Cllr. Childs, seconded Cllr. D Hallett approved 6/6

3. To discuss matters arising from the minutes not covered in this Agenda.
   None
   Public period for comments on issues on the agenda
   In relation to item 7.1 – Tim Beer (Milestone Society) – Dorset Finger Post services talked about the meeting he had recently had with Cllr. Clarke, initiated by Cllr. Fry. He has completed an updated survey with Cllr. Clarke and is able to offer materials for fingerpost repairs more cost effectively and within a shorter period of time, enabling work to continue more rapidly. He has provided Cllr. Clerk with a costing for materials. Cllr. Fry will produce a progress report/spreadsheet for the September meeting so that future costs can feed into the 2027/2028 budget set in November.

An issue was raised by Mr Morris regarding the Manor House/West Wing at Toller Whelm concerning the poor condition of the Public Rights of Way on the property which he felt have been neglected. Cllr. Childs, our Rights of Way representative will be in contact with Mr Morris to arrange a meeting to review the condition of the Rights of Way and see what the Parish Council can do to support this issue. However it was made clear that it is the land owners’ responsibility to keep Rights of Ways in a good condition, but the Parish Council can support any request for Dorset Council to contact the land owner and resolve this issue. The state of signage regarding the Rights of Way will also be reviewed.
Action: Cllr. Childs will report back findings at the September Parish Council meeting.
Reports from Dorset Council Councillor and Police Liaison
No update from PCSO
Neighbourhood Watch and other initiatives
Action: Clerk to send out links to useful sites

Dorset Cllr. Kippax presented key points from Dorset council
• Boundary Commission review means there is likely to be implications for our ward. He will report to us any findings after the consultation period.
• Economic development needs to focus on rural areas as well as towns and cities. Dorset Council is campaigning to ensure rural areas get the support they need and will map rural business needs.
• Age Friendly Dorset – a Charter is being drawn up to identify local needs, input information is being sort from a range of organisations.
Points were also raised regarding the Horse Warning signs, road closed signs and Norwood Lane.

4. To note the statement of expenditure to date and bank reconciliation (D) and to approve the schedule of payments since the last meeting. (E)
   • Statement of expenditure and Bank reconciliation proposed Cllr. Hennessey, seconded Cllr. Lovegrove approved 9/9
   • Scheduled Payments proposed Cllr. Hennessy, seconded Cllr. Lovegrove approved 9/9 Scheduled payments since 31.3.26 Gross £6956.53, Net £6658.01
5. Audit update (Verbal) TS
   The PC has passed the internal audit and was signed off by the external auditors.
6. To note/receive a maintenance update for the playground and outdoor gym (Verbal)TS/RH
   No major issues noted. There is some hedge trimming required near entrance gate and touch up of paint on Outdoor Gym.
   Action: Clark to ask Roger Whittingham to undertake work.
7. Highways and Rights of Way updates (verbal) TS
   The Ranger has identified a need for two self closing gates. The Rights of Way group have one gate but would require funds to purchase a further gate cost @ £400, this was noted and will be approved at the September PC meeting.

7.1 Finger Posts and Horses signs update (F)
Dorset Council have agreed to pay for and site a Beware of Horse Riders sign in Halstock but if we wish to put in place an additional sign, we will need to purchase this at a cost of £950.
It was felt that this additional sign should be paid for by Dorset Council and talks are ongoing to investigate this.
7.2 40mph zones Halstock update
Residents have notified the Parish Council of their concerns regarding the 60mph speed limit on the Yeovil Road between Sutton Bingham and Halstock.
The Parish Council has been in communication with Tony Burden regarding an extension of the 40 MPH zone on Yeovil Road between Sutton Bingham and Halstock. The speed limit is currently 60mph. The Parish Council were informed that we would need to pay for speed surveys before any consideration of lowering the speed limit to 40mph. The Parish Council have responded back and are still awaiting a response.
7.3 Bench replacement – Common Lane (G)
The Bench near the Roman villa site has deteriorated and needs repair or removal. It was agreed that if it could not be repaired the bench would be removed and no replacement purchased. Approved 9/9.
It was also noted that the Roman villa site needs some attention as it has become quite overgrown.
Action: Clerk to ask Roger Whitingham to review/remove bench and cut back overgrowth.
7.4 Corscombe street Names – (H) FH
Cllr. Hennessy was thanked for her work in creating the report and this would be discussed at the September Parish Council meeting.

7.5 Concern of accuracy of Road closure notices
This is being monitored as Dorset Council have several times provided incorrect information. Item 7.4 will hopefully help identified any errors.

8. To consider and note planning applications and decisions. (I) TS
   The Owner talked about the proposed planning application.
   Planning P/HOU/2026/03955
   Replace existing outbuilding comprising garage with annex above with new outbuilding with garage and storage above
   Location: Saffrons, Ford Lane, Corscombe
   Preplanning was approved by Dorset Council who gave the go ahead to put in a full planning application.
   Decision was made not to comment.
   Voted 8/9 (1 abstain)

Preplanning P/PABA/2026/03747
Proposal: Wall cladding replacement & internal alterations of agricultural building
Location: Ewens Farm
West Chelborough
(Declaration of Interest recorded for Cllr. Worthen)
The Parish council can see no issue with the preplanning proposals.

Planning application P/FUL/2026/03594
It was noted that this was not within the Parish and as such we could not comment.
Action: Clerk to let Dorset council Planning know that this application falls with in the Beaminster Town Council remit.

Foot path closure was also noted – W26/14 CORSCOMBE AND W45/8 WEST CHELBOROUGH
8.1 Enfoncement update (verbal) TS/RJ
None

9. To receive and note training update (Verbal) TS
   Cllr. Hennessy will be attending the New Councillor Essentials course.
10. Donation request Corscombe Bell Ringers (J) RH
    It was noted that there was a need to update out Grants Award procedure.
    Action: the Clerk will produce an updated version of the Grants Award procedure with input from Cllr. Lovegrove and Hennessy. This will be reviewed at the September meeting.
    Proposed Cllr. Lovegrove, seconded Cllr. R. Hallett approved 9/9

However using the existing procedure, the information provided by Cllr. R Hallet did meet the key points requested. ( Note Cllr. R Hallett declared an interest but was invited to speak). It was agreed by those present that the Corscombe bells provided an important service to the wider community and enriched parishioners lives.
The urgent work was to be carried out on the 28th of July and as the request was made prior to this date, it was agreed that an amount (TBC) would be awarded under the Council’s General Power of Competence. The proposed amount will be discussed outside the meeting and formally ratified at the September Parish Council meeting.

11. Correspondence to be discussed and noted. (Verbal) TS
    We have been asked if we would cover the cost of Halstock Hall for the trimonthly Repair Café initiative. Approved 9/9
12. Climate and Ecology emergency action to be noted
    • Cloths Swap now in September at the Fox Inn
    • Good follow up on the Peoples Emergency Film. Halstock village hall will be approached to see if they can show it.
    • Initiative for Swift boxes is on going
13. To consider urgent matters to report from members and items for the next meeting.
    A number of residents have recently reported odour issues coming from the Halstock Sewage Treatment Works. We have raised this with Wessex Water, who have confirmed that their team is already investigating the source of the smell. They believe it is linked to the sludge liquors released during the de watering process, which are returned to the head of the works and may be causing odour due to turbulence in one of the chambers .
    Wessex Water are continuing to fault find and review automated processes on site to identify the exact cause before engineering a fix. Possible solutions include installing covers over one or more chambers to reduce emissions .
    In the meantime, they will increase the frequency of sludge tankering off site to help reduce odour levels while the investigation continues .
    We will keep residents updated as further information becomes available.
    Chimes request for help with funding to be discussed on the 28th of September Parish Council meeting. We have asked for additional information prior to the meeting to be provided.
    Before the Parish Council can consider any request for financial support, we will need a clearer understanding of the current business model for The Chimes. The magazine is clearly valued across the community and contains a great deal of useful information, including parish updates and church services . However, the PC cannot agree to subsidise it without full and up to date details.
    At present, residents pay £12 per year to receive the magazine, I believe. It would be helpful to know how long this rate has been in place and when it was last reviewed. Given inflation over recent years, an increase may well be overdue. A modest rise — for example to £13 per year, in line with the 13 pension payment cycles — might be reasonable to consider.
    To assess the situation properly, we would need:
    • A breakdown of the current monthly shortfall, noting the reduction in advertising income mentioned in your email .
    • Confirmation of how many parishes The Chimes serves.
    • Clarification on how many subscribers are still paying the old rate, as referenced in your message .
    • A summary of printing and distribution costs.
    • An explanation of the £10,400 held in the deposit account and how this relates to ongoing viability and risk management .
    Any potential grant from the Parish Council would also need to be considered alongside contributions from the other parishes served by the magazine. It would not be appropriate for one parish alone to underwrite a multi parish publication.
    The starting point, therefore, is a full re examination of the business model, including subscription pricing, advertising strategy, and projected income versus expenditure. Once this information is available, the PC can consider whether a grant application is appropriate and proportionate.
    Any formal decision would need to be taken at a meeting where this item appears on the agenda and requested information has been presented.
14. Date of next Parish Council meeting will be the 28th of September 2026 Corscombe Village Hall.
    The Clerk has proposed a further first aid course as some residents were unable to attend the meetings scheduled last year. The course will be run by St. Johns ambulance . At present we are looking at dates in September, and the meeting will be held at Halstock Village Hall.
    The meeting closed at 9.30pm
    Clerk to the Council: Tessa Safadi, Tel: 07595598995
    Email : clerk@chd-pc.gov.uk
    chdpc.org.uk