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Fiware4Water – smart meters

Fiware4Water is a project which aims to implement innovative approaches that empower customers towards water efficiency, through the use of smart meters.  In the UK, the University of Exeter is partnering with South West Water (SWW) and the UN World Water Quality Alliance (UNWWQA).

Great Torrington has been chosen to pilot new smart meter technology as part of this project. Customers in this region will be given access to a smart phone application displaying their water consumption. They will be able to see how much they are paying for water, compare their consumption against others, set consumption targets and receive leak alarm notifications. SWW will use the data from these smart meters to locate and respond faster to household leaks in the area and derive relationships between consumption and the weather (e.g. rainfall) via an internally accessed web application. Research has shown that metered customers use significantly less water than customers who are not metered. The project team expects that increased visibility of water use behaviour will drive an even larger reduction in a customer’s water consumption. The benefits of which will be realised by SWW with a lower overall demand on resources and treatment requirements, and by the customer with a lower annual water bill.

The Project Team will be announcing details soon of a launch event at which SWW customers in Great Torrington will be invited to take part.  For more information, please follow this link to the Fiware4Water website: https://www.fiware4water.eu/

Contacting your Local Policing Team

If you have a non-urgent matter that you wish to bring to the attention of your Local Policing Team, the easiest way of contacting them is as follows :

Go to this Devon and Cornwall Police web-page here – https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/your-area/

On that page go to the Find your Local Policing Team box.

Fill in either the relevant location or post-code, or use the drop down menu to select the appropriate Neighbourhood.

Click the Search button.

Details of the Local Policing Team will then be displayed, along with a box allowing anyone to send a message to that team.  

Planning Minutes 1st April 2020

Minutes of an informal Planning Review held via telephone conference on Wednesday 01 April 2020 at 10:00am

Please note: a formal face-to-face Planning Committee Meeting could not be conducted due to the coronavirus pandemic

PRESENT:   Cllrs K Allin, M Brown (Chair), D Davey (Vice-Chair), S Ford, and D Smith

Also Present: Karen Chapman (Town Clerk) and Charlotte Kirby (Assistant Town Clerk)

MINUTES

1. APOLOGIES:

Cllr S Mills

2. PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS:

None

3. CORRESPONDENCE AND MATTERS BROUGHT FORWARD BY THE CHAIRMAN AS A MATTER OF URGENCY:

None

4. DECLARATION OF INTEREST:

Cllr Brown declared a dual hatted interest as a Member of Torridge District Council Plans Committee.

5. THE AGENDA WAS AGREED BETWEEN PART “A” AND PART “B” (Confidential and Restricted Information)

No Part B.

PART A

6. CONSIDERATION OF THE FOLLOWING PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED:

  1. 1/0159/2020/FUL – Extension to dwelling and replacement of garage: 167 New Street, Torrington, Devon EX38 8BX

The Chair asked Members individually if they had any comments on the above application.  Cllrs Allin, Ford and Brown had no comments.  Cllr Davey queried the process of lifting the roof for the purposes of this extension in terms of whether there are any proposed changes to the height of the roof.  Cllr Smith asked for clarification as to whether the observations noted by the architect in relation to the wildlife trigger list meet the necessary criteria for an ecological survey.

Cllr Smith proposed no objections to the above application.

Cllr Ford seconded the proposal.

A vote was taken: 4 in favour; 1 abstention.

Decision: no objections pending matters in relation to roof height and wildlife being considered further.

7. RESPONSES FROM TORRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL:

  1. 1/0833/2019/FUL – Installation of 1 new timber window to front elevation: 24 Cornmarket Street, Torrington, Devon, EX38 8EY: Permission granted- NOTED
  2. 1/0834/2019/LBC – Installation of 1 new timber window to front elevation: 24 Cornmarket Street, Torrington, Devon, EX38 8EY: Permission granted – NOTED

PART B: Confidential and restricted information:

Nil Business

8. DATE OF NEXT MEETING: 

Next Planning Committee meeting: 22 April 2020 at 10am. 

Meeting closed at 10:07am.

Planning Agenda 1st April 2020

PLANNING COMMITTEE

INFORMAL MEETING TO BE HELD VIA TELEPHONE CONFERENCE
On
WEDNESDAY 01 APRIL 2020 at 10.00am

NOTICE OF MEETING

MEMBERS:      Cllrs Miss K Allin, Mrs M Brown (Chair), Mrs D Davey, S Ford, Miss C Miller, Miss S Mills, D Smith, and Mrs S Strode

Town clerk signature
Town Clerk

All those attending are requested to turn off their mobile phones for the duration of the meeting

AGENDA

1. Apologies

To receive apologies of absence from the meeting

2. 10-minute period for public contributions

3. Correspondence and matters brought forward by the Chairman as a matter of urgency

4. Declaration of interests

(Members will be able to sign the Declaration register at the meeting. Interests must be re-declared when the item is called)

5. To agree the agenda between Part ‘A’ and Part ‘B’ (Confidential and Restricted Information).

PART “A”

6. Consideration of the following Planning Applications Received:

  1. 1/0159/2020/FUL– Extension to dwelling and replacement of garage: 167 New Street, Torrington, Devon EX38 8BX

7. Responses from Torridge District Council

  1. 1/0833/2019/FUL – Installation of 1 new timber window to front elevation: 24 Cornmarket Street, Torrington, Devon, EX38 8EY: Permission granted
  2. 1/0834/2019/LBC – Installation of 1 new timber window to front elevation: 24 Cornmarket Street, Torrington, Devon, EX38 8EY: Permission granted

PART ‘B’ – (Confidential and Restricted Information)

Nil business

8. Date of next meeting

22 April 2020

Filming and Recording of this Meeting: Please Note that this meeting may be recorded by a third party.

Role of the Mayor

The Role of Mayor can be divided into two distinct areas: Chairman of the Council, and representative of the Town.

CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL

  1. The Mayor is appointed as the first item of business at the Annual Meeting, and remains in office until his/her successor is elected or he/she resigns or is otherwise barred from holding office.
  2. The Town Mayor must be a Member of the Council.
  3. The Town Mayor has precedence within his/her Town before all others except the Sovereign or his/her representatives and the Chairman of the District Council.
  4. If present at a Council Meeting the Mayor must preside and has control of its procedure for enforcing the law and good order.
  5. The Mayor must prevent decisions being taken on matters which are not on the agenda of the Council Meeting.
  6. When presiding at a Meeting the Mayor has the casting vote unless presiding over the election of a new Mayor as his/her last act before ceasing to be a Member of the Council. In such a case he/she only has a casting vote.
  7. Where there is a tie in the election of a Mayor, the presiding Mayor (Chairman) MUST BY LAW give the CASTING VOTE.
  8. The Mayor may on three days notice convene a Council Meeting at any time.
  9. The Mayor must call an extraordinary meeting within seven days if he/she receives a requisition for that purpose signed by two Members of the Council.
  10. The Mayor signs the minutes presented to and approved by the Council Meeting.
  11. In order to discharge the function of Chairman presiding at Council Meetings the Mayor should understand thoroughly the Standing Orders of the Council.
  12. The ruling of the Mayor (Chairman) on a point of order or on the admissibility of a personal explanation SHALL NOT BE DISCUSSED by the Council Meeting.
  13. The Mayor accepts the resignations by Members. 
  14. The Mayor is paid an allowance to meet the expenses of his/her office. Records must be kept to confirm expenditure on Council business.

REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PARISH

The Mayor:

  1. Is the proper person to represent the Parish on ceremonial occasions.
  2. Designate is responsible for informing the Town Clerk whom he/she wishes to invite to the Annual Meeting. 
  3. Designate is responsible for organising and paying for the celebration function following his/her inauguration at the Annual Meeting.
  4. Recommends whom he/she wishes to be the Council Chaplain for his/her term of office. 
  5. Informs the Town Clerk of his/her invitations to the Civic Service and recommends to Council when that service shall be.
  6. Becomes Chairman of the Mayfair Committee at the first meeting of the Mayfair Committee following inauguration as Mayor. 
  7. Visits the local Hospital, Castle House Nursing Home and Woodland Vale on Christmas Day. 
  8. In consultation with the Town Clerk selects the speakers for the May Fair Proclamation. 
  9. Attends with the Council the May Fair proclamation and parade on the first Thursday in May.
  10. Provides and pays for gifts to the May Queen and attendants, Heralds and Crowner at the Mayfair celebrations in the Square.
  11. Attends with the Council the Remembrance Day Service and Parade in November.
  12. Establishes those residents within the Parish celebrating their 100th birthday, Golden and Diamond weddings, visits and offers a card and small gift.
  13. Accepts invitations on behalf of the Parish and attends events as the Representative of the Parish. In such capacity must maintain the dignity of the Parish at all times. Invitations in the region of 75 might be expected. The majority of invitations are within the Parish.
  14. Furthers the policies of the Council with outside bodies.
  15. By custom and practice nominate two Charities for whom he/she will raise money during the year. At the following Annual Meeting, the money raised is then presented to the Charities.
  16. Is responsible for obtaining the licence from the District Council for the Mayor’s Appeal.
  17. Is the only Member of Council (along with the Town Clerk) authorised to speak to the Media on behalf of the Council.
  18. Is responsible for the safekeeping of the Chains of Office which must be protected at all Times.

NOTE: The Mayor is expected to be accompanied by a Mayoress or Consort as appropriate.  This is usually the wife or husband of the Mayor but need not be.

There are duties for the Mayoress/Consort:

a)Choose the theme for the May Fair children’s outfits.

 b)Select the dressmaker to make the outfits.

 c)Meet with the dressmaker and children to measure up for costumes.

 d)Dressmaker also makes the cushion for the May Queen’s crown.

 e)Attends with the Mayor the dress rehearsal on the Wednesday of May Fair week.

  

The Beadle is available (by prior arrangement) to drive the Mayor and Mayoress/Consort to official functions and return them.

This “job description” is not meant to be exhaustive but to give as much of a flavour of the role of Mayor as is reasonable so that the duties and responsibilities do not come as a surprise.