Parish needs to find a new Council clerk

MORVAL Parish Council is looking to appoint a new clerk and responsible financial officer following the news that Mrs Samantha Pengelly has resigned from the post.

The clerk said at the March monthly meeting of the council that she had handed a letter to the chairman tending her resignation.

Apart from her duties as clerk Mrs Pengelly also has a full-time job and the work-load of council duties, especially with the proposed play park, is unlikely to diminish.

The council is now actively seeking to recruit a successor, advertising the position as being part-time, home-working and flexible hours (estimated at 56 per month).

The salary is in accordance with National Association of Local Councils’ and the Society of Local Council Clerks’ recommended rates, and the position comes with 20 days annual leave (pro rata).

The closing date for applications is next Tuesday (April 2), with the council’s next meeting being on the following evening. 

Details of any applicants will remain confidential and private interviews are expected to take place in the following week.

The outgoing clerk, who has given the statutory month’s notice, said that she was willing to be flexible and assist with the handover of duties to her successor.

Parish Council Chairman, Cllr Andy Jackson, thanked Mrs Pengelly for all the time and effort she had put into her work and praised her for ‘bringing the council into the 21st Century’. 

He also apologised if he had been a ‘pain’ with his many ‘winges and moans’.

Cllr John Kitson also thanked her and said that they would be sorry to see her go.

WORK on applying for grant aid towards the proposed Farriers Way play area at Widegates continues behind the scenes, while the lease to take over the land from the Harding family is almost ready to sign.

The clerk, working with Cllrs John Kitson, Debbie Kirkland and others, has lodged the grant application, bidding for a £200,000 share of the Government’s Government’s £7.6-million Community ‘Levelling Up’ Fund. 

She admitted that she had not expected the application to have needed ‘such an extensive amount of feedback’ or paperwork.

However, although it was exceeding her normal hours of duty, with the help of the councillors she was working through the application and had been encouraged by the reception the application had received from Cornwall Council, the administrators of the ‘Levelling Up’ Fund. 

Cllr Kirkland said that she had had many dealings with similar grant application in the past and always knew that it would never be easy.

Cornwall councillor Armand Toms and Vice-chairman John Collings referred to Mr Richard Liddle’s previous offer of help with the process but the clerk said that she was committed to the task and was putting in extra hours to plough through all the paperwork.

CORNWALL County councillor Armand Toms said that since the New Year he had been notified of 200-plus complaints about potholes.

He said that they were coming in at three or four a day because of the wettest past five months,

However, it was housing that remained his No.1 concern, although he conceded: “I am never going to be able to resolve that. Sorting it out is above my pay grade.”

A PLANNING application for a hot tub at the Cornish Treehouse on Morval Estate was supported by the Parish Council.

The application was lodged by Cllr John Kitson and he duly declared an interest and left the meeting while the application was considered.

Cllr Ben Pengelly, the parish council’s lead on planning matters, said that the applicant was looking to increase business with the addition of a hot tub facility on a lower decking.

The application was supported by the parish council but, as ever with planning applications, the final decision will rest with Cornwall Council.

PARISH Council Chairman, Cllr Andy Jackson, said that he had visited Trenode CoE Primary school and they were keen to have the council’s assistance in trying to increase school numbers.

At last month’s meeting, when a pre-app planning application for the possible development of Hockey’s Field, off Lydcott Lane, Widegates, had been discussed, it was said that the school was full.

But the chairman said that had been an inaccurate statement and, in fact, the school would welcome more pupils so that they could operate a third classroom for the benefit of all age groups.

28th March 2024