Agenda item

Please note: Any member of the public requiring to put a question to the Town Council must do so by email or via The Guildhall no later than 12 noon the day before the meeting.

 

Members of the public are advised to review the Receiving Public Questions, Representations and Evidence at Meetings document prior to attending the meeting.

The Chairman confirmed three public questions had been received.

 

In the absence of the residents who submitted the first two questions, the Town Clerk read them aloud in accordance with the Town Council’s Public Question Policy. The third question was read by the member of the public present at this evening’s meeting.

The Town Clerk then proceeded to read question one on the approval of the Chairman.

 

Date Received	Public Questions to the Town Council	Submitted By
13 January 2026	Cornwall Council officers submitted a report dated 29 August 2024 relating to the release of the recreational ground/park on Callington Road, Burraton for development, stating that representatives of Saltash Town Council were supportive of the principles of the recommendations (Sections 2.12 and 5.3).   I understand from the Town Clerk that Saltash Town Council has not given any confirmation of support in principle for this development and that the Town Clerk is working with Cornwall Council for clarification, as the report contains several inaccuracies.     Further to this, if Cornwall Council fail to respond, or are not willing to correct the inaccuracies and reconsider their decision using accurate information, how do Saltash Town Council plan to challenge the outcome so that public confidence in the process can be restored?	Marie Whittam

 

The Town Clerk informed Members that she had been working with Cornwall Council to establish how the report, and the information contained within it, had come to light.

She further confirmed that a response had been received from Jonny Alford, Strategic Property Lead at Cornwall Council.

At the instruction of the Chairman, the Town Clerk proceeded to read the response to Members.

We briefed the Town Council and Local members before we pushed this deal in 2024.

 

We explained this was a potential Win Win.

 

·         Developer gets a new supermarket

·         Community of Saltash gets an improved play provision

·         There is a capital receipt paid to the Council

 

But the route to that Win Win is via a full planning application which requires full public consultation including the Town Council.

 

The Town Councils support as we recorded it was not support of the planning application but of the principles of the deal that the Council was working on.

 

I can see how the report has been misunderstood.

 

If the Developers proposals are not acceptable then the Town Council can object…they have not prejudiced or pre-called their position.

 

I can see how the report reads and that was not the intention.

 

The developer consultation meeting is the beginning of the developers process to develop a planning proposal for the site that meets the needs of the community and will appropriately replace the playing field that will be developed on.

Members discussed the response received and expressed both frustration and disappointment.

Councillor Bickford challenged the accuracy of the response and the report issued by Cornwall Council, stating that it had grossly misrepresented what took place at the meeting. That meeting had been attended by the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Town Council at the time, Councillors Bickford and Peggs together with the Town Clerk.

Councillor Bickford clarified that, although the report presented the meeting as a consultation, it had in fact been a briefing. It was not a forum for discussion or debate.

Saltash Town Council had not been permitted to express a formal opinion, as this can only be done through the lawful planning process.

It was further noted that no new information had been provided at the meeting; all material shared by Cornwall Council was already in the public domain.

Members requested that Cornwall Council update or withdraw the report and challenge the Strategic Property Lead regarding his description of the development as a “win?win”. Members sought a correction to any implication that the Town Council supported or approved the development, as it did not.
Members also requested an apology due to the upset caused to the Town Council who had faced criticism arising from the inaccuracies in the report.

The Town Clerk confirmed that her recollection aligned with the Members’ account and expressed concern regarding the management of future private and confidential briefings held by Cornwall Council.

Members agreed that this matter should be reviewed at a future Town Council Forum meeting.

It was additionally noted that the report implied multiple consultations with several Members, which had not taken place. Members queried whether a transcript or notes of the meeting existed. The Town Clerk confirmed that neither was available.

 

Following a unanimous vote (14 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions), it was proposed by Councillor Bickford, seconded by Councillor Peggs and RESOLVED:

 

1.  To delegate authority to the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman, to challenge the inaccuracies within the Cornwall Council report relating to Saltash Town Council, requesting that the report be withdrawn or amended to reflect the accurate position, and to seek an apology accordingly;

 

2.  To reassure residents that Saltash Town Council has neither expressed support for nor objected in principle to the proposed development;

 

3.  To refer to a future Council Forum Meeting a discussion on how best to manage attendance at private and confidential briefings with Cornwall Council, when the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Town Clerk are invited, in order to prevent similar issues arising in the future.

 

The Town Clerk proceeded to read public question two.

 

Date Received	Public Questions to the Town Council	Submitted By
12 January 2026	Irresponsible and dangerous vehicle parking in Saltash is out of control. I have asked this council on two occasions in as many years to liaise with the relevant departments on who's authority are able to engage, create change and promote safety on the roads and pavements of Saltash.   This council was to have meetings over the past year or so with the Police, Safer Saltash and Cornwall Council Civil Parking Enforcement Department to discuss the increasing problems of parking in Saltash.   Whether these meetings took place I have no idea but sadly I have seen no improved results and the situation is getting worse.   A quick look on social media is a great source of public information and can show how bad it’s getting for example but not limited to:-   1.    Cars parking on pavements adjacent to ZigZag of a controlled crossing near the junction of North Road/Tavy Road. Pedestrians having to walk in the busy main road.   2.    Cars parked on corner of Broadwalk/Wearde Road. School kids and drivers cant see clearly up Wearde Road when exiting Broadwalk.   3.    Cars parked on pavements Lower Fore Street almost impossible to drive through   4.    Cars double parked blocking access for fire engines on a call.       Item one above is a prime example where the Police drive pass this location regular and could potentially save a life by addressing the problem but no action has been taken as cars continue to park on the pavement adjacent to the Pelican crossing ZigZags.   Will Saltash Town Council on behalf of the people of Saltash actively hold to account the departments who’s responsibility it is to administer the rules and robustly apply them against this increasing anti social behaviour. Action needs to be taken urgently to kerb the appalling parking in Saltash before someone is injured or killed.	David Simmons

 

The Town Clerk confirmed that in both 2023 and 2024 the same member of the public had submitted questions regarding parking issues within the town.

Saltash Town Council subsequently met with Cornwall Council’s Community and Civil Parking Enforcement Team, followed by an onsite visit attended by several Councillors.

Following these engagements, the Town Council issued an educational social media post, reported the matter to Safer Saltash, and informed the resident, David Simmons, of the Council’s resolutions on both occasions.

Members expressed concern for visually impaired people and those using prams or wheelchairs, noting the risks created by vehicles parking on pavements. Members agreed that, should another site visit be arranged, representatives from these groups should be invited to attend.

Members further agreed that a new site visit with Cornwall Council’s Community and Civil Parking Enforcement Team is essential.

The Vice Chairman welcomed the police to the meeting to discuss ongoing issues relating to illegal parking in Saltash.

Sector Inspector Jamie outlined the challenges associated with enforcing parking legislation and the legal considerations surrounding pavement obstruction, confirming that the police would review the comments raised at this evening’s meeting.

In response to concerns that police officers sometimes appear to overlook offences, Jamie explained that officers may be en-route to higher?priority incidents but would not ignore a vehicle parked illegally or dangerously.

Following a vote (13 in favour, 0 against, 1 abstention), it was proposed by Councillor Bullock, seconded by Councillor Ashburn and RESOLVED:

 

1.  To invite Cornwall Council’s Civil Parking Enforcement Team to Saltash to discuss parking issues and undertake an area visit;

 

2.  To encourage all residents to report parking concerns that are considered obstructive or dangerous to the police via 101 or the online reporting system;

 

3.  To request that the Town Council Representatives for Safer Saltash raise parking issues at the next Safer Saltash meeting;

4.  To issue an educational social media post discouraging poor parking.

 

The member of the public Scott Slavin, read his question.

 

Date Received	Public Questions to the Town Council	Submitted By
14 January 2026	Write your question only, clearly and concisely, no person may submit more than one question, and no member of the public may speak for longer than 3 minutes.   Tamar Crossings, via the Joint Committee, have proposed an increase in the Tag Account fee from £0.80 per month to £2.00.   This is now to go to consultation following the decision made at the Joint Committee meeting on January 12th.   Assessing the attached information on tag account holder numbers in South East Cornwall (data received from Tamar  Crossings on 8/5/2025 via my FOI request no FOI20250506/01) as of May 2025, there were 9,139 Tag account holders resident in PL12.   If the increase is implemented, it will take an additional £132,601.00 per annum out of the local economy of our town (This is shown in the provided Excel spreadsheet on the first tab).   This is in addition to almost £2 million taken from the Town's local economy in tolls (see 2nd tab of provided spreadsheet). This information on costs was received by the Tamar Toll Action Group from Tamar Crossings via the previous Joint Chair, former Cllr Martin Worth, in November 2023.   What is the Town Council's position on this proposed TAG fee increase and is there any intention to make a representation (as a body) against this increase to the Joint Committee, the Parent Authority and the SE Cornwall MP?	Scott Slavin

The Town Clerk reminded Members of the email previously circulated containing the 2023 response, in which Councillor Bickford had been delegated authority to write to Tamar Crossings regarding the concerns raised at that time.

The Town Clerk further confirmed that an additional letter had been sent last week on behalf of the Town Council, addressing the proposed account fee increase, traffic flow, congestion, and engagement. As the letter was only recently issued, a response has not yet been received.

Members agreed they were satisfied with the current position, noting that regular correspondence and meetings continue with key stakeholders, including the Joint Committee and the local MP.

Scott asked through the Chair whether the letter is in the public domain. The Town Clerk confirmed that the 2023 letter had been published, and that there was no reason the recent letter to the Joint Committee could not also be shared.

Members enquired whether a formal response would be submitted to the forthcoming public consultation. It was agreed that once the consultation goes live, the Town Clerk will present it to the Town Council for consideration and preparation of a formal response.

Members also felt that the relationship with the Joint Committee could be strengthened. The Town Clerk confirmed that she had been in contact with the newly appointed Chief Officer, Philip Robinson, to express the Town Council’s wish to meet, and would follow this up to arrange a meeting and tour of the bridge to support Members’ understanding of its operations.

Members thanked the Tamar Tag Action Group for their commitment to representing residents’ views, which had contributed to the initiation of a further public consultation following the recent Extraordinary Meeting.

Following a unanimous vote (14 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions), it was proposed by Councillor Bullock, seconded by Councillor Peggs, and RESOLVED:

1.  To delegate to the Town Clerk the publication of the recent letter sent to the Joint Committee, and to recirculate the 2023 letter, to demonstrate to the public the extent of the Town Council’s ongoing commitment;

 

2.  To receive and consider the Tamar Crossings public consultation at a future Full Town Council meeting once it becomes publicly available.