Please be advised that the bridge across the river to the north of the Black Cock Inn, which lies in Molland Parish, is going to be closed from Tuesday 2nd December 2025 for major repairs.  The anticipated finish date is October 2026, but may be up to 18 months from the start of work. 

While not in North Molton Parish, some residents may use this route to the A361 and the east. Please see the attached Traffic Notice for further information and alternative routes.

The Parish Council has been approached by a number of parishioners in recent weeks expressing concern about the speed of traffic through the village and the inherent risk to members of the public that this creates. North Molton Parish Council needs to collect facts and figures to quantify how serious the problem might be within the village, and equally important, canvass the views of parishioners on whether the current 30mph legal limit is appropriate given the level of traffic the village experiences.

Community Speedwatch is a national initiative where proactive members of the local communities join, with the support and supervision of their local police, to record details of speeding vehicles using approved detection devices. North Molton Parish Council are looking for volunteers to give some of their time to form a local Community Speedwatch Group. Full training is given by the organisation and no prior experience is needed - just a willingness to help collect data that contributes to a better understanding of traffic safety in our local area.

Councillor Andy Radley is a acting as coordinator for the proposed group and will be happy to talk to anyone who would like to be involved in this fact-finding initiative. Indeed any views on traffic management within the village both for and against any restrictions on speed regulations are welcome.

Please contact the Parish Council via the Clerk (clerk@northmoltonparish.gov.uk or 07784 177666) to register your interest and agree to having your name, email and telephone number on a contact list.

Thanks in advance,

North Molton Parish Council

If you are involved in running a small to medium sized business, a charity, a public sector body or a local community group, and you are concerned about the security of your computers, your IT systems, your website or you just worry about your social media account, please be aware of the South West’s Cyber Resilience Centre. 

Home | Cyber Resilience Centre for the South West

The SW CRC is part of UK Policing’s TEAM CYBER UK and headed up by Steve Shepherd who was previously a Devon and Cornwall Police, Cyber Protect Officer. The SW CRC is a not-for-profit organisation, funded by the Home Office and regional policing. The SW CRC exists to help South-West based small to medium sized businesses, organisations, charities, voluntary groups, and public sector bodies, with their Cyber Security. Cyber Security can feel complicated, expensive, and unmanageable. It can be hard to know where to start, or how to improve resilience.  Professional Cyber Security support is often costly and for many, obtaining such assistance can be well beyond their financial means.  These regional CRC’s have been set up by Government to help those who find themselves in just that position. Much of what is on offer from the CRC is free.

Should you wish to sign up you can do so here - Join Us | Cyber Resilience Centre for the South West

Alternatively, you can contact Steve Shepherd direct at -  steve.shepherd@swcrc.police.uk

The Parish Council is considering application for 20 mph through the village, but any changes will depend upon several variables that are considered at County level: degree of local support, evidence of speeding, evidence of accidents, vulnerable road/footpath users, and level of local deprivation. 

Previous speed-checks have found no significant speeding issues, although anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. In order to go forwards, two key elements need to be addressed - the first is local support, and Sarah Springett Spurr has created a petition at https://chng.it/ZVBLgvLr6J 

The second is the amount of speeding, and to address this there most likely needs to be a local Community Speedwatch Group - volunteers needed.

There will  be a public session on Speed Limits in the village at the September meeting (Weds 10th 7:30pm The Victory Hall) - you are encouraged to attend. Numbers will also be used to show support for any initiatives.

Please find attached the Notice of Public Rights and Publication of Annual Governance & Accountability Return (Exempt Authority) that relates to the 2024/25 audit of the Parish Council.  Audit documents can be found under Parish Council, Legal Documents - 2025 Audit - after the 12th of June.

North Molton Parish Footpath Officer, Steph Harris, has created an excellent poster for the public rights of way in the Parish, attached to this post.

If you find a problem on a footpath, if it is in the Exmoor National Park, report it here.  Otherwise, report here. Please also drop the Clerk an email so that we can keep track of resolution of issues (clerk@northmoltonparish.gov.uk).

Please remember that you are responsible for your safety, control of dogs, appropriate behaviour around livestock, and using public and private land with care.  You can find the Countryside Code here.

Happy trails!

Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) has announced the necessary closure of a popular Somerset footbridge for public safety and is working on a plan for a long-term replacement, and to reinstate public access on the permissive footpath that crosses Hinds Pitt Bridge near the Tarr Steps. 

Access and Recreation Manager for ENPA Dan Barnett said:

“Unfortunately, the bridge above Hinds Pitt Pool that forms part of the popular Tarr Steps circular walk has had to be closed due to structural failure and for public safety. The bridge has been there since the 1950’s and some key parts of the steel structure have deteriorated to a point where they are no longer safe (see photos below). We hope to replace the bridge and secure public access once again here for the future, but it will take some time to develop a plan in agreement with the relevant landowners and to raise the considerable funds required.

It is possible that we can do some temporary modifications to allow the bridge to reopen while we plan for its replacement, and we are looking into that urgently. In the meantime, the Tarr Steps site is otherwise open for everyone to enjoy, including short walks there and back on either side of the river and all the longer walks in the area are fully open too. The popular long distance footpath the Two Moors Way is still passable using an alternative route on the west bank of the river.”

Exmoor Young Voices (EYV) is a voluntary group of young people from across Exmoor, seeking viable and sustainable ‘life’ and ‘work’ opportunities for young residents. They tackle many issues for young people on the moor, including housing, digital inclusion, employment, communications, travel and local wages.

EVY have kindly provided two copies of the Justin Tyers book "How to self build your dream home for £99,000 - or less!" to North Molton Parish Council and you can arrange to borrow a copy for up to 2 months from the Parish Clerk - contact via nmpclerk@gmail.com.  This is only a loan, and return is expected so that others can also benefit from the EYV donation.

Alternatively, you can go to the EYV page and find out how to get your own copy.

On the 2nd of April 2025 Councillor Clare Barron and councillor Mandy Lyons  held  a drop in surgery  at the village shop on behalf of the parish council. Several parishioners came and raised some issues which are being addressed below.

1 - Why aren't the lights at Bonners bridge being used? It still appears that they're using the lights on gantries and generators, and I just wondered why they're not using the  actual lights.

The contractors are still working on the site, and the move to the installed lights will be done as part of their timetable. 

2 - Why wasn't the wall it on East Street completely finished? When will it be?

The Parish Council is paying for the repairs, and as such the funds have to come from the local community as part of their precept/Council Tax. In order to spread the cost and not cause a larger Council Tax increase, the Parish Council decided to take a phased approach. The plan is to complete the remaining repairs this year, although it may be somewhat dependent on weather.

3 - When are the affordable houses at Holywell Meadow going to go on the market and be available and how is all that going to work?

The application process is ongoing and a link for further details can be found under the Parish News section of the village website www.northmoltonvillage.co.uk. There are also details on the Cavanna Homes website at https://www.cavannahomes.co.uk/developments/north-molton/

4 - Where's the new parish notice board? What's going to be on it?

The new noticeboard will be next to the path on the way into the Community Shop and Laurels Playground.  It will be used exclusively for Parish Council reports/activities and local government items such as election details etc. There is a noticeboard within the shop for other use. The outward facing side of the noticeboard will eventually have a promotional sign for the shop.

5 - What is the parish council,  who's on it and what they actually do? Could there be photos of all the counsellors and their roles on the new notice board?

The village website has a copy of the March 2024 summary of what the Parish Council does, what the other layers of local government are responsible for, who the Councillors are etc (under Parish News, called North Molton Parish Council - March update). This information sheet was posted through all resident doors in the parish last year, and if you would  like a hard-copy because you don't have internet access, call the clerk on 07784 177666.  There will be updates when appropriate.

The current noticeboard has a list of Councillors and the website has a photograph and more details (under Parish Council menu option). This will be updated soon as we now have a new Councillor, and once the new board is installed, the photos and mini-bios will be posted there.

6 - Can anything be done to promote litter picking on New Road and elsewhere?

The Parish Council will add this as a future agenda item for a proper discussion about options and other issues, such as insurance cover, risk assessments etc.

7 - There is a brown tourist sign pointing to North Molton as an Historic Mining Village, but there is nothing to show this in the village.  Can something be done?

Again, the Parish Council will discuss this at a future meeting.

The Parish Council will hold another open surgery in July, date and time to be confirmed. Please come along – we do listen and respond – the Parish Council is here to represent our community.

A new Monday to Saturday evening timetable will be introduced between North Devon District Hospital and Landkey every 60 minutes funded by BSIP, for route 155.  Please see attached.