Author Archives: Monxton Matters

Become a Parish Councillor

by Monxton Matters

Monxton Parish Council has five councillors and two will not be standing for re-election in May.

Of course, as its an election in May –  there will be five councillor vacancies to fill.  If 5 or fewer candidates stand – they are automatically elected into the post.  If there are more than 5 candidates, then the election will be contested.

If you would like to discuss becoming a councillor please speak to the Chairman Mike Cleugh, any of the current councillors, our the Clerk, Heather Bourner, for more info.  We really do need to ensure that new candidates stand.

What do Parish Councillors do?

Here is a list of some of the things we do:

  • We are consulted on all planning applications and tree applications within the parish, and those close to it.  However, the final decision rests with the Planning Authority, Test Valley Borough Council.
  • We act as a focus for funnelling issues to Test Valley Borough Council and Hampshire County Council.  We also lend our support to challenging other organisations such as BT and the Environment Agency to resolve issues.
  • We arrange and pay for maintenance of the footpaths around the parish
  • We contribute funds to the many excellent village organisations to help them with their projects
  • We own Monxton & Amport Village Hall.  The Village Hall is run by a separate sub-committee

How often does the council meet, and what other duties are there?

We meet quarterly for around 1-2 hours. Each councillor contributes to these meetings, does background reading ahead of the meetings and will get involved in other activities from time to time.

Is it for me?

Being a councillor means that you can contribute to your local community, have your say and help steer local initiatives.  Although parish council meetings are held in public, they are not public meetings – discussions are between councillors and public interaction is more limited.

You also build up a picture of which council is responsible for what service.  Sometimes these can seem to be overlapping – for example, Test Valley BC collect bin rubbish, but Hampshire CC operate the recycling centre and deal with the bin lorries.

The current councillors are friendly and we all get along well. We sometimes have different views and vote differently – but we respect the views others have and come away feeling positive that we’re able to do that regardless of whether the vote went ‘our way’.

How do I stand?

You need to be nominated.  It’s only by two people, a proposer and seconder.  Fill in a few forms and provide them to TVBC at their offices in Andover.

The link to follow is this one: for TVBC: http://www.testvalley.gov.uk/aboutyourcouncil/localdemocracy/elections/elections-2-may-2019-candidates-and-agents

and this one for some simple clear guidance: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent/parish-and-community-council-elections-in-england-and-wales

Timetable

Publication of Notice of Election: Friday 22 March 2019

Deadline for receipt of nominations: 4pm Wednesday 3 April 2019

Day of Poll: Thursday 2 May 2019

Advice To Dog Owners About Attacks On Livestock and Horses

by Monxton Matters

Keep full control of your dog when out and about in the countryside – or you could face prosecution is the message from the Police County Watch team as it tries to educate dog owners about the risk of attacks on livestock and horses.

The advice to dog owners is:

  • Keep your dog on a lead when in an area with farm livestock or horses
  • If there is no livestock visible, keep the dog in sight at all times, be aware of what it is doing, and be confident it will return to you promptly on command – if you cannot be confident of this, the dog should not be off the lead
  • Ensure your dog does not stray off the path or area where you have right of access

The worrying of livestock by dogs is a criminal offence contrary to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

Village Clean Up – Thank You!

by Monxton Matters

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped to clean up our beautiful village and parish on Sunday. A glorious day meant a great turn out of residents, armed with cleaning and gardening tools. The village now looks a lot more sparkling with clean signs and gateways, cleared trees, litter picked, grass and verges mowed and strimmed, and a spring clean for the Village Hall.

We all enjoyed sausage butties and cake as our just rewards afterwards as well as catching up with and meeting friends and neighbours.

Let’s all help to keep Monxton beautiful at all times. We’re planning another autumn clean up when we are also planning to plant a lot more daffodil bulbs.

Monxton Parish Council: Vacancy

by Monxton Matters

Monxton Parish Council Elections 2019

2019 LOCAL ELECTIONS

Thursday 2nd May 2019

MAKE A CHANGE, BECOME A LOCAL COUNCILLOR

Monxton Village Parish Council is calling on residents, passionate about their community to stand in their local elections in 2019.

What do Councillors do?

Councillors are the champions of their community and give residents a voice on the decisions the council makes. Becoming a councillor will allow you to make a real difference in your community by engaging with residents, local groups and businesses to find out their needs; making decisions on which services and projects the council should take forward; and getting involved locally to ensure the services are meeting your community’s needs.

How long does it take?

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Local Councillor Census Survey found that councillors put aside, on average, three hours a week for council work. This often includes attending meetings, engaging with residents and speaking on behalf of the council to other bodies.

Can I stand?

There are only a few rules to stand for election. You must be:

•           A British citizen, or a citizen of the Commonwealth, or the European Union

•           18 years of age or older

•           Live in an area that is served by a local council

How can I get involved?

Contact Heather Bourner Clerk to Parish Council at heather.bourner@googlemail.com to find out more or visit www.nalc.gov.uk/elections

Amport Green Playground

by Monxton Matters

The Refurbishment of Amport Green Playground

As many of you will now know, Amport Parish Council, along with the Amport Playground Refurbishment Committee, have worked hard to secure grant funding from Test Valley Borough Council in order to provide our community with a fully refurbished playground which is both sympathetic to its surroundings on Amport Green and provides our growing community with hugely improved equipment for the children to enjoy for years to come. This much needed and eagerly awaited project has been in the making for a number of years, and has required a great deal of time, energy and community consultation to actually make it happen.  So it is with a sense of real satisfaction that we are now able to confirm that our new playground will be installed during the week commencing Monday 25th February.

FAWNS, one of the UK’s leading playground providers will commence the playground refurbishment works on Monday 25th February, and all being well, the works will be completed on Friday 1st March. A Heras fence will surround the playground area for the duration of the installation, providing a safe working environment for the works, as well as the users of Amport Green. The new pieces of equipment will be brought in each day by the installation team which ensures no equipment will be left unattended overnight.

To avoid as much disruption as possible, the FAWNS installation team will need the use the 3 car parking spaces closest to the swings, so please do not park in these spaces whilst the work is going on, to help avoid congestion, access issues and ultimately delay in installation.

We thank you for your cooperation whilst these refurbishment works are undertaken.

Gemma Pearce, Kate Cavalier, Ian Long, Jonny Kitson.