November 2021
Andover West
Please find below an outline of current programmes of work and public information from Hampshire County Council. I hope that this is useful.
If you have any further questions, then please don’t hesitate to contact me at cllrc.donnelly@hants.gov.uk
Kind regards
Chris

County Council Updates
Climate
As COP-26 conference begins in Glasgow, Hampshire County Council has issued a detailed overview of its work towards tackling climate change, covering the 12 month period since the launch of its Climate Change Strategy. This first Climate Change Annual Progress Report 2020 – 2021 sets out the significant progress that is being made across the county to reduce carbon emissions and ensure that Hampshire is prepared for the impacts of climate change. The work is focused on key areas like reducing emissions from transport, making homes more energy-efficient, generating local renewable energy and protecting and enhancing our natural environment.
The report makes it clear that Hampshire’s residents and communities have a vital role in reducing emissions and preparing for the impacts of climate change in their own homes and through lifestyle choices. Multiple projects have therefore been set up to support communities to be active at a local level.
Among the projects featured is The Greening Campaign which has provided support and advice to 40 Hampshire communities, despite COVID-19, to work through a step-by-step process of reducing their carbon footprint. The first steps include taking very simple actions at a household level, such as reducing how much energy and water they use and to be more energy-efficient.
At another level the focus is on actions to generate more local renewable energy. Together with iChoosr, in March 2021, the County Council launched the first Solar Together Campaign in Hampshire – a scheme that offers high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery storage to help residents generate their own green energy – maximising on bulk buying power to offer competitive prices for the purchase of panels. The County Council is also working with Community Energy South to build a network of community energy projects around the county. Solar Together | Hampshire County Council
Additionally, in supporting households to reduce transport emissions, the County Council secured Government funding for the installation of 50 on-street residential electric vehicle charge points (in Winchester and Eastleigh) and there are plans to extend this wider.
The Annual Report also highlights the critical role the natural environment plays in helping alleviate the impacts of climate change and how investing in initiatives like tree planting (over 1,250 trees during the past 12 months) and the Parish Pollinator Project to make improvements to pollinator habitats in Hampshire’s towns and villages, are essential.
In a separate initiative, Hampshire County Council is offering grants to make community buildings more energy efficient as part of its commitment to combatting climate change. Measures that could be funded include solar panels, LED lighting, window replacements or insulation for buildings such as village halls and community centres. Applications are welcome from parish or town councils as well as community groups in unparished areas of Hampshire. For more information, visit: www.hants.gov.uk/community/grants/grants-list/parish-town-council-investment-fund

Children & Young People
Hampshire’s eligible vulnerable children received food vouchers this October half term, thanks to further funding provided to the County Council by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). £591,810 of funding was granted by Hampshire County Council to schools, colleges and early years settings for the purchase of one £15 voucher per child for the one week October half-term holiday.
Hampshire County Council is also encouraging parents and carers whose children are or may be eligible for benefits related free school meals to sign-up for free holiday and food scheme spaces over the Christmas and Easter holidays. More than 10,000 Hampshire children benefited from free places during this year’s summer holiday. Parents and carers can sign up for free school meals using the Hampshire Online FSM Application (cloudforedu.org.uk) and find out what activities are offered in their area by searching the Family Information and Services Hub.

Bus Service Improvement Plan
Hampshire County Council has reached the next important milestone in meeting the ambitions of the Government’s ‘Bus Back Better’ strategy – aimed at driving significant improvements in local bus services (outside of London) – with the approval of its proposed Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). This sets out the vision and the proposed steps that would be taken to achieve higher standards in bus travel in Hampshire. Hampshire’s BSIP aims to be a catalyst for substantially increasing bus use across the whole of the county by creating the conditions that will both attract investment for bus services and infrastructure, as well as grow the number of passengers. A consultation exercise on the proposed BSIP will now be undertaken.

Local Updates for Andover West
Highways
Thruxton
The junction at Thruxton Airfield will be completed by spring.
Amesbury Road, Thruxton, is currently being resurfaced.
Andover
Manor Road, Andover, is having its pavements resurfaced due to their current poor condition.
I will be taking part in a walk around of King Arthur’s Way next week to look at some solutions to their parking problems.
Over 380 trees fell down across Hampshire last weekend and my thanks go to our countryside team for a swift response in clearing roads across the division.
Water
I am continuing to work with parish councils and Southern Water to look at planning permission for laybys to be installed to prevent embankment erosion and kerb crushing.
Councillor Community Grants
HCC Councillor Community Grants are still open. You can find the application form and criteria at the attached link: County Councillor grants | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk)

Coronavirus
Hampshire County Council is backing the NHS call for everyone to ‘Boost your immunity this winter’ by getting the COVID-19 booster and ’flu vaccine. With COVID-19 infection rates continuing to rise across the county, eligible residents are being urged to get their booster and ’flu jabs as soon as possible.
Free flu jabs are available to adults over 50, anyone with a long-term health condition, healthcare workers and carers, most children aged 2-16 years and pregnant women. A free COVID-19 booster is available to adults over 50, carers and health and social care workers, anyone living and working in care homes, people with certain health conditions and people who live with someone who is immunocompromised.
Residents eligible for the COVID-19 booster will be contacted by the NHS – if anyone has not been contacted within a week of reaching six months since their second jab they can call 119 or book online via the NHS National Booking Service. Those who are eligible for a free ’flu vaccine can book an appointment through their GP surgery or local pharmacy. It is not too late to book a first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination: anyone aged 16+ can book the vaccine through the National Booking System on the NHS website, go to a walk-in clinic or contact their GP surgery.

Statistically, homes with thatched roofs are no more likely to catch fire than those with conventional roofs; however, if a thatched roof does ignite, the results are rapid and devastating.  We would ask that residents do not have bonfires or set off any fireworks in their gardens, as they pose a serious risk to the thatched properties in the village. If you live under thatch, it is wise to be extra vigilant around November 5th and make frequent checks on your roof.  Chinese lanterns are of particular concern, as the potential for harm when they descend is catastrophic, with a number of thatch fires resulting from these lanterns. 

For further information and advice, contact your local fire safety officer.

The laws concerning fireworks

·         It is illegal for anyone under 18 to possess a firework in a public place.

·         Fireworks cannot be set off by a private individual between 11.00pm and 7.00am except for certain nights of the year.

·         It is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to any captive or domestic animal.

Fireworks and Animals

Recommendations from the Blue Cross:
Every year thousands of animals will suffer as a result of fireworks being let off.  Animals have very acute hearing and loud bangs and whistles may cause actual pain in their ears. But by following these simple guidelines your pet need not suffer.

Small pets
Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, ferrets and birds all need to be treated with special care when fireworks are being let off. These animals are easily frightened. Hutches/cages should, if possible, be brought into a quiet room indoors, or into a garage or shed.  If you cannot bring your pet’s hutch inside, you should turn its enclosure around so that it faces a wall or fence and cover them with thick blankets or a duvet to block out the sight of the fireworks and deaden the sound of the bangs, but make sure there is enough ventilation.

Dogs & cats

Always keep dogs and cats inside when fireworks are being let off and avoid leaving your pet alone during such potentially upsetting events. Close all windows and doors, and block off catflaps to stop pets escaping and to keep noise to a minimum. Draw the curtains, and if the animals are used to the sounds of TV or radio, switch them on to block out some of the noise of the fireworks.Ensure dogs are wearing some form of easily readable identification on their collars. All dogs are required by law to be microchipped, so if they do run away, they have a better chance of being quickly reunited with you.Prepare a ‘den’ for your pet where it can feel safe and comfortable – perhaps under a bed with some of your old clothes. It may like to hide there when the fireworks start.

Horses & Farm Animals

Fireworks must not be set off near livestock or horses in fields, or close to buildings housing horses or livestock, as they react badly to loud noises and if they become startled, they may get badly hurt.  Anyone planning a firework display in a rural area should warn neighbouring horse owners and farmers in advance.

Chinese lanterns are known to cause terrible injuries and the deaths of horses, livestock and wildlife, as there is no way of controlling where they go and where they land.

Introduction
This month has seen real progress on electroscan surveys and repair of the
network and further planning activity by SW for implementation of their
‘pathfinder’ project in our area. SW is clearly going through a reorganisation,
which will see us have a dedicated ‘network manager’, which could help with
planning information flows. The last week was punctuated by a ‘rising main’ at
Little Ann Bridge and a flurry of associated activity

Progress
SW have surveyed 80% of public sewers and are scheduled to complete
by end-Oct 21. They have repaired (lined) 55% of public sewers in our area and
these are scheduled for completion by end-Dec 21; this should significantly
reduce inundation entering SW’s network.
Pre-season work (e.g. groundwater site and catchment inspections, jetting
to clear pipes, WPS equipment maintenance) continues. Such preparation
identified a ‘rising water main’ (leak) at Little Ann Bridge, close to the river. This
necessitated the extensive use of tankers for several days, for example at the end
of Wiremead Lane in Amport, causing significant temporary disruption on our
roads and to residents nearby the works. The repair necessitated the removal of
plant and the demolition of a small building. Repairs were effected such that
tankering stopped on 15 Oct 21. APC used Facebook to let the ‘connected’
community know of the temporary work. SW has been advised that for such
activities, the community need to know: the issue; the work SW (or others) are
undertaking to effect repairs and the impact this may have on the community;
the length of time required to complete; and the contact for information or
complaints. The Communications Plan will need to be amended by SW.
SW and the EA have nearly completed the second draft Fyfield Infiltration
Reduction Plan (IRP), for review by PCs shortly.

Plans
Groundwater reports show that water levels bottomed out recently and
are now starting to rise again, after recent heavy rainfall; this leaves us
vulnerable to disruption from tankering, perhaps from end-Nov 21. We continue
to work with SW to monitor these reports and their predictions for intervention.
Planning has been advanced for temporary works to reduce disruption at
the Mullens Pond site on Wiremead Lane, for example, fencing increased in
height to reduce light pollution and noise, and the site connected to mains
electricity by end-Dec 21. However, it is now clear that these works will not be
completed by end-December (e.g. a lay-by to take tankers off the road and avoid
traffic lights).
The scope and timing of other rehabilitation work (lining of pipes) will be
determined by the surveys. SW has been asked to discuss lining activity with the
PC before they are undertaken; this appears to have worked well at Kimpton,
where such work is currently underway. APC will discuss this with the Network
Manager in the coming days.
2
Internal restructuring of SW will affect the way we interact with SW;
details are not yet clear. They will have a Network Manager’ (Sam Cooper) in
place on 18 Oct 21; once we’ve discussed his role with him, no doubt the effect of
the changes will be clearer.
SW intend to issue a newsletter shortly.
Issues
SW are committed to describing proposals for sealing of private
properties sewage arrangements to seal laterals, a necessary addition to
reducing inundation of public pipes. Progress here is painfully slow, currently
locked in internal SW discussion over the legal situation.
The IRP development is critical to maintaining the regulatory framework
for SW’s operations; completion of the IRP by end-Oct 21 to a standard the PC
considers ‘fit for purpose’ is assessed as unlikely; we continue to work with SW
and the EA across the seven parishes to get this right.
We intend to get the Hampshire County Council Highways (key to
resolving surface water inundation of SW’s system from the carriageway) and
Fyfield Parish Council (who are not yet included), involved in the PPF to mutual
benefit; their engagement has not yet been achieved.
The record of the Pan Parish Forum (PPF) has not yet been agreed by SW,
who is reviewing the EA’s recommended amendments; it has taken far too long
and we continue to chase SW for agreement; they will then be published, for
example on the website

New phone service being piloted to combat increasing levels of fraud

A new service has been developed and is currently being piloted by a range of banks and telephone companies across the UK in order to combat the increasing levels of fraud in the UK.

The service, which includes the likes of Barclays, Lloyds (inc. Halifax and Bank of Scotland), Natwest (incl. Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank) as well as Santander and Starling Bank, allows people to contact their participating bank directly if they think they are being scammed.

It works very much in the same way as 101 does with the police and 111 for the NHS – it ensures that you are protected against possible fraudsters attempting to gain access to personal information or financial information such as bank details.

When should you call 159?

Call 159 if:

• Someone contacts you saying they’re from your bank – even if they are not suspicious
   
• You receive a call asking you to transfer money or make a payment – even if it seems genuine
   
• You receive a call about a financial matter and it seems suspicious

Remember, 159 will never call you

MONXTON PARISH COUNCIL

There will be a meeting of Monxton Parish Council at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 12^th October 2121 at Monxton Village Hall. All Councillors are requested to participate. Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting alternatively they can email items for discussion to the Clerk, Heather Bourner

For further information please contact The Clerk

Heather Bourner

Clerk to Monxton Parish Council

Heather.bourner@googlemail.com

01264 773976

1. Apologies for Absence

• Public Participation

• Declarations of Interest

• Minutes & matters arising

• Reports to include

Village Hall update

           Finance

           Environment & Footpaths

           Traffic

           Sunnyside

• Planning

Applications since previous meeting:-

21/02109/erection of 3 bay garage, Millcroft, Chalkpit Lane-withdrawn

21/02167/FULLN demolish existing rear & side extensions & replace-, Cambridge Cottage- no objections

21/02648/TREEN reductions to Rd Cedar-Bec House- no objections

Applications to be considered

21/02832/TREEN-tree works, Monxton Manor

Confirmation of outcome from TVBC

21/02336/TREEN & 21/02284- Tree works, Bec House -no objections

21/01418/FULLN-retrospective change of use application & erection of stable block, Pegasus Stables-permission

• County and Borough Councillors’ Report

• Correspondence

• Any other Business

Date of Next Meeting- 7.30 pm on Tuesday 11th January 2022

FREE Fibre Broadband in parts of Amport and Monxton

In January 2021 after lots of technical broadband issues in Abbotts Ann discussions took place with Openreach to upgrade all properties in Abbotts Ann to be paid for using the Government’s voucher system.

The project progressed with more than 80% of the residents in Abbotts Ann signing up. Each residential property signed up would provide £1,500 and £3,000 for business properties meaning the cost of implementation infrastructure by Openreach would be fully paid using the Government’s voucher system.

All was progressing well with Hampshire County Council also putting money into the project when a few weeks ago Openreach suddenly informed us that ALL subscribers to the Abbotts Ann Telephone exchange must be part of the project. They gave us a list of 155 properties we did not know were on the Abbotts Ann exchange and they were all in Amport and Monxton.

So after further dialogue with Openreach the team agreed to widen the project to include properties in Amport and Monxton in the existing project!

Do you want Gigabit fibre to the premises broadband? Surely the answer is “Yes!”

In order to make use of the government funding (to pay for the FTTP upgrade), you must opt IN to the project. You do this by filling in your details, and submitting them here: https://www.abbottsann.com/gigabit-broadband-signup-form/ 

MAKE SURE: If you are a legitimate business, or run a business from home (the Government will check you are a registered company) – you apply as a business – as this increases the funding the government will give to the project.

Please ensure you have signed up by 17 October 2021

You can find most answers to your questions on the FAQ HERE Wherever you see “Abbotts Ann” think Amport and Monxton as well.

You should also view a video by Jeremy Mason one of the project team members who overviews the project HERE

You should also click HERE to find out if your property is eligible for the FTTP free upgrade. If you property is not on the list and you think it should be, then please email keith@abbottsann.com

Finally, please encourage everyone to sign up then click HERE to do that.

What is FTTP (Fibre To The Premises)?

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP, or FTTH – Fibre to the Home) is a broadband technology that uses optical fibre to provide broadband and very fast internet speeds.  The optical fibre broadband internet connection from the local exchange is connected to the router in your home, which is much faster, stable and more reliable than the old copper telephone line used by many other broadband services.  The result is you can enjoy very high speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabits per second).

Why should I take this opportunity?

If you are a regular user of the internet, if you work from home or run a business in the village, you will no doubt be aware of the limitations that the current village infrastructure imposes;  

• regular drops in internet signal
• frequent drops in internet speed
• buffering when watching movies  

These issues will get worse over time, as ever-increasing amounts of data are squeezed down creaking 1950’s cables.  The FTTP gigabit enabled broadband project offers us the chance to upgrade the village infrastructure wholesale, and have it entirely funded by the government. This is a time-limited offer by the Government and should be taken advantage of.  Without government funding, the upgrade costs to households in the future are likely to be in excess of £1,200 per property.

Property value increase

An independent review of the superfast broadband program, conducted by Ipsos Mori, found that the value of homes increased, if they had fibre to the premises, compared with homes without.  The point is, even if you are not a heavy Internet user, it makes sense to take this opportunity to upgrade to FTTP as you are adding value to your property at no cost to yourself.  With more people working from home, this feature will become more critical in the future.

(see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/superfast-broadband-programme-state-aid-evaluation-report-2020)