Please note that the next Parish Council Meeting, which is also the AGM, will be held on Wednesday 4 June in the Village Hall.
The Parish Council Meeting will be at 7.30pm followed by the AGM at 8pm.
Category Archives: News
Repair and Renew Grant now available
Flood hit residents and businesses can now apply for up to £5,000 to help make their properties more secure against future flooding.
The Repair and Renew grant is available to homes and businesses that were flooded between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2014 to implement flood resistance and resilience measures to minimise the impact of any future floods.
Economic Portfolio Holder, Councillor Peter Giddings, said: “This is another key grant in the range of Government support available to help home-owners and businesses get back on their feet after the floods, and is particularly aimed at improving how well properties can withstand future flood events. I would encourage anyone whose property has been affected by the floods to see if this grant might be applicable to them.”
Full details of the grant and a guide to how to apply can be found at www.testvalley.gov.uk/repairandrenew Applications can be made online or in hard copy format.
Test Valley Borough Council is administering the Government package of support for businesses and homes affected by flooding which also includes a Council Tax Flood discount, Business Rates Flooding Relief and a Business Support Grant. For more information on all the schemes visit www.testvalley.gov.uk/floodhelp
For further information, please contact Tracey McKenzie-Robinson, Communications Team at Test Valley Borough Council on 01264 368109.
Warning to Land Rover Defender Owners
Police in Andover are issuing a warning to Land Rover Defender owners after the bonnets were stolen from three vehicles in the area.The thefts took place at Vernham Dean, Charlton Down and Appleshaw between April 1 and April 8.
PC Kayleigh Rush said: “We do not currently know why these vehicles have been targeted but would urge owners of Land Rover Defenders to park their cars in a garage overnight if possible.
“If this isn’t an option then ensure it is parked in a well lit area preferably within view of your home.”
Anyone with information about these incidents should contact PC Rush at Andover police station by calling 101. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Monxton Flood Advisory Committee
The Monxton Flood Advisory Committee has been formed to liaise with the various agencies involved in dealing with the problems from the flooding of the Monxton pumping station, as well as with any other flooding issues that affect the village.
The members of the committee are Cllr Judith Balding, Cllr David Bateman, Mr Adrian Drage, Mrs Pamela Fisk and Mr Paul Richards. This will be a sub-committee of and reportable to the Monxton Parish Council.
If you are adversely affected by flooding, please contact the committee member for your area:
Sunnybank – David Bateman
Email: davebateman@btinternet.com
Andover Road – Pamela Fisk
Email: pamelafisk@sky.com
Chalkpit Lane & Broad Road – Judith Balding
Email: jbalding@talktalk.net
High Street & Green Lane (South side) & Abbotts Ann Road– Adrian Drage
Email: Adrian.drage@btinternet.com
High Street & Green Lane (North side) & Amport Road – Paul Richards
Email: Epjhrichards@aol.com
If flooding occurs due to the pumping station, to report it please call
Southern Water on 0800 820999 or 0800 0276152
If flooding occurs due to any issues with the Pillhill Brook, to report it please call The Environment Agency on their incident hotline 0800 807060
Dog Thefts
Please be aware – particularly dog owners!
Paint markings have been left outside a few properties in West Tytherley (about 20 minutes from Monxton) in the last week or so, which are common marks left by those looking to steal dogs. They mark the houses with dogs for another team to then come along and steal your beloved pet. One man knocked on the front door of a labrador-owning household and then ran off. The Police were called and came along with identikit photos and the householder identified the man – who was dark, Mediterranean-looking. The Police have been looking for this man for some time as he repeatedly appears on CCTV and in relation to a number of dog thefts.
So please keep a look out for any unusual markings near your house or driveway, or any suspicious activity.
Broadband Speeds
Monxton Parish Council has arranged a meeting with BT Openreach and Hampshire Superfast Broadband for 28 May to discuss how and when we can get faster/better broadband to our village.
However, in the mean time, we really need to know what broadband speeds households are experiencing in Monxton.
Please go to Broadband Speed Checker and run the test. We would like as many households as possible to do this, to give us an accurate picture of speeds. We need both your upload and download speeds please.
Please either leave a comment below, or email us with your results. It would also be useful to know where you live (road name will do) to see if we can identify any particularly fast or slow areas.
Many thanks.
Village Gateways
The Traffic Steering Group has looked at various methods for traffic calming in Monxton and among the variety of ideas have been Village Gateways.
Gateways are used to indicate to drivers where the road changes character, for example at the start of a traffic calming scheme or at the entry to a village to create the first impressions of the village. Gateways are not a width restriction and must allow access to any vehicle entitled to use the road. Research conducted by the Department for Transport suggests that gateways can be effective particularly when combined with proven speed reducing measures. The gateways complement other speed-reducing measure.
We have had confirmation from both HCC and TVBC that Monxton can have Village Gateways and that the cost will not be borne by taxpayers, but come from other sources, such as the Goodman barred routes fine money.
We propose the Village Gateways in the following locations at or near the current Monxton village signs, but the exact location will be decided by Highways once a design has been chosen:
Monxton/Andover Road
Green Lane
Broad Road
Abbotts Ann Road
We feel the boundary on Amport Road is too small for a gateway.
We have shortlisted the following designs and we would like parishoners to choose which is the preferred style. We also hope to install bespoke village signs (similar to those in Abbotts Ann) for Monxton at the same time.
Scam Emails
There is another scam email that is doing the rounds. We have checked with BT and this is definitely a scam. So please delete the following email, should you receive it.
From: BT <ebilling@bt.com>
To:
Sent: Sunday, 23 March 2014, 18:50
Subject: Service Cancellation Notice.
Dear Customer,
This e-mail has been sent to you by BT to inform you that we were unable to process your last payment of bill.This might be due to either of the following reasons:
1. A recent change in your personal information. (eg: billing address, phone)
2. Submitting incorrect Payment information during bill payment process.
Due to this, to ensure that your service is not interrupted, we request you to confirm and update your billing information today by clicking here.
Regards,
BT Billing Department
UK Home Safety Week
Next week is UK Home Safety Week and the police are working with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) to identify any vulnerable local residents who might benefit from a free home safety visit. This includes installing up to two smoke detectors per property, offering fire safety advice specific to the house and the occupant’s lifestyle, and carrying out an informal risk assessment of the home to point out any fire hazards and offering solutions to reduce the identified risks.
If you think you might be entitled to a home safety visit or perhaps know an older person, a family member or neighbour, who would benefit from this service, HFRS is keen to hear from you.
To find out more call 023 8062 6809 or email community.firesafety@hantsfire.gov.uk.
David James
21/03/2014
Slow Broadband in Monxton
Monxton, sadly, does not enjoy the fast broadband speed that some other parts of Test Valley and Hampshire receive. And looking at the Hampshire Broadband map, nor are we likely to until after 2017! This is just not good enough. Most households in Monxton are receiving less than 2mbps (mega bits per second) and our line from the exchange at Abbotts Ann will support a maximum of 7mbps. Superfast broadband is rated to be at least 24mbps.
Fast broadband will enable you to:
- Load webpages faster
- Watch catch-up TV without interruptions
- Stream BBC iPlayer and videos without buffering and interruptions
- Download music and movies in minutes
- Work from home more easily
- Do homework online
- Buy foods and goods easily online
- Keep in touch on Skype and other social media
- Access all these services at the same time using different devices in your home
Evidence of high demand will help our cause to get faster broadband more quickly into our community. So sign up here and join the campaign.
If we cannot get faster broadband to Monxton sooner than 2017 there are possibilities of self-funding. Monxton Parish Council has inquired to get more details and information. We shall keep everyone informed. But please let us know what you think.
Monxton Matters 