Category Archives: News

Donations for Ukraine – Update

by Monxton Matters

UPDATE 2/3/21 21.30

** we need to know of bulk donations coming in and get a LOT more people volunteering here to box ** we also need so many cardboard boxes please **

Donations can come in but if you have time please label them and sort them. If you have many donations like 7 big bags let me know first.

* Adult clothes are not a priority at the moment
* Medicines. First aid kits and Blankets (not duvets) are a priority
Bring in what we asked already but if you can send clothes to the charity shops if not sorted …  or hang on till we box and ship more important items needed at present then that gives the refugees what they need.  And you can still donate them to the refugees that are coming to the UK who desperately need these. 
*FYI clothes take a lot longer to sort and check and we know that is no longer a desperate need as Poland was inundated with clothes.

THIS IS GOING SO VERY WELL.
* Today we had an emergency call for blankets and medicines.  We sent that van with an incredible amount of boxes. That van is going straight to the distribution front line in Poland.  The guy driving will text me and tell me EXACTLY what is needed and we will then let you know.
* Today we also checked, boxed, labelled and moved 2 TONNES of 12 PALLETTES from Amport Church to the lorry pick up (thank you Able & Cole and all the volunteers especially as there were not many but they worked so VERY hard)

* We need MORE VOLUNTEERS but everyone… oh my… was incredible.  We were like a machine and we did more than all of us could believe.  So hats off and so many praises to the volunteers who relentlessly stayed all day or most of it and worked their socks off.

One more thing I want to say.
* we had tears of pain and happiness of kindness and emotions at times high mainly touched by the amazing effort by all from big to small.
* we paused each and every volunteer to take a moment at how overwhelmingly amazing some of the items were or the sheer volume of new stuff you got and we all know we need.
* the volunteers were so hard working we have all been shocked how we did so much and have done our best to receive stuff tomorrow. 
It really is a blessing to see! We have a very amazing town of people!

Volunteer time at:
* St. Mary’s Church, Amport, SP11 8BW > Best location 10am to 5.45pm (looking to extend this)
* if we need drivers to take things to Able & Co (where the lorry is) then I will do another post.

Thanks, Kristan Barraclough

Update from Southern Water

by heatherbourner

Southern Water has confirmed the project team have decided to postpone High Street Monxton sewer lining work, in week commencing 31/01/22, on health and safety grounds.

There would have been two separate road closures in place, HCC and Southern Water, in order to complete the work in the High Street. There is a reasonable and justifiable risk that two different sets of diversion / information signs, as you approach the four way junction with Green Lane and Abbotts Ann Road, could cause a driver to become confused and distracted.

There are also two blind turnings as you approach this junction and motorists may find themselves in difficulties, which is something we are keen to avoid.

We will be looking to reschedule these works once HCC are complete and have removed their traffic management and diversion.

Parish Council Minutes of Meeting 25th January 2022

by heatherbourner

Minutes of the Monxton Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 25th January 2022, 7.30pm at Monxton Village Hall

Present: Cllr M Cleugh – Chairman 

               Cllr P Kitson – Vice Chairman

               Cllr Barbone

               Heather Bourner – Parish Clerk  

               Test Valley Borough Councillor Mrs Maureen Flood

               0 Members of the Public

Apologies:

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr J Hooper, Cllr H Corroon & TVBC Cllr David Coole        

1.WELCOME.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. He informed all those present that John Hooper had resigned from the Parish Council. Thanks were expressed for the work he had done while a Parish Councillor in particular all the time he had spent gathering data regarding traffic in the village. The vacancy will be advertised.

2.DECLARATION OF INTERESTS.

There were no declarations of interest.

3.PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

There were no members of public present.

4.MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.

The Chairman agreed to sign the minutes of the previous meetings of 12th October 2021 as a true record. All agreed.

5.VILLAGE HALL UPDATE

Cllr Kitson confirmed tenders for the new Village Hall build were still awaited. Some bookings are continuing, cleaning has now been rescheduled to take place every other month.

An invoice for £3600.00 had been received from the architect working on the project to rebuild the Village Hall. Cllr Cleugh proposed this payment be made which was seconded by Cllr Kitson all agreed.

Cllr Cleugh will establish the process for making payment from the CAF funding.

The Clerk summarised the village hall finance as below

Village Hall Bank Reconciliation

Current account               £18583.97

Savings account              £53835.26

Parish Council held         £12040.77

Total available                 £84460.00

6.PLANNING.

Applications since previous meeting: –

  1. 21/03285/TREEN- coppice hazel- no objections
  2. 21/03504/TREEN fell Red Cedar-Bec House- no objections
  3. 21/03105/TREEN tree works- Hutchens Cottage, High Street-no objections
  4. 2103606/TREEN- tree works Garden Cottage, Chalkpit Lane- no objections
  5. 21/02938/FULLN- removal of defective lime and replacement with render to cob wall, Meadow View, Abbots Ann Road- no objections
  6. 21/03241/LBWN- replace two ground floor windows- Meadowview- no objections

Applications to be considered

  1. 21/03735/VARN- variation to application to demolish & rebuild Westwell & Well Cottages- the variation was to change from thatch to tile. -no objection provided tiles used are in keeping with surrounding properties.

Confirmation of outcome from TVBC

  1. 21/02832/TREEN-tree works, Monxton Manor-no objections
  2. 21/02935/TREEN- tree works Monxton Manor –no objections
  3. 21/02648/TREEN reductions to Rd Cedar-Bec House- no objections
  4. 21/03012/TREEN- fell walnut- no objection
  5. 21/03285/TREEN- coppice hazel- no objections

Cllr Barbone reported there had been no further news on the revised plans for the development of Amport House. The application has still to go before TVBC planning committee.

7.Sunnybank & footpaths

Problems with footpath 7 have been reported to HCC, hedges have been cut back by the landowner however a visit from TVBC footpaths officer is awaited.

All footpaths are very muddy at present and users are urged to take care while using these.

8.Traffic Monitoring

Cllr Hooper provided a full report of data recovered from the speed watch camera positioned at Sunnybank. The data shows a considerable volume of traffic using the roads but the average speed of traffic remains fairly low.

A recent survey of traffic in the High Street showed a significant volume of delivery vans with a very high incidence of vehicles exceeding the speed limit, up to 90%. Large trucks monitored were mostly keeping to the speed limits but 87% of ordinary cars were also found to be exceeding the speed limits. The situation will continue to be monitored and data retained as evidence for the future.

An initiative to be explored by Hampshire County Council regarding imposed 20MPH limits in residential areas will be monitored with interest.

9. Environment

Cllr Corroon reported The Environmental Agency has recently circulated two leaflets in relation to flooding.  These are available on the Monxton Matters website and provide lots of information to assist those who may encounter flooding problems.

Cllr Cleugh said work had been carried out to re line the main sewars in Amport & Monxton. Work to relining laterals to private households will be carried out once the water table risings to a level when any leaks can be identified.

10.FINANCE

To note balance in Lloyds bank as at 31/12/21 £32502.54

i)Resolved: that the following payments be approved and transactions authorised

Payments to agree-

Clerks salary £112.47 per month and HMRC £28.12 payments by SO November to January

Payments to be made by bank transfer

Clerks Expenses Nov to Jan £56.67

Cllr Cleugh said he had encountered many issues attempting to open another Lloyds Bank account to run alongside the account already open and to be used for the purposes of income & expenditure for the new village hall. The Clerk agreed to keep a separate set of accounts relating to this project and meet any expenditure from the account currently in use. All payments from this account have to be authorised by a second signatory so any risks have been considered.

The Clerk was asked to arrange for the funds held by the Village Hall Management Committee specifically for the new build to be transferred to the Parish Council account.

12.Borough & County Councillor Reports.

HCC Chris Donnelly was not present

TVBC Councillor Maureen Flood reported as follows:

Further grants were now available for village halls affected by COVID and agreed to send details to the Clerk

Andover-Vaccination Centre

Vaccinations at Andover’s Chantry Centre are continuing thanks to the Primary Care Network, alongside support from Test Valley Borough Council.

Andover Chantry Centre walk in vaccination availability for those eligible check at: Find a walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Test Valley Borough Council Emails

Sign up to our email atwww.testvalley.gov.uk/emails

The council has launched a new email update system. The system allows regular useful information to be sent out to those who choose to subscribe and can be personalised as users select their preferences.

Events, bin collection dates and countryside information are just some of the updates being sent out. Users of My Council Services will have had a one-time email to notify them of this new service, asking them if they would like to subscribe. Their details are not stored on the system and they have to opt-in to receive these new updates and can unsubscribe at any time.

13.Any other business –

There was no other business

14.CLOSE OF THE MEETING

The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.

15.DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 12th April 2022, 7.30pm

AVIAN FLU WARNING

by heatherbourner

A dead Red Kite was found recently in a paddock in Appleshaw, and DEFRA has now confirmed that it died of avian flu, which is transmissible to humans.

Public Health England’s advice is not to pick up any dead birds but to get in touch with DEFRA if you come across a dead bird of prey, gull, or waterbird. The helpline number is 03459 335577. 

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL UPDATES

by Monxton Matters


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.