Category Archives: Parish Council

Parish Council ‘Election’

by Monxton Matters

By Nick Simon

I posted the official notification advertising the 2 open Parish council posts on the website yesterday. After reading the letter, I wondered whether I really understood the process  for electing a new Parish Councillor.

So I thought I’d look into it… Continue reading →

Vacancies for Councillors

by Monxton Matters

MONXTON PARISH COUNCIL

CASUAL VACANCIES FOR COUNCILLORS

 

Notice given under Rule 5 of the of the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) (England and Wales) Rules 2006

1. There are vacancies on the Parish Council caused by the resignation of Katrina Saville and John Chaffey Continue reading →

MPC Annual General Meeting – 30/4/2013

by Monxton Matters
 
 
Minutes of the Monxton Parish Council Annual General Meeting
held on Tuesday 30th April 2013 in the Monxton Village Hall at 8.30pm.

Present:

Cllr Katrina Saville – Chairperson Cllr Mike Cleugh – Vice Chairman Cllr John Chaffey
Cllr David Eaglesham

Richard Waterman – Parish Clerk County Councillor Mrs Pat West Members of the Public – 31

Apologies : Cllr Sarah Dowding, Robert Davis and Borough Councillor Ben Few-Brown.

WELCOME

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

MINUTES OF THE 2012 AGM MEETING

The Chairman signed the minutes of the 2012 AGM as a true record.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – (interrupted half way through by members of the public)

Firstly, I would also like to warmly welcome Richard Waterman, who has taken over the role of clerk from Sue Corney, now that Sue has taken up full time employment. Richard is very experienced in this field, acting as clerk for 10 other local parishes, so we are very pleased that he has agreed to include Monxton in his portfolio.

Many thanks to Sue, who stepped in to save us from a bit of a crisis, and has done a fabulous job of keeping us in order for the past three years. My sincere thanks go to John Chaffey as he steps down from his position as councillor. John has been an invaluable member of the committee for the past six years, whose input I have greatly appreciated. I’m delighted that we have two volunteers to take over the places on the committee being vacated by John and myself. David Bateman and Maggie Nicholls have both kindly offered to give up their time to help keep our community running smoothly, and, all being well, will officially join at the next Parish Council meeting.

The setting up of the Speedwatch scheme is under way now, and the team should become active on our streets before too long. Having unsuccessfully approached several parishes about sharing the cost and ownership of the required equipment, Monxton PC took the decision to fund it ourselves, as we feel it will be a very positive way to reduce the speeding through the village and the feedback we had received from parishioners was very favourable. Thank you to David Eaglesham for taking this on and I look forward to seeing it in action soon.

Our lovely old finger post on the village green went missing for a few weeks earlier this year, and has returned beautifully refurbished. This will soon be complemented by two new benches, thanks to some funding from our county councillor.

The Village Hall has also seen further improvements, with a fully health and safety approved ramp and steps now in place, a disabled toilet, baby changing facilities and a key safe. In the near future a full redecoration of the hall including new blinds is planned. Many thanks to the village hall team for keeping the hall in such a beautiful state of repair, and for all their hard work putting on some very enjoyable events.
Sadly Linda is making plans to leave the village, so I would like to say a special thank you to her and wish her well.

Last summer saw another successful though somewhat chilly Duck Race, a rather damp Open Gardens weekend, and a great Diamond Jubilee celebration hosted by Amport. This summer we have a Barn Dance to look forward to, which promises to be another great village event – please do come along and support it.

Thanks to the hard work of Nick Simon, Monxton has a thoroughly revamped web site – Monxton.org.uk. It’s still in its early stages at present, but please do take a look and let Nick have any feedback. You will be able not only to read about what’s going on in the village, but there will also be an opportunity to have your own photos and information uploaded for the rest of the village to see. This promises to be a great channel of communication for us all, and my thanks go to web master Nick for getting this up and going.

We are still being troubled by far too many lorries of an enormous size trying to squeeze through the village, and causing damage to property in the process. The majority of this appears to be going to and from the Alpine Group, which now operates from the old Siteweld yard. Ben Few-Brown has taken on this cause for us, and hopefully something can be done to stop this very inconsiderate behaviour. If any parishioners are witness to any damage in the village, please take details and let Ben or the Parish Council know. Lorries from the airfield site still stray this way on occasions, despite the ANPR system and the incredible amount of fines the Co-op are having to pay out. I’m assured that a full review of the signage at the Hundred Acre Roundabout is imminent, and hopefully some clearer guidance there will reduce the number of ‘lost’ HGVs.

A further planning application has been submitted to build a second distribution centre next to the Co-op building, of a similar size to the existing one. Monxton PC have strongly objected to this, as it would contravene several of the planning conditions which we fought so hard to have imposed upon the Co-op application. Unfortunately I have not been so successful in getting other parishes to object this time around, despite my best efforts. This latest application should be going to committee imminently and Ben Few-Brown has promised to fight our cause for us there.

The state of the roads in and around the village is of constant concern, with Chalkpit Lane and Broad Road being in a particularly poor state. I appreciate that the Highways department are very stretched, as roads everywhere have suffered badly from the weather, but we will keep pushing to get repairs made as promptly as possible. Please make use of the pot hole reporting site on the TVBC web site – it really does work.

Another issue which has been causing anxiety of late is the blocking of a tributary of the Pilhill Brook, causing dangerously high water levels for several properties in the village. My thanks go to Phil Lashbrook and Pat West for chasing the Environment agency into action, where residents and the Parish Council had failed. A meeting was held yesterday between the interested parties, and hopefully a resolution will be forthcoming soon.

The year has thankfully been largely crime free in Monxton, and my thanks go to Robert Davies for putting so much time and effort into running Neighbourhood Watch and keeping us all informed for several years now. Robert will be stepping down from his position when his and Linda’s house move goes through, and he will be sadly missed .

Having served on the Parish Council for 8 years now, with 6 of them as Chair, and with an intended move closer to Salisbury, it is time for me also to step down from the post.
I’d like to thank all of those who have supported me in my role, including my fellow Councillors, clerks past and present, Village Hall committee members, Robert Davies, Phil Lashbrook, Pat West, Ben Few-Brown and others too numerous to mention. I hope the parishioners feel that I have served them well.

I leave the village in the capable hands of Mike Cleugh, who is standing in as Chair until a more permanent replacement is found.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Members of the Public interrupted the Chairman’s Report mid flow and a heated discussion took place. Points raised included :-

  • What are the Parish Council doing to conserve the village? The large lorries coming into the village are damaging property.
  • Why was the weight restriction taken off the red post bridge? This has opened up the village roads for larger lorries many visiting the Alpine Group at the old Siteweld depot.
  • The speed lorries travel through the village is of concern to many parishioners, what are the Parish Council doing to address the situation?
  • Why has the 20MPH speed limit not been pursued for the village? Recent changes in legislation should make it easier to adopt.
  • Damage to the green is an ongoing problem, what are the Parish Council doing about it, has the use of CCTV been considered?
  • It was suggested that the parish Council scrap the Community Speed watch Scheme and spend the money on CCTV.
  • It was requested that it is minuted that the village are angry that the Parish Council have not done anything to address the issues raised.
  • The Traffic Calming in the village is looking tatty and it was felt that this has only hindered the problem in the village.
  • The DLO and the Co-op staff use the village as a Rat Run to get to and from work. The Parish Council and Cllr Mrs P West answered the questions to the best of theirknowledge and stated the following points :-
    • The Parish Council are working with Borough Councillor Mr Ben Few-Brown on the issue of the HGV’s coming into the village.
    • When the Parish Council last looked at the 20MPH speed limit Monxton did not meet the criteria and was not eligible. However if the legislation has changed the Parish Council will be happy to apply again.
    • The Parish Council thought that CCTV was a good idea and would be happy to look into this if this is what the village wants.
    • The Parish Council are aware of the damage being caused to the green and residents properties and urged homeowners to report each incident to the Police and Cllr Mr Ben Few-Brown, each report is logged and helps when trying to get something done.
    • The Parish Council acknowledge that there is a business operating on the old Siteweld site and that materials need to get to and from the site, the ideal solution would be smaller lorries, an issue that will be pursued with the owners of the site.
    • Cllr Mrs P West assured the residents that she had tried to get a weight restriction put on the new Red Post Bridge, but was unsuccessful as the new bridge was built to take additional weight.
    • Cllr Mrs P West stated that there is a process to follow to get things changed and she would be happy to help if she is re-elected at the County Elections.
    • Cllr Mrs P West urged residents to write to Paul Jackson, the head of Planning at TVBC if they have comments on the new proposals for additional storage on the Old Air Field site.
    • Cllr Mrs P West suggested that the Parish Council write to the head of the DLO and the Co-op on the issue of staff using the village as a Rat Run.
    • The Chairman stated that the Parish Council have limited powers and do try hard to do right for the village. A lot of work went into objecting to the original plans for the Andover Airfield.

Cllr Mike Cleugh stated that he would be happy to resign from the Parish Council and free up a place for someone from the High Street to join the Parish Council. They could then take on the challenge of sorting out the issues raised this evening. There was no takers from the floor.

FINANCE

Cllr David Eaglesham gave a report on the Monxton finances for the year 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013. Copies of the financial statement were distributed to the members of the public. The Parish Council signed off the Accounts for the period 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013.

DATE OF THE 2014 AGM

To be confirmed when the parish Council is back to strength.

CLOSE OF THE MEETING

The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.

 

Note: There was a previous typo in the meeting date in the title of this post, now corrected.

MPC Meeting Minutes – 30th April 2013

by Monxton Matters

Minutes of the Monxton Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 30th April 2013 in the Monxton Village Hall at 8pm.

 

Present : Cllr Katrina Saville – Chairperson

Cllr Mike Cleugh – Vice Chairman

Cllr John Chaffey

Cllr David Eaglesham

Richard Waterman – Parish Clerk

County Councillor Mrs Pat West

Alan King Footpaths representative

Members of the Public – 31

Apologies : Cllr Sarah Dowding, Robert Davis and Borough Councillor

Ben Few-Brown.

WELCOME

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the new Parish Clerk Richard Waterman.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST.

There were no declarations of interest recorded.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.

The Chairman signed the minutes of the 5th March 2013 as a true record. Matters arsing from those minutes :-

BENCHES FOR THE VILLAGE GREEN – The Parish Council are waiting for the third quote before progressing with the purchase of the benches.

TREES OVERHANGING THE RIVER – The Clerk was asked to contact Clive Hutchins for a quote as the work needed to be done.

GIVE WAY SIGN AT DLO – There has been no response to the letter sent to the Army Camp. It was noted that a Stop sign has been painted on to the road surface.

COMPLAINT TO AMPORT PARISH COUNCIL – Blocked Footpath Access at Manor Farm. Cllr Mr Ian Morrison the Chairman of Amport Parish Council has replied stating that he thought that the matter had been dealt with last Christmas. It was noted that the obstruction has been removed and the path is clear.

VILLAGE COMPOST HEAP – The Parish Council though that this seems to be working well.

PILLHILL BROOK – The Pillhill Brook has been dammed by an Abbots Ann resident and has had a knock on serious effect some residents in Monxton causing flooding to their fields at the western end of the village. The Environment Agency were contacted and have investigated the complaint. The owner has been told to reduce the level of the dam to allow water to flow down the original path of the river.

Cllr Mrs P West reported that a meeting is to be called for all interested parties, the flow of the water has been diverted by the dam to flow down the mill race instead of the original river and this needs addressing. Cllr Mrs P west felt that the way forward is to work together and keep talking.

New Flood Plain maps have been produced by the Environment Agency, copies were given to the Parish Council along with a recent photograph showing the flooded fields.

NOTICE BOARDS – The Clerk reported that he can get exterior Notice Boards from a reliable supplier for £195 each. The Parish Council agreed to purchase two and asked the Clerk to order them.

DAMAGED MIRROR – A replacement mirror has been purchased and erected.

REPORTS

FOOTPATHS – Alan King.

The on-going issues both from and since the last Parish Council Meeting on the 5th March 2013 are as follows :-

(1), (2) & (3) Resolved

(4) the fingerpost north of the bridge on the north side of the A303 footpath is down.

(5) signage is missing at the end of Boat 12 where it meets the Grateley Road at

Oaklahoma Farm.

(6) the track up to the “crossroads” from Sunny Bank (“Monxton Lane” Boat 11) has not had the side growth trimmed during either the 2010/11 or 2011/12 winters or to date this autumn / winter.

(7) the majority of the spoil tipped on Boat 8 was removed during week commencing 12th December 2011 leaving a residue of brick, concrete and tarmac rubble in the hedge (for a length of approximately 70 metres.  Debris as yet to be removed remains in the hedgerow.

(8), (9) & (10) Resolved

(11) the fingerpost sign is broken off the post at the entrance to Bridleway 721 (Bryning Lodge) were vans / lorries undertaking building work have been parking / turning.  This has been repaired on a temporary basis.

(12) Resolved.

(13) signs (originally issued by TVBC) which request “dog owners to keep their animals on leads to protect wild life” are now considered to be “obsolete”!

Where appropriate, all reported for action to Peter Watson at the Countryside Service of Hampshire County Council.

During the past twelve months all of the footpaths, Bridleways and BOATS in the Parish of Monxton have been walked (some more times than others!).

FLY TIPPING can be reported by anyone to the Street Scene Team at Test Valley Borough Council who are part of “Customer Services” and are contactable on 01264 368000.

They require a brief (but accurate) description / quantity of the material to be removed together with an exact location ~ and are usually very prompt in attending to the issue.

Matt Casson and his Manager, Dan Smyth, are generally very quick to action clearance of fly-tipping in that they realise that if left for more than a few days it will attract more.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH – Things have been quiet in Monxton with no reported crimes.

COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH – No further news to report.

FINANCE.

Cllr David Eaglesham reported that there were two invoices for payment :-

New Mirror £139.00

Parish Council Insurance £385.00

Cllr D Eaglesham and the Clerk will get together to see if they can reduce the Parish Council Insurance. The Clerk reported that his other Parish Councils had managed to get a very good deal with AVIVA on a fixed term discounted contract.

The Parish Council signed off the Accounts for the period 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013. A copy of the accounts were distributed to the Members of the Public.

VILLAGE HALL REPORT (Linda Peters).

It may sound obvious but the hall doesn’t run itself. It is small compared with some other
halls nearby and has limited parking, so, in order to keep ourselves in the market for people to hire, the management committee feels that we should not increase the hourly rates but still try and keep our standards up. To this end, we have put on a few events for villagers to increase our profits in order to maintain said standards. To hold more social and Fundraising events would be nice but we would need extra pairs of hands to organise these. Anyone considering becoming involved in this aspect of village life, please speak to one of the hall committee.

In the past 12 months we have: fitted the hall out with a new ramp and toilet facilities for
disabled use. A key-safe system has been introduced to allow hirers easier access to the hall and to reduce the incidence of lost keys. Both the Ladies and Gents toilets now also have heaters and the Ladies is furnished with a Baby Changing Unit. We have also introduced alterations in the day to day running of the hall to make it simpler for the bookings secretary to do her job. One of these is to make all of our information available on the new Monxton interactive website, when it becomes available.

This will probably be the last time that most of us will see it exactly as it is, as we also have plans to continue upgrading your village hall. At the end of this month it is having a
makeover internally, with the curtains being replaced by roman blinds and all of the internalsurfaces of this main hall repainted. There will also be new plain drapes on the insides of the stage area, making that a more neutral space for any kind of performance. Hopefully these changes will continue to make Monxton and Amport Village Hall an attractive venue for hirers and those of us making use of it.

At a recent Monxton Parish Council meeting, one councillor requested a designated parking
space for disabled use. I have chewed over this problem and come to the following
conclusion. If we put up a notice, it looks as though ALL the spaces are for disabled use. We cannot paint over the space on the ground without the considerable expense of resurfacing. We only have room for 4 cars at maximum, so to leave one free at all times, when for 95% of the time, the one space is not required, seems impractical. So, my compromise situation is this – if you did not see it on your way in today. Whenever a hirer knows or thinks that such a space may be required, they can take this sign from the cupboard and put it outside, replacing it at the end of their hire period. Simples!

We have a small team looking after the village hall and considering that about half of them
has a day job, I feel that very sincere thanks are due for all the work and time that has been given in the past year by: David Hodgson – treasurer, Colin Wareham – maintenance, Sarah Norton – bookings secretary, Diana Jones and Richard Balding-entertainments, Jayne
Baugh – minutes secretary (now retired), Katrina Saville – MPC rep, (retiring). Penny Kitson
– new minutes secretary, Val Taylor – new member from Amport and Sarah Richmond –
new MPC rep. We hope that we are doing what is wanted by you all and if we are not –
please tell us.

SUNNYBANK – PLAYGROUND INSPECTION.

Log book signed – no matters to report.

PLANNING 

13/00426/FULLN – Retain carport – Windermere House, Chalkpit Lane, Monxton

The Parish Council had NO OBJECTIONS to this planning application.

13/00867/LBWN – Single storey rear extension with porch; sub-division of kitchen with 13/00866/FULLN  lightweight partitioning; the provision of windows into door openings to                      the rear elevation; the provision of a ground floor WC and Cloak Room; 1st floor door openings to provide master bedroom en-suite and external alterations to remove modern paving; railings and hard standing for soft landscaping and planting – Brewery House, Green lane, Monxton.

The Parish Council only received this application on the day of the meeting and needed time to look at the application in detail before making comment.

PARISH COUNCIL VACANCIES

Cllr Katrina Saville and Cllr John Chaffey tendered their resignations. Cllr Katrina Saville stated that her family hope to move out of the village and that she has enjoyed her time on the Parish Council. Cllr John Chaffey stated that he has also enjoyed his time on the Parish Council and is stepping down due to personal reasons.

Cllr Mike Cleugh publicly thanked Cllr K Saville and Cllr J Chaffey for all the hard work they have done during their time on the Monxton Parish Council.

Cllr Mike Cleugh will take over a Chairman until the Parish Council is back to strength. The Clerk will inform TVBC of the vacancies so that the correct procedure can be followed to fill the vacancies. It was noted that two Parishioners have expressed an interest in joining the Parish Council.

PARISH COUNCILLORS REPORT

CLLR MIKE CLEUGH – Reported that the new look Web Site is up and running, the web site is now interactive and totally different containing a lot more information. The Web Site is for the whole community and anyone wishing to contribute is more than welcome.

Cllr M Cleugh reported that a Barn Dance has been organised for the 15th June to be held at Monxton Village Hall and the ajacent paddock loaned for the occasion by Veronica Rushford Lund. Tickets will be limited to 200 for Adults (£12) and 200 for Children (£8) no tickets will be available on the night. The popular “Bucking Bronco” will be at the event and tickets are available from Cllr M Cleugh 01264 710276 and Victoria Cash 01264 712116.CORRESPONDENCE

There was no correspondence.

DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING

16th July 2013 in the Monxton Village Hall at 8pm

CLOSE OF THE MEETING

The Chairman closed the Parish Council meeting. The Annual Parish Meeting followed.