The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced members of the Parish Council. Apologies were received from MP Sir George Young, Rev. Christine Dale and John Bentham.
The Chairman presented his report on behalf of the Parish Council - see attached - highlighting several points. He said that the key thing for a Parish Council is its Councillors. He was sad to report the resignation of Su Elsden and Brian Heather during the year, both of whom made a great contribution to the Parish Council. He thanked John Maxwell, who was Chairman for several years until stepping down in February. He also thanked Mike Ross who has been a Parish Councillor for many years and has also been very helpful in his role as Borough Councillor - a role which was taken over by Clive Sanders in May last year. Norman Powers is very involved in the Parish in many ways, not least looking after the Parish footpaths. The Clerk is standing down after 5_ years service, and the Chairman thanked her for keeping the council 'on the line'. He also thanked Julia Calvert and Linda Cooke for the excellent work they do as the Parish Litter Wardens.
The Senior Citizens Outing was a great success. A coach took everyone to Hilliers Arboretum at Ampfield, where there was time for browsing and shopping before enjoying a cream tea and raffle. CCTV is now in place at Woolton Hill Recreation Ground, thanks to the great work of Cllr Jim Kernahan. The Parish Field is now let. The Council continues to pursue a solution to the traffic problems outside the schools in Woolton Hill under the Safer Routes to Schools scheme. The Chairman urged members of the public to respond to planning applications should they have comment to make.
The Planning Committee report followed - see attached.
Cllr Kyle-Lawrence then reported on behalf of the Amenities Committee. They have concentrated on security and recreation. A grant was obtained from Basingstoke for the CCTV. The Committee are currently working on upgrading the play equipment on the Recreation Grounds. This will include an arial zip wire and goalposts and Woolton Hill and a wooden nature trail at Heath End. Play equipment is checked annually and the tennis courts are regularly maintained. Basingstoke and Deane propose putting glass recycling bins in the lay by at Masons Court.
Cllr Sanders reported on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane and in his capacity as Highways Officer on the Parish Council, highlighting several areas. As a result of last years election the Council at Basingstoke has changed from a Liberal/Labour to a Conservative one. This Parish had a 43% turnout, of which he received 82% of the vote. He expressed his gratitude for this support. He sees his main role as Borough Councillor as solving problems for the people in his ward. At Basingstoke he sits on the Audit/Accounts Committee and the Environment Committee, along with two other roles on the Scrutiny Committee and Chairman of the Performance Panel, which looks at the financial performance of the Council and its committees. The Council is performing well, achieving high standards. There has been a significant increase/improvement in recycling, and this Parish itself has a high recycling rate. He stressed there are no plans to introduce alternate weekly litter collections.
He also mentioned Planning issues such as the adoption of the Local Plan (excluding Harwood Paddock) and the current South East Plan, where efforts are being made to have this area excluded from the Western Corridor. The Boundary Committee are currently looking at changing ward boundaries, and are considering joining East Woodhay with Ashmansworth and Highclere and having only 2 Councillors representing this area instead of the current 3.
Highways are the responsibility of the County Council. Cllr Sanders identifies problem areas and meets with the Area Surveyor to discuss solutions. There is currently a backlog, meaning potholes may not be filled and signs replaced as quickly as we would like. Main areas include problems with building lorries damaging roads and lanes, and efforts are being made to try to get developers to have damage corrected when building work is finished. Highways did some good work during the storm when trees and debris were strewn around, clearing up and reinstating very quickly. Currently he is trying to identify signs which are not needed around the Parish and have them removed, as well as pushing for 30 mph speed limits in several areas. As with the Chairman he mentioned the failure of the recent Safer Routes to Schools scheme outside the schools, and said work is being done to try to see how this can be changed.
Cllr Maxwell reported on behalf of the County Council. He said that many large companies are resident in Hampshire, making much money, but the Government is taking money from the South and giving it to the North. He stated that things are much cheaper in the north, and that people should bear this in mind when roads etc. do not get fixed quickly enough. He said the fact that people used to stay in hospital much longer but now come out much quicker has put greater financial strains on Social Services. Cllr Maxwell is chairman of HAT, which is trying to make services more immediate to people who they are for, e.g. do people know who to contact if a street light is out??
Peter Brunsden gave a short resume of the Parish Plan, in the absence of John Angle. The Parish Plan is the follow on from the Village Design Statement. The team is being headed up by John Angle, with around 12 members on the team. A questionnaire will be submitted to households this autumn. Hampshire County Council and the Parish Council have between them provided funding of around £1K. Meetings usually take place on the second Wednesday of the month.
Norman Powers reported as Footpaths Officer. The footpaths in the Parish are currently in good condition, but do tend to get quite bad in the winter. He does most of his work during the winter, when the shrubbery has died down and the ground is softer. He has help from Joe O'Hara, for which he is very grateful. Equipment is provided by Hampshire County Council. There are proposals to change the stiles to kissing gates, but these cost around £400 each so this may take quite some time as it is the responsibility of the landowners. The Parish Council is currently carrying out a survey of all the stiles, which do vary greatly. The biggest complaint he hears is of people walking their dogs around fields instead of using the footpaths.
In the absence of Christine Dale, Norman also reported on behalf of East Woodhay Charities. The Charities made 5 fuel deliveries during the winter, as well as a pre-school grant. They have also invested money in land at Hatt Common. He stressed the Charities existed for those 'in sickness and in need'.