PARISHES OF WEST TYTHERLEY & FRENCHMOOR

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Minutes of the combined Annual Meetings of the two Parishes held on 9 May 2005 at 1922h in King Edward’s Hall, West Tytherley

1. Present: Mr. A Bowditch (Chairman) plus six Councillors of the Grouped Parishes, plus the Clerk and the Footpath Warden plus Councillors M.Woodhall (HCC) and N.Whiteley (TVBC), Inspector P.Funnell (Officer i/c Romsey Police) and 18 members of the public and Mr Andrew Douglas (Tree Officer, TVBC).

2. Apologies Nil

3. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 10 May 2004

These were signed by the Chairman, Mr A.Bowditch, at the monthly meeting of the Parish Council on 14 June 2004

4. Report from HCC (Mr M.Woodhall)

Hampshire County would be spending £1.4bn in the current financial year, mainly on education (£700 million on 535 schools), roads and social affairs. Over the next three years a capital works programme costing £500 million was planned, including a new building for West Tytherley Primary School. The County was under pressure from Whitehall to take more housing, especially in the south. Pressure to increase the percentage of waste that is recycled is likely to get more onerous. The Fire Service (separately funded as is the Police) is performing to target. The County is increasing its support for disabled children. Bus services remain a problem in rural areas, it is often cheaper to use a car. The work of a multitude of voluntary groups across the County is much appreciated by HCC. Mr Woodhall is a member of the Accreditation panel for Quality Parish Status which he strongly recommended.

5. Report from TVBC (Mr N.Whiteley)

Mr Whiteley was just completing his year as Mayor of Test Valley, which had often meant up to five public engagements a day, including weekends and this had inevitably affected the time he could devote to parishes in his constituency. He referred to the close working partnership between TVBC and HCC and in particular his good relations with his near neighbour Michael Woodhall. TVBC will spend £60 million this year, of which £10 million will be raised by the Council Tax. The Council is now responsible for Licensing, for which central government has allocated no extra resources. The Draft Local Plan, covering the next ten years, is in its final stages of preparation with public hearings now complete, and a draft final version expected from the Inspector in late August. Andover is expected to take 4500 new homes and Romsey 1500; the rural areas are more or less protected from large scale housing developments. In NW’s view the green bag waste collection scheme is not working satisfactorily and continental models, notably the German system, could be more appropriate. He was still not happy with the Standards Board’s approach to monitoring parish councils. The CANGO bus service, subsidised by HCC and TVCB, is working well.

6. Police Report (Inspector P.Funnell)

The Parishes were among the lowest crime areas in the county, only six crimes being recorded last year. The police had to prioritise the use of their resources and the main problems were located elsewhere in the Romsey area. Anti-social behaviour was a major problem – particularly serious in Romsey on Friday and Saturday nights. The police were considering a dispersal order banning young people from congregating at the bus station. The police were distributing posters to Romsey shops requesting that hoods be removed. They were proposing to extend the pub-watch scheme to rural areas. Currently sixteen young people were banned from Romsey pubs. The Romsey sector had now joined up with Andover and Eastleigh (on 1 April) and would shortly amalgamate with New Forest under a Chief Superintendent. The police were now a performance culture and had to work to targets, with senior officers now on contract. The only way the police could handle the ever increasing number of calls they received was to route them through a centralised control system. They expected to respond to genuine emergencies within four minutes plus travelling time to the site of the incident.

7. Neighbourhood Watch Report (P.Robinson, Chairman)

The Neighbourhood Watch (which covers West Tytherley village with volunteer wardens for each street or area of housing) remains independent of the police. It had been agreed with the police that they would attend Watch meetings whenever possible and would contact the Watch if they needed assistance. Mr Mitchell requested that a phone box should be installed at Stockbridge Police sub-station; Mr Funnell promised to look into the matter.

8. Open Forum

Mr Guy gave an update on progress with the Parish Plan.

Mrs Collinson commented on traffic calming measures in relation to the primary school crossing point to the school dining room and the village hall and noted that white lines on Dean Road were now obscured by debris.

Mr Whitlock suggested that priorities should be changed at the Dean Road/Church Lane junction.

It was noted that the Churchyard wall was collapsing into the neighbouring garden and that repairs to the wall of the old churchyard were of a low standard.

9. Test Valley Borough Council Tree Officer (Mr Andrew Douglas)

The Meeting concluded with a talk by Mr Douglas on the work of the Council’s tree officers and in response to questions from the floor discussed various silvicultural matters, including Dutch Elm Disease and Sudden Oak Death. The former is caused by a fungus transmitted by beetles. Hedgerow elm is infected when it reaches to height at which the beetles fly. The latter is waterborne fungus so only affects oaks in favourable locations and its effects will not be as devastating as Dutch Elm Disease. The best time to work on trees is late summer, before growth has ceased for the year, allowing the tree to develop wound tissue.

10. AOB

There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting with an invitation to those present to join him in a glass of wine before the start of the monthly Parish Council meeting.

Signed

A.Bowditch (Chairman) Date