1. The Parish Council

(Figures refer to attendance record - out of a total of eleven council meetings)

Andy Bowditch (Chairman from 12.5.03)	11
Tim Mousley (Vice Chairman from 12.5.03)	11
Stuart Dowding	9
John Guy	10
Andy McKenzie	8/8
David Rimmington	10

David Lyon (Parish Clerk)(Tree Warden)
Ron Warwick (Footpath Warden to 8.9.03)
Jayne Edwards (Footpath Warden from 8.9.03)

2. 2003 Election

Local Government Elections were held on 1 May 2003 but because the number of candidates was less than the available seats an election was not required in the Parish. Two members of the outgoing Parish Council, Sabie Girling and Barry Whitlock, stood down and Lyn Bowditch joined the Council. There thus remained one vacancy on the Council and Dr Andy McKenzie of West Dean was coopted at the Council meeting on 6 June 2003.

3. Finance

The Precept for 2003-2004 was set at £8500, with a budget for expenditure of £11910. The Council is again grateful to Robert Horsford for acting as internal auditor for the audit of the 2002-2003 accounts.

4. Hampshire County Council & Test Valley Borough Council

Councillors Michael Woodhall (HCC) and Neville Whiteley (TVBC) attended Parish Council meetings when they were able to and their reports were a much valued contribution. Through them access to officials of their councils was facilitated and good relations maintained, notably with the Highways Department of HCC.

5. Police

The local beat officer, PC Chris Day, attended Council meetings and Neighbourhood Watch meetings whenever his other duties permitted. The Parish remains a low crime area, with only 26 recorded crimes in the twelve months to March 2004 out of a total of 464 in Mr Day's Rural Beat. The commonest crimes were burglaries (12 in non-dwellings (sheds and garages) and 2 in dwellings). There were also 5 cases of vehicle crime.

6. Highways & Footpaths

During the year HCC Highways Department carried out a considerable amount of work in The Village, North Lane, The Coach Road and Dean Road to alleviate flooding problems, including the installation of extra gullies, and underground perforated pipe. The main drain through the village was inspected with the aid of closed circuit TV and was cleaned out. It was established that responsibility for the cost of maintaining this drain should be shared between TVBC and HCC.

The traffic calming scheme financed jointly by the Parish and HCC under the Parish Partnership Scheme was completed, after considerable delays, with the installation of new road markings and signs. The temporary build-out at the corner of Church Lane and The Village is still being evaluated.

The programme to provide street name plates throughout the Parish continued with the installation of names for North Lane, The Village, Church Lane, and Dean Road. Some residents in the latter, in the area known as The Common, wished this name to be retained. This will be addressed in the next financial year with the addition of a special sign for the row of houses in this location. There remain a few roads still to be given name plates, this should be done in 2004-05 by TVBC. The object of the exercise is to facilitate the location of addresses by the emergency services.

Ron Warwick the footpath warden resigned in September and Jayne Edwards of West Dean was appointed in his place. The Council is grateful to Mr Warwick for his contribution to keeping open the Parish paths.

7. Recreation Ground

The fence bordering the recreation ground on its western side was replaced, at a cost of £1500 net, making it the major item of project expenditure during the year. The Disability Discrimination Act came into force during the year and on the advice of Dr Stephen Duckworth access to the recreation ground and play area was improved.

8. Planning

The Council receives copies, from TVBC, of all planning applications, including those for tree work, in the Parish. Apart from the latter where comment is delegated to the Tree Warden, the applications are circulated to all Councillors for comment. A synthesis of these comments is then prepared by the clerk and returned to TVBC Planning Department. While most applications are not controversial some have given rise to debate, including developments at Woodside Farm, West Dean, Frenchmoor House and a proposal to demolish Old Nails. Planning permission was given during the year for the disused barns on the Church Farm Site to be converted into a house; the listed cart shed will remain essentially as it is now. The condition of the listed derelict barn behind the Black Horse remains a cause for concern.

The problem with the Pragnell's Cottages septic tank by the entrance to the village shop is now to be resolved by constructing a new waste treatment plant in the vicinity of Beale's Court. An extension for the shop, including a porch has been approved by TVBC.

Progress with getting the Parish Plan under way has been slow, involving as it does a very heavy commitment in time by those willing to undertake the considerable amount of work needed. An application for a grant from the Countryside Agency has as yet to be determined.

9. Dean Hill

The future of the MOD Munitions site at Dean Hill, which closed on 31.3.04, remains to be determined. A Working Group has been formed, representing the three Parish Councils, and this has had a series of meetings with representatives of TVBC, SDC, and MoD during the year. The Clerk acts as rapporteur for these meetings, and Tim Mousley and John Guy are the Parish's usual delegates. To guide decision-takers in the local councils on the future of the site two surveys were commissioned during the year, one a housing needs survey and the other aiming to establish what local people would like to see happen to the site.

10. Information

Council minutes and agendas are displayed on the village notice boards and the minutes are also placed on the new village website run by Tim Koetser. A map of West Tytherley village, which originally appeared in the Hampshire Magazine, has been enlarged and reprinted and is now on display outside the Black Horse. The Council is grateful to the Landlord, Martin Urry, for bearing the cost of this. The First Responder Scheme is now operational in the village, although there is still a need for more volunteers.

11. Council Links and Support

The Council continues to maintain contact with other local councils, exchanging minutes with the four neighbouring councils (East Tytherley, Lockerley, East and West Dean). It sends representatives to meetings of other local organisations, notably the Test Valley association of Parish and Town Councils, and the Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils and various TVBC and HCC meetings. It continues to give modest financial support to several local causes and is now represented on the committee of King Edward's Hall, where it makes a substantial contribution to the annual insurance premium. The venue for Council meetings was moved from Poustinia to King Edward's Hall in September 2003 partly in the hope that a more central location would encourage greater attendance by members of the public. This hope has as yet to be realised. The Hall agreed to charge the Council the same fee as Poustinia charged for the hire of the facilities and the Council is grateful for this, as it is to Poustinia for providing a venue over a number of years at very reasonable cost. The Council entered the Calor/Community Action Village of the Year Competition in the summer of 2003, and got through to the second round.