Hanborough Parish Council

12th May report

Local elections

Hanborough Parish Council was uncontested in Town and Parish Council Elections with 8 nominations submitted for the 12 councillor places.  

The following were elected unopposed. Ellen Armitage, Michael Franklin,Rod Fraser, Rich Fuller, Penelope Marcus, Steve Page, Kerry Scarlett and Lucy Tritton.

The Parish Council will co-opt to fill the remaining seats.

Annual Parish Meeting

The annual meeting was held online and the Chairman presented a list of achievements from the last two years and thanked councillors, officers and residents who supported these.  I include it here as we have vacancies for councillors and I urge you to contact the clerk if you are interested in getting involved while we have vacancies.

Installed a new outdoor gym and then extended and added safety matting

The Pit and playground area clean up day

Worked with the Herald to freshen up the visuals

Replaced the old fencing around Hurdeswell opposite the petrol station

Replacing the bollards on the railway bridge to improve pedestrian safety

Community hub questionnaire circulated and visit to Charlbury Hall

Repairs to the MUGA fence following vandalism

Supported the Midsummer Fitness event in 2019 funding refreshments 

New councillors welcomed

Councillors attended a range of training courses

Peter Brittin retired after many years of service to the parish

Installed bike rack in Riely Close

Launched a community website

Lobbied for improved the signage around the Church Road pedestrian crossing following safety concerns

Supported a Welcome Evening for new residents

Recycled/reused furniture from the old playground into other areas

Negotiated a land swap arrangement to allow the school to expand in situ

Sourced grit for use in the parish and stored in the Recreation Hall carpark

Replacing the old steps into the Pit with a new ramp and getting this part funded by Pye

Passed both internal and external audits with no significant issues reported

Representation at Remembrance Sunday events

Underwriting of Hanborough Film nights

Grant £7k towards a Bowling Club lawn mower

Football Club lighting grant and new goal posts

New dog waste bins

Lobbied for improvements to Coffin Path

Funded the install of a new cess pit for the Pavilion and project managed it

PC response to covid including support groups, temporary powers to officers to keep PC business moving and move to online meetings

Covid grants to Hanborough Welfare Trust, Hanborough Herald

Maintenance including weed treatment in the playground while closed for covid

Fence repairs, cleaning and new gate to MUGA

Raised fencing at MUGA

Taking on responsibility for the Pavilion defibrillator

Covid funding support for the Herald

Emergency winter tree works in the new playground area

Social Media presence enhanced

Completed the Feasibility Study for a new pedestrian bridge over railway on A4095

Installed a mixture of solar and battery lighting on the Christmas tree in 2020

Grant for new blinds in the Pavilion

Completed a Duty of Care report on trees on Parish owned land

Implemented a new grass cutting regime to encourage wildlife and flowers

Removal of the Riely Close recycling drop site

Agreement to take on the Pye playground site at Hanborough Gate

Tree works in Hurdeswell

Volunteers supporting community building project and the presentation day

Community Christmas initiative

Inclusive swing install

20mph initiatives and collaboration with Freeland

Allotment and cemetery fees review

 

Parish Council meetings

The Government Regulations enabling virtual parish council meetings come to an end at midnight on 6th May 2021. We returned to face to face meetings in May.

The public can attend but there will be restrictions on numbers in the hall.  Therefore it is encouraged to submit any public participation questions or statements by email rather than attend in person.

Parish Grass cutting - much reduced cutting regime

Parish Council has agreed to reduce the number of cuts of verges to allow for re-wilding.  This is part of a wider move being adopted by councils across the country to leave areas uncut between May and September.  This is a benefit for wildlife and also cuts down on CO2 emissions by contractors.  We also encourage residents who have traditionally cut their own verge to consider leaving it between May and September.

We appreciate this will change the appearance of the parish and that not everyone will agree but Council hopes in time it will become the new norm.

The plan will be to cut most areas twice only.  Areas identified for visibility at junctions, recreation or accessibility reasons will continue to be cut monthly.

20th April report

Local elections

Hanborough Parish Council was uncontested in Town and Parish Council Elections with 8 nominations submitted for the 12 councillor places.  The Parish Council will co-opt to fill the remaining seats.  

Parish Council meetings

The Government Regulations enabling virtual parish council meetings come to an end at midnight on 6th May 2021. So a return to face to face meetings is expected from 7th May despite continued uncertainty about coronavirus.  The next meeting of the Hanborough Parish Council will be held one week later than usual on Tuesday 18th May 2020 at 7:00pm in the Pavilion main hall.

The public can attend but there will be restrictions on numbers in the hall.  Therefore it is encouraged to submit any public participation questions or statements by email rather than attend in person.

Snap Happy Hanborough

HPC would like to thank everyone who got involved with the photo-a-day competition.

We really enjoyed seeing everyone’s entries.

The winners of the competition were Nele Demeyere for her striking tree picture under the ‘Snow’ category and Beckah Fisher with her enticing holiday photo under the ‘Dreaming of’ category.  Well done to everyone and thank you once again for all your entries. To see all the photos entered scroll down through the posts on the Hanborough Parish Council Facebook page. There are some beautiful and heart warming photos that got us through the cold and dark days of February!

New benches and picnic tables

Parish Council has placed an order for a number of new benches and tables in Hurdeswell and around the playing fields.  This will help to provide more comfortable places for meeting outdoors both as a short term response to covid restrictions and as a longer term move to socialising outside.

Dogs, dogs dogs!

Please remember to keep you dog on a lead at all times when you are walking along a highway or road in the parish, for your dog’s safety and for the safety of others and to comply with the Road Traffic Act of 1988.

Please also note that the area around the Pavilion is for dogs on lead only.  This is really important and often ignored.  The dangers of dog waste in children’s (and adults) recreation areas is well known.  We will be installing a dog waste bag dispenser to help owners clear up.

Hanborough Gate playground

This area was built by the developers Pye and we are working with them to take ownership and responsibility for maintenance.  The site is now open.

Parish Grass cutting - much reduced cutting regime

Parish Council has agreed to reduce the number of cuts of verges to allow for re-wilding.  This is part of a wider move being adopted by councils across the country to leave areas uncut between May and September.  This is a benefit for wildlife and also cuts down on CO2 emissions by contractors.  We also encourage residents who have traditionally cut their own verge to consider leaving it between May and September.

We appreciate this will change the appearance of the parish and that not everyone will agree but Council hopes in time it will become the new norm.

The plan will be to cut most areas twice only.  Areas identified for visibility at junctions, recreation or accessibility reasons will continue to be cut monthly.

14th March report

Local elections

Local elections will be held on 6th May to include Parish Councillors.  These were delayed last year due to covid but the government intends to hold them this year.  There are 12 places for Parish Councillors and this is a great opportunity to get involved with local governance and shape the future of the Parish.

Nomination documents may be obtained from the WODC elections office and from the website of the Electoral Commission.

Chair retiring from Council

You will see elsewhere in the Herald that our Chair has decided not to put himself forward for re-election in May.

As clerk, I’m deeply disappointed to hear this.  Niels has been a pleasure to work with and is a great loss for the council.  The last few years have seen challenges greater than any faced by this council before and his leadership has been smart, firm and carefully crafted.  In many cases Niels was lining the ducks up on complex issues and negotiating with stakeholders while thinking about the implications of steps much further down the line.  As we move forward this vision will be missed.

Niels, its been a great pleasure and I wish you well for the future. 

Parish Council meetings

Due to the pandemic legislation was changed to allow for online meetings and we are currently not allowed to meet in person.  Public participation is encouraged as always and this can be by questions to the clerk or chair in advance, or by requests to speak.   All meetings are notified on the website and noticeboards as usual.  The clerk will share online joining instructions on request.

Annual Parish Meeting - 20th April at 6:30pm

We were forced to cancel this last year due to the first lockdown.  This year we plan to hold this online on 20th April.  Residents are welcome to join the meeting either online or by phoning in on the number below.

We will present an update on Parish Council activity from the last year and a financial update.  Local groups will be invited to join as usual.

Topic: HPC Annual parish meeting

Time: Apr 20, 2021 06:30 PM London

Meeting ID: 935 2031 4347

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/93520314347

Dial by your location. 0203 481 5240

Addition to the War Memorial

The Parish Council have received a request to add a name to the Memorial for Flying Officer F H Rickwood from Long Hanborough who was killed in a flying accident over Germany in 1955. Parish Council will be seeking planning permission and will add his name on the Western side of the memorial

MUGA and outdoor gym area

These were both closed at the time of writing but due to be unlocked on 29th March.  We have recently spent a great deal of money on cleaning, installing second gate, replacing vandalised panels and extending the height of the fence.  The panels have cost thousands to replace and we ask everyone to look out for anyone cutting holes in them.

In the Pit area council is looking into the feasibility of a pump track for cycling, new paths and an updated BMX/skate park.  These will be considered along with other projects such as a proposed path around the playing fields and the much discussed community centre.

Ramp to the Pit

This is bedding in well although it continues to shed some gravel.  This is to be expected and it will settle in time.  We will seed the area shortly.

Hanborough Gate playground

This area was built by the developers Pye and we are working with them to take ownership and responsibility for maintenance.  The site is now open.

Parish Grass cutting - much reduced cutting regime

Parish Council has agreed to reduce the number of cuts of verges to allow for re-wilding.  This is part of a wider move being adopted by councils across the country to leave areas uncut between May and September.  This is a benefit for wildlife and also cuts down on CO2 emissions by contractors.  We also encourage residents who have traditionally cut their own verge to consider leaving it between May and September.

We appreciate this will change the appearance of the parish and that not everyone will agree but Council hopes in time it will become the new norm.

The plan will be to cut most areas twice only.  Areas identified for visibility at junctions, recreation or accessibility reasons will continue to be cut monthly.

Dogs, dogs dogs!

We love our four legged friends but if you own one please ask them to respect other users in common areas.  We still have dog mess to remove in the areas around the playground (dog mess is very dangerous for children and unpleasant for the rest of us).  No dogs are allowed in the fenced area of either the games area or playground, and definitely not, as reported recently, on the picnic tables.

14th February report

Parish Council meetings

Due to the pandemic legislation was changed to allow for online meetings and we are currently not allowed to meet in person.  Councillors look forward to when face to face meetings can resume.  Public participation is encouraged as always and this can be by questions to the clerk or chair in advance, or by requests to speak.   All meetings are notified on the website and noticeboards as usual.  The clerk will share online joining instructions on request.

Annual Parish Meeting

We were forced to cancel this last year due to the first lockdown.  Currently we hope to hold this online on 20th April and further details will be published next month.

Local elections

Local elections were also postponed last year and are currently due in May.  The government remains committed to these going ahead subject to infection levels and we are planning accordingly.  Your District and Parish Council councillors will be up for election and this is a great opportunity for any residents wishing to get involved to put themselves forward.  For Parish Council roles please contact either the clerk or WODC.

MUGA and outdoor gym area

Council would like to remind everyone that the Multi Use Games Area and the outdoor gym remain closed until government guidelines are changed.  We will reopen as soon as we are allowed to.  The playground is allowed to stay open and the usual social distancing rules apply.

Hanborough Gate playground

This area was built by the developers Pye and we are working with them to take ownership and responsibility for maintenance.  This is taking longer than hoped but we will remove the fencing and open the facility as soon as possible.

Fly tipping

We have noted a rise in local fly tipping of both rubbish but also of green waste.  The local tip remains open and unlike many parts of the country booking is not required to visit.  WODC also offer a reasonably priced service to collect larger items and also a regular green waste road side service.

Traffic calming

Councillors are joining a Freeland group to explore a joined up approach to traffic calming initiatives in our parishes.  We welcome thoughts and note concerns raised in the past about Lower Road traffic speed and large vehicle access to Pigeon House Lane.

Dogs, dogs dogs!

We love our four legged friends but if you own one please ask them to respect other users in common areas.  We still have dog mess to remove in the areas around the playground (dog mess is very dangerous for children and unpleasant for the rest of us).  No dogs are allowed in the fenced area of either the games area or playground, and definitely not, as reported recently, on the picnic tables.