The Hook Norton Village Newsletter
April 2002 Series 27 No 2

Parish Council and Cherwell news


Parish Council Meetings February and March 2002
Tidy Village - Litter Pick
This year's litter pick will be on Sunday April 7th. Please come and meet parish councillors at the Memorial Hall at 10.30. Bring you own gloves. Local organisations for young people will be asked to carry out their own litter pick on other convenient days. 		Code of Conduct
The Council has approved adoption of the National Code of Conduct for Parish Councils. This will be advertised shortly.
Post Office relocation
The Parish Council has supported the planning application to relocate the Post Office in Queen Street on the derelict site, with several one-bedroom houses. Some comments were made on the layout and on traffic concerns.
Annual Parish Meeting
This will be held on Thursday April 11th at 7.00 at the Memorial Hall. This is your chance to raise issues of concern in the village.
Attention older children!
The Sports and Social Club has confirmed that there is an area at the Club set aside for casual users for a "kick-about". It is to the left from the entrance gate, behind the goal area of the main pitch, with an area of about 30m by 75m. Do not go onto the main pitch.
The Skip
Please do not put refrigerators or freezers in the skip. We have been instructed by Cherwell DC that these must be collected by them under the no charge collection service. This is to reduce damage to the ozone layer. If we do not comply, we may be penalised by removal of the skip service.
Golden Jubilee event funding
The Parish Council expects to get a grant of £1,000 towards Jubilee events. It has decided to give £250 each to the Jubilee Children's Party and to the Local History Group event in the first place.
Notice boards
From April 1st the notice board at the Memorial Hall will be for Parish Council notices and those for events at the Hall only. The boards at the bus stop and outside the Village Shop will continue to be for other village events. As the boards get full if large notices are put up, please try to reduce the size wherever possible to leave room for others. You can get a lot of information on A5.

STOP PRESS - LOCAL PLAN – LATEST ON HOUSING
The Cherwell DC Executive decided on March 18th that the sites at Bourne Lane and Stanton Engineering should not be identified in the Local Plan for housing development. It is possible, however, that objectors to this decision could appeal to the Secretary of State, in which case a public enquiry would be held in 2003.


FREE REFRIGERATOR DISPOSAL
A free collection service is now being offered by Cherwell District Council to all households in the district to dispose of old fridges and freezers. The move follows the introduction of Government regulations stipulating that before fridges can be disposed of they must be stripped of all the insulating foam they contain. There are currently no facilities in the United Kingdom to enable this to be done and refrigerators will have to be stored until plants are built.
Oxfordshire County Council will set up a number of storage areas for old fridges. Cherwell residents are still able to deliver them for disposal to the Ardley and Alkerton landfill sites.
The Council has introduced the free collection service to prevent fly tipping of fridges.
Residents with fridges or freezers for collection can call 01295 221910 to make arrangements. All fridges must be empty and clean as it is anticipated they will be stored for several months.


BANK HOLIDAY REFUSE COLLECTIONS
There will be no collection of household refuse on the following holidays:

Public Holidays Next collection day
Good Friday, 29 March 2002 Friday, 5 April 2002
Easter Monday, 1 April 2002 Monday, 8 April 2002
May Bank Holiday, Monday 6 May 2002 Monday 13 May 2002
Spring Bank Holiday, Monday 3 June 2002 Monday 10 June 2002
Golden Jubilee, Tuesday 4 June 2002 Tuesday 11 June 2002
August Bank holiday, Monday 26 August 2002 Monday 2 September 2002

If your kerbside paper recycling collection falls on any of the holiday dates above, there will be no collection that day. Your next collection will be two weeks later, on your usual collection day. For further information on any of the above please call on 01295 221940.


FREE DOG REGISTRATION SCHEME
Designed to encourage responsible dog ownership, Cherwell District Council operates a free Dog Registration Scheme to improve the speed of returning a lost or stray dog to its rightful owner. The scheme requires you as a dog-owner to complete a form for your dog(s) giving your contact details to be entered on a database and allocated a unique registration number. A tag with this number and the Council's phone number will be sent to you. If your dog is then found and the Dog Warden informed, you can easily be located and reunited with your missing pet. The service is free the first three times your dog is returned.
Between April 2001 and February 15th 2002, 170 dogs had been found straying in the Cherwell District. None of them had an identity tag giving an address or telephone number to contact the owners. Once owners are identified, they are liable for a fine and any kennelling fees. Of the dogs found to be strays, 90 were reunited with owners, 77 were re-homed and three put down for health reasons.
For applications forms for the Dog Registration Service, telephone 01295 221633 or contact Pete Clark, Dog Warden, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 4AA. Tel: 01295 221621


MAKING CHERWELL A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE
After talking to local communities over the past three years, a Draft Community Safety Strategy has been developed to make Cherwell an even safer place to live. To ensure the new Plan works, the Council is seeking feedback on the Strategy and how it should be carried out.
In the Spring edition of Cherwell Link, which will be delivered to all households in the District by the end of March 2002, there is a two-page feature on the key areas that are targeted in the new Community Safety Strategy. It covers the strategies for 2002 to 2005 tackling Drugs and alcohol, Burglary, Vehicle crime, Nuisance and disorder (including criminal damage), Young people's issues, Victimisation (including domestic violence and racial attacks), Traffic & transport.
Accompanying the feature is a questionnaire asking your opinions, to be returned by 22nd April 2002. Please look out for this response card in the Spring 2002 edition of Cherwell Link. By reading the article and completing the questionnaire you will make a positive contribution to reducing crime and disorder across Cherwell.


STATE-OF-THE-ART REFURBISHMENT OF CHERWELL CCTV
Plans to spend over almost half a million pounds upgrading and expanding CCTV in Cherwell have been approved by Cherwell District Council. The plans will bring cutting-edge technology to the system that has been in place in the District since 1994. CCTV is operated in partnership with Thames Valley Police and is a key component of the District's Community Safety Strategy.
The key elements of the new scheme include refurbishment of Banbury Police Station's CCTV Control Room with state-of-the-art technology, new fibre optic links and an increase in the number of cameras across the District from 25 to 40. The improvements will give scope for further expansion in the future, and make the system more flexible and responsive.
The new type of dome-style camera will be able to service a wider area offering increased coverage and fewer blind spots. It is also proposed to purchase standalone deployable cameras which can be moved around to cover any part of the District. The mobile units will be useful in tracking anti-social behaviour and in rural areas.
The Banbury Police Station Control Room will monitor all CCTV images in the District, as at present. Staffed by Thames Valley Police Control Room Operators who presently follow strict data protection principles will receive further training on the issues of human rights, data protection and privacy issues. The video wall will also be significantly expanded to monitor coverage from the large increase in the number of cameras.
The use of CCTV has reduced crime in town centres and since the scheme began Cherwell's CCTV cameras have helped secure towards 2000 arrests.
For further information contact Alison Davies, Cherwell District Council Tel: 01295 252535.