The Hook Norton Village Newsletter
February 2004 Series 29 No 1

Parish Council and Cherwell news




PARISH COUNCIL
PARISH COUNCIL INFORMATION BOARD

 

There have been some changes in personnel in recent months so it seems appropriate to inform parishioners of the names of their councillors:

Joe Williams Chairman Flat 1,The Village Shop, High Street 737245 Fax:737481 joe@villageshophooky.co.uk
Peter Fry Vice-Chairman 23 Ironstone Hollow 730509 prfry@waitrose.com
Brian Clay Carillon, Bells Lane 737622 sheila&brian@clayhooky.fsnet.co.uk
Jem Hayward 2 Bridge Hill 737717 jem@briksdal.co.uk
Ray Jelf County Councillor The Cottage, Down End 737129  
Peter Millar Staddle Cottage, Bell Lane 737128 mail@peter-millar.co.uk
Mike Terry Rectory View, Down End 737842  
Clive Timms Pendula House, Old School End 730202 recruit@jobsearch-direct.co.uk
Albert Walsham The New House, Queen Street 730381 a.walsham@btinternet.com
Sara Withey 1 Country Cottage, Watery Lane 737819 oxfordshires@hooknorton.fslife.co.uk
Bill Young Cornwallis, Burycroft Lane 730835 Fax: 738189 bill.young@cmi-plc.com
Ken Porter Conifers, Main Street, Gt Bourton, OX17 1QU 01295 758352 kenneth_i.porter@virgin.net

 
  NEW RECYCLING ARRANGEMENTS

We are asked to remind parishioners that paper nappies MUST NOT be placed in the blue boxes/bins and people should not use the litter bins for their surplus household rubbish. Can we again remind parishioners that bottles and jars should not be left at the bottle banks when they are full. We try to ensure that the banks are emptied regularly but if you do happen to visit the site and find them full please retain your items for another day.

  NORTH OXFORDSHIRE WHAT'S ON GUIDES
Cherwell District Council is currently compiling a database for events taking place in the area between July and September 2004, which will be used to produce the What's On Guide. If you have an event which you would like to see publicised in the Guide please contact Ken Porter, the Parish Clerk, with details of the date of the event, time, event organiser and contact number and brief details including the venue and ticket price, by 25th April. 		 
  PARISH PRECEPT 2004/5

The Parish Council is pleased to be able to report that it will be seeking a reduced Precept of £36,500 in the next financial year when both District and County Councils will doubtless be after their usual hike in council taxes.

  
  THAMES VALLEY POLICE FORUM

On 4th March, Thames Valley Police will hold a forum in the Memorial Hall at 7pm where villagers can meet local officers and have an opportunity to air their concerns. As this will be prior to the Parish Council meeting, the forum will finish by 8pm. All are welcome. We are also asked to let parishioners know that there is a new telephone number for non-emergency calls 0845 8 505 505. A unit is also in place to monitor and handle complaints from the public about call handling and response times. If you have concerns, you can e-mail the Quality of Service Unit at valerie.copping@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

   


MEMORIAL HALL OPINION SURVEY
Many thanks to those who took the trouble to return the questionnaire circulated with the December Newsletter. 166 responses were received - a remarkable figure. Many people added valuable comments on the back of the form. In numerical terms, the responses given break down as follows (the analysis was done before a few late returns were received):

Hall good for the event 57 Adequate/could be better 75 Poor venue 19

Improvements suggested
Decoration/ambience 75 Heating 26 Lighting 39
Kitchen 84 Toilets 29 Stage 53
Parking 64        
           
Maintained as it is 44 Refurbished 57 Rebuild on site 8
Rebuild elsewhere 53        

It was disappointing to see so many comments about the toilets after they were completely rebuilt only 2½ years ago. Although only 19 thought the hall a poor venue, 53 felt it should be rebuilt elsewhere: it is clear that lack of parking was a major factor in this and there is no easy answer. The many comments will take some time to assess and the Council will decide how to proceed.


OUT OF THE BLUE
Thames Valley Police now have a new telephone for the general public to use when contacting us. It is 0845 8 505 505. Trained staff will deal with your calls and in most cases your enquiries will be dealt with without the necessity for a police officer to attend. Should you wish to leave a message for a particular police officer to contact you then modern technology has provided us with voice mail. Every police officer has a voice mailbox which is checked at least twice during a tour of duty so if the system works, there should be no reason why you cannot reach the officer you want to talk to. Please bear in mind though that the particular officer you want may not be at work for a day or so. Contact may still be made through Chipping Norton Police Station on 01608 648715 but after office hours or if the staff are busy, the answer machine will cut in. Thames Valley Police also operate a website, which some of you may find helpful and it may help to answer your questions without the necessity to ring us. The site is www.thamesvalley.police.uk
May I also bring to your attention a date for your diaries! Thursday, 4th March 2004
Your Parish Council have kindly agreed to host a Thames Valley Police Forum in the Memorial Hall starting at 7.00 pm, prior to their Parish Council Meeting, which will now begin at 8.00 pm. The Forum will give you the opportunity to meet us, your local police and hear our aims for the coming year and our continuing endeavours to make your community as safe and crime free as possible. Also, it gives you the opportunity to voice your concerns and thoughts on what the Police can do for you.
I look forward to seeing you on the 4th March as well as around the village and my colleagues and I wish you a Happy New Year.
Rosemary H. Dilsaver, PC 818 Area Beat Officer. Rosemary.dilsaver@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
01608 648715 or 0845 8 505 505