Charney Bassett Parish Council

Contact: John Wright 867418

23 Feb. 2010

Due to technical problems on the site’s host server many links and pages had unfortunately been corrupted since the last updates in August 2009.

I am now pleased to announce that a new site has been created and as you will have noticed the homepage link remains unchanged.

The basic format created by Peter Davies will be retained together with as much of the original material as it has been possible to retrieve.

I will create pages for all the Village Organisations and groups who had a presence on the original site and would ask if those responsible would like to provide me with new input which I will be happy to publish here.

You will see links to WebPAGES down the left hand side of the Hompage with WebPOSTS links on the right hand side.

The idea will be to use Pages for basic, non timely, related information which probably won’t change too much with the Posts giving up-to-date and current activities around the village and environs

St Peter’s Church invites you to:-

Annual Pancake Coffee Morning

Saturday 13th February. 10.00am- 12.00 noon.

This year we hope to be using the village hall for the event. Please come along for lots of lovely pancakes and conversation.

We do not charge for entrance but invite you to be generous with your cash donations! We would be particularly grateful if you can gift aid your donations as this significantly increases the value to the Church.

STOP PRESS !! – The event will be held at John & Mary Daglish’s,  1 Barnfield

Dates for your diaries  in 2010:-

March 27th. Spring Bring and Buy Sale 

June 12th. Lunchtime Meal on the Green

September 4th. Church Fete

October. Harvest Supper (date to be announced)

FARINGDON EAST NEIGHBOURHOOD ACTION GROUP – LATEST NEWS.

HARE COURSING

The Neighbourhood Policing Teams in Wantage, Faringdon and across the border in Hungerford are running an operation targeting hare coursing and related offences. Hare coursers cause criminal damage to crops, fences and buildings and in addition are sometimes in breach of various traffic laws. There have been a number of arrests.

If you have information regarding hare coursers, please call the Police immediately on 999. You are strongly advised not to approach suspected persons.

PARKING AND ROAD SAFETY ISSUES AT HANNEY SCHOOL

In response to issues raised by parents, residents the Headteacher and Chair of Pre-school discussions have been held with officers from the County and District Councils.

The County Council has agreed to fund a Traffic Patrol Officer to supervise children crossing the road (details on the village notice board) They have also taken action to enhance the school warning signs with yellow backing and provide red bands across the road marked “SLOW”

CRIME PREVENTION

Alison Smith (the newly appointed Crime Prevention and Reduction Adviser at Wantage ) will attend our next meeting when we will discuss possible initiatives in partnership with Neighbourhood Watch aimed at protecting the most vulnerable. We live in a relatively low crime area. However, the recent distraction burglary in Stanford – in – the Vale, and recent incidents in Longworth Road and New Road emphasise the need for continued vigilance. 

VOLUNTEER WANTED

Following recent changes I have taken over as Chairman. The Group urgently requires a Secretary to deal with routine matters for meetings held every six weeks. I promise you the position is not very onerous.

Interested? Want to know more?……..please contact me on 868734.

David Sibbert

The Village Diner provides home-made food from local sources in Buckland Village Hall, at 12.15 p.m. every third Wednesday in the month. 

For £4 you get a two-course meal, tea or coffee.

Next date: Wednesday 20th. Jan.2010

Mary Daglish, Julie Rumble or Eunice Davies can give you more information and can recommend the quality and variety of the food.

Just a quick mail to let you know, we have recently found ‘skimming devices’ on cashpoint machines in Wantage, Faringdon and Abingdon. They are usually put onto the machine in the morning and removed before the branch opens. The devices are noticeable if you are looking for them, but if you are not, it is easy to mistake them for part of the cashpoint machine. The card is not retained and the service requested by the user is proceeded with.

Please can everyone be extra vigilant and if you have any doubts about a cash machine you are using, do not use it and report it immediately on the 0845 8 505 505 number.

 I am now away from the office until the New Year, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very safe, Merry Christmas and a Happy New year

PCSO Myra Stokes

Faringdon East

I attended a meeting called by the Vale of White Horse Council. Regrettably it was poorly attended. That said the meeting was informative and in essence the rollout programme will be similar to the one used in South Oxfordshire with whom we share the services, capitalising on lessons learned.

Each household will be issued with the following:

(1) 23 litre green bin and a 7 litre kitchen caddy for all raw and cooked waste collected weekly

(2) Green Recycling bin (240 litre) for paper, card, magazines, telephone directories, glass, plastic, aluminium products etc. collected fortnightly, alternating with general waste

(3) General Waste bin (180 litres) grey/black for polystyrene, crisp packets, nappies, sanitary products etc. collected fortnightly

Arrangements for garden waste will remain the same – Brown wheelie bins collected fortnightly.

Currently, surveys are being carried out by the Contractor including the identification of householders who will require assistance in moving the bin from their residence to the roadside i.e. the elderly and disabled. This will be undertaken by the Contractor.

During the early part of 2010 each household will receive a mail shot containing all the relevant information with a further information pack shortly before the collection programme commences, which has been set for October 4th.

Other initiatives will take place including the use of an Exhibition trailer and presentations for District & Parish Councillors.

Bins will be fitted with a micro chip with a Pin number for each individual household and

business premises and a computer within the vehicle will record weight etc.

I have further information and will attempt to answer any questions you may have.

My best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to you all.

Mike Cox

Stephen Cowlam has taken on the position of Parish Clerk.

John Daglish is the new editor of Charney Chatter.

John Wright takes over as maintainer of the PC Website.

The New Year is a good chance to look at what issues our local area will be facing in months to come.

 There are still some major infrastructure issues facing the local area.  The reservoir public enquiry is due to start in the spring. Neither the district council nor local pressure groups have the resources to take on fully Thames Water, and I have asked the Government to provide funds for this.  Personally, I think the reservoir is less likely to happen, mainly because Thames Water does not have the resources currently to build it.  But I also think that the alternative options seem more and more viable.  The other issue is the incinerator, near Didcot.  This has been on the back burner since the County Council turned down the planning application, but it remains an issue that needs to be monitored very closely. 

 Then there is housing.  The development of 2,500 houses in Grove is back on, as property developers emerge from the credit crunch. We now learn that Wantage will be the site for 1500 homes, making a total of 4,000 for the area.  Personally I do not think Wantage and Grove can take that much development, even if it is spread over nearly two decades.  It means growth of almost 50 per cent.  Didcot will also see some 3,500 houses, and there are more planned for the north of the town. And Wallingford is fighting an additional 750 houses. And there is the constant worry of the expansion of Swindon to the east, which will affect villages around Faringdon, though I think this threat is receding.  All in all, this is a huge and unprecedented development for our area.  While we need new homes, we do not need them on this scale.  And it is ironic that local villages, that need and want a few extra homes, are consistently turned down when they ask for them.  The system is completely bonkers. 

 Transport is another issue that will take up my time.  I am campaigning for the re-opening of Wantage Road station, and also want the improvement of Didcot station to be used as a chance to enhance the Didcot Railway Centre as a tourist attraction.  I have saved some of the train service in Appleford, and continue to represent commuters worried about high rail fares and car park charges.

 Then there are numerous local issues, such as the future of Wantage cinema, which I will continue to be involved in, as well as issues specific to individual constituents, such as benefit and child support payments, housing and health waiting lists and numerous other matters.

My new year surgeries will be 22 January in Faringdon, Pump House; and 5 February – Wantage, Civic Hall, both at 5.30pm.  As usual, I can be contacted at the House of Commons, SW1A 0AA, 020 7219 6350, vaizeye@parliament.uk

For those who have not had a look, I can report that as I write this, the roof work is nearly finished and we have slate tiles which complement the old slate roof on the original hall. This means the building will soon be weatherproof and work can start on the inside. The next job will be to put a steel lintel into the end wall and take out the brickwork underneath, to provide an enlarged main hall area. After that, the floor throughout the building will be made one level and work can start on fittings.

The external woodwork will be a dark holly green and gutters and downpipes black, while the internal woodwork will be white and walls a cream colour.

Flooring will be vinyl, with a non-slip specification in the lobby, toilets and the kitchen.

Finances are not a problem at the moment. As mentioned in the November Charney Chatter, we are claiming our grant from TOE against invoices from the builder and this arrangement seems to be working quickly and easily. We have also claimed back all the VAT to the end of October from HM Customs & Revenue and the money is already in our account. We have two grants from the District and County Councils that cannot be claimed until the work is finished and these could cause a short term cashflow problem but only at the very end of the project.

If anyone needs more detail on the project and any of the specifications, please let me know.

Geoff Rumble

CHAFT Treasurer & Parish Council Chairman

The Coffee Hour is due to start again on Tuesday 19th January 2010 and will be held in the Church.

Look out for notices around the Village.

Eunice Davies