Newsletter Archive

These will be delivered in September in preparation for collections which will start in October 2006. Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council is keen for everyone to take advantage of this new, easier way to recycle. Government targets are currently for 30% of waste to be recycled & we are currently achieving 15% locally.

Whilst we now have a Recycling Wheel from Hampshire County Council; you may remember that at the Annual Parish Meeting in April 2005, a Recycling Officer from Basingstoke & Deane gave a presentation explaining what can & cannot be recycled & how best to reach the targets. If you missed this or would like to hear the latest from the borough council regarding their plans to optimise recycling rates, then do go along to Cliddesden Millennium Hall on Tuesday 29 August at 7.30pm.

Other local Recycling Initiatives

Several people in the village have volunteered to provide a collection point for the following items that can be recycled, but not placed in green bins or bags. You will find a receptacle at the gate or porch of each property:

Printer Ink Cartridges: Ted Dowson, Woodpeckers, Axford Road. Only proprietary brands please, not refills.

Batteries: Seamus Foster, Northgate Cottage, Northgate Lane. Batteries are particularly harmful if disposed of in landfill as they contain highly toxic heavy metals that contaminate soil and water courses.

Mobile Phones: Tony Matthews, Mayfield, Green Lane. Phones with or without chargers.

Water Shortage

You will be aware that water stocks in Hampshire are still low & a hosepipe ban has been introduced to help preserve the region's water resources as we experience the driest period since 1933. This follows two successive winters of below average rainfall & will continue until there is enough rainfall for the company to be confident it has sufficient supplies to meet demands for water next summer.

The hosepipe ban prohibits the use of hosepipes for watering private gardens & washing private vehicles. Other simple water efficiency measures in the home & garden that can help make a positive impact on the region's water resources include installing a Hippo Bag in your toilet cistern, which can save about 1.6 litres per flush. You will find a Hippo Bag has been delivered with your copy of this newsletter. Should require another, please call Jacqui Matthews on 381149.

Planning applications

The following planning applications have been received or decided since the last newsletter:

Greystones, Green Lane. Relief of condition 1 of planning permission BDB/48623 to allow an extension of time limit for the commencement of works. Approved

Forge Cottage, Green Lane. Erection of a two storey side extension & construction of balcony to the south elevation. Pending

Merritt’s Farm, Bell Lane. Change of Use from Class B1 offices, research & development & light industrial use to Class B8 wholesale warehouse, distribution centres & repository use; & Relief of condition 1 of planning approval BDB/36229 to allow use of buildings as workshop & office by person or persons other than Mr Baker & Mr Clay BothRefused

BDBC Local List Project

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council are currently working on a project to produce a Local List of Buildings of Architectural of Historic Interest that will stand alongside the existing Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, which is managed by English Heritage & Central Government

Criteria for inclusion on the list are: Age & Integrity, Historic Interest, including historic association, social importance, age & rarity, Architectural Interest, including artistic innovation or virtuosity, technical innovation or virtuosity, group value & landmarks; Further information can be found on the enclosed leaflet or www.basingstoke.gov.uk/planning/historic/locallist .

Allotments

The upper allotments have now been ploughed and harrowed. (Very many thanks to Sean Freeman). Getting a new water supply may turn out easier than feared because of John Evan’s foresight in asking South East Water to run a conduit for a separate supply when they laid on the water supply to Honeysuckle Barn. Costings for running a water supply through this and fencing are continuing to be worked on.

Hill Farm Pond

We have approached Lord Portsmouth about clearing this out, letting in light, adding a path and seat and he has given us a green light as far as he is concerned.

Other news ….in brief

Merritt’s: A large contingent of residents attended the BDBC Development Committee meeting to consider our and their objections to proposals that might have increased traffic levels significantly. A successful outcome was achieved.

Affordable Housing: The working party set up in May to look further at this has been talking to landowners and is trying to work out what scheme would work best.

Traffic calming on Axford Road: Progress getting action out of HCC’s Highway’s department to progress Village Gateways and central white line removal is agonisingly slow.

Faster Broadband?

In March of this year, the Herriard exchange was upgraded to "Max DSL", a new service which is capable of speeds up to 8 Megabits per second. Most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are moving their current fixed speed offerings (eg, 512Kbs) to Max DSL because the service is more efficient at providing the fastest speed possible. For us to start taking advantage of Max DSL, the BT cabling around Ellisfield & across country to the Herriard exchange needs to be of the highest quality. However, there have been so many complaints about lost broadband connections, sometimes for days on end, that the Parish Council has decided to poll everyone in the village in order to objectively quantify whether there is a general problem or whether these instances are confined to just specific parts of the village. Please fill in the enclosed survey form (even if you've had no problems) & return it to the Clerk or any councillor (addresses below).

Volunteer to help keep Precept low

More volunteers are needed to fill the spaces on the rota for cutting the grass as The Burial Ground, Lower Common & Gravel Pits. If you haven’t already done so please phone Phil Self (381819) Peter Hopwood (381321) or Ted Dowson (381529 )

Parish Council Contact Details

Caroline Cazenove; Brocas, The Green 381279
Steven Gould; 3 Park View, Green Lane 381471
Tim Guinness; Widmoor Farm, College Lane 381348
Peter Hopwood; The Acorns, Axford Road 381321
Alison Swanston; Oak Hill, Green Lane 381171
Rose Taplin; 3 Hill Farm Cottages, Green Lane 381417

Keep safe

Also enclosed was a general consumer safety advice from Hampshire Trading Standards Officers

News at 14 April 2006

This year's Annual Parish Meeting is on Friday 21 April. As usual it will be held in the Memorial Hall at 8pm. Please see the event page on this website /for Agenda and details of speakers.

This is not a Parish Council Meeting; it is a meeting for all Ellisfield residents. Any resident can speak and/or ask questions. However, if a resolution is called for, only those who are registered as local council electors may vote.

The meeting will be chaired by Parish Council Chairman, Tim Guinness who will report activities and accounts of the council to the meeting and there will be ample opportunity to question the council. Representatives of every village organisation will be asked to give a short presentation and, they too, will answer any question you may have.

This is the one event in the Ellisfield calendar that should not be missed and all residents are urged to put the meeting in their diaries. New residents are particularly welcome.

Caroline Cazenove; Brocas, The Green 381279
Steven Gould; 3 Park View, Green Lane 381471
Tim Guinness; Widmoor Farm, College Lane 381348
Peter Hopwood, The Acorns, Axford Road 381321
Alison Swanston, Oak Hill, Green Lane 381171
Rose Taplin 3 Hill Farm Cottages, Green Lane 381417

Parish clerk, Jacqui Matthews: Mayfield, Green Lane, can be contacted on 381149 or at clerk@ellisfield.gov.uk.

Parish Councillors have been working with John Lancaster, Rural Housing Enabler to pursue the interest shown for more Affordable Housing in the village. The first stage in this process is to identify a suitable site; to this end, John has visited Ellisfield and viewed possibly suitable undeveloped land adjacent to the road. We currently await his report regarding suitability; the next stage is to review his conclusions and if the Council feels they are potentially acceptable, to approach landowners to see if they are willing to sell their land for this purpose.

Work continues to renovate the Upper Allotments; the area has been cleared and is due to be ploughed. South East Water has quoted for installing a water meter and discussions are currently underway to investigate the most cost effective route for establishing a water supply; early estimates were prohibitive, in excess of £7,000. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has been approached for a grant to cover this and the cost of fencing.

The latest stage in the South East Plan consultation has just been published and can be found if you follow this link. http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/southeastplan/. Have your say on the Plan from 31 March until 5pm on 23 June 2006. Fill in and return the response form on the website to make your views known. There is an indicative timetable for an ‘Examination in Public’ leading to expected Government approval of a final South East Plan in early 2008.

Following recent proposals by BT to remove the ‘K6 Jubilee’ Phone Box at Ellisfield Green; and after objections by your Council, these have now been dropped and service is currently in the process of being restored. Electricity and phone line have been reconnected and the phone does work, although at present only for emergency 999 calls and other calls not requiring cash; e.g. 0800 calls, 144 calls (using BT chargecard) and reverse charge calls. In the light of the recent Ofcom decision to allow BT to remove cash payment facilities from certain payphones, this Phone Box will ultimately be converted to operate on a purely cashless basis, enabling use described above to continue with the addition of charging calls to debit and credit cards. To secure the preservation of this village amenity and landmark, an application has been made to English Heritage for the Phone Box to be registered as a listed building.

Following the placement of white lines along the edge of the road to give the impression that the road is narrow; we still await the removal of central white lines and the arrival of plans for village ‘Gateways’ intended to further reduce traffic speeds.

The following planning applications have been approved since the last newsletter:

Kandahar Cottage, The Green. Erection of a part two storey, part single storey rear extension and entrance porch

The Old Stables, College Lane. Erection of a garden room with lantern light to south elevation and garden equipment store adjacent to garage

The Rest, College Lane. Erection of 4 bedroom detached house with double garage. (new design

Forge Cottage, Green Lane. Erection of a part two storey, part single storey side extension. Construction of balcony on the west elevation

Manor Cottage, College Lane. Erection of a single storey rear extension following demolition of existing conservatory

February 2005

The nomination forms are now with Jacqui Matthews, the parish clerk (contact details on back page). They can also be obtained from Electoral Services at the Borough Offices in London Road, Basingstoke (844844).

Completed forms will need to be with Electoral Services by noon on Tuesday, March 1. What then happens depends upon how many nominations are received:

If none, the parish council will be asked to co-opt two new councillors.
If one, that person will be elected unopposed and the parish council will be asked to co-opt one new councillor.
If two, these persons will be elected, unopposed.
If more, there will be an election on Thursday, March 31. However, a candidate can withdraw within 24 hours of the formal publication of the names of the persons nominated. If that happens, then one of the above scenarios might come into play.

Co-option, where the existing parish councillors choose who they want to join them on the council, is not really in the spirit of democracy. The whole process is more open if the new councillors have put themselves up for election (even if they then get elected unopposed).

There is, basically, only one valid reason for becoming a parish councillor and that is a desire to put something back into the community, by helping to look after the interests of the village and its residents. Any of the current councillors will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

The 2005/6 precept (the amount that goes on the upcoming Council Tax Bill for parish council expenses) has been set at £2,260 - the same as the 2004/5 year (which itself was more than 60% less than the previous year!). Keeping the precept at the same low level, despite now having a remunerated parish clerk, has been made possible by savings made in the 2004/5 year.

A leaflet (with an integrated questionnaire), explaining the 2006 to 2026 draft Plan, is soon to be delivered to all 3.5 million homes that are within the area of the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA).

Among other things, it asks how many new homes you think should be built in the region over the next 20 years (25,500pa, 28,000pa or 32,000pa). What it does not tell you is where these homes will be built.

By 2026, the Basingstoke & Deane area will probably have at least an additional 22,000 new homes and that figure may easily rise to 26,000 (taking the current 65,000 homes to 91,000). There are, obviously, serious concerns about the infrastructure (such as health services, schools, roads, transport, water, sewage, flood control, energy, waste disposal, etc.) needed for this expansion.

The parish council is taking a great interest in this draft Plan because Ellisfield (along with most of the villages south of the M3) has been included within the "Western Corridor", a high-growth sub-region which stretches from Newbury in the west to Slough in the east, taking in Basingstoke, Farnborough, Reading, Maidenhead and High Wycombe.

In its Local Plan, the Borough Council has always treated the M3 as a "planning barrier". However, pressure of finding land to build all these new homes may lead them to rethink this policy. Keeping our rural villages from being encroached upon by urban sprawl, inevitable when housing in the borough is rapidly increasing, is going to be a challenge.

The draft South East Plan stresses that there is a need for more affordable housing, both to rent and to buy. If an Ellisfield resident (or family member living away from home) has such a need, make sure that the parish council knows about it, by speaking to the parish clerk or any councillor.

You'll no doubt have heard that sheds and outbuildings belonging to Axford Road residents were broken into during the night of Monday, February 14. The thieves gained access from the field behind the houses. PC Andrew Reid, our Rural Beat Officer, would like you to contact him (on 389050) if you saw anything suspicious. He also states that if you require any information on home security, he is more than happy to advise you.

There has been a delay in obtaining the analysis of the monitoring strips which were laid at the two village signs on the Axford Road before Christmas. However, these figures will be made available before the end of this month.

It is planned to replace the goalposts during the Spring. Also, there has been a request for a basketball post/net and the parish council would like to hear from anyone who is for or against the idea.

Currently, only one resident uses the Upper Common allotments (situated up the path by the side of the Fox Inn). Most of this area is at present overgrown, but if more Ellisfield residents want to rent plots then the parish council will happily arrange for the land to be cleared. Contact the parish clerk if you are interested.

This will take place on Friday, April 22. It will start at 8pm (with refreshments from 7.30pm) and there will be a Social afterwards, with drinks and good food on offer. Our county and borough councillors will be there and all the village organisations will be asked to make brief presentations.

Caroline Cazenove; Brocas, The Green (381279)
Steven Gould; 3 Park View, Green Lane (381471)
Tim Guinness; Widmoor Farm, College Lane (381348)
Paul Turner; Pullens Cottage, Green Lane (381269)

The parish clerk is Jacqui Matthews (Mayfield, Green Lane, Ellisfield RG25 2QL) and she can be contacted on 381149 or at clerk@ellisfield.gov.uk

For further information on the Parish Council (including the Meeting Minutes) visit www.ellisfield.gov.uk/council.

July 2004 Newsletter (Special)

Next week, the Basingstoke Observer will be publishing an article on the village's efforts to stop BT from removing Ellisfield's only telephone box, at the top of Green Lane.

They would like to take a photograph at the telephone box this Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

All residents are invited to be in this photograph. It would be especially nice if whole families turned up in support.

The parish council will be writing its Letter of Objection to BT at the beginning of next week, in good time for their deadline of July 31.

If you have not yet written a letter (or email) of support and you want to, the postal address is Clerk, Ellisfield Parish Council, Pullens Cottage, Green Lane, Ellisfield RG25 2QP and the email address is clerk@ellisfield.gov.uk. Letters can be handed in on Saturday afternoon.

Sally Adams; Wyckens, Axford Road (381379)
Caroline Cazenove; Brocas, The Green (381279)
Steven Gould; 3 Park View, Green Lane (381471)
Tim Guinness; Widmoor Farm, College Lane (381348)
Peter Mitchell; Fox Hill House, Green Lane (381381)
Paul Turner; Pullens Cottage, Green Lane (381269)

July 2004 Newsletter

The parish council is interested in hearing from any resident who would consider becoming Ellisfield's next Parish Clerk.

It is estimated that the work will entail a maximum of 26 hours a month, based on 10 council meetings a year plus the Annual Parish Meeting in the Spring. However, to start with, it is intended that the successful applicant will be appointed Deputy Parish Clerk, working for just two to three hours a week on average.

Experience specific to parish councils would be welcomed but is not necessary as full training will be provided. It is, however, expected that the successful applicant will have reasonable knowledge of the basic skills of word processing and simple book-keeping as well as having good inter-personal skills, including the ability to retain a sense of humour at all times!

In the first instance, please contact Paul Turner (see back page), chairman and current parish clerk, to register your interest and/or for further details.

Ellisfield’s verges are kept rubbish free because two local teenagers patrol the roads every week removing litter.

There will be a vacancy starting in September. Any youngster over 14 who’s interested (it will pay £27.30 a month for six and a half hours work) should contact Paul Turner (see back page) as soon as possible.

BT have given notice of their intention to remove the red "K6 Jubilee" telephone box (designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935) which is opposite Brocas at the top of Green Lane. The reason they give: it’s uneconomic.

The parish council’s reaction at its recent meeting was immediate and unanimous. Even if it isn’t exactly a money-spinner for BT, Ellisfield needs it.

Where else can lost delivery vans drivers find the house they’re looking for in this puzzlingly scattered village? Where else can anyone using the Memorial Hall make a phone call in an emergency?

There is no time to waste. If you agree that we should fight to keep our telephone box, which is not only needed but also a village landmark within Ellisfield's conservation area, you can help by writing to the parish council expressing your support. We especially need to know instances of when the box is, or has been, used.

Please address your letters or emails to the Clerk (see back page). Letters can be handed to any councillor. The more residents that write in the better as it's important that BT fully understand the strength of the village's feeling.

On recently receiving confirmation that Hampshire Constabulary was actively proposing to sell the Police House in Preston Candover, the parish council wrote to the Chief Constable urging him to reconsider.

The council considers it to be very important for our rural beat officer to actually have his family home within his "patch". Let's hope the "bean-counters" don't get their way!

PC Andy Reid (left), who recently moved into the Preston Candover house following PC Bob Such's retirement, already loves the area and says he looks forward to getting to know us better. He asks us to remain vigilant about security and, having seen the distress caused when dogs get lost or stolen, urges owners to have them "chipped".

A new Ellisfield bus service, called Cango, is set to start on August 20. This new service will run Monday-Saturday between Basingstoke and Alton, replacing the 309. There will be four buses going to Basingstoke daily and five going to Alton - the timetable will be released in a few weeks.

Ellisfield is designated as being in the roam zone where passengers pre-book seats by phone or email and can arrange for their own special "stopping point". These have to be agreed ahead of time, but bookings for established special stops can be taken WHILE the bus is on the road, thanks to special technology. We've been told that if the bus fails to turn up for a pre-booked stop then Cango will provide a taxi, an interesting bonus!

Buses have wheelchair facilities and low floors for easy access and those going to Basingstoke have the opportunity to continue on to the Leisure Park, the Station and - most importantly - the Hospital.

The parish council is arranging for the bus and its operators to visit Ellisfield prior to the start of the service so that residents can get their questions answered. The date and time will be advertised on all notice boards.

Thanks to the joint publicity efforts of the Ellisfield, Herriard, Lasham and Winslade parishes, BT's target of 150 potential broadband customers was reached and the 381 exchange will be updated in the middle of August. Broadband installations within Ellisfield start in September.

We are fortunate in having a designated Conservation Area which protects large parts of the village. The latest Appraisal document, a very attractive and impressive 12-page full colour A4 booklet, was on display at the Annual Parish Meeting.

Now, the parish council has decided (provided it gets sufficient orders) to organise a print run of this booklet so that it can be purchased for just £3, including delivery. An order form is enclosed with this newsletter.

The chairman is Cllr Turner and the vice-chairman is Cllr Gould. The Clerk (currently Cllr Turner) can be emailed at clerk@ellisfield.gov.uk and letters sent to Pullens Cottage, Green Lane, Ellisfield RG25 2QP. Further information on the Council (including the Meeting Minutes) can be found at www.ellisfield.gov.uk/council.

March 2004 Newsletter

On Monday, March 22, Green Lane will be closed between Church Lane and Furzen Lane for resurfacing work to be done by Hampshire County Council. It is hoped that the work will take no longer than a week.

The official diversion will be through Farleigh and Axford (and vice versa). However, Church Lane and Furzen Lane will remain open but Furzen Lane, being single track with very few passing spaces, is going to be a road to avoid if you can!

We have been told that every effort will be made to allow vehicular access to properties within the length of road actually affected (Hill Farm down to Farrier's Field).

This year's Annual Parish Meeting is on Friday, April 23. It will be held in the Memorial Hall at 8pm.

This is not a Parish Council Meeting, it is a meeting for all Ellisfield residents. Any resident can speak and/or ask questions. However, if a resolution is called for, only those who are registered as local council electors may vote.

The activities and accounts of the council will be reported to the meeting and there will be ample opportunity to question the council. Representatives of every village organisation will be asked to give a short presentation and, they too, will answer any question you may have.

This is the one event in the Ellisfield calendar that should not be missed and all residents are urged to put the meeting in their diaries. Full details of the agenda and speakers will be circulated in April.

The parish council's Clerk (currently Cllr Turner) can be contacted on 381590 and e-mailed at clerk@ellisfield.gov.uk. Letters to the parish council are to be sent to Clerk, Ellisfield Parish Council, Pullens Cottage, Green Lane, Ellisfield RG25 2QP. Minutes of council meetings, as well as details of council activities, can be found at www.ellisfield.gov.uk/council.

December 2003 Newsletter

At the parish council meeting on Monday 1st, next year's precept (the amount that goes on your Council Tax Bill for parish expenses) was set at £2,260, this being under 40% of the current year's precept.

The reason? First, there has been a good saving made on the maintenance of our open spaces (Burial Ground, Lower Common and Gravel Pits) because this year the Ellisfield Volunteer Group saved the parish £1,250 by charging £750 as against the £2,000 budgeted for an outside contractor.

Another considerable saving this year was in the Clerk's salary. Since Mrs Chilton's retirement on 30^th June, Cllr Turner has been unremunerated Acting Clerk and will probably be so until the end of March 2004, by which time it is hoped that a new clerk will have been appointed. This unexpected circumstance (together with the fact that Mrs Chilton again claimed less than the budget for her three months work this financial year) will have saved the parish approximately £2,156 against the budget amount of £2,678.

These two windfalls, along with a number of other under-spends against budget, allowed the parish council to off-set £4,500 against next year's requirement. The resulting precept of £2,260 is the lowest since the 1996/7 financial year.

A re-vamp of the www.ellisfield.gov.uk community website was completed a short while ago. All village amenities and organisations are now accessible from the Home page and there is a new Local Information page. If you want to be kept notified of developments and updates to the website's contents, send an e-mail to webadmin@ellisfield.gov.uk.

There was concern expressed about the new road which has been built just before the motorway bridge over the M3. It is, in fact, just a new access to Kennel Farm which previously was reached by a tunnel under the M3 via Beggarwood Lane.

You've probably heard about the smell that Bell Lane residents suffered from throughout the summer heat wave.

1,000 cubic metres of untreated human faecal material (to put it politely!) had been mixed with straw and put into a field just south of Coopers Farm in Bell Lane by Eco Systems, a subsidiary of Thames Water. It was finally ploughed in by Scribeland, College Farm's contractor, at the end of September.

The parish council has since written to all landowners and the good news is that neither College Farm nor Portsmouth Estates will be applying any kind of human "waste" in Ellisfield within the coming year. Herriard Estates may continue to apply injected material in Ellisfield next year so we have asked them to give the council advance warning so that nearby residents can be notified.

Recently, Green Lane had its worn surfaces repaired and the Axford Road's central white lines were repainted.

Problems with Hampshire County Council's (HCC) contractors lead to unacceptable delays in clearing reported blocked drains and gullies on the Axford Road. The parish council is working closely with HCC to ensure that all drains/gullies are kept clear during the winter.

If you spot a pothole which looks dangerous to traffic, you can report it directly on an HCC hotline number (0845 850 4422). Also, do inform the parish council.

These have recently been cleaned and all the old drawing pins have been replaced with easy-to-use map pins. Further refurbishment of the boards is planned.

Ellisfield Volunteer Group have put forward a proposal to the parish council that the open space within the Gravel Pits (at the bottom of Green Lane) be naturalised with wildflower and long grasses areas, interspersed with mown pathways. It is proposed that these areas be managed by the Volunteer Group, with invasive plants being eradicated where possible. Seumas Foster is advising.

Although recently mown, the proposed naturalised areas have deliberately been left a little longer. You are asked to visit the site and make your feelings (positive as well as negative!) known about this proposal. Please talk or write to any councillor (see list below), he/she will relate your comments to the full council.

BT has set a trigger level of 150 for upgrading the Herriard 381 exchange to be able to handle broadband. It seems that there are quite a few individuals and businesses in Ellisfield, Herriard, Lasham and Winslade who want to ditch their oh-so-slow modems for the 512Kbs download speed of broadband because currently just under 100 of them have registered their interest. Another 50 or so and BT will set an installation date.

Broadband uses existing telephone wires, is instantly available (no waiting for the modem to dial your ISP) and the line can be used for phone calls whilst you are on-line (therefore money could be saved by cancelling a second line if it's only used for connecting to the internet and for e-mail).

June 2003 Newsletter

Martin Ridgeway, Head of Secretariat at Basingstoke Council, has been appointed as a "quorum maker" to Ellisfield Parish Council so that meetings can take place as usual whilst there are only two councillors.

Thus, the special powers that were delegated to the Clerk by the outgoing council were able to be rescinded at last Monday's parish council meeting.

At that meeting, it was announced that Edna Chilton will be retiring as Clerk at the end of this month. It was felt prudent to arrange for everything to be transferred over to Paul Turner, the new Chairman, on July 1. This situation is temporary and the work will be unremunerated.

If more than four residents put in nomination papers by mid-day next Friday (June 13), there will be a by-election on July 10.

Any resident, 21 and over and on the electoral roll, can be a Parish Councillor. For those who haven't been involved before, a few highlights:

The parish council is a statutory body and so will be notified and (usually) consulted by other organisations on matters affecting the village.
It is the only tier of government whose members are apolitical, your only allegiance is to the residents of the village.
You need to be able to attend a meeting once a month (currently the first Monday at 7.30pm) and be able to give some extra time on a "special interest" and on "as and when" items.
There is a Code of Conduct that you need to abide by and you also need to complete a Register of Interests. Both are fairly innocuous and copies can be viewed before you apply.
To be nominated, you need a proposer and a seconder, both of whom must be on the Ellisfield electoral roll. They can be related to you.
Nomination papers can be obtained from Paul Turner (381590), Edna Chilton (381124) and from Electoral Services (845271).
If there are four or less nominations, all will be elected and there will NOT be a by-election

Please consider becoming a Councillor. To talk it over, contact Paul Turner on 381590 or e-mail him at paul.turner@ellisfield.com

A planning application has been received by the Borough Council, requesting permission to:

Install THREE new 2.6 metre 4-stack dipole antennas at 13.2 metres high and ONE new GPS antenna on a new gantry built to link the tower with the existing control building.

Relocate an existing 1.5 metre antenna .7 of a metre higher up the mast.

The three new 4-stack dipole antennas will be attached to the side of the mast, thus almost doubling the perceived width at the mast's midway height.

An objection has been lodged by the Parish Council, stating that this site is in Ellisfield's Conservation Area and that further additions to the mast will be detrimental to the visual amenity of the area. It was also commented that, although current safety guidelines have been met, people living in nearby properties are extremely concerned about health risks.

If you also want to object (by 19^th June at the latest), you must quote reference BDB/55902. You can send a letter to Planning Office, The Borough of Basingstoke & Deane, Basingstoke RG21 4AH, a fax to 01256 844708 or an e-mail to a.rutt@basingstoke.gov.uk (do include your name & address). The primary planning issue is "Design"; that is "height/bulk/position as well as appearance and effect on surrounding area".

You can now be e-mailed the latest village NEWS and EVENTS that have been posted on the village website (www.ellisfield.gov.uk), plus details of updated information pages. Just press the link near the bottom of the Home Page and send the displayed e-mail message.

February 2003 Newsletter

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, 2000

The government has published regulations governing the way in which Local Government makes information in its possession available to the general public.

Table A below, indicates where and when such information may be viewed. (The numbers on the left are for administration purposes.)

Where hard copies of documents are required a written request should be made to The Clerk to the Council who will advise how much the charge will be based on the number of A4 sheets. The copies will be supplied within 20 days of receipt of the written request and upon receipt of the correct payment.

Schedule of Charges for copies of Parish Council Documentation

A          50p per A4 sheet                     Straightforward copying
B          70p per A4 sheet                     Requires a file search
C         £1 per A4 sheet                       Requires commercial copying

Clerks time: Receiving request, identifying document, advising length and charge, copying document and making it available, accepting payment, issuing receipt, paying in cash or cheque, recording transaction. At least one hour whether document is one page or twenty.

Paper, toner, and overheads such as electricity, travelling and telephone calls.

As can be seen the charge for copies is reasonable and still partly falls on the shoulders of the general Council Tax payer.

This Council has no office open to the public so documents can only be viewed by appointment unless they are available at Council Meetings.