Report for the 2008 Annual Parish Meeting of Marchwood Parish Council

Introduction

It continues to be a very great privilege to serve the division of Marchwood and Totton South. The Town and the village are both very different communities. I can barely believe that I am about to serve my fourth year as the local County member. It’s a very demanding role, but also very rewarding.

I continue to be amazed at both the range and the number of issues that come my way. I also wish to place on record my gratitude for all the help I receive in my work, from Officers, from other Councillors from some commercial interests and from the public. The best way I can serve the community good is to continue working in partnership with all until such time as I feel it right to step down or the voters decide that my services are no longer required!

Communication

One of my personal goals for the past year was to maximise the ways in which people can contact me and also learn about my activities. I contribute regular articles of local interest to “Marchwood News” and “The Daily Echo”. I submit reports to Parish Council meetings and attend as many meetings of the Full Council as I can. My contact details are displayed on Parish notice-boards around the village. I now have my own website ; www.dharrison.org.uk – currently attracting about 30 hits a day. Of course, my activities and contact details also feature in political leaflets distributed to every household in the village on a regular basis.

Major Issues

HGV traffic continues to be a major issue impacting on the village. The County Council have agreed to look at extending the restrictions on HGV traffic travelling through the village. A consultation will take place, looking mainly at three options proposed by Councillors and Officers who have looked carefully at the issues. This is now in the work programme for the coming financial year.
Perhaps the other really big issue that arose, somewhat unexpectedly, this year was the sudden loss of bus services. The impact of this was evident by the very large number of villagers who turned up at public meetings to express their anger and distress over the issue.

A Bus Service Users Forum has been formed. I chaired the first meeting. We resolved to try and persuade the County Council to protect as much of the original services as possible. I have made representations to the County Council. I am aware that there are a lot of “behind the scenes” negotiations going on. I really do hope that something can be done to protect these regular services, so vital to the village.

Marchwood Power Station is under construction and the gas pipe supplying this new £400 million facility will soon be completed. I chair the working group that meets regularly to look at and deal with any issues arising from the work, including the associated traffic movements. Given the scale and complexity of the project, things have been proceeding very smoothly, with little in the way of complaints. The company behind the scheme are doing some good community work, providing local schools and a college with solar panels and educational materials.

Household Waste is an issue of some significance to Marchwood. I attend regular meetings at the Energy From Waste Facility (The Dome), taking up any issues arising from the operations on site and associated lorry movements.
I’m sure many villagers share my annoyance that the old power station has still not been demolished, despite repeated promises by the operators. I lost the battle, fought through the planning process, to stop a new waste transfer station being constructed at this location. However, ironically, things seemed to have stalled now because the land in question is deemed to be contaminated. I have been pressing the County Council to clarify what will now happen and when. I’m especially keen on ensuring we get a much better user-friendly Household Waste recycling Centre. At present, we have a steady stream of complaints about new rules imposed by the authority aimed at preventing traders using the centre. This may lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

I have used my Grant Aid powers in Marchwood to good effect. Some of the organisations that benefited from my decision to offer some of my annual £10,000 grant money to included the Mulberry Centre, (doing some great welfare work for families of those serving in the Armed Forces), The Handy Trust, (youth work), Marchwood Infants School, (musical instruments), Marchwood Junior School (building an amphitheatre) and a girls netball team (new tracksuits).

As always, Highway Issues have taken up a very large part of my Marchwood case-work. I undertake a regular tour with Highway Officers, looking at any issues raised with me and trying to resolve matters. There have been quite a large number of pot-holes filled in, signs replaced, unwanted materials moved. I have had discussions about various safety issues.

When at a recent meeting of the New Forest HAT (all New Forest County Councillors), looking at priorities on highway issues, I successfully argued for the problem of HGV’s travelling through the village to be dealt with quickly and was able to include Twiggs Lane (west of the A326) as a road that will be subject to a 30 MPH speed limit.

I’m delighted that pleas by myself and others for a pavement to the Pilgrims Public House to be constructed have been listened to and acted upon.
A Speed Indicator Device (SID) has been deployed in the village. This acts as both a deterrent and a means of capturing data. Where traffic calming measures are in place, it is judged to be largely successful.

I have learned that there is no funding in place and currently no developers contributions that could be used to construct a safe cycleway / footpath linking Marchwood to Totton, or indeed Marchwood to Hythe. There might be some commercial sponsorship forthcoming to support such schemes, but not if there isn’t funding or the political will to make things happen from the Parish Council, District Council and County Council.

I am very willing to support any local individual, group, council, commercial organisation wishing to progress such a scheme because I personally believe that either scheme would be of major benefit to Marchwood. I believe this is best driven along as a special project of Marchwood Parish Council.
I have asked County Officers to work with the Parish Council (officers and Members) at improving footpaths through the village. This will include consideration of the Safer Routes to Schools initiative.

Community Planning is a concept that Marchwood has fully embraced, employing Alan Stevens to great effect. The community has been afforded the opportunity of a high level of engagement, resulting in clear ideas about priorities for the area. Unfortunately, this is not typical of Hampshire as a whole and I believe that the County Council has yet to work out how to properly respond to new expectations. How, for example, does the County Council manage a growing list of new demands for new or improved facilities across the county?

Council Tax is the issue that most people are concerned about. This coming year, the County Council element of the tax people will pay will rise a further 4.5%, meaning that an average Band D council tax payer will now pay £999 per annum for the Hampshire County Council part of the tax bill.

101 Number The non-emergency number for reporting crime and anti-social behaviour has been saved for a further year.

And finally,
I am always willing to assist with any Hampshire County Council related issues.
Ways to contact me include :
E-Mail dharrison100@aol.com
Web-site ; www.dharrison.org.uk
Telephone ; 02380 864500
Write : Cllr. David Harrison, Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester, Hants