Report for Marchwood Parish Council Meeting, 13th July 2009

Elections

Elections for seats on Hampshire County Council were held on June 4th. Conservatives won 51 seats & retain control of the authority. I was one of the 25 successful Liberal Democrat candidates and am part of the official opposition group. There was just one Labour councillor and one Independent councillor elected.

Since June 4th, I have been appointed once again as a member of Hampshire Fire & Rescue Authority and for the first time as a member of the New Forest National Park Authority.

Fluoride in tap water

I have been actively campaigning against the decision of the Strategic Health Authority to add flouride to tap water to homes in Totton, Southampton, Eastleigh and Netley. If this goes ahead, I believe other areas, including Marchwood will follow.
The local MP, Dr Julian Lewis has joined with me in making a joint complaint to the Parliamentary Health Ombudsman. On the 9th June, I travelled to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament with the campaigning group “Hampshire Against Fluoride”. We handed in a petition signed by 15,000 people and I was able to speak to a number of MP’s, all of whom agreed that the proposals should be put on hold.

This Thursday, at a full meeting of Hampshire County Council, I am moving a motion that calls upon the authority to support the idea of a referendum on the subject.

Amphitheatre

On June 12th, I was very pleased to join others for a picnic and the official opening of the Amphitheatre on the grounds of Marchwood Junior School. I had used part of my community engagement grant to help fund the facility. It will be available for use by the wider community.

Marchwood Fete

It was a very great honour and a lot of fun, undertaking the official opening of the fete on the 4th July. My wife, Marjorie and I were required to judge the fancy dress competition, a task that was extremely difficult and has made me deeply unpopular with red Indians, cowboys and cacti that we had not chosen as winners.

Highway Matters

I have asked Traffic Commissioners, once again, to hold an inquiry into the use of Marchwood Industrial Estate. My last request was politely ignored. However, it might be more difficult for them to do so in the light of a fresh application from the Royal Mail involving 32 vehicles and 14 trailers.

I have a meeting, scheduled for 28th July, with County Officers, to discuss further HGV restrictions in the village, looking at feedback from the exhibition and consultation held in the village earlier this year.

A Speed Indicator Device (SID) was deployed in Hythe Road recently, reflecting concerns about the speed of some vehicles driving through the village at excessive speed. I expect I and other Councillors will shortly receive the data from this.

Grant Aid / HATS

I’m hoping that the administration running Hampshire County Council will confirm that the annual community engagement grants will continue, much as before. There might well be an announcement on Thursday.
There is some doubt as to whether the HAT’s (Hampshire Action Teams) will continue, with no further meeting scheduled.

Marchwood Power Station

I chaired a meeting of the Marchwood Power Station Liaison Panel on the 9th July. I have posted a full report on my web-site : www.dharrison.org.uk. The subjects we covered included concerns about overhead transmission lines, foamy discharge from the facility and community engagement.

The Dome
I have a meeting scheduled for next Wednesday (15th) at the Energy from Waste facility. I am hoping for some news about demolition, construction of the new waste transfer station and improvements to the household waste recycling centre. I will update my web-site with a report after the meeting.

The Pong
I have asked both Southern Water and the Environment Agency to provide me with a report on what caused the bad smell in the village last week and what measures they are taking to prevent a similar problem in the future.