Monday 27 April 2009

Parish Council News - 27 April 2009

These notes are based on our most recent meeting (April 09).

Parking on Verges.
The Council is concerned because there seem to be many cars parked on the greens and verges. One of the main areas is the verges on Horsley Road. It may be that people who park their cars on these verges do not realise that it is an offence to do so. The grass becomes churned up in wet weather and the Council who cut these verges are sometimes unable to do so. Double yellow lines are to be continued round the bend entering Horsley Road and it is hoped that this will help access for residents in this area.

Interactive Speed Light.
Arrangements are in hand to move the speed lighting to another area. The Council are just waiting to make sure that the light will not be obscured by trees.

Keeping the village clean and tidy.
It was good to have the village swept by Northumberland recently. They did do a good job though there were some areas which were missed! There is a real problem with Bewick Lane, especially the South end where the contractors are doing work. It is hoped that when they have finished they will clear their rubbish, but they can’t be expected to clear the rubbish which is being left by residents. Please do take a pride in our lovely village and make sure you are not one of the people to spoil it.

Ovingham/Wylam Road. 
Some time back the Council was asked to approve a safety scheme for erecting safety barriers. The Council were not really happy about losing some of the footpaths. Wylam, who were also consulted, agreed that retention of the footpaths was essential. However, since then there have been further accidents and the police are now requesting the work to be done. Ovingham Parish Council have replied that they can only support the erection of a safety barrier if it does not involve the loss of  any of the footpath along this stretch. The Wylam/Ovingham road is well used by pedestrians and there are many stretches which are very hazardous to them.

Boundary Commission.
Under the new Unitary Authority the Boundary Commission has submitted new electoral division proposals and Ovingham, together with Ovington are to be included with Prudhoe West. The decision has been made on purely numerical grounds (to be as close as possible to 3,799 electors). The Council have protested on this division, pointing out that the two other criteria for the new boundary should be considered – that the River Tyne forms a natural boundary and that there is a strong community identity with the other Tyne Valley villages, such as Wylam and Heddon.

The next meeting to be held on 21 May in the Reading Room will be the Annual General Meeting at 8.00 p.m. and all residents are urged to attend. The Council meeting will commence as usual at 7.15 p.m.


Sunday 19 April 2009

Mothers' Union - Table Top Sale

Date: 25 April 2009

Venue: The Reading Room

Time: 10am - 1pm

Proceeds: to Diocesan Relief Fund

Entry: Free

Raffles, Bric-a-Brac, Hardly Used, Fancy Goods, Crafts, Chutneys, Cakes, Bacon Butties. A date not to be missed. Please come and join us.

Friday 3 April 2009

Parish Council News - 3 April 2009

These notes relate to our March meeting and are based [edited by PH] on our notes in the Parish Magazine of April 2009.

OPC Meetings.
Unfortunately, owing to the bad weather, the parish council meeting scheduled for 12 February had to be cancelled. However, the parish council continued to be busy during February and outstanding items were brought forward to the March meeting. Councillors emphasised that all residents are welcome to attend any of our meetings whether or not they may have issues to raise. Meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of every month except August.

Freedom of Information Act.
From the beginning of the year, central government required parish councils to make available all information of public interest. We feel that we already satisfied this requirement but by adding links to the 'What We Do' page, we hope to exceed this requirement. However, if there is any information inadvertently omitted, or if you have questions not answered, please contact the parish clerk.
Ovingham Parish Council has always been committed to open, inclusive and transparent government and look forward to when this principle is applied ever wider.

Flood Repairs.
As most will know, the pavilion suffered very badly through flooding in September 2009 and major repairs had to take place. These are now all but finished and it is hoped that soon the pavilion will be used to its full extent.

Unitary Authority.
Meetings have been held throughout Northumberland to explain how the new authority will operate. Amongst other things there will be changes to election procedures and parish councils' views are being sought. The remit of parish councils will change but at the present time it is not known what these changes will mean in practice.

Ovingham Bridge.
Much concern has been felt concerning cyclists using the pedestrian footpath of the bridge. Sometimes it may be that cyclists have not realised they should dismount on the pedestrian bridge. The Council had hoped to persuade Northumberland Highways to improve the signage but it looks as though, in the short run, the signage will not be changed and we must continue to rely on the good sense of cyclists and the police to ensure compliance.