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.

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.

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.

Food Hygiene Course

If you are involved in preparing food for the public, you may need to have completed a food hygiene course which is certificated.

Certificates are valid for three years. So if you completed the last course held in the Reading Room, you may need to repeat it.

There are still a few places left for the next course which is being held in the Reading Room on 4 April 2009. Starts 9:00am and finishes at 3:30pm.

Ring 01661 832695 to book your place.

Ceilidh - 27 March 2008

There will be a ceilidh in the Reading Room on 27 March 2009 at 7:30pm. A licensed bar including soft drinks is available.

Ticket price includes a supper of soup and stotties.

The event is in aid of roof repairs to the Reading Room and tickets are available from the Londis shop or Hazel on 836692.

Parish Council News - 20 March 2009

LITTER
The Parish Council are still very concerned over the amount of litter which is dropped throughout the village. There are very few areas which are litter-free and every person is asked to be vigilant, not only to ensure they do not drop litter but also to stop others doing so. The three main problem areas in the village – the rear lane to Castle View, Bewick Lane and the area at the top of Horsley Road. Please let us all do our best to make sure our village stays beautiful.

INTERACTIVE LIGHTING
Several people have asked when the speed light will be moved. It is the Council’s plan to move the light after April. There are three positions and the light will be moved approximately every 4 months.

NEW UNITARY AUTHORITY
At the present time it is not clear what difference to small Parish Councils the new Unitary Authority will make. Ovingham Parish Councillors are all aware that there will be some differences taking place and Councillors are involved in the local Forum which has been formed.

CYCLING ON THE OVINGHAM FOOTBRIDGE
For some time it has been obvious that the “no cycling” signs are ambiguous and it could be that cyclists do not realise they should be using the road bridge. Unfortunately, it seems that only signs used within the Highway Code can be erected. It is hoped that new clearer signs will be placed in a more prominent position in the near future.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Since the beginning of the year it has become law that everybody must be able to access information of all official bodies. To this end Ovingham Parish Council has put on their Web Site the means of access to all information

Parish Council News - March 2009

Flooding in Ovingham

Mr Ian Hodge, Environmental Agency and Ian Douglas, Director Environmental Services Tynedale were welcomed to the Parish Council Meeting which was opened for questions. Mr Hodge explained that flooding was caused by culverts not being able to cope with the heavy rainfall, water draining from fields and Whittle Burn. He stated that there were no powers which could be used to prevent any of these happening again and householders would need to make their own provisions for dealing with future flood risks. However, although he had no powers to act, because the build-up of water in The Tyne may have been a contributory factor, two engineers are to produce a report which when completed will be passed to Ovingham Parish Council.
Mr Douglas urged everybody to remember that any flood water must always be treated as contaminated.

Interactive Speed Lights

These are now in place and the first sign is positioned at the West entry to the village. It will be circulated periodically on Horsley Road and Castle View.

Land Registration

Legislation is to come into place ensuring that all land throughout the country is registered. Some time ago Councillor Holden offered to undertake the registration of Council land (little knowing how time consuming it would prove). However, the task is now completed and the land owned by Ovingham Parish Council is registered. Councillor Holden must not only be congratulated but thanked for completing such a time-consuming exercise.

Churchyard Wall

The Council has for some time had concerns regarding the Churchyard Wall to the East which seemed to be slipping. When finally inspected it was found that there was not only a large void under the wall but also a gas leak. Re-filling the hole was delayed by sub-zero temperatures and caused considerable problems to traffic flow. Thankfully, the repair is now complete though it’s not yet known what plans are in hand to repair the sagging wall.