Looking for a home to rent?

We've just been sent this information from the County Council. Please pass it on to anyone who you think may be interested.

If you are looking to rent a home within the Northumberland area, Northumberland Homefinder offers available council, social rented, private rented and shared ownership homes to prospective tenants’ giving a choice in where they want to live and the type of house they would like to live in.

Click on this link for more details.

http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=985

Parish News - January 2013

Although the Parish Council did not have a meeting in December (and I am writing this before their January meeting), the Councillors met to discus the recent planning application which has been submitted by Northumberland Estates. This is for a development of 20 houses, including affordable housing, on a site to the north of Piper Road. They agreed to object to the application and a letter has been sent to the Planning Department at Northumberland County Council. We will have to await the outcome but it may be some time before we hear anything further.

May 2^nd this year is the date for local elections. This includes County Council as well as Parish Council. The Reading Room has already been booked!

Moles have again appeared on the playing field and a mole catcher was duly summoned. Hopefully, this has cured the problem. The windows at the Pavilion should be replaced soon.

The February meeting is on the 21^st at 7.15pm and that of March will also be the 21^st. As ever, these are held in the Reading Room.

Margaret Davenport
Clerk to Ovingham Parish Council

Thinking of becoming a Parish Councillor?

Have you ever thought about becoming a town or parish councillor? Would you like to find out more about the role?
Workshops will take place in the New Year in Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Choppington and Hexham to provide information and advice. 
At each session county council and Northumberland Association of Local Councils officers and parish/town councillors will be attending to give presentations and advice.

Sessions will cover the following:
· What are parish and town councils?
· What powers and freedoms do they have?
· How do they relate to the County Council?
· How can you apply or stand to become a parish or town councillor?


The sessions will take place as follows:
· Monday 21 January 2013 - Council Chamber, Clayport Street, Alnwick
· Thursday 24 January 2013 - Prospect House, Hexham
· Monday 28 January 2013 – William Elder Building, Berwick-upon-Tweed 
· Wednesday 30 January 2013 - Jamieson Room, Choppington Social Welfare Centre, Scotland Gate, Choppington.


Light refreshments will be provided at 6pm before each workshop begins at 6.30pm. The sessions will be chaired by the area chairman for the area: Councillor Pat Scott in Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed, Councillor Colin Horncastle in Hexham and Councillor Ian Swithenbank in Choppington. There will be opportunities to ask questions throughout each session.

Paddy Gascoigne, service manager for democratic services at Northumberland County Council said: “Councils depend on the energy, enthusiasm and the commitment of local people. It can be immensely rewarding joining your local council and you can really improve local life. If you would like to know more about becoming a town or parish councillor, I would urge you to get in touch.” 

If you are interested in attending, please telephone Mike Bird in democratic services on 01670 622616 or email demserv.ar@northumberland.gov.uk so that numbers for each event can be confirmed.

Parish News - November 2012

There will be no Parish Council meeting in December – the next one is scheduled for Thursday, January 17^th 2013 at 7.15pm in the Reading Room.

A problem has arisen in respect of the proposed parking bays behind the Church. This is due to not knowing whom the land belongs to! Northumberland County Council advise that it is not theirs, and it does not appear to belong to either the Church or the Parish Council. Further enquiries are therefore necessary.

Councillor Jordon has been busy planting throughout the village and we all hope that 2013 will be a much better year as regards the weather. Various other tidy up jobs have been undertaken too. The Action Plan in response to the Village Questionnaire is also updated on the website.

There will be Parish Council elections in May this year when all Councillors will be eligible for re-election. More news on this later as I expect the County Council will soon be sending me an awful lot of literature (mainly be email to save their costs but it still needs reading and/or printing).

Margaret Davenport
Clerk to Ovingham Parish Council

NCC Online Magazine

Northumberland County Council publish a free quarterly online magazine containing lots of information about what's happening in the county.

You can sign up for a copy by following this link:

www.northumberland.gov.uk/extra

New Notice Boards

Just today, the two parish council notice boards have been replaced with new ones. The old ones have served their time well but inevitably, age had got the better of them.
In readiness for the possible installation of a bench behind the church, this new one has been moved further to the right.

In this photo, Wil the joiner and his mate Matty put the finishing touches to the new one on Castle View.

Parish Council News - October 2012

Councillors agreed to fund the balance to improve the BMX track at the playing field. Councillor Holden reported that he has obtained grants for the bulk of the project. It is also hoped that the windows at the Pavilion can be replaced shortly.

It has been a long drawn out process to obtain views from the County Council regarding the possibility of having a seat by the bus stop at the Church. This is still ongoing and hopefully there will be news about this soon.

A dropped kerb has been placed by the Reading Room, allowing better access from the western approach, and this has been funded out of County Councillor Kelly’s budget. At the request of the Parish Council, he has also been liaising with the County Council looking into the possibility of parking bays behind the Church. The Parish Council are keen to preserve the historical element but would like the area tidied up and feel that parking bays could minimise access problems.  

At the time of writing this, it is very likely that there will be no meeting in December, which is always a busy time for most people. However, this cannot be confirmed for definite so do please check Notice Boards and the website nearer the time.

It has been a hectic year for the Council, as ever, and on their behalf, I wish you all a Happy Christmas and Best wishes for 2013.

Margaret Davenport
Clerk to Ovingham Parish Council