Phone Box Consultation
In the first phase of consultation the city council has objected to the removal of 41 out of the 43 phone boxes that have been identified as uneconomic by BT.

The case for retaining two phone boxes, at Woodlands, Bramdean and Church lane, Durley appears to be difficult to justify and the City Council does not propose to object to the removal of these.

The consultation will remain open for your comment through www.winchester.gov.uk/BT until August 29 when a final notification will be issued to BT.

A summary of the initial responses can now be found at www.winchester.gov.uk/BT along with details of the full criteria used to make the decision.



Safer Neighbourhoods and Community Engagement
A year after the City Council and Police made initial contact with parishes about Safer Neighbourhood Panels it has been recognised that greater flexibility is needed.

Alternative proposals have been made to parishes, with the aim of increasing engagement with the Community Safety Partnership at a local level.

Proposals recently made by Chief Inspector Steve France-Sergeant included:

• All Parishes to consider putting Community Safety as a 'standing' agenda item on one of their committees
• The Police will make a commitment to attend all of the meetings during the year (either a PCSO or the area Sergeant) and if they can't attend a member of the Community Safety Partnership will attend in their place.
• Each Parish will be encouraged to identify three priorities that they would like to address over the coming year.
• The Police will continue to roll out the 'Your Community, Your Voice' boxes (currently in the Southern Parishes - they are boxes left in key locations within the community for the public to complete a comment form on what they think should be the policing priorities and what can be done to improve the area they live in etc.

Letters detailing the full proposals were recently sent to all parishes. Please send your comments about the proposals to Sandra Tuddenham at Winchester City Council at studdenham@winchester.gov.uk by the end of August.

If possible could you please give an idea of the type of committee you would like officers to attend and a list of the appropriate committee dates for the remainder of the financial year.



Message from John Cooper -Member for Communities & Safety
Parish and Town Councils are at the heart of community empowerment and it is right that they should have an increasingly dynamic and influential role in local government.

Winchester City Council already enjoys close working relationships with our parish and town bodies and has long established links with a broad range of voluntary organisations and other neighbourhood groups across the District.

With an inevitable move towards devolved powers as part of a 'Localism' agenda that gives residents more involvement in the decision making process in their area Winchester City Council will work to strengthen its existing partnerships and forge new ones.

A new 'Cabinet Portfolio' to focus specifically on 'community' matters reinforces our commitment towards achieving this corporate aim.

Given the geography and diverse makeup of the Winchester District 'a one size fits' all approach is unlikely to facilitate real localism. But there can be little doubt that the common thread in building 'cleaner, greener & safer' neighbourhoods in more inclusive and vibrant local communities will be the clear direction from the 'bottom up' with greater local accountability.

I am delighted to be the new Winchester Portfolio Holder for 'Communities & Safety' and while I cannot promise to attend every community forum wherever I am invited I will endeavour to engage with you personally to get a better understanding of your particular community issues and local priorities.

Councillor John Cooper MBE
Portfolio Holder for Communities & Safety

John Cooper is the Ward Member for Boarhunt & Southwick and Deputy Leader of Winchester City Council. He is also currently the Chair of Southwick and Widley Parish Council and a Boarhunt Parish Councillor.



Local Development Framework - the next step for Parish Councils 
Winchester City Council consulted widely with local people on the Local Development Framework Core Strategy 'Issues & Options' paper earlier this year.

We received 3,000 written responses to our consultation document raising many issues across the district, we are now in the process of analysing these and assessing the various options for Winchester and the proposed 'Key Hubs' in the District.

We would like to involve Parish Councils in this process and have organised a series of meetings at Winchester and the proposed Key Hubs of Alresford, Bishops Waltham, Wickham and Whiteley to see whether we can reach a consensus on a way forward and how to deliver it. We understand that other parishes may relate to one or other of these larger settlements.

Emails and letters are in the process of being sent to all Parish Councils advising them of these meetings:

Winchester
River Park Leisure Centre
Thursday 11 September 2008 - 10am - 4pm

Alresford
Alresford Recreation Centre
Tuesday 16 September 2008 - 2pm - 5pm
 
Wickham
Wickham Community Centre
Wednesday 17 September 2008 - 2pm - 5pm

Whiteley
Meadowside Leisure Centre
Monday 22 September 2008 - 2pm - 5pm

Bishops Waltham
The Church Hall Free Street
Wednesday 24 September 2008 - 2pm - 5pm

The prime purpose of the meetings, which are working technical meetings not public meetings, is to explore the aspirations and challenges in terms of the role and function of each of the emerging 'Key' Hubs and Winchester. The events will consider how this may change in the future, bearing in mind the Government's housing requirements, as it is these larger settlements that are more sustainable and will be required to accommodate some additional growth.

We will also be arranging a series of local meetings with the Parish Councils of the proposed 'Local Hubs' of Kings Worthy, Colden Common, Denmead, Waltham Chase and Swanmore after the completion of the above meetings. The role and function of the smaller settlements will be considered separately as we assess the responses to our Issues and Options consultation paper.

These meetings will also provide an opportunity to contribute to the revision of the Council's Sustainable Community Strategy and for local town/parish plans to inform the way forward for the Winchester Local Development Framework.

Parish Councils representing the Key Hubs are being invited to their local event, but for other Parish Councils with a particular interest in Winchester or one of the Key Hubs, there are a limited number of places available at each event.

If you wish to attend one of these events please let Elaine Bonnon ebonnon@winchester.gov.uk know by 3rd September 2008 which meeting you are interested in and the name of your representative.

***To keep numbers manageable places will need to be limited to ONE Councillor per Parish - with the exception of the proposed key hub parishes***



Code of Conduct
From 8 May 2008 the responsibility for considering complaints that a Member may have breached the Code of Conduct moved to the standards committees of local authorities (rather than being dealt with by the Standards Board).

More details about the Complaints Process



Local Offices in Bishops Waltham, Whiteley and New Alresford
Residents living outside of Winchester will soon be able to choose where they go to deal with Winchester City Council thanks to new local offices that are being established in Bishops Waltham Citizens Advice Bureau, New Alresford Library and at Meadowside Leisure Centre in Whiteley.

One day a week there will be general advice available on all Council services and a further half a day each week will see in-depth housing and benefits advice available in Bishops Waltham and New Alresford.

It is hoped that services will start in Bishops Waltham and Whiteley during the week commencing 25th August and in New Alresford a few weeks later. Further details will be sent nearer the time along with some publicity material.

This is part of an ongoing initiative from the Council to work more closely with its communities and be more responsive to their needs. For further information please contact Steve Lincoln on 01962 848 110 or by e-mail slincoln@winchester.gov.uk.



Join the Olympicnic
The Beijing Olympics are only days away, but one blacksmith in Denmead is already getting inspired by the London Games in 2012.
Brian Charlesworth has been invited by Winchester City Council to make an Olympic-style torch for the District.

The Live Your Dream torch will make its first appearance in Winchester on Sunday 24th August as part of a community celebration to mark the official handover to London as incoming host city.

Winchester City Council, working in partnership with Hampshire County Council, is planning a large-scale family picnic at North Walls Recreation Ground on the closing day of the Beijing Games, with large screen action from China showing during the day and a range of sports and arts 'have-a-go' sessions on offer.

A specially formed community drumming group of up to 200 local people will also be coming together under the professional eye of experts Drumpulse to lead a Samba-style procession to the Broadway. They will arrive to see the 2012 Handover Flag hoisted on the front of Winchester Guildhall in the presence of the Mayor of Winchester, the Leader of the County Council and other community leaders.

Sports clubs have been keen to get involved with the family picnic, offering a range of activities from rugby, football, athletics and netball taster sessions to goal-shooting inflatables, trainer wanging, a climbing wall and an orienteering course. Local arts organisations are also being invited to join the fun, and Hampshire County Council is sponsoring the big screen at North Walls.

The City Council team organising the event are keen to hear from other clubs and organisations who would like to offer activities as part of the event - and from anyone who would like to be part of the giant drumming group.

More information can be found at www.winchester.gov.uk/liveyourdream
 
Contact Mandy Ford on aford@winchester.gov.uk to get involved.



Infected Horse Chestnut Trees - Guidance
There has been an increase recently in the spread of infection among Horse Chestnut trees in the district.

The City Council is ONLY responsible for trees on its land.
Anyone seeking further advice should look at the Forestry Commission website www.forestresearch.gov.uk for Bleeding Canker of Horse Chestnut.