Parish News
Clean for The Queen – Saturday 16 April 2016
Heritage Society AGM 16th March
Orchard Farm, Hambledon – Community Information Event
HAVE YOUR SAY ON HAMBLEDON’S THREATENED BUS SERVICE
Surrey County Council has arranged a public walk-in session in Godalming to discuss the proposed changes to local bus services, including its intention to axe the 503, Hambledon’s only bus service.
It will take place next Friday (February 26) at the Crown Court car park where representatives of SCC and the operators Stagecoach will be in attendance on a bus. Residents can drop in at anytime between 10 am and 12 noon to discuss the proposed changes and to express their views.
SCC, faced with budget cuts, is looking to further reduce the subsidy it pays to bus operators to keep rural routes operating. Some areas will see alterations or reductions but Hambledon will be hit hard because it is proposed to withdraw the 503 altogether.
A final decision will be made after the current period of consultation ends on March 14. Hambledon Parish Council is opposing the scrapping of the 503, which it regards as a vital link for many, especially the elderly, to reach shops, banks and surgeries.
Residents who wish the service to continue are urged to make their views known. They can do so online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/transportreview or by phoning 0300 200 1003 to request a copy of the questionnaire to be sent to their home. Copies can also be obtained from libraries and council offices.
- If you know of someone who will be affected by the withdrawal of the 503 who is unlikely to read this online story, please contact them and pass on details of the drop-in session and the public consultation.
Planning for Hambledon’s future – Latest
In 2003 Hambledon produced a Parish Plan to help shape its future. Since then the Parish Council has examined various other formal frameworks to ensure the village’s ambitions for the years ahead are taken into account by Waverley Borough Council and other authorities.
These have included producing a Village Design Statement and Neighbourhood Plan, a route which some villagers had asked the council to consider.
After seeking professional advice – and taking into account the cost and resources necessary for such measures – it was decided that there were insufficient benefits to justify the time and money involved.
Instead it considered producing a Community Plan, which is smaller in scope that a Neighbourhood Plan and arguably more relevant to a little rural village.
Whichever method the parish council adopted for drawing up a blueprint for the future, it would require financial assistance and community volunteers. In the event neither was forthcoming.
It was hoped that funding for a Community Plan would be awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and that sufficient villagers would volunteer to participate in its preparation.
However, The Big Lottery, which distributes National Lottery money for community causes, turned down the request. The application had been carefully prepared with professional help. But Big Lottery experts could not see why a Community Plan was required to address the needs and issues set out in the application. (This point had also been raised in previous advice given to the Parish Council, including from Waverley Borough Council.)
The second set back was that one month after an appeal for volunteers appeared in the Parish Magazine and on the village website only six responses had been received.
So it’s back to the drawing board.
Although there have been changes since Hambledon produced its Parish Plan in 2003, it would be difficult to improve on its objectives. The Parish Council has therefore decided to continue using it as a base document but to up-date it and re-issue it, either in its existing form or in a new format and perhaps with a more appropriate title.
Village organisations and individuals are therefore being asked what would make Hambledon a better place for them and their activities.
The responses will be incorporated in a discussion paper which will be made widely available early in April. The paper will then be discussed and questions arising from it addressed at the Parish Assembly on 16 April. Funds for printing the completed plan have been included in the 2016-17 budget. It will also be available on the village web site.
So, in thanking those who did volunteer to help with a Community Plan, the Parish Council now asks them and as many other villagers as possible to give some thought as to what they think would make Hambledon an even better place in which to live.
Examining the 2003 Parish Plan and its most recent up-date might be a good point from which to start. This can be found on this web site here: Parish Plan documents . Or you can ask the Clerk ( via email, or telephone 01428 684213) for a hard copy
Please make sure that comments are either posted by leaving a comment on this article, or sent to the Clerk by 15 March so that they can be included in the discussion document.
Village Fete Meeting – HELP WANTED
The organisers of the Hambledon Village Fete – which takes place on the Cricket Green on Saturday June 18 – are holding a meeting on March 8 to help finalise arrangements. Please see the following from Philip Underwood.
HAMBLEDON VILLAGE FETE
AN IMPORTANT PLANNING MEETING
A meeting will be held at 8pm on Tuesday 8th March in the Football Club pavilion. It is important that as many helpers as possible attend as we have to finalise details of the events, stallholders and the general running of the fete.
We shall also be looking for donations of prizes for the raffle. If any local businesses would like to help with sponsorship in return for advertising, it would be appreciated.
Many people who have assisted in the past are no longer in the village, so we desperately need new helpers. If unable to come but wish to join in, please contact [email protected].
Save a Life in Hambledon
Money raised through St Peter’s Church and the Parish Council means we as a community now own 2 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).
These are based at the Village Shop and in the Porch of the Church. The AED at the Village Shop is currently hanging in the stock room so is only available during shop opening hours, following the forthcoming shop refurbishment it will be stored in an external cabinet.
AEDs are simple to use but can seem intimidating. Learn how to use them and help save a life in Hambledon!
Bart’s City Life Saver is a unique Charity that teaches life saving skills to people living or working in the City of London. Hambledon will be its first rural outpost. On Sunday 7th February 2016 at 2pm they will be providing training in Hambledon to enable you to learn/refresh your life saving skills and familiarise yourself with an AED.
The training will cost £20 per person and will be held in the Village Hall.
Please contact Dr Alison Martin (email: [email protected] or ‘phone: 01483 893619) to book or for more information.
Winter Weather Precautions for Hambledon
A major cut of trees close to power lines was completed this year by Scottish and Southern Energy in an effort to reduce the frequency of electricity supply disruption to Hambledon.
SSE has also upgraded and refurbished power lines into the village and promised better communications in the event of outages.
Nevertheless, it is wise to take precautions in a rural area that has suffered from extensive power failures in recent years, usually caused by trees and branches falling onto cables during high winds.
SSE has provided the Parish Council with a quantity of telephones that do not require a power supply to work, wind-up radios, battery-operated magnetic lamps, safety lightsticks, compact foil blankets and heat packs for warming cold hands.
If you, or someone you know, would benefit from any of these items they are available free for collection from the village shop.
It is important to remember that many modern phones require power to operate so a stand-by phone that simply requires a connection to the telephone line is an essential.
Stock up on batteries for torches and radios.
In extreme weather electricity and telephone lines may fail as may mobile phone networks. Snow or fallen trees can isolate the village. Although such an outcome is rare it has happened. The Parish Council has an emergency plan in place to help cope with such an event.
It is worth remembering that the phone kiosk at the village shop will continue to work in a power failure. The pay phone no longer accepts coins but you can dial 999 for free. You can also dial 100 for the operator to make reverse charge calls.
If you, or someone you know, may be considered vulnerable during a power cut, you can register with SSE’s Priority Services Register on 0800 294 3259. There is a leaflet in the shop explaining this service.
The following telephone numbers and addresses should be kept handy.
SSE – Scottish and Southern Energy (power cuts and emergencies): 0800 072 7282.
Surrey County Council (for on-line updates and advice): www.surreycc.gov.uk/winter.
Latest travel information: https://twitter.com/SurreyTravel
Waverley Borough Council: For general information, refuse collections etc, go to www.waverley.gov.uk adding the word weather to the search bar if your inquiry relates to this issue. Also, for latest news and emergency updates from the borough go to www.twitter.com/waverleybc
Radio updates will be broadcast on BBC Surrey on 104.6FM and on Eagle on 96.4FM
Hambledon village website will also carry updates: www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk
In the village, the Hambledon Emergency Team is:
Stewart Payne – 07831 393561, Tim Coleman – 07838 763767, and Nick Watson – 07770 553686
In the event of severe disruption and communication failure the emergency team will be on hand around the village, centred at the village shop.
Superfast Broadband in Hambledon
In 2012 Surrey County Council awarded a contract to BT to ensure a superfast broadband service to all Surrey residents and businesses. Those living adjacent to the Hydestile Crossroads have already discovered that there are limits to the coverage; but it was hoped that the up-grading of the BT cabinet at the A283/Lane End Crossroads at the end of 2013 would enable everyone with an 01428 telephone number to connect to superfast.
Yet again this is not delivering in practice and a group of concerned residents is therefore trying to create a picture of where the service drops off.
To enable the group to put pressure on Superfast Surrey to install another cabinet to serve those on the edges of the village (excluding Hydestile/Feathercombe Lane which are being dealt with by a separate campaign) data is needed from as many residents as possible to create a picture of available speeds. In theory, those living within 2 km. of the Lane End cabinet should be able to access superfast but not all of them can and those living outside that radius almost certainly cannot.
Some villagers will have already received an e-mail from Louise Rhodes asking them to carry out speed tests. If you have not heard from her, do please get in touch ([email protected]) so that she can let you know how to do the tests. The more information she receives, the more likely it is that Hambledon will get good superfast coverage – and remember, even if you don’t want superfast, your successors certainly will!
Jane Woolley, Hambledon Parish Council Clerk
Parish Council Chairman and Vice-Chairman re-elected
John Anderson was re-elected Chairman and Philip Underwood re-elected as Vice-Chairman at the annual meeting on 26 May 2015.
LiberTea at Hambledon
The Houses of Parliament have asked our Parish Council to organise an event at 3pm on Sunday 14th June to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta and the Montfort Parliament. This event is to hear the church bells being rung and to drink a cup of tea at this time,and to reflect on what difference the Magna Carta has made to our lives.
Our event is known as LiberTea at the Top.In other words we invite the people of Hambledon to join us at the top of the Common at the viewpoint and drink a cup of tea with us and hopefully cake will also be provided.
I would also be grateful for knowledgeable persons to come and explain what the Magna Carta was all about.
If the weather is poor we shall hold the event in the Village Hall.
Remember,Sunday June 14th at the top of the Common at 3pm.
Any queries or for offering help please contact me at [email protected] or 07771 633599.
P.J.Underwood
Village Bus Service – Safe For Now
The 503 bus service, which connects Hambledon with Milford, Godalming and Guildford is safe – for the time being at least.
Earlier this year Surrey County Council conducted a wide-ranging review of the routes it subsidises, many of them in rural areas. Hambledon Parish Council and many of its residents responded to this, stressing how important the 503 is to the village.
SCC is now proposing specific reductions and cuts to some services in the county, beginning with routes operated by Abellio, Arriva and Metrobus companies. These changes are now being consulted on, with SCC due to make a final decision on June 23 and the revised services coming into affect on August 29.
None of these services are in the Waverley Borough Council area. Our turn will come.
If you want to see details of the current proposals, or comment on them, please click the following link:
https://www.surreysays.co.uk/e-i-directorate-programme-group/closed-copy-of-ltr
Over the next two years Surrey CC will look at other bus operators as their contracts come up for renewal, including Stagecoach which operates many of the services in the Waverley area, including the 503. Further localised consultation is expected and proposals for cuts and/or reductions are likely to follow.
Surrey CC is looking to reduce the £8.9 million it spends each year subsidising bus services.
The 503 is Hambledon’s only public transport service, operating twice in each direction on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It provides a vital link for those without cars, often the elderly or infirm, to reach supermarket, banks and surgeries.
Hambledon Parish Council will continue to press for the retention of the 503 and will make sure that residents are aware of any future public consultation.
Hambledon Parish Council Election – Results
The result of the Hambledon Parish Council election has been announced. It is as follows, reproduced here from the Waverley Borough Council website.
Hambledon (7 seats), 73.6% turnout
| Name | Description | Votes | Elected? |
| ANDERSON John Huxley Fordyce | 194 | Elected | |
| GROVE Mary | 221 | Elected | |
| HALL David John Logan | Independent | 153 | |
| JONES Karen Elizabeth | 200 | Elected | |
| PARRY Mike | 218 | Elected | |
| PATTINSON Paul George Murray | 177 | Elected | |
| PAYNE Stewart Frank | 224 | Elected | |
| STONELEY Colin Desmond | 176 | ||
| UNDERWOOD Philip John | 177 | Elected |
Nine villagers were seeking election for the seven places. These included six members of the previous parish council – John Anderson, Karen Jones, Mike Parry, Paul Pattinson, Stewart Payne and Philip Underwood. All have been re-elected.
Also seeking election were Mary Grove, David Hall and Colin Stoneley. Mary Grove was elected and will be welcomed to Hambledon Parish Council at its next meeting on May 26. The council has already expressed its gratitude to Peter Spall, who has stood down.
The parish council elections were held last Thursday (May 7), but the count did not take place until Saturday.
Waverley Borough Council elections were also held last Thursday, with the count taking place on Friday. The result for the Witley and Hambledon ward is as follows.
Borough Election result for Witley and Hambledon
| 2015 result Witley & Hambledon (2 vacancies) |
Turnout: 74.4% | ||
| EGAN Rosaleen | UKIP | 374 | |
| HALL David John Logan | Independent | 515 | |
| HOLDER Nick | Conservative | 1,414 | Elected |
| JAMES Anna Catherine | Conservative | 1,204 | Elected |
| MANNING Yvonne Wendy | Labour | 386 | |
Conservative hold
Hambledon Parish Council Nominations Announced
Hambledon will have a contested parish council election for the first time since 2003.
Candidates for the seven places have been announced by the Returning Officer at Waverley Borough Council. Nine prospective councillors, including six members of the outgoing parish council, have been nominated.
The full list can be found here:
http://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/1074/town_and_parish_candidates_announced
Elections take place on May 7th, the same day as Parliamentary and Waverley Borough Council elections. The Polling Station will be at the Village Hall.
Of the outgoing parish council, Peter Spall is standing down. Outgoing chairman John Anderson, his deputy Philip Underwood, Stewart Payne, Paul Pattinson, Mike Parry and Karen Jones are seeking re-election.
David Hall, Mary Grove and Colin Stoneley are seeking election.
Electors can vote for up to seven candidates on Polling Day and the ballot form will list candidates in alphabetical order.
Robin Pellow, the Returning Officer for Waverley has also announced the candidates for the Borough Council and the South West Surrey Parliamentary constituency.
These can be found at:
http://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/1073/borough_candidates_announced
and
http://www.waverley.gov.uk/news/article/1072/parliamentary_election_candidates
Five candidates are seeking election to the two places on the Witley and Hambledon ward of Waverley Borough Council.
Housing Needs Survey
The latest Housing Needs Survey, carried out across all households in Hambledon, has just been published and full details are available here:
The first is a copy of the survey and the second is an executive summary.
The survey was carried out by Surrey Community Action at the request of Hambledon Parish Council and it follows the acquisition of Orchard Farm by the English Rural Housing Association.
Of the 314 survey questionnaires sent out 261 households responded – an 83.12 per cent return. Across the country a 10 to 35 per cent return rate is common, so the Hambledon response has been described as “outstanding” and demonstrates how engaged the village is.