Empty Guildhall costs us over £120,000

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In a written answer to last night’s Andover Councillors Forum it is finally admitted that the council has lost money as a result of leaving the lower Guildhall empty.

While full figures have not been given, council officers have confirmed that lettings income for the Upper Guildhall and Rendezvous is £5,500 down on income from the Upper and Lower Guildhalls over the previous year. In addition the council has spent £114,000 on set up costs for the Rendezvous. No figure has been given for the running costs (maintenance and staffing) of the two facilities.

This adds up to £119,500 of council taxpayers money spent on closing the lower Guildhall and setting up an alternative facility that no-one wanted and very few people use. Most of the previous users of the lower Guildhall have since found alternatives to the Rendezvous because it is inadequate and in the wrong place. They also dispute council claims that facilities at the Rendezvous are superior to those at the Guildhall.

In addition the council has still to see any rental income from Prezzo as no contracts have been signed. The value of this rental is described as confidential commercial information. However it has previously been claimed to be more than enough to cover running costs of both the Guildhall and the Rendezvous.

I believe the answers given are totally inadequate. The costs and future of the Rendezvous and Guildhall are due to be reviewed by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee later this year. I will insist on a more detailed response then.

Town Council survey results

Test Valley Borough Council has released the results of the recent public consultation on a town council for Andover. And the result was an emphatic yes for change.

Response was however disappointingly low with only 15.7% of the electorate returning their questionnaires. This is of course a worrying factor but we must acknowledge that those who did return their forms were very much in favour of a town council. This together with the petition of over 5,000 signatures for a town council shows the status quo is not an option. Low turnout and public disinterest was also very apparent during the recent county council elections. It is up to the borough council to re-engage with the public and make local politics relevant to them again. This is what this consultation process is about. I look forward to hearing council officers proposals for the next stage of this process.

The results of the survey, the biggest ever test of local opinion on this matter, showed that 2,721 people (61.2 per cent) are in favour of a town council with 1,723 people (38.8 per cent) opposed. There were 54 rejected ballot papers.

Figures showed even stronger support for a town council in Alamein and St Mary’s wards where voters were more than 2 to 1 in favour of the proposals. All alternatives including multiple parishes and an enhanced role for the Andover Forum were emphatically rejected.

Results were as follows

Do you support the setting up of a town council for Andover?

Yes: 2721 (Alamein – 337, Harroway – 571, Millway – 591, St. Mary’s – 593 and Winton – 629)

No: 1723 (Alamein – 166, Harroway – 358, Millway – 469, St. Mary’s – 234 and Winton – 496).

Andover Older Peoples Forum

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The second meeting of the Older People’s Forum took place yesterday in the Guildhall. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 50 in Andover or the surrounding parishes and it follows the pattern of similar successful forums in Romsey and Eastleigh.

The forum is intended to give residents an opportunity to give their views on local issues and also be consulted on matters affecting them. Among items on the agenda was a presentation on mental health services in Andover which lead to an in depth debate on the future of the Alan Gardiner unit at Andover hospital.

The next meeting is on 29th September. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants a say in the future of Andover and the services provided for the town.

Improvements to Walworth Industrial Estate

In May TVBC’s Cabinet agreed a recommendation start an important project to rejuvenate the Walworth Business Park. Having reviewed all the options, they gave the go-ahead to appoint a private sector investment partner to kick-start the process of making long-term improvements to the Business Park. A number of short-term improvements have already been made to the communal and public areas including the installation of new signs, verge cutting and the completion of the first phase of landscaping.

 

Andover Liberal Democrats welcome the news that at last some action will be taken to improve the Walworth Industrial Estate. I and St Mary’s ward councillor Rod Bailey attended the cabinet meeting when the options were discussed. Cllr Bailey was a member of the panel which investigated options for improving the estate and addressed the cabinet on the issue. We both support the proposals agreed by the cabinet.

 

I am pleased we can now move forward with some action to improve this estate which is vital for the economic future of Andover. The improvements so far have been mainly cosmetic and incomplete. At lot more must be done to make the area attractive to potential users. It is essential for the local economy we start the real work of bring this estate into the 21st century and attracting new businesses to the town.

Alamein Community Association

The annual general meeting of Alamein Community Association takes place at King Arthur’s Hall, King Arthur’s Way at 6:30 on Tuesday 30 June.

The community association was set up to represent  residents across Alamein ward and has been very succesful over the past year. Come along to find out what they’ve done and how you can get involved.

The evening will include a showing of “Inside Out” the film made by, and featuring local residents. Refreshments will also be supplied.

See you all there – Your community association needs you.

PHAB back in Guildhall

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Today I visited Andover Guildhall to see the return of PHAB.

As one of the long term users of the Lower Guildhall PHAB they were very much a part of the town centre scene and it’s good to see them back in the Guildhall in the High Street. Their forced removal to the Rendezvous proved to be a disaster with next to no-one attending their coffee mornings and complaints about the alternative facility especially about the poor quality of the toilets.

Attendance in the Upper Guildhall today was similar to previously attained in the Lower Guildhall and many locals welcomed them back.  I wish them well for the future and hope those councillors who foolishly voted to relocate charities from the Guildhall to an unsuitable side street shop will now admit their mistake.

PHAB will be in the Upper Guildhall on Thursday’s for the next month at least. A lift is available for those unable to climb the stairs.

Guildhall signs approved

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At yesterdays meeting of Test Valley’s Northern Area Planning meeting approval was given for advertising signs on the Guildhall. The application was from Prezzo for signs on the windows and plaques on each door announcing their presence in the building. I am pleased to report that a further application for illuminated lecterns with menus outside the building was withdrawn.

Many residents have objrcted to the signs and I agree with them. The proposal is that every window (24 in all) will have Prezzo emblazoned across it in addition to three further plaques mounted on the walls. This I believe is completely over the top and will spoil the building the centre of our town and an important tourist attraction. There can be no-one in North West Hampshire that doen’t know Prezzo are moving into the Guildhall. We do not need 24 reminders across every available window.

I was disappointed to hear some members of the committee arguing that the approval must be given so as to speed up the conversion of the building into a restaurant and that any one opposing the application was trying to block the changeover. Council officers made it quite clear that the change of use and the alterations to the building were separate matters and that one does not automatically follow the other.

My ammendment, backed by St Mary’s ward councillor Mike McGarry, to restrict signs to the doors only was defeated by eighteen votes to two. A sad day for the Guildhall and for Andover.

Footpath cleared

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I am pleased to report that trees overhanging and blocking the footpath on Smannell Road near the junction of Newbury Road have now been cut back. The trees were so overgrown that residents were forced to step in the road to get past.

 Many residents have spoken to me about this and I requested action. TVBC council contractors immediately cut back the trees including some which were not their responsibility. The path is now once again clear.

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 If there are any other similar obstructions on footpaths in the area please let me know.

Council meeting 29th April

The final meeting of the current council year was held in Romsey yesterday. Councillors unanimously applauded the excellent job done over the past year by the current mayor Brian Page. He has set a standard which future mayors will struggle to meet. Also present was a previous, and highly regarded, mayor Cllr Rod Bailey, now recovering from his recent illness. We all wish him a speedy recovery, we need councillors of his experience and knowledge.

 Council approved several items relevant to Alamein and Andover.

Proposals to transfer monitoring of Andover CCTV to an office in the New Forest were passed. Given the expected cost savings we had to do so but I am still concerned about who is monitoring what and whom. I intend to raise this matter at the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee so that we can debate in public the principles and effectiveness of these cameras.

Also approved were the Andover town access plan intended to improve public access to facilities in and around the town and the Test Valley Cycle Strategy intended to establish a cycle network around Andover and south the the rest of the borough. Both plans will mean improvements to footpaths, cycle ways and roads around Andover. But some are dependant on future funding or have no funding at present. I intend to ensure the programs are completed as soon as possible. I was especially pleased to see officers have taken note of Smannell parish councillor Nigel Gooding’s call of a cycle route between Enham and Smannell to allow a safe route for chidren to cycle to Smannell School.

I am pleased to report that I gained an important concession on the matter of a lorry park for Andover (see earlier story at http://lengates.mycouncillor.org.uk/2008/12/28/lorry-park-for-andover/). The cabinet proposal that no further action be taken has been modifed to one which says the council will monitor the need for and then facilitate the establishment of a commercial lorry park. In the meantime council officers will patrol and enforce existing lorry parking regulations. 

Finally council also approved the consultation on a town council for Andover (see previous story http://lengates.mycouncillor.org.uk/2009/04/26/consultation-on-andover-town-council/). Consultation documents will be delivered over the next month. I urge everyone to return them with a resounding yes for a town council and the parishing of Andover.

Help to stop fly-tipping in your area

Residents in King Arthur’s Way are being urged to contact the Council if they see anyone fly-tipping in the local area.

The plea comes after Environmental Services Officers carried out an inspection of the area and found a large amount of waste left on streets and in open spaces.

Councillor Peter Boulton, Portfolio Holder for Environment said. “It is a shame that a small number of people are spoiling the local environment for everyone. Illegally dumped waste is not only unsightly but it also poses a health risk. Our Cleansing Team works hard to ensure that areas are monitored and that any litter and fly-tipping is cleaned up but we would encourage residents to get in contact with the Council if they do witness anyone flytipping in their area. It is an offence and anyone caught will face prosecution and can be fined up to £50,000 if convicted.”

If residents do have any large or bulky waste to dispose of then there are a number of options including:

  • Taking waste free of charge to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.
  • Arranging for the Council to collect the waste as part of the Bulky Waste Collection Service (one item costs £13.00 to collect and multiple items cost £26.00). If you are claiming benefits, you may qualify for a free collection.
  • Arranging a collection through a company who are privately registered to carry waste.
  • Donating items to charity shops or organisations for example, Testway’s ‘Twice as Nice.’

For information on all of these options please contact the Council’s Customers Services Team on 01264 368000 or visit www.testvalley.gov.uk.

I welcome this initiative. It is re-assuring to know that Environmental Services officers are monitoring flytipping and taking action to prosecute flytippers. However the problem does not just occur on King Arthur’s Way but across Alamein ward and the rest of Andover particularly in public open spaces. I urge residents to report flytipped rubbish and flytippers wherever it occurs. When there are services available to remove rubbish and there is a public waste disposal site in Andover there is no excuse for dumping rubbish on the streets.