Northwood Parish Council and Northwood Community Partnership

Posted by Admin on 22 June 2008, 12:00 am

THE NORTHWOOD REPORT

The views expressed are those of the contributors, and are not necessarily those of Northwood Parish Council or Northwood Community Partnership.

FUTURE MEETINGS:

All meetings are held in Northwood School Hall. Please enter school via playground to south. Members of the Public are welcome to attend.

Northwood Parish Council
Tuesday 1st July at 7.00pm
Key Agenda Items: Allotments, Housing needs survey, Parish Plan priorities, Community engagement.

Northwood Parish Council (Planning Committee)
Tuesday 15th July at 6.30pm
(To be confirmed – contact Parish Clerk, Barbara Herbert for details Tel: 01983 290086)

Northwood Community Partnership, Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 15th July at 7.00pm
(For details contact Eileen Turner-Palmerton on 01983 282242)

Northwood Parish Council
Tuesday 5th August at 7.00pm
Key Agenda Items: Northwood Community Partnership – The way forward.

Northwood Parish Council (Planning Committee)
Tuesday 19th August at 8.00pm
(To be confirmed – contact Parish Clerk, Barbara Herbert for details Tel: 01983 290086)
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NORTHWOOD IN BLOOM 2008
(Ron Willis – Northwood In Bloom Tel: 01983 200452)

As usual judging for Northwood In Bloom will embark in the first two weeks of July. It is not necessary to apply to enter, as all gardens are entered automatically. Prizes will be handed out at the Northwood Village Produce Association’s Annual Show at 2.30pm, on Saturday 23rd August (see page 3).

If you wish to see the work of the Association all are welcome. Youngsters are again encouraged to get involved. Entrants’ forms are available through Ron. Contact 01983 200452 for further information.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT
(John Pullen, Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator Tel: 01983 281250)

Summer Break-ins.
Each summer at least one home in Northwood is entered by opportunistic burglars – please ensure it isn’t yours!

Whilst the weather is hot, walk-in burglars look for the open windows, unlocked doors, unsecured garden sheds etc. They can be in, steal items, and be out often without the householder knowing until later. Please ensure you lock your doors, especially the modern double-glazed doors, when not in use. Also, a number of burglaries arose recently where items have been stolen from unlocked cars – sometimes on driveways! These burglaries often occur whilst occupants are nearby!

NORTHWOOD COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP REPORT
(Colin Palmerton, NCP Chairman, Tel: 01983 282242)

The Partnership AGM will be held on Tuesday 15th July, 2008 at 7.00pm in Northwood Primary School Hall. Please try to attend. After all, it’s your village and your community.

We now have our new Parish Council firmly in place and they have already identified many areas they wish to address. All residents are encouraged to give the new Council every support to ensure that Northwood remains as the wonderful village in which we all live.

Allotments

One item on their July Agenda will be the subject of Allotments. The Partnership has been collecting names from local residents and the Parish Council now has a statutory role to take action due to the threshold of requests being met. In some cases, it may be necessary for the Council to confirm requests made.

The Future?

At our last meeting it was made very clear that the Partnership wishes to continue serving Northwood residents as it has done, in various formats, for very many years. From the Partnership’s perspective, the Parish Council has to decide how they wish to consider our future status within the local community.

There appear to be two possible options:

1. The Partnership remains as a stand-alone organisation. This results in having no direct involvement with the P.C. and a possibility that there could be duplication of effort. Any future project funding would require the Partnership to find and obtain these funds. However, some funding streams, available to the Partnership, may well not be available to the P.C.

2. The Partnership becomes a project arm of the P.C. This option would enable the Council to pass on schemes to benefit the local community which may not be considered achievable by them. The Partnership would still be able to access funds in their own right but would also give an opportunity to apply for funds directly from the P.C. who would have their own funding streams.

The decision as to which option is preferred will be resolved and adopted as soon as possible.

Northwood Gnomes

Ron Willis and the ’Northwood Gnomes’ have been out and about again.
Troughs and Planters are planted for the summer, thanks to a grant of £300. Containers have been refurbished at a cost of £50.

Notice Board Update

The new village Notice Board is ready, thanks to an award of £800, from the Community Chest Award scheme. The board will be fixed on the triangle of grass adjacent to the Horseshoe Inn. Details have been submitted to the IW Council and we await their permission for it to be put in place.

Gazebo Hire

Are you having a big family get-together in the village?

The partnership owns a quite large lightweight marquee. It is available to borrow, for any local resident. Although it is not intended to be as robust as an all-weather covering, it does keep the sun off your head! It has demountable walls and clear plastic windows. There is no formal charge for its use although a donation to its upkeep would be very acceptable. Please contact John Pullen on 01983 281250.

FREE (!) Cavity Wall Insulation

Finally, we would like to mention a scheme which may well benefit those village residents who are over 70, or in receipt of certain State Benefits. You are entitled to FREE cavity wall and loft insulation. The scheme is run via IOW Warmahomes, who can be contacted on 01983 822282. Alternatively you can find out more through Age Concern. There really is no catch and if you qualify there are no small print conditions.

NORTHWOOD PARISH COUNCIL REPORT
(Cllr Paul Fuller, Interim Parish Council Chairman, Tel: 01983 289595)

Parish Council Update

My term as Interim Chairman is due to come to an end. The Parish Council has said goodbye, good luck and a big thank you to our clerk Maxine Yule, who is working full time as clerk to Newport Town Council. Replacing Maxine, we welcome Barbara Herbert who takes on the role of Clerk and Financial Officer for our Council. Again we are very lucky to recruit an excellent clerk from our village, and recognise Barbara’s local knowledge and understanding of local government to be invaluable. Barbara is also clerk to Chale Parish Council.

This month the Council are expecting to co-opt a new Parish Councillor and under its new Chairman will get to grips with supporting the priorities outlined in our Parish Plan. During the summer the Parish Council will be looking at best practice elsewhere, and seeing how best we can incorporate these practices here! We also look forward to reinforcing links with the Community Partnership.

Housing Needs Survey

The Parish Council has resolved to undertake a Housing Needs Survey, to gauge whether there is a need from our community for affordable housing in Northwood. With increases in house prices, it is becoming more difficult for local families to remain living in the village. Without young families, village sustainability can be lost; this could mean schools, local shops and local clubs suffer in the long term.

The purpose of creating Affordable Housing is to enable people on modest incomes who cannot afford, due to local house prices, to live locally. Only people with a connection to the village by birth, previous or current residence or close family ties or employment are eligible to live in these properties. Homes can be rented through a registered social landlord, with rents set low enough for people to be able to afford or claim housing benefit. Part purchase, i.e. partly rent and partly mortgage, is possible.

In the months ahead, working in partnership with the Rural Community Council, Northwood Parish Council are hoping to stage a programme to listen to the views of all residents. For updates, see Roger’s Report, the village website www.northwoodvillage.org.uk or the village notice board. In the meantime we urge anyone in need of housing to contact the IW Council to apply to be placed on the IW Housing Register, if they haven't already done so.

Northwood Bus Services

Following complaints from residents in Cowes, Gurnard & Northwood, IW Councillor John Effemey is to call a meeting between local residents, Parish & Town Councillors and Bus Operators. The meeting will investigate ideas for improving our local bus services. If you are interested in getting involved please let me know!