Northwood Parish Council

Posted by Admin on 26 September 2016, 11:48 pm

MEETINGS

Meetings of the Parish Council are held on the first Tuesday of the month, commencing at 6.30pm.
The meeting of the Planning Committee, if required, is held on the third Tuesday of the month, commencing at 6.30pm.

N.B. Copies of the associated meeting papers are available upon prior request to the clerk or can be obtained after each meeting.

ALL MEETINGS ARE HELD AT
NORTHWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL, WYATTS LANE, NORTHWOOD

unless otherwise stated.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND THE PRESS ARE VERY WELCOME TO ATTEND.

The comments made in the following articles represent the views of the individual contributors, rather than Northwood Parish Council

NORTHWOOD PARISH COUNCIL REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2016

POLICE REPORT
In the absence of PCSO Howard, PCSO Lisa Gray attended the meeting and presented the report from the Local Neighbourhood Police team. Particular mention was made of the following: the current team and the forthcoming changes of personnel due to occur by 4 October; three crimes had been committed during the month of August, compared to ten for the same period in 2015;the new community priorities that had been set at the PACT meeting in July, these being –to reduce the number of bicycle thefts in Cowes; to reduce the incidents of alcohol related public disorder within the night time economy in Cowes High Street; to assist in the prevention and detection of criminal damage within the Cowes locality.
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Cllr Ward highlighted that the police website indicated that 8 offences had taken place in Northwood under the heading as being either sexual assaults and/or violent offences. It was very unclear as to the exact nature of the offences, which could be rather disconcerting for people potentially looking to move to the area. PCSO Paul clarified that as far as she was aware no sexual offences had occurred in Northwood, although the crimes committed did also cover those of violent nature against a person. PCSO Paul confirmed that only one domestic violence had occurred since the beginning of July.

GOAL POSTS
With regard to the football nets on the Venner avenue play area, the clerk had taken initial remedial action to repair them over the summer period. However, due to their constant use this was really just a temporary measure and it was now necessary for the nets to be replaced. It was decided that a pair of 4.5 mm nets be obtained from Stadia Sports at a cost of £50.73 each, together with a supply of Net Hooks at £0.65 each, with the costs to be deducted from the funding held specifically for the benefit of the community.

ISLAND COUNCIL CONSULTATION
The Draft Scheme for the establishment of a Solent Mayoral Combined Authority. Councillors were referred to the proposed plans to create a Solent Combined Authority. The IW Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council were negotiating a deal with Government to secure extra powers and funding for the area. The draft scheme had been prepared to support an analysis of whether the creation of a combined authority would improve the exercise of statutory functions in relation to the area. In discussion, councillors expressed their mixed views as to whether the proposals would be of benefit to the Island, agreeing that at the present time there was insufficient detail available on such an important matter. Further information was required so to enable a truly informed decision to be taken.

PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE
Cllr Ward advised of the progress he had undertaken on the website. The clerk had forwarded a number of changes to be made. Once these had been actioned then the website could go live. The website was very clear and simply laid out making it easy for anyone to access. It was suggested to highlight the website to the public that a competition be run in conjunction with the local schools. Children could be asked to take photos of the area, with the best ones being awarded a small prize. This suggestion to be considered further at the next meeting.

PARISH COUNCIL ASSETS
Cllr Pullen advised that, having inspected all the Parish Council’s assets listed, generally the majority appeared to be in reasonable order. The main concern centred on the wooden planters and tubs. One situated in the Newport Road was in a very poor condition. However, this was to be repaired shortly at a cost of £30. The nine wooden troughs were all showing signs of wear and thought would need to be given early next year, as to whether they should be replaced or removed. It was queried as to whether the metal seat on Medham Green had been removed or not.
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Cowes Town Council is holding some public consultation regarding the facilities at Northwood Recreation Ground. Councillors would like to include the comments from the residents of Northwood and Gurnard as well as Cowes as they feel that many outside of Cowes use the facilities. The survey form can be downloaded from the Town Council website, with hard copies available from the office.