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Parish Council – February & March 2021

Due to government regulations prohibiting public meetings the Jan 7th, 2021 Parish Council meeting was held online, using the Zoom platform. This is in line with national advice. There is no indication of how long these conditions will persist, but it is likely that meetings will take place online for the next 3 months at the very least.

Parishioners wanting to participate in the Public Session should check the Agenda on the Public notice boards, or the Website, for the meeting ID on Zoom.

We have no idea at this stage of how long the present lockdown will continue, but it will be months rather than weeks. The new variant of the virus has made it more widespread and I imagine all of us now know victims personally. There have been a number in the village, and many more in the locality to the point where the General Hospital has struggled to cope.

The Parish Council is now 4 members short of its full quota of 11. There is an election due in May, which we hope will take place (it having already been postponed once). In the meantime, we are able to co-opt new members, subject to them being eligible. The Parish Council really does need active new members, preferably familiar with IT – so if you feel that is you – please contact me or the Chair (details below this article).

Reports from the District and County Councillors.
Cllr Phil Bignell expressed concerns about the spread of COVID-19 and anticipated stricter regulations.

Cllr Adam Brown reported that the LGR was ongoing, that West Northamptonshire (WN) authority would come into being on April 1st. Parish and District elections were still set for May. WN leadership team is now in place and further appointments can now be made. A budget will be set shortly with a “safety first” intention. There will be a full review of all services. It is hoped that a combination of a new Highways contractor and new technology/methods will improve the situation on the roads. Children’s services will be bought in house again.

Cllr David Harries expressed concerns about shadow councillors talking about keeping rates as low as possible. He felt that this was the very attitude that had caused the demise of NCC – not putting up the rates and driving the authority into the ground. Cllr AB said that WN would increase the rates by the maximum allowed without going to referendum.

Reports
Lights Bracket lamp on junction of Weedon Rd and Church Lane reported out. AW/CK to inform Clerk of which other lights were out.

The Green / Play Area – NH reported a bin overflowing. Clerk to check. The bid for New Homes Bonus money towards a new Play Area had been turned down. This would be the last opportunity for this form of funding. CK had identified another possible source of funding.

Allotments Virtual Rent Night to take place on Jan 21st. Rent letters would include Bank details and encourage online payment.

Churchyard In good order, STS to pollard the Limes in the Churchyard shortly.

Joint Burial Board No meeting had been possible. A co-option would enable a meeting on Jan 25th.

Youth Club Still closed and would be until the tier system ends.

Canal Furnace Lane bridge brickwork not yet repaired. Paths boggy.

Yellow Lines around School It was resolved to request that yellow lines be extended along Middle St to the bottleneck on both sides of the road. Form to be filled in and passed to the school for comment.

Grass-cutting Contracts 3 tenders had been received. It was resolved to accept Mr Simons’ (the existing contractor) quotation for cutting the village green and verges.

Police Liaison Representative to act as a single point of contact with Northamptonshire Police. It was resolved that Charles Kiloh to take on the role.

Budget and Precept for 2020 -21
Budget set at £91,450.00 as recommended by the Finance Committee.

Precept set at £90,000.00. This represented an increase of 12.4%. Any shortfall to come from the general reserve.

Increased expenditure on maintenance was anticipated on the Green, in the cemetery and churchyard, especially on trees and benches. There would be annual wage increments on salaries for the PCSO, Clerk and Linkman. Election expenses were also anticipated.

Reporting Highway and Footpath Issues. The Clerk will report issues that Council is made aware of, but Council would encourage residents to use the FixMyStreet service to report issues themselves as there will then be no time lag and first-hand reports are almost always better than 2nd or 3rd hand reports. The service can be found here: www.fixmystreet.com  It is easy to use; you can have your own account and can check up on any issues you have reported.

Streetlights within the village can be reported to the Clerk, who will report them to the maintenance company.

Parish Council meetings in 2021 will continue to be on the first Monday of each month, (unless a Bank Holiday) and start at 19:30. The next ones are Monday February 1st  & Monday March 1st (Online on Zoom Meeting ID is available from the Nether Heyford Parish Council Website )

NetherHeyfordParishCouncilThePrattlerOcotber2020

Clerk to the Parish Council: Guy Ravine, c/o Old Dairy Farm, Upper Stowe, Weedon, Northamptonshire, NN7 4SH
Telephone: 07935 931787
Email: netherheyfordparishcouncil@gmail.com

For further useful information about Nether Heyford Parish Council and full contact details for the clerk and the Councillors please visit:

Nether Heyford Parish Council Website 

Letters: Food bank – Get Help or Give Help

Towcester-Food-Bank

Website: www.towcester.foodbank.org.uk

GetHelp

Get Help:

Don’t go hungry – if you are in need of help, please contact Towcester Food Bank 07724 832043 (24 hours). Leave a message and they will phone you back. They can issue vouchers for food as well as a delivery or collection service. Alternatively contact South Northamptonshire Council Money Advice Team on 01327 322275 email: moneyadvice@southnorthants.gov.uk

GiveHelp

Give Help:

Alternatively if you wish to help, you may donate food:

Towcester Food Bank:

St. John Ambulance garage, Islington Road, Towcester during the following times: Tuesdays 12:00 to 14:00 & Fridays 10:30 to 12:30

www.towcester.foodbank.org.uk

Daventry & Weedon Food Banks:

In the box outside the door of 15 Middle Street, Nether Heyford (they are then delivered twice a week)

www.daventryfoodbank.org.uk

Advertising in The Prattler

The Prattler is the local village newspaper for Nether Heyford and Upper Heyford , Northamptonshire, England, UK. 

Delivered free to every house, 10 months a year, since 1977. 

Newspaper facts:

Advertisement rates per issue:

  • Full Page £30
  • 1/2 page £15
  • 1/4 page £10
  • Business Card  £5

Full page £30 example:

ThePrattler_FullPage

Half page £15 examples:

ThePrattler_HalfPageExample.jpg
ThePrattler_HalfPageExample2

Quarter page £10 examples:

HeyfordPrattlerQuarters

Business card  £5 examples:

HeyfordPrattlerBusinessCards

Advertising benefits:

  • Approx number of readers viewing advertisement in each issue is 1875 people.
  • Estimated average retention rate of publication in household is 28 days.
  • Highly targeted advertising reaching approx 99.9% of the village population.
  • Our advertising partners are widely viewed as contributors to a community asset.
  • New for 2019  – The Prattler is also uploaded monthly to HeyfordPrattler.org 

Booking deadline:

All advert bookings should be made before the 15th of the month for the next issue.

Email: heyford_prattler@yahoo.co.uk

Artwork deadline:

Advertising artwork should be sent to the Editor before the 20th of the month for the next issue.

Email: heyford_prattler@yahoo.co.uk

The Prattler – Editors notes

You may have noticed that this edition looks a bit different than usual. Its thinner and covers the next two months. Unfortunately due to the current lockdown and covid crisis, the Prattler is having to cut back on its publication costs and contents. Therefore we have decided that for the next few months, we will be publishing once every two months instead of monthly. This is so we can conserve our savings until activities restart later in the year.

Thank you to the advertisers and contributors for your continued support.

Sue Boutle – Editor

Edition 440 – February/March 2021

The Prattler is run by an active voluntary committee comprising of Sue Boutle, Christine Watts, Vicki Hamblin, Jez Wilson, Nick Essex, Richard Musson and Mary Rice. If you would like to submit articles or have any suggestions for future issues, please contact us.

The newspaper is supported by donations from the Parish Council, the Parish Church, the Baptist Church, Heyford W.I., Heyford Gardening Club, Heyford Singers, the Bowls Club, the Village Hall and Heyford Picturedrome as well as our advertisers.

Thanks are also due to the volunteers who distribute it every month.

Village Hall – News – February 2021

Although the village hall is not being used again, during this third lock-down, the management committee is still working hard at managing and maintaining the building. In addition to a complete redecoration, the hall is now undergoing its annual checks for Gas Appliances, Electrical Safety and Fire Extinguishers. When, at last, a new normality is restored, the hall will be ready and waiting to welcome back its regular user groups.

In the meantime, we are grateful for all the dedicated voluntary work going on behind the scenes.

Alwyne Wilson – 01327 340803

Chairman, Village Hall Management Committee

 

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The Royal British Legion Nether Heyford Women’s Section

As stated in the previous Prattler, here is an update on the Poppy Appeal Fundraising over the last couple of months.

Firstly, my thanks to everyone who has been involved in the fundraising and to all the donors who are listed below. If I have missed anyone, please accept my apologies and thanks on behalf of The Royal British Legion. The support given to such a worthy cause is much appreciated.

I have collected the monies given and have paid these into our Bank. The total collected is £622.37.

Jez Wilson published the names earlier, but I would like to thank those that donated who include:

Gary Richmond, Aly & Rich, Joan & Alex, Trev Clarkey, Marie Hanlon, Sarah Hawkins, Birkett family, Jadine, Simon & Debbie, Heyford Athletic FC, Brian and Maxine Edgington, Stu and Emma, Sue & Tony Boutle, Jez Wilson, Gary McMahon, Lesley Faulkner, Jill Garratt, The Gilkes Family, The Wray’s, Lynn Adey, Mark, Sally and Emily Stroman, Ms Patricia Wakeman, Lisa King & many more donors who chose to remain anonymous.

I would also like to thank Claire Green, one of our members, for the donation of £127.30 being the proceeds from the sale of masks and various other items. These were made by the Adult Education Unit which Claire works for. Our heartfelt thanks to these special people who have made a difference.

Our small Branch is always looking for new members so, ladies, if you would like to join and come to our meetings, you would be most welcome. We fund raise and have a meeting on the first Thursday of the month and have some interesting speakers. If you feel that this would interest you, come and join us. Please contact Kath Pancoust, our Branch Secretary, for further details on 01327 340034 or email/message The Prattler and they can connect you with one of the British Legion members so you can find out more about membership.


Kind regards

Caroline Elliott – Treasurer – February 2020

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The Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants.

There are approximately 2,500 Royal British Legion branches across the UK and overseas. They are focal points for social activity, Remembrance and support the Armed Forces community in all kinds of ways.In local communities they play a vital role in helping hard-to-reach individuals and tackling problems like loneliness and isolation.

https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/

Fundraising page (now closed): https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/netherheyfordbritishlegion

Flood Watch – February/March 2021

Flood Watch

2020 will go down in history not only for Covid but for the extremes of weather that set new records for wettest February, sunniest Spring, heat wave in late July/August. Excessive rainfall in October and December resulted in the annual rainfall total exceeding average levels by 20%. Especially noteworthy was the 35mm that fell on 23rd December resulting in flooding levels not seen since March 2016 when the E-W culvert caused flooding in the middle of the Village. River level rose by 2m resulting in extensive flooding along the Nene. Notable was the evacuation of the Billing Aquadrome caravan site down stream of Northampton. The good news was that the alterations to the E-W culvert outflow prevented a repeat of the devastating event of 2016.

As the year ended the UK was battered by storm Bella followed by a period of excessively cold weather when temperatures barely rose above freezing. This continued into the start of 2021, interrupted by brief periods when temperature rose to more typical winter levels of around 5 to 8 degrees.

As we move further into 2021 the next major storm Christoph (to be followed by Darcy) could cause more flooding whilst the immediate future appears to remain unsettled with longer term forecasts being even more uncertain. However the only certainty is that daylight hours will continue to increase by 3 hours with the end of winter and the spring equinox and the change from GMT to BST on 28th March. As a result lighter evenings will return.

The flooding on 24th December prompted some research into the archives for the River Nene locally dating back to 1945. As increased flow rates are a sure indication of flooding events a rate of 5 cum/sec resulted in 160 events while 10 cum/sec occurred 11 times. These correlated with my own records of flooding over 23 years with the events of March 2016 and December 24th 2020 corresponding to a 10 cum/sec event. Also apparent was the increase of 10 cum/sec events since 2000, a clear consequence of climate change!

A major event in 2001 year event, namely the Saturn/Jupiter alignment in Aquarius on 21st December was a non-event due to cloud cover.

The E/A has still failed to make any progress in securing funding for completion of flood defences in the Village. As a reminder of the continuing risks I have forwarded copies of photographs of the flooding on 24th December and reminded them of the potential impact of climate change to stress the need for action now!

J.Arnold

Village Welcome Packs

Welcome packs are available for newcomers to the village.

The information in them helps people feel at home quickly.

If you notice that someone has moved in recently, get a pack for them delivered by calling:

Sue Morris, 21 The Green, Nether Heyford. Telephone: 01327 349387

The Story of Heyford (Extra): The Ox Hovel

The Ox Hovel

The ox-hovel was first mentioned in the sale of the farm in 1758. Several local estates were being sold by auction after the death of William, Duke of Powis. The ox-hovel seems to have been built with stone from an earlier demolished manor house. It includes several interesting features such as rounded corners and substantial stonework suggesting this was an important building on the farm.

The auction took place on Monday 13th November, 1758 and the two following days at Covent Garden. The ox-hovel and the surrounding fields were part of lot seven, up for sale for £2200 and they were brought by John Devall for £2440.

The ox-hovel was used for cattle until the mid 1970s when the farm gave up its dairy herd. Over the years the thatched roof was replaced with a corrugated iron roof. At that time this was seen as a great improvement. Since the 1970s the ox-hovel was left derelict and was subjected to various forms of anti-social behaviour and was even set on fire. Restoration work was performed.

This is a rare and interesting building the like of which is not know anywhere else in Northamptonshire and may be one of the few examples of early cattle housing buildings of this type left in the whole country.

Historic England listing: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1471129

Jez Wilson

Local Government Reorganisation. All Change for Councils in Northamptonshire – 2021

Local Government Reorganisation. All Change for Councils in Northamptonshire.

Local government in Northamptonshire is changing. The existing system, which has been in place since the 1970s, is like a three-tier cake.

The bottom layer is parish and town councils which typically cover one village or town. The middle layer is borough and district councils, which are responsible for things like planning applications, collecting the bins, tourism, and dealing with benefits. The top layer is the county council, which is responsible for things like social services, education, and highways.

From 1 April 2021 the top two layers of the cake are being replaced with one layer, known as unitary councils. There will be two in Northamptonshire: North Northamptonshire Council, and West Northamptonshire Council. Parish and town councils remain as they are.

West Northamptonshire Council will cover the area currently covered by Daventry District Council, Northampton Borough Council, and South Northamptonshire Council. The area contains the towns of Northampton, Daventry, Towcester and Brackley and nearly two hundred villages and hamlets. West Northamptonshire Council will be one of the larger unitary councils in England. It will be responsible for all the services currently being provided in the area by the district, borough, and county councils.

The main reason for replacing the district, borough and county councils with unitary councils is to save money. Northamptonshire County Council had well-publicised financial issues in 2017 and 2018, which led to a government inspection of the council. The inspector’s report recommended that creating unitary councils was the best solution.

Most people will not notice any difference, certainly in the first few years of the unitary councils. In fact, great efforts are being made to ensure that is the case. For example, the lorry collecting the rubbish might have a different logo on it, but the bins will still be collected. Council services will continue as normal, and any changes will be gradual.

From 2021 you will see three lines on your council tax bill. You will pay an amount for the parish or town council that looks after your village or town, an amount for Northamptonshire Police, and an amount for West Northamptonshire Council for all the council services it provides. The amount you pay to each body is set by that body.

West Northamptonshire Council will have 93 councillors, who will be chosen at the local elections on 6 May 2021. Some will be people who have been district, borough, and county councillors before; others will be new. Anyone over 18 and living in West Northamptonshire can put themselves forward to be a councillor. The councillors elected in 2021 will serve a four-year term of office and may seek re-election in 2025.

Council meetings are held in public, and all the information, reports, and papers for the meetings are published on the council’s web site. Councils are open and democratic bodies and are accountable to the people they serve.

More information: https://futurenorthantswest.org/