News

Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) have seen an enormous demand with considerable traffic queuing and waiting times since they re-opened. The nearest to Whitchurch is in Andover.

Booking system from mid-JuneFrom mid-June Hampshire County Council will be establishing a pre-booking system for residents in a move to manage demand and reduce queuing traffic.

Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader at Hampshire County Council, said:

“We have recently extended opening hours, which has helped, but with very high demand and long queues persisting at a number of sites, we now need to consider other options, including limiting visits with a pre-booking system.”

With new measures in place at HWRCs for safe social distancing, the number of vehicles now able to access each site at any one time is much less than before the Coronavirus outbreak.

Traffic has impacted local peopleResidents have been urged to make use of kerbside collections provided by district and borough councils and only visit an HWRC at this time if they cannot safely store waste at home, but traffic queues have continued to be significant at a number of HWRCs across the county.  This traffic has impacted on local people trying to get to work as well as having a detrimental impact on the ability for businesses nearby to get back up and running and deliver essential services.

Councillor Humby continued:

“However, the level of demand we are currently seeing cannot be accommodated with social distancing and safe working requirements without long delays, and therefore we will need to bring in more significant changes.”

Booking aheadSimilar booking systems have been introduced elsewhere in the country, not just for HWRCs but recreational activities such as gardens and parks. The system will allow for between 25 – 30,000 visits per week and people will be able to book several days’ ahead. The new pre-booking system will be operating at all Hampshire HWRCs from mid-June.

Full details on how to book will follow.

Councillor Humby said:

“I’d ask people once again to take notice of highway signs, be considerate of others and not block roads or junctions when queuing.”

Further information is available at: www.hants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling

The process for filling the vacant post caused by the resignation of Cllr Isbester from Whitchurch Town Council has officially commenced with issue today of the Notice of Vacancy.

The first stage is to determine whether local residents wish there to be an Election.

This requires at least TEN ELECTORS to request an election IN WRITING and to send their request IN THE NEXT FOURTEEN DAYS (excl Bank Holidays, Saturdays and Sundays) to:

RETURNING OFFICER of the BASINGSTOKE AND DEANE BOROUGH COUNCIL, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 4AH

The Town Council has announced that BDBC, who administer elections, have advised that if an election is requested by ten or more electors, it won’t take place until May 2021.

For anyone considering standing there are further details on how to become a Town (Parish) Councillor here:BECOMING A COUNCILLOR – REQUIREMENTS

IF YOU WANT A CHANCE TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR ELECTION NOW IS THE TIME TO GET THOSE REQUESTS IN

Here is a copy of the OFFICIAL NOTICE.

Note that the Town Community website is only passing information on and anyone wanting any official information should contact the Returning Officer.

Whitchurch Town Council has announced the latest news on the refurbishment of the Town Hall.

Plans for refurbishmentThe Queen Anne Listed Building has required work for a number of years. A recent Planning Application was approved for the refurbishment with plans including the installation of a lift, accessible toilet facilities and changes to the internal layout.

FundingThe costs for the extensive works are to come from s106 (developer provided) funding of which there is £175,119. It is hoped the remainder will be obtained by grants.

Councillors Andy Klemz, John Wall and Tracy Woodruff have been appointed as a Steering Group to “oversee the refurbishment work of the renovation project from obtaining the funds, reviewing tenders and overseeing the contract.”

A historic building with an extensive historyThe Town Hall is a Grade II* Listed Building, being built in 1791 during the reign of Queen Anne. It has been home for several uses including for the Mechanics Institute and Reading Society, a shelter for Military Units passing through Whitchurch and in 1919 for the National Federation of Discharged Soldiers and Sailors.

The National Fire Service has been stationed in the building and more recently the Midland Bank, later the HSBC, used the downstairs area. One lesser claim to fame was that when HSBC were present it was said to have the lowest ATM in the UK which may have caused a few backaches when withdrawing cash.

Since 1972 it has been used by the Town Council. The Chamber which is used for meetings contains a number of historic items including the large bell from the time when it was the Fire Station, tapestries, paintings and a model of the town.

It is managed by the Whitchurch Town Hall Trust which consists of the 12 Whitchurch Town Councillors.

From Basingstoke & Deane:

BULKY WASTE and GARDEN WASTE services to resume

Some waste and recycling services in Basingstoke and Deane are set to resume from next week as staffing levels begin to stabilise following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Bulky waste and garden waste collections services will be reintroduced in phases as part of a plan agreed with bin contractor Serco.

Fortnightly Collections to continueWaste collections, which were reduced to a fortnightly collection on Monday 20 April and have the biggest impact on staffing, will remain on the current collection schedule until both the council and Serco are confident the weekly service can be sustained by the crews during the pandemic.

Bulky Waste collections to recommenceBookings for the council’s bulky waste collection service will go live on Tuesday 26 May, with collections starting the following week. Residents can request a booking online at BULKY WASTE

Deliveries of bins and glass containers to residents who have requested them, will also start from this date.

Garden Waste Collections to recommence from mid-JuneFollowing the suspension of the service in March, garden waste customers will see a return to their fortnightly collection service from mid-June.All existing customers will receive a letter advising them of the start date and information regarding the extension of their annual subscription.No new customers can be accepted to the service at this time but this will be reviewed.

Monitoring will continueMonitoring of the services and staffing numbers affected by self-isolation will continue to take place. If a reliable service cannot be maintained or if waste, recycling or clinical waste services are affected, these services could be suspended again.

For more information on the services and frequently asked questions visit:COVID-19, BINS and RECYCLING

Chief Executive Mel Barrett is to leave Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council later this year.

The announcement comes after Mel was appointed to the role of Chief Executive at Nottingham City Council yesterday (Monday 18 May).

Mel, who has been chief executive at the borough council for five years, will continue to lead the council’s response to the coronavirus outbreak and recovery planning for the area in the coming months, before he is expected to take up his new role in September.

Mel said:

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as Chief Executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for the last five years. I have seen how hard the staff team work and how committed the councillors are to doing the best for the people they serve.Working together, this has allowed the council to achieve so much, and to continue to provide services which, time after time through our Residents’ Survey, people here tell us contribute to making Basingstoke and Deane a great place to live.”

The full News Release is here:Chief Executive Mel Barrett is to leave Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council later this year.