Old Marston Parish Council

Old Marston Parish Council bulletin

September 2006

This is the first newsletter from the Old Marston Parish Council and it is intended to produce this quarterly to give you information about your Parish Council

In this Issue  Boults Lane Recreation Ground What Is a Parish Council?  Football Pavilion What does Old Marston Parish Council  The land the Scout Hut stands on. do?  Mortimer Hall Recreation Ground Recent matters discussed  The land Mortimer Hall stands on. A Profile of two members of the Parish  Mill Lane Allotments Council  Cemetery Contact details of your Parish Councillors Most of Boults Lane recreation ground and all of Mortimer Hall recreation What is a Parish Council? ground form a Charity of which the Parish Councillors are trustees. Parish Councils represent small geographical areas. There are 234 The Parish Council is responsible for the Parish Councils in Oxfordshire, 4 of upkeep of these facilities which includes which are within the City boundary ensuring the facilities are safe and paying for maintenance and replacement A parish or town council is democratically of equipment. They also ensure that elected once every four years and adequate insurance is in place. comprises, on average, 12 councillors. Parish and town councils can raise a The land which Mortimer Hall stands on precept (a local rate) which is collected is leased to the Mortimer Hall by the district council as part of the Management Committee for a council tax. Parish and town councils peppercorn rent of 5p per year. The land play an important role in the local which the Scout Hut stands on is leased community and are a vital link to City and to the Scouts for £5 a year. The county councils and other agencies on Allotments are managed by the local issues. Allotments Association. What does Old Marston Parish The Parish Council makes small Council do? grants to local organisations. This year grants were given to Old Marston Council meets on the first Tuesday of each month (except August) Mortimer Hall Pre-school £200 at 7.30pm at Mortimer Hall. Members of OXSRAD £300 the public are welcome to attend but are Marston Times (St Nicholas PCC) £250 only permitted to speak if invited to do Toddler Group £200 so. Old Marston Allotments Ass £100 Old Marston Over 50’s Club £150 Old Marston Parish Council owns Friends of St Nicholas School £300 Marston Saints Football Club £260 the 12 places. The 3 remaining places were declared as vacant to be filled by Grants are considered at the November co-option. At the June meeting five meeting. Grant application forms are people stood for co-option. Voting took available from the Clerk. place and the three places were filled by Dr Graham Swift, Michael Cadd and Presentation to Christine Stone Hugh Deam.

At the July meeting Christine Stone was Consideration has been given to presented with a set of glasses in employing a minutes secretary to assist recognition and thanks for the 33 years the Clerk and discussions continue. she had served on the Parish Council, 6 years of which were as Vice Chairman. PC Wizard attended the June meeting Thank you Christine. and reported that the crime was currently low in the area. Councillors requested What Happens at a Parish Council that he pay attention to youths riding meeting? unlicensed motorbikes on open spaces John Batey is the representative to the and cars parked on verges especially in City Council North East Area Committee. Oxford Road and Mortimer Drive. John reports back any discussions regarding the Parish. Mr Manson, the Local Auditor, attended the meeting and reported on the Copies of planning applications are satisfactory content and presentation of discussed and comments sent to the accounts for the Parish Council for City Council Planning Department. 2005/06.

The football pavilion at Boults Lane no A Tree Consultant’s report was received longer meets today’s standards and four which recommended felling about 30 representatives of the Parish Council trees plus other work in the Parish. Three form a Steering Committee with Marston contractors would be approached for Saints football club to discuss its quotations for this work. replacement and the drainage of the recreation ground. RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) will be inspecting the Any maintenance required to footpaths playground equipment in July. and road in the area are passed to the appropriate City or County Council. It was agreed by members of the Parish Council that it would not consider selling The Burial Ground maintenance upkeep the allotment land or any other Parish is discussed. At the present time Peter land or property in the future. Cox, a Parish Councillor, has taken on the mowing and general upkeep on a The steering group continue to meet to voluntary basis. Further details in the discuss the drainage to the recreation next issue. ground. An application has now been submitted to the Football Foundation for a grant towards the costs. At the July meeting it was agreed that £8100 over 3 years would be allocated for ongoing Recently Discussed Items maintenance once the drainage had The May meeting was the first meeting of been laid. this Parish Council. An election did not take place as only 9 people stood to take Plans for the football pavilion were Being involved in many local approved by Parish Councillors. The organisations over the years has given Architect has now been instructed to me the opportunity to have an impact on prepare a planning application. Once this local issues making Marston a better has been approved grant applications place for us to live . can be made. John Batey - Vice Chairman Peter Cox reported that flowers had been taken from the Burial Ground during the Born in Durham in 1937, I came to evenings. Therefore it was agreed to lock Oxford in 1957 following National Service the gates at night. in the RAF. I served in Oxford City Police for 12 Profile of the Chairman and years, working latterly in the detective Vice Chairman department. My wife Margaret and I had Charlie Haynes - Chairman two young sons and bought our own house in Horseman Close, Old Marston Many generations of my family have in 1968. lived in Old Marston. The Haynes family I resigned from the police service in 1969 owned farms; the land has now been following amalgamation into Thames used for housing such as Horseman Valley Police. Close estate. Haynes Road and During the next two years I studied at Raymund Road are named after my Culham College and entered the Uncle. My Father was a Parish teaching profession in 1971. Councillor for 20 years. I spent the next 25 years in education in Oxford City and County. I served in 6 I have lived in Old Marston all my life. I different schools - the last two as a am married with two grown up children. I Headteacher. attended local schools and on leaving I After retiring in 1996 I worked at the Said was employed in the retail trade for 32 Business School at Oxford University for years. In 2001 I took early retirement. I a year and then retired completely. am a volunteer at Oxford Police Station Around that time I was asked to be a assisting in the property department one Governor at Milham Ford School and day a week. was later Chair of Governors during the fight to save it from closure. For 22 years I have been a member of I also became a Governor at St. the Old Marston Parish Council and in Joseph’s School, Headley Way and have 2000 I was elected as Chairman prior to been Chair of Governors there for the which I was Vice Chairman. In 1984 I last 5 years. was elected on to the Mortimer Hall I joined the Parish Council in 1997/8 and Management Committee and was became Vice-Chairman this year. I have involved in the fundraising for the been a member for the past 4 years of refurbishment that took place, I am now the City Council’s Standards Committee, Vice Chairman. I am also Chairman of where I represent the four parishes in the Old Marston Charities, Vice Oxford. I also represent the Parish Chairman of OXSRAD. Recently I have Council on the city’s North East Area been appointed as Governor of St Committee. Nicholas School. We have a ‘new’ parish council now for 4 years and we know already that there is a good deal for us to do! Who are your Parish Councillors?

Telephone E-mail Chairman Charlie Haynes 247906 [email protected]

Vice Chairman John Batey 765311 [email protected]

Members Nils Bartleet 722773 Michael Cadd 792197 Gill Cox 245154 [email protected] Peter Cox 241951 Wally Cox 245154 [email protected] Hughie Deam 247574 Duncan Hatfield 07706998224 [email protected] John Mc Ginn 240312 [email protected] Dr Graham Swift 243904 Angie Tiwari 242757 [email protected]

To support the Parish Council a Clerk is employed Roy Garner 241888

Parish Council Auditor Mr D Manson 247871

City and County Councillors are invited to attend the Parish Council meetings but do not have a vote City Councillors Mary Clarkson 751538 [email protected] Caroline van Zyl 245646 [email protected] (All of the above telephone number are Oxford numbers) County Councillor Mohamed Altaf-Khan 07931345554 [email protected]

Comments on this newsletter are welcomed, plus any contributions for the next newsletter, the deadline date will be 13th November. Future editions will be in March, June and September. Please contact the editor Gill Cox.

If you have any items regarding the Parish that you would like brought to the attention of the Parish Council please contact The Clerk or one of the above Councillors

Minutes of Parish Council meetings are displayed in the notice boards at Mortimer Hall and the Jack Russell Public House . Parish Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month (except August) at Mortimer Hall, Oxford Road, Old Marston.