Parish and Local News

Changes to your bin collections this Easter

The Test Valley Borough Council waste collection teams will be working on Good Friday (7 April 2023), but there will be some changes next week. For the week commencing 10 April 2023, bin collections will be ONE DAY LATER than usual, due to the bank holiday Monday.

For more information visit Bank Holiday 2023 Waste and Recycling Collections | Test Valley Borough Council.

Sexual orientation and Gender Identity Census 2021 Release

Today, Tuesday 4 April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published the next phase of Census 2021 data on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).

These pre-built flexible datasets allow users to choose and change the area type and coverage of SOGI data, and combine with other variables. This information comes from two new, voluntary questions on Census 2021 for people aged 16 and over. The questions were introduced to fill an evidence gap users identified and which, they told the ONS, would help them better shape public services. 

The datasets can be accessed here.

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WhatsApp Scam Warning – Be Aware

Action Fraud has received over 60 reports relating to a scam that steals access to a victim’s #whatsapp account.

The scam begins when a criminal gets access to another WhatsApp account which has you listed as a contact.

The criminal, posing as your friend or someone that’s a member of a WhatsApp group you’re in, will then send you seemingly normal messages to try and start a conversation with you. However, around the same time you will receive a text message from WhatsApp with a six-digit code.

This is because the criminal has been trying to login to WhatsApp using your mobile number.

The criminal will claim that they sent you their code by accident and ask you to help them by sending it to them. Once the criminal has this code, they can login to your WhatsApp account and lock you out.

The criminal will then use the same tactic with your WhatsApp contacts in an effort to steal more accounts and use them to perpetrate fraud.

What can you do?

• Set up two-step verification (2fa) to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable.
• STOP. THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
• Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6 digit code you receive via SMS)
• You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions
• For more information about protecting yourself online Google – “National Cyber Security Centre Cyberaware” or “Take Five to Stop Fraud”

Planning Application 23/00405/CLEN – Holly Blue Woods, Off Rag Copse Lane, Near Upper Enham, Smannell

An application has been received for the lawful development certificate for existing yurt (collapsible, temporary framework) for the purposes of woodland management, the storage of wood fuel and tools (including electric), portable heating and cooking facilities, and use as shelter when working the land at Holly Blue Woods, Off Rag Copse Lane, Near Upper Enham, Smannell.

Any comments made by the public can and should be related only to the lawfulness of this application. Comments relating to the merits or otherwise of the development or proposal will not be taken into consideration by Test Valley Borough Council.

A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) is a legal document stating the lawfulness of past, present or future building use, operations, or other matters.

The deadline for return of any comments to Test Valley Borough Council (Planning Authority) is 19 April 2023. You can email your comments quoting the reference number of 23/00405/CLEN to planning@testvalley.gov.uk

You can view the application here and enter 23/00405/CLEN as the reference number.

Election Timetable – May 2023

The timetable for these elections, including statutory deadlines, is as follows:

Notice of Election – Parish Elections – May 2023

Elections are being held on Thursday 4th  May 2023 for all seats on Test Valley Borough Council, as well as all seats on Parish and Town Councils across the Test Valley area.

The Notice for the Parish Election for these elections has now been published and is available here.

Register to vote at the elections on 4th May 2023

In order to vote in these elections, you need to be registered on the Register of Electors and you must be:

• Resident in the Test Valley Borough Council area on the date of the election;
• A British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of a member state of the European Union;
• 18 years old or over.

If you are an eligible elector and you are already on the Register of Electors in Test Valley, you do not need to re-register for these elections.

Information on how to register can be found here. The deadline for applying to register for voting in these elections is Monday 17th April 2023.

Voter ID

From May 2023, you will be required to show photographic identification at the polling station before you are issued with your ballot paper.  For more information on this, please see the Test Valley Borough Council Voter ID FAQs.

Voting by post or proxy

If you are unable to get to your polling station on 4th May 2023, there are different options available to you in order for you to cast your vote:

• By post – if you apply to vote by post by Tuesday 4th April 2023, your postal vote will be dispatched first class around Monday 17th April 2023.
  
  If you apply to vote by post between Tuesday 4 April 2023 but before the deadline of 5pm Tuesday 18 April 2023, your postal vote will be dispatched first class around Monday 24th April 2023.
  
  You can find out more information about voting by post and download a copy of the application form from the Test Valley Borough Council  Voting by Post webpage. Please note that you will need to print the application to complete it, as a signature is required.
   
• By Proxy – the deadline to apply to vote by proxy at these elections is 5pm on Tuesday 25th April 2023.  You can find out more information about voting by proxy and download a copy of the application form from the Test Valley Borough Council Voting by Proxy webpage. Please note that you will need to print the application to complete it, as a signature is required. Completed postal or proxy forms can either be scanned and emailed back to Test Valley Borough Council at postal.voting@testvalley.gov.uk or posted back to the address shown on the form.
• or posted back to the address shown on the form.

Where to vote in person

Details of where your polling station is located will be found on your poll card, which will be sent to you around the end of March 2023.

March 2023 Minutes – Smannell Parish Council

The Minutes of the Smannell Parish Council meeting held on 6 March 2023 are now available and can be viewed here.

Please be aware that the Minutes are not formally agreed and resolved by members until the May 2023 meeting of the Parish Council.

Housing Support Fund – Test Valley Borough Council – Deadline 21 March 2023

If you are struggling to meet essential housing costs, such as energy and water bills, food and other essential items, you can apply for a one off grant from the Household Support Fund managed by Test Valley Borough Council. You can apply online:y online: www.testvalley.gov.uk/HouseholdSupport

Have a look at the poster below.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 21 March 2023.

Smannell Parish Council – 6 March 2023 Agenda

The next meeting of the Smannell Parish Council will be held on 6 March 2023 commencing at 19.00 hours at April’s Farm, Green Lane Farm, Upper Enham, Smannell. The meeting is open to all members of the public and they are warmly welcome to attend. The agenda is now available and can be found under Documents and then Meeting Agendas or here

Green light for £2.6bn spending on local services in 2023/24

Hampshire County Council will deliver £2.6bn of local services to Hampshire’s 1.4m residents in 2023/24, under budget plans approved on 23 February. Like many councils, each year it’s increasingly difficult to keep balancing the books, and for 2023/24, we have had to navigate cost-of-living pressures, inflation and workforce challenges which are pushing up costs, and growing demand for children’s and adults’ social care which far outweighs available Government funding.

Hampshire County Council is acutely aware of the very difficult decisions Hampshire residents currently face in their own household budgets to make ends meet. Reluctantly, to help deliver a balanced budget for 2023/24 which we must do by law, we have had no other choice but to increase the council tax precept from April, by 4.99% – with 2% of this for adults’ social care, as determined by Government. This represents an annual charge of £1,460.25 for a Band D property – up £1.34 per week. Even after increasing council tax to generate £37m towards local service delivery, it’s still not enough to meet the budget gap and even after this increase there is still a gap of £50.8m which must be filled by our reserves – funding set aside to buffer this and next year’s anticipated budget shortfalls.

The increase still means that Hampshire has one of the lowest council tax precepts of any county in England, but it knows that in future years the financial challenges will grow considerably. Hampshire County Council will will be seeking residents’ views this summer on ways to help meet these pressures, before a decision on next steps, this autumn.