Swimming still free for Over 60's at Aqua Vale or Swan

From AVDC:

Swimming remains one of the best exercises for all ages to promote health and to keep fit whilst having fun.
We are now half way through the central government 2 year initiative to provide FREE casual swimming for the over 60’s. With over 10,000 free swims already enjoyed there are still many more of our 28,000 current 60+ residents in the Aylesbury Vale area still to take the plunge.
To claim your first free swim at either the Aqua Vale in Aylesbury or Swan Pool in Buckingham just take along proof of your age & identity you will be issued with a card which can be used at either site to show each time you swim.

New AVDC Winslow office opening this summer

From AVDC's 'News for the Parishes':

Legal agreements between AVDC and BCC are now complete in preparation for a new location for AVDC's Winslow Office in Summer 2010. Winslow Library will be converted to house an office for face-to-face council enquiries, saving money and increasing office and library opening hours.
Look out for details, dates and opening times this Summer.

AVDC raises concerns about High Speed Rail proposals

Aylesbury Vale District Council has submitted its response to the Department of Transport on the High Speed Rail proposals.

The Council states:
'Aylesbury Vale District Council has considered the consultation on the proposed introduction of an Exceptional Hardship Scheme alongside the proposals for High Speed Rail.
AVDC objects to the proposals for High Speed rail as set out in the Command Paper issued in March 2010 and does not feel that the business case for HS2 has been made. Therefore, without prejudicing the Council’s position in relation to HS2 generally, it is commenting on the proposed Exceptional Hardship Scheme consultation.'

Of particular interest to residents of the Claydons are the proposals for a maintenance depot to be located near the point where the HSR2 line crosses over (or is crossed over by) the East West Rail line, and the eligibility of those with properties in the vicinity of this development to apply to the exceptional hardship scheme for compensation - a point I raised at the special Council meeting where the plans were discussed.

I am glad to report that the Council has picked up on this point in its submission:

'Close Vicinity – This is not defined and there needs to be a flexible approach to this. The exact vicinity of impact will vary depending on the precise circumstances. Again the first principle of whether any loss and impact on value can be demonstrated needs to apply and this in turn will determine the vicinity that the scheme has impacted on. The scheme should also apply to those areas likely to be affected by some of the uses that will be ancillary to the effective operation of the railway including the maintenance depot and any service centres required along the route.'

High Speed Rail Proposal

The peace and tranquillity of the Claydons is being threatened by the Government's High Speed Rail proposals. These include the reopening of the Great Central Line north of Calvert, running between Twyford and Steeple Claydon, as well as a maintenance depot in the Steeple Claydon area, adjacent to the East West Railway (due to reopen in 2016). There will be no station anywhere on the line between London and Birmingham.

Aylesbury Vale District Council is holding a special meeting to discuss the proposals
on 14th April.

Meanwhile the Council has issued the following statement:

'AVDC dismayed at High Speed Two rail proposal

The gloves are off as Aylesbury Vale District Council prepares to make its first response to the proposal for a new High Speed Rail between Birmingham and London.
Leader of the Council, Councillor John Cartwright, said: “We’ve plotted the route through Aylesbury Vale and we’re dismayed at the negative impact this could have on our district. Large sections of the line would be by viaducts or on embankments, leaving little scope for reducing the noise level or visual impact. Aylesbury Vale may not have large swathes of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but it does have wonderful rolling countryside, fantastic views and landscapes, which give it its name. Many villages and wonderful properties from Wendover in the south to Tingewick in the north of the Vale would be affected by this route if it goes ahead.”
He added: “As a major growth area with challenging housing and job targets set by the government, it’s even more galling that the route proposed wouldn’t even stop in any part of our district, so there is not even an economic benefit for the Vale. The government has set out a very ambitious timetable for opening the line but we are putting them on notice now that they are in for a very long fight.”
Prior to the announcement, AVDC and its partners already have been active to ensure that Buckinghamshire's residents were protected, and that there was no lasting damage to the unique landscape.
During the writing of the report representatives from the county and district councils have been strongly lobbying Lord Adonis and MPs along with the High Speed Two Company. However, the shared concerns have not been taken on board in the draft proposal.
AVDC will be working with its partners to agree the next steps and how it can help inform the local community about the route and the details of the public consultation planned for autumn.'


A number of constituents have already contacted me about these plans, and I am aware that there is great concern about the implications for our villages.

There is a particular concern about the proposed maintenance depot, about which there is little clear information in the existing plans. The map which has been provided by the Department of Transport merely shows an arrow pointing towards Steeple Claydon (which is off the map) along the East West Rail line towards a 'new manitenance depot', with no clear indication of its location or size.

Elsewhere in the plans it is stated that the maintenance depot will be based on the existing Singlewell Depot in Kent alongside the High Speed 1 line. This is a depot for infrastructure (track, signals, points etc) only and not a rolling stock maintenance depot, but it includes office accommodation, workshops, maintenance sheds, rail plant, fuelling points and parking for 150 cars. It would be in operation 24 hours a day and be floodlit at night.

I shall request further information on the size and location of this depot, as the exisiting plans lack clarity and detail.

In general, I think the proposals are deeply flawed. A route which is not directly connected to the existing High Speed One line, Thameslink or any of the London Airports cannot be the right strategic decision. It has all the hallmarks of the proposal of a Government which knows it will not be in power to implement it, and is yet another reason to throw this wretched Government out of office on May 6th.

Latest update from our local PCSO team

Please particularly see information below about the Steeple Claydon Youth Club at The Phoenix, and the village hall surgery on 16th Feb.

Speeding

The Safer Roads and Neighbourhood policing teams carried out a successful operation in January where 28 tickets were issued to drivers in Buckingham, Winslow and Tingewick, 50% of which were local drivers! Enforcement operations are in place for
February and March.

Local crime statistics

In this newsletter I am comparing Oct, Nov and Dec 2009 against the same period in
2008. It shows overall all crime is up by 12(+36%), burglaries are up by 2 (+36%) and
vehicle crime is up by 3 (+80%). We have not had any robberies and anti-social
behaviour is down by 4 (-15%). When looking at the graph for overall crime for all of 2009 by month, from September 2009 onwards it has decreased each month.

Have your say

Don’t forget your opportunity to have your say in Steeple Claydon on 16 February 2010 11:00-12:30 in the village hall.

Steeple Claydon youth club

PCSO John Webb hasconfirmed the venue. It is The Phoenix. Opening dates and times will follow when confirmed. The siting of the multi-use games area and youth shelter is still being discussed. A new suggestion has been made to the steering group so the pro’s and con’s of this are being looked at.

ASB also includes anti-social owners of dogs. We have been working with the Dog Warden and joint patrols will commence to ensure any mess is cleared at the time by the dog’s owner. You have been warned!!

Countryside Event

This event is to take place on 15 May 2010 from 10:00-16:00 at Claydon House, Middle
Claydon by kind permission of Sir Edmund and Lady Verney. Put this date in your diary.

There will be a very comprehensive array of information, displays and examples to illustrate best methods to protect your property, land and animals from theft and
criminal damage. Claydon House will also be open for visitors, as will the shops in their Courtyard.

Winslow police office

Sadly we have not yet moved into the new office but the electrics, alarms and (most importantly) the heating is in. We are now awaiting delivery of something to sit on and sit at – when this happens we shall be there in a thrice!


New Year, new presents – keep them safe

How better than to start the new year with a resolution to keep your property safe.
Aylesbury Vale District Council and Thames Valley Police are working in partnership to keep burglary low by using property marking kits. For your free UV property marking kit contact the AVDC Customer Services Dept.

AVDC Council tax rise 1.95% - lowest for 10 years

AVDC will keep its council tax increase in April to just five pence a week on its average Band D bill – despite the pressures on council finances as a result of the recession.

Last night’s (3 February) full council meeting agreed to a 1.95 per cent increase in Aylesbury Vale’s share of the council tax bill, meaning that it will now charge £131.07 a year for a Band D house, up £2.50.

This comes despite reductions in income from investments, a low government funding settlement, increasing fuel costs and lower income from fees and charges.

The council has looked at a range of options to balance the books. The budget has been reduced by more than £700,000 to meet the council’s initial budget gap of £1.1 million. Some of this has been found through efficiency reviews of each service. Other measures approved include:

Introducing charges for pre-planning advice
Making a small reduction in the amount of funding to voluntary and community groups
Removing council funding from events such as Parklife and Buckingham Festival Fortnight
Removing funding from the Reflex Gym in Winslow and the Buckingham Tourist Information Centre.
The salaries of all council employees has also been frozen for the coming financial year and there will be no increase in councillors’ allowances to help keep council tax down and protect key front-line services.

As part of the overall budget package, Buckingham is to get a new long-stay car park at Stratford Fields and more short-stay parking spaces at Cornwall’s Meadow. These improvements will be funded in part by the introduction of modest parking charges in Buckingham. The budget also provides for some free parking in the run-up to Christmas

Councillor Neil Blake, Cabinet Member for Resources, said: “This is a budget which has been prepared with a great deal of prudence, care and consideration. We’ve worked very hard over the past few months to find savings in areas with the least impact on most Aylesbury Vale residents. We know many families across the district are feeling the pain of the current recession and we’ve kept council tax rises as low as we can because we know the last thing residents need at the moment is a hefty rise in council tax bills. We will continue to look for efficiencies, including working with other district councils to deliver further cost savings and to minimise the level of council tax in the future.”

The council’s net budget for 2010/11 is £20.7 million, with £8.8 million of that funded directly from local council taxpayers.

AVDC sends out the annual bills and collects the tax on behalf of the county council, the police, the fire and rescue service, plus local town and parish councils. Each individual authority decides by how much its part of the final bill will increase.

Services provided by the district council include refuse collections, recycling facilities, benefits, licensing, car parking and environmental health, with the £131.07 Band D charge amounting to less than 10 per cent of the overall council tax bill for residents in Aylesbury Vale.

The overall council tax charge for 2010/11 will be set on 24 February

Parish Councils share concerns about roads, drains and speeding

Last week I arranged a meeting for the parish councils of East and Steeple Claydon with a representative from Transport for Buckinghamshire to discuss the priority issues relating to potholes, roads, drains, and speeding in our villages. It was an opportunity to make sure that our concerns are known to those responsible. Unfortunately one impact of the recent adverse winter conditions is that the pothole situation in North Bucks has worsened still further, and only the most serious ones are being dealt with as a matter of priority. We toured the villages pointing out potholes, signs that need removing, replacing or just cleaning, issues related to damaged verges, and areas of dangerous speeding (including the straight stretch of road between East and Botolph Claydon past the school, where the council is considering additional traffic calming measures). We also discussed the problems of collapsed and blocked drains in Steeple Claydon in Challoners Hill and West Street.
I plan to follow this up with further meetings and contacts to ensure that our concerns about the state of the roads and speeding in our villages are addressed.