TISBURY PARISH ASSEMBLY.

Was held at 7pm. On Tuesday 20th May 2008
in the Hinton Hall, Church Street, Tisbury.

There was rather a good turn out for once. Possibly the main draw of the evening was Item 11 on the Agenda, That Planning Application S/ 2008 / 0779. The proposal to increase the number of houses to be built off Hindon Lane to ninety Units, together with other workspace. There was a pre prepared Draft Letter of complaint which when voted upon, the meeting endorsed.

One of the issues that arose during Public Debate was as to whether or whether not the Development should as proposed be a ‘Cul de Sac’. A gentleman with experience of Wokingham, and another, advised against such Estate Design. I suppose Wokingham was the Gillingham Dorset of its day, it too being now resplendent in housing estates, plus boasting a motorway interchange. It isn’t the Wokingham Rural District Council in which domain I first riled against the inequities of the Democratic Process in the early 1960’s. Does one have to go so far a field to have knowledge of Cul de Sac Planning, surely all Tisbury and West Tisbury Estates, other than that one off the Avenue are Cul de Sacs?

Such design obviates the possibility of Rat runs. Apart from the residents of Churchill Estate, one may suppose that those living in Benett Mews might feel even more oppressed than they were, when the School Buses seemed likely to run into their homes whilst negotiating the Estate’s opposite corner. Further more since the proposed Parking on the Hindon Lane site is clearly inadequate, then there would be a tendency for Residents to additionally Park on the proposed new Parking area hoped for, adjoining the Sports Centre and Schools. Possibly that being so the existing footpath might better he closed, otherwise a ‘Park and Walk’ Scheme would be initiated . Whilst considering the area what a nonsense it was to dispose of the Nadder School, surely it would have been an embellishment to St. John’s C of E. Primary.

It is wonderful that the Village can, one way or another fill the Hinton Hall when the matter under discussion is seen to impinge on our personal circumstance; yet still we as a Parish find it difficult to field a complement of even unelected Parish Councillors without seemingly going into the High Ways and By Ways to seek them out. Those in Office do their very best for us, but when one ‘happens by’ any sort of Councillor one tends to wonder why that should have become necessary so to do. Being well past my own ‘sell by date’, one was again aware that other members of the Audience, for want of a better word, seemed ‘more on the ball,’ than some co-opted Parish Councillors might be. Tisbury is home to many thrusting young Executives, there is something very wrong with the system if we, along with some sixty other similar Salisbury Parish Councils find it so difficult to refresh our representation.

I wrote above ‘one way or another’ because many at the meeting were not Residents of Tisbury Parish. I happened to sit next to two of my neighbours, who to the best of my knowledge live in Sutton Mandeville. Immediately in front of me a man whom I know to be a West Tisbury Resident and Parish Councillor; doubtlessly so on and so forth.
ALL HAD FOREGATHERED IN COMMON INTEREST.
Did I ever suggest that it’s time that West Tisbury and Tisbury amalgamate? That is of course a rhetorical question, for I have been on about it for years. Conceitedly enough I, with the support of one then Sitting Parish Councillor, like to share the credit for encouraging the ‘Powers that Be’ to reduce the number of Tisbury Parish Councillors from fifteen to its currency of eleven. One has too, made personal representation to the Electoral Commission that our two Parishes amalgamate. As written previously Civil Parishes are not an ancient circumstance of ‘Ye Olde England’ but came into being when my own Father was some ten years of age. At my last count every Parish Councillor in West Tisbury was representative of only fifty Parishioners. Tisbury Village is but one foundation, and in the words of the old Hymn ‘ has no East nor West’.(viz. * below for Recitative ) To the best of my knowledge West Tisbury is in America. One may wonder whether all those Residents living on Estates to the West of the Parish Church realise that they do not live in the Parish of Tisbury. I recall several years ago that one such person sent her apologies for not attending the Tisbury Parish Council Assembly, which solecism was followed up with her nomination to become one of our Parish Councillors. I mention this to draw attention to the fact that if the two Parishes were re- combined, then we might not merely benefit from her enthusiasm , but have the opportunity of actually holding an Election.

The Presentation concerning HINDON LANE at the Parish Assembly, was handled by District Councillor Richard Beattie, who was both incisive and witty of delivery. I cant say I voted for him myself last May, but then as a twice failed Independent Candidate in the New Forest, I on principle vote Independent when it comes (well used to come) to District Council Elections. I would not suppose that his Sponsors The Conservative Party, could have found themselves a better Candidate. It was however interesting to hear from him. If I heard correctly Candidature was thrust upon him at the twelfth hour in a ‘Sign here you are it’ sort of a way.’ I would not know whether there had been any Applicants for Conservative Councillorship at all, but if there were not, then surely such a deficiency in Candidacy supports my belief that the Party Political System just doesn’t work at a local level, and that Councillors are in general better elected on their own recognisance, rather than on the say so of any cliquish possibly ill informed Pressure Group. It is a point of view that has been totally unbeneficial to my own cause, so my theory is indisputably correct.

Political Party involvement at District Council level undoubtedly accounts for the current failure of the Democratic Process at both District and Parish Levels. Soon there are to be other, ‘Unitary Elections’, hopefully there will be many irons in the fire then, but probably the concept of Independent Councillorship will have had its day. On that account alone it is important that all Political Parties put their houses in order.

I will tell you something else, (yet again) that down in The New Forest all Elections were fiercely contested, even those at Parish Level, but possibly things changed with the advent of Thatcheristic Fervour. Which was when I fled the field.

TISBURY PARISH ACCOUNTS.
These seemingly evidenced that whilst the Parish Allotments brought in an income of £370, the Parish paid out £1,234.18 (including water rates). Possibly the water is on a metered supply? If so it would have been of interest to know what the actual water charge was, and hear why the rest of us are involved in its payment. My own bill at home seems excessive enough without contributing to the payment of anyone else’s. Long may Allotments thrive, but they should pay their way. One was advised that from this year in Tisbury at least such would be the case. Does West Tisbury have Allotments?

Another ‘Bete Noir’ is the matter of the COMPOSTING SCHEME. To those of the Parish who live some three miles off the site, it seems to be something of an ECOLOGICAL DISASTER. To personalise the issue is it the suggestion that one hitches one’s trailer to the car and ferries garden waste on what for my neighbours and I would be a return journey of six miles? What price the CARBON FOOTPRINT thereof. As if that was of itself not enough and I correctly interpret the accounts, the Parish Paid out £1,475.66p. to finance the scheme this year alone, This being set against a grant income of £150. Whence did that come, Money doesn’t grow on trees though Compost does. To whom was the money paid out? That was not the be all and end all of the matter, because there has been other grant money paid into the scheme, and other cash dispensed. Was there an initial grant of £2,500 pounds? The shops are full of composting bins, each of which is of adequate size to accommodate the compost of a small garden. Our immediate Neighbours use the District Council’s bag scheme. We all live in the Countryside, which the call for the sub-urbanisation of our village. Possibly it is I who am daft, but if so Iit be, I certainly think ‘The Kettle even blacker.’

Possibly that £150 Grant was in fact a contribution from our West Tisbury Kith and Kin, and others of neighbourly Ilk. All of who doubtlessly patronise the composting scheme as well as any.

* Was it not ‘Cheri ’ Booth who said

'That was a fine song. What tune was that? 'Oh,' came the reply in a rather disapproving tone, that's a dreadful tune. Don't you know what it is? That's " Champagne Charlie is my name".' That's settled it,' Booth decided turning to Bramwell. ' Why should the Church have all the best tunes?'

Convert http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/c/iceaswes. htm to a Hyperlink http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/c/iceaswes. htm
Monday, 26 May 2008.