AGM and members’ meeting 26 February
We were very pleased to see about 70 members on Monday evening. Councillor Woodward’s presentation is on the website www.hhra.org.uk Gallery and notes of both the AGM and the Councillors’ Q & A session are also on the website under About Us: Notes of meetings. You will see that the issues that you raised prior to the meeting were discussed and in some cases, further action is planned. The committee will keep in touch with the councillors about that action.
Osborne View
As most of you will know, owners Hall & Woodhouse have stated that they intend to rebuild and re-open the Osborne View as a pub, although that will inevitably take considerable time.
Our local historian John Lewthwaite is very kindly putting together a history of the building and we will circulate that to you as a single item Update shortly and put it on the website.
If you wish to vote….
As we are now only two months from the Fareham Borough Council elections on 2 May, we shall include in all our Updates the important reminder that, if you are voting in person, you will need photo ID to enable you to vote. You can use any of the following:
Passport; driving licence; older person’s bus pass; disabled person’s bus pass; Defence Identity Card. There are others, but unlikely to be relevant in this area.
If you do not have any of these, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate via www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or ring FBC on 01329 824588 to make an appointment at the Civic Centre.
The card you receive with polling station details is not valid for ID purposes.
The easy alternative is to apply for a postal vote: the deadline for applications is 17 April via www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or ring FBC on 01329 824588.
toob poles
Broadband firm toob have been putting up poles in the area during the last week. Many members have expressed their frustration with the arrival of more poles, though we know that others will welcome further broadband options. Fareham Borough Council as the planning authority tell us there is nothing they can do, as the poles are ‘permitted development’. We have written to Caroline Dinenage MP but her office tell us she has had no success making representations to Ofcom or seeking a meeting with toob (which is a Portsmouth based firm, incidentally). We have continued to quote the Code of Practice which we included in an earlier update: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-05-15/debates/23051516000024/PlanningPermissionForTelecommunicationTelegraphPoleInstallation. Objections sent by individual residents to complaints@toob.co.uk, 023 9300 9300 or X (Twitter) @toobbroadband may well succeed, even in getting them taken down after they have been erected, so do try. The website www.one.network may show the planned locations.
Latest new - an email from toob's complaints manager on Friday afternoon saying 'Our poling programme was completed in this area 2 days ago. There has only been one pole installed along Cliff Road. Along the seafront we are not looking to introduce poles in areas where there weren't any before. When the time comes for us to install our network for residents between Knights Bank Road and Old Street, we will be installing a ducting system and plan to keep our network here underground'.
Portsmouth Water: Knights Bank Road, Haven Crescent and Great Gays
In case you have not seen the notices and if it is relevant to you, Portsmouth Water will be doing major work to replace the water main from 25 March. Road restrictions and traffic lights will be in place for up to eleven weeks.
Consultation on HCC budget for 2024.
A further reminder that consultation remains open on Hampshire County Council’s budget plans. Potential cuts include bus services subsidised by HCC (of which the number 21 is one); closure of some household waste recycling centres; closure of some museums including Westbury Manor and the Ashcroft Centre in Fareham; complete removal of the budget to support people who are homeless; ending of various grants to community groups….and more. The link to the consultation, which runs until 31 March, is https://www.hants.gov.uk/aboutthecouncil/haveyoursay/consultations/future-services-consultation Do please send in your individual comments – if you don’t respond, they don’t know what you think.
Scams
They keep coming, even if HHRA hears about fewer of them since Peter Wason left us! A call telling you 'Because you've recently changed providers .... your SIM card will run out...' is fraudulent.
You may well find the following website helpful: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk/how-to-spot-fraud/ and a member who sent every one of the large number of scam emails he was receiving to report@phishing.gov.uk was delighted that they all stopped!
Future Members’ Meetings
At the AGM, it was agreed to have three rather than four open meetings during the year, omitting the cold, dark months of December, January and February. We will circulate the dates for the rest of this year shortly and they will be posted on the website.
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