Overton Parish Council

Introduction

Overton Parish Council was formed in 1894 under the Local Government Act of that year which created institutions having a civil origin, status and affiliations - the parish meeting and the parish council. Consequently the civil functions were taken away from the church, which was excluded from formal participation in local government. A plaque on the side of the public lavatories in Winchester Street appropriately commemorates the formation of the parish council.

Overton Parish Council has twelve councillors. The parish council has a number of responsibilities, and the business of the council is carried out at monthly meetings, which all members of the public are welcome to attend.

Background

Parish council meetings are held as follows:

Second Wednesday of the month (every month)
7.00   PUBLIC TIME - ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE INVITED TO COME AND MAKE COMMENT DURING THIS PERIOD
7.30   Main parish council meeting

Fourth Tuesday of the month (except August and December)
7.30   Planning Committee

All the meetings are open to the public and the agendas and minutes of the parish council can be found in the documents section.

The proper officer of the council is the Clerk who is responsible for attending meetings, preparing agendas and minutes, preparing the accounts and carrying out all other work as instructed by the council. The current clerk is Laura Harley who can be contacted at or by telephone on 01256 771919.

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Membership

Maggie Atkins
Chairman of Planning Committee
Became parish councillor - May 1991
Telephone: 01256 770369

Mark Attwell
Became parish councillor - November 1997
Telephone: 01256 770472

Cllr Paula Baker
Borough Councillor
Became parish councillor - May 1987
Telephone: 01256 771219

Mr Peter Baker
Parish council representative on St Luke's Hall Management Committee, St Mary's Hall Management Sub Committee and Overton Business Association
Became parish councillor - July 2002
Telephone: 01256 770007

Mr David Llewellyn
Parish council representative for the Overton Village Website Working Group and Overton United Halls Group
Became parish councillor - January 2007
Telephone: 01256 773004

Mr Brian Langer
Parish council representative for Highways and Byways and Public Transport, representative on the Executive of the Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils and on the Basingstoke and Deane Association of Parish and Town Councils.
Became parish councillor - May 1991
Telephone: 01256 770848

Mr Tony Leach
Became parish councillor - May 2007
Telephone: 01256 770966

Mrs Lucy Sloane Williams
Vice Chair. Representative for the Overton Biodiversity Society and Overton Village Website Group.
Became parish councillor - June 1995
Telephone: 01256 770607

Mr Alan Whitney
Chairman.
Became parish councillor - August 2005
Telephone: 01256 770174

Mrs Jacky Lessware
Became parish councillor - May 2007
Telephone: 01256 773043

Cllr Ian Tilbury
Borough Councillor, representative on St Mary's Hall Management Sub-Committee
Became parish councillor - April 2001
Telephone: 01256 771429

Mrs Zoe Taylor
Became parish councillor - July 2007
Telephone: 01256 770146

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Responsibilities

The parish council has many statutory responsibilities and is also informed of many issues that could affect the parish (such as changes to planning/ highways etc). The council owns some land in the village and is responsible for two play areas and a village hall. The parish council acts as a liaison between the views of the parish and other agencies such as Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Hampshire County Council, the Police as so on. The parish council also lobbies these groups on matters of importance. Specific responsibilities include:

Allotments

The parish council runs the Woodlands allotments in Overton. The site belongs to the borough council who lease it to the parish council for free. There are 52 allotments and all are currently let. The cost of an allotment is £5.00 per year with the first year being free. If you are interested in renting an allotment, please contact the Clerk.

Burial Ground

The parish council owns the cemetery which is in Kingsclere Road next door to the churchyard. The cemetery is managed by the Parochial Church Council.

Little Meadow

Little Meadow is situated to the north of the cemetery in Kingsclere Road. The parish council originally purchased the plot with the intention of extending the cemetery, but planning permission was turned down. The Overton Biodiversity Society has secured grants and made the site into a wildlife meadow.

Playgrounds

The parish council owns Sapley Lane Playing Field at the southern end of the village. In April 2003 a long awaited skateboard park was installed and a large number of trees were planted including a new hedge. The parish council has installed a basketball post and refurbished the existing goal posts, as well as installing pedestrian gates and fixed waste bins. It is hoped that a 'Trim Trail' can be made when funds allow.

News and Views

The parish council produces a monthly newsletter (except in January) which is delivered free to every household in the parish. Editorial contributions are made by the parish council and parishioners, and the deadline for articles is 16th of each month. Please forward articles to the Editor, Chris Penney at OvertonNewsViews@aol.com. Back editions of News and Views can be found in the News & Views section.

Local Planning

The parish council considers all planning applications within the parish at the planning committee held each month at 7.30pm on the fourth Tuesday. Parishioners are welcome to attend and may make comment on applications.

VDS

Overton produced a Village Design Statement in 2002 - it is available to download from this site.

St Mary's Hall

The parish council purchased St Mary's Hall in November 2002.

Bus shelters

The parish council owns and maintains all the bus shelters within the village - please notify the Clerk if shelters are broken or need to be cleaned.

Seats

The parish council owns a number of seats and benches around the village, and ensures that they are maintained.

Grit bins

The parish council owns a number of grit bins around the village - although the council has previously agreed not to provide bins at any new sites, they will replace existing bins if they break and will arrange for the County Council to keep them full.

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