Bulletin

March 2008

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Welcome to our sixth bulletin keeping you in touch with the work of the Parish Council in Old Marston. In this issue we look at:

  • Items discussed at meetings
  • Grants to local organisations
  • Honoraria
  • Address from member of public
  • Boults Lane Pavilion
  • Allotments and Burial Ground
  • Mortimer Hall
  • Play Equipment
  • Old Marston Library
  • OxClean in Old Marston
  • What is the “Precept”?

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Items Discussed at Recent Meetings
Planning
There have been 11 planning applications which the Parish Council have commented on since September The following are decisions that Oxford City Council have made.
Approved
  • 33a Oxford Road new dwelling
  • 1 Cavendish Dr conversion to 4 x1 bedroom (b/r) flats
  • 13 Lewell Avenue - conversion and extension to form 2 x 2 b/r flats
  • Bricklayers Arms – porch
  • 15 Mill Lane – stable block to 2 b/r dwelling
  • 15 Gordon Close – single storey extension
/ Refused
  • 3-13 Cavendish Road – erection of four flats
  • 3 Cotswold Crescent – two storey extension.
  • 112 Oxford Road – new bungalow
  • 2 Ponds Lane – erection of side extensions, extension to garage

Withdrawn
  • 47 – 49 Oxford Road – Erection of detached dwelling
/ Gone to Appeal
  • 1 – 3 Nicholson Avenue

The City Council has published a review consultation document considering the balance to be struck between the provision of new flats and houses.The City Council’s opinion is that the provision of houses with small gardens is the predominant need providing for families with space for children to play under supervision rather than in open uncontrolled spaces usual when flats are built.Off street parking is essential.Planning application can be viewed at

Play Equipment

Each year the play equipment in Boults Lane and Mortimer Hall recreation grounds is inspected by ROSPA(Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) On this occasion 13 points were raised that needed attention.

The Parish Council has agreed that the play equipment at both recreation grounds need to be upgraded. Some of the current equipment will be kept and we hope to add some new equipment to it.

A sub-committee has been formed and a letter is being written to all organisations in the Parish. We want to consult with children of all ages, parents, grandparents and anyone else who may be interested to contribute ideas as to what equipment is required.

Once we have feedback, we will display the ideas at an exhibition.

  1. The project may take several years to complete due to the costs involved.The Parish Council have put £10,000 aside this year towards the cost. We will also be applying for grants and fundraising. (Work on the Boults Lane play area will not take place until we know the full plans for the pavilion).

If you would like to be involved or make suggestions of equipment please contact Duncan Gill Cox tel 01865 245154.

Moles!

Due to problems with moles in Boults Lane and Mortimer Hall recreation grounds and the Cemetery a quote from Total Pest Control for £435 + VAT per quarter was accepted

Drainage work Boults Lane Recreation Ground

The drainage work at Boults Lane recreation ground has been succesful andcompliments have been received from members of the public.

Noticeboards

The Parish Council noticeboards at Mortimer Hall and The Jack Russel public house have been replaced with larger, more modern-looking ones, proving up-to-date information on the work of the Parish Council. Mortimer Hall has also received a new one.

Burial Ground

The Burial Ground in Elsfield Road is also owned and managed by the Parish Council. The upkeep is carried out by Peter Cox (Parish Councillor) and several members of the parish. The Parish Council very much appreciate the hard work carried out by the volunteers.

The parish council will be providing another seat to be placed in the burial ground.

Storage of Parish Council Documents

At the present time the Parish Clerk retains the council’s documents which have to be kept for prosperity. This include the original minutes books going back to 1894, the original burial records, financial transactions documents, allotment records and other parish records.The council is looking at digitally recording the records andstoring the original documents at the Oxfordshire County Council depository for safe keeping.

Auditor

The Parish Council auditor approved the accounts for 2007.The Auditor considered that the amount of the fidelity guarantee should be increased to £200,000. This was agreed.

Allotments

The Parish Council own the allotments in Mill Lane which are managed and run by a committee of volunteers. The Mill Lane Allotment Association held its AGM in November, membership slightly up with young people who are keen to participate. However, a third of the plots are vacant and new members are very welcome. For more information contact Mr Bill Agent on 01865 250465.

Honoraria

Honoraria’s were made to the following persons in appreciation for the work they have carried out on behalf of the Parish Council:

Volunteers Assisting Council:

Mrs K. Stratford –minutes taking.

Mr M. Holden – volunteer working at the cemetery

Mr A. Harper - volunteer working at the cemetery

Parish Councillors:

Mr.P.Cox – work at the cemetery

Mr D. Hatfield – website and IT

Grants made under Section 137

St Nicholas Baby & Toddler Group / £300.00
Old Marston over 50’s Club / £150.00
Mortimer Hall Pre-school / £250.00
St. Nicholas PCC. (Marston Times) / £250.00
Old Marston Mill Lane Allotment Association / £100.00
Marston Bell ringers / £160.00
St.Nicholas Wives / £150.00
Marston Saints / £300.00
Total of grants / £1660.00

Address from member of the public:

At the December meeting Mr Barry Lewis addressed the meeting asking:

  • Who is responsible for highways and tree roots?- Cllr Van-zyl agreed to look into this
  • He noted that the area is congested with parked cars belonging to students at Brooks University. The Parish Council cannot help or take action until parking restrictions have been implemented.We are waiting for the residents parking scheme.

Mr Lewis was thanked for drawing the Council’s attention to the issues.

Pavilion at Boults Lane

As mentioned earlier the drainage work at Boults Lane recreation ground has been completed. The next stage of the development is the provision of a new pavilion. A steering group consisting of members of the Parish Council and Marston Saints Football Club (MSFC) meet to discuss the development.

To enable a pavilion of suitable size to be built, it will be placed on the recreation ground on the site of the existing play equipment. (The play equipment will be repositioned). At the present time the plans are with MSFC. When the plans have been agreed by MSFC and the Parish Council they will be on display for members of the public to see before being submitted for planning permission. Once planning permission has been given, grant applications will be made to external organisations.

Mortimer Hall

Mortimer Hall is named after the Reverend John Hamilton Mortimer who was the vicar of Marston from 1904 to 1951. Mortimer Hall was built by public subscription and was opened in 1962.The hall the stands onland owned by the Parish Council and pays a nominal rent of 5p a year.

Mortimer Hall is a registered charity and run on a day to day basis by a volunteer Management Committee who all live in the area and are elected on a yearly basis at the Annual General Meeting held in April each year.

The room used by the library is part of Mortimer Hall and is leased by the Oxfordshire County Council.

In the mid-1980s the hall had fallen into a poor state of repair. Many local residents rallied around and raised funds for its refurbishment.

Improvements are once again required to provide toilets for the disabled improve the existing toilets andreplace the roof.

In January The Parish Councilgave a grant of £8,500 to replace the heating system.

Photos of Mortimer Hall before and after the1980’s refurbishment can be seen on the Parish Council website

Old Marston Library

Did you know that 2008 is the National Year of Reading? It is an ideal time to rediscover your local library. It’s easy to join and free to borrow books and to use the internet. If we don’t stock the item you want it can be reserved for a small fee (free for under 18s).

Old Marston Libraryhas a range of books to suit all ages and interests, whether you’re reading for pleasure or study;including the latest bestsellers, books in large print and audiobooks.

For children we have board books for babies, picture books and storybooks from 1st readers to teenagers, as well as information books to help with homework and hobbies. Come and find out about Bookstart and Bookcrawl and join our summer reading challenge.

We also have a range of online services that you can use in the library or from home. For example join the library online, find out about library services, check the catalogue and use the online reference library.Sarah and Pauline look forward to seeing you soon at Old Marston Library, Mortimer Hall, Oxford Road. Tel 01865 726823

Openng times: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2.00pm – 5.00pm and 5.30pm – 7.00pm; Fridays 10.00am – 12.00pmand 2.00pm – 5.00pm; and Saturdays 9.30am – 12.30pm.

Sarah Weynberg

Manager

Website

The parish council has its own internet web site. The address is:

On our website you can find copies of our minutes, agendas, bulletins and current news, as well as information on all our local groups, links to useful information on a wide range of subjects including the latest weather, consumer information, crime, health services, local business and other local services. We also have pictures of Old Marston – old and new as well as a local history section which I am slowly adding to. If you do not have a computer, you can use the public computer at one of our local libraries.

OxClean in Old Marston

In March there was a grand litter pick across Oxford started by the Oxford Civic Society. The Parish Council organised a litter pick across Old Marston, co-ordinated by Duncan Hatfield. We had a group tackle along the River Cherwell, St Nicholas School tackled the park and groups of people tackled litter hotspots. Thank you to everybody who joined us, including those who provided us with refreshments. We hope we can try this again. See our website for some pictures.

Profile of a Parish Councillor: Nils Bartleet

During the period 1966-72 I worked as a flying instructor and flight manager for CSE at Oxford Airport. In 1971 I moved, with my wife and daughter, to Marston.. After this I was employed as an airline pilot for various companies, one of which was British Air Ferries. I represented general aviation as a delegate from theBritish Airline Pilots Association. I served on the parish council first from 1983-87. During May 1989 I was elected as a labour county councillor and served for twelve years, I was deputy leader and environment spokesperson for the labour party. I rejoined as a parish councillor in 1991 until now. I have beena governor of Sandhills School since 1989. I chair the Oxford Airport Consultative Committee.

What is the “Precept”

Over one hundred or so years the collection of revenues for local services has been concentrated on City and District Councils in this type of area, examples are the City Council and West Oxfordshire District Council. Spending authorities demand them to collect funds, via the Council Tax, for them in addition to their own needs, the main one being the County Council thatfunds major services like police, fire, education, welfare, highways, etc. that are their obligation to provide. Government grants given for specific services or levels of services determined by it.

District councils are divided into parishes. Many parishes have Parish Councils, some of which are quite small. Parish councils have no obligations, except to meet the demand for allotments, and only have powers to do specified functions like recreation, halls, burial grounds, allotments, country footpaths and bridleways, as in this parish.

Very large councils like the County towns go much further with sports halls, swimming pools, fitness facilities, etc. How much is spent and what facilities are provided within a parish is determined by the Parish Council or Meeting, hopefully, in response to the elector’s wishes.Elections to the Parish Council take place every four years. Their income is collected by way of a demand called the precept on the City or District Council.

Roy Garner. Parish Clerk.

Problems of the Past in Marston – a Local History of Marston

The Marston countryside between the River Cherwell and Headington has changed much over the last three hundred years.But some fields remain with their hedge boundaries, still marking the change in farming methods brought about by enclosures since the post-war Agreement made in 1655 during Cromwell’s Commonwealth, and ratified in 1661 by the Court of Chancery after the Restoration.

Here is an extract from the Agreement which describes the sorry conditions the farming community of Marston were suffering. (The English has been slightly modernized):

“(And the Complaynants shewed that) the Town of Marston lay low, in a very dirty and waterish heavy soil, upon the River of Charwell very near to the walls of the City of Oxon. and were far more fit and convenient for pasture than tillage; and that in the time of the late wars and by reason of the Garrison of Oxford the said fields and lands did for the most part lie fresh and fallow and could not be manured and husbanded to any profit of the Complainants; and their houses were much ruined, decayed and wasted and their trees cut down and employed for the use of the said Garrison and great part of their meadows were spoiled by digging of turfs for making the bulwarks in and about the said Garrison; and the Complaynants cattle plundered and taken away by the Parliamentary soldiers and forces, so that when the wars ended in 1646 … land could not be reduced to the former condition and goodness without a present greater charge than they were able to bear… .”

And so, the enclosure was agreed and done, with surveying and hedging and ditching, and the preservation of “all Public ways and passages which were and had been used and enjoyed through the same for all the king’s people”.

Written by Alun Jones.

For more local history you can visit our website at:

Vacancy: Auditor

Every year an independent auditor reviews the accounts of the parish council. At the moment we have a vacancy for an independent auditor, working for about ten hours per year. For more information please contact the Clerk, Roy Garner, on 01865 241888 or by e-mail: .

And Finally…

If you would like to contribute to or comment on our newsletter then please contact the editors: Duncan Hatfield on 07706-998224, or Gill Cox on 01865-245154.

You can contact the Parish Council via our website, any parish councillor or the parish clerk Mr Roy Garner on 01865-241888 or

Meetings are on first Tuesday each month (except August) in Mortimer Hall small room.

Details of our meetings, minutes and other parish items can be found on our noticeboards at Mortimer Hall and the Jack Russel Pub, and also our website.Residents are welcome to attend our meetings. If you would like to speak at one of our meetings please contact the parish clerk in advance.

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