The Parish Council and the Post Office have been working together over the last couple of years in order to find a more permanent solution to the running of the Post Office facility within Avon Dassett. The difficulties had arisen due to the fact that the current interim postmaster did not want to continue running the facility from his Warwick base.

To date the Post Office have been trying, without success, to find someone to operate both Avon Dassett and Northend as hosted outreach facilities for 2 hours each week but so far they have been unable to find an existing Core Operator to take the facilities on.

The current interim postmaster tendered his resignation as required under the terms of his contract with the Post Office on 21 September with a projected closure date between 28 September and the 5 October. Unfortunately, the current interim postmaster decided on Tuesday 27 September to withdraw his services with immediate effect without any prior notice.

The Post Office have assured the Parish Council that they are doing everything they can to find a new Core Operator who will be willing to take on both Avon Dassett and Northend, however, in the interim both facilities will remain closed until further notice.

The Fenny Compton PO remains open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-10am and it is hoped that residents who require regular access to a Post office can utilise this facility in the interim.

The Parish Council will continue to work closely with the Post Office in order to have the post office facility reinstated in some form and will keep residents informed of any progress. In the event that the Post office is reopened we would encourage everyone to use the facility as much as possible in order to secure its future.

Superfast broadband is now available in parts of Avon Dassett. Cabinet Farnborough 3 has been upgraded, meaning that properties connected to the upgraded cabinet may now be able to order the improved service.

For residents to check which cabinet they are connected to and what speeds they might achieve, they should visit https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/ For the best results they will need to be able to enter a BT landline number for the property. If they do not have this then they can use their address, but it may be less accurate. It should be noted that customers are not restricted to buying a service from BT and that can go to any Internet Service Provider (ISP).

There are a number of different Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and it is best to check carefully as there are a wide range of packages available, with some including telephone calls and even TV options. Websites like MoneySavingExpert.com and Broadband Genie can give free, impartial advice on cheap broadband deals and provide information on which packages might be best for specific needs.

The ‘About Broadband’ section on the CSW Broadband website has lots of information about Internet Service Providers, a very useful jargon buster to help people to get through the sometimes baffling terms surrounding broadband, and lots of self-help guides so that users can get the most from the new, improved service.

Unfortunately some premises in the village may be too far from the exchange to benefit from the upgrade at this stage, so do use the checking services above.

A new edition of Stratford District Council’s newsletter, Parish & Partners has been published. It has information on planning, council tax, the core strategy, Stratford Mop Fair and much more!

• Parish and Partners – September 2016

Do you have memories of Southam or Warwickshire?

Do you remember the ox roasts in years gone by, or your school and work
years?

Maybe you recall the windmill or shopping in the High Street?

Join the Our Warwickshire community and share your memories with others who would love to read about them.

If you have a story to tell and would like to learn more come to:

Tithe Place,
High Street,
Southam,
CV47 0HB.

21st September, 2.00pm
FREE refreshments!

The application relating to The Avon (ref 16/01974/FUL) has been withdrawn and therefore will not be considered by the Committee Members tonight (September 14th).

Is your child due to start school in September 2017?

The Dassett C of E Primary School’s Open Day is on Monday 17th October with tours every hour from 9am until 2pm and then in the evening at 5pm and 6pm. No appointments necessary – just come along. If you have any questions please contact Mrs Alison Hine (Headteacher) on 01295770267

Autumn News and Events at Farnborough Village Hall

TAI CHI – Tuesdays 13 Sept, 27 Sept and 4 October 7pm £6 each, qualified instructor, beginners most welcome.

HARVEST SUPPER Monday 3rd October 7.30pm, tickets £8 to include a hot 2 course supper, no speaker and of course the ever popular and lively auction of produce and other tempting items at ridiculous prices.  Call  Fiona on 690039 or Anna on 690723

TABLE TOP SALE Sunday 9th October 11am – 2pm Hire a table for £10 and turn unwanted items into cash or just come along for a real bargain, many well-known brands available. No admission fee. Call Pam on 690170

SKITTLE NIGHT Saturday 15 October 7pm to include hot snack supper £10 per person children under 14 years free. Tickets from Pam, Kathy or Anna

AGM Village Hall – Monday 31st October at 7.30pm. A short meeting to update everyone on the year’s events with wine and cheese after, please let us have your ideas and interests for the coming year, we would love to see you.

CHURCH CAROL SERVICE  Thursday 15th December at 7pm

The planning committee considering the application for change of use of The Avon will be webcast live by Stratford District Council on 14 September and will be available on their archive site thereafter. The link is: http://council.webcast.vualto.com/stratford-council/live-webcast?EventId=16506

The Agenda for the Planning meeting to hear the application for the change of use of The Avon is here. The meeting will take place on 14 September at Kineton High School at 6pm.

There are strict requirements regarding the meeting and who can speak. See information from Stratford District Council below:

Please note that this is not an open forum; it is a meeting of the Councils Planning Committee at which the public is welcome to watch and listen. Questions cannot be taken from the audience and only those who have already registered to speak will be allowed to do so. It is requested that the audience respects the Committee and allows the meeting to progress in accordance with the procedure described below and without interruption. The Chairman will introduce the application which will then be supported by an officer presentation. These will be commensurate with the scale and complexity of the proposal and the level of public interest.

The names of those people who have registered to speak on the application will be called in the following order:

1. Town or Parish Councils; (3 Minutes)

2. any objectors; (3 or 6 minutes)

3. the applicant, their agent, or any supporters (3 or 6 minutes).

If speakers are registered in all three categories, in the interests of fairness time limits will be increased for either the objectors or supporters depending on whether the Parish Council opposes or supports the application. For example where the Parish Council speaks in opposition to the application and objectors are also registered to speak, the Parish Council representative could speak for 3 minutes and the objectors could speak for 3 minutes, therefore to ensure an equality the applicant or supporters would be entitled to 6 minutes.

After each speaker has finished, the Chairman will ask if the Committee has any questions to put to them. Ward Members may then be entitled to address the Committee for up to 5 minutes in accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 11.2. Committee Members will then have the opportunity to ask for further information or clarification following which the debate will be opened up to the Committee. The Planning Officer will be asked to comment if necessary. Finally, the Committee will be asked to take a decision on the application, and this will take the form of a motion from a Councillor to GRANT or REFUSE.

If you WISH TO SPEAK AT THIS MEETING, you MUST register with the committee managers by 2.00 p.m. the day before the meeting.

EMAIL: committeemanagers@stratford-dc.gov.uk or by

TELEPHONE: 01789 260245