Welcome. The Chairman welcomed everybody and explained that, aware that in the event of an election being called we would be unable to have an address by our speaker Mr. J. Howell MP. we  devised a new format for the meeting. We planned to spend 5 minutes on 23 subjects. In addition to Council matters, we included aspects closely related to the village e.g. the art show, village quizzes, the White Hart hotel, the newly opened garage and Spar shop, the Henley and District Talking Newspapers. We also planned to give brief histories of village matters eg. how Parish Councils came to be formed, how we came to have a recreation ground, how we came to have such a splendid Village Club, - all items taken from the vast amount of history in the Nettlebed website.

The Clerk explained that Jeremy Simon had stepped down from a long spell as Chairman at last year’s AGM. We were greatly relieved that he would continue to compile the website which receives great acclaim from many parts of the world and he would continue to edit our news letters. Barbara Lewis was elected Chairman and John McDonnell as Vice Chairman.

Barbara Taylor represented the police force who have given us excellent coverage during the last year. She said that in June a letter would be sent to every home, asking people to let the police know of any problems in their area. There was a slight increase in burglaries in Nettlebed during the past year. Although the main question period was to be at the end of the meeting, to allow Barbara to leave early she dealt with questions after her talk. Q1. Why is the Police station in Henley so often closed? A. Staff are always present even when office is closed. Can always be contacted. Q2. Where do calls to 999 come from? Answer- Abingdon. Some years ago members of our Council spent a fascinating visit to witness the operation there.

A. Paterson said that the new waste arrangements had settled down since the introduction last year and Verdant ,the contractors had done an excellent job during the winter problems . Roadside rubbish is a problem which needs addressing. There are 3000 people waiting on the housing list at SODC  The District Council has not increased our Council tax this year.

R. Belson stressed the need for reporting pot holes . From April 1^st.new contractors had been appointed to deal with this problem

Councillor Simon gave a short history of the recreation ground and pavilion. He said that as the proposed replacement building is on a registered common and is classed as restricted works, it will be necessary to make an application to the Secretary of State for DEFRA under section 38 of the 2006 Commons Act. Informal public consultation has to be demonstrated to have taken place. Much of this has already been done as overwhelming support has been given, firstly at the meeting held in 2007 and followed up by dedicated fund raising in the community. When asked all parishioners to raise their hands if they were in support, it was unanimous.

Barbara Lewis said that the houses, in the High Street, being built by Builders Ede were making good progress, and the builders were co-operating with the Parish Council, keeping us informed. After a Housing Needs Survey was conducted in the village, we were alarmed to learn that the 3 affordable houses would be allocated to people on the Housing list at Crowmarsh, not necessarily to people with Nettlebed connections. After complaining bitterly about this, the Planning and Housing departments agreed to make an exception in this instance

Dennis Rocks Chairman of the Nettlebed Sports Association explained that £60,000 had been raised towards the replacing of the sports pavilion which has now been demolished since it was unsafe. The fund raisers have worked tirelessly but another £30,000 is needed before the replacement can take place. Various grants are being applied for as the matter is now urgent since the cricketers need changing facilities and the fete cannot proceed without facilities for those attending.

White Hart Hotel. It was explained that a new company has taken over the White Hart and has done everything to entice new customers, having distributed thousands of vouchers offering 50% reductions on food throughout March. Internal alterations taking place with the bar area being made more user friendly. They do need our support.

Malcolm Lewis explained that co-ordinators for Neighbourhood Watch have been recruited for Park Corner and Highmoor in addition to Nettlebed, bringing the total number of co-ordinators to 18.A request to keep an eye on the elderly and vulnerable.

Sadly the farm Shop has been delayed and was not able to be ready by Easter as had been hoped. The owner of the Post Office premises has been asked for an extension to allow the post office to remain in position until the new premises are ready.

Talking Newspapers Malcolm Lewis explained the workings of the Henley Talking Newspapers which act as a lifeline to those who are blind or have impaired eyesight. He demonstrated the latest digital gadget which is being supplied to users – two of whom live in Nettlebed. More male readers would be welcome.

Councillor Gibson – our transport representative said that our bus services to Henley, Oxford and Reading remain much as before with an hourly service to Henley and two buses to Reading. Details were given of the Lifeline bus which offers a door to door service from several villages to either Henley or Didcot. It leaves Nettlebed at 9.30a.m. on Thursday mornings and costs only £2.00 per trip. The Parish Council contributes £125 per annum to make this service possible.

Allotments All allotments are currently let at 6.00 per year. Whilst the rents cover the cost of the water supply to the allotments the rents will stay but may have to be increased in future. In the event of an allotment being neglected the tenant will be asked to surrender his tenancy and the plot will be reallocated. Complaints have been received about the untidiness of some plots – tenants are asked to keep the plots in good order.

Chris Gibbs organizes the annual art show and the money raised is distributed between various village organizations . In 2012 they will be celebrating their 60^th. anniversary and to mark the occasion would like to donate something lasting for the village. Chris asks for suggestions as to what the something could be.

Inter Village Quizzes 13 local teams of 6 people take part in these quizzes. They are enjoyed by all who take part. If you or anybody you know would be interested in joining a team, please contact Susan Byers 641138

Litter. The annual litter blitz will be held on Saturday, April 24^th. In the event of the weather being bad, it will take place the following day. The aim is to clear the roadsides of all the rubbish thrown out by careless motorists and the woods where thoughtless people tend to dump their rubbish. Sticks, tabards and bags will be supplied. Please report to the car park at 10a.m. Filled bags to be left at the roadside as David Butler kindly collects them later in the day.

Community halls and Sports Pitch Both of the halls and the Sports Pitch are proving to be very popular and bookings are increasing all the time. Children’s parties are booked most weeks and now that flood lights have been installed the sports pitch is in great demand for football and tennis.

Representatives from Sue Ryder are working closely with the Parish Council in order to persuade those attending the popular sales, to park within the Sue Ryder grounds and not to park in unsuitable places in the village. In order to carry out this operation they need to provide stewards and volunteers are invited.

Highways Matters Everybody has been asked to notify Highways or the Parish Council when they see a pothole . They need to be dealt with urgently. Now that the cushions have been installed along the B481 we hope to see a reduction in traffic speed. The money for the cushions came from a special ‘walk to school’ fund in the education department , not from Highways who usually bear the cost of road repairs.

Watlington Street Housing Project When consulted on the plans for this project, the parish Council made numerous suggestions for improvement which were welcomed. There were numerous amendments since it is a conservation area and some of the buildings are listed. We finally gave our approval.

The new Spar shop and refurbished garage provide a welcome amenity for the village. Letters were sent to the Spar and to the Post Office and Village Shop thanking them for the efforts they made to keep us all supplied with basic foods during the atrocious weather. We said we hoped that some of the people who were so glad of them but had not previously shopped with them would continue to visit them. A very appreciative reply was received from the Spa manager and from his area manager .The manager had hoped to attend the meeting but due to staff problems was unfortunately not able to.

News Letters Councillor Simon who edits the News letters reminded parishioners that he can only print items which have been sent to him Any items which you feel might be of interest please send them

Question Time Parishioners were invited to raise questions. Only one – is there ever a film in the (speed) camera?

Thanks. The Chairman thanked the Councillors, the clerk, Pat Sparrowhawk who manages the allotments, the people who deliver the news letters, and all who we hope will pick up litter on 24^th.

Meeting closed at 10.30p.m.

With the meeting over, Mr. John Howell who had been present throughout the evening but not permitted to speak until the agenda was over, gave a brief talk on the 2 years he had been our MP.