ANNUALREPORT &

ACCOUNTS2019 – 2020

Subject to external audit

www.hook.gov.ukPublished by Hook Parish Council, Hook Community Centre, Ravenscroft, Hook RG27 9NN

Tel: 01256 768687 / 01256 768573 Email: eo@hook.gov.uk

HOOKPA R I S H C O U N C I L

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

A warm welcome to all residents, especially to thoseincoming members of our community, who have movedinto newly-built or existing homes within Hook, over thepast year.

In May 2019, a contested election was held for thetwelve seats on the Parish Council. Six existingCouncillors retained their seats, whilst six new Memberswere elected. Since the election, two Councillors haveresigned for personal reasons. One of these twovacancies has been filled by Cllr. Les Morrison, who wasco-opted onto the Council in March. However, at thetime of writing, the other seat remains vacant.

Of previous initiatives launched by the Parish Council,the Hook App continues to achieve significant growth inuser numbers and is fast becoming the ‘go to’ place forinformation about all things Hook. New initiativesprogressed during this year, have included theformation of two working groups: the Sports WorkingGroup, and the Community Safety Working Group,whose remit will primarily be to determine effectiveways of combatting anti-social behaviour, which hasbeen on the increase in our community.

The 2019 Hook Village Show run by Hook & OdihamLions, assisted by the Odiham & Hook Rotary Club, andsupported by the Parish Council, continues to go fromstrength to strength, being well supported by residentsand visitors alike. Similarly, Community Christmas, whichprovides lunch and entertainment on Christmas Day forHook residents on their own during the Festive period,hosted more participants than in previous years.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

At long last, the Hook Neighbourhood Plan 2018-2032,was formally adopted by Hart District Council on 27thFebruary 2020 and will inform the future planningdecisions taken by the District Council during the planperiod. Unreserved thanks go to the HookNeighbourhood Plan Steering Group, a band of hardyvolunteers, who persevered for nearly six years throughvarious changes of its personnel to produce adocument, which both protects the Parish againstunmerited development and speaks to the importanceof maintaining all those aspects which contribute to thehealth & wellbeing of our residents.

During this municipal year, the community of Hook wonfive awards at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Village ofthe Year Competition, where our village was named asrunner-up best village in Hampshire & Isle of Wight,whilst Hook Parish Council won two awards at theHampshire Association of Local Councils AwardsCeremony. Congratulations and thanks to all thosevolunteers and Parish Council Officers, who continue toenable Hook to be one of the most sought aftercommunities to live in Hampshire!

Finally, don’t forget that the Parish Council Office,located at the Community Centre, is open eachweekday morning, where our extremely capable andknowledgeable officers are there to answer anyresidents’ queries, or provide useful information, aboutHook related matters.

Jane Worlockchairman@hook.gov.uk

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

ANNUAL VILLAGE MEETING15th September - 8pm

Hook Community CentreRavenscroft

HOOK VILLAGE SHOWCANCELLED

‘Due to the COVID-19situation, the Parish

Council Office iscurrently closed and allstaff are working from

home. We can be contacted byphone or e-mail in the

usual way’

The P&I Committee currently consists of five Membersand usually meets on the second and fourthWednesday of every month. The Committee acts onbehalf of the Parish Council and it considers planningapplications and infrastructure matters. All PlanningApplications are categorised into those that are non-contentious (those which can be determined underdelegated authority), and those that require more in-depth consideration. Applications are considered by

PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE (P&I) COMMITTEE

the Committee with input from site visits, neighboursand other stakeholders when making recommendationsto Hart District Council (the Local Planning Authority).Hook Parish Council continues to work closely withboth District and County Councillors, and theirrespective officers, to ensure that the views of theresidents of Hook are taken into account whendetermining planning-related matters..

OWENS FARM APPEALFollowing the refusal of planningpermission for the development of upto 700 dwellings on Owen’s farm(West of Hook) in June 2018,Wilber Developments subsequentlyAppealed the decision. During theinquiry (March 2019) the Developersdecided to withdraw their challenge.This successful outcome was in nosmall part due to partnership-workingbetween proactive local residents,the Neighbourhood Plan SteeringGroup and the Parish Council.

CLIMATE CHANGE ANDRESILIENCE PLANNINGThe frequency of flooding eventsappear to be increasing. The ParishCouncil regularly informs Hart DC oflocal issues that could potentiallycontribute to localised flooding. Tocomplement Hart’s Flood RiskInfrastructure Strategy, the ParishCouncil has begun to exploreopportunities for securing CommunityResilience Funding and piloting aCommunity Flood Plan for a small-scale trial location.

GREEN HART PARKThe last 12 months have seen thecommencement of building on NEHook, now marketed as ‘Green HartPark’. As part of the development,‘Whitewater Meadows’, (a large greenopen space connected to widerreaching public footpaths) has nowbeen delivered and is open for thepublic to enjoy.

INFRASTRUCTUREParking along Sheldon’s Lane became problematic in 2019.After consultation with residents, Hart Council proposed aprogramme of prohibitions (double yellow lines) andrestrictions (single yellow lines) to be introduced. This willbalance the need for parking for short periods, whilststopping vehicles being parking close to junctions. Schemeimplementation will be during the Spring. The Parish Councilengages with District and County Councils in respect of

infrastructure. Issues such asproblem parking, speeding,localised flooding, that areregularly flagged up byresidents and the ParishCouncil seeks to contribute inthe resolution of such matters

SCHOOL BUSESMany readers will be aware of Hampshire County Council’sproposals to implement a ‘safe walking route’ across BartleyHeath SSSI, crossing the busy A287 at Newlyn’sroundabout, to access Robert May’s School (Hook’s onlycatchment secondary school). Throughout the engagementperiod with HCC, the Parish Council continued to object tothe proposals on the basis of safety. An extremely well-organised and proactive group of parents formed thecampaign group, Positive Action Against Transport Cuts

(PAATC), to oppose the removal of the school buses in theabsence of a safe walking route to school. The combinedefforts of the Parish Council and PAATC, supported byHook’s District Councillors, culminated in HCC taking thedecision (in February 2020) to put the proposal “on hold forthe immediate future”.

Jeff Burkejeff.burke@hook.gov.uk

The E and C Committee is dedicated to maintainingand improving the wellbeing of the community byproviding a range of services and amenities thatbenefit the diverse nature of the village. These include:children's play areas, a skate park, Christmas lights,grants for local initiatives, bus shelters, along with the

ENVIRONMENT & COMMUNITY (E&C) COMMITTEE

Council’s land, including the SANG, and buildings toname a few. The current E & C Committee consists offive Members and meets on the third Wednesday ofevery month. During 2019-20 the Committee work hasincluded:

Varndell ImprovementsColourful Hanging Baskets Poppies for Remembrance

Dog Bags Please!Clean Air Banners Wheel Stops for Safety

FLORAL HOOKA total of 35 hanging baskets brought new vibrantdisplays to the centre of the village throughout thesummer. Thanks to the Hook In Bloom volunteers, thetroughs and flower beds continue to bring colour to thevillage. The Parish Council continues to work closely withHart to identify new wildflower areas within Hook andwork has commenced on a new site in Mitchells Field.Please take an interest and watch how it grows.

IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND SAFETYWheel stops have been installed to prevent vehiclesoverhanging the pavement when parking. Also, Clean Airbanners have been erected to encourage people to turnoff their engines when parked.

LITTER PICKERSThe Parish Council Office now has litter pickingequipment that can be loaned to groups andorganisations keen to keep litter under control. Contactthe office to organise your litter pick in the village.

CHRISTMASThe Christmas lights were enhanced this year with stars inthe tree on Grand Parade and icicles along the GrandParade shops. The carols and community singing wasably supported by the Basingstoke Silver Band and HookChoral Society saw a wonderful turn out around theChristmas Tree.

VARNDELL PLAY AREAThe Varndell Play Area is getting a facelift, thanks to theMen’s Shed and funding from the Parish Council. All playareas owned by the Parish Council have been reviewedand further improvements are planned. Watch this space!

DOG BAGSDogs who live in Hook are welcome to bring their owners orcarers in to collect dog bags from the Parish Council officeThe dogs get offered a biscuit for their trouble. We give outover 60,000 dog bags a year and nearly as many treats!

Liz Tomlinsonliz.tomlinson@hook.gov.uk

The FSR Committee, consisting of eight Members,meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Itsfunctions include the consideration of new policies,developing strategy, monitoring of the actions insupport of the Corporate Plan, oversight of theCouncil’s budgets, accounts, investments and internalcontrols, along with the HR functions of the Council. Hook Parish Council is open and transparent about theway it manages its finances. Information on the way

the Council mitigates financial risk and what it hasspent money on can be found on the Council websitewww.hook.gov.uk/financeThe Council’s finances are monitored on a day to daybasis by the Responsible Financial Officer. The Councilappoints an internal auditor who assesses the Council’scompliance with relevant legislation and a further auditis carried out by an external auditor appointed by theAudit Commission.

GRANTS

FINANCE, STRATEGY & RESOURCES (FSR) COMMITTEE

The Parish Council receives income through thePrecept; an annual sum of money collected with theCouncil Tax by Hart District Council. In addition,income is received from Cemetery fees, hire of pitches,

Echo Hotel Music Club and developer contributions.Details of the income and expenditure for 2019-20 areshown below

MONEY MATTERS

Organisation Amount Project Description

The Base Youth Club £ 16,500.00 Youth supportVictim Support £ 200.00 Security equipmentCitizens Advice Hart £ 1,500.00 To cover general advice and overhead service costsHook Scouts £ 5,000.00 Support for Extension of the Scout HutHook Players £ 750.00 Equipment and stage Poppy Appeal £ 250.00 Wreaths and streetlight poppies Life Education Wessex £ 980.00 Health and drug education at Hook Junior schoolTeen engagement £ 900.00 Youth activitiesDestination Sport £ 900.00 Youth projectHook Village Nursery £ 1,116.50 General supportMen's Shed £ 500.00 Start up supportHVHCA £ 500.00 Children’s half term activitiesHook Squash Club £ 1,000.00 General support

Total £ 30,096.50

Income 2019-20 Expenditure 2019-20

MONEY MATTERS ... continued

The precept for 2020/21 is £437,000 which equates to£120.50 pa for a Band D property, which is an increaseof 0.14p per week compared to 2019-20. This takesaccount of all the costs incurred in running the Council’sservices and assets, as well as a number of challengingnew initiatives and events being planned for the comingyear. Income is broken down into precept, S106contribution from developers, bookings for HartlettsPark, including a charity event and a dog trainingventure, in addition to hire of the football pitches toHook United, cemetery fees and proceeds from theHook Live initiative, Echo Hotel Music Club. S106

All meetings of the Council and Committees are open to the public – see Calendar of meetings below. Each agendaincludes a period when the public may address the Council. For more information please go to the Meetings pageson our website www.hook.gov.uk

contributions, while a significant proportion of income,are held “in reserve” to cover the cost of maintainingthe Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANG) atBassetts Mead and must last for 80 years.

The year ends slightly under budget with most areas ofexpenditure as expected and overspends within budgetcategories are minimal. For large ticket items whichoccur only every few years such as elections, play areareplacement, tree health checks and buildings surveys,a smaller amount is put aside annually to spread thecost.

HOOK PARISH COUNCIL SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

SERVICES• Cemetery• Bus shelters• Footpaths• Playgrounds• Open Spaces• Seating• Grants• Planning• Community Buildings• Hook App/Facebook/Website9• Free dog refuse bags• Defibrillators – these are at Hook Community Centre

(Squash Court side) and at Grant Parade (Mosaic)

ACTIVITIES• Echo Hotel Music Club events• Hook Village Show• Annual Village Meeting

SUPPORTING OTHERS• Hook Neighbourhood Plan• Hook in Bloom• Hook Allotment Association• The Base Youth Centre

2020 COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETING CALENDAR

P&I E&C FSR ANNUAL2020 COUNCIL Committee Committee Committee VILLAGE

1 2 MEETINGJANUARY 8* 15 29 22 28FEBRUARY 5 12 26 19 25MARCH 4 11 CANCELLEDAPRIL CANCELLED DUE TO CORONAVIRUSMAY 6** 13 27 20 26JUNE 3 10 24 17 23JULY 1 8 22 15 28AUGUST 5 12 26 19 - SEPTEMBER 2 9 23 16 22OCTOBER 7 14 28 21 27NOVEMBER 4 11 25 18 24DECEMBER 2 9 23 16 -

CouncillorsFull E & C FSR P & I Overall

Council Committee Committee Committee Attendance

No of Meetings Held 11 9 8 12

Jeff Burke 8 N/A 5 10 74%

Rob Cowell 7 N/A 5 11 74%

Paul Kinge 11 9 N/A 12 100%

Fergus Kirkham 7 N/A 1 9 62%

G Miller (resigned 4/11/19) 5 (of 6) N/A 5 (of5) 6 (of 6) 94%

L Morrison (co-opted 4/3/20) 1 (of 1) N/A N/A N/A 100%

Barry Myall 10 8 N/A N/A 90%

Jacqui Nabbs 8 N/A 8 N/A 89%

Verd Nabbs 6 4 N/A N/A 50%

Chris Terrey 10 9 8 N/A 96%

Liz Tomlinson 10 8 7 10 88%

Ian Warner (resigned 8/1/20) 6 (of 8) 7 N/A N/A 65%

Jane Worlock 11 N/A 7 N/A 95%

See Website for full details of absences and late arrival

PARISH COUNCIL PERSONNEL: 2019-20

Executive Officer / Clerk and Anne Atkins Parish Council OfficeResponsible Finance Officer: Hook Community CentreSenior Administrative Officer Marian Bright Ravenscroft 01256 768687(Environment & Community) Hook orAdministrative Officer (Planning) Annalie Hadfield RG27 9NN 01256 768573Administrative Officer Pam Mercer(Community Engagement) Opening hours: 9am - noonAdministrative Officer (Finance) Serena Dolby Monday - Friday

Chairman of Council & Chairman of Finance, Strategy Jane Worlock Emrys House, 17 Driftway Road 07887 502384& Resources Committee

Vice-Chairman of Council Rob Cowell 2 Rookswood Close 07707 532787Chairman of Environment & Liz Tomlinson Silver How, London Road 01256 212462Community Committee

Chairman of Planning & Jeff Burke 21 Hawthorn Rise 01256 766223Infrastructure Committee

Members Paul Kinge 11 Butts Meadow 01256 764611Fergus Kirkham 1 Alderwood Drive 01256 766122Barry Myall 23 Lynwood Gardens 01256 764640Jacqui Nabbs 48 Oak Tree Drive 01256 761988Verd Nabbs 48 Oak Tree Drive 01256 761988Chris Terrey 3 Stable Close 01256 964597Les Morrison 29 Mead Hatchgate 01256 762817VACANT SEAT

COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE AT COUNCIL MEETINGS 2019-20

Hook Parish Council’s website: www.hook.gov.ukPublished by Hook Parish Council, Hook Community Centre, Ravenscroft, Hook RG27 9NNPrinted by IC Printing Services, 17 Murrell Green Business Park, Hook RG27 9GR Tel: 01256 760276

ECHO HOTEL MUSIC CLUB

Hook Parish Council sponsored and supported theestablishment of the Echo Hotel Music Club as a not-for-profit live music venue, based at the Elizabeth Hall,in 2019. The aim was to present the best bands andartists on the UK Live Music circuit, many of themselling 1000s of albums a year, for the benefit of music-loving Hook residents, who would otherwise have theexpense of travelling some distance to attend a decentgig. In addition, the Club was also set up to ensure afriendly, safe ‘vibe’ in which to enjoy the music, anaffordable bar and professional sound and lighting tocomplete the experience.

Since the Clubformally opened itsdoors in February2019, it has heldnine gigs in thefirst Season andplanned ten furthergigs for 2020, atroughly one permonth. All gigshave been popular and extremely well attended, withover half being completely sold out! Such is the qualityof the acts that we have booked. We have regular ‘out-of-town’ visitors too; from South Wales, Kent,Cambridge and Southampton. And Echo Hotel is alsopopular with the band community (the word isspreading!). Two bands have recorded live albums withus, and another has filmed their entire performance!

A further benefit to the Community of Hook is that anysurplus made is ploughed straight back into facilitiesprovided by Hook Village Halls. So far, we havepurchased the powered cabinet for the publicDefibrillator at Elizabeth Hall, painted the entire stagearea black (like every other theatre and venue in theUK) and replaced all the backdrop curtains. Furtherimprovements are in the pipeline.

So, if you haven’t been to a gig yet, come and join us.Echo Hotel Music Club is becoming THE music venuein the Thames Valley region…and it is on YOURdoorstep. It’s YOUR Club! Tickets are on sale via theEcho Hotel Music Club Facebook page, the Echo Hotellisting on Ticketsource, Trees Newsagent or by phoning07810 893564.

Verd Nabbsverd.nabbs@hook.gov.uk

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Keeping abreast of whatis going on in Hook hasnever been easier.

The Hook ParishCouncil App is now twoyears old and usagecontinues to grow. TheApp is full of usefulinformation, such aslinks to localorganisations, events,fault reporting via ‘fixmy street’, maps for

local walks and much more continually being added.For more information please go to our website atwww.hook.gov.uk/app. The App can be downloadedby searching for Hook Parish Council on the App Storeor, Google Play

Regular updates are published in Hook Focus (page 5)and posted on the Parish Council Facebook page.These are mirrored on news section of the App, so nonFacebook users can also be kept up to date. Postscover a wide range of local interest topics, e.g., eventsorganised by local groups, election information, detailsof surgery’s (district/county and local MP), surveys,charity activities, HCC public consultations on lighting,libraries, roadworks etc.

In addition to the Parish Council website, which holds ahuge amount of information including Agendas andMinutes, there are three Council noticeboards in thevillage. They are updated weekly and are located at HookCommunity Centre, Holt Lane and Grand Parade. There isalso a free for all open to the elements noticeboard thatanyone can use on the path to the pedestrian crossingnear Hook Pet Shop at Grand Parade.

Hook Parish Council was recognised for its CommunityEngagement twice during the year. Firstly, as Winner ofthe Hampshire & IOW Village of the Year’, ‘Excellence inCommunity Engagement’ (Steven Lugg Trophy) for theHook App. In November, the Parish Council waspresented with the Glass Trophy as Winner for BestUse of Social Media at the Hampshire Association ofLocal Councils Awards (HALC) along with Runner-up forthe Best Local Council Website (the e-mango Shield).