EHDC are to take ‘zero tolerance’ approach to littering and dog fouling. Litter louts and irresponsible dog owners are set to be hit with £75 on the spot fines under a new ‘zero tolerance’ campaign being launched by East Hampshire District Council.

The council’s Cabinet agreed on Wednesday (March 25) to set up a six month pilot scheme initially in urban areas and to extend it if it proves successful. Initially a contractor is being sought to provide two full-time officers to patrol streets and parks. The officers would have the powers to issue fixed penalty notices to people who commit offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.

The notices will require offenders to pay £75 as an alternative to a criminal prosecution. A similar policy, introduced in neighbouring Havant has seen 4,275 notices being issued, making the scheme cost-neutral and supporting investment in community resources such as bins and promotional campaigns.

EHDC leader Cllr Richard Millard said: ‘People who deliberately or even unthinkingly drop litter or allow their dogs to foul pavements and public open spaces are a blight on all our lives. This policy is aimed at stopping this public nuisance. The zero tolerance policy means what it says – that there will be no excuses even for cigarette ends and chewing gum.’

In another initiative, the council is to meet with the Highways Agency and Hampshire County Council to launch a campaign aimed at motorists who throw rubbish from their vehicles causing an eyesore on roads throughout the district.

Bus services in East Hants are let by Hampshire County Council. I do feel some frustration that these are let by a team in Winchester looking for county wide solutions and with the increased development going on across East Hants and the South of England it is important that new services are considered and brought in if they are viable.

At a cabinet meeting on the 25th March we voted to support funding for a study to be undertaken to look at how this can be achieved. The idea is to find routes that can be operated on a commercial basis, including ones serving new housing developments. One of the ideas is to run small high quality 16 seat minibuses with features like free WiFi to add to their appeal.

EHDC will be consulting with local Councillors and communities to ensure we understand where people want to get to and from. Current bus services do not cater for Morrisons, the service through Catherington was dropped several years ago and if the LEOH development is approved then future services will need to consider these new markets too. There is also frequent comment that there is no easy way to get to the leisure facilities in Waterlooville, Havant or Petersfield by public transport. If viable then these are all possible solutions.

A report to Cabinet said the survey would look at services that connect to ‘key destinations where people want and need to access facilities.’ It added: ‘Key corridors would need to be identified where there is commercial potential, either existing, or new corridors which could be a result of new development sites. These services should be of high quality. Different types of services would be welcome for investigation, such as commuter services or services that serve the night time economy.

Cllr Nick Drew, Portfolio holder for Communities, said: ‘Bus services are a vital lifeline for some people and this study will take a close look at how and where they are run. We want to encourage more people to leave the car at home and take the bus. It also makes sense to provide bus services on our new housing estates.’

Keep watching here to find out more and expect this to be a topic for a Community Forum in the near future.

In an earlier blog I reported the theft of some benches from Horndean Parish Councils grounds at Jubilee Field. They are ours and we paid for them in our Council Tax contribution to the Parish Council.

It turns out there were three of them and the chances are reasonable they are still in Horndean of nearby.

The benches were made, ironically, by prisoners in the Scottish Prison Service as a part of their rehabilitation and while the SPS does supply some garden centres these are rather more unusual to find because they are not mass produced like most garden centre stock.

If you see up to 3 new benches like this in the area that match this style exactly, then please contact the police on their usual 101 service. Please be very certain before calling so we do not waste police time and we do not want neighbours falling out with each other because of a mistake! To help with positive identification the bottom rung between the legs has been drilled through with a fixing hole to anchor the benches into the concrete strips. Only get in touch if it is brand new with holes drilled in the bottom rung between the legs and looks exactly like the bench in the photo below:

Photo of the type of stolen bench – photo will enlarge if you click on it.

On the 7th May the Parliamentary, District and Parish Council elections take place.

Candidates for the Parish and District Council elections can submit papers between the 27th March and 4pm on the 9th April.

Candidates for the Parliamentary Elections have between the 2nd April and 4pm on the 9th April.

If you hand deliver your forms then you can book an appointment to check them on delivery. All election papers are delivered to EHDC’s offices at Penns Place, Petersfield.

If anyone is interested in standing then please feel free to ask me for advice, or speak to the relevant organisation. The Clerk and Executive Officer at Horndean Parish Council can help with interested parties there, and Democratic Services at Penns Place for District or Parliamentary Candidates.

If you are not yet on the electoral roll then you have until the 20th April to register.

The election is on the 7th May and the Parliamentary count takes place overnight. District Council votes are counted on Friday 8th from 2pm and the Parish Council election after that.

Please find the latest newsletter from Carole Burnett, Ranger at Horndean Parish Council. Clicking on the image should open it in a larger format.

The Parish Council look after and maintain hundreds of acres of land and the Countryside team led by Carole Burnett put in effort to make sure the woodland is maintained and our park areas are well resourced.

In the last weeks there have been two setbacks were new park benches which were concreted into the ground at Jubilee Park were stolen in the night. Woodland fencing at Catherinton Lith Nature Reserve has also been vandalised and cut open on repeated occasions. Ironically the benches were made by prison inmates learning new skills.

The Parish Council would welcome any information on the stolen benches Carole asks that “Walkers keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in the parish, reporting anything to the Council or the Police”.