Test Valley residents will see their council tax increase by £2.50 in the next year – with Andover residents seeing a rise of £1 less than the rest. The cabinet of Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) voted to approve an increase in their council tax from £146.41 to £148.91 for a Band E property for the next year. They also approved a decrease in the Andover Special Expenses Levy, which pays for the maintenance of community assets such as cemeteries and sports grounds, by £1 after removing charges for community halls from the levy. Councillor Maureen Flood said that it had been an “incredibly challenging” year for the council, and that the rise would allow them to protect core services. She said that TVBC had ‘cushioned’ the blow by using its reserves to allow a lower council tax increase.
A dramatic council meeting where the clerk ejected the chair and vice-chair has gone viral. But no, it isn t Andover Town Council that has been making headlines this week but Handforth Parish Council in Cheshire. Footage of their planning meeting held on Zoom on December 10 has gone viral with thousands of viewers stunned by dramatic arguments. In the video, Jackie Weaver sent the chairman to the waiting room after saying she had no authority and declaring himself the town clerk. He was followed in short order by the deputy chairman, who shouted: Read the standing orders - read them and understand them!
PLANS have been put forward to build a brand-new Costa coffee drive-thru, The Advertiser can report. In news that will be welcomed by caffeine lovers, the chain has submitted proposals to build an outlet on the junction of Watery Lane and New Street, where the McDonald’s and BP garage sits. The coffee giant is proposing to demolish a former car dealership and convert it into a shop and drive-thru. Salisbury Jones Planning, which is representing the mega-brand, estimates the new outlet would create up to 18 full and part-time jobs. It notes in its application: “Costa Limited do not use zero hours contracts. There is a bonus scheme for all employees and they have a high internal promotion rate. All employees are paid at least the minimum wage for 25+ year olds, regardless of their age.”
The youth member of parliament for North West Hampshire has called on Andover Town Council to put “political agendas aside” after his grant application was put on hold for months. Dmitrijs Meiksans MYP made the call in an email sent to members of the council after a grant application to run a ‘Covid-19 Unsung Heroes Award’ was stuck in limbo for 158 days. He called on the council to “actually achieve something as a collective” and said he has “simply had enough of this going back and forth”. In response, town mayor Richard Rowles said that the grant had now been signed off for payment.