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Updated information page for Parish Council - Barry Hope (28th Jun 2006 - 09:58:58) Many thanks to the editor for updating the information on the Parish Council page on this site. I am pleased to see that we have published a list of dates for meetings, this will give everyone who is interested the chance to attend, observe and ask questions if they want to. Best wishes Barry

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - M (13th Jul 2006 - 10:24:58) Is there any chance of putting the agenda's and the minutes on the web?, - as I work all week, it is difficult to get to the parish office to see what is going on at the meetings, or what is on the agenda for the next ? M

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Barry Hope (13th Jul 2006 - 10:41:14) M, I will certainly investigate what we can do and how we can do it. It may be useful to know that we are currently working on a Parish Council Web Site which will give all this information and more and be accessible by everyone. It is planned that Minutes and Agendas will be published on the site regularly. The agendas are always put up on the notice board outside the PC office prior to meetings and these can therefore be viewed out of hours. Thanks for your interest, hope this has been of some help. Best wishes Barry

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Steve Read (13th Jul 2006 - 20:12:55) Dear Barry, Its good to see recent postings on this site regarding activities of the council. Firstly is this a result of Mr.Newmans recent election to the council and his pledge to make issues and details more available for us? Or after his welcoming "dressing down" it was realised maybe he has a good point or two to offer. Secondly, I know its been suggested on here before but why is the council setting up a seperate web site when this site obviously caters for a large number of residents to catch up on whats happening around Liphook. This site states "The community website" why not use it ? I'am not playing devils advocate here, just curious to know why all of a sudden postings are appearing from the Parish on here in recent weeks. With the exception of Freddie its been a very minimal input from anybody else associated with the council. Would be interested in a reply, in closing I think any means of keeping us more informed would benefit us all and stop many jumping to the wrong conclusion on some issues, which I hasten to add I have been guilty of in the past.

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Barry Hope (18th Jul 2006 - 13:24:48) Steve, Thanks for your comments. The recent changes to the PC page on this site have been well overdue and have needed updating and I am glad to see this is now happening. This is not due to Nigel becoming a councillor or to his reported “dressing down”, in fact the comments I made at that meeting were directed to all councillors (something omitted by the press by the way) and were a reminder that all councillors need to make sure they know the facts before making any public statement or comment. The postings that have appeared recently have been as a result of a lot of things, especially the desire for local people to be made aware that the council offices are open to all, and that any questions, where possible, will be answered as clearly and factually as possible. As I have said before, the only answers we can’t give are those associated with any legal, contractual or personal matters that we have, by law, to discuss in exempt session (it has been unfair in my view for the press to refer to them as “secret sessions” or “meetings held behind closed doors”). These sessions are in no way an attempt to hide things but are simply a legal requirement placed on councils to hold such discussions in a confidential manner, all councils have to operate in the same way, we are no different. Secondly, the website that the council is setting up is in common with other councils and is an attempt to make sure that notices of meetings, agendas and copies of minutes are current and up to date and available to all as I am aware that not all Liphook residents read this site, as good as it is. I see this as a positive step forward and of course we will also make the information available to this site and keep an eye on it for local views and opinions. I think that the more ways we have of keeping in touch the better it will be. I know that Freddie uses this site a lot and he has been very effective in getting the message across at times and answering peoples questions on a whole range of issues but I still think that there is no substitution for calling in to the office and getting the information direct. Lastly, let me please stress once again that members of the council come from all backgrounds and viewpoints and we do not always agree, sometimes there are very lively debates. But at the end of the day we are all united in trying to achieve the best for all sections of the community and we do, despite some views to the contrary, listen to views that are expressed. It is not an easy task and sometimes we can’t please everyone (made more difficult sometimes by the press putting their slants on stories to achieve sensationalism), no council can ever do that but at least we are prepared to try. Hope this helps. Best wishes Barry

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Liphook.co.uk Editor (18th Jul 2006 - 14:38:06) Hi all, Just to let you know the Parish Council web page on Liphook.co.uk has been updated with more information, and an updated list of the councillors. www.liphook.co.uk/?page=pc. We certainly hope, and are looking forward to working with the PC on their own website. Liphook.co.uk Editor

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Steve Read (18th Jul 2006 - 17:12:00) Dear Barry, Many thanks for a sincere reply, I appreciate its not an easy task and realise you can't please all the people all the time. However I also cannot help feeling that if statements of fact are being misrepresented by the local press, which lets be honest is and will always be the case, to a lot of peolpe this is the only media coverage available to them. Therefore opinions are formed rightly or wrongly based on what they read. As we all know political futures will always be determined by opinions and what people perceive as being fact and how its reported. Yes, a great many people today are on the internet but there are still a vast number here locally who do not even know this site exists, let alone the new proposed Parish Site. I understand your point about dropping into the Parish Office to get any updates on issues, but again this is not possible for a great many people. I just feel maybe it would benefit all concerned if somehow a news letter monthly or bi-monthly printed either in the Herald or distributed with the Community Magazine would help. Its just an idea. Regarding the Herald thats got to be the easiest reporting job going considering most of the front page headlines are taken from issues raised on here anyway. However many thanks again for your reply it was refreshing and informative. Kind regards, Steve Read

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Mike Grimes (19th Jul 2006 - 00:42:14) I have been following this one with interest and cannot, for the life of me, understand why the assumed fact that "not everybody in Liphook [and Bramshott]" reads this site is an adequate reason for the setting up of a completely new [Parish Council] site. I wonder if there is some inbuilt assumption that the readers of the new site will, somehow, be more sympathetic to the council's decisions than the readers of this site. I wonder whether anyone, but the council itself, will be able to express a public opinion on the new site. I welcome any initiative to be more open and disseminate information but we also need to know that the whole council is listening to us and acting on that rather that what they feel we ought to think. I can understand why certain matters have to be discussed in a closed session and I do understand what 'sub judice' means but I cannot understand why there can be such a lack of public debate prior to a matter becoming 'sub judice'. Asking the community might produce a better answer than asking the courts. What I am advocating is that the PC scrap any ideas of setting up a new website (that no-one to date has heard of) and use this one to it's full potential as a community website and to listen as well as inform. I can assure you, Barry, that a darn sight more people visit this site every day than will ever visit the council office.

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - rob (19th Jul 2006 - 22:44:10) I totally agree with Mike Grimes. Well said. There's already a page here for the PC. The PC should use it. Full stop. rob.

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Eneida (20th Jul 2006 - 07:46:15) I must say I can't, for the life of me, see the logic behind setting up another community type web-site when we've already got this one, which is so well known!!! I can only imagine that the PC want to be able to moderate comments in a rather more specific way then happens on Liphook.co.uk. That's assuming, of course, that parishioners will be able to comment, in the first place. How much will all this cost US, by the way? Eneida

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Barry Hope (20th Jul 2006 - 12:57:39) Mike, There is absolutely no assumption at all that visitors to any PC website (in whatever format it takes) will be more sympathetic to the councils decisions, that’s not why it’s being developed. There are no hidden agendas or motives for this initiative, it is unfair to assume that there are. The only motive to have a PC website is to increase the access to PC agendas, minutes, news etc., ensure that they are up to date and current, and to maybe provide a point of reference to other related District and County Council related matters that may be of interest to Liphook. With regards to the whole council listening. We are all open to views, opinions and suggestions and welcome questions at every PC meeting. In addition, people can write to us, call in at the office, post comments on this website and attend forums when they are on to generally express their views. With regard to your last point Mike, I agree that this site fulfils a very valuable purpose and is extremely well used, but I still say it is a shame that not more people visit the PC offices to get the answers they want directly to ensure that they have the pure facts available to them. This would maybe help a little in avoiding people making assumptions, which then get misrepresented as facts. Eneida, Please, please don’t assume that we want to moderate anything. As I have said before on other posts here and publicly, we have no hidden agenda or ulterior motives for what we do and how we do it. As for the cost, at the moment we have people giving up their free personal time to work on the site so cost isn’t an issue. If it increases communication a little and enables more people to gain information then it has to be worth a try. Best wishes Barry

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - rob (20th Jul 2006 - 22:05:08) Barry I'm sorry, but what you say is just so old fashioned. Did you not notice the change in the way government started providing services in the 1980s? No more "if you come and see us at times that suit us and if you jump through hoops we will consider whether we'll bother to provide the services you've already paid for". Instead, now, there is a real effort to provide services in the way, and at the time, that people want them. It may not always work; but at least most parts of the public sector are trying to do better now. So please don't moan about people not coming into the Parish Office. Make the information available to us when we want it and how we want it: which in this case is at 10.00pm in my house over the internet through liphook.co.uk. Please? rob.

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Louise (21st Jul 2006 - 02:47:01) Barry, Perhaps you should take a lesson from Tony Blair. It was a much more important issue, but he believed what he was doing was right so he took us to war, even though public opinion was against him. He didn't listen and as a result, his credibility has never recovered. I'm sure you are well meaning, but if you go ahead with creating a separate PC website, people who use liphook.co.uk will feel that the council have not listened. It will be seen as another example of the council thinking they know what's best for us peasants. I have yet to see a really convincing reaon why a separate site is needed. Your words were... The only motive to have a PC website is to increase the access to PC agendas, minutes, news etc., ensure that they are up to date and current, and to maybe provide a point of reference to other related District and County Council related matters that may be of interest to Liphook. Why can't this be achieved on liphook.co.uk? Are you implying that news would not be up to date and current on this site? Incidentally, if the new website would not be costing taxpayers any money, I would like to know who will pay to register the domain name and renew the subscription when necessary?

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Barry Hope (21st Jul 2006 - 10:49:26) The PC researched what other councils were doing with regard to web site provision. Other County, District and Parish Councils have their own-hosted sites and we felt it would be sensible to follow those examples. There is no reason why there can't be a link to the PC site from the PC page on this site, which would provide everyone with the best of both worlds, a place to express opinions and views and also to have easy access to all other information. This would mean that anyone who doesn’t read this site (and there are a few) could access the PC site directly to get the info they needed and anyone who does read this site would be directed to the same information resulting in greater accessibility. With regards to cost, of course there will be domain name registration and associated costs, I only meant that the cost of producing it wasn’t an issue, as we haven’t hired an organisation to develop it for us. Having said the above, of course we will take the comments expressed here on board, just as much as we will with all the other comments we have received from others in the community who have spoken to us about it. Best wishes Barry

Re: Updated information page for Parish Council - Andrew (21st Jul 2006 - 10:56:28) Barry, I can see why you want to follow what others have done, but I expect most don't have such a good local community website with a strong following and a talkback area like this. It would be a shame to split information up into another website when this one already does a good job and I'm sure if you asked (I assume you already have?) be willing to host Parish content. I know I'd rather have one single resource for everything "Liphook" :) It seems silly for the Parish Council to spend out on a new domain name and hosting when this place already exists! Andrew

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