The following report on the consultation with residents and the options for the future of the village telephone box was presented at the Stratton Parish Council meeting yesterday evening, 15th November 2016.
The document is reproduced here and the Council’s decision on which option to pursue can be found at the end of the report.
Report on the Consultation with Stratton Parishioners and the Options for the Stratton Village Telephone Box
Background
British Telecom (BT) posted a notice in the Stratton telephone box on the 11th October 2016 stating that the working telephone and the box would be removed in 42 days’ time through lack of use.
It is a requirement that the responsible organisation, in this case West Dorset District Council (WDDC), should consult with interested parties/residents over the removal of the box. Stratton Parish Council (SPC) was not informed of the removal by WDDC but the parish clerk ascertained from the WDDC Planning Department that it was to them that any objections to the removal should be made. Consequently, SPC began a consultation with parishioners to find out their views on the proposed removal.
It is helpful to note that a telephone box can be ‘adopted’ (in effect bought) for £1 if the working telephone is removed. Many villages have done this and used the empty box for other community purposes.
The Consultation and the Outcomes
Residents were asked to contact the parish clerk, either by letter, email or via the SPC Facebook page with their views on whether the box should be retained, with or without a working telephone, and what community purpose it might be used for if the box was ‘adopted’.
The information about the consultation and the request for views and comments was:-
- Posted in the SPC website and on the SPC Facebook page (both with reminders).
- Advertised in the Chalkstream.
- Posters on noticeboards and the telephone box itself.
- Mentioned in a news item on Wessex FM radio and an article in the Echo.
- Widely publicised by strattondorset.com and StrattonActive.
The results of the consultation are as follows:-
- 58 responses were received
- 40 respondents are on the electoral roll (the current electoral roll dated February 2016)
- Of the 18 replies from people not on the electoral roll, at least 2 were from people who have recently moved into the village – there may be more – and possibly some from young people not currently eligible to vote. One reply was anonymous.
Reasons Given for Keeping the Telephone Box
- It’s iconic.
- Part of Stratton village.
- A traditional fixture in rural villages.
- Useful for the light.
- Sentiment.
Future Community Use of the Telephone Box
Not surprisingly, all of the respondents wanted the telephone box to be retained
- Few said to keep a working telephone.
- Suggestions for future community use included, housing a defibrillator and tourist information but the majority of those who put forward an idea went for a book/CD exchange.There were a couple of offers to help maintain/clean the telephone box
The Current Situation and Options
The need for a working telephone
Unlike a normal business, BT can’t just take away services for reasons linked to money. They have a duty, known as the Universal Service Obligation (USO), to provide a reasonable number of working phone boxes where they’re most needed.
If a local organisation objects to a phone box being removed, there is an appeals system. Any objection is made through the ‘local organisation’ which in Stratton’s case, is WDDC. In short, WDDC will have to justify reasons why the telephone should not be removed. Consequently SPC will need to make any objections to WDDC.
Some of the reasons that would seem to apply in Stratton’s case are:-
- Distance to the nearest alternative telephone box. BT quoted the nearest box as Charminster which is at the crossroads opposite the village hall and Church Hill, 2.1 miles away from the Stratton box. However, on inspection, this box also has a removal notice on it, dated the same day as the one in the Stratton telephone box, making the nearest public phone box in Dorchester, 3+ miles away.
- Poor mobile reception in the village.
- Anyone without a phone, or a phone out of order, be it landline or mobile and/or without a car could not access a telephone in an emergency. Particularly important for elderly residents.
Further information can be found on the Ofcom website at:- www.ofcom.org.uk.
‘Adopt’ the Box
As stated above, should the ‘working’ element of the telephone box be removed, it can be ‘adopted’ (bought) for £1. What this actually means is that the telephone box becomes the property of the community, lock, stock and barrel, who then become responsible for it in all respects, i.e. its use, all maintenance and arranging removal if no longer required.
BT will have no further involvement and will cut off the electricity for the light.
Should SPC decide on ‘adoption’, the following are some of the issues to be considered:-
- Costs – painting, cleaning, repairing and possibly insurance.
- Future use and its management.
- With or without a light?
BT were unable to provide any information in relation to costs associated with either maintenance or electricity.
Further information on adopting a box is available at: http://btbusiness.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/30225/c/5119/
Options
Option 1.
Do nothing – Telephone Box is removed.
Option 2.
Object to the removal of the working telephone box – giving reasons.
Option 3.
‘Adopt’ the box – without the working telephone.
Option 4.
An amalgam of option 2 and 3. Object to the removal of the working telephone but should this be refused, state that SPC would wish to ‘adopt’ it.
Cheryl Hobbs
Stratton Parish Council
12th November 2016
The decision taken by the Council is to pursue option 2 – to retain a working telephone in the village. When the appeal against the telephone’s removal is known and should the decision go against keeping the working telephone, the Council’s fall back position will revert to ‘adopting’ the telephone box for £1.
Stratton Parish Council would like to thank everyone who responded to the consultation