Saxon Treasure on the Doorstep

Driving along the A338 to Oxford from Grove and back again at the weekend, I couldn't help but notice the enormous rally of people with metal detectors in the fields nearby. It was therefore with much surprise that I heard the news that a find of such significance had taken place. A Saxon brooch and other jewellery along with a skull and other bones have pointed to an early grave of perhaps 1500 years old has been discovered. Read the full story here

It makes you wonder what other treasures will be found underneath our local fields - maybe that's one way to dig ourselves out of the recession!

Grove Secondary School Update and More

Today at the County Council's cabinet I spoke in support of the proposals to build a new full-sized secondary school in Grove for 1200 pupils with its own sixth form. This was welcome news after the decision was taken over 2 years ago that only a small 600-place school without a sixth form would be built.

At that time, there had been a public consultation exercise with 3 possible options, a large 'superschool' for both Grove and Wantage, two separate schools of around equal size for both communities or a small 600-place school for Grove. The smaller school option was chosen. However, although we sought assurances that the school could 'grow' in size if necessary, there was always going to be a problem for developers and planners to set aside a large enough site to allow for this to happen. Now however, this can be planned in from the start and ensure that shared community facilities can also be provided for at the same time.

As part of the proposals, King Alfred's School will downsize to 2 sites in Wantage, and there is hope that funding can be applied for from government BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme. You can read the agenda report here.

Another important decision was taken at Cabinet today, which again I spoke in support of - this was for the important transport infrastructure to be agreed and worked on in advance of any housing development coming to Grove and Wantage. This is referred to as the SCOTS (Southern Central Oxfordshire Transport Study) report and has been rumbling on for some time. Read the press report here and the agenda item here

Scrutinizing the Incinerator Decision

Liberal Democrats at the County Council have 'called in' the decision to build an incinerator in Oxfordshire for the following reasons:

The meeting was poorly publicised
Decisions on the planning applications should have been made before the procurement decision
The decision was made on financial grounds rather than environmental grounds
There is no specific “break clause” proposed for the contract
There was confusion about the mandatory elements of the tendering process
There was no report on the performance and track record of the two companies, so that element was not properly considered
There was inadequate consideration of capacity in the context of Oxfordshire’s needs and no consideration of the environmental impact of importing waste

Read our press release here

The Growth and Infrastructure Scrutiny committee meeting where this will be heard is due to take place on Wednesday 16th September at 10am at County Hall.

Oxfordshire's Incinerator One Step Closer

Today the County Council's Cabinet decided to proceed with the procurement of an incinerator with the company Viridor which runs its operation at Ardley near Bicester. Read the press release here

The meeting room was packed this afternoon with protestors and everyone was waiting to hear the decision with bated breath. Some of the proceedings had to be taken in private because of the sensitivity of the tendering information. The next stage of the process will be the decision to grant planning permission.

Liberal Democrats in opposition at the County Council have been concerned about the process leading to this decision, especially the lack of publicity surrounding this extraordinary cabinet meeting called at the last minute and which was still not listed on the county's website today.

We have always called for the least environmentally-damaging option for incineration, if this is to be the only alternative to deal with our residual waste. We have also called for there to be a break clause in the 25 year contract to allow for more up to date technologies to be considered when they become available. With more and better recycling facilities, the capacity for such a large incinerator does need some questioning. Watch this space.

Independent Advice Centre

In Wantage, we have an Independent Advice Centre who can give local residents advice on a whole range of issues including debt, legal aid and help with transport for people in need. On Thursday evening I attended their AGM in Ardington at the Loyd Lindsey Rooms and it was a real pleasure to meet up again with the staff and volunteers who do so much for our community. Last year they were awarded the Queen's Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service. See my previous blog posting here which tells you all about it.

Anyone who needs help can always just pop into their office at 16 Market Place in Wantage or telephone 01235 765348/763862. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated service on our doorstep.