Tour of the Defence Academy

Today I was invited to a tour of the Defence Academy at Shrivenham, which you can see in the photographs above.  This was part of a 'Big Curry Lunch' event which was organised by the academy to raise funds for the three services' charities; the RN Benevolent Trust, the Soldiers' Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.

We had an opportunity to visit the Defence Capability Centre (top right), which houses the ammunition hall, the synthetic environment laboratory and to see some of the education and training facilities at the college.  I even had a chance to take part in a simulation exercise as a gunner in an army tank - quite a sobering experience before lunch!

The last time I visited the academy was several years ago when I was then Vice-Chair of Planning (Policy) at the Vale of White Horse District Council.   We were on site to view some of the buildings and at that time the underpass was under construction.  The college has some interesting architectural features including the Officers' Mess which is designed and built to the same shape and size of HMS Victory.  This is where we ate our lunch in style.  We sat at a table in the glass prow of the ship and I had an excellent position right at the end.   I believe there was about £1,500 raised as a result of this venture.

Another point of interest is the bronze sculpture (bottom right) of cormorants.  The cormorant is the symbol of the academy because of its capability in the sea, on land and in the air and is known for its ability to adapt to its environment.

Check out the Defence Academy website here.  We are very fortunate to have such an excellent facility on our doorstep and I am pleased to have been part of that initial planning process.

Extra Money for Local Schools

Liberal Democrat Children and Families Minister, Sarah Teather, has announced the extra money each school will receive through the Pupil Premium this year - more than originally expected. The premium was introduced to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The original plans for an extra £430 per pupil have been boosted by £100m, meaning that every school in Oxfordshire will now get £488 for every child on Free School Meals.

News of the extra money comes after Sarah Teather recently announced that the total Pupil Premium funding for 2012-13 will rise to £1.25bn, double the amount this year. Thanks to Liberal Democrats, it will rise again each year until 2014-15 when it will be worth £2.5bn.

Education is the best way to end the underachievement of disadvantaged pupils through supporting children comprehensively from early years straight through to secondary school. The breakdown for each school in Grove and Wantage is listed below:

The Pupil Premium will benefit poorer pupils, providing extra money directly for those pupils who need it the most. This extra funding will help tackle inequality and enable schools to provide the extra support their pupils need to reach their full potential.  I look forward to working with schools and teachers to make the Pupil Premium the success our children deserve it to be.

Family Shoebox Appeal

Today, I was invited by Grove Free Evangelical Church to take part in their Family Shoebox Appeal at Old Mill Hall. For the last 10 years, the church has supported this appeal, which sends shoeboxes filled with Christmas items to Romania, Moldova, Albania and Ukraine. This is part of the Link Romania appeal, which last year sent 45,379 shoeboxes to Eastern Europe.

I must admit it seemed strange to be wrapping the box that I took along (left photo) with Christmas paper in October. The day started with a dedication service and then I spent a few hours helping to fill the shoeboxes with all the donations (right photo). When I left, we had filled over 270 boxes.

Traffic Disruption

The warning notices that I requested for the forthcoming Oxford Lane closure in Grove have now appeared (left hand photo). These say the road will now be closed for the period 24 October to 28 November.

The fair is in Wantage this weekend (right hand photo) so there are restrictions and the usual bus stops in the Market Place and Newbury Street are not in use, but those in Seesen Way can be used instead. It's worth also noting that the Waitrose store in Wantage will be closed for 5 days from Sunday for refurbishment.

Museum Centre Open Day

An interesting visit to the open day at the Oxfordshire County Council's Museums Resource Centre in Standlake. This centre houses the county's collections of archaeology, social history and natural history. At the moment, this includes the collections from Abingdon County Hall Museum, which is currently being refurbished.

There were many interesting artefacts on display, but star of the show had to be the Hanney brooch that was found in the fields near to Grove in 2009. We heard about the preparations being made to preserve this Anglo Saxon brooch over the next 6 months, after which it will go on public display including a stint in West Hanney. It really is quite a complex intricate object when seen close up alongside the various fragments found nearby.

During  my wanders, I also saw a "Wantage Road" sign - presumably from close to the railway station in Grove. One of the larger items was the coach pictured above which belonged to Joseph Warner Henley who was MP for Oxfordshire in 1841-1878.

Witan Way Road Closure

Another road closure coming up on 7th November is Witan Way in Wantage, which will be closed for 4 days due to carriageway maintenance works.  Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles, the works and those residents within the closure area, subject to the progress of the works.

My Monthly Surgery

I shall be holding my monthly surgery at Grove Library from 10.30am - 11.30am tomorrow.  Do come along if you have any issues to discuss.  I shall be holding my next one on Saturday 5th November at the same time in the library.  No appointment necessary.

Local Treasure on Display

Readers of my blog may recall that two years ago, an archaeological dig on fields bordering Grove at West Hanney revealed it was the site of an anxient Saxon burial ground.    A rare Anglo-Saxon brooch was found and this Sunday it is to be displayed at Oxfordshire County Council's Resource Centre at Standlake.  Read more here.   It will be a rare opportunity to view this local treasure in its glory.

Wallingford Street Closure Rescheduled

Wallingford Street in Wantage is now planned to close on Monday 7th November for 2 days.  If you recall, the previous plan was to close it on 29th September, but this was postponed.

Oxford Lane Closure Planned

This is a 'heads up' to residents that Oxford Lane in Grove is planned to close for 6 weeks from Monday 17th October until 25th November 2011.  The closure is to allow Southern Gas to lay replacement gas mains.   This is bound to cause major disruption in the village as people will have to use Main Street to access the A338 at the traffic lights.  At the moment, public transport officers at the County Council are working with the bus companies to try to organise where the buses will be able to pick up and drop off.  At the moment, the closure is planned in two stages where for some of the time access will be possible into Mayfield Avenue and St. John's Road.  As soon as I have further information, I will post it here.  I have asked that warning notices are posted in the village of this forthcoming closure.

Should Primary Schools become Academies?

I attended a workshop last night looking into this proposal as the goverment is pushing for schools all over the country to look into becoming academies.  Oxfordshire is therefore preparing for this possiblity.  King Alfred's School in Wantage was one of the first schools in the county to become an academy and others are following suit.  The decision has to be taken by the Governing Body of the school and there are various hoops to go through before a decision can be made.  One of the important parts of the process is consultation with stakeholders, in particular, parents, pupils and staff of the school and of course, the wider community.

Some of the main differences between academies and those schools which stay within the Local Authority umbrella are

• Freedom from National Curriculum (though still required to be 'broad and balanced')
• Freedom from the Local Authority
• Ability to set own admissions
• Governing Body is the employer of staff
• Ability to set own pay and conditions
• Ability to change length of terms and school days
• Governing Body has total premises responsiblity and responsibility for health and safety
• Money comes as a grant direct from government rather than through LA

To find out more visit the Department for Education website

Funding for Local Highways Projects

On Friday evening, I attended a Locality Review meeting in Wantage where we were to find out how much funding we could alllocate to our area from Oxfordshire County Council.  Our Locality includes Grove, Wantage and the division which includes the Hanneys, Hendreds, Steventon and Marcham.  We were told that there is £75,000 to allocate over the next 18 months to spend on projects which could include crossings and other road safety measures, weed clearance, new footpaths, drainage and gully emptying amongst other things.  Basically, the County Council has decided to allow local members to decide where the priorities lie within their areas.

It was decided amongst the three councillors who represent these areas that the fairest solution was to split the money 3 ways which would mean each area having  £25,000 each.   I would therefore look after Grove's allocation, Cllr. Jenny Hannaby would look after Wantage and Cllr. Iain Brown the Hanneys and Hendreds.

I have submitted a proposal along with the parish council to install a zebra crossing at the Denchworth Road by the Bay Tree Public House.  This was pursued several years ago when residents approached me about the dangers schoolchildren and elderly residents faced when trying to get across this busy road especially during peak times.  However, there was not enough money in the budget and the scheme was put on long-term hold.  It will be excellent if we can now get this project back on track.

The other proposal we have put forward is to get some routine annual weed maintenance back to the village.  I have had numerous complaints from residents about untidy and neglected areas around the village, and also the terrible state of the traffic islands as you come off the A338 into Grove.  Now hopefully we shall be able to deal with this and give people a sense of pride in their community again.  I shall be progressing these projects over the next few weeks and will keep you informed.

In the meantime, Cllr. Jenny Hannaby will be progressing a zebra crossing at Ham Road in Wantage, again a long-awaited scheme and similarly, some weed maintenance work for Wantage.  If you know of any particularly bad areas then let us know.

Wantage Day Centre Re-launch

I attended this event last night to see Wantage Day Centre and many of their clients enjoying an evening together.  It was an excellent meeting and good to network with all the staff, volunteers and other representatives of the community.  We need to ensure that this excellent facility remains in Wantage for the benefit of the whole area and I know it is very much valued by all.  We heard that the centre had been threatened with closure recently, but we are working hard to ensure that this does not happen.  Meanwhile, if there is anyone who would like to secure a place at the day centre and would like to visit, contact Social and Health Care on 0845 050 7666.

Wallingford Street Closure Postponed

Just a quick update to let residents know that Wallingford Street in Wantage will not be closed after all as expected on 29th September.   This has been cancelled and I will be notified if any future closure will be planned.

Many Meetings

This week has been so busy with many meetings sometimes several in one day.  However, amongst the most important ones was the County Council meeting on Tuesday where a whole raft of items were up for discussion.  Liberal Democrats had put foward a motion on the East West Rail link calling for the County to push the government to ensure the project is included in the next High Level Output Specification to be published in 2013.  This is the government's blueprint for investment in rail services across the UK.  We are keen to ensure that this important public transport corridor is part of the nation's transport planning for the future, and it will be of enormous economic benefit to our area.  Read more about it here.

Wednesday and Thursday I attended several briefings from officers on all the latest developments in childrens services, environmental and transport issues and the budget.  Then last night in Grove, we had another public meeting to discuss the latest library developments, in particular, the County Council's plans to bring in volunteers to help run local library services in areas which had previously been threatened with closure.  We had a lively debate and a few people did express an interest in coming forward.  However, there are still questions to be asked especially around the training and management of the various volunteers which will need to be addressed.

Wantage Road Closures

There are two road closures coming up in Wantage shortly.  On 19th September, Mill Streeet will be closed between Camel crossroads (Denchworth Road) and The Wharf (eastside) for one week for carriageway resurfacing.  A signed diversion route will be in place for motorists to follow.  Gatemen will be positioned at either end of the closed road to redirect traffic.  Access for residents and businesses will be maintained, though there may be long delays during the working day for this.

The other road closure will be Wallingford Street which will be closed on 29th and 30th September - again this is due to carriageway resurfacing.  The alternative route for traffic affected by the closure is via Ormond Road, Newbury Street and Market Place and vice versa.

Local Bus Subsidies Agreed

Last week at the Transport Decisions Committee it was agreed by the County Council's Cabinet Member for Transport to award contracts for subsidising some of our local evening and weekend services.  If you recall, there was a consultation on these services earlier in the year - see here.  This will mean that our 31 Stagecoach buses to Oxford in the evenings will be maintained as an hourly service which is of great value to everyone wishing to travel home after a theatre/concert visit or from travelling further afield via. trains and airports.  Other services which will continue to be subsidised are the 32 buses to Harwell and Didcot, 36 buses to Milton Park and Didcot (via Steventon) and the 38 Town Service.

The Wantage IAC (Independent Advice Centre) had also put in an increased bid for continuing with their valuable community car scheme.  Unfortunately, the decision on this grant has been deferred until a review has been done on all transport schemes at the County Council.  I hope this uncertainty will not affect the running of the scheme.

Library Update

I had a very constructive meeting this week with the FROGs (Friends of Grove Library) and officers and Cabinet Member from Oxfordshire County Council.  We discussed how to plan for using volunteers to keep Grove Library open.  There have been some guidelines published setting out how volunteers can be trained and supported for this role and I hope that many of the people who came along to the public meeting back in January reported here will still be willing to come forward to help. 

There will be a public meeting on Thursday 15th September at 7.30pm at The Old Mill Hall to hear the latest news and proposals on this.  Meanwhile the public consultation period is still open until the end of September so please  fill in the form here if you haven't already done so. 

Watery Grove

Returning home tonight, I was met with a flooded road at the junction of Brereton Drive with Denchworth Road. At first, it reminded me of the memorable Grove floods we had on 20 July 2007, but then it became clear that it was a burst water main. Thames Water were duly contacted and I could hear them making repairs late into the night. I hope that residents were not incovenienced too much by any disruptions to their water supply.

Armed Forces Community Grant Scheme

The Ministry of Defence has launched the Community Covenant grant scheme to provide financial support for projects that strengthen ties between members of the Armed Forces Community and the wider community in which they live.  If you recall, I was one of the signatories to this covenant for Oxfordshire County Council as reported here.

Up to £30M over 4 financial years has been set aside to help communities undertake projects that promote greater understanding between the military and civilian populations.  In May this year, the Government published the Armed Forces Covenant which, amongst other things, aims to improve the support available for serving personnel, their families and veterans.  Full details of the scheme can be seen here.

This is only available to areas that have already established a Community Covenant, with Oxfordshire being the first to do so. If you have any ideas, please let Claire Moore know (Claire.Moore@oxfordshire.gov.uk).  Grove has had a long connection with military personnel both with the RAF and more recently with those who work at Dalton Barracks, so it would be good if we could establish something locally for our community.