My Resignation from Oxfordshire County Council

Today, I have officially resigned my position as County Councillor for Grove and Wantage at Oxfordshire County Council.  I have served as a councillor for my community for over 20 years now, starting as a district councillor in 1997 and then as county councillor since 2001.

It has been a great honour and privilege to serve my constituents over all these years and it is sad to leave, but after my illness over three years ago, I wish to spend more time with my family and loved ones.

I announced my intention to resign when I attended my last full council meeting on 11th September. However, I have still been very busy since then dealing with constituency matters and emails to tidy things up before I go.

One thing I was keen to sort out was the budget in my County Councillor Priority Fund where I have been working with Grove Parish Council to ensure the money is well spent. After site visits along Brereton Drive in Grove with public transport officers and the parish clerk, we have now put in an application for two new bus shelters along this stretch of road.  These are greatly needed with more housing developments in the area meaning more public transport is needed for families in the community. This will also hopefully help those without cars, or wishing to use alternatives to get around. 

The application form has now been sent in and I look forward to this being approved shortly and leaving a legacy in the village for residents now and in the future.

I should like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone in Grove and Wantage who have supported me over the years and I wish you all the very best for the future.

My Chairman's Charity Dinner

The photos above show my Chairman's Charity dinner which I held at County Hall at the end of 2017 just before Christmas where I raised over £1,400 for the charity ooso.org.uk. Please read the full story on their website here 

It was certainly a wonderful occasion to remember and it was one of the highlights of my year 2017/2018 before I stood down this month. Several of my 170 events are noted here on my blog in previous posts.  All of them too numerous to mention here.

Thanks to all those who attended my dinner and to the entertainment Melobo and caterers Rob and Ann who made it a great evening. Last, but not least, I would like to thank Paul Mayhew-Archer who gave us an amusing after-dinner speech with his stories of living with Parkinson's. 

Thanks to all those who so generously gave prizes to my  raffle and Silent Auction who helped raise so much money for the charity.

Annual Meeting of Oxfordshire County Council

Yesterday was the Annual Meeting of Oxfordshire County Council and it was my last day in office as Chairman.  The photo above shows me arriving for the meeting just before I hand over the chain to the new Chair. You can read my story of my year in office on the County website here

I have been regularly posting my engagements on my Twitter account which you can click onto at the left of this page, but when you have completed over 170 events, it is very difficult to pick just one or two to highlight.

However, I have raised £2,000 towards my charities which include the Maggie's Culture Crawl and my Charity Dinner supporting ooso.org (Oxfordshire Oesophageal Stomach Assocation), which I held last December.  

It has been a great honour and privilege to represent the County Council during this year as Chairman, but after such a busy year, it will be a time for new opportunities.

RAF Celebrates 100 years

This has been a very busy month with the many official Chairman's engagements, which you may have seen if you have been following me on my Twitter account.  However, the highlight for me has to be the RAF 100 celebrations, which began on 1st April. You can see the open letter I sent here 

to the two RAF Stations in the county of Oxfordshire celebrating the long relationship we have with RAF Benson and RAF Brize Norton.

On Sunday 15th April, I had the honour of attending the Thames Valley Wing Air Training Corps service of thanksgiving and celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force at Windsor Parish Church. We paraded through the streets of Windsor to the church on that day and to see all the Squadrons in their splendid turnout was a real delight. The photograph above was taken of us all lined up  at Victoria Barracks in Windsor with over 800 Air Cadets who were there for the day.  You can spot me on the front row, just on the middle left wearing red and my chain of office.

This will certainly be a day to remember and I do hope that the celebrations continue all over the country for the rest of the year.

New Family Sessions Launched in Grove

It was a delight to be part of the launch event this week for the new family sessions which are now up and running at St. John the Baptist church hall in Grove.  This was only made possible due to the hard work and dedication of volunteers and key players in our community and the funding we received from Oxfordshire County Council, Wantage Town Council and Grove Parish Council.

The photo above shows me representing Oxfordshire County Council as Chairman, Michelle who is our Centre Manager, with her new baby in the sling, and Rev. John Durant the Vicar of St. John's Parish Church in Grove.

To find out more about the sessions available visit the GroW website.

In the light of more housing development happening in the area, it is so important that all families can meet up to socialise in a warm and welcoming environment.  I am very pleased that this is now a well-established group which is much needed for Grove, Wantage and the surrounding villages.

Oxford Lane Road Closure Coming Up in Grove

Please be aware of the following notice of a temporary road closure in Grove coming up soon in Oxford Lane.

Obviously this is the major route in and out of the village so diversions will be in place during this time, however, I thought it would be helpful for residents to have advance notice.

Temporary Traffic Regulation Order – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

Temporary Road Closure – at Grove, Oxford Lane

A request has been received from Kier Clancy Docwra for a temporary road closure to apply to a section of Oxford Lane, whilst essential new mains connection works are carried out.

A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) is being made to implement the temporary closure and will operate from 12th March 2018 for 5 weeks.

Notice of intention to make the Order will be published in the local press.

Further information regarding the works may be obtained by contacting Andrew Collier on 07884 474125.

2018 New Year Opening of Children's Centre in Wheatley

I was delighted to start January 2018 with a number of official engagements, not least the opening of one of our Children's Centres at Wheatley.  This photograph shows me at The Maple Tree Children's Centre for the official opening of the centre where families can come on a weekley basis to enjoy the facilities on offer.

I am looking forward to the possibility that we shall be launching our own official opening in Grove and Wantage, after our own centre was saved from closure thanks to a grant which we applied for from Oxfordshire County Council.  We are now running sessions in Grove at St. John's Parish Church Hall as well as The Beacon in Wantage, and so far, they have been a big success with families in the area.   I will report once I have a date available.

New Year 2018 Greetings!

Dreaming spires of Oxford in the snow from the top of the new Westgate Centre at the end of 2017 where we can have a beautiful view over the whole city.  I should like to take this opportunity of wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year 2018 and very much looking forward to completing my year as Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council in May.

Wishing Everyone A Happy Christmas!

It has been a busy December, but now it is time to relax and look forward to the Christmas break. This photo above shows Grove Green just after the snow fall on 10th December 2017. 
May I take this opportunity of wishing everyone who follows my blog and all residents of Grove, Wantage, Oxfordshire and beyond a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year 2018.

Opening the Brand New Westgate Library in Oxford

This week started off with a swing, as I had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon to officially re-open the brand new Oxfordshire County Council Library in the Westgate Centre in Oxford.  As you can see from the photograph at the top, there is now so much space and many new facilities on offer for the public to use.

Once, the new Westgate shopping centre opened in October, it was important to maximise this important space right at the entrance. The original building was opened by the Queen Mother on 31st October 1973, so may this new state-of-the-art building last for many more years to come.

Christmas is Coming!

It was a real pleasure to switch on the Christmas tree lights at County Hall in Oxford this week. Children representing 5 primary schools from the Vale Academy Trust in Wantage came to sing festive carols for us in the Common Hall Cafe after I had turned on the lights.

After a tour around the courtroom and underground tunnels leading to the prison, which has now been converted into a hotel, we were all treated to this wonderful sight outside!

I have several events coming up in the days leading up to Christmas, including carol services and concerts and my charity dinner raising funds for ooso.org.uk (local charity helping those who have suffered from oesophageal and stomach cancer and their relatives).  So busy times ahead, but may I still take this opportunity to wish all those reading my blog a very Merry Christmas!

 

Events Around Oxfordshire and Beyond

Visit to Bicester Heritage Museum

As Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council, I am rapidly discovering such wonderful places in this beautiful county which I haven't had the pleasure of visiting.  Recently I was taking part in a tour of the Bicester Heritage Museum at the invitation of the Mayor and as you can see from the photo above, it was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion seeing a variety of vintage cars on display.

Other events I have attended include Royal visits, awards ceremonies, charity concerts, and more recently the Remembrance services around the county.  This year, I was at the St. Giles War Memorial in the morning and attended the Didcot Remembrance service during the afternoon.  It was a very cold day, but  important that we pay our respects to those who lost their lives during the two world wars.  Both were very moving occasions at which it was a great honour to represent the County Council and lay a wreath at each ceremony.

On Monday, this week it was a pleasure to support the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra in their fantastic performance at the Youth Proms 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall.  Again, an event I shall long remember.  I will continue to keep you updated here when I can, but please follow me on Twitter if you want to keep up from day to day.

Autumn Escapes

This autumn has been wonderful with the colours changing and I have been out and about in Oxfordshire doing many duties as Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council.

The first photograph shows me receiving a basket of apples which had been picked from the orchards at Cogges Manor Farm in Witney.  This is an event which happens during the Michaelmas time of year when the harvest is coming in and represents the peppercorn rent that the museum pays to the County Council so that access to the museum continues to be available to families in the county.  You can read the full story on the county council website.

The second photo shows me in Wytham Woods near to Oxford where I had attended a Blue Plaques unveiling event to commemorate the ffennell family's gift to Oxford University to use the woods for research in memory of their daughter.  After the official unveiling of the plaque, we were taken on a walk through the woods to appreciate the wonderful surroundings.  Here I am captured under the canopy of a 200 year old beech tree.  So these memorable events are two of many I have enjoyed undertaking in my role representing the County Council in Oxfordshire.  Do continue to follow me on Twitter for regular updates of my activities day to day.

Maggie's Culture Crawl in Oxford

At the weekend, I completed the Maggie's Culture Crawl in Oxford raising funds for this local charity based at the Churchill hospital which supports cancer sufferers and their families and friends.  I have raised over £400 so far on my Just Giving page.  The photo above shows my husband and I at the finish of the 8 mile walk at Maggie's Centre.

If you wish to donate to this worthy cause, there is still time and I should like to take this opportunity of thanking all those who have given so generously both online and in cash.

Oxfordshire Chairman Update

It has been a very busy month since I returned from holiday with our full Council meeting taking place this week.  I was able to report on several of the key events I have attended and some events coming up.  Special mention was made of the evening I spent on HMS Victory at Portsmouth (photo above) where I collected an award on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council.  This was a silver award in the Employer Recognition Scheme for the work we do with reservists and sponsored by SERFCA (South East Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association).  It was a chilly evening, some of it spent touring the decks below, whilst the main awards ceremony took place on the upper deck as shown.

Other events to note were two Royal visits, one at Kelmscott Manor where we greeted the Duke of Gloucester who is Patron of the Society of Antiquaries in London and was to be shown around the Manor.  It was also a great honour to welcome the Duke of Cambridge to Oxford for a Police Conference on Mental Health where I was first to congratulate him on the announcement of their 3rd child. The news had only been made public the day before, so the press on hand were eager to hear his response.  He thanked me and admitted they were not having much sleep at present, but hoped they would be able to celebrate soon!

There is currently a magnificent Medieval Mosaic on display at County Hall in the Grand Jury Room, which is in the Guinness Book of records and replicates the Bayeaux tapestry, though this one is made of small steel pieces.  It is really worth a visit whilst in Oxford if the room is open on that day.  You can check by visiting their website to see more details.

Back from Dorset

After spending a relaxing break in Dorset walking the South West Coast Path as seen in the photograph above, it's time to get back to my Council duties again. Much to catch up on, but I needed the break to recharge batteries!   

This picture shows me descending from Golden Cap down to Seatown where we were able to complete the evening watching the Red Arrows display over Lyme Regis.  Much of the coastal walking route is owned by the National Trust and remains unspoilt, but well maintained.  Long may this continue to enable us to enjoy the countryside with such splendid sea views.

September will be a very busy month for me as Chairman of the Council and my diary is full of events coming up including chairing the next council meeting. I shall try and keep you posted on Twitter when I can!

Busy Chairman Duties

As you will see from my last post, I was elected to serve as Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council in May this year after the elections. It has been so busy since then, that I have not had the time to update my blog posts with all of the 35 events that I have attended so far.  However, for all those who have Twitter accounts, I have made sure that I have tweeted many of the events that I have attended. Do feel free to click on the 'Twitter' feed at the left hand side of this page and you will see this.

The photograph above captures me presenting the Earth Trust, based at Little Wittenham, South Oxfordshire, with a rose plant which is a tradition that has been held for many years with the County Council and the Earth Trust.  The rose is a symbol of the peppercorn rent presented to the Trust to ensure that the public are given free access to this beautiful countryside in Oxfordshire.  Many family events and activities are held here in the summer, so I am sure that a browse of their website at: www.earthtrust.org.uk will give plenty of information on this, especially as the school summer holidays draw near.

Election to Oxfordshire County Council Chairman

I am delighted to have been elected Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council for the coming year 2017/18 after the Annual Council meeting, which was held yesterday at County Hall.  It is a great honour and privilege to be an ambassador out and about in this beautiful county and I look forward to a very busy year ahead.

I have nominated two local charities which I hope to support over the coming year which are the Oxfordshire Oesophageal and Stomach Organisation, which is a charity set up to help those of us who have been touched by this disease.  This group not only supports survivors and their carers to live as normal a life as possible, but regularly raises funds for the unit at the Churchill hospital in Oxford. 

My other charity I shall be supporting is Headway Oxfordshire, which has a base in Kennington and supports those suffering from brain injury and their families as they try to come to terms with living as normal a life as they can in difficult circumstances.

The official engagements started today with presenting awards for the Oxfordshire Supported Internships, which took place at County Hall. It was a real pleasure to see so many young people who benefit from the good work we are doing with Oxfordshire Employment and other charities including Mencap, Shaw Trust, Disability Confident alongside the Department for Work and Pensions. 

County Council Elections May 2017

I was delighted to have been re-elected to represent the division of Grove and Wantage in the County Council elections on Thursday 4th May.  The total number of votes cast for me this time was 2153 which has increased from my last 4-year term in 2013, a link to the full results are here. 

This will be my fifth term as a County Councillor so I am looking forward to serving my constituents again and would like to thank everyone who has supported me.

Grove Annual Parish Council Meeting

On Friday evening, I attended the Annual Parish Meeting of Grove Parish Council at the Old Mill Hall.  I gave the following report to residents about the work I have undertaken in my role over the past year as County Councillor for Grove and Wantage.  I hope it will be of interest to residents who were unable to attend.

COUNTY COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT TO PARISH COUNCIL 2017

This year, I have been back to my usual council duties as your representative for Grove and Wantage, but it has been a real honour to have taken on the role of Vice Chairman of the County Council during this last year.  This has meant that as well as supporting the Chairman at County Council meetings, I have been out and about the county doing many duties on his behalf when I can.  Several of these duties have included supporting events of the Armed Forces, but I was particularly delighted to have opened the A338 Wantage Road bridge after the Network Rail electrification works had been completed last July.  As many residents will recall, this was a controversial issue when the original plan to close this busy road for 6 months was avoided when it was agreed with the County Council that the new bridge would be built alongside the old one which was eventually demolished.  I must admit I have had a lot of good feedback from residents about the new bridge since it has been built, so this was an excellent outcomefor us all.

As I reported last year, a stay of execution was given to our local Childrens’ Centre in Grove and Wantage to enable community solutions to take place where possible. I am pleased to say that I have chaired our local steering group with St. John’s Parish Church where we have been working with many volunteers to find a solution.  We put in a bid to the County Council’s £1M Transition Fund and were given an interim payment of £10,000.  We were also fortunate in winning a successful bid from Wantage Town Council, who have very generously promised us £10,000 over the next 3 years.

I have now handed over the Chairmanship of this group over to the PCC (Parish Church Council) who will continue running services for mums and babies in the area both at The Beacon in Wantage and at St. John’s Parish rooms in Grove.  We are also seeking more funding to ensure this group continues in the future, as it is much valued, especially with more houses planned for the area. The long term aim will be that this group will come under management of the Vale Academy Trust when it begins building the new Grove Cof E Academy in Grove. 

I am sure that many of you will be aware that the bid to the Dept. for Education to build this new school for Grove to cover ages 2-16 has been successful. I must say I was delighted to hear this news, after campaigning for Grove to have its own secondary school in its own right for many years as it has always been a problem for as long as I can remember that schoolchildren have to travel into Wantage (a near 3 mile journey for some) to go to secondary school. This should provide a seamless education right from nursery through to 16.

Regarding the cuts to bus subsidies which went ahead last year, I have been working hard with officers and the bus companies to see if we could keep some of our valuable routes going.  Since the 38 Town Service has gone, I believe that Thames Travel tried to incorporate some of the routes into their services to Didcot/Harwell, but this has been difficult, because their services do not cover Grove.  This means that although we still have a regular service to Oxford with the Stagecoach X30 and the 31 which also covers Abingdon, to go to Didcot or Harwell, residents have to change buses in Wantage.  This has been creating problems with Wantage Town Council complaining about too many buses in the Market Place.  On the other hand, the local town service around Charlton and Stockham has been discontinued. So the dilemma for the bus companies is how to make their services commercially viable whilst trying to keep their regular loyal customers. There has been a recent consultation undertaken with Stagecoach re-routing the X30 or 31 services, but I haven’t yet heard the outcome of this.  I did meet the manager of Stagecoach to ask him to extend the consultation period until the end of March which they did thankfully. Early signs (though not official) is that the route may not change.  I am still waiting the official results of the survey.

Last year, I did report that there was a consultation regarding one unitary council for the whole of Oxfordshire.  As far as I am aware at the current time, the South and Vale district councils have now agreed on this proposal renaming it ‘A Better Oxfordshire’ and I understand this re-organisation bid is currently with the government.  With a General Election now called for  in June, it is unlikely any decision will be taken for some time after that.  I am sure that district councillors present here may wish to say more about this.

We have had some success with road resurfacing in the area (for example the recurrent potholes on the Denchworth Road by the Bay Tree), but for most people the biggest problem is that potholes are not fixed, or left too long or once fixed, they come back.  I am always told that the best way to report anything like this is to the Oxfordshire County website page ‘Fix My Street’.  This way, you are able to track dates of repairs and see others who may have reported it, as well as learning the current status of repair.

Finally, just to update you that the County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee did write a letter to the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt regarding the lack of funding for GP surgeries in the area. This included both Wantage & Grove Health Centre at Mably Way and Faringdon.  Of the £50 Million bid for Oxfordshire, only £2 Million was allocated and none of it came here.  There will be another bidding round next year which we hope will be successful.

I am sure that there may be something I have missed, so please feel free to ask any questions.  As you know, I usually hold my surgeries in Grove Library one Saturday a month, but I have none planned at the moment because there are County Council elections on 4th May and obviously, we don’t know the outcome.  However, what I would like to say is that Grove Library has been one of the first in the County to have been given open access (meaning you can access the library out of hours) at all times. If you feel you would like to take advantage of this service, then please see library staff and I am sure they will help.

May I just say that it has been a real pleasure serving you as County Councillor for Grove for 16 years now, and depending on the wishes of the electorate may or may not be here to continue.

Cllr Zoé Patrick 

County Councillor for Grove & Wantage