Royal Wedding - Celebrations in Wantage and Grove

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge) went well and was the spectacle that we all anticipated. After watching the ceremony on television, I went up to the celebration in the Memorial Park in Wantage (see photo above). This was all arranged by The Comrades Club - so congratulations to them and all involved.

On the way, I noticed a street party in Bosley's Orchard in Grove - which looked like great fun. A number of shops in Wantage Market Place had also made an effort to celebrate the occasion with their shop windows (see below) and the atmosphere was complete with the bells ringing from Wantage Church.

Grovelands Park Building

Compared to the photo in my post of only 13 April, the new building for Grovelands Park Pre-School and Parent/Toddler Group has advanced dramatically and now looks to be finally completed - at least from the outside.

Badminton Cross-Country

Today was Easter Sunday and I went to see the cross-country event at the Badminton Horse Trials. Here is a photo from the Lake Complex, which provides a big challenge to rider and horse alike. Any connections with the local area? Well, one I can think of is that Lucinda Green (nee Prior-Palmer), who has won Badminton  a record 6 times on 6 different horses, went to St. Mary's School in Wantage. I believe Olympic gold medallist Matt Ryan also used to have a yard in East Lockinge.

St. George's Day in Grove

This evening, I had the pleasure of attending the St George's Day celebrations of Grove Scout Group. The Revd. Paul Eddy gave a blessing and talk and I was the guest speaker and also presented some of the awards. I was a commitee member of 2nd Grove Scout Group in 1993 and became Chairman of the group in 1995 - so I was able to reminisce about old times and the fundraising events we held, especially our Pinewood Derby.  I paid tribute to the scout leaders and in fact all those who volunteered in the community who contributed so much to the whole ethos of scouting.

After the speeches, I presented a number of awards and then we were entertained by a wonderful dragon taking on St. George  in a battle (see photo below).  I think that St. George's Day and the scouting movement just goes to show how important it is to keep our traditions in an ever changing world.  'The Big Society' has always been there in scouting and long may it continue.

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Mably Way Speed Limit Implemented!

Well it is here at last - the speed limit at Mably Way has been lowered from 40mph to 30mph as from Monday 18th April!  This was advertised in the Oxford Times last week.  Residents will recall that we presented a petition with 1,938 of your signatures to the Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet member responsible for transport on 2nd October 2009 as reported here - it has taken this long after consultation to actually implement the limit. The 40mph signs have been taken down and there is supposed to be some temporary new signage coming soon to announce the change in speed limit or motorists will not be aware of the difference.  However, this goes to show that the petition from the Health Centre (started in May 2009) and the wishes of local residents has finally prevailed!

Stanford Waste Facility to Close

Just to update residents that another decision that was taken at yesterday's Cabinet which will have an impact on us in the future is the closure of Stanford in the Vale waste facility.  This is a much used local resource, but in future we will be expected to take our waste to the Drayton site.  The closure is not due to happen until December 2014, when in fact a new planning permission would have had to be sought.

Cabinet Decides Future of Youth Services

There was a Cabinet meeting at County Hall today to decide on the future of youth services across Oxfordshire.  As part of the 'redesign', there will be a number  of 'hubs' and 'satellites' from which youth services are run from, but other remaining centres will close.  Unfortunately, Wantage is listed as one of the centres to close with the nearest 'hubs' in Abingdon and Didcot.  I spoke at the meeting to argue the case for the Sweatbox and the Beatbox in Wantage and explained how valuable these services are for our communities locally.  I was told that those centres which are run from school buildings are being looked at separately on a case-by-case basis and the Cabinet member said that she was willing to work with local communities to help find a solution.  Well, let us hope this works out.

Jenny Hannaby and I are working with King Alfred's College as well as with County officers to try to keep this vital service going and have meetings planned in the forthcoming weeks.  I am also concerned that there will not be enough money in the Big Society fund to go round if this is to be shared across the county with so many worthy causes.  I will keep you posted as this progresses.

On a brighter note, I also spoke in support of the expansion of Charlton Primary School to go to a two form entry with 60 pupils.   This involves some new buildings at the school and will improve the whole area of learning.  This has been reported on previously when the school hosted the consultation with parents.  I am pleased to say that the Cabinet has now agreed to go ahead.  I am hoping that this will help alleviate the problems with extra places for primary school pupils in the area.

Denchworth Road Closure

There is another road closure coming up. This time it is a small part of Denchworth Road near to the junction with Littleworth Hill that will be closed for 4 days from 31 May for telecommunication works. I took a quick look and there are already markings on the road for the work (see photo above). For some people this will mean a detour, but, as usual, access will be maintained  for emergency service vehicles and residents within the closure area - subject to progress of the works.

Wantage Town Council Annual Meeting

Last night I attended Wantage Town Council's Annual Meeting.  There were a fair few of the electorate there to hear the town council reports as well as those from district and county.  As usual, I was able to give a comprehensive report on what has been happening over the last year at the County Council.  Needless to say, the budget was the main issue and where services are potentially being cut - the Sweatbox and Beatbox, Grove Library and Wantage Day Centre are all thought to be vulnerable at the moment.  

There were a number of questions from the audience most of them about the town centre and what could be done to improve the market place.  Illegal parking and the frustration regarding police enforcement was under discussion.  There was also a plea for some coach parking to enable tourists to visit the town - this has been a hot topic for as long as I can remember!

Grove Parish Council will be holding its Annual Parish Meeting on Friday 6th May at the Village Hall in Grove at 7.30pm where I shall be giving my report once more, but with a Grove focus.

Gas Pipes in Harcourt Road

Gas pipes are currently being replaced along Harcourt Road in Wantage. There are lights controlling traffic flow, but the area is best avoided if at all possible. These photos, taken today, show the current state of play.

Grovelands Park Building Progress

The new building for Grovelands Park Pre-School and Parent/Toddler Group seems to be progressing well. This is located next to Grove Library and is scheduled for completion over the Easter holidays.

A Grand Launch and Play Day is planned for Saturday 14th May (11am-2pm) to officially open the building and allow parents, families and friends to go along and see the new facilities.

This project has been made possible by an award of  £300,000 from Oxfordshire County Council - it will be a real asset to the community.

Review of Subsidised Bus Services in the Area

I need to bring to the attention of residents this important review of subsidised bus services in the Wantage, Faringdon and Didcot area.  Due to budget cuts at the county council I am concerned that the bus subsidy money has been cut and this could have a huge impact on our area, particularly evening and Sunday services.  To take part in the consultation please click here.  This link sets out which services are affected.  

There is to be a public meeting held on Thursday 12th May at Grove Village Hall from 2-5pm.  This will be an opportunity to ask questions and make comments.   The deadline for comments is Friday 3rd June.    There is also a survey in the Wantage and Grove Review (Monday 4th April edition) which can be completed and will help Grove Parish Council form a response.

Oxford Literary Festival



Henry Hitchings



Christopher Lloyd



Linda Grant and panel

The Oxford Literary Festival almost passed me by this year. A last minute dash into Oxford on Sunday afternoon did enable me to sample the atmosphere around the main marquee by Christ Church Meadow.  This had the advantage of free drinks on offer (gin and whisky) as well as free talks. I managed to catch Christopher Lloyd entertaining an audience with lots of children. He was talking in front of his giant What on Earth Wallbook, which tells the story of the Earth from the Big Bang to the present day. I then listened to Henry Hitchings  discuss his book The Language Wars where he got us all discussing our pet hates about the use and abuse of English. Also, in the Master's Garden Marquee was a panel discussion (including Linda Grant, winner of the Orange Prize) about the The Jilted Generation. This was looking at how things have changed since the Baby Boomer generation.

White Horse Half-Marathon

This morning, the annual White Horse half-marathon race took place. As usual, the start was in Cane Lane in Grove with the runners then passing through Denchworth, Lyford and Charney Bassett, before finishing on Pound Green in Grove (by Churchward Close). About 500 runners were expected and the glorious spring sunshine made it a great day for the spectators - although maybe the runners didn't appreciate the heat quite as much. The race is organised by the White Horse Harriers and this year supported The October Club in Wantage.

Beatbox Event in Wantage

Last night I went along to a 'Beatbox' event which was held at the Sweatbox in Wantage.  This club meets once a week every Thursday from 4.30pm - 6pm and is for youngsters who have disabilities.  Last night's special event brought in young people from Abingdon and Didcot and it was an excellent opportunity for them to meet up and have fun.  There were lots of activities on offer - including go-karting, painting, music and dancing.  It was great to meet the staff and volunteers who run the club and to chat to some of the youngsters themselves, all of whom were enjoying themselves.  There are concerns with funding cuts, that this could be yet another service which could get axed - let us hope not!  I heard many stories about how many had benefited from the club, so long may it continue.

Local Community Grants Awarded

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the South East Area Committee at the Vale of White Horse District Council. This was my last meeting before I step down as a district councillor. It was good to see some of our local community organisations receive grants. I list the successful applications below:

Wantage Betjeman Festival of Literature and Poetry, £1,378.

Court Hill Trust, £3,500.

Wantage Summer Festival, £980.

Challow and Childrey Cricket Club, £3,000.

Wantage and Grove Street Pastors, £1,050.

East Hendred Community Centre, £2,500.

Blewbury Village Community Interest Company, £1,000.

Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, £1,000.

This was a grand total of £14,408 awarded from a budget of £22,917 overall. There will be £8,509 remaining. Grove Challengers Football Club had applied for a grant, but unfortunately because we did not have enough information available this one will be deferred until next time.

No Webcams at County Hall

It was full council today at County Hall and there were a number of issues to be debated. We started with the Local Transport Plan 3, which is the blueprint for many schemes all over the County. The plan looks forward from 2011 - 2030 and can be seen here. I pointed out that the major challenge is to secure the infrastructure and services to support housing growth. For us in Grove, it will be investment in the NE Wantage link road and the re-opening of Grove Station, but this will need funding to make it happen. What is not clear in the plan is where all the funding will come from, some of it will be from developers, but this will be a huge challenge.

We discussed the benefits of the Alternative Vote system against First Past the Post, post offices, social care and then the possibility of webcasting our meetings. The idea is to make the council more transparent and give people the opportunity of seeing their council debates live and perhaps finding out how their local councillor votes on particular issues. Bob Neill MP had written to the Leader of the Council recommending that the public should have more access to council meetings. Unfortunately, this was voted down by the ruling group on the grounds that this would cost too much. All we were asking for was a report with costings to come back to a future meeting. South Oxfordshire, Cherwell and Oxford City Council are already doing this, it costs very little - so what a shame we cannot do the same.

The press have picked up on this story so you can read this here.