New Bus Services for Grove and Villages in the New Year

I am pleased to announce that Grove and other local villages will benefit from additional journeys on the A1 bus service on Tuesdays and Thursdays from TUESDAY 7 JANUARY. 

 

This new facility will be financially supported by 'Big Society' funds from myself and Councillor Stewart Lilly.  It will provide a direct link from West Hanney, Grove, Lockinge and Ardington to Didcot, enable access to Wantage and Mably Way Surgery on Monday to Friday in conjunction with the existing A1 journeys, and give East and West Hendred a direct service to Mably Way Surgery on Tuesday and Thursday. The timetable for the A1 service in its entirety is shown above with the new journeys covering Grove highlighted in red.

The service will operate until June 2015 and will be operated by Oxfordshire County Council's Integrated Transport Unit.  As with the existing A1 service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, no fares will be charged.  Subsidised bus services in the Wantage and Didcot area will be reviewed from June 2014 onward, and this service will be included in that review along with that already provided on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  

I hope that Grove residents will be able to benefit from this new service which goes some way to providing a direct link to Didcot for two days a week.  Unfortunately, Thames Travel have completely abandoned Grove in their new service provision, so although this is not a replacement, it does at least help to give us something.  Meanwhile, I am still working on a long term solution to provide a commuter link for those residents who need a direct service to Didcot and Milton Park on a daily basis.

Happy Christmas and New Year 2014!

Wishing all residents of Grove and Wantage a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a Prosperous 2014.  The photo above was taken in Portsmouth when I was there last year just before Christmas and enjoying shopping in the lovely Christmas market.  This year, it has been mild so far after recovering from the wet and windy start.   However, I believe the blustery weather may return at the weekend.

New Dropped Kerbs at Charlton

I have been able to secure funding from my Area Stewardship Fund to provide the dropped kerbs shown above outside Charlton Primary School in Wantage.  The one on the left is by the patrol crossing and the one on the right is opposite the footpath into the school.

Some parents had complained that it has been difficult for pushchairs and wheelchairs to safely cross the road outside the school, so I hope that this will now make it a lot easier especially at busy times. 

 

Resurfaced Footpath for Minns Road in Grove

I am pleased to report that the footpath at Minns Road in Grove has been resurfaced at long last.  This has been done with money from my Area Stewardship Fund which can now only be used for maintenance and repair work.  I have also programmed Linden Crescent to be done next, which should happen in the New Year.  Others on the list are parts of Mayfield Avenue and the path by Meadow Close, but we shall have to wait and see how much money is left in the pot after the current projects are complete.

Public Meeting on A338 Road Closure for Rail Electrification Process

Just to alert everyone to a public meeting which is being held on Tuesday 17th December at 6pm at the St. John's Parish church hall in Grove to hear the plans for the closure of the A338 road bridge at The Volunteer early next year.  Representatives from Network Rail, County Council and bus companies will be there to answer questions.

I must emphasise that the date and the length of closure for this work is currently not confirmed.

Wantage Junior Showstoppers - Showtime

Tonight, I attended an excellent performance of "Evolution of Music" put on by Wantage Junior Showstoppers at the Old Mill Hall in Grove.  This was an evening of song and dance of hits through the decades and the production was a credit to all those young people who took part.

The clothes rack (above) and the microphones for this community group were provided by a grant from the County Councillor Community Budget fund donated by both myself and Jenny Hannaby.  We have pooled our funds on many occasions to make sure several voluntary groups can benefit for local good causes.

There are still some grants in the pipeline, but if you think you know of any similar worthy causes who would like to apply for this fund, please get in touch with me or via the website here.

Grove Airfield Given the Go Ahead

Last night I attended the Planning Committee held in Grove Parish Church to discuss the Grove Airfield development as previously flagged here.  The church was full with at least 100 people in attendance, and there were 12 of us on the list of objectors to the proposal.  I had to share a 20 minute slot along with several others, but thankfully by going first, was able to make sure all my main points were made in the first 3 minutes!  I had hoped that as an elected County Councillor, I would have been given my own time, but sadly  this is not within the Vale's constitution.

The committee agreed to permit the development subject to a £49 million package of Section 106 agreements (developer contributions) and a whole list of conditions attached to ensure that the infrastructure is provided in a timely fashion.  The village will only be able to cope with such a huge housing development if roads, schools, leisure and community facilities are all provided alongside families moving onto the site.  There will be a huge challenge ahead to make sure this happens and it is not going to be easy.  

When the building starts, there will be disruption for years, and it will change the face of Grove as a village.  The hard work to manage all this is only just beginning and there will be many key people involved.  There is going to be a Project Delivery Board set up to deal with this, so it will be vital that residents get what they have been promised and deserve. 

The Big Christmas Sing in Oxford

Tonight I went along to the Big Christmas Sing in Oxford Town Hall and as you will see from the photo above, this was a great setting for some of Oxfordshire's primary schoolchildren at the start of the festive season.  We had a good mix of both traditonal carols and other songs which were excellently presented.

It was all in support of Christian Aid who are raising money for the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines, so all for a good cause.  Grove Church of England School at North Drive sang 'The Donkeys Christmas Carol' and Stanford in the Vale C of E Primary sang 'Stille Nacht' (Silent Night), the Traditional German carol in both German and English. 

There were ten primary schools taking part altogether which was very impressive.  There will be another concert tomorrow evening at the same venue with another set of schools on stage.  A very enjoyable evening.

Grove Airfield Development Planning Committee

The outline planning application for the Grove Airfield development is scheduled to be determined at the next Vale Planning Committee on Wednesday 4th December at Grove Parish Church at 6.30pm.  I am not sure how the meeting is going to work considering this will be the first time that the committee has met in a church as far as I am aware!

Some of my comments already form part of the agenda which is here and a more fuller pack of responses is to be found in the appendices.  I shall be at the meeting and have submitted my name to speak.  However, I understand that all speakers will have to share 20 minutes, so the more people registered to speak, then the less time we shall have.   The recommendation is for the committee to permit the development subject to a list of Section 106 agreements for necessary infrastructure and many other conditions which have to be met.

This proposed development for 2,500 houses has been on the horizon for many years since first identified in the Local Plan in 2002.  Meanwhile, a number of other housing developments have now come on stream in the area, which puts even greater pressure on our roads, schools and local facilities.  The problem with the airfield is that it is very difficult to access from any of our main roads, so any route into the site involves either going all through the existing village or doing a loop around Mably Way.

Refusal of Care Home at Mably Way Upheld

Excellent news to report today that the appeal to build a residential care home on Mably Way behind the health centre has been dismissed.  As I reported here earlier in the month, I attended the hearing at Abingdon and took part in the discussions with the Planning Inspector who was very keen to hear all sides of the debate.   The refusal by the Vale planning committee is therefore upheld.

The decision notice concludes:

"Notwithstanding the conclusions on design, parking, flooding and employment, it is the detrimental effect the proposal would have on the provision of future Health Care provision in the area that is the determining factor in this appeal."

We can now look forward to the future expansion of the GP surgeries on the site and to more local healthcare being provided for the community.

County Council Conference in Chester

At the beginning of the week, I attended a conference in Chester for the County Councils Network (CCN).  This organisation is made of of all County Councils in England and is a lobbying forum for ensuring county council's have a voice in central government.  The Annual Conference this year was hosted by Cheshire West and Chester Council and had key speakers including Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Lord Heseltine, who talked about his report  'No Stone Left Unturned', which is a review of UK economic growth.

At the end of the conference I was able to take part in a Roman Tour of Chester which included a walk round the city walls (left) and the old amphitheatre (right) where we were accompanied by a Roman centurion guide to learn all about the history of the past.  It was a refreshing break from spending several hours listening to discussions on the woes of the forthcoming spending review.

Grove Parish Newsletter - 400th Issue Celebrations

This afternoon, I attended the tea party organised to celebrate the 400th Issue of the Grove Parish Newsletter. I managed to secure funding from my County Councillor community budget fund to help the editorial board and volunteer deliverers to celebrate this milestone with a big 'thank you' to all those involved.

As can be seen from the photos above, issue number 1 of the current version of the newsletter appeared on March 1978. The intervening 100th, 200th and 300th issues appeared in June 1986, September 1995 and October 2004. The story on the front page of the 200th issue is interesting because it concerns the prospect of county council subsidies for local bus routes being reduced or cut. This has again been in the news recently and I am working with the County Council to find a solution to this. Some things never change!

The Grove Parish Newsletter finds its way through every door in the village, thanks to all the hard work of those involved on the editorial board putting it all together and their stalwart team of local volunteer deliverers.   I find the community news and events diary very helpful as well as being able to contribute myself every month with my County Council report where I can update residents on the work I continue to do on their behalf. Congratulations to all involved and long may it continue!

More Health Matters

This is to inform residents that there is an important consultation taking place at the moment with the NHS Oxfordshire Joint Commissioning Group.  This group has over £612M to spend on commissioning health and care services for residents in our county and this is an opportunity to have your say.  The full document 'Improving the Health of Oxfordshire' sets out the direction of travel and can be downloaded from their website (see link above).

A public meeting to discuss ideas and views is to be held next Tuesday 19th November in Wantage Civic Hall from 1pm - 5pm.  If you are keen to participate please telephone

01865 334638 or email cscsu.talkinghealth@nhs.net

Appeal Hearing for Residential Care Home at Mably Way

Today I have attended the Appeal Hearing at Abingdon for the proposal to build a residential care home behind the Health Centre at Mably Way.  This has been causing concern amongst both GP surgeries and local residents because of the restriction this would cause on future expansion of the health facilities at this site.  You can see from the photo above where the proposed building would sit, and there is not much room as it is.  Car parking is one of the biggest problems, and when the mammography unit and other mobile facilities come on site, this is even more important for people arriving for appointments.

When I was a district councillor in 2002 on the Vale planning committee, the proposals for the original health centre were approved, but this was only because the safeguarded land could only be used for health purposes.  This is part of the strategic gap between the communities of Grove and Wantage and an exception was made due to the provision of a brand new health centre where both GP surgeries could combine and work together for the benefit of both Grove, Wantage and the surrounding villages.   

Space was made available at that time for the relocation of the Wantage Community Hospital which was under threat of closure, and since then the original doctor's practice in Wantage has  been given over to a residential care home instead.  Meanwhile, the communities have expanded with more housing developments, more planned in the future and the prospect of even more health facilities being needed to support those residents.  It would therefore be a huge problem for us if this care home is allowed to be built and so prevent any future expansion on this site.  It would also deprive the current community of continuing to enjoy local health provision where specialists and services can come to us, rather than travelling out to those facilities in Abingdon or Oxford.  An opportunity gone forever.

You can see a previous blog from last year when this care home proposal came to light.  I sent in two submissions of objection to the proposals and we were all pleased when the Vale planning committee turned it down.  Today, however, the appeal from the developers has been heard and we were able to address our concerns to the Planning Inspector.  We did undertake a site visit after the meeting, and now we shall await his decision.  I shall keep you informed.

Remembrance Sunday

Today, I attended Remembrance Sunday service at St. John's Parish Church in Grove, where along with other councillors and residents we were able to pay our respects to those who have died on our behalf, both in the Great Wars and in current conflicts in Afghanistan.  There were many more Rainbows, Brownies and Beavers, Cubs and Scouts than I can remember, so it was a fully packed congregation.

This afternoon, I have just walked back from Grove cemetery where I joined parish councillors to lay the wreath on behalf of the community for the USAAF soldiers who served in Grove during the war.  Again, this is something we do every year.

Many others all over the country will be doing the same thing for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Long will they be remembered.

Rail Electrification Plans Put Station Back on Track

This week I have some good news regarding plans for re-opening Grove Station on Wantage Road.  On Monday,  I attended a presentation at County Hall given by Network Rail where they are seriously considering making sure that when the rail electrification project goes ahead next year, enhancement for the bridge over the A338 by The Volunteer will ensure work to facilitate the future station platform will be done at the same time.

On Tuesday, at our full County Council meeting, Liberal Democrats proposed a motion to council which called for the Cabinet to use all possible means to ensure that electrification facilitates the construction of a station at Grove/Wantage.  It was also agreed to ensure proper co-ordination takes place with bus companies and diversion routes planned early to help ease the upheaval caused by alterations to many road bridges all over the County.  In my speech, I was able to emphasise how important this will be to the area in the face of proposed housing developments.

The Great Western Electrification Project has been a government commitment for some time and the works have already started.  The plans for bridges in Oxfordshire was one of the main themes of our presentation and we all know that these works will bring disruptions to our area, as road closures will have to take place for some time to allow the enhancement to happen.  Diversions will have to be in place and negotiations with bus companies need to ensure that passengers and motorists are aware of the routes and the potential extra time needed for their journeys.

On the present timetable, the A338 Wantage Road bridge is due to be programmed for next March/April 2014, and the Denchworth bridge during March.  The sensible solution will be to complete the Denchworth Road bridge first, so enabling diversion traffic to take this route round to pick up the A338 at Hanney and vice versa.  I will keep you posted as more information on this becomes available.

My blog has shown a history of my commitment to this project, so rest assured I shall continue to be on the case!

Future of Schooling in Grove and Wantage

Today I attended the County Council's Cabinet Member decision on the future of primary and secondary school provision in Grove and Wantage. I went along to speak as local member and to give some of the background history of the previous consultation when the first decision was made to locate a stand alone secondary school in Grove. This was supposed to come on stream as soon as the Grove Airfield development went ahead. However, as we all know now, this has taken much longer than expected, and indeed other housing developments have been given planning permission in the meantime which has added to the pressures on school places in the area. 

Today, it was agreed that the strategy to provide a secondary school for Grove still continues, but of course, we await further news about the proposals for the airfield and when the developers plan to go ahead. A tentative date has been set on 4th December for the Vale's planning committee to consider this.  I am still awaiting confirmation of this however.

The uncertainty for the Grove Church of England primary school in North Drive has also been addressed today, when the Cabinet member decided to approve the expansion of the school capacity on the current site. Previously, the plans had been to move the current school onto the new airfield development, but with the timing of this still unknown, it was deemed logical now to allow the school to remain where they are, especially as the Monks Farm development has  come into the frame.

The public consultation earlier in the year only received 36 responses, all online, which was actually quite disappointing.  However, 22 of those responses stated a preference for a standalone academy secondary school, as opposed to an extension of King Alfred's.  The head of King Alfred's came along to the meeting today to express his concern about how the school can expect to plan for the future, given the fact that the school currently provides 310 places per year group and that number is growing.

I am sure that this is not the end of the story and the saga will continue.  Since those early days over twenty years ago when I campaigned after losing our school bus from Grove to Wantage, I have continually fought for Grove to have our own stand alone secondary school.  I was delighted when this aim then became Cabinet policy at Oxfordshire County Council.  Today the commitment has been confirmed and I shall keep my watchful eye on the brief and update on any further news. 

Choral Concert in Wantage

Last night I attended an excellent choral concert at Wantage Civic Hall in memory of Barbara Cooper which raised funds for Helen and Douglas House. We heard songs from the Newport Male Voice Choir (above left) and Wantage Male Voice Choir and for some pieces we heard joint choirs sing together (above right).  There were some new songs paying tribute to Betjeman as this  was the last weekend of the excellent Wantage (not just) Betjeman Literary Festival which has been another success.

The hall was packed with many friends, family and colleagues of Barbara's who were able to come along to remember her and the excellent work she did both at King Alfred's College and within the community.  We were told that £2700 was raised last night to go towards the work of Helen and Douglas House.  A very enjoyable evening, despite the wet and windy weather.

A34 Closures Coming Up!

This is to warn motorists of closures on the A34 in both directions so that the Highways Agency can undertake essential maintenance work to refurbish the College Farm Bridge at Beedon.

Works are scheduled to take place from Monday 28th October until the end of November 2013.
To undertake these works safely, it will be necessary to close the A34 at this location at various times, and have in place narrow lanes and a temporary 50 mph speed limit.

TWO WEEKEND CLOSURES ARE CURRENTLY PLANNED FOR:

Friday 15th November (10pm) through to Monday 18th November (6am) - Southbound carriageway closure between the A4130 Milton Interchange and M4 Junction 13

Friday 22nd November (10pm) through to Monday 25th November (6am) - Northbound Carriageway closure from the M4 Junction 13 Interchange

Significant delays are expected, so please allow extra time or avoid this route where possible.

Full details can be found at the Highways Agency website here or contact Highways Agency Information Line (HAIL) at 0300 123 5000

White Lines Refreshed in Grove

I have arranged for the white lines to be refreshed on the Denchworth Road in Grove from Newlands Drive (shown above left), including the mini-roundabout at the end of Brereton Drive (shown above right) all the way down to the mini-roundabout, which joins Main Street and Oxford Lane.

This has come out of my Area Stewardship Fund with which I was able to secure several schemes in the village last year, and which I am continuing to use this year, but with a decreased budget.  The white lines were refreshed at the end of Vale Avenue and in Oxford Lane last year as you will see from these blog posts.

I am hoping to improve some of the footpaths around the village, have provided funding for weedkilling and have had vegetation cut back on the cycleway and footpaths between Grove and Wantage.  I will update residents on these projects as soon as they are completed.

Public Meetings on County Council Budget

We have been told that we have another £60 million of savings to make on top of over £120 million already saved on the County Council's budget.  There will be tough decisions to make in the forthcoming spending round this year and the budget proposals which have to be set next February 2014.

There are a series of public consultation meetings coming up around Oxfordshire where the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive are to hear your views.

For the Vale area, this will take place on Monday 21st October at Wantage Civic Hall from 7.30 - 9pm.  All welcome to attend.

For details of the event, click here which also gives other venues if you are unable to attend locally.

Mill Street Closure in Wantage

This is to inform everyone that Mill Street in Wantage will be closed on Monday 30th September for three weeks due to sewer repairs.  I am sure this will be an inconvenience to many of us during this time, but essential that these works go ahead for obvious reasons!  I am hoping that diversion notices will be put in place, but best to avoid if possible. 

Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and those residents within the closure area, subject to the progress of the works.

Hole Finally Repaired at Wick Green

 

This is a photograph of a hole next to a drain cover in Wick Green which a resident reported to me at my last surgery.  He had reported this over a year ago and it has taken this long to eventually get repaired, but meantime the original markings had worn off.  I have spent a lot of time this week trying to chase up on a number of casework issues like this and thankfully it has now been dealt with before there was an accident. These new multi-coloured markings were a  sight to behold, so I had to take this photo!

The Highways contract at the County Council has now been taken over by a new company called Skanska, and we are all hoping that there will be some improvements made to the poor service we have been receiving up until now.  We shall wait and see, but if residents do have any potholes or pavement repairs they need to report, you can either do it directly at the website here or let me know and I shall report it for you

Crab Hill Exhibitions Coming Up in Grove and Wantage

This is to alert residents of two exhibitions coming up regarding the Crab Hill housing development proposals north east of Wantage. These will take place as follows:  

Thursday 12th September 5 - 8pm at Old Mill Hall in Grove 

Tuesday 17th September 5 - 8pm at Wantage Civic Hall 

I hope that people will be able to go along to one of these events to see what is planned and to ask questions of those involved.

New Footpath by Old Mill Hall Completed

This is a photo of the new footpath which has been reinstated by the side of Old Mill Hall in Grove which is very well used by all our residents going to the school, library, the hall itself and all the facilities in School Lane by the car park.  I was able to fund this improvement with £5,000 from last year's Area Stewardship Fund.  You can see my previous post and photo here.

We have funds to spend this year, though not quite so much as previously, and I have put forward some proposals for improvements based on residents' local concerns.  Once I have these costed and approved I will post on this blog.

A reminder that my monthly surgeries will continue tomorrow (Saturday 7th September) after the summer break, so I shall be in Grove Library from 10.30am until 11.30am, if anyone would like to come along to discuss any issues of concern.

Councillor Community Budget Available

Readers of this blog will know that last year I had a budget of £10,000 to spend on voluntary and community projects in Grove and Wantage. Many local organisations benefitted from this including the Independent Advice Centre, Grove Challengers, Grovelands Playgroup, Sweatbox, Wantage Air Training Corps, The Vale and Downland Museum, Wilts and Berks Canal Sackhouse project, Friends of Grove Library toddler computer, South and Vale young carers and the Wantage Betjeman Literary Festival.

I now have another £10,000 to allocate this year and I would like to take this opportunity of raising this possibility again.  So far, I have given a small grant to the Oasis project which ran a fun day for local autistic children at the Sweatbox in July. The photo above shows the displays on offer for the 'Bright Sparks' hands-on science part of the afternoon, where I went along to see the event in progress. It was a great success and I would like to ensure that any organisation working locally to support our community is aware that funding is available to help make things happen. 

To apply, you can do so online at this link  http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/councillor-community-budgets or otherwise you can contact me at zoe.patrick@oxfordshire.gov.uk to find out more.

WaGCG Garden Party at Ardington House

This afternoon, I attended the excellent Garden Party arranged by the Wantage and Grove Campaign Group (WaGCG) in the beautiful grounds of Ardington House. This was a fund raising event and in the marquee by the lake we were treated to tea, cakes, a raffle and entertainment by Catherine Bulpitt, Flower of the Quern, Shotgun Weather Ferret and Laura Manning & David Lyons. Congratulations to Julie Mabberley and the whole team for the organisation of this fantastic event.

Back to Business - Grove Footpath Repairs

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I have just returned from holiday and have been trying to catch up - not helped by my broadband not working both before and after I was away!  Apologies for being unable to post to this blog for those of you looking for updates.

I was at Grove Library yesterday afternoon to do the storytime session and noticed that the diagonal footpath by the Old Mill Hall (above) is being repaired at long last.  I was able to secure £5000 funding from my Area Stewardship budget towards this well-used path to ensure that it was brought up to a good standard, having received many complaints from residents about the poor state it was in.  The path is the responsibility of Grove Parish Council, so they were able to go ahead and get a contractor in to do the work.  I was pleased to see them on site yesterday starting the repairs.  I look forward to seeing it completed, hopefully before the end of the school holidays.

Housing Infrastructure Needs Urgent Solutions

Yesterday my motion to the County Council regarding housing development being planned in a sustainable way with infrastructure in place at an early stage was passed unanimously. I had hoped that this would happen in May before the County elections, but unfortunately the meeting ran out of time and it had to wait for the next Council meeting to be debated. 

Having been delighted to retain my seat as County Councillor for Grove and Wantage, it has been the first opportunity to bring this issue back on the agenda. At the Council meeting yesterday, the Wantage and Grove Campaign Group also presented a petition on the same subject which was very timely. A resident from Woodstock also came to speak to the council in support of my motion.

As residents will be aware, the Grove Airfield development has still not yet started, but more housing developments are being given planning permission in the area by the Vale of White Horse District Council.  We are all aware of the challenges we face regarding the transport network and the demand for local school places continues to grow.    My motion to the Council is "urging the Cabinet to take heed of these problems and to work with officers to find urgent solutions to this issue. This will include closer working with district planning officers and improved liaison with local members."

I shall continue to press for this at every opportunity to ensure our concerns are heard.

Denchworth Road Closure Anticipated

This notice has been in place for some time in anticipation of a road closure sometime this week.  Today I went out to investigate, but there is no activity about.  I expect work to be carried out on this part of the highway soon.  I have also asked that they do the white line refeshment at the junction and the 'Keep Clear' markings and the mini-roundabout at the junction with Brereton Drive.

Stockham Farm Housing Exhibition

Last night after a busy day, I managed to call in at the Dandara public consultation exhibition regarding another 100 homes on the Stockham Farm site.  The exhibition is taking place at Stockham Primary School and will open again tomorrow if you wish to have another chance to take a look.  It will take place from 10am until 12pm.  You can see the website here.

There were a large number of residents there to discuss the planning issues.  As many people are aware, 200 homes have already been given approval and work to clear the site has begun.  I do hope that there will be some contributions from developers towards highways and transport improvements.  I could not see any evidence of this whilst I was there asking the questions.  I shall be following this up.  300 new homes in this area is not going to come without added cars to our busy roads.  This should certainly be taken into account.

Raising the Flag on Armed Forces Day

Yesterday it was time to celebrate Armed Forces Day at Oxfordshire County Council, so along with many dignitaries, representatives and councillors, we went along to watch the 'Raising of the Flag' ceremony which was held at the Oxford Castle complex next door.  We all came out of the first meeting of the Performance Scrutiny Committee which was taking place next door.

In the afternoon, I went along with some of my council group to visit the University of Oxford Department of Oncology at the Old Road Campus in Headington.  This was an excellent opportunity to see the innovative and inspiring work which is going on in cancer research and treament.  It is the centenary of the Medical Research Council this year, so a good time to celebrate the work which has been undertaken so far.  We have gone a long way over the years and todays' pioneering research will hopefully go even further in the future.  Of course, a lot of this would not happen without generous donations from Cancer Research UK.

Oxford University Encaenia

 Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the University of Oxford Encaenia at the Sheldonian Theatre (see photo above).  Honorary degrees were presented to The Honourable Andrew Li Kwok Nang, Dame Anne Owers, Professor Anthony Grafton, Sir Tom Stoppard, Professor Ingrid Daubechies, Baroness (Tanni) Grey-Thompson, Mr. Colin Smith and Mr. Murray Perahia.  This was followed by lunch at Rhodes House and a Garden Party at Trinity College. 

It was a beautiful sunny day and it was a wonderful occasion which I am sure many of us will long remember.  

Wantage Summer Festival Opens

This weekend kicked off the start of the 18th Wantage Summer Festival which brought with it some sunny weather too!  Last night,  I attended the Evening Supper Concert in the New Band Hall (see photos above) on Tugwell Field in Wantage where The 12th Street Brass Quintet played some well-loved numbers which everyone enjoyed.  An excellent evening all organised by Wantage Silver Band.

Today was the Ray Collins' Wantage Carnival in the Market Square where the funfair and many  stalls were on display.  There seemed to be a good turnout again, I am sure because of the lovely sunshine.  Money was being raised for Wantage Church of England School, Charlton Acorns pre-school and several other charities.

There are lots of events to go to over the next few weeks so do check out the programme which can be seen here.  Tickets can be booked at the Vale and Downland Museum (Tel: 01235 760176 or 771447).

Local Schools Consultation

This is to flag up a forthcoming consultation on schooling in our area. Wantage and Grove residents are being urged to have their say on plans for new schools to accommodate an expanding population in the coming years.   Two public events are being held to seek local views on the future of primary and secondary education in the area, which is earmarked for significant housing growth.

Wantage and Grove are expected to see up to 5,000 new homes by 2029, with sites including Grove Airfield, Crab Hill (north-east of Wantage) and Monk’s Farm (north of Grove) identified for housing development by Vale of White Horse District Council.   The county council has developed a number of possible options for the number and location of new schools, based on anticipated housing growth, which will be available to view from 3 June at the county website here

Anyone visiting the site – or attending the public events - can submit their views on these options, as well as giving their own suggestions as to what would work best. The consultation runs from 3 June to 15 July.
Drop-in sessions to discuss views directly with council staff are as follows:

5 June from 2pm to 4pm at Grove Village Hall, Main St, Grove

11 June from 6pm to 8pm at Wantage Civic Hall, Portway, Wantage

New Toddler Computer in Grove Library

I called in at Grove Library yesterday to see the brand new Toddler/Children's Computer which has now been installed ready to use (see photo above).  This was all made possible by the funding received from my County Councillor Community budget allocation.  The Friends of Grove Library applied for £750 which paid for the computer, mouse, fun keyboard, table and chair and some learning software to go onto it.  This will be a very welcome addition to our local library and a first in Oxfordshire!  I am looking forward to seeing it in use soon and I am sure many young children will enjoy having their turn.  There is to be an inaugural ceremony on 14th June to which I have been invited to attend.

Cow Lane Resurfaced

I took a walk down Cow Lane this afternoon in the sunshine and was delighted to see what an excellent job has been done to resurface this by-way with money from my Area Stewardship Fund.  I met several cyclists, dog walkers and pedetrians who stopped to say how much they appreciate this excellent new surface.  There was no need for wellingtons, and indeed, one lady was walking in flip-flops!  This new surface makes the route so much more enjoyable and easier for everyone.  The route past the bridge will need to be looked at in the future, once the work has been done on the footbridge due to the electification of the railway which is planned.

New Floor at Grovelands Park Playgroup

Today, I went along to the Fun Day at Grovelands Park Pre-School Playgroup. This was a good opportunity to see the new floor that I contributed to from my County Councillor Community Budget fund.  The new floor is much more serviceable for young children (especially when they have lunch) and replaces a carpeted area. You can see me standing on it in the middle photo and where the floor meets a remaining carpeted section in the right photo. I remember going along to see the opening of the new building at the Grand Launch two years ago - see previous blog post here.  Since then, it has come on in leaps and bounds.

It was lovely to see so many families all enjoying the day and browsing the stalls on offer. This is an excellent facility for Grove and provides much needed play opportunities for our young pre-school children.

New Banner for Wantage ATC 1861 Squadron

Last night Jenny Hannaby and I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Wantage Air Training Corps 1861 Squadron to present their new banner which we had contributed to from our County Councillor Community Budget.  The cadets had won a Thames Valley Wing Banner drill and came second in the Regional Final (South West) and their old banner was in need of replacement.  The £700 we put towards this meant that this splendid new ceremonial standard (see photo above) will now be on parade on many occasions in the future.

Last night they had their annual inspection and passed with flying colours.  It was a lovely sunny evening and parents, cadets and their officers all enjoyed the event.  Their drills were very impressive and the exciting programme of events to come means they have a lot to look forward to.  Jenny and I were delighted to be at this wonderful occasion supporting our young people.

Election Thanks

Many thanks to all who voted for me and Jenny Hannaby in the Oxfordshire County Council elections on Thursday. The count was held on Friday morning and I am happy to report that we successfully retained our seats for Grove and Wantage. We look forward to continuing our work with the local community for the next four years.

The full results are available from here and here.

Harcourt Road Improvements

The photos above show the hardstanding laybys in Harcourt Road that myself and Cllr Jenny Hannaby have funded from our Area Stewardship grants at the County Council.  Residents and commuters have long complained about the poor state of the grass verges, which have become so badly damaged from parked vehicles that the whole area looks unsightly.

It would have been good to do more, but we only have limited funds, and this pot of money will come to an end now as the budget will only be used for road maintenance purposes in future.  Let us hope that it makes travelling through Charlton a little bit easier once the work has been completed.

Reminder - 2nd Crab Hill Exhibition

 

Just a reminder that there is a second opportunity to see the exhibition on the proposed Crab Hill development today - Friday 19th April. This will be held in Grove Methodist Church during 5 - 9 pm and is hosted by Lands Improvement.

I understand that the material will also be put on the website www.crabhillwantage.com from this Saturday.

Camel Progress

The left hand photo above shows the Camel roundabout after the repairs this week. It is obviously better than the previous cratered road, which risked damage to everyone's cars.  However, I am still concerned about the quality of the surface in the problem area, which has to survive a large amount of traffic pounding through it every day. We will keep an eye on this.

Also, the white lines still need repainting, so please take care when approaching the mini-roundabouts. Inexplicably, the white lines were repainted a little while ago and before these repairs when the whole road surface was crumbling away!

I also think it is a great pity that the opportunity was not taken to repair the potholes at the junction of Priory Orchard with Ham Road (see right photo above). Even if they are not priority holes, it would surely have made sense to deal with them whilst there were workmen, equipment and tarmac at this site?

Action on Camel "Craters" at last?

At long last, it looks like repairs will be made this week to the the Camel roundabout (the junction between Mill Street, Denchworth Road and Ham Road) in Wantage. Most residents will be aware of the appalling "craters" at this roundabout (there is no way they can be called mere potholes!) and, not suprisingly, some people have even reported damage to their cars. Followers of this blog will know that I have photographed and reported this dreadul state of affairs many times since 24 February (see here, here and here) and it is now mid-April. We also had the bizarre situation where the white lines around the roundabout were repainted a few weeks ago - a complete waste of money given that it was obvious that the road would have to be dug up and repaired.

Anyway, as you can see from the photos above, equipment was being dropped off on Monday evening to start the repairs on Tuesday 16 April.  There are planned to be 4-way temporary traffic lights in place for up to three days whilst the works go ahead, so please be prepared for disruption in that area.

If you think the pothole repair situation in the Wantage and Grove area has been unsatisfactory, please sign our petition at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P

Crab Hill Exhibition

Just a reminder that there will be two public exhibitions this week about the proposed development at Crab Hill in north east Wantage. These will be hosted by Lands Improvement and its team of consultants to provide information on the evolving proposals. The details are:

Monday 15th April - Wantage Civic Hall, 5 - 9 pm
Friday 19th April - Grove Methodist Church, 5 - 9 pm

Please go along. This should provide important background information ahead of making representations on the draft Local Plan (deadline 9th May).

The Continuing Pothole Saga

Amazing! The two deep potholes on the sharp bend of Newlands Drive in Grove were, at long last, finally repaired sometime last week! Readers will be aware of this continuing saga from my previous posts here, here and here. This means that it has taken almost 7 weeks for the repairs since they were reported! There can be no real excuse for this delay as the potholes were both deep and in a particularly dangerous position causing cars to have to swerve on a sharp bend.

Meanwhile, the potholes further down by the zebra crossing near to the Bay Tree pub still go unrepaired, despite being highlighted with red paint for some time. The repair team probably had to drive over these very potholes on their way to repair the ones further up the road. I first reported it on 25 March - almost 3 weeks ago.  I chased this up yet again this week to find out what was happening, but unfortunately received no reply.   Again, being close to a crossing, these potholes are also in what I would regard as a particularly dangerous position. 

The whole of the local community is fed up with the pothole situation in the Wantage and Grove area and across the whole of Oxfordshire. It is not the reporting system that is the problem, it is the lack of efficient and timely repairs. 

Please sign our pothole petition at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P 

Service of Institution and Induction of New Vicar

Last night, I was invited to St. John's Church in Grove to a special event. One part of the evening was the Induction and Installation of the Rev. John Durant as the new vicar of the Vale Benefice. There was also a Service of Institution for the newly formed Vale Benefice, which combines the parishes of Grove, Hanney, East Challow and Denchworth. The Wantage Deanery unites the four local benefices in the Wantage area of the Diocese of Oxford.

 

The Rt. Rev. Andrew Proud, Bishop of Reading led the service along with The Venerable Norman Russell, Archdeacon of Berkshire. The church was packed full and it was a very inspiring service with many local members of the community involved. Well done to all of the mission team and the Vale Benefice Churchwardens for the evening.

White Horse Harriers Half Marathon

Today, saw the Annual Half-Marathon of the White Horse Harriers take place. The race started in Cane Lane and as usual ended on Pound Green in Grove (see photos above). This year the event supported the 14 Club of Wantage, which is an independent social club at Fitzwaryn School for people with learning disabilities. It was a beautiful sunny day although still a little chilly. The very first White Horse Half Marathon took place on 10th April 1983 and it is still going strong.

Oxford Lane Re-painted

Yesterday, I took these photos of Oxford Lane which has been re-painted using some of my Area Stewardship Fund.  The top photos show the entrance onto the A338 including the hatched area which should make a safer exit from Grove onto this busy road.  The bottom photos show the mini-roundabouts, which have been re-painted at the junction with St. John's Road and North Drive.  The speed cushions (bottom right) are also done which will make them much easier to see, especially at night.

County Pothole Motion Voted Down!

I am sure that local residents will be amazed to learn that the motion of my group calling on the Cabinet of Oxfordshire County Council to require our contractors to meet their obligation on highways repairs and so ensure our roads are fit for the public to travel on was voted down today at the full council meeting. The ruling group seem to think that everything is fine across the county, but most Oxfordshire residents and especially those of us living in the Wantage and Grove area know just how bad the roads really are.

The top photo above shows the mini-roundabouts at the Camel junction of Mill Street, Denchworth Road and Ham Road in Wantage.  The surface shown by the yellow dashes is like a big dipper and it is so bad that drivers have reported that their cars have been damaged. The only action so far after many weeks is to put up signs (bottom photo) on the approaches to the junction!  A warning that you will get a bumpy ride is hardly reassuring!

Please sign our pothole petition at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P

Report, Re-report, Paint and Re-paint

Further to my blog post of 25 March and 29 March, look at the photos above of the potholes on the corner of Newlands Drive in Grove, which illustrate the sorry state of the whole pothole repair system.

The first picture on the left was taken on 21 February where you can see that the nearest pothole was painted in white. If you now look at the middle picture taken on 30 March, you can see that the white paint has now virtually disappeared with no repair having taken place!

In the meantime, the second pothole has only just been given a dose of red/orange paint, even though I reported both potholes as far back as 22 February! As I have said all along, it is not the reporting system which is at fault (although we are thankful for any improvements), but it is the slow system of repair. In the meantime, residents have to risk their cars every day travelling these roads.

I am sure we all sick and tired of the pothole situation around Wantage, Grove and the whole of Oxfordshire.

Please sign our pothole petition at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P

Cross in the Square Gospel Singing

On a cold Good Friday evening in Wantage Market Square, we were entertained by gospel singing as part of the "Cross in the Square" event organised by the Wantage & Grove Church Partnership. The singing was provided by the Croydon SDA Gospel Community Choir who have featured on both television and radio. Despite the cold temperature, a large crowd was attracted to the market square to enjoy an uplifting evening.

Pothole Feedback

Many thanks to all those who have reported potholes to me. The damage that is being done to cars is of great concern and I just hope that the county council realises the seriousness of this issue for local residents. This website claims that as many as 1 in 5 mechanical failures on British roads are due to potholes! Locally, reporting potholes has never really been the issue - we have all seen the painted markings wear away. It is the time it takes to actually make the repairs.  Shown below is the latest status of the pothole near to the Bay Tree in Grove:

I reported it on Monday this week (25 March - see blog post below) and the red markings appeared yesterday (Thursday 29 March). We will now see how long it actually takes to repair!

Please sign our pothole petition at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P

I also chased up the potholes I reported on 22nd February on the corner of Newlands Drive, which are still awaiting repair (again see photos on blog post 25 March below).  I was told that there are many potholes that are going over the 28 days time limit  and that the contractors are aware of large numbers of defects that have not been repaired on time and will attend to them as soon as possible.

Schools Consumer Challenge Quiz

This morning I attended Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Consumer Challenge Quiz which they hosted at Unipart House in Cowley for special needs students.  Eight schools took part including our local Fitzwaryn School in Wantage.

I was very impressed by how well all the students did, despite some very challenging questions regarding the law, healthy eating, personal safety, smart shopping and issues around drugs use/misuse. Woodeaton Manor School won the competition and will go on to represent Oxfordshire in the National Finals in Brighton in June.  I was delighted that our local Fitzwaryn School came joint second with The Isis Academy, so an excellent result for them. 

The photo above shows a colourful arch of balloons to represent a rainbow to make it fun for everyone receiving their prizes.  I had objected to the original idea that the balloons were going to be filled with helium as this is a rare gas that we must preserve for scientific, medical and industrial use (see here for background).  Officers took up my suggestion to use air-filled balloons instead, which they did, although it entailed more work having to attach them to garden canes and wires.  The efffect is the same though - very impressive!

Another Day, Another Pothole

Another series of potholes has started to emerge in the area - this time near to the zebra crossing outside the Bay Tree pub in Grove. Not a good place to have a road defect with pedestrians crossing in the close vicinity. I have added this pothole to our monitoring website here and reported it.

A bit further up the road, I am sure that drivers have noticed the series of potholes on the sharp bend at Newlands Drive shown below.

I photographed these on 21 February (left photo), reported them on 22 February and they were logged by the county council on 26 February. As you can see from the right photo, the potholes are still there and the white paint marking them has now worn off. In my opinion, these potholes are in a particularly dangerous position as drivers have to swerve into the middle of the road to avoid them with the obvious risk of meeting oncoming traffic on a sharp bend. Given the potholes were already marked on 21 February, this means that the undertaking to repair within 28 days has already been exceeded. However, given the dangerous location I think they should have been considered a priority case.

Please sign our pothole petition at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P

Pothole Latest

Many thanks for all of the feedback on our local pothole campaign. At long last, the county council has taken some action and implemented a new online reporting service and increased the number of repair gangs from 10 to 19. The details are here.

However, most of us know from driving around Wantage and Grove that the problem does not seem to be with reporting potholes, as many of them have already been marked with red and white paint for a long time. In some cases, they have been reported so long ago that the paint is wearing off!

A good example can be seen in the photos above,  which show a pothole immediately outside King Alfred's College in Portway. Clearly, it is a priority case as it is both deep and in a dangerous place just outside a busy school site. The left photo shows that it was already marked with red paint on 13 March. I re-reported this pothole the same day and it was not repaired until 21 March (right photo) some 8 days later!  Indeed, I received an email to say that the safety inspectors had marked it as a category 1A (the most serious) on 18th March.  So, if this is the timespan from reporting to repair for such a dangerous pothole in a key area outside our secondary school, then I do not hold out much hope for those on our surrounding estate roads!

As many of you have commented, the situation with the Camel roundabout (at the junction of Mill Street, Denchworth Road and Ham Road) is simply appalling. The photo above was taken on 24 February and the road has deteriorated further with whole sections of surface missing and metal drains sticking up.  I am told that this has been inspected and a whole section of the road will need "planing". Again, I reported this several weeks ago and we still await action.  Oddly, contractors went out and re-painted white lines in this area and highways officers are still investigating why this had happened before any repair work had been carried out!  Meanwhile, residents are having to risk their cars here and providing a "bumpy" road sign is simply not good enough as it has completely failed in my opinion.

According to the County Council's website "Once a reported pothole has been verified by a member of the Highways team, the county council’s contractor undertakes to repair these potholes within 28 days, 24 hours for emergency potholes, and two hours for the most severe category."

Our pothole petition is still open, so please sign up at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P3BPP6P