Vegetation Cutback Undertaken

I have been working for several months trying to get overgrown vegetation cut back from key areas around Grove since the summer.  Residents will recall how long it took to get Newlands Drive done as reported here earlier this year.    However, these areas had all been reported to me and County Highways several times, so it has been frustrating to have to wait several months for the work to be completed.

As you will see from the photos above, the route from Grove to Wantage alongside the SSE substation by the recreation ground has been a cause of concern for a long time, as has the footpath along the busy A338 near to the rail bridge.   These stretches, as well as the walkway through from the end of Evenlode Close have now been cleared with money used from my Area Stewardship Fund.

The reason given for these projects taking such a long time, is to try to establish land ownership issues, but in some cases, this is either unclear or unresolved.  Residents need to be aware that they are responsible for vegetation from their properties which overhang the highway or footpaths, and must keep them cut back or they may be recharged from the County Council for undertaking the work.

Electric Blanket Testing in Wantage

Oxfordshire Trading Standards will once again be offering free electric blanket checks to residents this year. Working in partnership with Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue & Age UK they will be testing for 10 days in October at 10 different locations across Oxfordshire.

They  will be testing at Wantage Fire Station on Thursday 23^rd  October from 9am. Testing is offered on a first come first served appointment system and the number for booking an appointment is 0845 051 0845 option 4.

This has been a successful campaign for many years, and  up to 100 blankets are tested a day. Last year, 24% of the blankets that were checked were unsafe to use, therefore removing them from circulation and decreasing the risk of fires and injuries. 

I hope that residents will be able to take advantage of this excellent free service.

Freedom of the County

Yesterday, I was delighted to attend the Freedom of the County parade for 4624 Squadron, Royal Auxilliary Air Force, Brize Norton.  They were conferred this honour by the County Council last year in recognition of over thirty years of distinguished service, demonstrating sacrifice and commitment to the defence of the realm and for dedicated support to local charities and communities.

The parade began in St. Giles and ended at County Hall (see photos above), where we were there to welcome them to a reception.  I enjoyed meeting many of them and hearing their individual stories, and it was inspiring to understand how hard they work on behalf of us all.  As reservists, many of them rely on the support of their employers and these can range from the NHS to private companies.  You can read more about it here.

Review of Subsidised Bus Services in Wantage area

There is currently a review being undertaken on the subsidised bus routes in our area.  For full details of the services involved please see the link to the county website here.  The consultation is open now until 15th November, so there is time to ensure that you respond to the future changes which could be made.   With county budgets tight, the amount of money available to subsidise bus routes is decreasing, despite extra housing planned for the area.

Residents will be well aware that we lost our important links from Grove to the Harwell campus, Didcot and Milton Park at the end of last year, so I had tried to help the situation by providing some funding towards a local service as I reported on my blog here.  However, this service will also be under review as it is not clear if I shall have sufficient funds to continue to support this next year.

Looking at the list of the services affected by council subsidies in this review, we need to give our support for the evening and Sunday services run by Stagecoach no.31, and the Whites coaches shopper bus no. 38.  I know that residents greatly value these services and it will be a pity if we lose them because this will be a commercial decision made by the bus companies.  The original decision to abandon Grove was made by Thames Travel when they decided to run their services from Wantage leaving people in the village stranded or having to use other buses to get to the market place.   Please make sure you send in your responses if you value our local bus services.