2017 Approaches

Christmas seems to have come and gone and it does not seem long ago when I joined everyone at our annual Grove Parish Council Carol Service around the Christmas tree by Millbrook Square accompanied by the Wantage Silver Band.

This year, it was a fine evening and it was good to share coffee and mince pies in the Methodist Church hall with residents in the village. 

Yesterday, I took a walk to Letcombe Brook by The Green to take in a breathe of fresh air and I was struck by the evening glow on the brook as I stood on the bridge.  No snow this year, as it has been mild so far, but frost and fog in the early mornings is now to be expected.

I should therefore like to wish everyone a very healthy and prosperous New Year in 2017.  I have now fixed up my councillor surgeries in Grove Library up until the May elections.  The next one will be held on Saturday 14th January between 10.30 am and 11.30 am. No appointment necessary.

Christmas Approaches!

On Monday evening,  I was in County Hall to see the Christmas lights switched on.  You can see the beautiful tree which was donated by the Blenheim Estate in the photograph at the top of this blog post.  Children from the choir at Longfields Primary School sang carols around the tree to entertain us during the evening.  

Afterwards, there was an opening of the artwork display presented to County Hall to decorate the corridor from secondary schools around Oxfordshire.  I was pleased to have helped to deliver and collect the canvas from King Alfred's Academy in Wantage, which is shown above.  Schools were asked to paint a scene depicting their surrounding area, and I think the painting above captures a scene of our historic Ridgeway and Downland views very well.

I am sure that everyone will be busy in the run up to Christmas, but hopefully I shall see many residents at our annual carol service in Grove at the Christmas tree near Millbrook Square.

Remembrance Sunday

Today was, of course, Remembrance Sunday when we remember the fallen in the World Wars and other conflicts.  In the morning, I attended the service in Grove Parish Church, which was full with the local community. It is always inspiring to see the young children attending in the Rainbows, Brownies, Girl Guides, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

In the afternoon, I attended the Civic Parade and Remembrance service in Didcot and laid a wreath on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council. This was a moving open-air service around the War Memorial and the parade was led by the Oxford Caledonian Pipe Band.  The event was very well attended by many members of the Didcot community on a sunny afternoon.

A417 Challow Road Bridge - Weekend Road Closures Coming Up

The photograph above shows me at the re-opening of the A417 Challow Road bridge on 5th December 2014 after 4 months of closure.

I was therefore very surprised to hear last month that there were plans to close the road again for 2 weeks whilst carriage maintenance works were carried out.  After taking up the matter with Network Rail and the County Council, I was then told that these works would be postponed until another solution was found.  

Fortunately, the works have now been given the go-ahead for two weekends in November to allow carriageway maintenance to be undertaken.  The weekend closures are as follows:

22:00 hours on Friday 18th November - 06:00 hours Monday 21st November

22:00 hours on Friday 25th November - 06:00 hours Monday 28th November 

Millaway Lane will also be closed during this time to prevent this being used as an alternative diversion route for traffic.

As I am sure residents are aware, all these road closures are a necessary part of the Great Western Electrification project, which has affected many rail bridges in this area.

Maggie's Fundraising Update

Just to let everyone know that the final total raised by the Chairman and myself for the Maggie's Centre Culture Crawl is close to £800. This was announced in the full council meeting held on Tuesday this week.

I should like to take this opportunity of thanking all those friends, family and supporters who helped us to raise so much by giving so generously to this worthy cause.  I believe a grand total of over £20,000 was eventually reached.

I was pleased to attend the 2nd birthday party celebration at Maggie's Centre on Wednesday 12th October, which was a great opportunity to meet with others who have been affected by cancer and their friends and families.

You can find more details on the Culture Crawl that we undertook to raise funds along with others taking part, in the posts and photographs posted in my previous blog posts.

Demolition Work On Old Wantage Road Bridge - Weekend Closures

This is to inform residents of some important works coming up on the A338 Wantage Road bridge which will involve traffic lights and a temporary road closure over a forthcoming weekend.  This is to allow for the demolition to take place of the old bridge which will allow for the electification of the Great Western railway to continue.

To allow Network Rail to undertake pre-demolition work of the old Wantage Road bridge temporary traffic lights will be set up on 25th October until 4th November 2016.

A weekend closure of the new bridge will then take place whilst demolition work is undertaken.  This will be from 22.00 on 11th November until 6.00 on 14th November 2016.

I have to admit that I have spent a lot of time chasing up these forthcoming works, having been told when I opened the new bridge (see blog post here), that demoliton of the old bridge would be taking place before the end of the year.

New School for Grove

Last night, I attended a meeting at Millbrook Primary School to hear more about plans to deliver a new school for Grove. The evening consisted of workshops where parents and residents had an opportunity to express their views.  It was a very constructive evening with many positive and helpful suggestions about how the new school would become.

This has long been a campaign I have been involved with in the village for over 25 years, when the school bus was removed by Oxfordshire County Council taking children from Grove to Wantage.  I formed a 'Save the School Bus' campaign group and after presenting a petition to the Education Committee, schoolchildren and parents were given a year's grace, before the bus was stopped altogether. Since then, our children have had to make their own way to all 3 secondary school sites in Wantage.  Even now, as a local county councillor, I spend a lot of time dealing with casework on this issue. Time for some change I think!

When the Grove Airfield development appeared on the horizon, and the plans showed provision for a new secondary school in Grove, hopes rose that at long last this may happen. Indeed, much debate started again on this issue and one can see from my blog which started in 2007, I was headlining this topic!  

Well, here we are nearly 10 years later, and as the Airfield site still hasn't delivered to date, I was pleased to hear that the Vale Academy Trust has now become proactive on this matter. As new housing development has already taken place around the area and school places are becoming filled year by year as families move in, it now looks a good time to revisit the original plans.

The new school would aim to provide seamless education from 2 - 16, and would also provide community facilities we have been lacking for several years.  It will also mean that our schoolchildren will no longer have to travel at least 2 miles to reach secondary school with our ever-increasing busy roads and lack of proper cycle tracks or footpaths on the route.  A sixth form for the school has not been ruled out.

I look forward to keeping residents informed how this bid progresses, as I understand the case for the new school is being presented to the Department for Education by the deadline tomorrow. The new school, which could be called 'Grove Academy' expects to open in 2019, if all goes to plan.  Meanwhile, watch this space!

Maggie's Oxford Culture Crawl

As planned, I took part in the Culture Crawl organised by Maggie's Oxford. This started at Egrove Park in Kennington taking in various cultural stops across Oxford before finally arriving at Maggie's Centre next to the Churchill Hospital. I completed half of the route before I handed over to Cllr. Michael Waine who then walked the remainder. It was a very enjoyable evening whilst also raising funds for Maggie's who do a fantastic job supporting people with cancer and their families. Thanks to everyone who supported me and anyone who still wishes to make a small donation to Maggie's can do so using the link in my previous post.

Culture Crawl for Maggie's Centre Oxford

This Friday evening, 23rd September 2016,  I shall be taking part in an 8-mile Culture Crawl to raise money for Maggie’s Centre in Oxford at the Churchill Hospital site.  This is something which I am doing as Vice-Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council alongside the Chairman, Cllr. Michael Waine.

We would be incredibly grateful if you would be kind enough to sponsor us please by going to the following link:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OCC-Chairman-and-ViceChairman

Both Michael and I received excellent care from both the Churchill Hospital and Maggie's Centre during our recovery from illness and we both wished to put something back for the help and support we received.

Thank you in advance for your support for this very deserving cause. If you are not familiar with Maggie’s Centre and would like to know more, please visit their website:
https://www.maggiescentres.org/our-centres/maggies-oxford/

Lay-by at Grove Recreation Ground Refresh

As you will notice from the photograph taken above, this is the lay-by at the side of the Recreation Ground in Grove. This area is well-used by those parking for the grounds and sports facilities on the adjoining fields. It was most recently in demand for the Grove & Wantage Extravaganza event (reported on my blog post).

I had delayed getting this works done in the past, due to the Grove Airfield development coming on stream, but as delays continue on this site, and the fact that there was money in the Highways budget that needed using up before the end of the financial year, now was the time to get something done.

I know this isn't a perfect job as you can already see some water from recent rainfall in some of the pitted areas, but at least something is better than nothing, and will make life a little easier for those parking to use the recreational facilities nearby.

Ickleton Road Carriageway Maintenance

I have just been given notice that Oxfordshire County Council is due to undertake carriageway maintenance work on the B4507 Ickleton Road between the Ham Road junction and the next westerly junction with the road to Letcombe Regis (see map above). 

The works are programmed to start on Tuesday 6 September 2016 and are expected to last for three weeks, subject to any bad weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances during construction. The works will include widening and resurfacing of the existing carriageway, drainage improvements and the replacement of road markings. 

In order to keep traffic disruption to a minimum, the works will be carried out under a road closure. A signed diversion route will be put in place.

This work is long overdue and will be of benefit to residents in and around the Wantage area.

Cow Lane Bridge Reopening

I have only just had the chance to wander down Cow Lane in Grove to see the new bridge over the railway line referred to as the 'Hanneys crossing'.  This has been the latest scheme in the area which has benefitted from the GWR Electrification Project.  You will see from the photos above, that the benefits are obvious on this well-used recreational route.  The track in the past has been muddy and wet and some times impassable, but thanks to some funding I used from my Highways budget to gravel the area, and more recently, Network Rail agreeing to my request to make it good after their works in progress, all is now greatly improved.

This well-known traditional by-way is well-used by horse-riders, cyclists, pedestrians and dog walkers on a regular basis and is a 'green corridor' in the village of Grove.  I have already commented on the new housing developments planned for Monks Farm and the immediate vicinity. Plans for urbanising this route and constructing crossings over it will be detrimental to the village of Grove.  Indeed, on my walk today, I met cyclists and families enjoying a walk on a Sunday afternoon in the countryside.  This should always remain a quiet and open space to be enjoyed by all of us for the future.

This, of course, is the second bridge in Grove to have to be rebuilt and I blogged here about the official opening of the A338 Wantage Road bridge back in July.  Next to be upgraded I believe will be the Denchworth Road bridge, currently no information on this to date.

Grove and Wantage Extravaganza

This afternoon the Grove and Wantage Extravaganza was held at the Recreation Ground in Grove. The weather was changeable, but that did not seem to dampen the spirit of the crowds of people attending. There were lots of side shows, displays and events for everyone to enjoy.  As you can see from the photos above, there a number of interesting cars dotted around the show. Congratulations to Roger Williams and all on the Extravaganza Committee who helped to organise this memorable event.

Roadworks Update

Catching up after returning from my summer holidays, I thought I would update residents on roadworks which are either ongoing or forthcoming over the coming weeks which could affect us.

A34 Chilton Improvement

Local road closures for five nights started on 15th August this week.  These closures will be in place from 8.30pm until 6am and are needed so that the team can carry out remodelling and resurfacing work on the roundabout.

There will also be nightly lane closures on the A34 southbound for around eight weeks to tie the new off-slip into the main road.  From 30th August for around six weeks, the northbound lane 1 will be closed nightly from 8pm - 6am.

I am sure many of you have noticed that much has been achieved over the last few months as the site takes shape which will benefit commuters for years to come.

Frideswide Square Improvements

Work to carry out some minor repairs and alterations on Frideswide Square in Oxford will begin on Monday 22nd August.

The County Council's contractor, Skanska, will begin two weeks' worth of work to slightly alter the kerb line outside the Royal Oxford Hotel along with repairing and strengthening a small area which has been damaged by vehicles running over the paving.

Work is being undertaken to take advantage of the quietest time of year on the roads, and hopes to be complete in time for St. Giles Fair in Oxford.

You can sign up for regular updates and newsletters regarding traffic management around the County by going to the Oxfordshire County Council website link Travel Choices.

My next surgery date in September will be on

Saturday 3rd September 10.30am - 11.30 am in Grove Library.  No appointment necessary.

Apologies for missing the August deadline for the newsletter this month, but I was on holiday at the time.  I shall update you with my usual report in the September issue.

Balmy Summer Days

We have been enjoying some extraordinary hot summer days recently starting at the weekend when I had the pleasure of attending the Mayor of Henley's barn dance which was held at the Boat Festival at Henley on Thames.  You can see the photo above where I am standing next to the lovely boat Gloriana, which earlier in the day sailed up the river with all flags flying.  I was there during the evening to represent the County Council, and the setting by the river was particulary beautiful in the evening sun.

During the evening I took part in the charity raffle, and was lucky to win a couple of tickets to the Henley fringe festival to see Twelfth Night performed by Page 2 Stage Productions Ltd.  An excellent performance enjoyed in the gardens of Rupert House School in the town.

The lovely hot weather continues which means that we can all feel that summer is here at last.  

I have no planned surgeries in August, but hopefully will arrange some dates from September onwards.  I shall keep you posted.

Heathcare In Oxfordshire Roadshow

This is a reminder to all residents that there will be a drop-in session tomorrow evening Monday 18 July 6pm - 9pm at The Beacon in Wantage to discuss options for the future of healthcare in our area and across Oxfordshire.

Transforming Healthcare in Oxfordshire has been given much media attention over the past weeks as the OUH Trust needs to save money over the next few years and make sure funding is providing best value for residents.  More information can be found here.

This is your opportunity to have your say on healthcare in this area, so please go along to speak to the professionals.

The Oxfordshire Veterans' Forum

Yesterday I attended the Oxfordshire Veterans' Forum at the Edward Brooks Barracks in Abingdon to hear about the ongoing work on the Oxfordshire Community Covenant.   The orginal covenant was signed several years ago and certainly needs updating to ensure that personnel leaving the military after service, can get the help and support they need.  You can see my original blog post on this subject here.

Discussions were held regardng the transition into civilian life and the opportunities available to those who have undertaken military service, right through to pension support for those seeking advice and help.  

Overall this was a very useful briefing and helps to keep us up to date with the help the County Council is able to give.  Working both with charities and district councils, in particular,  housing departments, is very important. I was pleased to be able to attend as Vice Chairman on this occasion to represent residents in Oxfordshire.

White Lining Refresh on Denchworth Road in Grove

I am pleased to see that the white lines at the junction to the Denchworth Road have been refreshed yesterday.  As many residents will remember, this route was used by many motorists some time back as a short cut when the railway bridge on the A417 was closed for six months whilst work was undertaken as part of the Great Western Electrification project.

I had previously paid for such work out of my County Council Highways stewardship budget, but this is no longer available so I was concerned that the new white lining had worn out.  Thanks to some money being available in this year's budget, this work has now been completed.

I have other work on the list which I have discussed with County Highways, so I shall update you if and when these projects have been completed.

 

Manor Road in Wantage - Temporary Road Closure

This is to notify residents that a section of Manor Road in Wantage is to close temporarily from 25th July for up to 6 weeks.  This is so that Thames Water can carry out essential drainage works, which need to be completed over the summer.  Several residents in the area have suffered from flooding of their properties in the past, and this work will hopefully resolve these issues as well address the new houses being built there.

I attended an exhibition and drop-in session at the Comrades Club in Newbury Street held on Monday 20th June, which was organised by Thames Water.   Several local residents attended who could ask queries and voice any concerns on the closure.  A photo of the plans is shown above.

It was some time ago that a resident attended my local surgery in Grove Library to voice concerns over flooding to  homes and gardens in this area, so I am pleased that Thames Water are now taking action to resolve this issue.

Opening of Wantage Road Bridge

This morning, I was delighted to cut the ribbon to open the new A338 Wantage Road bridge over the railway line at Grove.  Plans to close the road for up to 6 months had originally been made back in January 2014, but was turned down by Oxfordshire County Council due to the 18 mile detour it would mean for drivers on this busy route.  I do remember a great deal of protests by local commuters at the time.

I have kept residents informed of progress on the work using this blog and updates in the Grove Community Newsletter, including the recent closures at weekends where works were being done to re-align the bridge after raising it to accommodate the electrification of the railway below. Thanks to all those involved in the project, we now have a brand new bridge as an entrance to Grove and Wantage on the main highway which will be there for years to come.

The next step I am campaigning for, is to re-open Grove railway station after it was closed during the Beeching cuts in the 1960's.  The new Local Transport Plan put together by the County Council has given it the green light, but the recent re-alignment of this new bridge means that the site will have to be moved. 

The original planning permission for the station site lapsed in 2011, so new plans and a business case need to be submitted to take this forward.  I attended the County Council Cabinet last week to speak on this important subject. It may take as long as the year 2030 to get this plan moving, but with more housing development scheduled in the area and no signs of improvement to our public transport system, the sooner we can see this happen, the better it will be for our community as hopefully, there will be less cars on our already congested roads.

100th Anniversary of The Battle of the Somme

Yesterday, along with many others, I attended a commemoration service held for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at Oxford Town Hall, which was hosted by The Lord Mayor of Oxford.  The photograph above shows me in my official capacity of Vice Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council at the memorial plaque placed in honour of those who died serving the Oxfordshire and Buckingham Light Infantry during the Great War.

The poignant service was addressed by Brigadier Robin Draper CVO OBE who gave us a description of what it meant to be "Going over the Top" on 1st July 1916 in The Somme.  The event was organised by the Oxford Branch of The Royal Green Jackets Association.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Civic Briefing at RAF Croughton

Yesterday evening I attended a Civic Briefing at RAF Croughton at Brackley, Northamptonshire on my first official engagement as Vice-Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council.  This was so that I could hear first hand the plans that the USAF have for rationalising their sites in the UK.  The base is situated just across the border from Oxfordshire, and certainly impacts on the highway network across north Oxfordshire. There was much discussion about future access to the site for construction traffic and a new main gate.

We were told that due to cuts in the US defence budget, there are plans to consolidate all telecommunications and operational activities at Croughton, which means that RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth will now close.  This is due to take place around 2021/2022, but the operation to build brand new facilities at Croughton is on the horizon and needs a great deal of co-ordination.  There were several local residents at the briefing, as the US take their relationship with the local community very seriously.  We were also taken on a tour of the base so that we could see what there is currently, and where plans are to build the new facilities, which will include schools and more housing for families as well as the operational buildings.

County Council Unitary Proposals

There has been much discussion and articles written in the press about the proposals to move towards unitary status for the 2-tier council system in Oxfordshire.  Unfortunately, this led to the district councils commissioning one study with PwC and the County Council undertaking another study with Grant Thornton.  The cost to taxpayers for both studies is around £100K. You can see the press article on the County Council website here.

I would urge all residents to take part in the survey on the link at the County Council's website, because it is important that the public have their say on this very important issue.  It is hoped that having one council running all services for the whole county will save several million pounds in ratepayers taxes and will enable people to understand more easily where responsibility for services lie. The survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/oxfordshire-evidence

Temporary Road closures Coming up on A338 Weekends in June

There are forthcoming temporary road closures and speed limits coming up on the A338 on consecutive weekends in June, so this is a warning of the dates ahead.  This is to allow Bam Nuttall Ltd. to undertake work at the rail bridge associated with the Network Rail Great Western Electrification Project to be carried out.

The weekends involved are from

 3 June 20.00 hrs to 6 June 06.00 hrs,

10 June 20.00 hrs to 13 June 06.00 hrs,

17 June 20.00 hrs to 20 June 06.00 hrs,

24 June 20.00 hrs to 27 June 06.00 hrs.

Each time the road is reopened a 10mph temporary speed restriction and ramps will be in place.  Appropriate traffic signs will be displayed to indicate when the measures are in force.  Notice of intention will be published in the local press.

I hope that appropriate diversion signs will be in place to drivers who will be unaware of the closures.

Newbury Street Resurfacing

Just a reminder that Newbury Street in Wantage is closed as it is being resurfaced between the Market Place and the Ormond Road junction. As you can see from the photo above, the work commenced today and is expected to finish on 20 May.

Election to Vice-Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council

It was a great honour today to be elected the new Vice-Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council for the year 2016/17.  Cllr. Michael Waine was elected as Chairman and I am pleased to be supporting his role in attending ceremonial duties out and about in our beautiful county of Oxfordshire.

After serving 15 years on this council, where I have seen many changes, I stood down as Leader of the Liberal Democrat group last year due to ill health Now, it is good to look forward to taking on this non-political role in the future.

Grove Parish Council - Annual Meeting

On Friday night, I attended the annual meeting of Grove Parish Council and as County Councillor gave the report below.

Firstly, I have to say how pleased I am to be back this evening and able to give my annual report to the parish council.  As many of you will already know, this time last year I was not in good health and undergoing chemotherapy in advance of major cancer surgery.  However, thanks to the excellent care I received at the Churchill Hospital Upper GI Unit in Oxford, I was pleased to be able to return home to recover over the summer.  I was delighted to hear that after nominating my surgeon and his team at the Churchill they actually went on to win the Oxford Mail Hospital Heroes Award at the end of last year, with fierce competition.  I was pleased to be able to be there and part of this occasion at Oxford Town Hall.

I returned to council duties in September and since standing  down as Group Leader last May, I have been able to concentrate on local issues and getting back my strength. The main thing to report to you this evening has been the major budget cuts which the County Council has had to undertake since February due to a poor government settlement and an ever-increasing demand on our services.

Three areas which have been the subject of these cuts have been in the public eye: 1) Children’s Centres, 2) Adult Social Care including day centres, and 3) public transport bus subsidies.  At our budget meeting in February, we supported a budget amendment which gave a stay of execution to our Childrens' Centres.  There had been a public consultation over the summer, and it was agreed that early intervention services would be centred at 8 hubs spread over the county (sadly not including any local ones here) and all 44 centres would close.  However, since that was announced, more money came in from national government (probably as a result of media attention in our area!).  Most of this money had to be ring-fenced for Adult Social Care, and I am sure you have already seen this on your recent council tax bill!  This money could be used to help keep open some of our day centres, including the voluntary provision (like our Grove Day Centre) and the rest used to plug some of the gaps in an already over-stretched service as the needs of our ageing population increases.

We were also promised that the Childrens' Centres will be looking for local community solutions, so like our local branch library in Grove, we are now expected to find some help with this provision.  It is not clear yet, how the professionally-led services which were provided will be retained. My guess is that much will change, but hopefully if buildings can be provided at reduced costs, and staff and trained volunteers are available, then there may be a local solution.  However, I can make no promises at this time, except to say that I am hoping to set up a meeting with interested parties over the coming weeks.  We have funding available for this until March 2017.

Bus subsidies are another problem to be tackled locally with all county funding going by July this year.  Our public transport team at OCC are trying hard to find solutions using our current commercial services (Stagecoach and Thames Travel) in the hope that they may be able to add some of the local bus routes which will be axed, to their current schedule, but this is not easy and they have to be reliable and commercially viable or they will not continue.  Tenders are currently being negotiated, so more on this later in the year.  I know the current 38 Shopper Service will be very greatly missed.

One of the solutions which could help save some money is that instead of having a two-tier system with district and county councils both collecting council tax and providing services, would be to have one unitary council for the area.  The County had already commissioned a report on this which stated that at least £50M every year could be saved by having ONE unitary for the whole of Oxfordshire, and it was agreed at the budget council meeting that this would be taken forward for public consultation. However, in the meantime, district councils put forward a press release with their own ambitions for unitary status, but this would involve having FOUR separate unitary councils for Oxfordshire which would also take in areas of Northants and the Cotswolds.  Some of these councils are already sharing their services (like South and Vale districts), but taking on large areas of adult social care, child protection and highways and splitting them four ways, does not actually spell out how savings will be made  Also there does not appear to be a plan for the Fire & Rescue Service.  However, I am sure that our district councillors will go into this with their reports.  At the moment, all I can say is that all options appear to be on the table, and I would hope that the public will be given an opportunity to have their say.

I think that’s all I need to report at this time, except to say that I am back doing my monthly surgeries at Grove Library 10.30am – 11.30am if anyone would like to see me face to face.  Next date will be on Saturday 7th May.  Meanwhile, I am happy to answer any questions.

The meeting ended with a discussion on the options for the county road barrier in Cane Lane. A number of residents aired their views and it is anticipated that there will be a full consultation before any decision is made. 

Wantage Community Hospital Closure

Today, I attended a meeting at County Hall where I was informed that Wantage Community Hospital will be closing from early summer because of problems with legionella in the hot water system.

This was a surprise, but although effective short term treatments have been applied, the legionella is likely to recur unless the plumbing for the whole site is replaced. We were told that the scale of the work required would make it very difficult to keep the hospital safely open at the same time. 

In view of the high cost of the works, it has been agreed that the future role of Wantage Community Hospital should be included in a wider planned public consultation in the autumn. Hopefully more information will be made available about this at a later date.

The press release can be found on the Oxford Health website here.

Wantage - Open Church and Tower

This is definitely one for the "views" section of this blog. On Saturday 16 April, Wantage Parish Church had an open day with the 16 m high tower open for visitors and stalls and cream teas on terra firma inside the church.

The tower dates from the 13th century and there is an initial climb up 37 stone steps to the ringing chamber. This is of interest in its own right and contains the winding and chiming mechanisms for the clock as well as a copy of Betjeman's "Wantage Bells" written in his own hand.

To get to the top of the tower, there are a number of wooden ladders and stairways around the bell chamber and you finally emerge on to the roof on hands and knees through a small door. This would have been a struggle for me after recent medical treatment, so I elected to remain in the ringing chamber and the fine views above are thanks to my husband. These show both the historic character of Wantage and its changing face with some of the recent developments.

Road Closures Coming Up

A338 Station Road, Grove

Temporary Road Closure from Bam Nuttall Ltd at the railway bridge, while essential bridge installation works are carried out.  From 19 - 21 March 2016 starting at 23.00 hrs Saturday and ending at 0.400 hrs Monday.  There may be a contingency road closure the following weekend 26 March - 28 March 2016 at the same times, if necessary.

Wantage A417 Charlton Road

Temporary Road Closure and 'No Waiting' restriction in place on 14 March for 5 nights (20.00 hrs - 06.00 hrs) in order to facilitate carriageway maintenance works.

Wantage Tinkerbush Lane

Temporary Road Closure on 15 March for one day only in order to facilitate carriagegway maintenance works.

All of these closures are coming up shortly so thought it useful to give everyone a 'heads up' in advance!

A338 Emergency Road Closure at Grove

Please find below a copy of a Temporary Emergency Traffic Regulation Order Notice – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

Emergency Road Closure

Grove Parish - A338 Station Road - Approximately 15 metres North of the Railway Bridge

Overnight EMERGENCY CLOSURE to facilitate road repair works due to subsidence

This Saturday 20 February overnight 9.00pm to 6.00am Sunday 21 February 2016

Suggested alternative route::  (A417. A420, A415, A338 and vice versa)

Via A417 WANTAGE, Mably Way, Denchworth Road, Challow Road, Faringdon Road, Stanford Road,  A420, KINGSTON BAGPUISE, A415 Witney Road, Abingdon Road, Kingston Road, FRILFORD, A338 and vice versa

Additional information:

The project is a bridge replacement for the Network Rail Great Western Electrification Project, with associated road works due to the new offline bridge being constructed. These specific works are for the stripping and relaying of sections of the existing road which has subsided.

For more information regarding this Emergency Closure, please contact Richard Foster of BAM Nuttall Ltd on 07900 452 984, email: richard.foster@bamnuttall.co.uk

Cow Lane Bridge Takes Shape

Today, it was bright and sunny, but also somewhat cold, so I decided to go for a local walk along Cow Lane in Grove. This is a popular green corridor for local residents, dog walkers and horse riders and will become an even more important amenity once all the future housing development is built. Using this route, I have walked all the way from Grove to the Hanneys a number of times and it it a great rural walk amongst the local wildlife. At the moment, however, you can only walk a limited distance along the lane because it is blocked due to a new bridge being built over the railway. This is, of course, all part of the electrification of the Great Western route and the old bridge was too low to accommodate the overhead lines.

Anyway, the photos above give an idea of how the new bridge is taking shape and what it looks like. One of the photos also shows the foundation for one of the supporting masts for the overhead line,  although it looks like most of the piling still remains to be done with pipes scattered along the side of the track. The latest status of work on the Oxfordshire section can be found at http://www.networkrail.co.uk/great-western-route-modernisation/oxfordshire/.

Update on County Council Matters

COUNTY COUNCIL REPORT TO GROVE PARISH COUNCIL

I presented my report to Grove Parish Council regarding my activities on Tuesday evening to the full council meeting.  I thought it would be useful to make it available here with more detail. Meetings that I have attended this year include the Wantage and Grove Traffic Advisory Committee (this includes issues raised by Grove Parish Council and Wantage Town Council on a regular basis). With no local highways budget now to do anything, everything is supposed to be reported to Fix My Street in order to get it done.   May I advise residents who wish to report a problem to use this link provided.  It will also keep track of what is reported.  I believe that this method means that someone will come out and assess the work and it will be prioritised.

I also attended the Wantage and Faringdon Locality meeting, where again, there was much said by the officers from the council attending the meeting, but with budget restrictions in the pipeline, very little is promised.  Cuts to services are happening as we speak, in particular, the Children’s Centres, Day Centres, bus subsidy withdrawals, roads and highways works etc.  However,  many residents already know about this and for this reason, parishes and towns are expected to take on more.  Fortunately, Grove Parish Council have agreed to take on some of the County Council's grass-cutting responsibilities, because they are already cutting grass to a high standard in the village, so I am pleased that this will continue.  Too often, when I get complaints about grass-cutting in Grove, it turns out to be due to a contractor doing the work on behalf of the district council.  Hopefully, in the future, all of this will be managed by the parish who have their own grounds staff and machinery.

Meanwhile, today saw the announcement by the Home Secretary regarding closer working and co-operation between all emergency services which means that the County Council will no longer be managing the local fire service.  This will now come under the local PCC (Police and Crime Commissioner).  I am sure more details on this will emerge, but locally as cuts in the police service continue, our police counter by the Library in Wantage has been closed.  If you will recall, this move was published on my blog several years ago, when the local police station in Wantage was closing and the County worked with Thames Valley Police to make available this counter space by the Library for their use.  I am sad that after fighting for this to happen and keep some police presence in the town, some years down the line, it has been closed anyway!

Meanwhile, I held my surgery in January and had many issues raised again, including parking on verges and grassed areas – an age old chestnut!  Some of the issues raised at my surgery do involve the police, especially where inconsiderate parking is involved.  It is worth noting that the PCSO surgery at Grove Library often follows on from my surgery on Saturday mornings, so please do come along to see our PCSO Tom Walcott Smith if your concern is regarding police matters.

The next meeting I shall attend at the County Council will be the February Budget Council meeting.  However, until the government recognises the problems they are causing local councils by reducing their settlement for local services, without allowing us to raise council tax without a costly referendum, then unfortunately this situation will continue.