My Resignation from Oxfordshire County Council

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Chairman's Charity Dinner

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

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

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

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

Annual Meeting of Oxfordshire County Council

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

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

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

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

RAF Celebrates 100 years

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

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

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

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

New Family Sessions Launched in Grove

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

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

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

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

Oxford Lane Road Closure Coming Up in Grove

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

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

Temporary Traffic Regulation Order – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

Temporary Road Closure – at Grove, Oxford Lane

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

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

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

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

2018 New Year Opening of Children's Centre in Wheatley

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

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

New Year 2018 Greetings!

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