Packed Meeting to Save Grove Library

The public meeting to discuss the future of Grove Library was held last night and Old Mill Hall saw a huge turnout - at least 200 people by my reckoning. This shows the strong feeling of the local community and how they value the library as a local focal point as well as for the services it provides. The discussion was wide ranging and covered many issues. These included: the strategy/business case for e-books, how school children/parents valued the library in promoting literacy and providing books beyond the very limited resources of school libraries, the difficulties that elderly people and those with disabilties would encounter if they were forced to travel to Wantage, the recurrent costs and value of running the library (estimated to be in the region of £50,000/year), the fact that no account seems to be have been taken of the future expansion of Grove (a potential doubling of the population!), why the cuts cannot be applied across all of the libraries in Oxfordshire (e.g. through reduced opening hours) and, above all else, how to ensure that Grove retains it's local library.

Questions were asked about the Grove library usage figures and for the record here are some numbers. In 2009/2010, Grove had 23,400 visits with 28,099 items issued. The 28,099 issues break down as follows: 15,850 adults, 11,381 children with 868 AV (audio visual). This indicates that Grove really delivers very good value when you consider the relatively small amount it costs to run the library (less than £50k/year).

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to form a local action group and volunteers were encouraged to come forward and help. Local district councillor Sue Marchant agreed to help co-ordinate the group and to agree a plan of action. This is, of course, reminiscent of how we set up the Friends of Grove Library (FROGs) when the library was previously under threat.

One thing that is worth noting is that Oxfordshire now has a Big Society fund of £600,000 to kick-start community initiatives. This has to cover other community activities (e.g. youth services), but certainly includes the possibility of bids from communtities wanting to support local libraries.

A number of people also came up to me at the end of the meeting frustrated because they had already volunteered to local or even national government to work on other matters, but had received little response back from the authorities. It seems that if the "Big Society" concept is going to really work there needs to be a lot more joined up thinking between the various departments and levels of government. Read the story in the press here.

No Cold Calling Zones in Wantage

Yesterday, Cllr. Jenny Hannaby and myself were out with the police and Trading Standards from Oxfordshire County Council introducing No Cold Calling zones in the Ormond Road area of Wantage. This photo is taken on Afredston Place and there are 14 other zones across Oxfordshire.

The purpose of the zone is to deter unwanted sales people from calling without an appointment - so called "cold callers". These signs (in photo on left) are placed in the neighbourhood stating that cold callers are unwelcome and should not enter the zone. Each house in the zone then gets an information pack and door sticker advising that they do not buy or sell at the door. Oxfordshire is a low crime area and a safe place to live and work but creating this zone can make it even better. We are coming to the old part of Grove next month - so watch this space. Trading standards can be contacted on 0845 051 0845 or trading.standards@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The press release can be found here and story in the Oxford Mail here.

Power to Communities

It was a full day at the County Council today where we had the first council meeting of the new year and at first it was thought that the public gallery could not be open because of a 'security risk'. A video link was set up in the committee rooms to enable anyone who wished to view us to do so. As it turned out, the public gallery was open, and nobody was interested in watching the video link! It appears that there was not much to engage our communities except that we did have some speakers on the proposed library closure in Summertown.

Quite a lot of people are concerned about library closures and cuts to our youth facilities and as I have mentioned in my previous post, there is a possibility of signing an e-petition on line at the County website. However, today I proposed an important motion welcoming the Localism Bill which was passed today. This is supposed to give power to our communities by encouraging referendums, petitions etc. It also encourages transparency by ensuring councils put on their websites all transactions over £500.

The bill also encourages communities to get involved with local planning decisions and this is to be welcomed as we face housing development all over the county, not least here in Grove and Wantage. We need to be involved in planning local infrastructure as the new Community Infrastructure Levy is implemented. There is a lot to take in, but anyone interested in reading about the bill can find out more here.

Save Grove Library

I have been asked what can be done to save Grove Library, so here is some information.

As I reported previously, I arranged for the County Librarian to come along to answer questions at a Parish Council Meeting in December. At that meeting, it was agreed to hold a public meeting to discuss the issue and this is now arranged for this coming Friday 14th January in Old Mill Hall at 7pm - everyone is welcome.

It is also now possible to submit and sign e-petitions on the Oxfordshire County Council website. If you look here, you will find the current list of petitions, which all relate to saving libraries in Oxfordshire! There is not one for Grove (any volunteers?), but there is one for saving all Oxfordshire libraries. In order to sign or setup a petition, you have to register with your email address, but this is very quick and easy to do.

Around the country, there are also local library groups - see here - which includes our very own Friends of Grove Library (FRoG) that was formed by the community when the library was previously under threat. I would be interested if anyone wishes to help with this.

Congratulations

Since I mentioned the "other" place in my previous post, I should also offer my congratulations to all the people from Oxfordshire to receive honours. In particular, as a member of Thames Valley Police Authority, I can say that the award of CBE to Chief Constable Sara Thornton was particularly well-deserved.

Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a happy and successful 2011.

I notice that the inventor John Taylor was awarded an OBE in the recent New Year's Honours list for services to horology. One thing he is known for is the Chronophage clock at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. This video of his clock very vividly shows time being "eaten" up and I find it a good reminder to make use of every minute of the coming year....

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Carol Service

Tonight was the annual Christmas Carol Service organised by Grove Parish Council next to the Christmas tree in Vale Avenue. The service was led by Rev. John Robertson and the music was provided by Wantage Silver Band. The wintry weather gave it a seasonal touch and a collection was held in aid of the Vale and Downland Museum.

Of course, it was just over a year ago that the great Christmas tree mystery in Grove occurred. Read about it here, here and here.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year

A fantastic night for the local area at the BBC Sports Personaility of the Year Award. First of all, Sir Frank Williams, founder of local Grove-based F1 team WilliamsF1, won the Helen Rollason award. Then to cap it all, local jockey A.P. McCoy won the main award!

999 Emergency Services Christmas Ball in Wantage

Yesterday seemed to be a day of chaos on our roads due to the amount of snow which fell overnight and during the day. Our emergency services must have been stretched to the limit. It was therefore no surprise that many people were unable to make it to Civic Hall for the Wantage 999 Emergency Services Christmas Ball. This is an annual event which raises funds for local charities. We managed to make it through the snow to show support and enjoy the evening, though some of the entertainment had to be called off. Some of the emergency service teams were also dealing with real emergencies on the roads.

The snow this year was not unexpected having been accurately forecast by the Met Office, however we always still seem to be ill-prepared. However, maybe it will be a white Christmas after all this year....

The Coming of Christmas

This was the theme of a candlelit evening of Christmas music and readings which I attended at Dorchester Abbey on Wednesday night. It was an excellent event with the choir of Magdalen College, Oxford and readings by Juliet Stevenson CBE and Michael Pennington. David Hyde was the conductor. The evening was in aid of the Home Farm Trust (Hft) which supports people with learning difficulties. You can view their website here.

The Abbey was a beautiful setting for Christmas carols and readings and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Christmas seems to be coming faster than ever this year and will be upon us so soon especially with it falling at the weekend. The parish council is holding its Christmas carol service round the tree at 7pm next Tuesday evening 21st December. I hope to join many residents there too.

Saving our local services

Last night at Grove Parish Council's meeting we discussed the future of Grove Library. The County Librarian came along to hear our views and to see what possible plans we could put together to potentially save the service. However, more details are needed and above all we need the community behind us, especially if any fundraising is to happen. It was agreed to hold a public meeting in the New Year and to try to rally the Friends of Grove Library again as there are very few of the original members left. Let us hope residents will get involved. Grove Library is not just a place to borrow books, it is the hub of our community where people can socialise, use the internet and find information.

Today Cllr. Jenny Hannaby and I met with the head and deputy head of King Alfred's School and Garry Kingett, our youth worker, to see what we can do to save our youth centre at the Sweatbox. Again, we need a business case and some idea how we and the community can run the service without the County Council. We are hoping to start a steering group to move things forward, so anyone who would like to get involved should contact Garry direct at the Sweatbox Tel: 01235 770577 or garry.kingett@oxfordshire.gov.uk. Again, the Sweatbox is not just a youth centre, but a vital kingpin in our community where young people can access a whole range of services and information and above all keep them off the streets.

Christmas Lights on at County Hall

Christmas lights have been switched on this evening at County Hall, so I was there to see the ceremony. Children from Great Tew Primary School came along to sing carols for us.

There is now increased security at County Hall after last week saw two protests by students on the site. The first time they gained access to the Members' suite and the second time some of the students had a meeting with the Leader of the Council about disparaging remarks he made about them on Twitter. Let us hope that the festive season brings some good will and cheer to us all.

Wantage Police Station Closure

Another blow to the communities of Grove and Wantage is the potential closure of Wantage Police Station. Read more here. The aim is to move out of the town to another location but where this will be has not yet been decided. Will it be part of the new development in Grove?

I am getting more concerned that as we await news of the proposed planning application for the airfield, we learn each day about more and more services which are being lost. Library, youth facilities, police station - what will be next? What is always difficult to do is to get back services which have been lost. I am trying to find out more about the 'pots of money' available to communities to run services in their area. This should become clearer in the next few weeks. I shall keep you posted.

Grove Library and Wantage Sweatbox Threatened

Today we all heard the devastating news that many of the county's libraries and youth centres could close due to potential budget cuts. We are being asked to 'pull together' in our communities to help save these vital services with local volunteers. Read the press release here.

Many residents will remember that Grove Library was threatened in the past and a group of residents formed the 'Friends of Grove Library' (FROGs) to keep it open. I was secretary at the time and it took a huge amount of effort. However, our library was saved, but now here we are again. Let us hope that something similar can happen now!

We have been worried for some time about the future of The Sweatbox in Wantage, and here we are again concerned about its future as Wantage is listed in this press release as one of the centres which could close unless the community can somehow pull together to keep it open. Once again, this will be down to volunteers.

The future looks bleak indeed so let us hope that solutions can be found before the budget is decided in February.

Boundary Review for Oxfordshire

Consultation is now taking place on an electoral review for Oxfordshire. This was triggered when it was discovered that Witney East was under-represented by 35%. There are currently 74 councillors representing various divisions in Oxfordshire - but is this too many? There are proposals for reducing the number of councillors. What do you think? There is also a move to go back to single-member divisions. If you recall, some years back Grove and Wantage were separate divisions but were put together in the county elections in 2005. More details can be found at the Local Government Boundary Commission website where you can send in your views online. Comments can also be sent to the review manager: joan.dsouza@lgbce.org.uk (tel:020 7664 8531) by 22nd November.

Remembrance Sunday

Along with parish councillors, beavers, cubs, scouts and brownies, I joined residents at the parish church remembrance service this morning in Grove. There seemed to be a record turnout as no seat was left unfilled! Professor Gary Sheffield, local historian, told us a story of a brother and sister from London who were evacuated to Grove during the war. Of course, during this time of reflection, we also pay tribute to those who are currently in Afghanistan and in particular, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

A Ceremony of Remembrance

There was a Ceremony of Remembrance held this morning at County Hall which I attended along with other members of the council and staff. We remembered 11 members of County Council staff who were killed in both World Wars. Two wreaths were laid below the plaque. We had two minutes silence along with the rest of the nation and then recited:

"We will remember them
When you go home
Tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow
We gave our today."

Grove Airfield Planning Event

This evening I was pleased to see a number of residents at the planning event held at Grove Church of England Primary School at North Drive. This was organised by Planning Aid South and had a number of presentations including one from a Vale Planning Officer. We were all given information about how best to respond to large (and small) planning applications and what suggestions we can make if we wish to be constructive about the forthcoming proposals. We were told that a planning application for the airfield site is expected at the end of this month, but there would be a long period of consultation probably taking us up to next June. Realistically we were told that any building work would not commence before 2012 at the earliest.

The table I sat at discussed S106 agreements (legal agreements which tie the developer into providing infrastructure such as roads and schools) and how important it was to make sure that these are delivered in time as development progresses. There are plans to have further workshops if residents missed this one and in particular we were looking at one which may include design and layout. This was a constructive evening, and I was surprised to see how positive people were in these times of gloom and doom. We are hoping that by the time the houses are on the horizon, the recession may be behind us - let us hope!

King Alfred's Awards Evening

It is always a pleasure to attend King Alfred's Awards evening, and tonight was no exception. For the second year running the school was Oxfordshire's highest achieving state school with Year 11 students recording outstanding examination results with 92.5% achieving 5 A*-C grades at GCSE. We enjoyed seeing the school's music talent on show too. An enjoyable evening. Visit their website here to read more.