Closure of Wallingford Street in Wantage

I have just been notified of yet another road closure which will affect residents in our area. Wallingford Street in Wantage is to be closed for carriageway works between the Market Place and Seesen Way roundabout. The road works are programmed to commence on 13th September and are expected to last for 4 weeks. A road closure will be in place for the duration of the works although the actual working hours for the works will be from 07:00 hours until 20:00 hours weekdays only. So, unfortunately, this will mean disruption on two counts during September - not good timing with the schools back after the summer holidays.

A338 Closure

Residents driving into Wantage may already have seen the signs displayed on the A338 warning that the road will be closed between Elms Farm and the Mably Way roundabout for 6 weeks beginning 6th September for roadworks. This will certainly cause disruption for Grove because the proposed diversion will be sending traffic around the village along Oxford Lane, Denchworth Road, Newlands Drive and Mably Way. Residents will find this very disruptive I am sure, and I am trying to find out why the road has to be closed for so long - will keep you posted once I get a reply!

Cornish Connections

I have just returned from holiday in Cornwall staying near to Padstow. We came across the church of St. Enodoc on one of our walks along the coast path and saw the grave of Sir John Betjeman (left) beautifully and intricately carved. This lovely little church was once buried in sand but now it has many visitors to see the famous gravestone of the once Poet Laureate. His mother is also buried here and there is a tablet in memory of his father on the church wall. Apparently on the day his coffin was brought here, it was carried through driving rain on a typically Cornish day. It was gratifying to think of his connection with Wantage and to know when I next visit the Betjeman Park in the town that I have also seen his place of rest by the sea. I am also looking forward to attending many more events organised by the Betjeman Festival.

It is a beautiful spot here where you can walk for miles watching the surf, cliffs and the seabirds. The area hit the news this week because it is near where David Cameron was holidaying with his family when his wife, Samantha was rushed off to give birth to their new baby girl at nearby Truro hospital.

Incinerator for Oxfordshire

Yesterday I was part of the call-in process which was re-examining the County Cabinet's decision to go ahead with their preferred bidder, Viridor to process Oxfordshire's waste. This story has been the subject of previous blog postings, but this time there may not be any turning back. The planning appeal is still part of a public inquiry, but it is unclear what will happen if this is not given the go ahead.

The call-in was a cross-party collaboration, and three of us sat at yesterday's Growth and Infrastructure Scrutiny committee to put our case that this incinerator is not in the best interests of the people of Oxfordshire. However, despite 2 Conservative councillors abstaining and the three of us voting against upholding the Cabinet decision, we lost by 5 votes who agreed that no further action was needed.

Wantage Independent Advice Centre

I attended the AGM of the Independent Advice Centre last night - always a well attended and enjoyable evening where you can catch up on all the latest information. They have a new website, new office manager and several new volunteers. Their voluntary driving scheme is very popular and they have also developed a 'Good Neighbours Scheme'. Their services are also very much in demand since the closure of the Local Services Point. Check out the website to find out more.

Evening with County Youth Orchestra

Last night we were at Oxford Town Hall to see the Oxfordshire Youth Orchestra Gala Concert where they performed The Firebird Suite by Stravinsky and Symphony No. 1 by Mahler. An excellent evening and all credit to the young musicians who are just back from a European Tour. The Oxfordshire Music Service organises this event with a whole host of others over the summer period.

Cuts and more cuts - the pain begins

Today there was a special meeting of the County Council to decide on the first raft of budget cuts to be implemented this year. Nearly 11 million pounds worth of savings have got to be made and the Cabinet had considered where the axe was likely to fall last week. Today it was the turn of the council. In opposition, I had tabled an amendment which was not to take the cuts in positive action for young people (78K), teenage pregnancy (25K) and the road safety partnership (300K). I had put forward that the savings could be made by charging for on-street parking in the evenings and weekends (300K) and to reduce money spent on glossy publicity and communications (103K). Unfortunately I was told that this amendment could not be allowed because it constituted a policy change. So it looks like despite our best efforts, the speed cameras will be switched off this weekend and there is the daunting prospect of possibly more road casualties.

I was on the radio talking about this at 7.30am this morning, so an early start to the day at the BBC Radio Oxford studio in Summertown. Then onto County Hall where the decision was made at a special cabinet meeting to award the incinerator tender to Viridor ... this was decided last year but this afternoon's meeting is now set to drive this forward even though planning permission has not been granted for the site at Ardley!

But back to the budget cuts. Even though my amendment was not accepted, the full council meeting debated the cuts and then rubber stamped the lot, with warnings of more to come. Well I had warned this time last year that there would be difficult times ahead - but did we realise how difficult it would be? Also in the news today is the latest casualty of the cuts in the government grant programme to pre-school buildings and unfortunately Grovelands Playgroup is one of them - so hitting really close to home. There will be more to come I am sure.

Deputy Prime Minister visits Abingdon

I went along to see Nick Clegg's first "town hall meeting" in Abingdon this afternoon where it was a full house at the Guildhall for an open question and answer session with the public.

It was obvious from the outset that there would not be a lack of questions and the session could easily have gone on for several hours judging by the hands raised in anticipation of the roving microphone. The questions ranged over national and local issues from education policy to the impact of the cuts and how businesses can thrive in the recession.

Public Petitions Update from the Vale

If you read my blog post about how high (over 15,000 signatures!) the threshold was set at the County Council for presenting a petition to trigger a debate at full council, you should be pleased to discover that the Vale of White Horse District Council set a much more sensible number. At the last full Council meeting on 14th July, Liberal Democrats' amendment set the amount at 500 signatures to be consistent with our amendment at the County Council. Fortunately, Liberal Democrats run the Vale of White Horse District Council and as such the amendment was accepted - as it turned out supported by Conservatives in opposition! Pity they don't liaise with their colleagues at County Hall.

And All Change at the NHS

Today I was at the LGA (Local Government Association) for a meeting of the Community Wellbeing Board, which looks at social care and health issues all over the country. We were scrutinising the new plans for the National Health Service which is aiming to abolish Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and the Joint Health Overview Committees run by County Councils. There are concerns how the new system will work, especially the new commissioning role of GP's which will replace the role of the PCTs. Healthwatch is supposed to replace JHOSCs and the LINKs and local authorities are expected to take over the role of Public Health.

This afternoon there was a Health Summit at which Lib Dem minister for social care Paul Burstow MP came to speak to us followed by a very lively question and answer session. We await further developments but if you wish to read the white paper it can be found here

All Change for Carers

There are over 60,000 carers in Oxfordshire, all of them our unsung heroes looking after their loved ones. Currently there are 3 Carers centres in the county, one in Didcot, one in Oxford and the other in Banbury. At yesterday's Cabinet meeting at the County Council it was decided that these would have to close and instead there would be a call centre and outreach workers to man the service. The aim is to reach more carers particularly in the rural areas. I went along to speak and ask some questions about how this call centre will work, what will be the staffing ratio and to see if this was merely a cost-cutting exercise. It is hard to tell, but the recommendation was voted through. Let us hope this new system will work.

Exhibition - Grove Airfield Development

Today, I called in at the public exhibition at the Old Mill Hall in Grove to see the latest plans for development on the former airfield. I had just finished my surgery and had comments from one resident who was pleased that some original concerns had now been addressed. However, it was a packed hall when I arrived and busy with residents all determined to have their say.

Most of the concerns were around the infrastructure, in particular the roads and schools and community facilities, and the sheer scale of the development. There were also worries about the amount of traffic which will be generated as most people will be using cars to get to work. Good public transport will be essential, but will it encourage people out of their cars? Cycle routes through the site should also be incorporated. If people wish to make comments online, they can email: SSensecall@kempandkemp.co.uk A planning application is expected to be submitted later this year.

New electric-hybrid buses for Oxford

Today, I attended Stagecoach's launch of their new electric-hybrid buses which started running in Oxford today. It promises to be an exciting prospect for bus travel in the future. You can read the full story here. The event was held at Oxford Castle (see photo left).

We were also taken on a short trip around the city centre so that we could experience travelling in these new double deckers which hold 78 passengers. At the moment, there are no plans to run the buses on the more rural routes like ours, but we have been promised some newer buses shortly which will replace some of the older stock used here.
It is good to see that we have now seen the roll out of Real Time Information (the electronic displays showing at some of our bus stops in Grove). Anything which makes travelling by bus a more user-friendly experience has to be welcome.

Exhibition on Housing Development

This is to remind everyone that there will be a public exhibition held in the Old Mill Hall in Grove at the following times and dates:

Friday 16th July - 10am to 4pm
Saturday 17th July - 10am to 4pm

This will be an opportunity to see the proposals for housing development on the former airfield west of Grove. Try to go along if you can. I will be holding my monthly surgery on the morning of 17th between 10.30am and 11.30am in Grove Library, so will call in after that.

Football's coming home

England may be out of the World Cup, but competitive football came home to Grove over the weekend. Grove Challengers held their annual six-a-side competition on Saturday and Sunday, which I understand attracted around 200 teams covering U7s through to U16s!

As usual, I went along to give my support and the young players looked to be enjoying themselves and all the matches I saw were played in good spirit. More information on Grove Challengers, which were established in 1971, can be found here.

Image of the Week

With Thames Water's public inquiry into the proposed reservoir ongoing in Oxford at the moment, it is a good time to reflect on the impact this will have on our area. This photo (left) was taken just outside the village of Drayton on the road towards Steventon. You can see from the placard that this pylon is 25 meters high - the proposed height of the embankment for the huge reservoir... food for thought indeed!

Incinerator Update

Waste Recycling Group are holding an exhibition in Sutton Courtenay Village Hall today and tomorrow to show their plans for a Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) Plant at its landfill site in the village. They are proposing to submit a planning application to the County Council later this year.

The exhibition runs as follows:
Friday 2 July from 2.00 - 8.00pm
Saturday 3 July from 10.00am - 2.00pm

I will keep you updated of further news on this.

Wantage and Grove Lions Club

This afternoon I attended the Wantage and Grove Lions Club Annual dinner with the Vice-Chairman of the Vale of White Horse District Council, Val Shaw. It was a sweltering afternoon and I guess most people were watching the England v. Germany game in the World Cup. It was an excellent lunch and we heard about the work of the Wilts and Berks Canal in the post-dinner speech. You can check out their website here. It was good to meet so many people dedicated to fundraising for various charities both local and national. The Club has just 15 members at present. I got home to discover that England lost the match, so looks like I didn't miss much!

Local Investment in Infrastructure

At today's cabinet I spoke on an interesting report which was directed at local investment agreements on infrastructure for housing development. You can read the full report if you click on this link and scroll down to Item ll. Basically, Oxfordshire County Council is signing up with the Homes and Communities Agency to what is termed a 'Local Investment Agreement', which will set out the necessary infrastructure to be provided for housing developments all over the county.

I referred to Grove's lack of facilities which was a result of houses without infrastructure in the past and urged that this should not happen again. Indeed, if there is any doubt that necessary roads, schools, and other investment will not be provided then we cannot go ahead with the housing. District Council local plans are very much up in the air at the moment depending on what the national government decide on planning, so maybe there is some merit in revisiting our area for any housing targets.

Developers for the airfield site have recently changed their plans from the original proposals on where some of the community facilities will be located on the site. The district and parish have voiced objections to this. The latest I heard was that a planning application may be forthcoming later this year - with an exhibition planned in Grove on 16th and 17th July at the Old Mill Hall. Will keep you posted, but I would urge residents to attend if possible and make their views known.

Public Petitions at the County Council

Last week at the county council meeting it was decided by the Conservative ruling group that petitions from the public to bring a debate to council would need nearly 16,000 signatures. It was also decided that to bring a chief officer to account at a scrutiny committee would need 4000 signatures. Our group put forward an amendment asking that the numbers be reduced to 500 each, but this was thrown out. Read the news story here. This does not of course, prevent petitions being presented to the County Council which will continue as it does now. However, most petitions do not trigger a debate but are simply passed to the directorate for a response.