Archive for category: News

As part of an ongoing campaign to hold Thames Water accountable for their practices and ensure they provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable services, Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley and Thame, is seeking feedback from residents, in particular:

Sewage Leaks – Are there any sewage leaks happening within the parish at individual properties or in public spaces? If so, please provide details on location and frequency.

Tankering – Is tankering occurring in the parish? (where tankers take away sewage from a pumping station by road) If so, what impact has it had on residents or the local environment?

Bills – How are people in the parish feeling about the recent increase in their Thames Water bills?

Contact the MP via:

Thame & Wheatley Ramblers Group have just finalised their April to June walks programme.

It’s available on the attachment below.

Due to the resignation of a councillor there is a vacancy that the parish council needs to fill.

See the attachment for more information, how to apply and deadlines.

#### Garden Waste Permit Update ####

The payment system for the new garden waste permits is now live.

Please use the link above to make payment and receive a permit before 1 April. Brown bins will not be emptied without a properly displayed permit. See below for more information.

SODC is introducing a new garden waste subscription from April.

Garden waste is an optional paid-for garden waste service. In the year 2025-26, for an additional annual charge of £75, residents get their garden waste such as hedge clippings, grass cuttings, dead leaves etc. collected regularly from their home using one of SODC’s brown wheeled bins.

From 1 April 2025, a new permit scheme will change the way that residents pay for their garden waste collection.  The permits must be paid for in advance, and direct debit will no longer be available.

Once it has received payment, residents will receive a garden waste permit through the post, which needs to be put on the lid of the brown bin.

When SODC moves to the new permit system, it will no longer collect bins that do not display the year’s permit sticker. After fair warning, if residents continue to present their bin without displaying a sticker it may be removed.

Please note: if a property is unsuitable for wheelie bins, residents should  call the Garden Waste Team on 03000 610 610 and not use the online form.

A note from SODC:

“Diligent financial management has ensured that South Oxfordshire District Council can deliver a balanced budget for 2025-26 and marks the first time in nine years that the council hasn’t needed to dip into its reserves.

District councillors have approved a 2025-26 budget that ensures continued investment in public services, including crucial housing and infrastructure projects and guaranteeing support for vulnerable residents, despite the ongoing challenges of an unstable national economy.

Major funding is to be made available to support the purchase of more affordable housing across South Oxfordshire.  Having already committed £10 million to provide more safe, secure and compliant housing, purchased under the Local Authority Housing Funding (LAHF) schemes, the district council has now committed to make a further £10 million available to support the council’s long-term ambitions to meet local housing need.

South Oxfordshire District Council has so far purchased 27 properties under the LAHF scheme, the majority of which will provide genuinely affordable and energy efficient houses and apartments available for rent.

Councillors also approved funding to secure the future of the council’s Community Hub on an ongoing basis.  This valued service provides practical support and advice for those with cost-of-living concerns or who are finding life difficult.

Since launching in 2020, the Community Hub has supported thousands of residents across the district and provided more than £800,000 in vouchers and grants to households experiencing financial hardship. This has ensured people were able to pay vital energy bills and afford household essentials and food.  A further £200,000 has been awarded to local voluntary and community organisations, helping them continue their invaluable support provided to residents.

£590,000 will be made available through council grant schemes to support community projects such as improvements to public facilities, energy upgrades, local events and tree planting.

The council continues to fund an ongoing programme to improve the district’s leisure centres, including major decarbonisation projects at Henley Leisure Centre and Abbey Sports Centre and new equipment for Didcot Wave’s Spin Studio. Money for these projects comes from the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 funding the council has secured from developers of new homes.

South Oxfordshire District Council receives just six per cent of the total council tax that its residents pay each year.  The rest is divided between Oxfordshire County Council (77 per cent), Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner (12 per cent) and local town/parish councils (five per cent). 

South Oxfordshire’s council tax is currently the 10th lowest among all shire district councils nationally and is less than half the equivalent charge in neighbouring Oxford City.

To view the 2025-26 South Oxfordshire District Council budget, visit the 13 February 2025 Council meeting agenda page.”