Five historic images
Another five historic images have been uploaded.
See https://www.astonrowantparishcouncil.gov.uk/historic-images/
1300 more car chargers to county
/in News/by Adam BernsteinOxfordshire is to receive £3.6 million to triple its number of public electric vehicle (EV) chargers after the county’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) bid was approved.
Money from the Department for Transport will seed fund a major rollout of infrastructure worth over £10m that will see more than 1,300 public chargers delivered in the county by the end of 2025. The rest of the funding will largely come in the form of investment from the EV chargepoint operators themselves.
Oxfordshire County Council led the application in close collaboration with Oxford City Council and Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils.
The programme aims to create a reliable, easy-to-use, contactless EV charging network spanning the county. This will give more people the opportunity to switch to an EV – regardless of where they live or their parking situation – to improve Oxfordshire’s environment and air quality.
Easter bin schedule
/in News/by Adam BernsteinWith the Easter holiday, SODC will be emptying bins a day later than usual from 29 March to 6 April. To see the full list of collection changes visit southoxon.gov.uk/wastecalendar.
Parishioner of the Year
/in News/by Adam BernsteinWe live in an age where it’s so easy to take from society rather than to give. And so, Aston Rowant Parish Council wants to reward those who selflessly act for the benefit of others in one form or another.
Whether it’s running a club, helping a neighbour in need, privately keeping an area free of litter or some other community-minded task, the parish council wants to hear about it. We are seeking nominations from the public for two awards – one for those aged under 18 and another for those aged over 18.
Each winner of an award will receive a £50 gift in recognition of their efforts.
There are few criteria other than the individual being a resident of this parish and, of course, being nominated for their good works.
So, if you know of suitable nominees, please send the information requested (below) to the clerk of the parish, Tracy Lambourne at . Alternatively, complete the form below and drop it through the letterbox of The Cottage, High Street, Kingston Blount. OX39 4SJ.
The deadline for entries is 30 April 2024.
The nomination form is below.
Five more historic images
/in News/by Adam BernsteinAnother five historic images have been uploaded to the website.
See https://www.astonrowantparishcouncil.gov.uk/historic-images
Enjoy fun for all the family this Easter
/in News/by Adam BernsteinFun activities and community days, family exercise, a museum of marvellous things and a cartoon circus are just some of the free and low-cost activities available for children and their families to enjoy during the Easter holidays.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are providing activities and events at venues across the area from 29 March to 12 April.
The councils’ Active Communities team are providing family circuits, Boxfit for teens, music-based exercise sessions and Xplorer events for young children and an activity day. There’s also a series of community days in south Abingdon hosted by The Oxfordshire Play Association.
Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot will be packed with family entertainment. From The Museum of Marvellous Things where the impossible can happen, Decorate Your Own Bug House and live action and puppetry with There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly to swashbuckling with Pirates at a pre-holiday performance on 24 March.
There’ll also be lots of circus themed fun at The Beacon in Wantage, with the laughter-packed stage show, Cartoon Circus Live, featuring some of Britain’s funniest clowns, traditional slapstick comedy and much more and a range of low-cost activities with a circus theme throughout the Easter break for children of all ages including arts and craft and Monkey Mayhem.
The activities are expected to be very popular so, where required, residents are encouraged to book now to avoid disappointment.
For details on what’s on and how to book, visit southandvale.gov.uk/holidayactivities.
The Better Leisure Centres across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, managed on behalf of the district councils by GLL, also have a range of family activities to get involved with this Easter.
They are launching their new Active Holiday Clubs at leisure centres in Abingdon, Didcot, Faringdon and Wantage. There are junior funded memberships as part of the Holiday, Activity and Food programme (HAF), plus family swims, roller skating and soft play. Details about what’s available at each centre can be found on the Better UK website and the leisure centre Facebook pages.
Compost give-away
/in News/by Adam BernsteinFrom SODC:
This March the compost give-away is back! Come along with your own box, bag or container to fill up with local compost. Residents can take a maximum of three bags.
The event is on Sunday 17 March between 9am– 11am at the old South Oxfordshire District Council car park, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, OX10 8ED.
See flyer below.
Five more historic images
/in News/by Adam BernsteinAnother five historic images have been uploaded.
See https://www.astonrowantparishcouncil.gov.uk/historic-images/
Changes coming to garden waste service
/in News/by Adam BernsteinSouth Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have set out plans to change the way their garden waste service is paid for in 2025.
The councils’ have agreed the introduction of a permit scheme from April 2025 which will include subscribers receiving a sticker for their bins to identify them as fully paid-up garden waste customers.
This kind of scheme is offered successfully by many other local authorities, including in neighbouring West Oxfordshire.
When customers sign up and pay for the scheme in 2025, they will be sent a garden waste permit sticker to put on their bin/or bins, which will help the waste collection crews identify which bins should be emptied. The permits will act in a similar way to a parking permit as a proof of subscription payment. All subscribers will receive a new sticker annually each time they renew.
This will help to ensure that only households that have paid for the service have their brown garden waste bins emptied.
The changes are part of the councils’ ongoing work to improve the efficiency and value of public services.
The garden waste subscriptions currently run via annual direct debit payments from the date people signed up for the scheme. Next year, the councils will stop taking direct debit payments for the service. Customers will instead make a single annual payment by debit or credit card – so that everyone’s payment year will run from 1 April to 31 March each year.
The council will directly contact all customers, via letters and email, in plenty of time to remind them to renew.
Benefits to customers include an all-new online system so they can manage their account and change their details much more easily. This will also mean the councils can contact people quickly if there are any disruptions to the service, such as during adverse weather.
Current subscribers will receive notification of the changes with this year’s invoices. This will provide more information on the new system in 2025 as well as details of changes to their direct debit payment this year and the annual fee increase to cover the cost of running the service.
FAQ covering all the changes is available on our garden waste section: South FAQ. The councils’ customer services team will also be on hand to assist with any queries customers have.
More historic images
/in News/by Adam BernsteinYet another five historic images have been posted to the website.
See https://www.astonrowantparishcouncil.gov.uk/historic-images/