New issue of Parish Notes
The latest issue of the Parish Notes is out and will also soon be through letterboxes.
It’s available via Your Community > Parish Notes.
New civil parking enforcement from 1 November
/in News/by Adam BernsteinMotorists beware.
Oxfordshire County Council is, from 1 November, bringing in special enforcement areas in partnership with Cherwell, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils. Parking offences in these areas are typically enforced by the police but will become the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council.
Parking violations will become civil offences; enforcement will apply for on-street parking (roads and highways).
There is already civil parking enforcement in Oxford City and West Oxfordshire; the new rules will apply to the rest of the county.
Below are an FAQ and a glovebox guide to the new rules.
SODC garden waste update
/in News/by Adam BernsteinA note from SODC:
“Dear Garden Waste Customer
Firstly, please accept our sincere apologies for the disruption to your garden waste service this summer.
We are pleased to share the news that we have agreed a temporary arrangement with Biffa that will enable us to begin collecting garden waste again from 27 September.
The well documented national shortage of HGV drivers is still an issue for Biffa, as well as for other council waste collections and many supermarkets, but the temporary arrangement they can provide requires fewer drivers, which means the service can resume sooner.
The temporary arrangement is that fortnightly collections will change to take place every four weeks, but you will be able to leave twice as much garden waste out as normal.
We appreciate this is still not the service you expect from us so we will be extending your subscription this year by three months to make up for the collections that you have missed while the service has been suspended. We will delay the collection of your next Direct Debit payment by three months – if we have recently informed you that your payment is due to be taken imminently but the payment has not yet come out of your account, the payment will be cancelled, and you will be notified of the revised collection date in due course once your subscription has been amended. If somebody else pays for your garden waste collections, please let them know of this change. If you choose not to continue with the garden waste service when your subscription expires, we’ll continue to empty your brown bin for three months after your subscription was originally due to end.
While we will be reviewing the situation closely on an ongoing basis, we have set an agreed review date with Biffa at the end of October to see if the normal service can resume and we will let you know the outcome of that review.
Your collection day remains the same as before
If your bins are usually emptied on a Monday, for example, your brown bin will still be emptied on a Monday under a new temporary garden waste timetable with your bins emptied once every four weeks, instead of every two weeks.
You can see the temporary timetable, which shows when your four-weekly collection will take place on our dedicated webpage here southoxon.gov.uk/gardenwastecollectionchangeswhitehorsedc.gov.uk/gardenwastecollectionchanges
Remember, when you put your garden waste bin out while this temporary timetable is in place, you can leave an extra bin’s worth of garden waste out next to your brown bin. The extra garden waste can be put out in cardboard boxes, old compost bags or bin bags (not the very large trade waste bags please).
We will still collect your food waste weekly, and your recycling and rubbish every two weeks as normal.
We want to thank you for your patience and understanding and apologise once again that the service has fallen short of the standards you have come to expect. We hope you feel that the temporary arrangement is a good way of getting the garden waste service up and running sooner rather than later, while Biffa continues to look for ways to address its driver shortage.”
ZEZ pilot to launch in February 2022
/in News/by Adam BernsteinFrom Oxfordshire County Council:
“Britain’s first Zero Emission Zone (ZEZ) pilot is set to launch in Oxford in February 2022, with the registration system for exemptions and discounts going live in December 2021.
Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council have confirmed the new timeline after working together to resolve technical complexities in the bespoke supporting online systems for the ZEZ. The refreshed dates avoid any disruption that might have been created by introducing the ZEZ pilot during the run up to Christmas – a crucial time for businesses.
The exact start date for the ZEZ pilot will be confirmed later this year followed by a review of the timeline for the wider ZEZ to cover most of Oxford city centre.
The ZEZ pilot means polluting vehicles will be charged if driven in key city centre streets between the hours of 7am – 7pm, seven days a week.
Under the ZEZ pilot, those who drive polluting vehicles into the zone will be charged, with the level of the charge dependent on how polluting the vehicle is. Under the scheme, zero emission vehicles will not be charged to drive in the zone.
The daily charges will be:
- Zero-emission vehicles (0g/km CO2): £0
- Ultra-low emission vehicles (less than 75g/km CO2): £2 per day from February 2022, rising to £4 per day from August 2025.
- Clean Air Zone compliant or Low emission vehicles: £4 per day from February 2022, rising to £8 per day from August 2025.
- Motorcycles and mopeds: £2 per day from February 2022, rising to £4 per day from August 2025
- Vehicles not meeting the above standards: £10 per day from February 2022, rising to £20 from August 2025.
The ZEZ pilot will work in a similar way to the London Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone. Signs will be installed around the perimeter of the zone and on routes leading to it to notify drivers of the ZEZ pilot. Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will be used to enforce the zone.
The ZEZ pilot will allow both councils to gain useful experience and information before introducing a larger Zero Emission Zone covering most of Oxford city centre, subject to further public consultation.
A range of exemptions and discounts are available, including for businesses and residents in the zone, and some other vehicle users.
Businesses, residents, and visitors are encouraged to visit the Zero Emission Zone website to understand how the scheme will affect them and to find out more about the daily charges.
The registration process to apply for discounts will open at least six weeks before the start of the ZEZ pilot.
Since the scheme’s approval in March 2021, both councils have been working on preparations for the ZEZ pilot, which includes preparing innovative enforcement systems, as well as working with businesses and residents to support the launch of the scheme.”
SODC meeting to discuss garden waste service
/in News/by Adam BernsteinSouth Oxfordshire District Council will be holding an extraordinary full council meeting to discuss the issue of the garden waste service, which is currently temporarily suspended.
The meeting will take place on Friday 24 September at 2pm at the council offices at 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park.
Anyone wishing to speak at the meeting will need to register by 5pm on Thursday 23 September. Details of how to do this will be available on the agenda which will be published on our website on Thursday 16 September here.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting remotely via Microsoft Teams.
The meeting has been called following the temporary disruption of service to garden waste customers in the district.
ARCC End of Season Ball 2021
/in News/by Adam BernsteinA note from Aston Rowant Cricket Club:
“The ARCC Picnic Ball is back again this year!
After such a strange and testing year or so we’re just looking forward to getting dressed up, kicking back and enjoying being ‘out out’ again with the ARCC family – so we are simplifying things somewhat this year. We have done away with the auction and with the organising of tables. It will of course be a memorable occasion as always, with end of season awards, speeches, games, bar and DJ Cooper on the decks.
The theme this year is simple – club colours with a twist of pink! ‘Cocktail’ dress code, so put those glad rags and dancing shoes on and join us at the club on the 25th Sept from 7pm.
Tickets are £20 per person – please book in advance via email to as we will need to know how many tables and seats to set up! We will be seating everyone on long tables, banquet style this year – so if you are a group who would like to sit together, please include a name and number of people in your email and we will lay out some reservation cards to ensure you get to sit together.
A refund of £10 per person will be given to the first 15 people who turn up between 10am and 12noon on Sunday 26th Sept to help clear up!
For those who enjoy the table decorating part of the usual picnic ball – please feel free to bring along a centre piece / additional table cloth / any chair covers you wish to etc, to help decorate the tables. Black tablecloths will be provided.
As ever, it is a picnic ball – so please ensure you bring your own food, cutlery and crockery with you. It is not BYO drinks, however – strictly all drinks should be purchased from the bar, please. (Glasses are provided.)
For those considering a take away, we’ve been in touch with Duo in Chinnor and The Mowchak in Stokenchurch. Both are happy to do a mass delivery on the night provided orders are in by the evening of Thursday 23rd (48hrs in advance). Please contact them directly to order.
Any questions, please speak to any of the organising team – Clair, Dom Whatman, Thad, Gordon & Nessie.”
United Parish Magazine September 2021
/in News/by Adam BernsteinThe lasted parish church magazine is now online. Navigate to Your Community > The Church.
ARCC President Day 2021
/in News/by Adam BernsteinA note from ARCC to club sponsors, 1881 Club members, and members and families.
“President Angie Murray and Aston Rowant CC would like to invite you to this year’s President’s Day at Aston Rowant CC on Saturday 11th September 2021.
As valued club supporters we would love you to come along to the club and enjoy a couple of games of cricket and a hog roast which is being supplied jointly by our president and the club.
The food will be available from 1430hrs.
There will be a Golden Oldies T20 match from 1100
Then the Presidents XI v ARCC XI from 1400
We hope to see as many of you there as possible.
Simon Tremlin
Chairman ARCC”
Saturday music sessions for children
/in News/by Adam BernsteinAccording to Oxfordshire County Council:
“Children aged six to 13 will soon be able to join in musical groups in a series of new sessions at venues across the county on Saturday mornings.
The music groups are aimed at children who have been playing an instrument for at least a term and up to grade 5 and who are looking to develop their skills and performance with other players of similar ages. They will offer a fun, safe supportive atmosphere where children can make new friends and improve their playing by performing with others.
The 90-minute Saturday music centre sessions are available through school term times from 18 September and are available in Bicester, Oxford, Didcot, Thame and Witney.
Music centre instructors will offer expert tuition to allow the children in the sessions to develop their musical skills by playing as a group in an orchestral style. All of our instructors are DBS checked and risk assessments and safety precautions are being taken to reduce the risks of COVID-19 transmission.
Booking lessons is easy; parents can visit the council’s webpage, select the nearest venue and reserve a place. The groups will run on an ongoing basis through school terms. Participating children will need to bring their own instruments to the sessions.
The sessions will run each Saturday from 9am until 10.30am.
The new sessions come after school choirs and bands have not been able to rehearse together for more than a year, and children learning to play an instrument had to rely on remote instruction from their teachers.
URL : http://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/saturday-music-sessions/”
County library hours
/in News/by Adam BernsteinA note from Oxfordshire County Council regarding the county’s libraries:
“Residents of Oxfordshire can look forward to the return of pre-pandemic opening hours at the county’s libraries from Monday, 6 September.
During the pandemic, hours were reduced to allow additional safety measures to be monitored by staff. As these have been eased over the past few months, evening and Saturday opening hours can be restored.
A few locations are exceptions to the resumption. Littlemore and Bampton libraries remain closed for planned refurbishment work. Old Marston remains on a click and collect service due to restricted space.
Measures remain in place across the libraries to reflect government guidance and safety messages from Public Health England. Users are reminded to keep socially distant from others when visiting and not to visit if you feel unwell. Alongside this, library staff are gradually reinstating the services that users value so much, including events, rhymetimes and book groups.
Residents can visit the county council’s library webpage to check the opening hours for their local library. The opening hours are also available on the library app (search Oxfordshire Libraries in the app store) and on Google business listings.
Click Sign up to hear from us and receive the latest news and updates thanks to our fortnightly newsletter, Your Oxfordshire.
URL : http://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/library-opening-hours/”