Archive for category: News

Thames Valley Police is working with the Older Drivers Forum to run a series of free webinars aimed at older drivers, as well as their families and friends, with advice on how to drive safely for longer.

The webinars will take place next week (starting 16 November) coinciding with Brake’s National Road Safety week.

We can all become complacent about our driving and often pick up bad habits, which if not addressed can increase our risk of an incident on the roads. This series of webinars will help give advice on a number of subjects from confidence building appraisals to safe driving tips.

To register for place on a webinar, please visit https://olderdriversforum.com/webinars/

Places are limited.

Monday 16 November – 10.30am to 11.30am – ‘Confidence building appraisals’
Wednesday 18 November – 10.30am to 11.30am – ‘Driving with a Medical Conditions and Eyesight advice’
Friday 20 November – 10.30am to 11.30am – ‘Safe Driving tips’

Following the latest lockdown, the Job Support Scheme planned for 1 November has been suspended until the start of December; possibly later.

As a result, workers, including employees and agency workers, can now be placed on furlough leave. It is not necessary for a worker to have previously been placed on furlough to qualify for the new furlough scheme (which is the same version as that in August 2020 where the government pays 80% of the workers’ wages and the employer pays 13.8% Employers’ national insurance and also pension contributions).

It’s of note that workers can be either full time or flexi-furloughed and need to sign an appropriate agreement. Workers can take leave during this period which employers can force workers to take as long as twice as much notice is given as the amount of holiday taken. All leave must be paid at 100%.

Furlough Leave can be used for workers who are working their notice, but it must be paid at 100% of their contractual rate of pay.

More detail is here.

The city of Oxford will be moved into the government’s ‘high’ or tier 2 alert level after a further rise in cases of coronavirus. The move means that Oxford residents and visitors will need to abide by new rules from 00.01hrs on Saturday 31 October.

Evidence continues to show that, in the past three weeks, the virus has spread to a much wider age range across the county and is no longer confined to younger people in urban areas. Hospital admissions have begun to increase as a result.

As a result:

People must not meet socially with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.

They must not meet in a group of more than six outside, including in a garden or other space.

They should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible. If taking public transport, they should plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes.

Further information is available at https://www.oxford.gov.uk/tier2

SODC is reminding residents that they can put their Hallowe’en pumpkins out for food waste recycling in the week beginning 2 November. They can be put inside or next to the food waste caddy – with the candles removed.