Archive for category: News

Leisure centres in South Oxfordshire have started to reopen.

There will be a gradual, phased opening from last Saturday – 25 July – which includes changes to opening times. While not all facilities will be available to use from the start, there will be plenty of things for customers in southern Oxfordshire to book on to.

Better, who run the leisure centres on behalf of the council, has been working hard to implement the guidelines set by the government to open safely from 25 July. Each leisure centre has been independently assessed by Better as they all have different facilities.

Better has outlined the strict guidelines for customers to follow when they access the buildings for their safety and those around them:

• Customers will need to book a one-hour slot in advance online, on the Better UK smartphone app – this hour will include the time it takes to get in and out
• Customers should turn up at their allocated time, not early or late and use the provided sanitiser on entry
• There will be strict one-way systems in place to ensure customers can stay safe and practice social distancing
• Customers will be required to clean machines, equipment and other areas they come into contact with after use
• Gym equipment, pool lanes and dance studios will be operating with reduced capacity and allocated spaces
• Customers must leave by designated route after a maximum one hour. The exit will be in a different location to the entrance to maintain a one-way flow
• Everyone who attends a swim session to should arrive ‘pool ready’ with their swimming gear on under their clothes and having showered at home

The leisure centres will be assessed regularly by Better, and the council envisages that more facilities will open as restrictions are relaxed and it becomes safe to do so for customers and staff.

In the first phase of opening the timings and access to facilities varies across the leisure centres in the district, the tables at the bottom of this article give an overview of how each will operate.

More detail can be read here.

SODC has made it easier for people with disabilities, or who are vulnerable, to receive housing assistance grants and loans. This support is to help make their homes safer and more comfortable, to support them to live independently and to reduce hospital admissions.

The new Housing Assistance Grants and Loans policy has extended what’s on offer.

The maximum grant available has increased from £30,000 to £50,000 and a grant is also now available for people living with dementia.  In addition, SODC says that it is working to improve the service in order to reduce the waiting times for work to be carried out.

The first step for anybody who wants to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant is to contact an occupational therapist to see if they’re eligible. For more information on applying for grants and loans please see the council’s website here.

South Oxfordshire District Council has made it easier for people with disabilities or who are vulnerable to receive housing assistance grants and loans to help make their homes safer and more comfortable.

While the council says it has always provided a grants and loans service for vulnerable people to help their homes better suit their needs, the new Housing Assistance Grants and Loans policy introduced by the council this month has extended what’s on offer.

The maximum grant available has increased from £30,000 to £50,000 and a grant is also now available for people living with dementia. In addition, the system is to be streamlined with new technology aiming to improve the service and reduce the waiting times for work to be carried out.

The new policy aims to:

• support more disabled residents to live independently by improving access and movement around their homes
• reduce hospital admissions and enable early hospital discharges
• reduce the need for residential care by allowing people with disabilities to live independently in their own homes
• reduce fuel poverty and the effects of living in cold homes
• support tailored home adaptations for those who need them including those suffering with dementia

To apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant, the first step is to contact an occupational therapist to see if someone is eligible. For more information on applying for grants and loans please see here.

The UK may have left the EU in January but we’re in the midst of a transitional period that will end on 31 December.

For individuals and businesses alike, the government has a page that, once a number of questions have been answered, returns a series of pages that offer guidance on preparing for life after the EU.

See here for more information.

Although the Government announced that playgrounds can reopen from 4 July, the fenced play area on Kingston Blount playing field will not reopen on that date. The government requires a number of measures to be taken before reopening can be considered; the parish council will be discussing these at our meeting on 8 July. In addition, we were hoping that the remedial work we had scheduled before the lockdown was enforced would be carried out prior to opening. That work is still in progress and we do not plan on reopening until that is complete.

Further updates will be given on this website and KBAR Facebook page in time.