Voles at Fiveways
Mike Eaton, one of the group that cares for Fiveways Corner in Aston Rowant, has captured some day time video of a vole feeding in the stream.
The video (AVI format) is downloadable below.
Work on chicane to start
/in News/by Adam BernsteinSeveral years in the planning by the parish council, work on the chicane in Kingston Blount (adjacent to the cricket pitch) is scheduled to start on Monday 21 September.
Please expect a little disruption for a couple of weeks… but it will be worth it.
The council is now turning its attention to a chicane in Aston Rowant.
Chinnor Library is to reopen
/in News/by Adam BernsteinChinnor library is to reopen post lockdown, week commencing 5th October 2020. Its opening hours are being reviewed and details will be available nearer the time.
For reference, the library is at Station Road, Chinnor, OX39 4PU, and can be rung on 01844 351721.
Funding available for volunteer groups and organisations
/in News/by Adam BernsteinVoluntary and community sector groups can apply for funds to help people affected coronavirus. South Oxfordshire District Council has £45,373 to distribute to projects that are delivering essential services to vulnerable residents in the districts who are struggling to afford food and other essential provisions as a result of coronavirus.
Voluntary groups and organisations can now apply for grants of up to £5,000 to go towards:
- projects directly helping vulnerable people affected by the effects of coronavirus, such as providing access to food and other essentials e.g. toiletries;
- existing schemes supporting people struggling to afford food and other essentials, and where the need is greatest;
- projects advising and providing information to people to help them access longer term support they might need, such as benefits;
- projects that provide targeted support in areas of greatest need and deprivation, including rural areas.
Town and Parish Councils who are collaborating with un-constituted third-party groups e.g. coronavirus community response groups, mutual aid groups are also eligible to apply.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. The first deadline for applications is midnight on Tuesday 15 September 2020. Further rounds will be assessed every two weeks thereafter, and the scheme will remain open until the funds are spent, so early applications are encouraged.
To apply, please read the application guidance notes before completing the online form which you can find on the South Oxfordshire website.
The funding comes from £63 million of emergency assistance from the government for local authorities to support people who are struggling to afford food and other essential provisions as a result of coronavirus
For further information contact the Community Connector Team at or the South Oxfordshire website.
Green Homes Grant
/in News/by Adam BernsteinThe new Green Homes Grant Scheme, a government programme, will fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements of over 600,000 homes, supporting over 100,000 jobs in green construction. The government has now set out further details on the range of measures included and how consumers in England will be able to claim vouchers, which are worth up to £5,000 for homeowners. Households on low income can receive vouchers covering 100 per cent of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £10,000.
Builders, plumbers, and other tradespeople across England will need the Government’s seal of approval to provide their services as part of the new green homes grant, which goes live at the end of September. Tradespeople must register for TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation to take part in the scheme.
More detail is available here.
Moors Path and horse riders
/in News/by Adam BernsteinA polite reminder regarding the Moors Path:
The owner of the section of the path that stretches from the school to the cricket pitch has not granted permission for horses to cross his land.
It would be appreciated if horse riders could kindly respect his wishes.
New bus time tables
/in News/by Adam BernsteinThe bus companies serving our area have published new time tables on their respective web sites.
Link 40: https://assets.goaheadbus.com/media/cms_page_media/8473/Link40_Timetable_Leaflet_August_2020WEB.pdf
320: http://redlinebuses.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/320.pdf
Please use the buses or we could lose them.
The next parish council meeting
/in News/by Adam BernsteinThe next parish council meeting will be, again, held online via Zoom, on Wednesday 9 September at 1930hrs.
Login via:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83381462461
Meeting ID: 833 8146 2461
Report problems
/in News/by Adam BernsteinProblems on the public highway and footpaths – graffiti, fly tipping, broken paving slabs, street lighting are good examples – can be reported direct to the responsible authority by downloading the ‘FixMyStreet’ app or going to fixmystreet.com.
If issues aren’t reported the authority may not know…
Changes to parking in South Oxfordshire
/in News/by Adam BernsteinCabinet members at South Oxfordshire District Council have agreed to go ahead with a public consultation later this year on potential changes to parking in the district.
The council will ask people to comment on a number of options which will form its new parking order and determine how it operates its car parks across the district.
Options that people will be able to have their say on include:
- Standardising the charging hours across the district so that all areas are treated equally;
- Introducing Sunday parking fees to help ensure spaces are available for people wishing to visit local shops and cafes;
- A full review of how permits work to ensure they are allocated appropriately, depending on the size and location of the car park;
- Offering discounted permits for users of electric vehicles;
- Introducing limited waiting to address parking issues in the Chinnor.
Comments will be considered as part of a formal consultation process with statutory organisations such as the highways authority, police, town and parish councils. The council will look at all comments before finalising and introducing the new arrangements in 2021.
Changes to parking prices
At their meeting on 6 August, Cabinet also agreed two additional changes aimed at ensuring that parking fees will continue to cover the costs of operating the car parks, including public toilets, over the long term:
- prices in all charging car parks are to rise by 20p;
- the all-day fee in Edinburgh Drive car park, Didcot and Wheel Orchard car park, Goring will increase from £3.40 to £5. This is similar to the rates in the neighbouring Network Rail car parks and so should help to free up more spaces in the town centre for shoppers.
These are the first price increases to be introduced in 13 years and reflect the annual increase in costs of running the car parks. These measures can be introduced without consultation and will therefore be implemented in the coming months once a public notice period has concluded and new signage is ready. The council expects to have these revised charges in operation before 1 December 2020.