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Chinnor is to see major road works for many weeks.
Starting on the Oakley Road roundabout on 13 July, four way traffic lights will be installed as the work progresses down Station Road.
Station Road will then be closed from 4 August until 9 October (7 weeks total 24 hour closure – access only for residents and emergency services ) unless completed sooner.
These works are for SGN gas work improvements.
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.
Following a recent BBC report on the export of UK originated plastics and recycling to Turkey for burning and improper disposal, SODC’s contractor – Biffa – has issued a press release noting its policies and practices.
Biffa says that it follows UK best practice and does not export recycling to Turkey – only carefully selected countries.
The release is available below.
Those who have outstanding payments on their council tax bill and are struggling to pay are being urged to contact SODC to find out what support may be available. An extra £150 of discount is now available to certain residents.
The government hasn’t suspended council tax during the pandemic and so it still needs to be paid. The council is especially concerned that people could get into further debt if they don’t keep up with their payments and so have written to more than 6,000 households, who aren’t currently in receipt of council tax support, whose accounts are in arrears, advising them on the options that are available and urging them to get in touch.
The council confirms that residents receiving a reduction on their council tax via the councils’ Council Tax Reduction scheme, will receive up to a further £150 off their 2020/21 council tax bill. The extra discount comes from a government hardship fund announced in April.
Anyone who is worried about being able to afford their council tax should get in touch with the council to find out about the help that’s available to best support them. This can include:
To support those who are self-isolating, and to help avoid unnecessary travel and contact, residents are encouraged to pay online. People can make single payments by credit or debit card when it best suits them.
Alternatively, you can pay by calling the 24/7 automated payment service on 0345 302 2313 – please choose option 1 and option 1 again. When you call you will need to quote your council tax reference.
More information on the support available to help people pay their council tax can be found on the SODC website.
Below is the latest report from our ward district councillors. Download and read it to see what’s going on in the county and the ward.
The Shepherds Crook closed as a result of coronavirus and is not reopening.
SODC has received an application for a change of use from a public house to a residential dwelling. The application can be seen here.
The pub is also listed as being for sale on Dalton’s Business. That listing can be seen here.
There is some disquiet that the parish – and Crowell – could lose an asset of importance.
Parishioners may wish to look at the application and offer their views. According to the Dalton’s Business listing, the pub turned over around £340,000 in the 12 months to the end of December 2019 so on the face of it the pub seems to be viable.
SODC will determine whether or not the change of use can go ahead. Parishioners wishing to express an opinion on the proposals should comment using the “Comment now” button on the application website (above).
The parish council will be discussing the application at the next meeting (in July).
The Sharing Life Trust (https://www.sharinglifetrust.org/) is an organisation based in Thame supporting residents in our area through the pandemic.
The Village Centre in Chinnor is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 10:00 – 12:00, for donations for The Sharing Life Trust food bank.
Below is a link to the shopping list they would like assistance with https://www.sharinglifetrust.org/foodbank-detail
Parishioner Mike Eaton, part of a group that curates the area known as Fiveways Corner, has shared a night video of an owl.
It’s not long but is interesting. See the attachment below for an AVI movie of the action.
SODC has reported that thousands of residents in south Oxfordshire have found their recycling bins unemptied each week because they have put the wrong things in them.
Putting non-recyclable items in recycling can contaminate a whole truckload, which is then rejected at the recycling facility. This turns neighbours’ recycling into rubbish and ultimately wastes energy and raw materials by removing these items from the recycling process.
Bin crews have stepped up monitoring of recycling bins in recent months as the lockdown has meant an increase in household waste, which has meant an increased risk of people putting the wrong items in recycling bins.
To remind residents about what can (and can’t) be recycled, SODC has devised a new recycling quiz here
https://survey.southandvale.gov.uk/s/TheGreenRecyclingBinQuiz/
Bins found with incorrect items for recycling were left unemptied.
The vast majority were rejected because residents had put black or coloured bin bags into recycling bins. Crews cannot see what is in them and so won’t empty the bin. The next biggest category of rejections was because food was found in the green bin. Food contaminates recycling making it unrecyclable. Food can be collected in food bins and taken to a separate facility where it is transformed into electricity and fertiliser.
Textiles, like old T-shirts and odd socks are another reason for crews to leave recycling bins unemptied. Although both councils collect textiles for recycling at a different facility, they must be left in a tied carrier bag next to the green bin. Other non-recyclable items which are regularly found by bin crews in recycling bins are polystyrene, plastic toys, garden waste, electrical items, wood and nappies.
These items cannot be sorted at the recycling centres and shouldn’t be put in the recycling as they can contaminate a whole truckload of recycling.
Recycling should be in the green bin loose or in clear bags so the crews can easily identify that the contents are recyclable.
If they see non-recyclables, crews will leave the bins unemptied, record the reasons and leave a tag on the bin explaining to residents.
For more information about what can and cannot be recycled please go here.
Following widely reported problems with the post in the parish, the chairman of the parish council, Peter Tinson, visited Thame Sorting Office to explore ways where the parish could provide assistance to Royal Mail to clear the backlog.
Unfortunately regulations regarding the delivery of mail mean that Royal Mail cannot engage voluntary help, nor can sorting take place outside of Royal Mail premises. The current restrictions mean that they are unable to take on short term (paid) workers either.
The good news is that there will be two deliveries today (15 June) to Kingston Blount – one for mail and a second for parcels. Royal Mail hopes to clear the backlog soon. However, please bear in mind that the whole system is experiencing similar problems so it is possible that mail may be stuck elsewhere in the system.
The sorting office has been encouraged to provide regular updates to the council which will be shared. Whilst that won’t obviously speed up delivery, it will give parishioners a better understanding of when deliveries will be made.