Planning Inspectorate decision
The Planning Inspectorate have just allowed the appeal on Aston Cottage, 18 Church Lane, Aston Rowant, OX49 5SS.
The detail is under Planning > Planning Inspectorate Decisions.
New issue of Parish Notes
The February / March 2022 issue of the Parish Notes is out. It’s available online by navigating to Your Community > Parish Notes.
It should also be through letter boxes shortly.
Over £2.5 million available for businesses
Businesses based in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts in the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors are being urged to apply for support from the Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant fund.
The government, which devised the scheme, has given £1,482,084 to South Oxfordshire and £1,104,075 to the Vale of White Horse to help support local businesses that have been struggling financially due to the recent Covid-19 Omicron variant.
To apply, eligible businesses must have been open and trading from a property where they are responsible for paying business rates on 30 December. The criteria of the grant is set by the government and rules of how the money is distributed cannot be changed by the council. Successful applicants could receive between £2,667 and £6,000 depending on the rateable value of the property.
Business owners can find out the full criteria and complete an online application form via the district councils’ South and Vale Business Support website – svbs.co.uk up until midday on 18 February.
Businesses can also stay up to date with all government grants given to the district councils by signing up to the South and Vale Business Support newsletter via their website.
Church magazine
The latest issue of the church magazine is now available.
Navigate to Your Community > The Church to find it.
Reminder: New Year Parish Walk
Just a reminder of the New Year Parish Walk.
More detail is below – click on the title below the image.
The route has been shortened to remove the muddiest of sections of the walk.
Fibre to the Premises broadband update
Into the new year and we’re just 41 days from the FTTP scheme closing.
The good news is that we’re within spitting distance of the finishing line. I now have pledges that take us to 94% (worth £317,560) of Openreach’s government funding target of around £338,000.
I had previously said that homes were worth £1500 in government funding while businesses were worth £3500. However, in watching pledges come in, homes seem to be worth approximately £2000, and businesses appear to be valued at close to £4000.
In other words, I need just 10 more homes or five businesses – or any mix thereof – to pledge. As it stands, less than one third of the parish has pledged.
If you’re still on the fence about the benefits of FTTP, let me sum them up:
It’s markedly faster: Depending on the package taken with an internet provider, homes should be able to download at speeds of upto 1gb. I suspect the average in the parish is somewhere between 30-50mb. Video streaming, gaming, Zoom etc. will be faster and more responsive.
It’s more reliable: 100-year-old technology that is copper will be removed in favour of pure digital. FTTP isn’t perfect, but its cabling won’t corrode and isn’t subject to RF interference.
It can offer a cash saving: The installation cost will be **fully** met by government funding. I have shown some residents that their current internet provider offers poor value, service and speeds. A new provider (Openreach allows any) may offer a better deal. Also, if the landline is no longer needed, it can be disconnected; FTTP doesn’t require it.
It adds value to homes: FTTP is now a prized utility that homebuyers look for when considering where to move to.
Residents should be able to upgrade to a new contract with their internet service provider even if they are mid-contract.
Pledges can be made via https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fibre-community-partnership/connect-my-community.
As I’ve said, before, please help me to help you. Speak to your neighbours and ask them if they’ve pledged. I cannot bring FTTP to the parish without pledges.
If you’ve any questions, contact me – I’m not on FaceBook – and I’ll help with answers.
FTTP – we’re so close…
If you’ve not yet pledged for FTTP – full fibre broadband to your home – could you please consider doing so?
We’re at 90 percent of the pledges required and so close.
Remember – FTTP is about speed, reliability, potential cost savings as residents no longer need a physical phone line (unless they want to keep it) or may find a better deal, and making homes more saleable.
BT, for example, offers a number of deals – see the attachment below – that includes a pay as you go phone line with FTTP and download speeds of 150mb for £35 a month. For many, that download speed will be between three and five times faster than they presently have with a copper connection – and it’ll be more reliable.
And being mid-contract should not be an impediment to pledging; a quick call to the current provider should confirm that an upgrade is possible.
To pledge visit: https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fibre-community-partnership/connect-my-community.
Cricket Club Cheese and Wine – postponed
ARCC’s Cricket Club Cheese and Wine that was scheduled for 19 December has, regrettably, been postponed because of the current Covid restrictions until a safer date can be found; the bar will not be open.
However, the gates to the car park will be open if anyone wishes to view the tractor convoy in safety. The club house will be opened to allow use of the toilets. And if anyone wishes to bring their own seasonal drinks they are welcome to use the tables.
More Fiveways videos
Mike Eaton has submitted three more videos of wildlife at Fiveways Corner. This time there’s a badger, rabbit and a crayfish.
Take a look by navigating to Your Community > Fiveways Corner.
Have your say on OCC’s budget – it’ll affect you
A note from Oxfordshire County Council:
“On 8 February 2022, Oxfordshire County Council will meet to agree its budget. In a survey we are asking residents, businesses and others for their views on our budget proposals for 2022/23, including our proposed council tax increase.
Following the local elections in May 2021, the Oxfordshire Fair Deal Alliance formed to lead the county council. It has a vision to lead positive change to make Oxfordshire a greener, fairer county. It has developed nine priorities to deliver this aim and over the autumn has been inviting feedback on these to inform the budget setting process and to help develop a draft strategic plan.
You can have your say on these priorities as part of our consultation on our 2022/23 budget proposals to help the council set a balanced budget.
Background
The council is committed to the responsible management of the council’s finances. To reach our goal of a balanced budget for 2022/23, we are planning ahead carefully to meet current and future financial challenges. We are also working on identifying savings across the council to enable us to invest in our priorities and meet our demand pressures.
Challenges include uncertainty over government funding for all local authorities, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 that continues to place pressures on the county council’s day to day services and affect its income streams, alongside a growing and ageing population, which puts more pressure on budgets and services.
Our accompanying consultation booklet provides background information on the council’s finances and our approach to setting the budget this year. We encourage you to read this before having your say. We also recommend you read our budget proposals that will be discussed by the Performance and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 10 December 2021
Please complete this survey to have your say. All responses must be received by Wednesday 5 January 2022″