South Oxfordshire District Council is to extend the support it is providing to help working age people who are struggling to pay their council tax as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In June the council provided up to £150 discount off 2020/21 council tax bills for residents on lower incomes who qualify for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

With Covid-19 continuing to impact many people financially, the council has now agreed to increase this support and will be providing an additional discount for these residents on top of the one they received last summer.

This means that those working age people who qualify for the means tested Council Tax Reduction Scheme will now receive up to a further £270 off for those in South Oxfordshire. The discount will be applied automatically, meaning that those entitled to the discount will receive a revised bill, but they will not have to apply or contact the council first.

The discount is being paid for by a government hardship fund which was announced last year.

The government hasn’t suspended council tax during the pandemic and so it still needs to be paid.  If you are struggling to pay your bill please visit southoxon.gov.uk/counciltax to find out about the support available or call 0345 302 2313.

Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

Temporary Emergency Road Closure at Aston Rowant, A40  Between Junction of Kingston Hill heading North to bottom of Aston Hill

In the interests of public safety it will be necessary for Oxfordshire County Council to temporarily close the A40 whilst tree felling works are carried out for public safety reasons.

A temporary Emergency Notice is being made to implement the temporary closure and will operate from 1 February 2021.

The anticipated completion date is 18 February 2021. The closure will operate between 08:00 and 16:00 each day.

A single Temporary Emergency Notice can last for 21 consecutive days maximum.

Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for those frontages within the closure area, subject to the progress of the works and liaison with the works supervisor.

Further information regarding the works may be obtained by contacting Andy Lederer ,Oxfordshire County Council on 0345 310 11 11 or 07860453603. Email:

Action Fraud is raising awareness of another coronavirus vaccine scam after it received a high volume of reports relating to a phishing email on Monday 25 January.

The email, which attempts to trick people into handing over their bank details, was reported more than 1,000 times in 24 hours. It appears to come from the NHS and asks the recipient to click on a link to accept or decline an invitation to receive the coronavirus vaccine. If they click accept, they are asked to input personal information and their bank card details.

The national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime has previously warned about coronavirus vaccine scams, with many people reporting receiving fake text messages purporting to be from the NHS.

In the UK, coronavirus vaccines will only be available via the National Health Services of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. You can be contacted by the NHS, your employer, a GP surgery or pharmacy local to you, to receive your vaccine. Remember, the vaccine is free of charge. At no point will you be asked to pay.

The NHS will never:

• ask you for your bank account or card details.
• ask you for your PIN or banking password.
• arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
• ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips.

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to . Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge.