Cost of living
Support for low-income pensioners and families: OCC are sending a one-off payment of £85 to 11,000 lower income pensionable households to support with energy bills. Eligible residents will receive an Oxfordshire-branded letter from the Post Office, redeemable for cash at Post Office branches. Schools and colleges will provide children entitled to free school meals with a £15 voucher.
£100K to help community organisations with energy bills: Applications for grants between £250 and £3000 can be made through the Oxfordshire Community Foundation. Expected to be popular - deadline is 21 November.
Council Tax: WODC has agreed a new exceptional hardship scheme on top of the statutory council tax discount scheme that goes to WODC Cabinet next week. OCC has agreed to match the WODC discounts, which is important because the bulk of council tax receipts go to the County Council.
Council votes to request more energy support for off-grid residents: Many residents in rural areas live without access to mains energy and instead use heating oil, bottled gas, or other forms of fuel. That is certainly true in many parts of rural Oxfordshire including many households in the division I represent. The leader of the council will write to government to request off-grid residents receive the same level of support (£400) as on-grid residents.
Care provision
OCC supports care business start-ups: OCC is supporting new ‘micro enterprises’ to become established care providers, helping local businesses to grow, and develop greater local choice for people looking for additional support. The Community Catalysts programme takes people through the standards, so that new micro-enterprises have a thorough understanding of what it takes to deliver quality care. Over 100 people have signed up and have the combined capacity to support 1000 people in the county.
Renewed call on government to fund Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND): OCC is appealing to the government to urgently address the national funding issues facing all local authorities providing SEND services for children and young people. The county council has also submitted to the Department of Education bids for two further special free schools.
Environment and transport
Tree services team successful funding bids: OCC tree services team has been successful in a bid to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Funding will be used to provide two new community tree and woodland planting officers who will work to increase tree cover across the county.
More sustainable streetlights: OCC has approved a new policy for streetlights to reduce impact on climate change and the environment. The policy considers the impact of light pollution on nature and dark skies in assessing where lighting should be added. When new lighting is necessary, dimming and reduction in operating hours will be used to preserve the night sky.
Parking standards for new developments: Developers will need to follow a revised set of guidelines when they consider parking provisions for new developments. New standards place much more emphasis on cycles, shared car clubs, and public transport than on multiple cars per household. A graduated approach is taken to allow for increased need for parking in rural settings.
Cheaper Park and Ride tickets: Passengers can now buy a combined ticket covering both parking and return bus travel for £4 for a car with only 1 adult and £5 for a car and 2 adults. With both options, up to three children under 16 can travel for free. Drivers are encouraged to purchase a combined ticket through the RingGo parking app, or at one of the onsite ticket machines. You may have seen that work has started on the Eynsham Park and Ride. It isn’t clear yet how the discounted ticket scheme would work here, as it is so much further out of the city and the discounted ticket is cheaper than the standard bus fare.
Oxford traffic filters and Botley Road: Public consultation on the filters closed on 13 October. The next step is for the cabinet decision on 29 November, where it will consider the outcomes of the public consultation and the closure of Botley Road for a year by Network Rail to accommodate improvements to the railway. Network Rail’s decision is unwelcome, although the station improvements are needed and the bridge under the railway does need replacement. Most buses will terminate at the Seacourt P&R. A shuttle will run to the railway bridge. Pedestrians can then go under the railway to the city and to buses at the station. The station will be open continually apart from a period during August, and I expect additional use of Hanborough and Parkway stations.
A reminder, there will be nowhere in the city that cannot be reached by car. The filters just make the route different, to speed up buses.
Salt Cross Garden Village: The consultation on the planning inspector’s amendments to the WODC Area Action Plan has now closed. The County Council, along with many residents and groups, and along with WODC itself, has strongly called for the obligation for new housing to be Net Zero to be put back into the plan.
Freight strategy: The cabinet member responsible has suggested that the new strategy is being prepared. I will continue to press for heavy traffic to be routed away from villages and for proper enforcement – the use of APNR cameras on Newbridge demonstrates their effectiveness.
Policing: I met last week with the Police and Crime Commissioner and with the head of the Thames Valley roads policing team and reminded them that speed management is an important part of their responsibilities. They are of course strapped for resources and reliant on Speedwatch volunteers, but that isn’t good enough.
Eynsham Primary: Thanks to Eynsham PC, Andy Goodwin, and the primary school for putting together a reminder about the one way convention in the area of the school, and the importance of not parking on the bends. We all want people to be able to get to school by bike or foot or scooter, safely. I hope the reminder works. If not, I will investigate further options.
As ever, please contact me with comments, queries and suggestions. Dan Levy