Fire Service Consultation
The Chief Fire Officer met with Parish Councillors last week. He explained the logic behind the reforms he has proposed and listened to the concerns of councillors. There will be a public meeting in Eynsham, in early January.
The consultation is open until 20 January, and the County Council really does want the input of residents, parish councillors, fire fighters and anyone else with a reasoned view.
As I said in the media, any decision needs to be based on evidence, and the consultation is part of the evidence gathering process.
Buses and Traffic
The data relating to the first month of the Oxford Congestion charge is in. A month is too short to take a full view, but the initial data shows congestion down in most key places, bus usage up, inbound bus journey times are down 12% and footfall in the city centre is up 22% compared with this time last year. There are however some spots where things aren’t as they should be - Woodstock Road in the evenings has got worse and officers are trying to work out why this is and come up with an improvement plan.
LCWIP
A reminder that the Eynsham Local Walking and Cycling Plan should be going for consideration at the Cabinet Member’s decision meeting on 22 January, The finished version will be published beforehand. You can speak at the meeting if you wish.
Sanctuary
Oxfordshire County Council (and WODC too) are proud to be Councils of Sanctuary. We, and the community at large, has been welcoming to asylum seekers and people who have leave to remain. That includes children at our schools who have been housed in the Witney hotel, and recent arrivals from Hong Kong and Ukraine.
The County Council last week passed a motion that condemned misinformation and hatred, unfortunately not backed by everyone. I had the opportunity to thank this country for taking in my refugee forbears.
Budget
The government’s fair funding review was published a week ago. Nonetheless, it is still unclear what the full effect will be on Oxfordshire. We know we will lose substantial amounts over the next 3 years, as money is transferred to other places, and that effectively we are required both to increase council tax and lose that money to a central pot. We expect a 3-year settlement just before Christmas, and officers will have to work hard over the “break” to ensure that I can present a balanced budget on 10 February.
Kidlington waste mountain
After a lot of lobbying from Calum Miller MP, from councillors and from key officers, and after the Fire Service warned that an ignition might close the A34, the Environment Agency agreed it would clear the waste mountain in Kidlington. A good result, but it shows how counterproductive starving the EA of money has been, given that they knew 6 months ago that the criminal dumping was happening.
And finally...
Can I wish residents and councillors a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Next report in 2026.