October 2023 Minutes

New Application but in for Jericho Farm after previous discharge of Condition 6

Botley Solar Farm – Report from Group – 

7. Correspondence

8. Reports from County and District & Parish Councillors –

County Councillor

County Council Administration.

The Labour group has resigned from the administration at County Hall and withdrawn from the Oxfordshire Fair Deal Alliance. This follows an OFSTED report which highlighted a number of failings in the County Council’s support for those with Special Educational Needs. In response to the demands of a number of the parents of those children and our observation of how the department was being run, the Lib Dem and Green groups suggested to Labour that it might choose to have a change in the cabinet leadership of the Children’s Services directorate. Labour apparently took this as meaning that their freedom of choice of cabinet members was being curtailed.

It is very unfortunate, particularly as many people had congratulated us on being able to put together a progressive alliance. The Lib Dems and Greens have formed a minority administration that will continue to implement the objectives previously agreed by the council. Among other things, we are appointing a cabinet member specifically to address SEND issues with urgency.

At the same time, the Cabinet member for finance and property, Calum Miller, has chosen to stand down to spend more time campaigning to become the first MP for the new Bicester and Woodstock constituency (which contains Eynsham, South Leigh and Cassington). I have taken over this cabinet role, in a challenging time for council budgets. And I have resigned from the WODC Executive, while remaining a district councillor at WODC.

Electoral Commission review of Oxfordshire

As you may recall, the County Council seats and boundaries for Oxfordshire are under review by the Electoral Commission. The process has now moved to public consultation. Details here https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/oxfordshire The suggested new structure would remove some of the southern parts of the Eynsham Division from the seat and put them in a new Carterton and Bampton seat.

Botley Road

The work to build a new station in Oxford ran into issues when the road under the railway bridge was found to be covering an interesting archaeological structure. That has made creating the new bridge more difficult.

In order to meet the deadline for finishing the new station by October 2024, Network Rail have taken the decision to move to 24 hours working and to keep the closure of Botley Road to motor vehicles during the period they had previously planned to open it. That means the road will remain closed to cars (but open to pedestrians) during the Oct23 to March 24 period. Stagecoach will continue to run the S1 service to the station via the A40 and the excellent E1 to Osney.

The additional closure is difficult. Businesses remain open on Botley Road. At the end of the process, we will have a bridge that is no longer too low for conventional buses, and which endangers people on foot or bike. And a station with additional platforms to accommodate the new service to Milton Keynes and the potential services from Cowley and from Carterton/Witney/Eynsham.

At the same time, National Highways are working on the A420/A34 junction and have insisted on doing this even while National Rail have closed Botley Road.

A40

No developments. Discussions are still ongoing with Homes England about funding. Assuming those are positive, then the outline plans will be turned into detailed ones. Key features near Cassington, including new bus stops, a new crossing at the bottom of Horsemere Lane and improvements to the Eynsham Road junction will be included.

District Councillors – 14^th October 9.30 Witney Road Play Area Opening. Salt Cross judicial review 14^th West Eynsham is going to appeal. Local Plan consultation is now open.

Parish Councillors –

Clerk to check with OCC with regards to the styles around the village

2 book share cabinets one by the school and the other by the Green at the end of Little Lane

The residents of the village are going to clear Little Lane over the weekend.

9. Ditches, Drainage and Flooding

• Update on who’s responsible for the ditches around the village. – The Clerk has emailed various members of Blenheim Estates to figure out who is responsible for the ditches and the balance pond. Clerk to email Domonic Hare

10. Maintenance/ Grants

11. Traffic

• Speed Watch
• Traffic Calming
• Speed Indicators – Clerk to email OCC to find out the time span of when they are going to replace the VAS machines and also could they also turn the other ones off.

12. Play Area & Recreation Ground

• Replacement Playground Equipment

13. Finance

Payments to be approved: