08/02/11Cllr Keith R Mitchell CBE
This page was last updated
12-02-2012
The views expressed
in this Blog
are mine
and do not necessarily
represent County
Council policy
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Bodicote Parish Council: Meets in Church House from 7:15 pm. I am unable to attend. Here is a link to my County Council report and to Lynda's District Council report.
Village
surgery Today was my Milcombe surgery at the Horse & Groom.
I had two constituents raising issues with me which I will follow up.
Several others had seen TV coverage of the County Council budget and spoke
about it.
It was good to see the Horse & Groom was reasonably busy today.
Dial-A-Ride Service: The County Council is planning to create a new Dial-a-Ride bus service for disabled and mobility-impaired people across the whole county. While there is no national requirement for councils to fund Dial-a-Rides, a number of well-used services have operated in Oxfordshire for many years, jointly funded by the county, district and city councils. Across the county, Dial-a-Ride schemes vary, with services in Oxford City, West Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse currently operated by Octabus and those in Cherwell District run by the "Banburyshire" Community Transport Association. This has meant that service users in some parts of the county have had access to different levels of service than others and South Oxfordshire residents currently have no access to Dial-a-Ride.
These contracts are due to end in March 2012, and budget pressures affecting all councils involved have led to a need to plan for the future of the service with less overall funding available. The county council has come forward with a proposed solution that will ensure an equal and consistent ‘baseline’ level of service across the whole county, with the option for district and city councils to provide additional funding to ‘top up’ local service levels. This is all about securing the best possible, unified level of service with the funding we have at our disposal. We know Dial-a-Ride offers a transport lifeline for some of the county’s most vulnerable residents and we want to continue to offer this service for people across Oxfordshire. While some areas of the county could ultimately see a reduction in the level of service currently provided, it should also be noted that, if approved, our countywide proposal would see a more equal level of provision and include South Oxfordshire where there was no previous service at all. The County Council’s Cabinet awarded the new contracts on 6 February.
Proposed funding arrangements: Under the proposed scheme, the county council will maintain its current level of funding to provide for a ‘baseline’ level of service across the county. In addition, the Government has made available a one-off sum for community transport services and the county council’s cabinet has allocated some of this extra money to Dial-a-Ride.
The combined funding provides for a baseline service in all parts of the county, operating 9:00 am to 5:00 pm five-days-per-week. District and city councils will have the option to make additional contributions to enhance service levels in their areas, should they wish to continue funding Dial-a-Ride.
While the county council acknowledges that this will result in a reduced provision in some parts of the county – notably Cherwell and Oxford City - officers will continue to work collaboratively with colleagues in these districts to minimise the impact where possible.
Seeking best possible solution: The county council is currently working with the district and city councils and other partners on a wider Community Transport Strategy for Oxfordshire which will go out to consultation later this year. As such, the new Dial-a-Ride arrangements resulting from the current tendering process would run for one year, with a view to putting in place longer-term arrangements from April 2013.
Bloxham Parish Council: Meets in the Parish Rooms from 7:30 pm. I plan to attend from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Here is a link to my County Council report and to Lynda's District Council report.
Dial-A-Ride Service: The County Council Cabinet meets later today to decide how to fund the Dial-A-Ride service in Oxfordshire. This is a difficult one because this was a voluntary scheme, mainly funded by the district councils like Cherwell and the City. The government has passed the responsibility for community transport to County Councils in two tier areas. The main part of this transfer relates to free bus travel for pensioners and the government has given us a grant of a little over £4 million for a service costing twice that sum. Funding Dial-A-Ride services has always been a voluntary add-on and provision across the county has been very varied, ranging from £180,000 pa spent by Cherwell through £60,000 spent by Oxford City to nothing by South Oxfordshire. We have provided £160,000 across the county. We are able to increase this somewhat but the problem remains that there will be less provision in Cherwell and the City as the district councils reduce their funding but more in South Oxfordshire with the county funding being spread over the county. Here is a letter from Oxfordshire Unlimited - a campaign group for disabled people.
Oxfordshire Unlimited is relieved and pleased that there will still be a dial a ride service which is so essential to many elderly and disabled people giving them independence and social interaction so, thank you Oxfordshire County Council for remembering the most vulnerable in our society. Without this service most people needing wheelchairs or scooters have no means of leaving their homes. Accessible taxis are either not available in some districts or so few on the ground that they are continually overstretched.
We are pleased that, at last, South Oxfordshire has a service. This is a rural district that, despite campaigning by Oxfordshire Unlimited and the former TFA group, has always refused to provide this service to support the most vulnerable of their residents saying that it was the responsibility of the County Council. Not a commendable attitude by those who were elected to serve ALL residents not just those who are lucky enough to be able to be independent.
West Oxfordshire is continuing with the present level of service Well done!
Cherwell, who in the past has been extremely generous, has had to cut back but is still going to fund an extra bus
However, I am very disappointed that the City Council has decided to adopt the same attitude as South Oxford[shire] and is saying it is the responsibility of the County Council. They have plenty of money, they have been given extra money by the government so why deprive their residents of a service which, at the most, would cost £50.000. I am confused though as they are going to put money into school improvement but surely education is the responsibility of the Count Council. Am I missing a point here?
For many elderly and disabled people a trip using the Dial a Ride service is the only time they leave their home so come on City, The Vale and South Oxfordshire. Without this service disabled people will become isolated, fall into ill health or depression, then dependency and finally need money spent on care, This situation can be avoided by giving disabled people the opportunity to access the outside world.
Gwynneth L Pedler Deputy Chairman, Oxfordshire Unlimited
Bodicote Footpath No 8
and Bloxham Footpath No 2 Proposed Diversion: I have referred to this
in earlier Blogs (July 2011,
September 2011;
November 2011). The
previous owners and the current owners of Bodicote Mill have been trying
since 1994 to secure a modest diversion of a footpath that currently crosses
directly in front of their home to allow for a little more privacy.
They have offered an alternative route that I have always judged to be
perfectly acceptable. Sadly, a small group of committed Ramblers
opposed the application for diversion. The result was that, after a
committee of County Councillors approved the requested diversion in 2008, it
had to be heard by an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.
The Inspector held the Inquiry and took evidence in 2011. His report found in favour of the application for diversion. I was stunned to find an ex-Chief Executive of the Ramblers who gave evidence against the application at the Inquiry then took to the letters page of the Oxford press to complain that the cash-strapped County Council had spent public money on the Inspector's inquiry. I was mortified, given that it was the activity of a small group of Ramblers that forced a public Inquiry and equally forced the County Council to defend the decision originally taken by a convincing majority of elected members.
Not content with having added the cost of a public Inquiry to the public purse, these wretched Ramblers are now challenging the Inspector's finding in the courts. We are therefore faced with further calls on the public purse to satisfy the dogged determination of a small number of Ramblers who are committed to the constant denial of any change to established footpaths.
I despair at the ability of our country to allow noisy minorities to obfuscate and to delay worthwhile changes. It may be the price of democracy and freedom of speech but it does seem to go to absurd lengths that are wholly disproportionate to the issue. I hope the courts kick out the Ramblers' latest procrastination and allow the owners of Bodicote Mill to secure the modest privacy they deserve.
Village surgeries:
Bloxham 9:30 am to 10:30 am - The ex-Servicemen's Hall was glacial this morning so I retreated to the kitchen and turned the ovens full on. I had one visitor, a parish councillor with a request relating to the recreation ground on which I hope I can help. Otherwise a quiet and chilly surgery here!
Bodicote 10:45 am to 11:45 am - My usual pensioner was in attendance. We had a discussion about the footpath diversion that has taken another turn with the wretched Ramblers challenging the Inspector's decision in the courts. In my view they are a complete menace and there is a case of the tail wagging the dog with costly legal processes being pursued to satisfy the whims of a tiny minority with time on their hands and a grudge against a family seeking, by due legal process, to improve their privacy without detriment to the local environment. Church House was freezing this morning and that is unusual. Not sure if the boiler was not switched on or just could not cope with the extreme cold but it was a second shivering hour.
Adderbury 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm - No customers this morning so a chance to catch up with Cllr Rick Atkinson and with my e-mails.
Milton 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - The Black Boy was our warmest venue today. New faces behind the bar - I don't think we see the same more than a couple of months before they change. Reasonably busy for the pub but no customers for our surgery. Rick and I discussed the Smith Caravan site planning application and I will blog about this on this page shortly.
What is the future of town shopping centres like Castle Quay? The headline in this week's Banbury Guardian is bound to start a debate about the planning application to create a retail park close to J11 of the M40 on the northern eastern edge of the town.
This controversy starts with ProDrive's wish to relocate from its present site next to J11 to the Hella site. To fund their move, ProDrive need to maximise the sales value of their current site and they have put forward proposals for a retail park with a large Marks & Spencer and Next as the anchor stores.
No-one will be surprised that retailers in the town centre are opposing these proposals vigorously. Castle Quay is leading the charge but i have no doubt countless retailers based in Banbury will join in.
I will be interested in the views of the public at large. I rather suspect many will welcome a retail park with free parking and major shops like M&S and Next on the edge of the town with open arms. Let me declare an interest here by admitting that I am not one of those who regards shopping as a pleasant leisure activity. For me, it is a tiresome chore; to be done as easily and quickly as possible and preferably from a computer screen at home. However, I recognise that there are quite a few people who actually enjoy trekking round shops for hours on end.
For me, the issue is pretty clear cut:
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The proposed retail park will bring a lot of new jobs and some exciting retailers to an easily accessible location away from the town centre. |
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Parking in Banbury town centre is an expensive chore. |
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Planners missed a really important trick when they gave permission for the Castle Quay development. They restricted it to retail and, after 6:00 pm the whole area dies. With the canal running past Castle Quay, there was an opportunity to create a real visitor experience with restaurants, cafes and wine bars as well as the museum and a (hopefully demolished and rebuilt) Mill cultural and social centre and, perhaps, a relocated Banbury library. This is a trick that the planners seriously missed and the canal continues to be an under-played and under-developed resource that could be a superb attraction and an economic stimulus. |
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I think the nation is going to have to think again about town centres, what they are for and how they develop. I think retailers are going to have to accept reality and face the fact that the public like the easy access and convenience of out-of-town shopping. This is going to mean some wholesale re-thinking about town centre design and the mix between retail, hospitality, office & commercial and residential use. This may sound revolutionary but those who get their heads around the issue with early planning could ensure it is evolutionary and, thus, minimise the pain of transition while maximising the gain to communities and the economy. |
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There is no room for head-in-the sand opposition here. Change is inevitable. It is better that we take change by the hand before it grasps us by the throat! |
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The last time Cherwell District Council faced a question of this kind it was about Coca Cola coming to Banbury and they got that one wrong! I hope they come out on the right side this time. |
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The County Council has a role here as highway authority. A retail park at Junction 11 will clearly have an impact on the entire road network and mitigation measures will be essential if Banbury is to avoid the sort of congestion Bicester suffers around Bicester Village. |