08/02/11Cllr Keith R Mitchell CBE
This page was last updated
31-01-2012
The views expressed
in this Blog
are mine
and do not necessarily
represent County
Council policy
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Dial-A-Ride
Service:
Oxfordshire 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 the volume and nature of Dial-a-Ride schemes vary considerably 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 the 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. This is a particular problem in Cherwell where the County Council is maintaining its level of funding but Cherwell District Council is cutting its previously generous level of funding (£180,000) considerably.
The county council’s Cabinet is set to award the new contracts at a meeting on 6 February.
Under the proposed scheme, the county council would 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 is recommended to allocate some of this extra money to Dial-a-Ride.
The combined funding would provide 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 further in their areas should they wish to continue funding Dial-a-Ride.
While we 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.
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.
Electoral Review for Oxfordshire
County Council The Local Government Boundary Commission for
Oxfordshire has published its final report today. As I predicted,
there are no changes relating to the earlier proposals for the Bloxham
Division I presently represent.
With effect from the elections in May 2013, the number of County Councillors will be reduced to 63. The Bloxham Division, currently comprising Adderbury, Bloxham, Bodicote, Milcombe and Milton will disappear and the villages will be reassigned as follows:
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Adderbury, Bodicote and Milton will become part of the Deddington Division which will contain the following villages: Adderbury, Milton, Bodicote, Deddington, Barford St John & St Michael, Duns Tew, Steeple Aston, Middle Aston, North Aston, Somerton, Fritwell and Souldern. |
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Bloxham and Milcombe will become part of a Bloxham and Easington Division which will contain the Easington part of Banbury plus Bloxham and Milcombe. |
In the longer term, it is expected that the area where 1,000 houses are to be built east of the Oxford road in Bodicote will be annexed to Banbury. In the immediate term, the Commission states that Bodicote Parish Council should comprise 10 councillors representing two wards: Bodicote Village (returning eight members) and Bodicote Bankside (returning two members). The proposed parish ward boundaries are illustrated and named on Map 2 on the Commission web site - if you can make any sense of it!
Here is a link to the Report.
Major Planning Application for Banbury: A developer has lodged an application with Cherwell District Council for the erection of 115,197 square metres (28 acres) of B2 and B8 uses. (B2 use is general industrial - Use for industrial process other than offices (excluding incineration purposes, chemical treatment or landfill or hazardous waste); B8 is storage or distribution, including open air storage).
This is an outline application for a huge quantity of buildings close to the M40 Junction 11. Worryingly, it looks like mainly distribution businesses with a large land take and a small, low-skill job offer. Not what Banbury needs, in my view. There is also the impact of many more lorries on the road network and, in particular, Junction 11. There is also the Pro-Drive application where the racing car business is seeking to move to the Hella site and to finance the move by securing planning permission for their old site close to the motorway for out-of-town retail including a Marks & Spencer store. Here is a link to the Cherwell planning web site and here is the planning reference: 11/01878/OUT.
Village
Surgery today:
Milcombe 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm - No customers here for my surgery but good to see The Horse & Groom with some customers. I always get a warm welcome here.
Adderbury: Twyford Road closure An Emergency Road Closure Order has been made for the closure of Twyford Road from its junction with the A4260 to the entrance to Twyford Silos. The reason is to allow BT to replace cabling that has been stolen. The closure is from 13/01/12 to 27/01/12. Here is a link to the Order and to a Map showing the diversion route. Apologies to all who are inconvenienced by this diversion. It is time the thieves who cause such havoc could be caught and locked up for a very long time but that would place a confidence in our criminal justice system that might be over-optimistic.
Adderbury Parish Council meets tonight at Church House from 7:30 pm. I have to send apologies. Here is a link to my County Councillor Report.
Milcombe Parish Council meets tonight at Church House from 8:00 pm. I have to send apologies. Here is a link to my County Councillor Report and to Lynda's District Councillor Report.
Bloxham Parish Council meets tonight at the Parish Rooms from 7:30 pm. I have to send apologies. Here is a link to my County Councillor Report and to Lynda's District Councillor Report.
Bloxham 9:30 am to 10:30 am - I had a chat with a Bloxham resident who has a problem with heavy lorries in a small Bloxham lane. I ask Highways engineers to keep me posted on this. We chewed the fat on this and that for a while. When it was time to leave, I found I was blocked in the hall parking area by an inconsiderately parked lorry delivering to the Post Office. I suspect this is not a rare occurrence. It made me late in getting to my Bodicote surgery.
Bodicote 10:45 am to 11:45 am - No customers today. I sit in the small hall with a birthday party for five-year olds in full swing in the main hall. Absolutely deafening and that was with the door from the large hall firmly closed! Lord knows how the adults coped in the main hall!
Adderbury 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm - No customers and no District Councillor Rick Atkinson! I will call to make sure he is OK after his hospital treatment. Caught up with some e-mails.
Milton 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - No customers here for my surgery but good to see The Black Boy reasonably busy.
Adderbury Junction of A4260/Aynho Road/Adderbury Court There will be road works here for four weeks starting 13/02/12 to allow replacement of the traffic lights with more modern traffic lights with energy savings and a lower carbon footprint. Temporary traffic lights will be in operation so be prepared for some delays, particularly at school start and end times. Here is a link to the advisory letter from County Highways with maps.