On Saturday 6 November Eynsham Parish Council held its first, new-format parish community event at the Village Hall. This informal, drop-in day provided an opportunity to review and comment on the Council’s new – and very first – Strategic Plan. If you weren’t able to make it, read on to find out how you can still have your say.
Our new Strategic Plan will set out what we want to achieve and how we are going to do it. It incorporates our vision for the Parish and our commitment as councillors to ACT in a way that is Accountable, Collaborative and Transparent to ensure we best serve the community.
The November event allowed us to share the initial draft of the plan and gather a steer on what was felt to be of most importance for Eynsham. Despite the grey drizzly day, many local residents made it down to mingle with councillors and review various display boards. There were opportunities to vote for preferences and a space to share general comments and thoughts.
We wanted input on the vision for the Council (out of a choice of three), as well as which of our priority projects should be the main areas of focus to ensure we are meeting the needs of the community. We have identified five priority areas – such as to protect and promote biodiversity – and listed out the projects to achieve this. In this case, the plans include creating a ‘Green Wheel’ circular path and designating the Fishponds as a Local Nature Reserve. Armed with coloured sticky dots, attendees indicated the projects they felt were most important.
It was little surprise to learn how many people saw protecting the environment and reducing any negative impact on the climate as key in the work we do. Many people also have strong opinions about the developments that are planned locally and prioritise the activities that could mitigate potential damage to our green spaces. What do you think? The thoughts and suggestions of the community will be used to shape the final version of the Strategic Plan, to be shared online when complete.
To ensure that people who were unable to attend can still have a say, we have created a short survey. There is a chance to vote for your preferences on the vision and priority projects, as well as share general thoughts. Beyond the expiration of the survey, you are welcome to share your thoughts with the Council at any time – simply email us via the Clerk on epc.clerk@eynsham-pc.gov.uk.
We extend a huge ‘thank you’ to all the people who took the time to attend our event. It was the first of our new style community events and hopefully one that felt more accessible and less formal. It also involved cake, courtesy of the Country Market bakers. Thank you to Ian White, who took some photos for us, and to all those who shared their thoughts, whether on the day or via the survey.
As a Parish Council, we exist to serve the community and strive to do what is best to preserve, protect and promote our vibrant parish. If we can do so with a focus on the things that matter to residents, so much the better, so please keep in touch.