A brief report this month.
I hope people have been enjoying the weather and are looking forward to our hosepipe ban.
The excessive weather – wetter winters and warmer summers – is a reminder of the effects of climate change. The County Council has been recognised as the leader in addressing climate change by Climate Action UK. Read more about it here: Oxfordshire tops the table again for county councils tackling climate change.
Carnival was fun. That giant Dalek has been the topic of conversation with most people I have talked to over the last week.
The annual Play & Activity Day (from Oxfordshire Play Association) is coming up on 25 July, and I am pleased that the County Council has supported it again this year.
Buses
The new arrangments for the bus services to the north and south of Eynsham have now been resolved. West Oxfordshire Community Transport (WOCT) will be taking over the Standlake/Eynsham/Hanborough route. The timetable needs formally to be approved before it’s made public, but it will be very similar to the existing one, with the exception of school drop off and pick up times. A school bus service will run from Standlake to Bartholomew, operated by Culhams, without public subsidy.
It is a shame to see the end of First and Last Mile, who offered a fantastic service [on the routes listed above], run by volunteers. A combination of procurement rules and the need for new buses has resulted in this situation. Can I offer an enormous vote of gratitude to David Miles and the rest of the First and Last Mile team.
Roads
The planning application for the HIF2 A40 bus lanes and junctions has now been submitted and, once it has been validated, will be open for comment. We hope to have a planning decision in the autumn.
The work at the Shores Green junction to make the eastern Witney junction four-way is ahead of schedule. Among many benefits, there will be a cycle route into Witney that goes around Oxford Hill instead of over it. We should also see less traffic using Lower Road to get from the A44 to the A40. I have been on site to talk to the construction team.
You may have seen the gulley clearing happening in the village this week. It is part of our commitment to restore annual clearing, an improvement from the previous (and inadequate) once every four years.
Eynsham LCWIP
The next stage of the development of the Eynsham Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) is a meeting for the key stakeholders to examine the key mapping and comment on it. Eynsham Parish Council, other local parish councils and other groups have been invited.
Although improvements will require budget and may not happen immediately, having a plan for the places that could be made better is a key step in the work.
Consultations
Consultations open at the moment include those on the Temporary Congestion Charge, Local Government Reorganisation and changes to Household Recycling Sites (including Dix Pit). They can all be found at Let's Talk Oxfordshire
As you would expect, I support each of the things that the County Council is proposing, including a single unitary authority with key decisions taken at a locality level, and would like to hear your views.
As ever, do contact me via dan.levy@oxfordshire.gov.uk