Welcome to the website for the village of Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, England. Within these pages you will find information on the village, the Parish Council and its activities, a directory of local businesses and services, information on clubs and groups, and lots of other things too such as information about Coronavirus.
Complete the “Subscribe” option at the bottom right of this page to be notified by email when village news is posted.
Yesterday (5th June) was World Environment Day and South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils announced that following lockdown, there has been a marked reduction in air pollution in our districts – down by nearly 60% in one location.
The lack of traffic and the increase in walking and cycling has helped improve the local air quality across southern Oxfordshire.
The councils’ Environmental Protection team has been monitoring the effect of the lockdown and the accompanying lack of traffic on the levels of pollution, focussing on the areas designated as Air Quality Management Areas.
There has been a marked reduction (see graphs and table below) in Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in our air. NO2 is created by the burning of fuel from our cars and can be the cause of breathing difficulties, especially for those with existing respiratory conditions such as asthma. It can also contribute toward a number of other negative impacts on our health.
The councils’ Active Communities team are working with partners to increase cycling and walking throughout the districts. Last month the government promised to fund and work with local authorities across the country to help increase walking and double the amount of cycling by 2025 – see the government webpage.
The graphs and corresponding figures in the table below show the concentration of NO2 in the air (the number of micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air). They also show the difference in the air quality in 2020 (with pollution levels decreasing during the months of lockdown) compared with the same time last year.
An open letter from Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, and Cllr Emily Smith, Leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council.
As we come to the end of Volunteering Week, we wanted to express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude, on behalf of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, to all of the incredible volunteers who have stepped up to the plate over the past couple of months to make an enormous difference to their communities. Continue reading
Earth Trust, owners of Neptune Wood and adjoining meadow, have had a change of mind and suspended the closure of the field until the middle of July. It follows complaints from villagers who say it’s a valuable open space for dog owners and walkers.
The director of Programmes and Partnerships, Ian Nutt, said Earth Trust has taken the exceptional circumstances into consideration this year and agreed to suspend the closure of the field for a further six weeks until the middle of July. Continue reading
Residents may be aware of the work going on to create an “Oxfordshire 2050 Plan”, the county-wide plan that the Oxfordshire authorities agreed to prepare as part of the Growth Deal.
The team working on the plan has launched a new website to help increase public engagement with the project.
The Oxfordshire Open Thought website – oxfordshireopenthought.org – asks people to give their thoughts, knowledge and expertise on three key areas: living and working, Continue reading
Subscribers to this website will be aware of the many messages of thanks that have been received following the Local NHS Heroes campaign in early May. This letter from the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), which received one hundred and fifty care packs, was received yesterday.
The organisers would like to say thank-you to everybody who supported this campaign. It has boosted the morale of many, many NHS workers!
Residents who are not already subscribers to Oxfordshire County Council’s digital newsletter “Your Oxfordshire” may like to download the latest edition here.
Residents will be excited to hear that the second volume of the Lockdown Mind Therapy puzzle magazine should be dropping through their letterboxes in the next day or two, courtesy of the Parish Council.
The Coronavirus pandemic has brought many local government issues to a halt, including work on Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDPs). The Parish Council had hoped that its re-drafted plan would be ready to go before the village electorate later this year but now the council is pinning its hopes on 2021; due to Coronavirus the government has stopped all referendums taking place until May 2021.
Last year the council was encouraged by progress on the NDP but then Historic England ordered an archaeological assessment of the Community Hub site, part of which was then Continue reading
Parking charges will be re-introduced in district council car parks across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse from Monday 8th June.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have allowed people to park for free since 26th March to support key workers and those who need to shop for essential food or medical supplies during the Coronavirus pandemic after travel restrictions were put in place. Continue reading
The Oxfordshire Library Service has asked the Parish Council to share the following information:
Oxfordshire Libraries are still here and working hard to provide residents with a wide choice of digital library services from the comfort of people’s homes. We are working hard on plans to adjust our libraries for when we are able to welcome our customers back. Rest assured we will not open libraries until it is safe to do so based on the Government and Public Health England advice. Continue reading
