Gordon Rogers, Chairman of the Parish Council writes …
The Parish Council extends greetings for the New Year to all villagers. 2020 was a year of some progress for the council but made stressful by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many traditional village events were cancelled and the council has had to conduct its meetings by Zoom. Although not an ideal medium, it allows us to continue with business and appears not to be a deterrent to public participation, which included a Continue reading
Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) is urging residents to be on their guard against scammers using the promise of a coronavirus vaccine to con them out of money.
Criminals across the country are contacting people out of the blue with offers of a coronavirus vaccination. These approaches have been made by text or from a recorded voice message on the telephone. Continue reading
Now that South Oxfordshire has moved into Tier 4, Going Forward Buses, which runs the twice weekly service to Didcot, has announced that it may have to alter or suspend its services at short notice. Please check its website for any such changes before travelling.
And a reminder that the new Thames Travel service starts on 4th January, linking Didcot with Long Wittenham, the Culham Science Centre and Berinsfield. There will be seven Continue reading
The adoption of the South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) Local Plan was reported here on 13th December. However, it has led to a split in the ruling Liberal-Democrat-Green coalition which no longer has an overall majority on the council.
The vote to approve the contentious Plan divided the Green Party with some members supporting it while others have set up a new group. The Lib-Dem and Green coalition which won control in the 2019 local elections has gone. Continue reading
Many residents will be aware that the road to Clifton Hampden has flooded. This is due to very heavy rain over the last week or two which has led to high river levels in Oxfordshire.
There is a lot of standing water on roads and people are asked to drive with extra care. Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has advised motorists not to attempt to drive through floodwater as they run the risk of becoming stranded. Continue reading
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has asked the Parish Council to pass on the following warning in advance of expected high wind and rain:
This weekend we are expecting adverse weather conditions, bringing heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 60mph overnight on Saturday (26th) and into Sunday (27th) morning, which increases the risk of an unexpected power cut. If you experience a loss of power and require support, you can call 105 or 0800 072 7282. Continue reading
South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) has asked the Parish Council to share the following information with residents:
From Boxing Day, South Oxfordshire will be in Tier 4, the highest of the national four-tier alert levels.
Even though we’ve historically had lower numbers here, the virus is very real in South Oxfordshire and the numbers are rising. We need our residents to stay home, stay safe, Continue reading
Residents are reminded that waste and recycling collections will change over the festive period.
Brown bin collections (garden waste) will be suspended while crews concentrate on collecting the extra waste from Christmas.
Information on the changes is on the South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) website:
https://www.southoxon.gov.uk/christmaswaste/ Continue reading
South Oxfordshire District Council’s (SODC) ‘Water Champion’, Jo Robb, has written to the newly appointed chairman of the Government’s Storm Overflows Taskforce calling for improvements to the quality of water in the Thames.
Ms Robb is responsible for working to improve cleanliness, biodiversity and access to the River Thames. She is a year-round swimmer in the river. In her letter to the minister, Rebecca Pow, she says that in the past year there has seen a huge increase in Continue reading
Three hazel trees in memory of a former Long Wittenham family have been planted at the Earth Trust’s nature reserve at Little Wittenham wood in the shadow of Wittenham Clumps. The planting was organised by family member Edwin Heywood who lives in Adelaide, Australia.
The planting was in memory of Edwin’s late wife Elizabeth Wrench, known as Betty, who lived in Long Wittenham. The trees were also in memory of Betty’s father Edward, his Continue reading
