In attendance: – Cllr Ben Shaw (Chair/BS), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs Peter McLaughlin, David Beckles & Brendan Heneghan. County Cllr Mike Fox-Davies, District Cllr Sarah Medley. Mrs J West (JW) on behalf of the PCC, Mr N Thorp (NT) and one member of the public.

 

1. Apologies for absence

None.

 

2. Co-opt a new councillor to the council

Mr Neil Thorp was proposed & seconded as a new councillor, which was unanimously agreed by

the council. Mr Thorp duly signed his Declaration of Office and Register of Interests forms and was

formally welcomed to the council.

 

3. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda 

NT declared an interest in the Chilton Road closure as he lives there.

 

4. Approve the minutes of the following meeting & note any matters arising: –   

UPC   26.11.20

UPC   03.12.20

Both sets of minutes were unanimously accepted as true representations of those meetings.

 

5. Report from the County Councillor (see Appendix A below)

 

6. Report from the District Councillor (see Appendix B below)

 

7. Report from the PCSO (see Appendix C below)

 

8. Representations from the public(15 mins max, 3 mins per person)

8.1 Mr K Humphries joined the meeting to talk about a proposal to plant a ‘tiny forest’ on the Upton

recreation ground. This would be about the size of a tennis court & contain c600 native trees. The

proposal was received with interest by the council & the council awaits a fully formed case from Mr

Humphries for its consideration.

8.2 Mrs J West joined the meeting on behalf of the PCC.

JW state how positive the new bus service was for all, with more frequent buses in both directions &

a Saturday service. However, usage remains low due to the pandemic. JW was thanked for her

attendance & it was hoped that this would continue in future.

 

9. Update from BS on the current community/Parish Council Covid-19 response

9.1 In the village, inc Whatsapp help group

The Whatspp group continued to work well in the current lockdown. BS to add a message regarding

available funding.

9.2 Under Lockdown 3

As play areas remain open under this lockdown, all & every user of the recreation ground must

continue to observe social distancing rules at all times.

 

10. Outstanding actions carried forward from previous 

meetings: –

 

No.	Actions from this meeting	When by
1.	PMcL to complete procedural documents for web site	March meeting
2.	BS to confirm working groups for village	Actioned
3.	BS to add message to WhatsApp group regarding COVID funding available.	Actioned
4.	Council to agree donation to CAB	March meeting

 

No.	Actions from December meeting	When By
1.	EC to compile next Upton News update (Jan21)	Actioned
2.	EC to compile ‘red folder’ x 2 & present to council on completion	Actioned
3.	BS to contact Kompan & authorise start of new play area work.	December
4.	EC to obtain quote for wood chippings.	Actioned
5.	EC to speak to BH re. equipment required for ground work on adventure play area.	Actioned
No.	Actions from November meeting	When by
1.	BS to ensure information on DC support & supermarket vouchers goes out to the village.	ASAP
2.	All to consider the remedial work on benches.	Jan meeting
3.	EC/BS to examine documents held in VH meeting room filing cabinet.	Actioned.

 

11. Ratify or agree the council’s response to the following planning applications: –

11.1  To ratify:-

11.1.1 P20/V2868/FUL The Croft, Prospect Rd, Upton

Single-storey detached annex to provide accommodation & care

for a relative.

Deadline 19.12.20

UPC objected with comments 18.12.20

11.1.2 P20/V2993/HH Sunnyside, Newmans Close, Upton

Proposed outbuilding addition & re-landscaping of the front garden.

Deadline 04.01.21

UPC had no objections to this consultation.

11.1.3 P20/V3064/HH Pottengers, Chilton Rd, Upton

Replacement annex, extensions & remodelling of existing house.

Deadline 04.01.21

UPC had no objections to this consultation.

11.1.4 P20/V2094/FUL Amendment no.1 3 Fieldside, Upton

Proposed extensions to side & rear & subdivision of plot to create

new 2-bed accommodation.

Deadline 08.01.21

UPC objected to this consultation 04.01.21.

11.2  Agree response:-

11.2.1 P20/V3104/HH Conifers, Stream Rd, Upton

Extend ground floor into new double garage with limited internal

reordering, add three bedrooms & family bathroom to new first floor.

Deadline 17.01.21

UPC agreed to object to this consultation, with 3 in agreement, 1 against & 1

abstention.

 

11.3 Planning Permissions received

P20/V2137LB & P20/V2138/HH

Planning permission 23.12.20

 

12. Update on UPC Finances and Administration

12.1 Approve the level of precept for the council for the next financial year

The council unanimously resolved to accept the recommendation to increase the precept

by 20% to £12,163.

12.2 Agree the amendments to the UPC budget for the next financial year

The council unanimously resolved to accept the budget as presented for 2021/2022.

12.3 Agree the following payments: –

 

Date	Payee	£
28.12.20, 28.01.21	Clerk’s salary SO Inc additional hours (8) as agreed [LGA1972 s112(2)]	Not publicly disclosed
14.01.21	Clerk’s expenses [LG(FPA)1963s5]	£16.80
Dec, Jan	HMRC PAYE SO (£46 – Dec, £46.00 Jan TBC)	£92.00
29.12.20, Jan 21	Microsoft Office365 Dec&Jan DD @£3.80pm [LGA1972 s111]	£7.60
25.11.20	Kompan – In Depth Operational Inspection (paid to be ratified) [PHAAA 1907 s76(1)]	£285.60
10.12.20	Kompan – Quarterly Operational Inspection (paid to be ratified) [PHAAA 1907 s76(1)]	£950.40
08.12.20	SLCC Membership (paid to be ratified) UPC £47, BPC £93 (to be reimbursed) [LGA 1972 s143]	£140.00
15.01.21	Dark White Digital [LGA 1972 s111]	£332.50
15.01.21	OALC Clerk Training (paid to be ratified) [LGA 1972 s111]	£60.00
14.01.21	Chairman expenses [LG(FPA)1963s5]	£118.20
	TOTAL  (+ Clerk’s salary above)	£2003.10

 

12.4 Receipts

Bank interest December .11p

12.5 Sign off bank reconciliation to date

Provided in advance of the meeting. To be physically signed at a later date

12.6 Agree potential end of year donations (Home Start/CAB)

Council unanimously agreed to support the CAB with a donation of £75 & declined to support

Home Start this year.

12.7 Any other financial or administration updates

12.7.1 Q3 VAT return submitted 04.01.21 for £216.00

12.7.2 PAYE was short by £20.80, so an additional payment would be made.

12.7.3 An additional £65.91 in VAT would be claimed by the end of the year.

12.7.4 Debit cards for use by the RFO & two other nominated councils was formally proposed &

unanimously agreed by council. This is for emergency use only, to reduce the risk of the

council being unable to make payment. EC to complete paperwork & return to Lloyds Bank.

 

13. To hear an update on the recreation ground Play Areas

13.1 Toddler play area

Council had formally accepted the proposal from Kompan for the supply & installation of a new

toddler play area. Consideration is being given to siting this where the pump track is currently

located, & to move the pump track over.

13.2 Adventure play area

This area is now maintained by Kompan, who installed the equipment. New wood chippings will

be ordered shortly for delivery in March.

13.3 Pump Track

Council confirmed that discussions are underway regarding the best way to move/upgrade the

pump track. Assistance in making this happen has been offered by villagers.

 

14. To hear any updates on the maintenance of the recreation ground

14.1 Current maintenance of grounds

No update.

14.2 Current volunteer situation

New volunteers identified themselves through the village questionnaire.

14.3 Replacement fence

Original Land Registry documents have revealed that the council is legally obliged to have a fence

along the north west side of the recreation ground. Investigations are now underway as to the most

appropriate fence & funding.

 

15. Update from BS on the results of the village questionnaire

15.1 Survey results data issued 7.1.21

BS highlighted key results from the questionnaire. All to familiarise themselves with the results &

respond to BS as necessary.

15.2 Setting up of working groups

BS to confirm in due course.

 

16. Update from PMcL on UPC IT

PMcL confirmed that the web site is now compliant with accessibility regulations. He is now working

on procedural documents for updating & maintenance of the web site.

 

17. Update from BS on historic council or village information

See 14.3 above. Examination of documents is ongoing.

 

18. Update on Neighbourhood Plan proposal

Deferred till further notice due to other priorities.

 

19. To formally sign off the following:-

19.1 UPC Aims & Objectives

Formally adopted by council.

19.2 UPC Strategic Plan

Formally adopted by council.

19.3 UPC Roles & Responsibilities

Formally adopted by council. NT agreed to take on coordination of planning consultation

responses.

 

20. Agree the content of the next council update for Upton News

Recreation ground fence

Cushion fall spreading on adventure play area

Questionnaire highlights

 

Date of next meeting: –

 

Thursday 18^th March 2021 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system

 

The meeting finished at 10.25pm.

In attendance:- Cllr Ben Shaw (BS/Chair), Miss E Cooper (EC/Clerk), Cllrs Peter McLaughlin (PM) and David

Beckles(DB)

 

1. Apologies for absence 

Cllr B Heneghan was not present.

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda  

None declared.

 

3. Update on the recreation ground Play Areas  

3.1 Toddler play area

BS stated that estimates for the decommissioning of the old toddler play area and the

ground work & installation of a new toddler play area had been identified. Council

unanimously agreed that work should proceed with the company who had quoted and had

previously supplied play equipment for Upton.

Estimated costs in financial year 20/21 £8000.

Total estimated costs £14255 (ex VAT).

BS to contact contractor & authorise work.

3.2  Adventure play area

Play equipment identified as remaining under warranty. Quarterly inspections in place for 2021.

Clerk to obtain quote for new wood chippings in this area.

Council also agreed that the existing surface must be turned over prior to new chippings. Agreed to

schedule for Saturday 6th March (weather & volunteers dependent).

EC to speak to BH re. Supply of equipment needed for ground work.

 

4. Updates on the maintenance of the recreation ground  

4.1 Grounds maintenance

The lead volunteer for grounds maintenance is no longer coordinating maintenance on the

recreation ground or around the village. A new volunteer list is being created which the council

hopes to see by the end of January.

4.2 Replacement fence

It has come to light that the council has a legal obligation to have a fence in place on the north-west

boundary of the recreation ground. Owners of the land adjoining the recreation ground are also

keen to stop trespassers on their land. This project will be pursued in early 2021.

4.3 Litter / bins

This matter is a part of the recent village-wide survey & results will be published in January.

4.4 Signage

This matter is a part of the recent village-wide survey & results will be published in January.

4.5 Wild flower area

A meeting had taken place to discuss this matter, or a ‘micro-woodland’ in place of the old toddler

play area. This will be subject to further discussion once the play area is fully decommissioned.

 

5. Update from the Chair on the village survey   

5.1 Questionnaire via Upton News

109 responses had been received to the questionnaire & results will be published in

January.

5.2 Next stage (Parish Plan)

A new Parish Plan will be formed from the results of the survey, with a current intention of

presenting a draft plan at this year’s Annual Parish Meeting (TBC).

6. Update from Cllr PMcL on UPC IT  

6.1 Village web site

PM confirmed that both the updating  & compatibility  requirements were nearing completion with

an external contractor, in order to conform with web site accessibility legislation.

6.2 Any other IT related update

PM agreed to compile procedures for updating protocols on WordPress for the village web site.

 

7. Update from the EC & BS on information gathered on the history of the rec & village hall & any

     subsequent actions required

     EC reported that verbal & email requests had drawn a blank & that papers stored by the council would

be examined shortly & reported to council in January.

 

8. To agree on the proposal for a new UPC Structure  

8.1 What we do on UPC

BS created a structure with councillor responsibilities & this was agreed by those present.

8.2 Internal emails and email structures going forwards

A system of highlighting the importance of emails & actions required was discussed & agreed by

those present.

8.3 Work Flow Tracker – Monday.com to help us communicate better and give confidence to progress

things

Council unanimously agreed that after investigation, this system would not suit needs.

8.4 Red Folder / Parish Council Bible – what is it and when can it be in place?

Clerk to arrange both an e-folder & physical folder, containing all key council documents &

processes. To present to council on completion.

8.5 Clerk weekly catch up with the Chairman

Agreed a weekly phone call of no more than one hour.

 

9. To hear an explanation & proposal to investigate a Neighbourhood Plan

     BS explained the benefits of a Neighbourhood Plan & was investigating the possibility for Upton.

 

10. To agree UPC Aims & Objectives

       BS had issued the Aims & Objectives prior to the meeting & these were unanimously agreed by council.

 

11. To agree UPC Strategic Plan

       BS had issued the Strategic Plan prior to the meeting & this was unanimously agreed by council.

 

12. To agree a format for recruiting new councillors 

12.1 New Councillor Pack

EC had provided details of the content of the new councillor pack & this was accepted by council.

12.2 Recruiting new councillors

A potential new councillor was highlighted. EC to contact.

13. To agree the content of the next council update for Upton News (January 2021) 

Council unanimously agreed PC content for next Upton News. Clerk to compile in conjunction with

PMcL.

 

 

Date of next meeting: –

 

Thursday 14^th January 2021 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system

 

 

Action Points from this meeting
No.	Action	When By
1.	EC to compile next Upton News update (Jan 21)	Actioned
2.	EC to compile ‘red folder’ x 2 & present to council on completion	Actioned
3.	BS to contact Kompan & authorise start of new play area work	December
4.	EC to obtain quote for wood chippings	January
5.	EC to speak to BH re. equipment required for ground work on adventure play area	January
6.	PM to compile procedures for updating WordPress/web site	January
7.	EC to contact potential new councillor	Actioned
8.	BS/EC to report on historical papers stored by the council	January

In attendance:- Cllr Ben Shaw (Chair/BS), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs Peter McLaughlin, David Beckles & Brendan Heneghan. County Cllr Mike Fox-Davies, District Cllr Sarah Medley. One member of the public.

 

1. Apologies for absence

None.

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

3. Approve the minutes of the following meeting & note any matters arising: –

UPC   17.09.20

UPCX   20.10.20

UPC unanimously agreed to approve the previous minutes with no changes.

 

4. Report from the County Councillor – see Appendix A below

Cllr MF-D highlighted the 20s Plenty Campaign, regarding the potential introduction of 20mph speed

limits in Oxfordshire villages.

The Chairman highlighted the Chilton Road closure notices came after the road was physically closed &

asked for better communication in future. He also requested better signage regarding the road closure

than there is at present. Cllr MF-D to look in to this.

 

5. Report from the District Councillor – see Appendix B below.

Cllr SM highlighted the continues support for communities and businesses from the DC. Also

supermarket vouchers available via the CAB. BS to ensure this information communicated to the village.

Didcot Garden Town – BS confirmed he now represents Upton & Blewbury on the Resident Sounding

Board.

SM highlighted bids for climate emergency change initiatives deadline 11.1.21.

BS asked about grants for decarbonisation of public buildings. SM to supply more information if

available.

 

6. Representations from the public

A member of the public asked for the council’s help in the restoration of 2 benches in the

Upton parish on the Sustrans route. UPC agreed to consider the offer of a local artist to do the work and

to consider the price.

 

7. Update from the Chair on the current community Covid-19 response in the village, inc.

WhatsApp help group

The Chairman confirmed he had joined the WhatsApp group & that it was still going strong. He also

confirmed that fortunately there was no one in the village in need of financial support. So further

support was going to people in Didcot.

 

8. Outstanding actions from previous meetings & actions from this meeting: –

 

No.	Action from this meeting	When by
1.	BS to ensure information on DC support & supermarket vouchers goes out to the village.	ASAP
2.	All to consider the remedial work on benches.	Jan meeting
3.	EC/BS to examine documents held in VH meeting room filing cabinet.	Actioned.

No.	Actions from September Meeting	When By
1.	MF-D to see if more information is available on C-19 testing in the area following reports of problems from BH	C’fwd Jan meeting
2.	BS to obtain quote for remedial work on zip wire, chain cover & seat	Cleared
3.	BH to look in to benefits of two types of fence on the rec	Cleared
4.	Clerk to send historic documents found to date to BH.	Cleared

 

9. To ratify or agree the council’s response to the following planning applications: –

9.1  P20/V2094/FUL 3 Fieldside, Upton

Proposal to erect 2 storey building to side of existing property to offer 2 bed

accommodation. Inc parking space.

UPC objected to this consultation.

9.2 P20/V2138/HH Owlscote Barn, High St, Upton

P20/V2137/LB Owlscote Barn

Proposed demolition & rebuilding of existing outbuilding. Raising boundary

wall & building gable in brickwork.

UPC objected to these consultations.

9.3  P20/V2389/FUL Land off Hollow Way

Construction of new digestate storage lagoon, perimeter soil und, hard

surface turning pad & security fencing.

UPC objected to this consultation.

9.4 P20/V2773/LB Regularisation of unauthorised works to listed building known

as Owlscote Barn

Deadline 28.11.20

UPC objected to this consultation.

9.5 EC & BS agreed to start an examination of papers held in the filing cabinet in the meeting room of

the village hall, with the objective of removing planning papers that do not need to be kept and

uncovering any historical documentation.

 

10. Update on UPC Finances and Administration

10.1 Outcome of Clerk’s appraisal

Regular weekly telecon with the Chairman.

Recognised time for CiLCA.

Highlighting importance of communications for response from councillors.

Discussions between councillors to take place ahead of meetings in order to come

to meetings with agreements, thereby reducing time spent in meetings.

 

10.2 Agree any remedial actions to the Clerk’s hours/hourly rate

10.2.1 Confidential – agreement on pay as agreed in performance review???

10.2.2 Clerks agreed working hours & days

The already agreed 20 hours per month would stand, & would primarily be

carried out on a Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. Additional hours up to 8 per month. Council

unanimously agreed.

10.3 Clerk’s new Job Description

The job description was unanimously agreed.

10.4 To agree the following payments: –

 

Date	Payee	£
28.10.20, 28.11.20	Clerk’s salary SO Inc additional hours (8) as agreed [LGA1972 s112(2)]	Not publicly disclosed
25.11.20	Clerk’s expenses [LG(FPA)1963s5]	£0
Oct, Nov	HMRC PAYE SO (£52.20pm – Oct, £46.00 Nov)	£98.20
19.10.20, 19.11.20	Microsoft Office365 Sept & Oct DD @£3.80pm [LGA1972 s111]	£7.60
10.11.20	Royal British Legion Donation [LGA1972 s137] Agreed by email, to be ratified.	£200.00
12.11.20	Survey Monkey Response Fees [LGA1972 ss15(5)&34(5)]	£200.00
	TOTAL	£505.80 + Clerk’s salary above

 

10.5  Receipts

Bank interest October .11p, November .11p

10.6 To sign off bank reconciliation to date

Provided in advance of the meeting. To be physically signed at a later date

10.7 Update on UPC budgets

The Chairman explained the updated budget layout to the council. This was now more in keeping

with professional standards. Council unanimously agreed to move forward with this format in

principle. BS to produce final version for formal agreement at January’s meeting.

10.8 Any other financial or administration updates

10.8.1 Recreation ground fencing – BH confirmed following discussions with the owners of the

land adjoining the recreation ground, the conclusion is that they do not want people to

continue to trespass on their land & would welcome a fence on the rec. This therefore

needs to be formally accounted and planned for within the UPC budget. Council

unanimously agreed that future budget meetings should be conducted as standalone

meetings, with recommendations reported at the next full council meeting.

10.8.2 It was noted that the CC are reviewing the dog bin situation & are not currently installing

any new ones.

 

NOTE:- Council agreed to close the meeting at this point as it was 11pm.

 

All other agenda items were deferred to a continuation meeting to be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 3^rd December 2020.

 

Date of next full council meeting: –

Thursday 14^th January 2021 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system

 

APPENDIX A

REPORT UPTON PARISH COUNCIL NOVEMBER 2020

FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES

Oxfordshire update

As I am sure everyone is now aware, a four-week national lockdown has been introduced for

England, which ends on 2nd December. This move comes in the wake of rapidly rising infection levels across the country and a significant rise in hospital admissions. More information on the national restrictions and what it means can be found on the government’s website.

What are the new restrictions?

• People must stay at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such as education, childcare, and work which cannot be done from home.
• Pubs, restaurants, and non-essential shops and businesses will have to close, although hospitality venues can continue to provide takeaway and delivery services.
• Schools, colleges, universities and early years settings can remain open.
• People must not meet socially indoors or in a private garden with family or friends who are not part of their household or support bubble.
• People should reduce the number of journeys they make and avoid all but essential travel.
• People are allowed to exercise outdoors or visit an outdoor public place with members of their household or support bubble.
• A maximum of two people from different households – excluding children under school age – are allowed to meet outdoors for the purpose of exercise or to visit an outdoor public place.

Detailed information about the new restrictions is available on the gov.uk website.

What public services will remain open?

Under the new national restrictions, a greater number of public services can remain open than under the previous lockdown. This includes schools, colleges, and early years settings; household waste recycling centres; and registrar’s offices. Public outdoor spaces including parks, gardens and playgrounds will remain open. Outdoor markets will also be able to continue, although trade will be limited to food and other essential items.

The overwhelming majority of Oxfordshire County Council’s services will still be delivered without interruption. We will continue to provide care and support to vulnerable residents through home visits and our community support services; and our formally organised support groups that provide mutual aid or therapy will continue, with a maximum of 15 participants.

Our registration services will continue to provide birth registration and notices face to face in

COVID-secure offices, while death registration will continue by phone. However, weddings and civil partnerships will be paused, in line with national guidance.

What will temporarily close?

The government has confirmed that entertainment venues, including museums and galleries, must temporarily close. This means that the Oxfordshire Museum and the Oxfordshire History Centre have closed until 2 December. Libraries have also closed, although the home library service will continue to operate, as will the online library service. A potential new click-and-collect service is being investigated for the libraries, together with limited access to public network PCs across a small number of

branches.

All OCC staff have been asked to work from home if at all possible and it is only in exceptional circumstances that they should go into the office. Staff working in frontline services will continue to do so in line with the COVID-compliance measures.

 

Support for extremely vulnerable people and self-isolating residents

The over 60s and the clinically vulnerable people have been recommended by the government to minimise their contacts with others during the lockdown period. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, including working from home.

If anyone has a received a letter from the government about receiving additional support, they have been identified as being extremely vulnerable. In order to benefit from this support, they need to register themselves on the national system if they have not already done so. If they require additional support their district council will be informed and will make contact with them to identify their needs in more detail. If they need urgent support then they can contact their district council directly.

If residents do not have the means to register and have no one who is able to assist, they can

call us on the number below.

• Call 01865 897820
• Email shield@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
• The service is open 8.30am – 5pm Monday – Thursday, and 8.30am – 4pm on Fridays.

Closed Saturday – Sunday and Bank Holidays

#StopTheSpread

We coninue to work closely with our partners in health, the district councils, police and the universities to issue extended #StopTheSpread communications, including urging people to follow the new restrictions, communicating the symptoms and ensuring understanding and reminding children and young people they must wear face coverings on school transport.

Vaccine News

News that possible COVID-19 vaccines could be on the horizon continue to make headlines,

including the update on the Oxford vaccine from earlier this week, which is showing an encouraging immune response in older adults. Whilst this continues to bring cause for hope, it remains very early days for all the vaccine trials and we must be patient. All the vaccines need to be reviewed and any potential safety hurdles cleared.

New lockdown funding available for businesses

District council colleagues are now processing applications for the new government funding available to businesses that have been forced to close in the current lockdown. Known as ‘Local Restrictions Grant Support Grant (Closed) Addendum’, this grant may also be distributed to businesses which have had to adapt their business model because of the measures, for example to provide a reduced service such as takeaways or click and collect.

To qualify for this grant, businesses must have been:

▪ open as usual on 4 November 2020

▪ providing services in person to customers from the premises

▪ required to close the main part of the business, due to the national lockdown

restrictions imposed by government

▪ liable to pay business rates for the premises on 5 November 2020 (even if they have not paid their business rates this financial year due to a relief or exemption).

We want all eligible businesses to benefit from this financial support, advising them to visit their city council or district council website to find out how to apply.

Residents warned against COVID-19 scams

Our trading standards team is continuing to warn residents to be on their guard against criminals and scammers exploiting the pandemic. The team has received numerous reports of scams targeting people by email, text messages, and on the doorstep. More information is in our recent news release about some of the scams the team are aware of. Please do share this important information with residents, groups and organisations in your division.

Oxfordshire wins £2.98 million to transform active travel

This is 25 per cent more than our indicative allocation for tranche 2 and recognises the ambition of our active travel plans. It brings the total amount we have been awarded to £3,283,500.

The scale of this second award reflects the bold proposals we submitted. The five schemes we put forward – three in Oxford, one in Bicester and one in Witney – are designed to have the greatest impact in terms of air quality, physical activity and environmental benefit. They are projects which go to the heart of supporting healthy and vibrant communities and will help enable a sustainable and safe recovery from the pandemic. In addition to the funding from the DfT, we have been given £1.4m in funding from OxLEP – subject to sign-off by the OxLEP Programme Subgroup next Wednesday – which has been allocated to the schemes in Witney and Bicester. This funding combined with the award from the DfT will enable us to fully fund all five of the tranche 2 active travel schemes. Read

our news story for more.

New speeding taskforce group aims to save lives

Residents will be given more of a say on how to stop drivers speeding in their neighbourhoods, thanks to a new organisation set up to tackle the problem in Oxfordshire. The speeding taskforce group is a joint initiative involving Oxfordshire County Council, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police and the Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner. Announced to coincide with Road Safety Week, its aims include educating drivers about the dangers of breaking the speed limit and helping communities to tackle the issue. Councillor Liam Walker, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Delivery and Operations, who sits on the taskforce, said “Speeding is rightly one of the top issues that residents in Oxfordshire are concerned about and this is an opportunity for us to

all work closer to explore new ways to reduce it. We all have a responsibility as drivers to play our part and through this new taskforce I hope we can work closely with communities to start looking at solutions to reducing speeding on our roads. “This may involve more enforcement from Thames Valley Police or the county council changing the layout of roads or reducing speed limits in areas, but the key point of this group is to bring us together so we can start to have these conversations and focus on the

changes needed so we can save lives.” The speeding taskforce group is made up of Cllr Walker, Paul Fermer (Oxfordshire County Council’s Assistant Director of Community Operations), Matt Barber (Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley), Superintendent Colin Hudson (Head of Roads Policing Unit for Thames Valley Police) and Andy Ford (Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue

Service’s Road Safety Manager). Matt Barber, Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner, said: “Speeding and road safety is a legitimate concern for almost every community in the Thames Valley. By taking a strategic approach, which involves improving Community Speedwatch, more targeted, intelligence-led

police enforcement and safer road management by councils, we can cut speeding, reassure

communities and, ultimately, save lives.” Initial virtual meetings have been held to identify how the different organisations can share data about key accident and speeding hotspots. The group wants to focus on more awareness campaigns, alerting drivers to the effects and consequences of speeding and giving the issue as much attention as drink-driving or not wearing a seatbelt. It also aims to support communities that want to help tackle speeding by ensuring they have the support to set up Community Speedwatch groups in their area to monitor motorists who break the limits.

Pandemic won’t stop Oxfordshire’s roads from being gritted

As temperatures start to dip, the county council’s winter weather response springs into action, becoming one of our key frontline services that keeps almost half of the roads across Oxfordshire free as possible from winter hazards. The pandemic will not stop our efforts – we are ready to go. This year we have trained 15 extra drivers, will have 25 gritter lorries on the road at any one time, and will use approximately 220 tonnes of salt per treatment. For more information about our winter service, please read our news story.

Launch of zero emission zone consultation

Together with Oxford City Council, yesterday (Friday 20 November) we pressed go on our final consultation on proposals for the pilot stage of the Zero Emission Zone for Oxford. This first stage covers an area of central Oxford and is due to be launched in August 2021. It aims to help cut vehicle emissions in the city and improve local air quality. The consultation runs online until 17 January 2021 and can be found here.

Oxford-Cambridge Arc event, recording now available

Earlier this week, the Leaders Group of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc hosted an online event which outlined the economic vision for the Arc, set out the big themes for innovation-led growth in the area and provided an opportunity for public conversation about the Arc’s recently launched economic prospectus. For those councillors unable to attend the live online event or for those wishing to recap on the session, a recording is now available online. This is approximately 80 minutes in length and is introduced by Councillor Barry Wood, Leader of Cherwell District Council, in his role as Chair of the Arc Leaders Group.

Hand it back campaign

As part of our joint ‘hand it back campaign’ with Oxford Health, Oxford University Hospitals and supplier NRS Healthcare, please encourage residents in your division to return any unused health and social care equipment loaned to them so others can take advantage of it.

Worldwide manufacturing of items including bed rails, pendent alarm equipment/sensors (telecare) and mattresses has slowed because of the pandemic, meaning new ones may be harder to come by. The pieces of unused equipment being sought are:

▪ chairs, beds, bed rails and mattresses

▪ wheeled commodes

▪ any electrical items

▪ walking and toilet frames

▪ pendent alarm equipment/sensors (Telecare)

▪ slings.

Anybody wanting to give back equipment can arrange a collection by calling NRS Healthcare on 01869 225420 or by sending their details to enquiries@oxfordshire.nrsuk.net

 

 

APPENDIX B

District Councillor Report Upton Parish Council Thursday 26th November 2020

hayleigh.gascoigne@whitehorsedc.gov.uk Page 1 of 4 sarah.medley@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

Upton Parish Council

Thursday 26th November 2020

Report from District Councillors

Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and Cllr Sarah Medley

Coronavirus Update and Community Support

Councils providing vital community and business support through the second lockdown

The new national lockdown restrictions, in place from 5 November to 2 December mean:

• You must work from home if you can
• You should not socialise with people who are not from your household, indoors.
• You may only meet with one person from another household and must stay outdoors
• All non-essential shops to close, but may offer click and collect or delivery services.
• Food stores, supermarkets and pharmacies will stay open
• Hospitality businesses to close, but may offer take-away deliveries or click and collect (excluding alcohol)
• Gyms, leisure centres and leisure venues like cinemas and museums to close
• Schools, colleges and universities remain open

The council is very aware that the winter lockdown will be tough on some of our residents and businesses, but we’re

here for anybody who urgently needs our help.

The councils’ Community Hub, which has been up and running since the first lockdown in March, is on hand to

answer calls and emails from people struggling to access support and essentials during the lockdown and have

nobody else to turn to. The Community Hub can put people who need help getting essentials in contact with

community groups and volunteers providing doorstep support in their neighbourhoods. The councils also have some

practical support available for eligible people facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.

This helps provide a vital lifeline to a way to access basics like food and prescriptions for those who are vulnerable or

isolated, as well as a friendly voice at the end of the phone for those who need it. The message to anybody who is

unsure if they need help, or if they’re unsure if the councils can help, is if in doubt, get in touch! It can sometimes

take a day or two for support to reach people, so anybody who thinks they’ll be in need should not wait until they’ve

run out of supplies before getting in touch.

To contact the Community Support Team:

call: 01235 422 600 Monday to Thursday 8.30-5pm and Fridays 8.30-4.30pm

email: communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk fill in an online form at: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/communityhub

Remember, for the most up-to-date coronavirus information relating to district council support and any changes to services, please take a look at the dedicated Vale webpage for updates: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/covid19

Business Support: the councils also provide a local support service for businesses in the districts worried about the impact the lockdown will have on their operations, providing helpful guidance and pointing them in the direction of the support that is available – see svbs.co.uk.

District council services: for the time being, the majority of our public-facing services are operating as normal. We will let you know if anything changes in the coming weeks. Regardless, the best way for people to access our services now, throughout the lockdown and beyond, is via our websites, which are also the best place to get the most up to date information on the pandemic and any impact it is having on our services: whitehorsedc.gov.uk . The council offices on Milton Park remain closed to the public, as they have been since March. Gyms and leisure centres are closed to the public (for more formation go to the Better UK website – better.org.uk), as are all community centres.

Local News

Projects moving forward for Didcot Garden Town Advisory Board

Members of the Didcot Garden Town Advisory Board met recently to hear about the latest developments for Didcot

Gateway and other key initiatives around the town. You can watch the meeting in full via https://youtu.be/QfXTrFSOKGo. The board were updated on the district councils’ plan to build their new offices at

Didcot Gateway, which will be located opposite the railway station. During the meeting Homes England’s proposal

and online community engagement, which took place during this summer, to redevelop the Gateway area was

discussed. The district councils are pleased to be working with Homes England to ensure the new councils’ offices

provide an important part of the overall sustainable redevelopment of the site.

Members were updated on a range of initiatives, including plans for a new health centre and a county council led

project to improve roads and cycle paths for the wider garden town area. The board obtained feedback from

councillors who had attended the first meeting of the Parish Council Sounding Board. The virtual session was

chaired by Cllr Ian Hudspeth and was attended by eight parish councillors from the garden town’s surrounding

villages. Their views on housing quality, maintaining green buffers between town and villages, transport links and

infrastructure plans for residents living in more rural areas will be used to inform projects which will benefit the

area.

The Didcot Garden Town team will be engaging with local residents and businesses, through resident and business

led Sounding Boards, which will provide further information on the projects with the opportunity to feedback on the

new proposals. If you’d like to hear more about the latest developments in Didcot Garden Town or are interested in

joining one of the resident or business sounding boards, you can sign up to the latest newsletter here.

The first-ever Didcot Garden Town residents and community groups sounding board meeting is taking place online

at 5.30pm on Monday 30 November You have until midnight tonight to register for. Register and get involved with

the projects happening in and around Didcot via www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/didcot-garden-town

Climate and Environment

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

We’re looking into applying for government funding that could help make some of our buildings across both districts

more energy efficient. The recently announced Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme focuses on low-carbon heating

and improvements to help reduce energy consumption like insulation, glazing and ventilation.

The scheme offers grants to finance up to 100 per cent of the costs of capital energy-saving projects for nondomestic

public sector buildings. It could provide very welcome resources to help both councils meet their own

Climate Emergency targets. The timescales for applying for the funding are tight, with bids required by 11 January

2021 and we’re now looking into putting forward bids for a priority list of sites for both councils.

This work will involve input from a number of different teams, including Property and Active Communities and will

link into other work going on like the Strategic Property Review. We will keep you up to date with progress on this

exciting initiative. Parish councils are also eligible to apply to this scheme.

Tree Planting Guide introduced by Climate Emergency Advisory Committee

As suggested by the Vale’s Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, the council’s Specialist Planning team have

created a handy Tree Planting Guide for Community Groups. This can be found on the following dedicated webpage,

alongside useful advice on Tree Protection Orders: https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/vale-of-white-horse-districtcouncil/planning-and-development/wildlife-trees-and-landscape/trees/

 

Council Matters

Full council

At a Special Meeting of Council on 22nd October, the Vale’s new Corporate Plan was considered and formally

adopted. The Corporate Plan sets out the strategy and overarching projects for the Council, so councillors welcomed

the incorporation of targets to address the climate emergency and to build healthy communities. The minutes of the

meeting, including reports on the Corporate Plan, can be found here:

http://democratic.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=108&MId=2822

Planning

Councils raise objections to Government’s proposed reforms to the planning system

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have written separate letters to Robert Jenrick objecting

to many of the Government’s proposed reforms to the current planning system. The Government’s proposed

changes were outlined in the Planning for the Future white paper. You can read our full response here: Vale letter

Oxford to Cambridge Arc prospectus

The Oxford to Cambridge Arc is a strategic area incorporating the ceremonial county areas of Oxfordshire,

Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Arc Leaders Group is a body comprising

most of the local authorities, local enterprise partnerships and universities from across the Arc.

On 17 November the key figures behind Oxfordshire-Cambridge Arc are hosting a virtual event to launch the Arc

Economic Prospectus and to give people a chance to find out more about the what it means for the region.

The event takes place online from midday until 1.30pm and is the first in a series which will explore different aspects

of the Arc’s development, including how it intends to unlock investment, promote world-class research and drive

innovation-led growth. To find out more and to register please visit the event’s the event’s webinar page.

Parking Policy Consultation

Your chance to comment on proposed changes to off-street parking in the Vale

People in the Vale of White Horse have the chance to comment on some proposed changes to parking arrangements

in the district council’s off street car parks. Over the summer Vale of White Horse District Council’s Cabinet agreed to

amend the district’s parking policy, including measures to encourage the use of electric vehicles in order help tackle

the climate emergency, and changes to parking in Rye Farm and Hales Meadow car parks in Abingdon.

The council is now giving people the chance to have their say before the new parking policy is finalised early in

2021. The council will also seek comments from statutory consultees such as the Police, the highways authority and

town and parish councils.

The following changes are being proposed:

• Additional parking for electric vehicles and powers to issue fines for parking non-electric vehicles in electric

charging bays, or for leaving an electric vehicle in the bay when it’s not charging

• removing the parking for lorries in the Rye Farm car park, Abingdon and creating more spaces for smaller

vehicles

• formalising the parking bays in Hales Meadow car park, Abingdon for coaches and campervans

To find about more about the proposals and to take part in the consultation please visit

www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/parking. The consultation is open until Thursday 19 November.

UK terror threat level

We’ve been advised by Thames Valley Police that, as precautionary measure following recent events in France and

Austria, the UK’s terror threat level has been changed from Substantial to Severe. There is no specific intelligence to

suggest any threat to our communities at this time, but Thames Valley Police has said that it means we should all be

more vigilant.

Upton Parish Council  

 

Minutes of the virtual meeting of Upton Parish Council held at 7.30pm on Thursday 17^th September 2020.

In attendance: – Councillors Mr B Shaw (Chair/BS), P McLaughlin (PM), D Beckles (DB), B Heneghan (BH). County Councillor M Fox-Davies. Three members of the public.

 

1. Apologies for absence

District Councillors H Gascoigne, S Medley

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

 

3. Approve the minutes of the following meeting & note any matters arising: –

UPC   23.07.20

Council unanimously approved the above minutes as a true representation of the meeting.

 

4. Report from the County Councillor

See Appendix A below

BH highlighted problems with Covid-19 testing in the area & asked if there was more

information from the CC. MF-D had no further information, but asked that BH email

him details of problems encountered. ACTION BH

 

5. Report from the District Councillor

See Appendix B below

 

6. Representations from the public

Three members of the public attended the meeting & spoke in turn on the following subjects: –

1. Recreation Ground car park extension
2. Recreation Ground proposed new fence to the rear

• Request to consider long term implications of any prospective changes to the recreation ground

The Chair responded on PC actions to date. The PC is drafting plans & undertaking

cost exercises, but no concrete decisions had been made. The PC is happy to consider

future implications regarding climate change & biodiversity.

 

The Chair was also working on a village-wide survey, which will be issued in October.

BH requested costing details for hedge laying from the respondent for further consideration.

7. Update on the current community response to the Covid-19 within the village.

An email update from Jacqui Reid confirmed that the village hall had been in use from

mid- summer, but this use was restricted to clubs (with track & trace in place) & not private

Hire.

 

8. Report on outstanding actions carried forward from previous

meetings:-

 

No.		Action Points from March Meeting	When by
3		BS to start formulation of requirements for 5-year plan consultation	Emailed to all 17.9.20
No.		Action Points from March Meeting	When by
1.		JR to look into previous Welcome to the Village’ pack.	Confirmed re-draft
3.		BS to confirm any immediate remedial actions to play area equipment.	Remedial actions underway.
5.		JR to look into documentation held by UVHAT concerning the village hall / PC history	Actioned.
No.	Action Points from previous meetings			When by
1.	Clerk to incorporate large project reserves in budget for 20/21			October

 

 

9. Ratify or agree the council’s response to the following planning consultations: –

9.1 P20/V1090/HH Amendment no.1 Sunnyside, Newmans Close, Upton

Amended drawings for: – Proposed two-storey front extension, two-storey rear extension, loft

conversion with rooflights & dormers, alterations to existing window & door openings & new

cladding.

Deadline 10^th September

UPC confirmed no objections.

 

10. Update on UPC Finances and Administration

10.1 Receive an update on Lloyds bank account matters

All banking matters currently in order.

10.2 Any other financial or administration updates

10.2.1 NALC national salary award (Clerk’s pay). To be applied from September pay &

backdated to April 2020

The national salary award & hourly rate increase was noted by council,

together with its application from September 2020, backdated to April 2020.

10.2.2 Payment of working from home allowance, back dated to April 2020

Following a case put forward by the Clerk to the Chair, council unanimously

agreed to the payment of the standard, tax free, working from home allowance

with effect from September 2020, backdated to April 2020.

10.3 Agree the following payments: –

Council unanimously agreed to include a payment for this year’s RoSPA report to Play

Safety for £202.20, as well as agreeing to all payments below.

 

Date	Payee	£
28.08.20, 28.09.20	Clerk’s salary SO Inc backdated pay increase & working from home allowance [LGA1972 s112(2)]	Not publicly disclosed
17.09.20	Clerk’s expenses [LG(FPA)1963s5]	£13.60
August, Sept	HMRC PAYE SO (£44.80pm – August, Sept £52.20)	£97.20
19.08.20, 19.09.20	Microsoft Office365 July & Aug DD @£3.80pm [LGA1972 s111]	£7.60
08.09.20	The Churn Benefice – photocopying of Upton News April 2019-March 2020 [LGA1972 s111]	£240.00
02.09.20	The Sign Shed – paid to be ratified [LG(MF)A1976s19(3)]	£61.80
18.09.20	Play Safety (RoSPA report)	£202.20
	TOTAL	£622.40+ Clerk’s salary above

 

10.4   Receipts

Bank interest August .46p, September .11p

Clerk’s note:- Lloyds Bank interest rate change from .05% to .01% wef 11.08.20

The Clerk also confirmed that the second half of the precept had been received on

11.9.20 in the sum of £5068.

10.5   Sign off bank reconciliation to date

Provided in advance of the meeting. Agreed by council. To be physically signed at a

later date.

 

11. Update on the recreation ground Play Areas

11.1 Toddler play area

The recent RoSPA inspection report highlighted low-level remedial action to be taken on

some play equipment. Further investigation as the result of the request for a

quotation in relation to moving the toddler play area to a new area, highlighted a

great deal more. In summary, it is not cost effective to remove & re-use any of the toddler

play area equipment. Consideration will therefore be given to the removal from site of

existing play equipment & the installation of new equipment in an area next to the

adventure play area.

11.2 Adventure play area

Remedial work is required on the zip wire, chain cover & seat, & a quotation for

this work will be obtained. ACTION BS

       11.3 The Chair arranged for signs to be installed at play areas on 18/9.

11.4 The PC unanimously agreed in principle for Kompan to carry out all remedial work on

the play areas, subject to a final satisfactory quotation.

 

12. Update on the maintenance of the recreation ground

12.1 Grounds maintenance

Grounds maintenance carried out by volunteers on the Upton rec will continue for the

foreseeable future. Quotes obtained from contractors have to date not been

financially viable.

12.2 Replacement fence

A quote had been obtained to replace the damaged fence to the rear of the recreation

ground, with something more substantial that will last a long time. BH requested that

the quote includes such details as treatment & guarantees. Representations were made

from the members of the public present, that a hedge rather than a fence should be

installed. Further consideration will be given to the possibility of both in the long term.

ACTION BH to investigate further.

12.3 Litter / bins

Council had considered the number of bins available in the village currently & agreed

to leave as is for now.

 

 

13. Update on the ‘rec regeneration plan’

13.1 Toddler play area

Progress is being made regarding the selection of a contractor, mapping out of

the potential new area, plus costings for grounds work, new equipment, installation,

regular maintenance, removal of old equipment &

decommissioning of the old toddler play area.

13.2 Pump track

Remedial work on the pump track is being considered in conjunction with all work

on the play areas.

13.3 Grounds maintenance contractor

See 12.1 above.

13.4 Any other areas requiring attention within the recreation area

None highlighted.

 

14. Update on car park extension project

During the summer, eye witnesses reported to the council the use of the

recreation ground for the parking of vehicles. The only part of the recreation ground that may

be used for parking is the strip of grass immediately in front of the car park, which has a

protective underlayer. Unfortunately, this is not marked & not clear. Whilst there is some

opposition to an extension of the car park, the Council will propose the case for a small

extension in the near future.

 

15. Update on UPC IT

15.1 Village web site

This has been updated to comply with all levels of usage.

15.2 Any other IT related update

None.

 

16. Update on proposed Speed Watch activity in Upton

This is on hold due to the Covid-19 situation.

 

17. Update on information gathered on the history of the rec & village hall

& any subsequent actions required

Written evidence of the history is proving difficult to find, but has been hampered by the

current situation. The search continues. To send any documents uncovered to date

to BH. ACTION Clerk.

 

18. Discuss any required plan of action to: –

18.1 Create a new five-year parish council plan

18.2 Revise the existing Parish Plan (last 2015/16)

Both of the above will be influenced by the results of a village-wide survey (currently

in draft form), which it is planned to issue in early October.

 

The meeting finished at 10pm.

 

Date of next meeting:-

 

Thursday 26^th November 2020 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system

 

Appendix A

 

REPORT TO UPTON PARISH COUNCIL SEPTEMBER 2020

FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES

In the 7 days up to 4 September, there has been a total of 76 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Oxfordshire. This is similar to 71 new cases in the previous week. The weekly rate for Oxford currently stands at 16.4 cases per 100,000 population. The city is at yellow alert status, which means COVID is still circulating and remains a risk. The latest figures are available at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/stopthespread. 

Cases of coronavirus by district

e	Cases in 7 days up to 4/9/2020	Weekly rate per 100,000 population	Change from previous week	Weekly rate alert status
Cherwell	11	7.3	increase	green
Oxford	25	16.4	no change	yellow
South Oxfordshire	10	7.0	no change	green
Vale of White Horse	15	11.0	decrease	green
West Oxfordshire	15	13.6	increase	green
Oxfordshire	76	11.0	no change	green

 

Data correct as at 5pm 8 September. It is important to note data is constantly being updated, so the picture is dynamic and can change quickly.

Welcoming children back to school safely

The new academic year has almost arrived, and our Learning & School Improvement team have been working closely with schools and colleges to make sure that all children are welcomed back safely. Risk assessments have been carried out and hygiene measures are in place across all educational settings, and all educational providers are following Department for Education, Public Health England and County Council guidance.

We recognise that some parents may feel anxious, particularly in light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Oxford. We have therefore written to parents and carers across Oxfordshire to reassure them about the preparations that have taken place for the safe return of children. 94% of schools in Oxfordshire have remained open since the start of lockdown and we have not seen any significant outbreaks during this time. Moreover, research by Public Health England shows that coronavirus outbreaks and infections in schools and early years settings are very rare. Out of more than 1 million children attending pre-school and primary school in June, just 70 children were affected.

For those children who are entitled to home to school transport, the OCC Transport Recovery Group has liaised with schools to identify a safe service. This has included a total of 40 additional routes to ensure children from more than one school do not travel together.

 

Independent report on different options for local government structures

In July, Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council jointly commission a piece of work to look at the various options for local government structures. This work is in advance of the anticipated Government Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper, which is due in the Autumn.

Independent experts PwC were asked to undertake the work and their initial high-level appraisal has now been published. The report does not seek to make recommendations but is designed to open positive conversations about how we can work more closely with all local authorities across Oxfordshire to achieve the best outcome for residents. More information and the full report can be found here.

Active Travel

Part of our work to enable Oxfordshire’s recovery from coronavirus has been to support a shift to walking and cycling so people are able to get around safely and sustainably as lockdown restrictions are eased. This is being partly funded by the Department for Transport through the Emergency Active Travel Fund.

Active travel tranche 1 :   continues to be delivered on time and projects will be completed in August as intended/required

Active travel tranche 2 :   bid was submitted by deadline 7^th August, and we expect the DfT decision about mid-September.    Depending upon the funding granted we will then proceed to necessary consultations

DfT criteria and timetable which led to selection of projects mainly from LCWIP programme in Ox City, though there is a major project proposed for Witney and one for Bicester.

 

Appendix B

Coronavirus Update and Community Support COVID-19 Community Support Hub

Whilst we don’t know how long the UK’s response to and recovery from COVID-19 will take, we do know it’s likely to be some time. One of the roles of the Community Hub when it was first set up was to help provide vital support to shielded residents (along with others who also need support), and even though the guidelines for those shielding has changed, we want all of our residents to know we’re still here to provide support and advice. The hours have changed due to demand, so it’s no longer open over the weekends and now reflects standard office hours of Monday to Thursday 8.30-5pm and Fridays 8.30-4.30pm. A summary of the number of COVID-19 cases across Oxfordshire, broken down to district level, is available on the following website and will be updated on a weekly basis each Wednesday: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/stopthespread. To contact the Community Support Team: call: 01235 422 600 Monday to Thursday 8.30-5pm and Fridays 8.30-4.30pm email: communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk. Remember, for the most up-to-date coronavirus information relating to district council support and any changes to services, please take a look at the dedicated Vale webpage for updates: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/covid19 New funding available for volunteer groups and organisations to help vulnerable residents affected by Covid-19 Voluntary and community sector groups in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse can apply for a share of nearly £90,000 to help people affected by Covid-19 in the districts. The Vale of White Horse District Council has £43,077 to provide funds for voluntary and community sector projects that are delivering essential services to vulnerable residents in the districts who are struggling to afford food and other essential provisions as a result of COVID-19. Voluntary groups and organisations can now apply for grants of up to £5,000 to go towards:

• projects directly helping vulnerable people affected by the effects of COVID-19, such as providing access to food and other essentials e.g. toiletries;
• existing schemes supporting people struggling to afford food and other essentials, and where the need is greatest; • projects advising and providing information to people to help them access longer term support they might need, such as benefits;
• projects that provide targeted support in areas of greatest need and deprivation, including rural areas.

Town and Parish Councils who are collaborating with un-constituted third-party groups e.g. COVID-19 community response groups, mutual aid groups will also be eligible to apply. The scheme is now open, and applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. The first deadline for applications was midnight on Tuesday 15 September 2020, but further rounds will be assessed every two weeks thereafter, and the scheme will remain open until the funds are spent, so early applications are encouraged. It is anticipated that funds will be spent by 31 October 2020. To apply, please read the application guidance notes before completing the online form which you can find here: http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/community-advice-and-support/grants . If you require any further information or have any queries, please contact the Community Connector Team at communityconnectors@southandvale.gov.uk

Climate and Environment B4493 Proposed Roundabout Design

We have been very encouraged to see how so many residents have engaged with this opportunity to proactively push for the changes in cycling infrastructure that you would like to see. We would like to thank all of the residents from Harwell and the surrounding area who have contacted us recently regarding the proposed design of the B4493 roundabout between Harwell and Didcot, as part of the plans for the Valley Park development. We acknowledge the concerns of residents regarding the accessibility of this roundabout for cyclists, who would have to divert a long way down the adjacent roads in order to safely cross the roundabout. It is clear this design needs to be reviewed and we can assure residents that we are currently raising this issue with the relevant decision-makers at all levels of local government (including recently meeting with our MP to discuss this and other issues around Valley Park). We brought these examples of much-needed changes in cycling infrastructure in the local area to the latest Vale full Council meeting in July. This formed part of the debate on a motion on active travel post-COVID, which was seconded by Hayleigh, and successfully passed. Although we have already been discussing the issues around cycling with our county councillor at every opportunity, this motion empowers the Vale to continue to put pressure on the County Council and to keep active travel as a key priority in future projects and plans. The video of the July council meeting, which was the first one to be held virtually, is available to watch online (the Active Travel motion begins at 1:37:40): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKUm1nUEf04   Cycle September Staff and councillors at the Vale are taking part in Cycle September – a global event with a friendly competitive element, to help more people realise the benefits of riding a bike. We know that there are many keen cyclists among you so we thought that you might like to get involved as well, and encourage others to do the same. Throughout the month you can earn points by riding and encouraging others to ride too by logging on to this website https://www.lovetoride.net/uk . During September, the council will also be encouraging residents to get out on their bikes via our social media platforms. On the subject of cycling, here is a reminder of the Active Travel plans the County are working on across Oxfordshire that will benefit many cyclists in our districts: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-and-transport/activetravel Business Support Discretionary Business Grants Across South and Vale we’ve given out well over £1.5 million in Discretionary Business Grants. Last Friday was the deadline for applications to the fund and we’re pleased to say we’ve now paid out to all the successful applicants. The fund was provided to us by the government to help support small and micro-businesses affected by Covid-19, particularly those not eligible for other business grants. Over the last four months our Economic Development and several other departments have worked incredibly hard to process the applications and make the final payments quickly. In the Vale of White Horse – 55 micro and small businesses each received a £10,000 grant – a total of £550,000. Car Park charges – Vale Cabinet puts local business recovery first Vale of White Horse District Council’s Cabinet has prioritised supporting local businesses recovering from COVID-19 ahead of addressing the council’s own longer-term financial pressures in deciding about changes to car park charges across the district. Earlier this month, Cabinet considered a range of options for the district’s council car parks. After listening to feedback from local residents and businesses, Cabinet members unanimously agreed to retain two hours free parking across the district in order to ensure that town centre shops and cafes can continue to benefit from the scheme while they recover from the pandemic.

Council Matters Leisure Centres phased opening plans You’ll be aware that we’re opening the district’s leisure centres in phases with our partners at GLL– it’s worth bearing in mind that given the changing national situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, the activities and facilities available at a given leisure centre may need to change, be temporarily closed or have occasional changes to opening hours and/or services. These changes are made in accordance with the latest guidance from the government, Sport England and Swim. GLL’s “Better” website lists the latest information on opening hours and services. Residents are advised to visit the website and follow GLL on twitter for the latest information. Housing update – ban on evictions The ban on landlords evicting their tenants in England and Wales has been extended until 20 September taking the total ban to six months. Our housing team continue to work with residents and advise them of their rights in this ever-changing situation. You can find the full government guidance here Vale Cabinet Re-organisation Leader of the Council, Cllr Emily Smith has made some changes to the Vale’s Cabinet that came into effect on 1 September. You can read her public statement on the changes on our website here. The new cabinet member responsibilities are below:

• Councillor Emily Smith: Council Leader
• Councillor Debby Hallett: Deputy Council Leader and Corporate Services and Transformation • Councillor Andy Crawford: Finance and Corporate Assets
• Councillor Neil Fawcett: Strategic Partnerships and Place
• Councillor Helen Pighills: Healthy Communities
• Councillor Judy Roberts: Development and Infrastructure • Councillor Bethia Thomas: Community Engagement
• Councillor Catherine Webber:

Climate Emergency and Environment Planning for the Future consultation

The government has started its consultation to overhaul the planning system and reform the way development is allowed. Its stated aims are to streamline processes, achieve community engagement early in the process and increase the use of technology in consultation and provide interactive maps, so it is more open and transparent. It suggests the reforms will drive our economic recovery, help build green, high quality homes and develop a framework of national green infrastructure standards. Proposals include:

• a 30 per cent discount to homes sold through the First Homes system with an emphasis on key workers
• scrapping Section 106 agreements and introducing a new National Infrastructure Levy, with local decision making on infrastructure spending.
• every area across England will have a Local Plan and can develop design guidance and/or codes, which will be binding on development decisions
• strengthening planning enforcement and sanctions through a rule-based system.

There is a lot of discussion in the press about the proposed reforms, but we encourage you to read the consultation paper, link below, and get your comments to the Government by the deadline, 29 October 2020. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907647/MHCL G-Planning-Consultation.pdf

New council websites go live

At the end of last week, we soft-launched our new council websites to gather public feedback, and we’d love to know what you think of them. Visitors to our existing website will be given the chance to visit the new sites and offer feedback via an online form – if you’d like to try the sites out, please head to the relevant page below: South Oxfordshire Vale of White Horse Do you have any events planned in your area? We manage a local Safety Advisory Group, which has members of the emergency services, county and district councils to help give advice to event organisers to ensure their event takes place safely. If you know of any events happening in your community this year such as open fairs on private land, public firework displays, Remembrance Day parades/gatherings or Christmas events open to the general public, please would you provide the event organiser details via events@southandvale.gov.uk and we will make contact to gather the information required to pass on to the relevant members of the group. As mentioned previously, we are unable to provide specific advice on COVID-19 safety at events. Event organisers will need to make themselves aware of current government guidance to manage their event and use their health and safety risk assessments to cover both general risks and those specifically for COVID-19. Please see our update on 19 August for more information and guidance. Oxfordshire Investment Plan The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) has finalised its Oxfordshire Investment Plan, which – among other things – promises to deliver 24,500 new jobs to the county. The Investment Plan takes forward some of the ideas set out in the Local Industrial Strategy and turns them into a programme of actions until the year 2030. The portfolio promises to deliver at least:

• 24,500 new jobs (gross fulltime equivalents);
• 344,400m² of new commercial and innovation floorspace; • 29,400 new homes (based on existing local plans and the Oxfordshire Housing & Growth Deal);
• 2,700 qualifications (NVQ4+ and Apprenticeships); and
• support for over 41,000 adult and young learners. OxLEP will now engage with Ministers and officials as part of government’s preparations for the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review and development activity in support of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc programme.

Attendees:- Cllrs B Shaw (Chair/BS), P McLaughlin (PM), D Beckles (DB), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC)

 

1. Apologies for absence

Cllr B Heneghan was not present.

County Councillor M Fox-Davies & District Councillors S Medley apologised in advance.

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

 

3. Approve the minutes of the following meetings & note any matters arising: –

UPC 21.05.20

UPCX 09.06.20

Council voted unanimously to accept both sets of minutes.

 

4. Report from the County Councillor

Received in advance of the meeting and at Appendix A below.

 

5. Report from the District Councillor

Received in advance of the meeting and at Appendix B below.

 

6. Representations from the public

None present.

 

7. Update on the community response to the Coronavirus & it’s impact on the village

No update was made available for the meeting.

The re-opening of play areas was covered later in the agenda.

 

8. To report on outstanding actions carried forward from previous

meetings:-

 

No.		Action Points from this Meeting		When By
1		Clerk to action storage/recycling/destroying of UPC held physical documents at the earliest opportunity.		TBA
2		PM to issue draft ground plan of new toddler play area.		Actioned
3		Clerk to contact JR re historic documentation hall for village hall & progress on village ‘welcome pack’.		September meeting
4		Clerk to investigate potential costs of additional bins/black bags for collection of rubbish left on the rec.		Actioned
5		Clerk to provide details of contractors for new toddler play area grounds work. BS to arrange site visits as appropriate.		Actioned   Pre Sept meeting
6		BS to contact GDeW re ground work in old toddler play area.		ASAP
7		BS to speak to volunteer group for reinstatement of regular play area inspections.		ASAP
No.	Action Points from May Meeting			When by
3	BS to start formulation of requirements for 5-year plan consultation			Actioned.
No.			Action Points from March Meeting	When by
2.			Clerk to look at adding Emergency Measures to the SOs.	Ongoing
9.			BH to write para for Upton News for volunteers for Speedwatch.                BH to confirm if actioned ASAP.	O/S
No.		Action Points from previous meetings		When by
1.		BH to speak to Bob Lott regarding the pump track resurfacing & costs.       BH to confirm if actioned ASAP.		C’fwd from March
2.		BH to contact Cllr H Gascoigne for an update on tree records held by the DC.    BH to confirm if actioned ASAP		O/S

  

9. To ratify or agree the council’s response to the following planning applications:-

9.1 P19/V3305/HH Amendment no.2, Vale House, High Street Upton

Bat emergence & re-entry surveys 26.06.20. Email sent Planning 15.7.20 as no paperwork

details nor deadline received. In an email dated 23.7.20, Planning confirmed that no

response was required from Council to this application.

 

10. Update on UPC Finances and Administration

10.1 Update on Lloyds bank account matters

Clerk had recently confirmed to council that Lloyds had accepted recent mandate & sent

out online banking instructions for new signatories. Lloyds had also confirmed a total of

£210 in compensation for their poor service over the past 12 months.

10.2 Other financial or administration updates

The clerk confirmed that CPF money had also been received in to the account on

8.7.20 of £1875. This fund is to help pay for ground work for the new toddler play area.

10.3 Agree the payments detailed in the table below.

Council unanimously agreed to all payments. BS proposed & council agreed that the

salary budget be increased by 10% with immediate effect, as pay agreements were still

pending.

 

Date	Payee	£
28.06.20, 28.07.20	Clerk’s salary SO [LGA1972 s112(2)]	Not publicly disclosed
23.07.20	Clerk’s expenses [LGA1972 s112(2)]	£79.59
June, July	HMRC PAYE SO £44.80pm [LGA1972 s142]	£89.60
19.06.20, 19.07.20	Microsoft Office365 June & July DD @£3.80pm [LGA1972 s111	£7.60
30.06.20	A Hamey – Garage doors fitting [LGA1882 s8(1)(1)]	£400.00
13.07.20	Kalehurst full service [LGA1972 s137]	£179.00
	TOTAL	£755.79 + Clerk’s salary SO above +*

 

10.4   Receipts

Bank interest June .52p, July .57p

10.5  To sign off bank reconciliation to date

Provided in advance of the meeting. To be physically signed at a later date

10.6   Agree a storage policy for council records

The council unanimously agreed the following:-

10.6.1 Historic records

UPC historic records should be sent to the Oxford Historic Centre (OHC) as

soon as practicable.

10.6.2 Planning records

All paper planning records held should be recycled/destroyed as appropriate at

the earliest opportunity. Clerk to gain permission to access the meeting room of

the village hall. DB offered to assist in this task.

 

10.6.3 Other information held

To remove to OHC, keep, recycle or destroy any other information held in

accordance with OALCs list of documents.

 

11. Update on the recreation ground Play Areas

11.1 Toddler play area (old)

– risk assessment

– inspection

– remedial work

– signage

– ground clearance / mowing

– official re-opening

BS to open discussions with the volunteer group regarding the grounds work required in this

area, before inspections and risk assessments can be carried out. Play area to remain

closed until further notice.

11.2 Adventure play area

– risk assessment

– inspection

– remedial work

– signage

– official re-opening

An initial inspection was carried out on 23.7.20. PM to action minor repairs identified. When

these are complete, a risk assessment and further inspection are required. New  signage was on order and the play area would be officially re-opened as soon as possible.

BS also speak to volunteer group regarding reinstatement of regular inspections.

 

12. Update on the maintenance of the recreation ground

12.1 Grounds maintenance

Grounds maintenance of the main recreation area was ongoing. Consideration was also

given to the closing of the gate at night to prevent unsocial use of the rec after dark. BS

proposed closure at 9pm and reopening at 7am and volunteered to be ‘gatekeeper’. Formal

notification will be made via Upton News in due course.

12.2 Replacement fence

The council has to date met with one contractor to inspect the area and give guidance on

the best replacement fencing with a guide price of £5k (for fencing alone). Installation & tree

work is also required.

12.3 Litter / bins

A discussion took place as to whether to provide more bins and/or black bags for collection

of rubbish left on the rec. Clerk to investigate potential costs.

 

13. Update on the ‘rec regeneration plan’

13.1 Toddler play area (new)

PM to issue draft ground plan of new toddler play area. BS to look at contractors for

ground work. Clerk to supply contractor details.

13.2 Pump track

Any planned works on hold pending further investigation in to upkeep costs.

13.3 Grounds maintenance contractor

Any additional help from outside contractors on hold pending talks with the volunteer group.

13.4 Any other areas requiring attention within the recreation area

All areas covered.

 

14. Update on car park extension project

This project has been on hold during the pandemic. However, further investigation work is

planned as to how many spaces could be gained from an extension & in what area, together

with cost estimates. This, together with play areas plans will be in a village-wide

questionnaire, currently being devised, for all to have their say.

 

15. Update on UPC IT

15.1 Village web site

PM to change ‘Contact Us’ element as this is currently going nowhere, also to introduce an

auto response.

15.2 Any other IT related update

None.

 

16. Update on proposed Speed Watch activity in Upton

In the absence of BH no update was given.

Clerk confirmed that Blewbury Parish Council had purchased necessary equipment and

installed TVP speedwatch area signs at the entrance to the village. To confirm costs of TVP

signs to council.

 

17. Update on information gathered on the history of the rec & village hall

& any subsequent actions required

No update was given. Clerk to contact JR.

 

18. Discuss any required plan of action to:-

18.1 Create a new five-year parish council plan

BS confirmed that the first draft of this plan was nearing completion & would be sent to

council for comment ASAP.

18.2 Revise the existing Parish Plan (last 2015/16)

This will be under consideration following the completion of the five-year plan and village-

wide consultation.

 

The meeting concluded at 9pm.

 

Date of next meeting:-

 

Thursday 17^th September 2020 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system 

 

 

Appendix A

 

REPORT TO UPTON PARISH COUNCIL JULY 2020

FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES

Over the past few weeks, we have been able to support the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions. This has meant residents have been able to visit their household waste recycling centres, schools have been able to accept more pupils, and town centres and high streets have been able to reopen.

On 4 July much of the hospitality, culture and leisure sector will restart, albeit with social distancing in place. This will bring more challenges for many of our services. However planning for this is already well underway and we are confident we will be able to support this next phase of recovery.

Libraries and registration offices

We will be gradually reopening our libraries and registration offices during the coming weeks and months. We are planning a phased approach to the reopening of public buildings, with every precaution being taken to make sure this happens safely for our staff who will work in them and members of the public who visit them.

Safety measures to support shoppers

A host of safety measures are in place across Oxfordshire as non-essential shops continue to reopen safely. Government advice requires shops to display a poster in their entrance confirming they have read and implemented its “Five Steps to Safer Working Together”. This includes carrying out a COVID-19 risk assessment and taking all reasonable steps to maintain a two-metre distance in the workplace.

In the public realm, people will notice signage to remind them to socially distance and changes such as increased pavement space and one-way systems for pedestrians on narrow streets. We have been working closely with Oxfordshire’s five district councils and the city council to facilitate changes the to road network to help support our town centres to thrive once again.

Oxfordshire County Council signs agreement for £218m with Homes England

This sum of £218m (towards infrastructure costs of £234m) will deliver:

• Widening the A4130 from A34 Milton Interchange towards Didcot from single to dual

carriageway;

• A new Science Bridge over the A4130, Great Western Railway Line and Milton Road

into the former Didcot A Power Station site;

• A new Didcot to Culham bridge between the A4130 and A415; and
• A Clifton Hampden bypass

The new infrastructure not only provides opportunities for sustainable travel along the new routes but enables traffic demand management measures to be implemented elsewhere to prioritise non-motorised traffic, where appropriate. Active travel by walking and cycling has been carefully planned into the schemes and each provides new opportunities to connect areas of employment and housing for those on foot and bike using existing public rights of way.

Priority Fund

I confirm we have processed Upton Parish Council’s Councillor Priority Fund

application regarding the activity Re-siting & re-fitting of toddler play area and

decommissioning of old toddler play area.

I confirm the amount being paid is £1,875.00

 

Appendix B

 

Upton Parish Council – Thursday 23rd July 2020

Report from District Councillors

Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and Cllr Sarah Medley

It is still hard to believe how much things have changed in the past four months. Just as we had started to adapt to lockdown life, it seems that the Government are now easing the restrictions at pace. As we try and adapt to the “new normal”, we hope that you and your families are keeping well, staying safe and taking on the changing

situation at a pace which suits you. We’re now looking ahead at a summer period without the usual village events that we all so enjoy – last year’s Upton Village Fete already seems like a distant memory! However, we hope that Upton residents are still able to make the most of the sunny weather over the next few months, by spending quality time with family and friends in a socially distant way. As the council itself is now also returning to a new kind of normal, we’ve decided to stop our regular coronavirus – focused updates and return to our monthly updates in the form of newsletter articles and parish council reports. We will of course continue to keep you updated on the council’s response to COVID-19 through these monthly updates,

as well as on our dedicated councillor Facebook Page: Cllrs Hayleigh Gascoigne & Sarah Medley. As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch with any issues or concerns – our email addresses are

hayleigh.gascoigne@whitehorsedc.gov.uk and sarah.medley@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.

Coronavirus Update and Community Support

Key messages from the Vale

Residents:

• We’re all responsible for preventing local outbreaks and keeping Oxfordshire safe
• Don’t let the virus spread – keep your distance, wash your hands, stay alert
• Our safety is in our own hands
• Lockdown may be easing, but don’t go easy on the virus
• We’re at Alert Level 3, which means a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation

Businesses:

• Businesses play an important role in keeping their staff and customers safe and helping prevent the spread

of the virus.

• We’re all responsible for preventing local outbreaks and keeping Oxfordshire safe.
• We’re at Alert Level 3, which means a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation.

Community Hub still available

To contact the Community Support Team call: 01235 422 600

email: communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk

Lines are open 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Both the council staff and community groups have responded positively to the challenges of this crisis to make sure our vulnerable residents receive the support they need. Amazing work is being done by the volunteer groups in our communities, including Upton, as well as the staff at the Vale who have done what they always do, which is pull together, be solution focussed and support each other. Whilst we don’t know how long the UK’s response to and recovery from COVID-19 will take, we do know it’s likely to be some time so the Vale of White Horse District Council is making some changes to its community hub services to make sure the response is sustainable over the coming months: Lines will now be open from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.

Minutes of the Upton Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 21st May 2020 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system. 

In attendance:- Cllrs B Shaw (Chair/BS), D Beckles (DB), B Heneghan (BH), P McLaughlin & Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC)   

 

1. Apologies for absence 

Received in advance from Mrs J Reid (UVHAT/JR) 

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda 

None declared. 

 

3. Approve the minutes of the following meetings & note any matters arising:-   

       UPC 19.03.20 

     Council unanimously approved the above minutes with no changes.  

 

4. County Councillor report (see Appendix B below) 

Cllr MF-D advised the council to apply for this year’s Councillor Priority Fund. Clerk to complete form. 

 

5. District Councillor (see Appendix C below) 

 

6. Representations from the public  

A member of the public joined the meeting at 9pm. 

 

7. Result of the casual vacancy (expired 14.05.20) 

No applications for the vacant posts within the parish council were received by the District Council. The parish council is therefore free to co-opt suitable applicants.  

 

8. To hear an update on the community response to the Coronavirus & it’s impact on the village 

      JR provided an update in advance of the meeting. JR reported that the Whatsapp group was 

      working well in terms of community help in the village. Other communication methods were 

      also working well. The District Council continues to offer additional help and support (see 

      Appendix C below). 

 

9. To report on outstanding actions carried forward from previous

      meetings:- 

 

No.	Action Points from this meeting	When by
1.	Clerk to complete Lloyds paperwork, obtain signatures & return to Lloyds Bank	ASAP
2.	PMcL to check & repair signs & tape to play areas as appropriate.	ASAP
3.	BS to start formulation of requirements for 5-year plan consultation	July meeting
4.	Clerk to complete CPF form	ASAP

 

No.		Action Points from March Meeting	When by
1.		JR to look into previous Welcome to the Village’ pack.	C’fwd
2.		Clerk to look at adding Emergency Measures to the SOs.	Ongoing
3.		Peter to confirm any immediate remedial actions to play area equipment.	Ongoing
4.		Clerk to nominate other contractors to quote for new toddler play area.	C’fwd
5.		JR to look into documentation held by UVHAT concerning the village hall / PC history	C’fwd
9.		BH to write para for Upton News for volunteers for Speedwatch.	On hold
No.	Action Points from previous meetings			When by
	BH to speak to Bob Lott regarding the pump track resurfacing & costs.			C’fwd from March
	Clerk to pursue Defib training			On hold
	PMcL to draft the start of a re-located toddler play area.			On hold

 

 

10. To ratify or agree the council’s response to the following planning applications:- 

        10.1 P20/V672/HH Thistledome, Stream Road, Upton 

           Single storey side extension, front extension, single storey side extension, single storey 

           rear extension. Deadline noon 06.04.20. 

           UPC voted no objections to this consultation. 

        10.2 P19/V3240/HH Amendment 1, Stowe House, High Street, Upton 

          UPC voted no objections to this amendment. 

        10.3 P19/V3307/HH Vale House, High Street, Upton 

          Part 2-storey, part single storey side & rear extensions. 

          Deadline 18.04.20. UPC voted no objections to this consultation. 

          Planning approved 01.05.20 

       10.4 P20/V0770/HH Littlecote, High Street, Upton 

          Garden Store. Deadline 26.04.20 

          UPC voted no objections to this consultation. 

       10.5 P20/V0885/LB Owlscote Barn, High Street, Upton 

          Minor revisions to LB consent to annex outbuilding. 

          Deadline 06.05.20 

          UPC voted no objections to this change. 

       10.6 P19/V2998/HH Lattons, High Street, Upton 

          Alterations & two storey & single storey extensions. Re-siting of driveway access. 

          Deadline 22.05.20 

          UPC voted to maintain its previous response of ‘no objection’ with comments on the 

          siting of the driveway. 

       10.7 P20/V0770/HH Amendment 1, Littlecote, High Street, Upton 

          As amplified by further information regarding trees (root protection). 

          This consultation required no response from the PC. 

        

11. Update on UPC Finances

  11.1  Update on Lloyds Bank accounts 

            Lloyds Bank has to date not followed instructions to change signatories on UPC’s bank 

            account. Compensation & apologies have been received from Lloyds Bank who will 

            action when further papers received. Lloyds require a Resolution to be signed, 

            allowing a PC signatory to agree to the required changes. A copy of the resolution is at 

            Appendix A below. Council unanimously agreed to the resolution. BS proposed the 

            member of the public who joined the meeting at 9pm as the required witness. This was 

            seconded by PMcL. Clerk to complete paperwork, obtain signatures & forward to 

            Lloyds Bank. 

   11.2  Ratify the agreement made by email to proceed with a quote for replacement garage 

            doors from Mr A Hamey in the sum of £1000 on the grounds of safety & security. 

            The council unanimously confirmed its agreement to proceed with the quote, & the 

            subsequent payment of £600 for the manufacture of the doors. The fitting of the doors 

            is delayed due to current circumstances. 

        11.3  Agree the following payments:- 

                 Additional notes:-  

1.   Expenses 

                 The council unanimously agreed to the Clerk’s revised expenses in the sum of 

                 £152.22, due to the receipt of further expenses since the agenda was issued. Council 

                 also agreed to expenses in the sum of £9.79 for PMcL being submitted. 

2.   Liability insurance 

                 Council unanimously agreed to accept the 3-year agreement with Came&Co.  This sum 

                 was amended to £686.60 for the first year, which includes a £50 admin fee. 

3.   Council unanimously agreed to accept the revised budget for 20/21 issued by the 

                 Clerk on 12.05.20, which makes allowances for the current situation. 

 

Date	Payee	£
28.04.20,28.05.20	Clerk’s salary SO	Not publicly disclosed
21.05.20	Clerk’s expenses	£152.22
Apr, May	HMRC PAYE SO (@£44.80pm)	£89.60
19.04.20, 19.05.20	Microsoft Office365 Apr & May DD @£3.80pm	£7.60
01.06.20	UPC annual liability insurance with Came&Co – 3-year agreement	£686.60
30.03.20	Kalehurst motor mower service	£370.55
04.05.20	Motor Mower annual insurance with NFU  Paid 047.05.20, to be ratified.	(inc in clerk’s expenses above)
31.03.20	A Hamey – Garage doors build  Paid 31.03.20, to be ratified	£600.00
21.05.20	PMcL expenses	£9.79
	TOTAL	£1916.36 + Clerk’s salary SO above +*

       

       11.4  Receipts 

                Precept 1st half 01.04.20 £5068.00 

                OCC CIP £1435.95 

                Bank interest (Apr, May) 56p, 57p 

                VAT repay £48.00  

 

      11.5   Sign off bank reconciliation to date 

                Provided in advance of the meeting & agreed by the Chair. To be physically signed at 

                a later date. 

       

12. Update on the Play Areas maintenance, upgrades and inspections

      Council agreed that the play areas remain closed at this time. PMcL agreed to check & repair 

      signs & tape to these areas as appropriate. 

        

13. Update on the ‘rec regeneration plan’ 

      13.1 Toddler play area 

      13.2 Pump track 

      13.3 Grounds maintenance contractor 

      13.4 Any other areas requiring attention within the recreation area 

              Re 13.1 – 13.4 above, Council agreed that any decisions on major work could not be 

              taken at this time & that further consultation was required to build on the work carried out 

              to date. Council noted the work of the volunteer group in maintaining the rec & other 

              green areas around the village. Council also noted reports of detritus left on rec by 

              visitors. Council to further consider proposals to help alleviate this problem. 

 

14. Update on car park extensionproject  

      Council agreed that no decisions on major work could be taken at this time. 

 

15. Update onUPC IT 

       15.1 Village web site 

               PMcL reported that this was running well. 

       15.2 Implementation of UPC email addresses 

               New PC email addresses had been proposed. These would be tested & a go live date 

               agreed. 

        

16. Update on proposedSpeed Watch activity in Upton 

      BH reported no volunteers due to current situation. To be readdressed at appropriate point in 

      the future. 

 

17. Update oninformation gathered on the history of the rec & village hall 

       & any subsequent actions required  

       JR & EC reported that information continued to be sourced. 

 

18. Discuss any required plan of actionto:- 

      18.1 Create a new five–year parish council plan 

              BS agreed to be the lead on this & would incorporate all current activity. The plan would 

              also include a village wide survey (to be devised). 

      18.2 Revise the existing Parish Plan (2015/16) 

              Council agreed to consider the need for this following 18.1 above. 

 

19. Formally agree the following:- 

       19.1 The cancellation of this year’s Annual Parish & Annual General Meetings due to the 

               Covid-19 situation. 

               Council unanimously agreed. 

       19.2 That all future meetings will be held virtually until further notice 

               Council unanimously agreed.  

 

 

The meeting concluded at 9.30pm. 

 

 

Date of next meeting:- Thursday 23rd July 2020 at 7.30pm 

Appendix A 

Council Resolution 

At a full meeting of Upton Parish Council of Upton village, Oxfordshire, held on Thursday 21st May 2020, the following resolutions were passed in accordance with the council’s Standing Orders (Jan2020), item 14. Resolutions Moved on Notice: 

1. That the following person(s) be appointed as new signatories to all accounts:

Full Name: Mr Benjamin James Howard Shaw 

Full Name: Mr Peter McLaughlin 

Full Name: Mr David Beckles 

3. That the following person(s) be removed as authorised signatories from all the accounts:

Full Name: Mr Stuart Fraser 

Full Name: Mr Ian Sykes 

Full Name: Mr Brendan Heneghan 

For the aforementioned changes to take effect upon the Bank’s receipt of this resolution. 

We hereby certify that the above resolution is in accordance with the Parish Council’s Standing Orders (Jan2020). 

 

 

Appendix B 

 

REPORT TO UPTON PARISH COUNCIL MAY 2020 

FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES 

Following the past period of lock-down, this is the start of the New Normal! 

This report includes some items that may have been repeated in other arenas, but I have tried to exclude those regularly featured in the press. 

New COVID-19 testing sites 

As part of the Department of Health & Social Care’s (DHSC) intention to widen access to Covid-19 testing through Mobile Testing Units (MTUs) run by the military, Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum (TV LRF) has been working closely with each partner local authority to identify, select and develop suitable MTU sites. There are around 5 sites currently either operational or under active consideration in Oxfordshire. I’m pleased to say that the following sites have been approved by the Department of Health & Social Care as a Mobile Testing Unit (MTU) for Oxfordshire and its communities:  

• Carterton Leisure Centre 
• Chipping Norton New Street Car Park 
• Didcot Civic Centre 
• Banbury Bodicote House 

• Bicester Village 

Bookings for these testing sites will be managed in line with current DHSC guidance. Further information can be found at the .gov.uk site  

Councillor Priority Fund update 

This week the council has paid £6,675 in total to help support COVID-19 specific applications as agreed by councillors, with a running total of £36,255 since the fund opened. This week we have fulfilled applications from  

• A first steps families hub, helping families with children aged 0-5. 

• Food provision and community support for a parish council and village charity. 
• A youth club, providing support and entertainment for children and young people during lockdown  

Our team is ready to process new applications as soon as they come in. The application form for the 20/21 Councillor Priority Fund and guidance on how to apply is on our website at oxfordshire.gov.uk/councillorpriorityfund. 

Re-opening of Oxfordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres 

Oxfordshire’s HWRCs will re-open on 18 May. OCC want to manage their re-opening sensitively so the sites can operate safely, do not become overwhelmed or impact negatively on travel.  

Please emphasise that Government guidance says that trips to an HWRC should only be made if ‘essential’ – that is if the waste cannot be stored safely without harm to health. The Government guidance states: “It would be reasonable for residents to undertake a journey to a HWRC if the waste or recycling could not be stored safely at home or disposed of through other legitimate routes such as a dedicated collection. By this we mean that the waste/recycling could not be stored on their property without causing a risk of injury, health or harm to the resident or other members of their household or harm to public health and amenity.”  

OCC will begin a proactive communications to residents at the beginning of next week and a full list of FAQs is now live on our website: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wastereopenquestions. If you have any questions about the re-opening of Oxfordshire’s HWRCs please contact the waste management team on wastemanagement@oxfordshire.gov.uk 

Road repairs still rolling 

Miles of Oxfordshire road are getting a new lease of life as work to deliver the county council’s massive spring and summer list of repairs is continuing at pace. Having just completed 110 miles of surface dressing across the county, our road crews are now turning their attention to three structural patching projects at: 

• Spring Lane, Watlington 

• Manor Road, South Hinksey 
• A417 Challow Road, Wantage  

There is also a programme of safety schemes starting in mid-May to resurface the following roads: 

• B4027 Milford Bridge 
• B4030 Steeple Barton 

• A4095 North Leigh (Boddington Lane) 
• London Road, Wheatley 
• Southwold Ln Rbt, Bicester 
• A4185 Rowstock Rbt  

Transport and Infrastructure work will be key to the country’s economic recovery and this work is all part of the county council’s promised £32m repair pledge. Although the use of the roads has fallen dramatically in recent weeks, please remind your communities they can still report safety-related problems with public highways, such as potholes, directly to the county council via https://fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ 

Libraries open for online business 

While our library buildings may be closed, we want to remind residents our digital library service is very much open for business. We are offering 1000s of eBooks, eAudio, newspapers and magazines to borrow for free and we’ve even got a music streaming service, with over 60,000 albums. Residents can get involved and discover everything on offer at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/libraries. We’d also encourage them to head over to our Oxfordshire Libraries’ Facebook page for our weekly Bloomin’ good book club and songs and stories to entertain the younger members of the family from our fantastic library service team.  

Refreshed coronavirus webpages and new easy read COVID-19 guide 

The county council’s coronavirus webpages have been transformed to provide a more accessible hub of information. The new look pages are easier to navigate and provide up-to-date information.  

Local Economy and Business 

District and City Council colleagues are continuing to work incredibly hard to communicate and action the significant changes that are being developed by Government to support residents, the economy and businesses through COVID-19.  

A recent key focus for our district council and city council colleagues has been on actively contacting businesses that are yet to submit their details for grant support in response to COVID-19, including those who already receive 100 percent rate relief. If you are aware of any business that may benefit from funding support and has yet to apply, please point them towards the local council website. Here they can find more information, confirm their eligibility for a Business Grant and apply.  

Quick links are below: 

• Cherwell District Council 
• Oxford City Council 

• South Oxfordshire District Council 
• Vale of White Horse District Council 
• West Oxfordshire District Council 

 Self-employed people in urgent need of financial assistance are being advised by the Government to apply for Universal Credit and Council Tax Reduction. This will provide them with support until a grant for the self-employed becomes available in June.  

Scam awareness for business 

At a time when Oxfordshire businesses are already facing challenges posed by COVID-19, the proliferation of related scams directly targeting business are adding further strain. We are supporting Businesses Against Scams, a new element of the successful Friends Against Scams initiative, run by National Trading Standards. They provide free online training to protect and prevent businesses, employees and customers from becoming victims of scams. Please help us to promote this initiative  www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/ 

Full Council 

Democracy in Oxfordshire has passed a landmark moment with committee meetings being staged electronically for the first time ever and our first virtual Full Council meeting took place on Monday 4 May at 10:30 through MS Teams. 

 

Appendix C 

 

Hello from Hayleigh & Sarah 

Coronavirus Update from your Local District Councillors 

Saturday 23rd May 2020 

Hello! On what is now the third bank holiday weekend in recent months, we hope that you are keeping well and able to enjoy the weekend whilst staying safe. Although the lockdown restrictions have eased slightly since our last update, this means that is more important than ever to take care when you are out and about, being mindful of keeping a safe distance from others and still staying home as much as possible. There is more specific guidance on what you can and cannot do on the government’s Coronavirus FAQ webpage. As everyone adjusts to the “new normal”, note that there is still support available for those who need it. We are currently helping our fantastic local community volunteer groups to investigate more longer-term funding for their activities, so that they can continue to provide help as required. The council’s own Community Support Team continues to run their support line for anyone in need, including over the bank holiday: call 01235 422 600 or email communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk. 

Remember, for the most up-to-date coronavirus information relating to district council support and any changes to services, please take a look at the dedicated Vale webpage for updates: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/covid19 

Waste Collections 

A reminder that all of the Vale’s waste collection services are once again up and running, and that Oxfordshire’s recycling centres have also now re-opened to the public. Changes to your bin collection days as a result of the bank holiday are on the table below and the following website: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/bankholiday  

 

Business Support 

New discretionary grants scheme 

The new discretionary grants scheme recently announced by the government will only provide an extra five per cent of funding on top of the money received in the first round of COVID-19 business grants in April. This means that unfortunately it will not provide anywhere near enough cash to support the vast majority of businesses in southern Oxfordshire affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We have received the details of the government’s new discretionary business grants scheme and are currently pulling together a list of businesses that fit the detailed criteria. In line with government guidelines, we are aiming to release funds at the beginning of June and are working at pace to develop an online application based on the prescribed eligibility criteria.  This may take a short while to set up, but will ensure the process is quicker and easier and speeds up decision making so we can make payments to successful applicants without delay. Our business support team will provide ongoing support and guidance to any businesses that aren’t successful in applying for this scheme – this will include signposting them to the government’s COVID-19 loan scheme, which can be processed and paid out very quickly. 

If you have any questions, please email the Business Support team: business.support@southandvale.gov.uk 

Free webinar for businesses in South and Vale 

We have partnered with Graham Ballantyne, Director of the UK Business Mentoring Group, to deliver a free webinar on Thursday to help local businesses with their recovery plans. The webinar will include lots of tips and pointers, along with useful templates, and complementary mentoring sessions. You can find out more information on the South and Vale Business Support website. We’ve also heard that the next Pop-Up business school for Oxfordshire is taking place online in June. There’s more information here.   

The South & Vale Business Support team stays up-to-date on the latest government advice and support, and can advise on rates relief and business support grants. Visit their website for the latest info and to sign up for their e-newsletter: svbs.co.uk, and follow them on Twitter @TeamSVBS. 

Council Tax 

There is no specific update on council tax this time. Where possible, you should continue to pay your bills as normal.  Residents who are currently not being paid, and are struggling to pay their council tax bill, are encouraged to apply for Council Tax Reduction – their account will then be put on hold for 30 days while their application is processed: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ctrs  

Council Matters 

Remote committee meetings to take place online
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are to begin holding council committee meetings online via video conferencing from the end of May. The first virtual meeting of the Vale of White Horse District Council will be the Vale Planning Committee on Tuesday 26 May at 10.30am. 

Councillors will use Microsoft Teams to take part in the meetings and members of the public will be able to watch online via a link which will be published alongside the meeting agenda on the councils’ websites five working days prior to the meeting.  The councils will also publish the link to each meeting via their Facebook and Twitter pages. For details on how members of the public can submit statements or questions to be considered by a committee or council meeting please visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/meetings. 

Once councillors and officers have got used to the new process and are confident that meetings can be carried out effectively and within the guidelines, the councils will look to introduce online public participation by live video. Following the COVID-19 outbreak and the introduction of social distancing rules in March, the two councils cancelled all their official meetings and acted quickly to focus their efforts on supporting local communities and vulnerable individuals. While the focus remains predominantly on supporting vulnerable residents affected by COVID-19, it is still important to ensure the transparency of local democracy and so the councils have now put in place measures to ensure that meetings can take place again. 

Local News 

County Council cycle projects 

The County Council has launched a newsletter on its Science Vale Cycle Network Project (SVCN), which you can sign up to receive monthly updates about. The first of these projects is to construct a cycle route between Wantage and Harwell Campus, and this is due to start next week on 26 May.  This project will be featured in the newsletter, which will also provide updates on other routes as projects progress. To sign up to the newsletter head to the county council’s transport bulletins page and chose Science Vale Cycle Network from the list – you can also sign up for updates on other transport projects too. 

Take care, stay safe, stay home! 

We will endeavour to keep you updated on the council’s response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 through future newsletters and our dedicated councillor Facebook Page: Cllrs Hayleigh Gascoigne & Sarah Medley. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any issues or concerns – our email addresses are hayleigh.gascoigne@whitehorsedc.gov.uk and sarah.medley@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.  

Minutes of an extraordinary meeting of Upton Parish Council at 7.30pm on Tuesday 9th June 2020. The meeting was held via an e-conference system. 

In attendance: – Cllr B Shaw (Chair/BS), Miss E Cooper (Clerk / EC), Cllrs D Beckles (DB), P McLaughlin (PMcL), B Heneghan (BH) 

 

1.   Apologies for absence 

      None.  

2.  Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda 

       None declared.  

3. To agree the council’s decisions on the following Planning Consultations:-

       3.1 P20/V1090/HH Sunnyside, Newmans Close, Upton 

       Proposed two-storey extension, two-storey rear extension, loft conversion with rooflights 

       & dormers, alterations to existing window & door openings & new cladding. 

       Deadline 11 June 2020 

       The council voted unanimously no objections to this consultation. 

 

       3.2 P20/V1162/FUL Skippetts Stables, Dene Hollow, Chilton 

       Variation of condition 7 retention of mobile home (see P16/V1646/FUL) 

       Deadline 14 June 2020 

       The council voted unanimously no objections to this consultation. 

 

       3.3 P20/V1185/HH The Pump House, West Hagbourne 

       Partially enclosed porch with pitched roof, brick plinth & timber post, new door. 

       Deadline 17 June 2020 

       The council voted unanimously no objections to this consultation. 

 

4. Results & completion of the internal audit UPC accounts 2019–20 

       Internal audit signed off by Mrs R Caffyn on 1st June 2019. 

       The Clerk reported that the internal audit was completed with no comments to report, 

       other than it was all in very good order. 

       The council agreed to send flowers as a thank you to Mrs Caffyn for her work on the audit. 

 

5.  Annual Governance & Accounting Statements for 19–20 

      The council had sight of the above in advance of the meeting. The council unanimously agreed 

      the Annual Governance Statement & the Accounting Statements for 2019-20.

 

 

6.  Completion of UPC’s audit requirements for 2019–20: – 

      6.1 Certificate of Exemption completion & date of return to external auditors 

      The council agreed to the completion of the Certificate of Exemption. Clerk 

      to obtain Chair’s signature & send certificate to external auditors.  

      6.2 Agree start and end dates of Notice of Public Rights  

      Note: – The usual ‘must include the first 10 days of July’ does not apply for 2020.  

      Period of notice is still 30 working days. 

The council agreed that the Notice of Public Rights should be issued on Wednesday 10th June 

2020, with the dates for the inspection period to be Monday 15th June to Friday 24th July. 

 

 

 

The meeting concluded at 8pm. 

 

      

 

      Date of next meeting:- 

      Thursday 23rd July at 7.30pm. This meeting will be held via an e-conference system. 

Upton Parish Council – DRAFT 

 

Minutes of the Upton Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 21st May 2020 at 7.30pm via an e-conference system. 

In attendance:- Cllrs B Shaw (Chair/BS), D Beckles (DB), B Heneghan (BH), P McLaughlin & Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC)  

 

 

1. Apologies for absence
   Received in advance from Mrs J Reid (UVHAT/JR)
2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda
   None declared.
3. Approve the minutes of the following meetings & note any matters arising:-  
          UPC 19.03.20 
4.     Council unanimously approved the above minutes with no changes. 
5. County Councillor report (see Appendix B below)
   Cllr MF-D advised the council to apply for this year’s Councillor Priority Fund. Clerk to complete form.
6. District Councillor (see Appendix C below)
7. Representations from the public 
   A member of the public joined the meeting at 9pm.
8. Result of the casual vacancy (expired 14.05.20)
   No applications for the vacant posts within the parish council were received by the District Council. The parish council is therefore free to co-opt suitable applicants. 
9. To hear an update on the community response to the Coronavirus & it’s impact on the village
   JR provided an update in advance of the meeting. JR reported that the Whatsapp group was     working well in terms of community help in the village. Other communication methods were also working well. The District Council continues to offer additional help and support (see Appendix C below).
10. To report on outstanding actions carried forward from previous  meetings:- 

 

No.	Action Points from this meeting	When by
1.	Clerk to complete Lloyds paperwork, obtain signatures & return to Lloyds Bank	ASAP
2.	PMcL to check & repair signs & tape to play areas as appropriate.	ASAP
3.	BS to start formulation of requirements for 5-year plan consultation	July meeting
4.	Clerk to complete CPF form	ASAP

 

No.		Action Points from March Meeting	When by
1.		JR to look into previous Welcome to the Village’ pack.	C’fwd
2.		Clerk to look at adding Emergency Measures to the SOs.	Ongoing
3.		Peter to confirm any immediate remedial actions to play area equipment.	Ongoing
4.		Clerk to nominate other contractors to quote for new toddler play area.	C’fwd
5.		JR to look into documentation held by UVHAT concerning the village hall / PC history	C’fwd
9.		BH to write para for Upton News for volunteers for Speedwatch.	On hold
No.	Action Points from previous meetings			When by
	BH to speak to Bob Lott regarding the pump track resurfacing & costs.			C’fwd from March
	Clerk to pursue Defib training			On hold
	PMcL to draft the start of a re-located toddler play area.			On hold

 

 

10. 10.To ratify or agree the council’s response to the following planning applications:- 

        10.1 P20/V672/HH Thistledome, Stream Road, Upton 

           Single storey side extension, front extension, single storey side extension, single storey 

           rear extension. Deadline noon 06.04.20. 

           UPC voted no objections to this consultation. 

        10.2 P19/V3240/HH Amendment 1, Stowe House, High Street, Upton 

          UPC voted no objections to this amendment. 

        10.3 P19/V3307/HH Vale House, High Street, Upton 

          Part 2-storey, part single storey side & rear extensions. 

          Deadline 18.04.20. UPC voted no objections to this consultation. 

          Planning approved 01.05.20 

       10.4 P20/V0770/HH Littlecote, High Street, Upton 

          Garden Store. Deadline 26.04.20 

          UPC voted no objections to this consultation. 

       10.5 P20/V0885/LB Owlscote Barn, High Street, Upton 

          Minor revisions to LB consent to annex outbuilding. 

          Deadline 06.05.20 

          UPC voted no objections to this change. 

       10.6 P19/V2998/HH Lattons, High Street, Upton 

          Alterations & two storey & single storey extensions. Re-siting of driveway access. 

          Deadline 22.05.20 

          UPC voted to maintain its previous response of ‘no objection’ with comments on the 

          siting of the driveway. 

       10.7 P20/V0770/HH Amendment 1, Littlecote, High Street, Upton 

          As amplified by further information regarding trees (root protection). 

          This consultation required no response from the PC. 

        

11. 11. Update on UPC Finances

  11.1  Update on Lloyds Bank accounts 

            Lloyds Bank has to date not followed instructions to change signatories on UPC’s bank 

            account. Compensation & apologies have been received from Lloyds Bank who will 

            action when further papers received. Lloyds require a Resolution to be signed, 

            allowing a PC signatory to agree to the required changes. A copy of the resolution is at 

            Appendix A below. Council unanimously agreed to the resolution. BS proposed the 

            member of the public who joined the meeting at 9pm as the required witness. This was 

            seconded by PMcL. Clerk to complete paperwork, obtain signatures & forward to 

            Lloyds Bank. 

   11.2  Ratify the agreement made by email to proceed with a quote for replacement garage 

            doors from Mr A Hamey in the sum of £1000 on the grounds of safety & security. 

            The council unanimously confirmed its agreement to proceed with the quote, & the 

            subsequent payment of £600 for the manufacture of the doors. The fitting of the doors 

            is delayed due to current circumstances. 

        11.3  Agree the following payments:- 

                 Additional notes:-  

1.   Expenses 

                 The council unanimously agreed to the Clerk’s revised expenses in the sum of 

                 £152.22, due to the receipt of further expenses since the agenda was issued. Council 

                 also agreed to expenses in the sum of £9.79 for PMcL being submitted. 

2.   Liability insurance 

                 Council unanimously agreed to accept the 3-year agreement with Came&Co.  This sum 

                 was amended to £686.60 for the first year, which includes a £50 admin fee. 

3.   Council unanimously agreed to accept the revised budget for 20/21 issued by the 

                 Clerk on 12.05.20, which makes allowances for the current situation. 

 

Date	Payee	£
28.04.20,28.05.20	Clerk’s salary SO	Not publicly disclosed
21.05.20	Clerk’s expenses	£152.22
Apr, May	HMRC PAYE SO (@£44.80pm)	£89.60
19.04.20, 19.05.20	Microsoft Office365 Apr & May DD @£3.80pm	£7.60
01.06.20	UPC annual liability insurance with Came&Co – 3-year agreement	£686.60
30.03.20	Kalehurst motor mower service	£370.55
04.05.20	Motor Mower annual insurance with NFU  Paid 047.05.20, to be ratified.	(inc in clerk’s expenses above)
31.03.20	A Hamey – Garage doors build  Paid 31.03.20, to be ratified	£600.00
21.05.20	PMcL expenses	£9.79
	TOTAL	£1916.36 + Clerk’s salary SO above +*

       

       11.4  Receipts 

                Precept 1st half 01.04.20 £5068.00 

                OCC CIP £1435.95 

                Bank interest (Apr, May) 56p, 57p 

                VAT repay £48.00  

 

      11.5   Sign off bank reconciliation to date 

                Provided in advance of the meeting & agreed by the Chair. To be physically signed at 

                a later date. 

       

12. 12.Update on the Play Areas maintenance, upgrades and inspections

      Council agreed that the play areas remain closed at this time. PMcL agreed to check & repair 

      signs & tape to these areas as appropriate. 

        

13. 13.Update on the ‘rec regeneration plan’ 

      13.1 Toddler play area 

      13.2 Pump track 

      13.3 Grounds maintenance contractor 

      13.4 Any other areas requiring attention within the recreation area 

              Re 13.1 – 13.4 above, Council agreed that any decisions on major work could not be 

              taken at this time & that further consultation was required to build on the work carried out 

              to date. Council noted the work of the volunteer group in maintaining the rec & other 

              green areas around the village. Council also noted reports of detritus left on rec by 

              visitors. Council to further consider proposals to help alleviate this problem. 

 

14. 14.Update on car park extensionproject  

      Council agreed that no decisions on major work could be taken at this time. 

 

15. 15. Update onUPC IT 

       15.1 Village web site 

               PMcL reported that this was running well. 

       15.2 Implementation of UPC email addresses 

               New PC email addresses had been proposed. These would be tested & a go live date 

               agreed. 

        

16. 16.Update on proposedSpeed Watch activity in Upton 

      BH reported no volunteers due to current situation. To be readdressed at appropriate point in 

      the future. 

 

17. 17. Update oninformation gathered on the history of the rec & village hall 

       & any subsequent actions required  

       JR & EC reported that information continued to be sourced. 

 

18. 18.Discuss any required plan of actionto:- 

      18.1 Create a new five–year parish council plan 

              BS agreed to be the lead on this & would incorporate all current activity. The plan would 

              also include a village wide survey (to be devised). 

      18.2 Revise the existing Parish Plan (2015/16) 

              Council agreed to consider the need for this following 18.1 above. 

 

19. 19. Formallyagree the following:- 

       19.1 The cancellation of this year’s Annual Parish & Annual General Meetings due to the 

               Covid-19 situation. 

               Council unanimously agreed. 

       19.2 That all future meetings will be held virtually until further notice 

               Council unanimously agreed.  

 

 

The meeting concluded at 9.30pm. 

 

 

Date of next meeting:- Thursday 23rd July 2020 at 7.30pm 

Appendix A 

Council Resolution 

At a full meeting of Upton Parish Council of Upton village, Oxfordshire, held on Thursday 21st May 2020, the following resolutions were passed in accordance with the council’s Standing Orders (Jan2020), item 14. Resolutions Moved on Notice: 

1. That the following person(s) be appointed as new signatories to all accounts:

Full Name: Mr Benjamin James Howard Shaw 

Full Name: Mr Peter McLaughlin 

Full Name: Mr David Beckles 

3. That the following person(s) be removed as authorised signatories from all the accounts:

Full Name: Mr Stuart Fraser 

Full Name: Mr Ian Sykes 

Full Name: Mr Brendan Heneghan 

For the aforementioned changes to take effect upon the Bank’s receipt of this resolution. 

We hereby certify that the above resolution is in accordance with the Parish Council’s Standing Orders (Jan2020). 

 

 

Appendix B 

 

REPORT TO UPTON PARISH COUNCIL MAY 2020 

FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES 

Following the past period of lock-down, this is the start of the New Normal! 

This report includes some items that may have been repeated in other arenas, but I have tried to exclude those regularly featured in the press. 

New COVID-19 testing sites 

As part of the Department of Health & Social Care’s (DHSC) intention to widen access to Covid-19 testing through Mobile Testing Units (MTUs) run by the military, Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum (TV LRF) has been working closely with each partner local authority to identify, select and develop suitable MTU sites. There are around 5 sites currently either operational or under active consideration in Oxfordshire. I’m pleased to say that the following sites have been approved by the Department of Health & Social Care as a Mobile Testing Unit (MTU) for Oxfordshire and its communities:  

• Carterton Leisure Centre 
• Chipping Norton New Street Car Park 
• Didcot Civic Centre 
• Banbury Bodicote House 

• Bicester Village 

Bookings for these testing sites will be managed in line with current DHSC guidance. Further information can be found at the .gov.uk site  

Councillor Priority Fund update 

This week the council has paid £6,675 in total to help support COVID-19 specific applications as agreed by councillors, with a running total of £36,255 since the fund opened. This week we have fulfilled applications from  

• A first steps families hub, helping families with children aged 0-5. 

• Food provision and community support for a parish council and village charity. 
• A youth club, providing support and entertainment for children and young people during lockdown  

Our team is ready to process new applications as soon as they come in. The application form for the 20/21 Councillor Priority Fund and guidance on how to apply is on our website at oxfordshire.gov.uk/councillorpriorityfund. 

Re-opening of Oxfordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres 

Oxfordshire’s HWRCs will re-open on 18 May. OCC want to manage their re-opening sensitively so the sites can operate safely, do not become overwhelmed or impact negatively on travel.  

Please emphasise that Government guidance says that trips to an HWRC should only be made if ‘essential’ – that is if the waste cannot be stored safely without harm to health. The Government guidance states: “It would be reasonable for residents to undertake a journey to a HWRC if the waste or recycling could not be stored safely at home or disposed of through other legitimate routes such as a dedicated collection. By this we mean that the waste/recycling could not be stored on their property without causing a risk of injury, health or harm to the resident or other members of their household or harm to public health and amenity.”  

OCC will begin a proactive communications to residents at the beginning of next week and a full list of FAQs is now live on our website: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wastereopenquestions. If you have any questions about the re-opening of Oxfordshire’s HWRCs please contact the waste management team on wastemanagement@oxfordshire.gov.uk 

Road repairs still rolling 

Miles of Oxfordshire road are getting a new lease of life as work to deliver the county council’s massive spring and summer list of repairs is continuing at pace. Having just completed 110 miles of surface dressing across the county, our road crews are now turning their attention to three structural patching projects at: 

• Spring Lane, Watlington 

• Manor Road, South Hinksey 
• A417 Challow Road, Wantage  

There is also a programme of safety schemes starting in mid-May to resurface the following roads: 

• B4027 Milford Bridge 
• B4030 Steeple Barton 

• A4095 North Leigh (Boddington Lane) 
• London Road, Wheatley 
• Southwold Ln Rbt, Bicester 
• A4185 Rowstock Rbt  

Transport and Infrastructure work will be key to the country’s economic recovery and this work is all part of the county council’s promised £32m repair pledge. Although the use of the roads has fallen dramatically in recent weeks, please remind your communities they can still report safety-related problems with public highways, such as potholes, directly to the county council via https://fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ 

Libraries open for online business 

While our library buildings may be closed, we want to remind residents our digital library service is very much open for business. We are offering 1000s of eBooks, eAudio, newspapers and magazines to borrow for free and we’ve even got a music streaming service, with over 60,000 albums. Residents can get involved and discover everything on offer at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/libraries. We’d also encourage them to head over to our Oxfordshire Libraries’ Facebook page for our weekly Bloomin’ good book club and songs and stories to entertain the younger members of the family from our fantastic library service team.  

Refreshed coronavirus webpages and new easy read COVID-19 guide 

The county council’s coronavirus webpages have been transformed to provide a more accessible hub of information. The new look pages are easier to navigate and provide up-to-date information.  

Local Economy and Business 

District and City Council colleagues are continuing to work incredibly hard to communicate and action the significant changes that are being developed by Government to support residents, the economy and businesses through COVID-19.  

A recent key focus for our district council and city council colleagues has been on actively contacting businesses that are yet to submit their details for grant support in response to COVID-19, including those who already receive 100 percent rate relief. If you are aware of any business that may benefit from funding support and has yet to apply, please point them towards the local council website. Here they can find more information, confirm their eligibility for a Business Grant and apply.  

Quick links are below: 

• Cherwell District Council 
• Oxford City Council 

• South Oxfordshire District Council 
• Vale of White Horse District Council 
• West Oxfordshire District Council 

 Self-employed people in urgent need of financial assistance are being advised by the Government to apply for Universal Credit and Council Tax Reduction. This will provide them with support until a grant for the self-employed becomes available in June.  

Scam awareness for business 

At a time when Oxfordshire businesses are already facing challenges posed by COVID-19, the proliferation of related scams directly targeting business are adding further strain. We are supporting Businesses Against Scams, a new element of the successful Friends Against Scams initiative, run by National Trading Standards. They provide free online training to protect and prevent businesses, employees and customers from becoming victims of scams. Please help us to promote this initiative  www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/ 

Full Council 

Democracy in Oxfordshire has passed a landmark moment with committee meetings being staged electronically for the first time ever and our first virtual Full Council meeting took place on Monday 4 May at 10:30 through MS Teams. 

 

Appendix C 

 

Hello from Hayleigh & Sarah 

Coronavirus Update from your Local District Councillors 

Saturday 23rd May 2020 

Hello! On what is now the third bank holiday weekend in recent months, we hope that you are keeping well and able to enjoy the weekend whilst staying safe. Although the lockdown restrictions have eased slightly since our last update, this means that is more important than ever to take care when you are out and about, being mindful of keeping a safe distance from others and still staying home as much as possible. There is more specific guidance on what you can and cannot do on the government’s Coronavirus FAQ webpage. As everyone adjusts to the “new normal”, note that there is still support available for those who need it. We are currently helping our fantastic local community volunteer groups to investigate more longer-term funding for their activities, so that they can continue to provide help as required. The council’s own Community Support Team continues to run their support line for anyone in need, including over the bank holiday: call 01235 422 600 or email communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk. 

Remember, for the most up-to-date coronavirus information relating to district council support and any changes to services, please take a look at the dedicated Vale webpage for updates: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/covid19 

Waste Collections 

A reminder that all of the Vale’s waste collection services are once again up and running, and that Oxfordshire’s recycling centres have also now re-opened to the public. Changes to your bin collection days as a result of the bank holiday are on the table below and the following website: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/bankholiday  

 

Business Support 

New discretionary grants scheme 

The new discretionary grants scheme recently announced by the government will only provide an extra five per cent of funding on top of the money received in the first round of COVID-19 business grants in April. This means that unfortunately it will not provide anywhere near enough cash to support the vast majority of businesses in southern Oxfordshire affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We have received the details of the government’s new discretionary business grants scheme and are currently pulling together a list of businesses that fit the detailed criteria. In line with government guidelines, we are aiming to release funds at the beginning of June and are working at pace to develop an online application based on the prescribed eligibility criteria.  This may take a short while to set up, but will ensure the process is quicker and easier and speeds up decision making so we can make payments to successful applicants without delay. Our business support team will provide ongoing support and guidance to any businesses that aren’t successful in applying for this scheme – this will include signposting them to the government’s COVID-19 loan scheme, which can be processed and paid out very quickly. 

If you have any questions, please email the Business Support team: business.support@southandvale.gov.uk 

Free webinar for businesses in South and Vale 

We have partnered with Graham Ballantyne, Director of the UK Business Mentoring Group, to deliver a free webinar on Thursday to help local businesses with their recovery plans. The webinar will include lots of tips and pointers, along with useful templates, and complementary mentoring sessions. You can find out more information on the South and Vale Business Support website. We’ve also heard that the next Pop-Up business school for Oxfordshire is taking place online in June. There’s more information here.   

The South & Vale Business Support team stays up-to-date on the latest government advice and support, and can advise on rates relief and business support grants. Visit their website for the latest info and to sign up for their e-newsletter: svbs.co.uk, and follow them on Twitter @TeamSVBS. 

Council Tax 

There is no specific update on council tax this time. Where possible, you should continue to pay your bills as normal.  Residents who are currently not being paid, and are struggling to pay their council tax bill, are encouraged to apply for Council Tax Reduction – their account will then be put on hold for 30 days while their application is processed: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ctrs  

Council Matters 

Remote committee meetings to take place online
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are to begin holding council committee meetings online via video conferencing from the end of May. The first virtual meeting of the Vale of White Horse District Council will be the Vale Planning Committee on Tuesday 26 May at 10.30am. 

Councillors will use Microsoft Teams to take part in the meetings and members of the public will be able to watch online via a link which will be published alongside the meeting agenda on the councils’ websites five working days prior to the meeting.  The councils will also publish the link to each meeting via their Facebook and Twitter pages. For details on how members of the public can submit statements or questions to be considered by a committee or council meeting please visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/meetings. 

Once councillors and officers have got used to the new process and are confident that meetings can be carried out effectively and within the guidelines, the councils will look to introduce online public participation by live video. Following the COVID-19 outbreak and the introduction of social distancing rules in March, the two councils cancelled all their official meetings and acted quickly to focus their efforts on supporting local communities and vulnerable individuals. While the focus remains predominantly on supporting vulnerable residents affected by COVID-19, it is still important to ensure the transparency of local democracy and so the councils have now put in place measures to ensure that meetings can take place again. 

Local News 

County Council cycle projects 

The County Council has launched a newsletter on its Science Vale Cycle Network Project (SVCN), which you can sign up to receive monthly updates about. The first of these projects is to construct a cycle route between Wantage and Harwell Campus, and this is due to start next week on 26 May.  This project will be featured in the newsletter, which will also provide updates on other routes as projects progress. To sign up to the newsletter head to the county council’s transport bulletins page and chose Science Vale Cycle Network from the list – you can also sign up for updates on other transport projects too. 

Take care, stay safe, stay home! 

We will endeavour to keep you updated on the council’s response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 through future newsletters and our dedicated councillor Facebook Page: Cllrs Hayleigh Gascoigne & Sarah Medley. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any issues or concerns – our email addresses are hayleigh.gascoigne@whitehorsedc.gov.uk and sarah.medley@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.  

 

Minutes of the Upton Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 19th March 2020 in the village hall.

In attendance:- Cllrs B Shaw (Chair/BS), D Beckles (DB), B Heneghan (BH). Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Mrs J Reid (UVHAT/JR)

Clerk’s note:- The council agreed via email to operate emergency measures for this meeting. The meeting was quorate with three councillors in attendance. The Clerk and a representative from UVHAT were also present and occupied the main hall and sat a safe distance apart. 

1. Apologies for absence

Cllrs P McLaughlin, I Sykes, District Cllr H Gascoigne, County Cllr M Fox-Davies

The council acknowledged the resignation (by email) of Cllr Ian Sykes with immediate effect. Clerk to instigate notice of vacancy. ACTION Clerk.

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

BH declared that he could not take part in the discussions on the contractor for the garage doors as the contractor was known to him.

Clerk’s note:- The council agreed to bring to the top of the agenda item 18. Coronavirus & its effects on the village and the working of the Parish Council.

3. Coronavirus and what current guidelines mean for the council and community

The council and Mrs Reid (JR) on behalf of UVHAT, discussed the situation in

the village. Clerk to provide JR with details of how the Blewbury community

helpers  are supporting those in need at this time. The council agreed to set

aside a £1000 discretionary emergency fund, which will be reviewed regularly.

 

JR confirmed that the hall was closed to all hiring events, with other uses under

discussion (as of date of meeting). UVHAT and the Parish Council would

continue to share information and help within the community as necessary and

within government guidelines.

 

JR also stated that there used to be a ‘Welcome to the Village’ information pack

for new comers and she would look in to this with a view to helping community

relations. Action JR.

 

The council agreed (proposed BS, seconded BH), that the emergency measures

would include delegation of decisions to one councillor and or the Clerk should

this situation arise. The holding of physical meetings was subject to review prior

to agreed dates (at the time of the meeting). Clerk to look at adding Emergency

Measures to the Standing Orders. ACTION Clerk.

 

4. Approve the minutes of the following meetings & note any matters arising:-

UPC 16.01.20

The minutes were approved by council with no changes and signed off by the

Chair.

5. Report from the County Councillor

Not provided other than information on the Coronavirus, which had been

circulated.

6. Report from the District Councillor

Provided in advance of the meeting and included at Appendix A below.

7. Representations from the public

None present.

8. Outstanding actions carried forward from this and previous

meetings:-

 

No.	Action Points from March Meeting	When by
1.	JR to look in to previous Welcome to the Village’ pack.	May meet
2.	Clerk to look at adding Emergency Measures to the SOs.	May meet
3.	BS to confirm any immediate remedial actions to play area equipment.	ASAP
4.	Clerk to nominate other contractors to quote for new toddler play area.	o/s
5.	JR to look in to documentation held by UVHATconcerning the village hall / PC history	May meet
6.	Clerk to contact MB & CL re PC / UVHAT history	May meet
7.	Clerk to instigate councillor vacancy procedure	ASAP
8.	BS to provide Clerk with details of residence to write to regarding detritus on rec.	ASAP
9.	BH to write para for Upton News for volunteers for Speedwatch.	ASAP

 

No.	Action Points from previous meetings	When by
1.	Clerk to instigate mandate papers to change Lloyds Bank signatories – Second signature added to paperwork & returned to Lloyds 23.3.20	ASAP
2.	Clerk to incorporate large project reserves in budget for 20/21	End fin year
3.	IS to confirm any current maintenance required within the play areas – BH provided an update on remedial measures required.	March meeting
4.	BH to speak to Bob Lott regarding the pump track resurfacing & costs.	C’fwd ASAP
5.	BH to contact Cllr H Gascoigne for an update on tree records held by the DC – BH confirmed information obtained. To share with council.	ASAP
6.	PMcL to draft the start of a re-located toddler play area.	C’fwd ASAP

  

8. Agree the council’s response to the following planning applications:-

8.1 P20/V0267/HH Fernwood, High Street, Upton

Retrospective application – windows arrangements

Deadline noon 20.3.20

The council agreed no objections to this application. 

9. To receive an update on UPC Finances

9.1 Update on Lloyds bank accounts

Change of signatories paperwork had been returned from Lloyds Bank,

requiring a further signature. This was duly signed by BH & returned to

Lloyds Bank by post on Monday 23 March.

9.2 Ratify the agreement made by email to proceed with a quote for

replacement garage doors from Mr A Hamey in the sum of £1000 on the

grounds of safety & security.

The council confirmed its decision to instigate this work due to security and

safety concerns.

9.3 Agree the following payments listed in the table below.

The council agreed all payments. 

Date	Payee	£
28.02.20,28.03.20	Clerk’s salary SO	Not publicly disclosed
19.03.20	Clerk’s expenses	£28.55
Feb, Mar	HMRC PAYE SO (@£44.80pm)	£89.60
19.02.20, 19.03.20	Microsoft Office365 Feb & Mar DD @£3.80pm	£7.60
24.02.20	OALC Planning training – B Heneghan	£60.00 inc VAT
20.03.20	OALC annual membership	£140.42 inc VAT
19.03.20	Home Start donation	£25.00
	TOTAL	£351.17 + Clerk’s salary SO above.

 

9.4   Receipts

Bank interest (Jan, Feb, Mar) .55p, .57p, .50p

Annual wayleave payment £2.00

9.5  Sign off bank reconciliation to date

The Chair duly signed off the bank reconciliation.

10. Update on the Play Areas maintenance, upgrades and inspections

In the absence of IS, a full update was not available. BH to confirm any

Immediate remedial requirements on the adventure play area. ACTION BH

11. Update on the ‘rec regeneration plan’

11.1 Toddler play area

A quotation had been received for the decommissioning of the toddler play

area and creation of a new area on the rec. This was under scrutiny by the

council.

Clerk to nominate other contractors for quotations. ACTION Clerk

11.2 Pump track

Discussion postponed.

11.3 Grounds maintenance contractor

One quotation had been received for regular maintenance of the rec and

other areas of the village. A further two quotes were expected.

11.4 Any other areas requiring attention within the recreation area

BS to provide details of residence to write to regarding detritus dumped on

rec. ACTION BS

12. Update on car park extension suggestions

The council acknowledged the correspondence received from residents. The

council also acknowledged that the decommissioning of the toddler play area,

creation of additional car parking spaces and creating different green/garden

spaces would all form part of a five year plan. Options will be at a future meeting.

However, in the current climate this subject would be postponed until further

notice.

13. Update on the progress of the village web site

The Clerk reported that significant progress had been made in updating the

Parish Council element of the village web site and the Cllr McLaughlin was doing

a good job in improving all aspects of the site.

14. Update on proposed Speed Watch activity in Upton

A meeting had taken place with the PCSO & a Blewbury PC representative. The

cost of equipment is expected to be less than first thought. However, as training

cannot currently take place, this will be reviewed at the earliest opportunity in the

future. BH will write para for Upton News to ask for volunteers to join

Speedwatch. ACTION BH

15. Discuss information gathered on the history of the rec & village hall & any

subsequent actions required.

The council agreed that with information uncovered so far (from previous

minutes) the relationship between the council’s ownership of the rec and

UVHAT’s ownership of the hall was not clearly defined. JR agreed to look in to

documentation held by UVHAT to help establish the history and confirm any

results via BH. ACTION JR

Clerk to speak to M Brown and C Lightfoot to see what historical information

may be gained. ACTION EC

16. Discuss any required plan of action to:-

16.1 Create a five year parish council plan

While it was agreed that this was required, in view of the current health

situation and with two councillor vacancies, its creation would take some

time.

16.2 Revise the Parish Plan (2015/16)

While it was agreed that the plan was in need of revision in line with 16.1

above, for the same reason given above, this would take some time.

17. Agree the format of this year’s Annual Parish Meeting (APM) scheduled for 7pm

on Thursday 23^rd April and the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for

Monday 18^th  May 7.30pm.

The council acknowledged that in the current COVID-19 crisis, no in person

meetings could take place until further notice following government guidelines.

Following advice from OALC, the APM would be conducted by email only with

distribution and publication of any reports submitted in the normal way.

The AGM would take place in a to be agreed format as late in May as possible

(date TBC).

18. Discuss any actions or advice to be taken in light of the Coronavirus

Discussed at start of meeting.

19. Resignation of Cllr Ian Sykes.

Acknowledged at start of the meeting.

 

The meeting finished at 8.40pm.

 

Date and format of next meetings:- 

To be confirmed.

 

APPENDIX A

Upton Parish Council – Thursday 19th March 2020

Report from District Councillors

Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and Cllr Sarah Medley

Our News

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update from the Vale of White Horse

The situation with the Coronavirus update has escalated in the past few days and is having an impact on everyone across the community. See webpage for up to date information as it affects the District councils’ services and residents. www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/news-events/coronavirus-covid-19-information

Vale of White Horse Council is in constant contact with partner organisations across the county who are doing everything they can to stop the virus spreading and ensure the people of Oxfordshire are protected.

For specific help for parish councils, please contact the Oxfordshire Association for Local Councils

You can find out more information on the Public Health website, which is kept up to date daily.

Severe weather advice

The Vale website has a Severe Weather page for anyone looking for advice on where to find assistance or more information on floods, snow and ice, loss of utilities or storm damage:http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/weather During the winter months, the pages are kept up to date with any latest information, including any disruption to our waste collections.

Climate Emergency Advisory Committee

The Climate Emergency Advisory Committee (CEAC) has not met since our last report, however the next meeting will be held on Monday 30th March 2020 at 6.30pm at 135 Eastern Avenue, Milton Park, OX14 4SB. The agenda and information pack will be available on the following page: http://democratic.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=608&MId=2697

To find out more about what the council is doing to tackle climate change visit the website pages http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/environment/climate-change

New: Leader’s Blog

Cllr Emily Smith, Leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council, has started a new Leader’s Blog to give residents more of an idea about all of the things the District Council is involved in. Her first blog post discusses International Women’s Day, the recent Big Botley Green Day, Grove Station and Climate Change. Click here to read the Blog.

Vale News

Survey on planning consultations

We’ve launched a public consultation to find out what residents, businesses and community groups think about how we can run our planning consultations in the future. Once adopted, our Statement of Community Involvement will form part of our Development Plan and will set out how communities will be able to influence new planning policy documents, such as the Local Plan. It also sets out the ways in which residents can comment on planning applications. The consultation is open for comments until 5pm on Thursday 9 April. You can find more information on our website here.

Tackling violent crime and supporting vulnerable young people

The Community Safety team recently hosted a conference to raise awareness about how partner organisations can work to tackle violence in our districts, particularly those involving people under the age of 25. Thames Valley Police delivered presentations on youth intervention in schools, and on how they are using local policing to tackle exploitation and county drug lines. Local charity SOFEA (South Oxfordshire Food & Education Alliance) spoke about how they help young people by combining educational programmes with work, focusing on boosting self-esteem and emotional intelligence. The team also manage a monthly ‘Joint Tasking Meeting’ to tackle complex cases that need to be considered by more than one agency. This brings together staff from district councils, police, social care, mental health teams, drug and alcohol services, and housing providers. The aim is to provide targeted support for vulnerable people who may be a victim of county drug lines, sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, and anti-social behaviour, whilst dealing with any offending behaviour. This work, and the feedback provided at the conference, will feed into the South and Vale Community Safety Partnership Plan 2020/21, which will be published this June and is likely to have a strong focus on reducing violent crime.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

MINUTES of the meeting of Upton Parish Council held at 7.30pm on Thursday 16th January 2020 in the village hall meeting room.

In attendance:- Cllrs B Shaw (Chair/BS), P McLaughlin (PMcL), B Heneghan (BH), I Sykes (IS) & E Cooper (Clerk/EC)

 

1. Apologies for absence

Cllr D Beckles, District Cllrs H Gascoigne & S Medley.

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

 

3. To approve the minutes of the following meetings & note any matters arising:-

UPC 28.11.19

The council accepted the minute as they stood & these were signed off by the Chair.

 

4. Report from the County Councillor

None provided.

 

5. Report from the District Councillor

Provided in advance of the meeting. See Appendix A below.

 

6. Representations from the public

None present.

 

7. Outstanding actions carried forward from previous meetings :-

 

No.		Action Points from January meeting	When by
1		Clerk to instigate mandate papers to change Lloyds Bank signatories	ASAP
2		Clerk to incorporate large project reserves in budget for 20/21	ASAP
3		IS to confirm any current maintenance required within the play areas.	ASAP
4		BH to speak to Bob Lott regarding the pump track resurfacing & costs.	ASAP
5		BS to speak to Graham de Wilde to obtain a full list of grounds maintenance requirements	ASAP
6		BH to contact Cllr H Gascoigne for an update on tree records held by the DC	ASAP
7		PMcL to draft the start of a re-located toddler play area.	March meeting
8		IS to confirm play area maintenance requirements	ASAP
9		PMcL to open a Krystal account to aid the transfer of Parish Council element of village web site.	ASAP
No.		Action Points from November meeting		When by
3		Clerk to pursue Defib training		Early 2020
4		Cllr Gascoigne to see if plan of Upton village trees exists within the DC.		January meeting
6		Planting of trees in old/new cemetery. Question of ownership to be raised with Upton church. Clerk also to respond to requestor.		January meeting
No.	Description – O/S Action Points				When by
7.	Rec ground signage discussion – EC to resend info to PC for discussion at January meeting				C’fwd

 

8. Agree the council’s response to the following planning applications :-

8.1 P19/V3240/HH Stowe House, High Street, Upton

Two storey side extension

Deadline 17.01.20 (extended from 14.1.20). UPC no objections.

8.2 P19/V2967/LB As above

No response required.

8.3 P19/V3231/HH Pointers Corner, Chilton Road, Upton

Add a small utility room extension to the east side of property. Rebuild the terracing

to support new utility room. Deadline 18.01.20. UPC no objections.

8.4 P19/V3305/HH Vale House, High Street, Upton

Proposed conversion of curtilage listed storage barn into ancillary accommodation.

Deadline 24.1.20

UPC no objections, but commented on clarity of change of curtilage, together

with concerns over egress to and access from properties in this area.

8.5 P19/V3306/LB

Vale House, High Street, Upton

See 9.5 above. UPC no objections.

8.6 P19/V3307/HH

Vale House, High Street, Upton

Proposed two-storey extension, conversion of the attached garage & associated

Alterations. Deadline 28.1.20. UPC no objections.

9. Update on UPC Finances

9.1 To receive an update on signatories with Lloyds Bank

PMcL agreed to be a new signatory on the Lloyds bank account. Clerk to

instigate mandate papers.

9.2 To agree the following payments :- 

Date	Payee	£
28.12.19,28.01.20	Clerk’s salary SO	Not publicly disclosed
16.01.20	Clerk’s expenses (increased from £5.40 as per agenda, due to further mileage incurred)	£9.00
Dec, Jan	HMRC PAYE SO (@£44.80pm)	£89.60
19.12.19, 19.1.20	Microsoft Office365 Dec & Jan DD @£3.80pm	£7.60
10.12.19	OALC Website Accessibility training course 22.1.20 (to be ratified paid 10.12.19)	£60.00 inc VAT
10.12.19	Cllr P McLaughlin expenses (to be ratified, paid 10.12.19)	£6.00

9.2  Receipts

Bank interest (Dec) £.50

9.3  Budgets

9.3.1 Half yearly results for 19/20

Payments & Receipts to date sent ahead of meeting. The council

agreed that funds for larger projects (car park extension, new toddler play

area, grounds contractor) should be listed accordingly, funds accumulated

as reserves & reserves transferred to business bank instant account. Clerk

to action.

9.3.2 Draft budget for 20/21

The budget for 20/21 was agreed by the council, with changes for

large projects as in 10.3.1 above.

9.4 Precept for 20/21

The council unanimously agreed to increase the precept to £10,136, an

increase of 7.5%, equating to .29p per household, per month (based on a band D

property). This will help meet a small proportion of planned costs in the new

financial year.

9.5 Bank reconciliation to date

The Chair signed off the bank reconciliation.

 

10. Update on the Play Areas maintenance, upgrades and inspections

10.1 IS confirmed that weekly inspections were ongoing. IS to confirm

current maintenance requirements within the play areas (inc. De-mossing

(chemical free), bark turnover & sturdy repairs to play equipment).

10.2 BH to speak to Bob Lott regarding the pump track resurfacing & costs.

10.3 BS to speak to Graham de Wilde to obtain a full list of grounds

maintenance requirements in order for comprehensive quotations to be obtained

from grounds contractors.

10.4 PMcL to draft the start of a re-located toddler play area.

 

11.‘Rec regeneration plan’ following the APM & RoSPA report in 2019

The council agreed that a 5-year plan covering the following should be written:-

– A grounds contractor needs to be appointed asap. Three names had been

put forward. Dependent on 11.3 above.

– Car park extension – location & costs

BH to speak to UVHAT to re-establish formal links with this group and open

discussions regarding help with car park extension.

– Relocation of toddler play area

 

12.Update on car park extension plans

PMcL / BH had worked on obtaining quotes & understanding the full implications of

creating a car park extension. Current costs are c£25k if taking up part of the rec,

largely due to drainage costs. Acknowledging discussions from the previous  Annual

Parish Meeting, the council will look at the alternative of creating an extension to the

existing car park by using the space that will be left vacant when the toddler play

area is relocated.

 

13.Parish Council web site plan of action

PMcL updated the council on his progress in the transfer of control of the PC

element of the village web site to the PC. This transfer was imminent at the time of

the meeting. The Chair proposed & was seconded in opening a Krystal account to aid

the transfer. PMcL to action. BS also to speak to Brian Rippon re transition and any

further actions required.

 

14.Changes to UPC Standing Orders

Minor changes & updating to UPC’s Standing Orders were agreed and signed off

by the Chair and Clerk.

 

15.Update of Defibrillator training

Clerk is progressing this.

 

16.Regular tree inspections

Clerk to contact Cllr H Gascoigne for an update on tree records held by the DC.

 

17.Speed Watch activity in Upton

BH confirmed a meeting to be held on 3^rd February 2020 with the PCSO &

representatives from Blewbury Parish Council.

 

18.Village annual litter picking day

PMcL to speak to R Traynor re any arrangements.

 

19.UPC meeting dates for 2020

The council unanimously agree to hold regular bi-monthly meetings on Thursdays

at 7.30pm. UPCX meetings as they arise, but same start time. APM & AGM

are scheduled for Thursday 23 April and Thursday 21 May respectively and will

be confirmed nearer the time.

 

The meeting closed at 10.35pm.

 

Date of next meeting:- Thursday 19^th March 2020 at 7.30pm, in the meeting room of the Upton village hall. 

 

Appendix A

 

District Councillor Report Upton Parish Council Thursday 16th January 2020 hayleigh.gascoigne@whitehorsedc.gov.uk , sarah.medley@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

Upton Parish Council Thursday 16th January 2020 Report from District Councillors Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and Cllr Sarah Medley

 

Happy New Year! We hope that all the residents of Upton enjoyed a peaceful and restful Christmas break. Due to purdah rules during the General Election at the end of 2019, we were unable to publish council policy news over the past few months, so this report contains an extensive update on recent developments. Our News December Council Meeting At a busy Council meeting on 18 December, district councillors in the Vale voted to approve motions on a number of topics, including agreeing the council’s commitment to exploring planning polices which encourage sustainability, updating the council’s equality policy and support for the

voting age to be lowered to 16. Councillors agreed that Vale of White Horse District Council would commit to exploring planning policies which positively encourage all renewable sources of energy, including onshore wind farms as part of the next Vale Local Plan and Oxfordshire Plan 2050. The council also agreed to:

• condemn all hate crimes and deplore the rise in hate crimes against members of the Jewish and Muslim communities in Britain
• condemn all inflammatory rhetoric in political discourse: including anti-Semitic and Islamophobic tropes used by politicians and public servants.
• adopt the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of anti-Semitism in full and without amendment
• adopt the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) definition of Islamophobia in full and without amendment. • ask council officers to update this council’s equality policies to this effect

The council requested that the Leader write to relevant ministers and local MPs requesting that all elections be run using Proportional Representation and also expressing this council’s support for the Votes at 16 campaign; calling for the extension of allow 16- and 17-year olds to be allowed to vote in all elections and referendums across the UK and asks the Electoral Returning Officer to consider participating in any pilot scheme. The council agreed to request that:

• officers make contact with the MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) to assess the views of the new Secretary of State when it comes to the re-organisation of local government
• the Chief Executive and Leader bring a report on this matter to full council by Summer 2020
• officers bring forward proposals for the Vale of White Horse to consider a formal merger with South Oxfordshire District Council creating a single district council based on their combined geography with increased financial resilience.

Climate Emergency Advisory Committee Hayleigh is a member of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee, which had its first meeting in October. The committee listened to several speakers from across the Vale, including Miriam Jacobs from Blewbury Parish Council. The speakers raised different areas we should look at when considering the Climate Emergency at the Vale, and the committee agreed recommendations to commission work to be done by officers and to establish a communications plan to engage the community. Finally, they debated and set target dates for a carbon neutral council by 2030 (75% by 2025) and a carbon neutral district by 2045 (75% by 2030) Work is now being planned and prepared

around seven themes: council business, housing, partnership, infrastructure, transport, biodiversity and behaviour change.

The Insight and Policy team at the council are now evaluating these plans and working with other service areas to look at the feasibility of some of the options. As part of an Oxford University programme, the team has also secured student consultancy support to capture their creativity and fresh ideas on strategies and techniques to help achieve the challenging targets set out by the committees. The students will create a data pack of information around the urgency of climate change and adaptation. Both committees will discuss the consultancy report and data pack at their next meetings. In the December meeting of the Vale of White Horse District Council, Leader Cllr Emily Smith confirmed to councillors that the cabinet had agreed the council would aspire to become carbon neutral by 2030 and become a carbon neutral district by 2045. The next meeting of the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee is scheduled for 28 January 2020 and members

of the public are invited to attend and speak at the meeting. A reminder about the function of this new committee:

• The council declared a climate emergency in February 2019.
• In response to this, the council voted to establish a Climate Emergency Advisory Committee in July 2019, which meets in public to advise the council’s Cabinet on matters relating to the climate emergency.
• The role of the committee is to make recommendations on how Vale of White Horse District Council can reduce damage to the global and local environment through its policies and practices. It aims to work with and advise and influence partner organisations.
• The committee will research ways in which the council can contribute to national and countywide targets on climate and ecological issues and identify sources of external funding relating to the climate emergency.
• Members of the public can speak to the committee or ask questions about items on the agenda. To be allowed to speak, you must register with democratic services (email democratic.services@southandvale.gov.uk or call 01235 422520) by 5pm on the last working day before the meeting.

October Council Meeting Local Plan Part 2 The October Full Council meeting saw Council vote to adopt the Vale’s Local Plan Part 2 (LPP2), and motions were passed covering EU citizens’ rights, investments in low carbon funds, the A34 and changes to working with regional development organisations. Hayleigh spoke on LPP2 to highlight that despite our reservations about the plan, adopting it was the best option to prevent more speculative development, which we know that the villages we represent have hugely suffered from in the past.

Council motion on EU citizens’ rights Sarah used her maiden speech at Council to propose a motion (which passed unanimously) asking officers to prepare a report on what more the council could do to mitigate adverse impacts of the UK leaving the EU on the rights of non-UK EU nationals. The motion also instructs the Leader of the Council to write to the Home Secretary to ask for important clarity on deadlines, evidence and rights of individuals under the current European Settlement Scheme. The Leader of the Council has also written an open letter to all the non-UK EU nationals in the Vale – please help us reach all affected residents by sharing the letter with any friends, family, neighbours or colleagues who might be affected. For more information, and to download a PDF copy of the letter, visit http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/community-advice-and-support/brexit-%E2%80%93-adviceresidents/brexit-advice-eu-national.

Local News

Didcot Garden Town Project Throughout 2019, council officers have been working hard to move ideas for the Didcot Garden Town from the visionary stage to real-life project plans. As all the parishes we (Hayleigh and Sarah) represent lie within the Area of Influence of the Didcot Garden Town, we are actively interested in the project and we intend to keep parish councils and residents up to date about the next steps and upcoming meetings that will support the garden town. Didcot Garden Town governance matters will be discussed by the Joint Scrutiny Committee on 16 January 2020. The committee will be considering a proposal for a simplified governance structure to form a DGT Advisory Board and three Sounding Boards. The Sounding Boards will consist of a parish council board, a business board and a resident board. We hope that Upton Parish Council will be able to participate on the Parish Councils Sounding Board when the governance for Didcot Garden Town is approved. Papers for the Joint Scrutiny Committee meeting are available at the

following link: http://democratic.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=549&MId=2687&Ver=4. Questions or comments from parish councils ahead of the meeting are encouraged – please contact the Didcot Garden Town project manager, Marybeth Harasz: marybeth.harasz@southandvale.gov.uk. For more information on the Didcot Garden Town Delivery Plan, published in October 2017, please see the website www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/didcotgardentown for details.

UTC Oxfordshire Public Art Installation In November 2019, a new sculpture was installed at the UTC Oxfordshire on Great Western Park. ‘Reach’ is a threemetre-high human hand that features individual glass discs, made by students and residents, to celebrate the ground-breaking science and engineering taking place in our local area. More information can be found in the following article: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/news/2019/2019-11/hand-sculpture-reach-installed-great-westernpark?fbclid=IwAR3RmxgU-rCJ4X1uauwgYnCOP5nIp2E8Ywek_TOI7jspysPb15HmFYhibgo

Vale News

Christmas Tree Collections What to do with your Christmas tree now that the festive sea is over: If you’re a garden waste customer… Bin crews will come and collect it on your first brown bin collection after Christmas, which start again on Thursday 9 January – just put it out next to your brown bin. Please don’t put it in the bin as it’s often difficult for the crews to get out. Trees larger than 6ft must be cut down. Don’t worry if you missed the collection during this week – please simply put your tree out before the end of January on your brown bin collection day. If you’re not a garden waste customer… Drop it off at one of these special collection points: Location Latest date to be left at collection point Chilton village hall 20 January Harwell recreation ground 20 January Milton burial ground car park 8 January If you want to get rid of it later, you can also take it to these locations in South Oxfordshire. For more information visit http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/recycling-rubbish-andwaste/christmas-waste/what-do-your-christmas-tree District Councillor

Pop-Up Business School in Didcot Would you like to learn how you can make money from your passion for FREE? We’ve arranged for the Pop-Up Business School to come to Didcot Civic Hall on 27-31 January to teach you how to start your own business! Sign up now via https://www.popupbusinessschool.co.uk/didcot.html Future Homes Standard Consultation The government wants to hear opinions on options to increase the energy efficiency requirements for new homes. It is running a consultation on the “Future Homes Standard”, which is open for comments until early next year. All new homes will be required to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and higher levels of energy efficiency from 2025 and this consultation is the first stage of a two-part survey to change building regulations. The consultation is open until 7 February 2020 for comments via their website.

Landscapes review

An independent review, commissioned by the government, has found that National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) across the country are not doing what they’re intended to do, especially in relation to nature conservation. The review, known as The Glover Report, has set out a number of positive proposals which aim to make National Parks and AONBs more effective. Included in the proposals are measures to help ensure that everyone can access these special areas and that the local communities that are an important part of these landscapes continue to thrive. The review supports giving greater status to both National Parks and AONBs. It recommends that AONBs are given greater recognition in the planning system, making sure local councils have to consult with AONB management groups on local planning applications, and while developing planning policies. It also suggests that they should be provided with help when working with planning authorities on the preparation of new local plans. To find out more please see:

• a summary of the report, including what it means for our districts

• the full report.