Upton Parish Council

Minutes of the meeting of Upton Parish Council held at 7.30pm on Thursday 15^th July 2021 in the village hall.

Continue Reading Upton Parish Council Minutes July 2021

Held at 7.00pm on Thursday 15^th April 2021 via an e-conference system.

In attendance:- Cllrs B Shaw (Chairman/BS), P McLaughlin (PM), Neil Thorp (NT). E Cooper (Clerk/EC).

 

1. Apologies for absence

Cllr D Beckles in advance of the meeting. Cllr B Heneghan was not present.

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None.

 

3. To formally agree the council’s decision regarding the holding of its annual meeting on Thursday 20^th May at 7.30pm. This is in light of the ending of legislation allowing virtual meetings at midnight on 6^th May, and Village Halls reopening from 17^th May, but at 50% capacity, which may enable face to face meetings, albeit with all current guidelines still in place.

 

Council agreed that the situation in relation to holding meetings virtually & in person had been made clear by the Clerk regarding holding the annual meeting in May. It is not feasible to bring the meeting forward to before 6^th May. Council unanimously agreed that in the interests of the health & safety of its members & employee, it was too soon to meet face to face & the May meeting would be held virtually. This decision included comments made to the same effect by email from both absent councillors.

 

The situation will be reviewed prior to the meeting in July.

 

Clerk confirmed that the meeting room in the village hall was booked for council meetings from July. The chairman asked that these meetings be held in the main hall if it was not already booked. Clerk to confirm.

 

 

The meeting ended a 7.14pm.

 

 

 

 

 

      Date of next full council meeting:-

      Thursday 20th May at 7.30pm. To be held via an e-conference system.

In attendance: – Cllr Ben Shaw (Chair/BS), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs David Beckles (DB), Neil Thorp (NT) & Brendan Heneghan (BH). County Cllr Mike Fox-Davies, District Cllr Sarah Medley. Four members of the public.

 

1. Apologies for absence

Cllr Peter McLaughlin

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None

 

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

UPC     14.01.21

Council agreed to the following amendment for item 13.3 Pump Track, to remove the word

‘move’ from line one.

UPCX   11.02.21

UPCX  18.02.21

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

7. Representations from the public

Kieron Humphreys attended the meeting to present his Upton Nature Garden proposal. He

explained the creeping removal of wildlife habitats & losing biodiversity, & the government’s

strategy for biodiversity across England (Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and

ecosystem services). BS explained that the council had not had sufficient time as yet to

consider the proposal, but would do so prior to the next meeting in May.

 

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

Village wide support remained ongoing with regular updates on the Upton WhatsApp.

 

9. Outstanding actions from this meeting & carried forward from previous

meetings: –

 

No.	Actions from this meeting	When by
1.	PC to meet to discuss Upton Nature Project.	ASAP
2.	Clerk to action £75 donation to CAB.	Actioned 23.3.21
3.	Clerk to start Lloyds debit card application process again.	ASAP
4.	Clerk to create indemnity form.	ASAP
5.	Clerk to gather annual reports for publication.	ASAP
No.	Actions from previous meetings	When by
1.	PMcL to complete procedural documents for web site	Ongoing
4.	Council to agree donation to CAB See agreement under Finance & Administration.	Cleared

 

10. Agree or ratify the council’s response to the following planning applications: –

10.1  To agree:-

10.1.1 P20/V2094/FUL3 Amend 2, 3 Fieldside, Upton

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

one-bedroom dwelling.

Deadline 17.03.21

UPC majority agreed to object (1 abstention).

10.1.2 P20/V3104/HH Amend 1, Conifers, Stream Road, Upton

Single storey front extension & raising roof to provide additional room in loft +

internal alterations.

Deadline 8.4.21

UPC unanimously agreed no objections.

.

10.2 To ratify:-

10.2.1 P21/V0228/HH Thistledome, Stream Rd, Upton

Erection of single storey & two storey side extension & single storey rear

extension. New porch to principal elevation & widening of existing driveway.

Associated internal reconfigurations.

UPC no objections 4.3.21

10.2.2 P20/V2773/LB Amendment no 1 Owlscote Barn, High Street, Upton

Regularisation of unauthorised work to LB.

UPC no objections + narrative 24.2.21

10.2.3 P21/V0231/HH

Park View, Station Road, Upton

Single storey extension at rear, demolish existing conservatory & alterations to

enlarge kitchen.

UPC no objections

10.3 Note Planning Permissions granted: –

P20/V3064/HH Pottengers, Chilton Road, Upton

 

 

11. Update on UPC Finances and Administration

11.1 UPC agreed to a payment of £1450 +VAT for the decommissioning of the old toddler

play area. This is being carried out at the same time as the installation of the new toddler

play area.

11.2 Agree the appointment of Mrs R Caffyn as internal auditor for the year

2020/21.

UPC unanimously agreed.

11.3 Agree the following payments & who to authorise: –

PM agreed to authorise.

 

Date	Payee	£
28.02.21, 28.03.21	Clerk’s salary SO Inc additional hours (8) as agreed [LGA1972 s112(2)]	Not publicly disclosed
09.03.21	Clerk’s expenses [LG(FPA)1963s5]	£11.34
Feb, Mar	HMRC PAYE SO (£46 – Feb, £46.00 Mar £46.00)	£92.00
29.02.20, 29.03.21	Microsoft Office365 Feb&Mar DD @£3.80pm [LGA1972 s111]	£7.60
19.03.21	OALC Annual Subscription [LGA1972 s143]	£146.16
23.02.21	Giffords Recycling Cushionfall bark (adventure play area – paid to be ratified) [PHAAA 1907 s76(1)]	£1908.00
09.03.21	KOMPAN – new toddler play area equipment (paid to be ratified) [PHAAA 1907 s76(1)]	£9130.48
18.03.21	Krystal Hosting [LGA 1972 s111] Council agreed to add payment.	£9.59
	TOTAL	£11295.58 + Clerk’s salary above

 

11.4  Receipts

Bank interest Feb 10p, March 10p

SSE wayleave annual payment £2.00

11.5  Sign off bank reconciliation to date

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

11.6 Any other financial or administration updates

11.6.1 Council reiterated agreement of CAB donation of £75 from January meeting, to be

donated this financial year.

11.6.2 Clerk informed council that the Lloyds Bank application for debit cards had not

been received by Lloyds Bank & would be starting the process again.

11.6.3 Oxfordshire Protocol document

Council agreed that there would be no significant actions on the PC.

 

 

12. Update on the recreation ground Play Areas

12.1 Toddler play area

Work on the installation of the new toddler play area was underway. Decommissioning

of the old toddler play area is taking place at the same time.

12.2 Adventure play area

Thanks to much appreciated help from villagers, the surface of the adventure play area

was turned over prior to the delivery of new bark chippings on 17.3.21. Distribution of

the chippings was scheduled for 20.3.21.

12.3 Pump Track

The funding for the refurbishment of the pump track is being looked into, particularly with

a view to extending the longevity of this area.

 

13. Updates on the maintenance of the recreation ground

13.1 Current maintenance of grounds

Following the delivery of bark chippings to the adventure play area, some damage was

caused to the ground by the lorry. Consideration is being given to the restoration of the

damage.

13.2   Current volunteer situation

With no current volunteer rota, it was reported to council that Bob Lott has agreed to

take this on. Clerk to create an appropriate indemnity form for all volunteers.

13.3 Replacement fence

Currently on hold due to other considerations.

 

 

14. Update from BS on Working Groups

No update this month.

 

15. Update from PMcL on UPC IT

No update in the absence of PM.

 

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

To include play area information new/old/adventure.

 

17. Discuss the repositioning of the small oak tree in the new cemetery field

Council agreed that having viewed the position of the tree, it presented no immediate problem

& would not do for some years to come. Therefore no action would be taken.

 

18. Agree the date of the next meeting(s)

18.1 To agree that there will be no Annual Parish Meeting this year

Council unanimously agreed. Clerk to gather reports for publishing.

18.2 Next full council meeting Thursday 20^th May 2021 at 7.30pm

Via an e-conference system or face to face TBC

 

The meeting finished at 8.45pm.

 

 

APPENDIX A

REPORT UPTON PARISH COUNCIL MARCH 2021

FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES

 

Oxfordshire update

In the seven days up to 5 March, there has been a total of 220 confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Oxfordshire. This is a decrease from 405 new cases in the previous week. This is equivalent to a weekly rate of 31.8 per 100,000 residents and a reduction of 46 per cent over the last seven days.

The figures are summarised in the table below. This includes the number of new cases for this week compared to the previous week (up to 26 February) across the county and its five districts.

 

Cases of COVID-19 by district

	Cases in 7 days up to 26/02	Rate per 100,000 population	Cases in 7 days up to 05/03	Rate per 100,000 population
Cherwell	108	71.8	56	37.2
Oxford	125	82.0	46	30.2
South Oxfordshire	65	45.8	41	28.9
Vale of White Horse	79	58.1	48	35.3
West Oxfordshire	28	25.3	29	26.2
Oxfordshire	405	58.6	220	31.8

 

Data correct as at 5pm on 9 March.

 

COVID-19 dashboard

There is a COVID-19 dashboard on our website where you can access daily COVID-19 statistics.

Schools Return

Last week saw schools welcome back all pupils. We are not yet able to see how this first step in the easing of lockdown affects our COVID-19 cases, but the good news is that new cases are down across the county. All districts now have rates below 50 per 100,000, which puts us in a much better position than previous weeks for this return to school. We have also seen a continued decline in new cases in the over 60s, which is resulting in far fewer hospital admissions.

Home testing kits to support the return to school

The government has announced that all households with primary and secondary school and college-aged children and young people, including childcare and support bubbles, will be encouraged to start regular twice-weekly rapid lateral flow testing as schools return from 8 March.

 

Tests are available for adults in these households to order online, which can be delivered to their home or collected at a local symptomatic PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test site. These PCR sites are where people go to get tested when they have symptoms of COVID-19 and because of that, collection of these home test kits is set for 1pm – 7pm when testing of symptomatic people will not be taking place.

 

The PCR local testing sites (LTS) and regional testing site (RTS) offering the collection of home testing kits (referred to as LTS-collect and RTS-collect) in Oxfordshire are:

Regional testing site (drive-through)

• Oxford Parkway, Water Eaton Park & Ride, Oxford Road, Oxford, OX2 8HA

Local testing sites (walk-through)

• Woodgreen Leisure Centre, Woodgreen Avenue, Banbury, OX16 0HS
• Osney Lane, Oxford, OX1 1NY
• Woodford Way car park, Witney, OX28 6JS

 

Parents do not need to make an appointment, but they can check online if the location is open or busy before they go. A reminder collection is 1pm – 7pm.

 

In Oxfordshire, home tests kits cannot currently be collected from the county council’s symptom-free testing sites, which are Spiceball Leisure Centre (Banbury), The Beacon (Wantage), The King’s Centre (Oxford). We will keep you posted if this changes.

 

Symptom-free testing for key workers

Testing plays a key role in helping stop the spread of the virus and our symptom-free testing programme includes everyone across the council and also open to public-facing workers across the county who need to leave home to work or volunteer. As before, this also includes childminders. 

 

Testing for people who have COVID-19 symptoms

Across Oxfordshire, we have a range of testing sites for people who have COVID-19 symptoms, including drive-through and walk-in sites. We also have a number of mobile testing units operating in the county and the latest dates and locations for these are below. Booking is required for all testing sites.

 

Mobile testing units including

Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 6JB

• March: 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31.

Large majority of Oxfordshire parents and children offered first school choice

Parents and children across the county have been offered their first choice of secondary school for 2021/22 in the vast majority of cases. A total of 89.99 per cent (6,371) of applications have been awarded their first choice, and our school admissions team has done an excellent job in achieving this. You can read more about this in our news story on our website.

 

Target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions exceeded

Oxfordshire’s aim of becoming a zero-carbon county by 2050 has received a boost with news that our target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions was exceeded last year. We cut our corporate carbon emissions by eight per cent from April 2019 to March 2020, beating our target of six per cent. The replacement of boilers and streetlighting with more energy-efficient models, the installation of solar panels and the purchase of more electric vehicles were all factors in the reduction and more savings are soon on the way with the rollout of LED street lighting. The full story is published in the news section of our website.

 

Topping the table for recycling and composting

Residents in Oxfordshire have helped the county top the table nationally when it comes to recycling and composting for the seventh year in a row. I am delighted to say that  Oxfordshire County Council has once again been named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England, according to new government figures released on 3 March 2021. For more information and the statistics, read the news story on our website.

 

Consultation launched on Oxfordshire’s draft transport blueprint

Residents and organisations across the county are being offered the chance to help shape the transformation of transport and digital connectivity across Oxfordshire in a consultation on a draft blueprint for the future, which runs until 29 March. The new local transport and connectivity plan (LTCP) sets out a vision for Oxfordshire that will contribute to developing a zero-carbon economy for the county and transform the health and wellbeing of residents. Residents can have their say by visiting the county council’s consultation site. To find out more, see the news story on our website.

 

Government commits to supercharge the Oxford-Cambridge Arc

The government has this week announced an ambitious plan to transform the Oxford-Cambridge Arc into the UK’s fastest-growing economic region. The Arc is a globally significant area between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge, made up of the five counties of Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. It supports over two million jobs, adds over £110 billion to the economy every year, and houses one of the fastest-growing economies in England.

 

The aim is build a better economic, social and environmental future for the area, with high-quality, well-connected and sustainable communities. With the right interventions and investment, analysis suggests that by 2050 economic output could double to over £200bn.

 

To achieve this ambition, the government will work with local partners to:

• Develop a spatial framework for the Arc – this is a long-term regional plan to help coordinate the infrastructure, environment and new developments in the area, and help unlock the long-term potential of the area in a sustainable way. It will give communities a chance to shape the long-term future of their area and will help ensure the benefits of growth are felt across the region.
• Explore the creation of an Arc Growth Body– this would be a clear economic leadership voice for the Arc, championing its talent and assets internationally, supporting businesses, and fostering innovation.

 

You can read the announcement on gov.uk. 

 

Census update

Census day is 21 March. Currently our communications focus on reminding residents of the date, to watch out for their census letter in early March and the benefits of completing the census. If you have any questions contact Lisa Stead at lisa.stead58@field.Census.gov.uk or on 07452 942723 (Cherwell, West Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse) and Sinead Leach at sinead.leach49@field.Census.gov.uk or on 07452 948074 (South Oxfordshire and Oxford City).

 

APPENDIX B

Upton Parish Council, Thursday 18th March 2021

Report from District Councillors Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and Cllr Sarah Medley

Coronavirus Update and Community Support

Community Support Hub

The Community Hub continues to be available to help people access support and essentials during the lockdown if they have nobody else to turn to and can be contacted on the usual details below. The councils’ Housing Needs team are available to help people who are at risk of being made homeless or who are sleeping rough – for more details visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/housing. Support is also available to residents who are experiencing financial difficulties – to find out more please visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/benefits. If you are having difficulty paying your council tax please visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/counciltax or call 0345 302 2315.

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

COVID-19 rates across Oxfordshire

The number of positive cases in Oxfordshire overall is still falling but more slowly than it has been recently, with a five per cent reduction in cases over the last week. The “R” rate in Oxfordshire is currently between 0.6 and 0.8. We’ve seen a very slight increase in weekly infection rate in the Vale, which is 61 cases per 100,000 – up from 59.6 last week. The rate in South Oxfordshire has gone down again this week and is currently at 54.2 cases per 100,000.

Vaccinations

• 39,122 people have been vaccinated in South Oxfordshire (population:140,504)
• 35,117 in the Vale (population: 133,732)

The latest figures are updated on the county council’s interactive dashboard on a daily basis. It’s important we continue to stay vigilant and stick to the rules to protect ourselves and others. The ‘hands, face, space’ rules remain important to follow even for those who have been vaccinated. We are continuing to promote the help and support available for those who have to self-isolate or who are facing financial difficulties due to COVID.

The Beacon now an asymptomatic test centre

From 23rd February, The Beacon in Wantage became a COVID-19 testing site for public-facing workers and volunteers who are not displaying symptoms. The capacity for regular testing for public-facing workers is good, with testing now expanded to include everyone who needs to leave home to work or volunteer and cannot access workplace testing from their employer. This includes taxi drivers, independent retailers, and tradespeople such as plumbers and electricians.

People in these roles who cannot work from home and do not have access to workplace testing can book a free test at the centre via the county council’s online booking system. Tests take only 15 minutes with results available within an hour. South and Vale district councils have worked closely with partners across Oxfordshire to help set up this rapid symptom-free testing site to help stop the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and vital social care services, and ultimately to save lives. Around 1 in 3 people with Covid-19 have no symptoms but can still pass it on and so regular testing of public-facing workers will help to stop the spread of the virus.

Garden waste collections have resumed We have good news for garden waste customers – collections resumed from 15th Feb. Please share this news far and wide and with any friends and family in the district. The service will happily collect any real Christmas trees from garden waste customers if they still have them. We’re just asking them where possible to cut the tree up and pop it inside the bin. Otherwise it can be put out for collection next to the brown bin. There are more details on the service resuming on our garden waste webpage . We had to delay the restart of the service as many of our bin crews were off sick or were having to self-isolate due to COVID-19. While we are pleased to say that we now have enough crew members to complete the rounds we are still working on tight staffing levels and cannot rule out more disruption if those levels dip suddenly as they did before.

Business support during the pandemic

The government has confirmed details of the next payment period for the Local restrictions support grant (closed) addendum, which provides ongoing funding for rate-paying businesses that have been forced to close due to the national lockdown.

The second payment cycle covers 16 February to 31 March 2021:

• businesses with a property of rateable value £15,000 or less, may be eligible for £2,096
• businesses with a property of rateable value over £15,000 but less than £51,000, may be eligible for £3,143
• those with a property of rateable value £51,000 or above, may be eligible for £4,714.

So far, we have paid out more than £2.6million from the first payment cycle of this grant, covering 5 January to 15 February, supporting more than 1,000 businesses across South and Vale. All eligible businesses should have received an email confirming their payment arrangements for this period.

The Vale will now begin the process of preparing the new grants in advance of payment, subject to us receiving final clarification, including grant funding, from the government. We expect to be able to email eligible businesses confirming the payment process and their grant allocation week commencing 8 March if not before. Businesses in receipt of this grant do not need to take any action, they will continue to receive the money automatically without having to apply again. For more details about the grants available to businesses visit svbs.co.uk.

Budget 2021 – Restart grants for businesses

In the Budget this week, the Chancellor announced that pubs, restaurants, shops and other businesses hit hardest by the pandemic will be able to access a £5 billion grant scheme to help them reopen as lockdown is eased. Non-essential retailers will get help to reopen and trade safely with the new ‘Restart grants’, of up to £6,000 per premises. Hospitality, hotels, gyms, as well as personal care and leisure firms, will be eligible for up to £18,000 per premises – a larger grant as they are due to open later in the roadmap than retailers. We will have responsibility for distributing these grants and will receive the funding in April. We’ll have more information on the processes for this in due course once we’ve had the full details from the government.

Local News

Valley Park We were very pleased with the outcome of Vale of White Horse District Council Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday 16th February – the committee agreed unanimously to DEFER the decision on the Valley Park planning application! This is great news, as it means there is now more time available for residents and councillors to really push for our own local vision of what Valley Park should be. Deferring the application was voted for on the basis that further clarity needs to be sought on the following key issues with the Valley Park proposal before a decision can be made: B4493 Roundabout between Harwell and Didcot – committee asked council officers to look at this design again and consider alternative options to make this monstrous 5-arm roundabout safer and more accessible for cyclists. Thank you to the HarBUG – Harwell Bicycle Users Group and Sustainable Harwell for your excellent speeches on this issue, and special shout out to local resident Kate Stevenson Weal for your Facebook comment about an underpass on the roundabout – this sparked an entire debate the possibility of an underpass, bridge or another alternative solution to be explored in the design! Healthcare Provision – the committee asked council officers to go back to the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group – OCCG once again to obtain a proper answer regarding the medical provision for Valley Park. This site would bring 10,000 new residents to the area and yet there is no provision in the plans for a GP surgery or any Primary Medical Care, primarily because the OCCG didn’t even respond to the consultation in the first place! Thank you to Patient Participation Group (PPG) chairman Stewart Lilly for speaking on behalf of all 3 Didcot Medical Centres – we’re certain that your eye-opening statistics about the pressure our local services are under was key in influencing this decision. Biodiversity – massive well done to Sally Povolotsky for your fantastic speech raising the issues with biodiversity considerations on the site, including the protection of red kites. Thanks to you, the committee asked for the financial contributions from the developer relating to biodiversity off-setting (totalling £200,000) to be brought forward from a staged payment (after 1000th house is occupied) to a full amount paid upfront prior to commencement of the development. A brilliant win for protecting the natural environment before the first house is even built! The link below contains our extensive written statement that we submitted to the committee in advance of the meeting – we used this to clearly lay out our objectives, with the council policies to back them up. Two different members of the committee commended us for the high quality of our statement!

https://sustainable-harwell.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Ward-Councillors-Statement-Planning-Committee-16.02.21-Valley-Park-P14-V2873-O.pdf

If you didn’t catch the meeting, you can catch up any time on the YouTube link below to see the speeches and debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xZR4Ks-N3o Updates since the planning committee meeting on 16th February:

• The Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) have now responded to the Valley Park planning application, asking the developer to provide just under £4million for healthcare provision, as well as allocating land for a GP surgery site, in the event that the one on Great Western Park does not get built. This is brilliant news, as previously there was no response and hence no money or land allocated for healthcare, which was extremely concerning, and one of the key reasons the planning committee voted to defer the decision on the planning application. The response from the OCCG needs to pass various planning tests so it is not yet set in stone, but we are very happy that this is a big step in the right direction.
• There have been many rumours flying around about when Valley Park will be coming back to planning committee for further consideration. We would just like to clarify that it can only come back to committee once the planning officers are satisfied that the issues raised at the deferral decision have been addressed. We have been informed today that due to purdah, i.e. the time before an election period (in this case local elections on May 6th) in which councils are not permitted to make big decisions, the application for Valley Park will not come back to planning committee until May at the earliest.

Finally thank you to everyone who attended our residents’ feedback session on Valley Park last week. It was great to hear your views, it is clear that there are still a lot of concerns and questions around the roundabout design, the healthcare and biodiversity/sustainability. We plan to organise further feedback sessions in future to focus on these topics, so watch this space! In the meantime please feel free to email us your ideas and thoughts about the roundabout design, we can pass these on to the planning officers for consideration by the developer. • The news of the decision on Valley Park was featured in a recent edition of the Didcot Herald: https://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/19111212.plans-4-000-homes-valley-park-near-didcot-delayed/?fbclid=IwAR2itsHerQwA3Ghqs8J1xdgNZGn1zMsK6nW0GPI6Zz6cnDVmPQ_8IwK9iVE

Neighbourhood plans

Chilton Parish Council has submitted its draft neighbourhood plan to the council and the council is now carrying out a consultation which launched on Wednesday 17 February and will run until midnight on Wednesday 7 April 2021.

Council News

2021/2022 Budget at Full council 10th February

The most recent meeting of Full Council was on Wednesday 10th February – the agenda and link for viewing online can be found at http://democratic.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=108&MId=2722

The key agenda item for discussion was the proposed budget for 2021/2022. The council set out budget plans which protect front line services, continue to support local residents and businesses through the pandemic and help stabilise the council’s finances for the medium term. The budget would result in an increase of less than 10p per week on Band D Council Tax. Annual council tax will be £141.69 for services provided by the district council, up from £136.69 this year. The Vale currently has the 15th lowest council tax in the country for a shire district and significantly lower than the national average of £194.22. Since the pandemic began, the district council has re-allocated significant resources in order to provide vital support for residents and businesses across the district. This has included: administering more than 3,300 Covid-19 grant payments to local businesses totalling £21 million. We provided the new Community Support Hub, supporting 5,208 vulnerable residents, including providing direct assistance for 785 people. It is currently expected that this work will need to continue well into 2021. The council’s income also remains significantly affected by the Covid-19 restrictions. Like many councils, the Vale still faces significant financial challenges which have been caused by years of reduced funding from government, and the lack of clarity about the future of local authority financing. Along with the other Oxfordshire councils, the Vale has repeatedly called on the government to urgently provide additional funding to help ensure the future of vital public services. To see the full press release on the budget proposals, please visit https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/budget/councils-2021-22-budget-report-addresses-covid-19-challenges/ Councils looking into the possibility of a joint South and Vale Local Plan The two district councils in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are looking into the possibility of developing a joint Local Plan for the area to significantly reduce costs and help the councils meet their ambitious targets for making the two districts carbon neutral. Local Plans are used to help determine planning applications and set out how and where new housing developments should take place, along with identifying the infrastructure needed to support them. They also set out policies on what kind of housing is appropriate and acceptable; what the local requirements for affordable housing are; and can even set requirements on the energy-efficiency levels of new developments. These are all key themes and aspirations that are addressed in both councils’ recently adopted new Corporate Plans, which set out their visions for their districts. Both councils have also committed to do everything they can to address the climate emergency. According to reports being seen by the councils’ Scrutiny Committees next week, the significant consensus on these issues makes this a rare opportunity to create a joint Local Plan. The reports were discussed by the two councils’ Scrutiny Committees on 8 and 9 March in South and Vale respectively and will then be debated at the Vale’s Cabinet on 17 March and South Oxfordshire’s on 18 March. Any recommendations from the Cabinets would then be debated and voted on at the full Council meetings on 24 and 25 March at Vale and South respectively.

Low carbon leisure centres

Faringdon leisure centre is to get a £400,000 refurbishment with the potential to reduce its carbon footprint by 500,000 kwh over a year – the equivalent of the annual energy use of 135 houses.

The Vale of White Horse District Council has been awarded a £361,746 grant from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The rest of the funding needed will come from S106 money. The refurbishment will enable centre to use low carbon and renewable energy by replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps powered with new solar panels.

In February 2019 the council joined a growing number of local authorities and other organisations in declaring a climate emergency. The council is calling on the government to support action on climate change locally. All councils in Oxfordshire are signed up to carbon reduction targets through the Oxfordshire Energy Strategy and are committed to a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emission between 2008 and 2030.

The Climate Emergency Advisory Committee (CEAC) recommended that the Vale of White Horse reduce carbon emissions by 75 per cent by 2030. The council has also committed to becoming a carbon neutral district by 2045. In their Corporate Plan, published last year, Vale Cabinet members identified Tackling the Climate Emergency and Building Healthy Communities as two of their key priorities. The work on this project will start this month and be completed by the end of March 2022. The council’s officers are now commissioning studies to help them seek further funding for the decarbonisation of more leisure centres.

New waste calendars

Residents will shortly be receiving their new waste collection calendar for the coming year – it’ll be included in with the council tax bills hitting doormats this month. Residents who get their council tax bills electronically will get a link to an online version of the calendar in their email bill. The new calendar which runs from April 2021 – March 2022 is available here – www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/waste-calendar

South and Vale residents are top recyclers in the country… again

We’re very pleased to reveal that in the latest government figures, our environmentally conscious residents in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are the second and third best recyclers in England. South Oxfordshire recycle 64 per cent of its waste, with the Vale recycling 63.3 per cent. This puts the two districts way above the national recycling rate of 45.5 per cent and they are also two of only 11 local authorities in the country with a recycling rate above 60 per cent. Both districts have consistently been in the top ten in the past five years. As the figures cover the period from the beginning of April 2019 to the end of March 2020, they only include the very first week of the national lockdown last year. So the impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns on the collection of household waste in the districts will not be revealed until next year’s figures.

Call for people to help at the elections

We are looking for people to take on paid work at this year’s elections. On Thursday 6 May our residents will go to the polls to vote in the Police and Crime Commissioner and Oxfordshire County Council elections. Some areas will also have local by-elections and neighbourhood plan referendums. The various counts will then take place over the following days. To help ensure the smooth running of this event, we need to recruit as many people as possible. There are lots of roles available, paying a flat rate or from £14 per hour, and plans are being put in place to ensure all staff can work in a Covid-19 safe environment.

If you know anyone who may be interested in working at the elections, please encourage them to visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/electionjobs to find out more and to register their interest.

Census packs to arrive from 3 March

Some residents will now have started receiving their Census 2021 pack, which will be dropping on doormats until 13 March. There is a lot of information on the Census website.

Two district councils join Oxfordshire Greentech to help local businesses tackle the climate emergency

As part of their commitments to help the districts become carbon neutral, Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils have struck up a brand-new partnership to help local businesses reduce their carbon footprint. As Strategic Partners, the councils will be working with Oxfordshire Greentech to help connect businesses with specialist suppliers, customers and support organisations, and access funding streams and networking opportunities to help them minimise their emissions and impact on the environment.

Launched in 2019, Oxfordshire Greentech brings together a wide array of businesses, academia and other organisations to encourage innovation, collaboration and knowledge transfer. The growing network now has over 100 members as more companies see the benefits of sustainable business and new, circular economy focused business models.

For businesses wanting to take advantage of the discount in membership, visit Oxfordshire Greentech for more information via http://oxfordshiregreentech.co.uk/

Changes to Vale parking arrangements confirmed following public consultation

Following a public consultation, Vale of White Horse District Council’s Cabinet have approved several changes to parking arrangements to help reduce vehicle emissions. Last November almost 200 people commented on proposed changes to the parking arrangements. At their meeting on Friday 5 February, the council’s Cabinet considered the consultation results, and approved that the following measures which will now be included in the district’s new parking policy:

Reducing vehicle emissions

In Abingdon, lorries will no longer be able to park in Rye Farm car park and specific spaces will be allocated for a coach and campervans in Hales Meadow car park. This popular move to free up more spaces in Rye Farm for smaller vehicles, should encourage people visiting from the A415 to park here on edge of town rather than joining the traffic in the town centre, helping to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Encouraging electric vehicle use

The Vale is currently working with Oxfordshire County Council with a view to introduce electric vehicle charging bays in some district council car parks. If this happens then, under the new policy, parking enforcement officers will have new powers to fine motorists who park non-electric vehicles in electric charging bays, or who leave an electric vehicle parked in a charging bay when it’s not charging.

Tackling the car parks deficit

The Vale’s car parks, in Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage, collectively cost more than £700,000 a year to run. Once the income from parking fees has been taken into account, there is an average shortfall of over £300,000 a year, which is currently subsidised by council tax.

To help address this deficit, Cabinet agreed that the price of resident permits, which provide significant discounts on daily parking rates, would need to go up by 10 per cent each year until 2023. This decision was taken after carefully considering feedback from the public and taking the potential impact on individual residents and families into account. Members rejected options to implement a price increase of up to 100 per cent, in favour of a 10 per cent increase per year over the next three years.

In attendance:- Cllr B Shaw (Chair/BS), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs N Thorp, P McLaughlin. Four members of the public.

 

1. Apologies for absence

None received prior to the meeting. Cllr D Beckles joined the meeting at 7.50pm. Cllr B Heneghan was not present.

 

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None.

 

3. Representations from the public

Those present reiterated their thoughts & responses formed in the Working Group.

 

4. To formally agree & ratify the council’s response to the Chilton Road & A417 London Road Proposed Traffic Management & Toucan Crossing Consultation (deadline 19.2.21)

Council unanimously agreed to accept the Working Group’s summary findings, which were confirmed in terms of the consultation responses & associated narrative.

Clerk to submit response on 19.02.21 (deadline).

 

 

The meeting finished at 8.12pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Date of next full council meeting:-

      Thursday 18th March at 7.30pm, via an e-conference system.

In attendance:- Cllr B Shaw (Chair/BS), E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs N Thorp (NT), P McLaughlin (PM), B Heneghan (BH), D Beckles (DB). One member of the public.

 

1. To note or receive apologies for absence

None.

 

2. To note any declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

NT declared that he lived in Chilton Road.

Cllr Thorp was told by the Clerk that he would not be able to vote on anything

specific to Chilton Road. This has subsequently been corrected & apologies made to

Cllr Thorp.

 

3. To hear representations from the public

None made.

 

4. To discuss & agree the council’s response to the Chilton Road Closure Consultation

4.1 Council agreed that under normal circumstances a meeting would have been

held for all villagers to attend to discuss the consultation. As this had not been

possible, a questionnaire (with a question on the road closure) had been

completed and a small working group had met to put together a response.

4.2 BH agreed to create a series of questions for the council to agree & for those questions to be put as appropriate to the County Council, District Council & Sustrans to fully establish the status of the Chilton Road closure – before the deadline of 19.02.21. Other councillors offered assistance in this endeavour.

4.3 Council agreed that the closure had been accelerated under the pandemic situation, to meet a larger objective of increasing the ability to more easily cycle/walk in the wider area.

4.4 Council also agreed that all issues surrounding the road closure were not being addressed in the consultation & that all other issues must be addressed. This included the state of Hagbourne Hill & it’s unsuitability to carry increased traffic. Council agreed that the plan for this area is a priority.

 

5. To discuss & agree delegation of working groups led by Councillors following the successful implementation of the Chilton Road Closure Working Group

The formation of Working Groups is currently covered in the council’s Standing

Orders, para 27, Advisory Committees.

BH to propose an amendment to this para.

 

6. To agree the PC’s response to the following planning consultations: –

P20/V3363/HH Owlscote Barn, High St, Upton

Retrospective – External Sunken seating area and patio

Deadline 12 noon on 12.02.21

The council agreed no objections to this consultation, noting that it was another

retrospective application from this property.

 

7. To agree the following payments:-

7.1 OALC, GDPR & Data Protection training, Cllr PM £60

7.2 OALC, GDPR & Data Protection training, Cllr BH £60

7.3 OALC, Finding New Councillors training, Clerk £60

7.4 OALC, Finding New Councillors training, Cllr BS £60

Council unanimously agreed to all payments above. PM agreed to authorise.

 

8. Council agreed (proposed BH, seconded BS, all in favour), to hold a further meeting on Thursday 18^th February 2021 at 7.30pm to finalise a response to the consultation.

 

 

The meeting finished at 21.38.

 

 

      Date of next meeting:-

      Full council meeting Thursday 18th March at 7.30pm, via an e-conference system.

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.