1.     To receive apologies for absence

D Mathias, M Penington

2.     To record any declarations of interests relating to this meeting

M Shayler – expenses payment.

3.     To receive the County Councillor’s report from Cllr Sally Povolotsky

SP gave a verbal update, which included:-

• The County Council are in the process of setting their budget for next year.
• A Highways Asset Maintenance Programme is to be sent to Clerks.
• 20mph speed limit within the village of Blewbury has been implemented.
• Confirmation that Bessels Way is designated a B road. The Highways safety review is yet to take place, so this information could feed into that review.
• Recommendation that Blewbury PC emails information about speeding issues to Matthew Barber (Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley). Clerk to action.
• Steventon reservoir – SP explained the context of this long-running issue and drew the PC’s attention to various consultations and sources of information including the CPRE. She explained the context that the proposed reservoir would be the size of Gatwick Airport, that much of the water gathered there would be sold off to water companies beyond Oxfordshire, and that there were other, cheaper alternatives to the reservoir, which as proposed would damage the environment irreparably. She said she thought Steventon would be grateful for Blewbury PC’s support in their campaign against it. LI to send letter of support on behalf of the PC.
• SP requested emails from both Blewbury & Upton Chairs regarding no response to letters sent to landowners in October 2022. LI to send.

4.     To receive District Councillor’s report from Cllrs Hayleigh Gascoigne

See Appendix B below.

5.     To receive the Lengthman’s report from David Hollick

DH gave a verbal update which included:-

• Concerns as to the level of work needed to strip out the Clubhouse.

     Clerk’s note: concerns have been raised in writing with the contractor 13.1.23

–    Remedial work carried out on the kitchen & toilet in the Scout Hut for the Amazons to use while the Clubhouse is closed.

     Clerk’s note: Amazons head coach informed.

–    No grounds work in December.

–    LR has applied for a grant to remove the lavender hedge in the car park & re-plant as recommended by CB.

–    DH restated the need for further work around the car park & buildings area at the Clubhouse/tennis courts.

6.   To receive a report from the PCSO

No report received this month.

7.   Open Forum

No members of the public were present.

8.   To approve previous minutes & report on any matters arising – All Cllrs

Minutes of the BPC meeting held on 14^th December 2022

Council approved the previous minutes as being a true record.

9. To hear the Planning Committee Report & Planning Responses – LI

9.1 To agree or ratify the Council’s response to the following consultations

9.1.1 P22/V2460/HH Amendment no.1 Orchard Dene Cottage, South Street, Blewbury

Replace thatch on ancillary annexe with plain tiled roof. New dormer window, porch & solar panels to annexe. Conversion of single garage to ancillary accommodation, to form part of existing       annexe.

Deadline 13.01.23

BPC majority no objections. Returned 04.01.23.

9.1.2 P22/V1513/HH Amendment no.1 Pilgrims Rest, The Pilgrims Way, Blewbury

Erection of 2-storey extension etc, with amended plans 23.12.22.

Deadline 24.01.23

BPC agreed no objections with comments.

9.2 To note planning permissions received / withdrawn during the month

9.2.1 P22/V2554/HH Gatehouse Studio, London Road, Blewbury

Planning permission 21.12.22.

9.2.2 P22/V2456/HH Brokenwood, Bessels Way, Blewbury

Planning permission 14.12.22

10.    To hear an update on Finance & Administration from the Clerk

10.1 Financial updates

10.1.1 End of month reconciliation for December sent in advance of the meeting to the Vice-Chair. Agreed & signed at the meeting.

10.1.2 Lloyds Bank account funds as of 31.12.22 were £110,833.02

This sum includes reserves of: –

• £21,909.51 village hall remaining refurb funds
• £10,521.53 CIL funds

Net funds available £78,401.98

10.2 Administrative updates

10.2.1 BPC Finance Committee Meeting – Committee proposals for agreement by full council

Council unanimously agreed to items 10.2.1.1 to 10.2.1.11 inclusive.

10.2.1.1 Cemetery fees increase c.10% with effect from 01.01.2023

10.2.1.2 Lengthman salary increase £1.50ph

10.2.1.3 Hall Administrator increase £1.50ph

10.2.1.4 Clerk salary increase of 10%, with a further review following any NALC salary award in 23-24.

10.2.1.5 Clerk to investigate use of credit or debit card on behalf of the Council.

10.2.1.6 Maintain Post Office grant of £1,200pa

10.2.1.7 Grant to Oxfordshire CAB of £150. No other grants to be made, but a reserve of £1,000 to be held.

10.2.1.8 Hourly rate for Clubhouse cleaner to be maintained.

10.2.1.9 Capital project for 23-24 Heather Way footpath

10.2.1.10 Precept – Committee recommends an increase of £10,000 (c.13%) on the precept for 2023-24, providing a total of £85,000. This equates to a tax base increase of                                c.£1.14 per annum, or 11.4p per month (average over 10 months).

10.2.1.11 The Committee was satisfied with the adequacy of the following & recommended no changes to:-

1.  Finance Committee Terms of Reference
2. Record of physical assets & liability
3. Risk Management Policy
4.  Financial Regulations (other than a future change regarding a credit or debit card)
5. The Council’s insurance cover. The Committee agreed that the provider should be reviewed ahead of the next renewal date.

10.3 To agree authorisers for this month’s payments

LR & LI

10.4 To approve payments to be made under the general power of competence and within budgeted amounts as detailed in the table below.

Council agreed to all payments listed & the addition of the following payments:-

10.4.1 Red Box (Clubhouse fire equipment check) £601.24

10.4.2 Shayler Concrete Pumping (play area equipment) £812.76

10.5 To receive an update on 2023 local elections

10.5.1 Cost of uncontested & contested elections

The Clerk explained the difference in cost between an uncontested election (c.£200), & a  contested election (c.£2,500).

10.5.2 BPC collaboration, consultation & communication

Council discussed a paper circulated by AM about engaging Blewbury residents with the PC and what it does to deliver services for the village. Council agreed, where possible, to be less         quiet about its activities & achievements, & to create a better balance between ‘telling’ & ‘doing’. All agreed that the addition of photos with news would be more compelling. Council                           also agreed that more might be made of the APM in April, including cultivating ideas from people & groups. AM to lead on this for the APM.

11.    To receive an update from VHEMC

11.1 Trustees / Counsel opinion update

A response was received from Tanfield Chambers. DM to follow up.

11.2 Cycle Rack update

LI stated that a Village Hall trustee was writing a business case to gain a free cycle rack.

11.3 Any other updates

None.

12.    To receive an update on the Community Art project – CB & LI

No current update. LI to contact David Harber again.

13.    To receive an update on the all things relating to the operation of the Clubhouse & the recreation ground – MP, DH

           13.1 Clubhouse

13.1.1 Post Flood Update

13.1.1.1 Kitchen damage / Contractors

A company called Revival, appointed by the insurers, would start stripping out works on Wednesday 18^th January. This work is expected to be complete by Friday                             27^th January. Drying out is then expected to take 28 days. Details of contractors to carry out remedial works have been provided to the Clerk. Clerk to arrange contractor site visits post Revival work.

13.1.1.2 Kitchen clear out / Working group

DH completed the kitchen clear out. Council thanked him for this work.

13.1.1.3 Frost protection considerations

Provided by MP for further consideration.

13.1.2 New alarm system installation – deferred

IT upgrade – deferred

Music licence – deferred

13.1.3 Other updates

13.1.3.1 Water sampling report received 04.01.23 – all clear.

13.1.3.2 Septic tank emptied 17.12.22

13.2 Clubhouse usage December

Up to Friday 16^th December – Melland Room 54 hours, changing rooms 5 hours.

All bookings to the end of March have been cancelled & users will be moved to the village hall if suitable & available.

13.3 Recreation ground

13.3.1 Update on table tennis table siting/installation

LI to complete a formal request for the table & to meet with MS & Roger Murphy to agree final site of table.

13.3.2 Update on any other aspect of the recreation ground

MS is hoping to start on remedial work at TFF Play Space on Saturday 14th January (weather permitting).

14.    To receive an update on all aspects of TFF & car park – LR, MS, DH

14.1 Play area / trim trail update – MS

14.1.1 Goal remedial work

To be actioned by MS asap.

14.1.2 Play space remedial work

To be actioned by MS asap, weather conditions permitting.

14.2 Inspections

14.2.1 Annual & quarterly inspections

Quote for annual inspection received from RoSPA & will be arranged following completion

of remedial work above.

14.2.2 Weekly visual & monthly recorded inspections update

DH continues to complete the inspections with nothing adverse to report.

14.3 Any other updates

None.

15.    To receive an update on Risk Management & Compliance

15.1 Speed Watch Update

The Speed Watch data for December was provided ahead of the meeting & copied to Council.

15.2 Speed Reduction Measures update

LI to confirm the exact siting of the SID pole on Bessels Way, after speaking to the residents concerned.

15.3 Village defibrillators update – Clerk/VH

The installation of the defib unit at the Clubhouse has been postponed while the Clubhouse is out of use. Clerk to check on the installation of the unit at the Blueberry.

15.4 Any update or information on risk management & compliance

VH advised that changes to GDPR regulations would be made this year.

16.   To receive an update on issues relating to the Environment – from CB

16.1 Information from Sustainable Blewbury

CB advised a draft lease was in hand from Thames Water for the old sewage works nature reserve.

Negotiations were also underway regarding the proposed Quaker Wood, near the former Quaker burial site. AM advised that SB’s application for CIO status was ongoing.

16.2 Any other environmental issues

None.

17.   To receive an update on any issues relating to Footways, Footpaths, rights of way and open spaces – from MP, LI, MB

17.1 Parking on the Pound

The Clerk had sent information to the PCSO regarding this issue, but no response had yet been received. Clerk to pursue. Also, LI to speak to SP about other measures that could be taken.

17.2 Play Close Footpaths update

No significant update this month.

17.3 Any other update on Footways, Footpaths, Rights of Ways & open spaces in & around the village

17.3.1 Proposed stopping of Aston Upthorpe BOAT no.7 & Blewbury BOAT no.27. Proposed creation of Restricted Byway, Aston Upthorpe.

The Council was in favour of this change.

17.3.2 Chalk Pit signage update

LI had seen the completed sign & this would be installed by BlewShed at an appropriate time.

17.4 Any other updates

17.4.1 MB stated that Frying Pan Wood was Open Access Land & therefore should be accessible for anyone to visit, despite any form of fencing that may surround it. LI to ask Alex Musson for     any update on ownership.

17.4.2 AM to speak to Beeswax representative regarding presenting current/future plans at a BPC meeting.

18.   To receive an update on any outstanding consultations – All Councillors

None.

19. To agree the date/venue of the next meeting(s) of the Council – All Councillors

Next full council meeting Wednesday 8^th February 2023 at 7.00pm in the Vale Room at the Village Hall.

The full council meeting on Wednesday 8^th March will take place in the Committee Room in the Village Hall at 7pm.

Annual Parish Meeting, held jointly with the BVS AGM, to be held in April 2023, date to be agreed.

Appendix A

Appendix B

Monday 9^th January 2023 Monthly Parish Update

Vale of White Horse District Councillors

Cllr Hayleigh Gascoigne and Cllr Sarah Medley

Hello and Happy New Year! We hope everyone had an enjoyable festive period. There are now several community warm spaces available locally, providing a welcome space for all, with free refreshments and activities for children. The Didcot Wave and Abingdon White Horse Leisure Centres are offering warm spaces open to all, both leisure centre members and non-members alike, from 11.30am to 3pm Monday to Friday. These spaces offer a warm welcome, comfortable seating, free tea, coffee & biscuits as well as the opportunity to charge your phone, use the free Wi-Fi and have a hot shower. The websites https://www.warmwelcome.uk/ and https://warmspaces.org/ have online maps of warm spaces nearby, and we are also aware of the following available in the local area:

• Mondays
  • 10am – 3pm at the Didcot Baptist Church
  • 2pm – 5.30pm at Snell’s Hall in East Hendred (Community Larder at 4pm – 5.30pm)
• Tuesdays
  • 9am – 2pm at St Michael’s Church Hall in Steventon
  • 11am – 2pm at the Village Hall in Chilton
• Wednesdays
  • 10am – 3pm at the Didcot Baptist Church
  • 1pm – 5pm at Didcot Community Partnership, 99 Station Road
• Thursdays
  • 10am – 12pm at the GWP Northern Community Centre
  • 10am – 2pm at the Didcot Baptist Church
  • 1pm – 4pm at The Harwellian Social Club in Harwell
• Fridays
  • 10am – 12pm at the GWP Southern Community Centre
  • 9am – 4pm at Snell’s Hall in East Hendred

We use these monthly updates to keep you updated on our activities, general council news and any COVID-19 developments. We also post regularly on our councillor Facebook Page: Cllrs Hayleigh Gascoigne & Sarah Medley Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any issues or concerns, either via Facebook message or email: hayleigh.gascoigne@whitehorsedc.gov.uk and sarah.medley@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.  

Community Support

Cost of Living Support

If you or someone you know is in need of support over the winter months, a reminder that the council has put together a Cost of Living Help webpage for more information about financial and housing support, and local community food services. You can also contact the council’s Community Support Hub for practical support and advice: call 01235 422 600 (Mon to Thurs 8.30-5pm and Fridays 8.30-4.30pm) or visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/communityhub. Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale can provide you with free, confidential advice via 0808 278 7907. Vale Community Impact can provide free advice too, call them on 01235 765348

Household Support Fund 3 opens in January
The council is opening a third round of the Household Support Fund in January to support households who can’t afford essentials over the winter months. Support will be tailored to individual needs but will focus on food and fuel vouchers. Details of eligibility will be published on our website, or you can email our Community Hub or call them on 01235 422600.

Homes for Ukraine: discretionary £500 payment for hosts
A one-off emergency discretionary support payment of £500 will be offered to hosts under the Homes for Ukraine scheme where we identify a significant and urgent need. The payments will be made directly to guests through our Community Hub in the form of a cash or retail voucher depending on their needs and circumstances. This is not an automatic additional payment to all guests, and it won’t be made where other schemes/funds are available to assist the guest e.g. housing deposits. If you come across anyone who needs help, please direct them to email our Community Hub or call them on 01235 422600.

Local News

Valley Park Update

Hayleigh and Sarah: this section of our report provides an overview of the current live planning applications for Valley Park. There are often are several live applications relating to the development, however those labelled ‘RM’ i.e. ‘Reserved Matters’ are typically the most noteworthy as they request planning permission for specific parcels of housing on the development. Residents can provide comments on these applications. Applications labelled as ‘DIS’ i.e. ‘Discharge’ relate to specific conditions from the outline planning permission and are not usually open for public consultation. The current live planning applications for Valley Park are listed below along with an update on the status of each provided by the Vale planning officers:

P22/V2744/RM – 246 dwellings

This is a revised scheme for Taylor Wimpey’s first phase of housing in the north west of the site. The consultation period closed on 21 December 2022 and officers are now considering the comments received and considering the details of the application. Taylor Wimpey has submitted a plan and documents relating to solar panels and sustainable construction. The details will be added to the planning portal and will be sent to the Harwell Parish Council for information as one of their comments relates to these matters.

P22/V2381/DIS – Watercourse crossings

Refused. The proposed box culverts are considered to unacceptably harm watercourse habitats.

P22/V2338/DIS – Housing delivery document (HDD)

The applicants have been asked to revise the document to ensure consistency within it, reconsider density of housing in some parcels of the site and clarify the status of a parcel of land and whether it is to include housing or not. A revised HDD was received last week and needs to be reviewed by officers.

P22/V2407/DIS – Phasing plan

The applicants have been asked to provide the chronological order of development and to correct errors in the document. A revised phasing plan was received last week and needs to be reviewed by officers.

P22/V2624/DIS – Surface and foul water drainage

We have requested cross sections for the proposed swales and attenuation basins and asked the applicant to address the Vale drainage engineer comments together with demonstrating that the drainage scheme can be accommodated with other proposed infrastructure e.g. footways and cycle ways and meet the Strategic Design Code expectations.

P22/V2798/DIS – Framework Plan

This application relates to condition 10 of the outline permission which requires a Framework Plan to be approved. The Framework Plan relates to the north western ‘corner’ of the Valley Park site. Officers still need to consider this application.

Western Valley Parish Update

Hayleigh and Sarah: in our last report of 2022 we highlighted that the new parish on land previously within Harwell parish east of the A34 will be called Western Valley Parish – see the news article on the Vale website. The decision to create a new parish was made in 2014, but the new name and other matters relating to the creation of the parish were decided at a meeting of the Vale of White Horse District Council Community Governance and Electoral Issues Committee in December 2022 (the item on the new parish starts at 7 minutes 5 seconds into the video). The committee meeting followed a public consultation which took place earlier this year.

The final name of ‘Western Valley’, originally suggested by Harwell Parish Council at their meeting in August 2022, was agreed by the committee as a suitable name which references the ‘Western’ of Great Western Park and the ‘Valley’ of Valley Park, whilst giving the area its own identity separate from both Harwell and Didcot. It is important to note that the new parish council will be able to request further name changes in four years’ time, when the next Community Governance Review takes place.

The new Western Valley Parish and its associated Parish Council will come into existence just after the local elections in May 2023, when the eight new parish councillors will be elected. Until then, the district council’s Democratic Services team will be undertaking the initial work to establish the new council. We will provide further updates on this as we have them, but the main thing to note for now is that if you would like to get more involved in the community and have your say on local issues such as healthcare availability and Valley Park, then we encourage you to consider joining the new Western Valley Parish Council in May.

Boundary Review Request on Great Western Park

Hayleigh and Sarah: Locally, the boundary between South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils is located on Great Western Park, meaning that only some of the Great Western Park (GWP) development is in the Vale of White Horse (in our ward of Blewbury & Harwell), and the rest of GWP is in the South Oxfordshire. As your local councillors we are very aware of the confusion and practical issues this can cause for residents, particularly when there is such a strong community identity across the whole Great Western Park development.

The district councils do not have the ability to move this boundary, as this can only be done by the national Boundary Commission following a request for a review. In November 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of South Oxfordshire district council wrote to the leader of the Vale of the White Horse District Council, requesting whether such a boundary review could be considered – read the letter here. Cllr Emily Smith, who was the council leader at the time, responded in December 2022 – view her response here.

Didcot Growth Acceleration adopted
The Didcot Growth Accelerator Enterprise Zone Memorandum of Understanding has been adopted by the Vale of White Horse district council cabinet. The Vale has entered into a new memorandum of understanding with Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council to provide governance for ongoing objectives and priorities for the Enterprise Zone, which covers five sites in Didcot, Milton Park and the Milton Park Interchange. You can find out more about all our Enterprise Zones on our Science Vale website.

Climate & Environment News

Climate Emergency Advisory Committee

The next Climate Emergency Advisory Committee meeting is on 23^rd January. As with any council meeting (unless confidential), you are welcome to speak. Please just email democratic services in advance of the meeting, ideally a few days before, with what topic you would like to raise. The agenda will be published on the website ahead of the meeting.

Tree-cycling

Customers of our garden waste service can put out their Christmas trees for collection with their brown bins. All residents can drop off real Christmas trees at the Harwell recreation ground car park – last date to leave trees is 19 January.

After Christmas 2021, the council collected 2,114 Christmas trees from their Christmas tree collection points, approximately 48 tonnes (based on an average weight for a 6ft tree). These trees were sent to be composted and saved 0.59 tonnes of carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere through incineration.

Council News

Waste collection

Although the Christmas period is over, your waste collection may still be affected by the bank holidays. See below for the collection changes.

Council will tackle food poverty and promote sustainable local production

Taking action on food poverty and making good food available for all will be at the heart of work by Vale of the White Horse District Council to help realise the vision of Oxfordshire’s Food Strategy. The council will work with community, voluntary sector and business partners to develop a detailed local food action plan for the district to help achieve the objectives of the food strategy. The plan’s aims will include reducing food poverty in communities following the impact of Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, promoting local and sustainable food and decreasing food waste. Supporting the county-wide strategy with a local plan of action for the Vale aligns with the council’s corporate priorities on building healthy communities and tackling the climate emergency and its motions on sustainable food and farming and the cost of living.

Time to plan the right future for our districts

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have agreed a revised timetable for the creation of their Joint Local Plan. The plan’s timescale had previously been scheduled around the creation of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 – a county-wide plan being produced by all of Oxfordshire’s planning authorities, which would have set housing numbers and decided the broad locations for larger-scale developments. The five Oxfordshire councils were unable to reach agreement on the approach to planning for future housing needs and so they all mutually agreed that it was best to end work on the county-wide plan. While continuing to cooperate, the councils will tackle all these issues locally through their own Local Plans. The Cabinets at South and Vale have therefore both agreed to adjust the timetable for their Joint Local Plan work, to allow time to carry out local versions of the work that would have been carried out as part of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050. The new timetable for the Joint Local Plan allows South and Vale to assess the need for housing at a local level. It also allows both councils to shape and develop even stronger policies on climate and ecological action that could lead the way nationally.

Vale Cabinet approves changes to car park permits 

Car parking permit fees in the Vale of White Horse District are likely to increase slightly, following a decision at a recent Cabinet meeting to raise permit costs by ten per cent, in line with inflation levels. From April 2023, monthly permits to district council car parks will increase by £7 on average, with annual permits increasing £81 on average, to help support the delivery and maintenance of the car parks. As a largely rural district, the Cabinet acknowledged the importance of car parks in allowing residents to access their town centres and support the local business community, which is more important now than ever in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs of living. To help ease the pressure on residents and local businesses, hourly parking charges remain the same and one-hour free parking will still apply in Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage car parks, with two hours free in Faringdon’s Southampton Street car park.