Please note that this meeting will now take place in the Town Hall Chamber and not the Corn Exchange as previously advertised.

Posted on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council Highways department.

Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 14(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984, that the Oxfordshire County Council

 TEMPORARILY PROHIBITS THE USE OF AND WAITING ON THE HIGHWAY

BY ALL MOTOR VEHICLES

           LOCATION:         Witney, Saxon Way  

           REASON:           Carriageway resurfacing & patching

           DURATION:         Starting on 27^th April 2020

                             The anticipated completion date is 1^st May 2020

                             (24 hours full closure for each day)

                                         (Traffic Regulation Notices cover a maximum of 5 consecutive days)

          ACCESS:             Limited access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for frontages within the closed section of road, subject to the progress of the works

 The “No Waiting” restriction means that wherever there are in place yellow “No Waiting” cones, you will not be able to park vehicles on the highway.

  SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE ROUTE: The alternative routes for traffic are via a combination of Orchard Way – Corn Street – The Crofts and vice-versa.

Further information OCC Highways 0345 310 1111

Posted on Behalf of Oxfordshire County Council Highways Department

 Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 14(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984, that the Oxfordshire County Council

TEMPORARILY PROHIBITS THE USE OF THE HIGHWAY

BY ALL MOTOR VEHICLES

           LOCATION:         Witney, Holloway Road

          REASON:            To facilitate carriageway resurfacing / patching

DURATION:         Starting on 13 April 2020

                                        The anticipated completion date is 17 April 2020 (date included). Closure will operate from 07:00 to 17:00 hours

                                        (Traffic Regulation Notices cover a maximum of 5 consecutive days.)

                   ACCESS:             Limited access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for frontages within the closed section of road, subject to the progress of the works

 SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE ROUTE: via Welch Way, Corn Street, Holloway Road

Further information OCC Highways 0345 310 1111

The Cemeteries are open and the gates at Tower Hill unlocked and the bollards down, from 9am on Christmas Eve through to 5pm on 2nd January

Christmas & New Year Opening Times

Wednesday 25^th December         CLOSED

Thursday 26^th December              CLOSED

Friday 27^th December                   CLOSED

Monday 30^th December               8.30 – 5.00

Tuesday 31^st December                8.30 – 5.00

Wednesday 1^st January                CLOSED

Thursday 2^nd January                    8.30 – 5.00

Friday 3^rd January                          8.30 – 4.30

We would like to wish all our customers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We have received and update on the latest position at Witney Sewage Treatment works from the Environment Agency. On Monday 23rd December officers attended following reports over the weekend of sewage discharges to the Colwell Brook from the sewage works.

They have confirmed that the sewage works is discharging following the recent heavy rain. The impact they have found has been similar to that reported in November. There is sewage fungus in the Colwell Brook and Emma’s Dyke.

Budget agreed to address concerns raised by residents

In its first budget for Witney, the new Town Council administration agreed to address concerns raised by residents, and invest in sports facilities, public halls, youth services and the community bus, as well as committing to address the climate emergency acknowledged as one of the Council’s first acts.
The precept (council tax) charged by Witney Town Council will rise in April by just over a pound a month for the average home as a result of a budget set last night. This will provide a sound basis for future planning, and in particular:
• a fund for youth services across the town, to plug the gap left by the closure of Base 33 and the lack of youth clubs;
• seed funding for environmental projects to move towards our ambition of net zero carbon Witney by 2028;
• adequate provision of good quality sports pitches including cricket and football for our growing town;
• enough funds to take the next steps in renewing Corn Exchange, improving Burwell Hall, and refurbishing the Town Hall
Rosa Bolger, Leader of the Town Council, said:
“After years of cuts, council services in Witney need investment, but we have been careful to keep our share of resident’s council tax, less than 8% of the total bill, affordable. This budget will allow us to meet the immediate needs of our town while keeping bills at a sensible level.
We are committed to work on our halls and green spaces, as well as important community projects like youth services, with a constant focus on climate action. By acting now we are investing for the future.”
ENDS

Following the discovery of sewage fungus in Queen Emma’s Dyke, Colwell Brook and the River Windrush, Witney Town Council has written to Thames Water expressing its deep concern about sewage being released and pumped into our local rivers and watercourses. The letter also comments on fears concerning the damage to the health of the bodies of water and associated health risks to residents of the town and their pets who may come into contact with the pollution. It ends by requesting that Thames Water, with the Environment Agency, takes urgent steps to curtail this and provides a clear and credible response to prevent this situation occurring again, by the end of this year.

A second letter is being penned to the Environment Agency to urge them to review and monitor the situation and requesting assurances that everything possible is being done to remedy the situation.

The letters were proposed in a motion to Council on Monday evening, by Councillor Andrew Prosser and seconded by Councillor Ruth Smith.

Vice Chair of the Planning and Development Committee, Cllr Prosser says;

“Recent events have demonstrated that the current infrastructure and enforcement processes for the treatment of sewage here are not fit for purpose, and I am seriously concerned about the potential impacts on residents, their pets, and aquatic life in the river itself.  Thames Water and the Environment Agency need to take urgent remedial steps, and to detail what actions they planning to take to prevent sewage pollution of our rivers and water courses in the future”

As riparian owners of the Queen Emma’s Dyke Stream and part of the River Windrush that flows through the Lake and Country Park area, the Town Council has chosen to install signage to highlight the danger of the pollution to dogs entering the water in this area and in Colwell Brook which feeds in. The signs alert dog walkers of the existence of treated sewage in the water and advises that dogs should not enter the water. Dogs that have been in the river or stream should be discouraged from entering the lake in order to minimise the risk of the spread of pollution.

The lake itself is self-contained and as such less likely to be polluted, although heavy rainfall recently caused some flooding on the Eastern side of the lake from the river, which then caused a small breach in the bank and flowed out over the Western edge and into the dyke. This is unlikely to have caused any significant pollution to the lake.

Vice Chair of Climate and Biodiversity and Chair of Planning and Development, Cllr Ruth Smith adds;

“We are working with the Windrush Against Sewage Pollution group to keep abreast of the current strain on the sewage system and likely impact of new developments. As a Town Council, we are speaking up for the concerns of residents and we intend to do all we can to insist that our sewage infrastructure meets 21st century health expectations and restores our beautiful river and streams”. 

Witney Town Council is regularly inspecting the Lake & Country park and monitoring the situation. They ask members of the public to remain vigilant and report any incidents or concerns to the Environment Agency using their Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60 (Freephone 24hr service).

#OneWitney #WitneyMyKindaTown Don’t miss your chance to share your views. Just 3 questions for you to tell us what you like, what you’d change and what’s important to you in the town. Please follow the link to the survey. https://surveymonkey.co.uk/r/D6TBWCC Closing date 31st January. 

Two new bus shelters have been installed in Witney.  Both are replacements for existing shelters, one at the Abbey Road end of Burwell Drive, which was damaged when a car collided with it and the other in Corn Street, which was removed while construction of a small development of houses was underway.

Both were paid for with developer funding from Abbeymill Homes, who built the new houses in Corn Street. The shelters form part of a package negotiated by Witney Town Council’s Planning & Development committee which also includes other new street furniture to be installed nearby.

Cllr. Ruth Smith, Chair of the Planning and Development committee, explained;

“The Planning & Development committee is delighted to see the new bus shelters in place now that the development has been completed. Passengers had been without a shelter and using a temporary bus stop while work was underway.

Ensuring that improvements and desirable outcomes for the town are secured during the planning process is an important part of what the planning committee does. By working closely with developers such as Abbeymill Homes we were able to ask the developer to be sensitive to existing essential infrastructure and to avoid inconveniencing residents as much as possible.

For our own part, we are very aware of the importance of seats and bike racks at bus stops, as well as information screens, and we are working hard as a council to achieve this wherever we can.”

Witney Town Council is a supporter of active travel and helps to fund some of the local bus routes and services provided by West Oxfordshire Community Transport.

Witney Town Council has received the following automated flood alert from the Environment Agency this morning.

https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/target-area/061WAF10Windrush

Christmas waste reminder 2019

Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll for Parliamentary Election 12 December 2019

The Centenary Commemoration book and bookmarks were launched this morning alongside the unveiling of the poppy blankets so cleverly created by the West Witney WI. Between them, the books and blankets perfectly capture the tremendous community spirit and effort that went into this event last year. You can buy a pictorial souvenir book for £7.50 and a bookmark with original knitted poppy for £2 from the Town Hall from today, while stocks last.  Profits will be shared between Forces Charities and Royal British Legion.

Last year Witney Town Council was overwhelmed by the community response to the Centenary Remembrance commemorations, not least because of the 30,000 hand-made poppies we received. The final recommendation of the former WWI Working Party was to use these poppies in some way to raise funds for charity and create picture book/bookmark souvenirs of the events that were held.

These projects have been completed along with the creation of two specially decorated Witney blankets which have been beautifully created by West Witney Women’s Institute. You can see one of these in the foyer of the Corn Exchange. The books will be sold for £7.50 and the bookmarks will £2.00. Both will be available from the Town Hall with proceeds after costs going to the charities. They will be available from Friday 1st November.

We are very excited to be bringing this to the Corn Exchange. A matinee performance of Jack and The Beanstalk on Sunday 28th December at 1.30 pm. An excellent first panto for little ones it lasts under an hour. Tickets are £8 no matter how big or small you are and they are on sale now from the Corn Exchange.

The search is on to find Witney’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year. This prestigious annual award goes to someone who has given their time and energy to benefit their local community usually (but not always) on a voluntary basis.

Judges will be looking in particular for selfless service to a voluntary body or the community or someone whose service is acknowledged as making a real difference to the everyday lives of others. There is no age barrier, but nominees must live within Witney.

Friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues have the chance to nominate a special person for the prestigious title.
The number of awards available is strictly limited and therefore, however valuable their service, not everyone can receive recognition. It is important to realise that an award will not automatically follow a submission.

Witney Town Council is looking for people who have given exemplary service, which may be paid or unpaid, who make a real difference to Witney.

Residents who go that extra mile to help others will be recognised in the annual awards, presented by the Mayor at the Civic Reception in March next year.

Anyone thinking about nominating a deserving individual as Witney’s Citizen of the Year or for any of the other awards has until 31st December 2019 to submit their details.

If you know someone who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment, energy and effort in order to achieve something of great benefit to you or your community contact the Town Hall for a nomination form or download a form.           

The name of Witney’s only female WWI casualty will be added to the town’s memorial following a request from local historian Jeff Clements.

Although Lucy Harris was listed in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, she was buried in Cogges Churchyard with no headstone and was not recorded on either the town centre War Memorial or the plaque inside Cogges church.

As custodians of the War Memorial on Church Green, Witney Town Council considered the request and agreed to have her name added in the single remaining space there.

Lucy enlisted in the WRAF in October 1918 but sadly died of influenza in London just 2 weeks later.

 Cllr Vicky Gwatkin, Chair of the Halls and Green Spaces Committee, that considered the request commented;

 “Adding Lucy’s name to Witney’s War memorial allows us to pay tribute to her as an individual and serves as a poignant reminder to current and future generations of the efforts and sacrifices made by women from communities just like ours during periods of conflict.  It is a privilege to be able to support Jeff’s work and our thanks to him and Councillor Mel Jones for bringing Lucy Harris to our attention.”

 Lucy’s name is scheduled to be added in March next year.

Mr Clements contacted the Town Council this week to say that he is delighted that Lucy would finally get the recognition she deserves.

Witney scooped two awards in the Thames and Chilterns regional In Bloom Awards this year. The Town retained its Silver Status while The Leys Recreation Park was awarded Gold. The Leys was entered as a separate category; Parks and Open Spaces, for the first time, this year.

The Schools Challenge run by Witney Town Council every year forms part of the town’s entry and this year was no exception, with colourful wheelbarrows on display outside the Corn Exchange throughout the summer.

The awards, run by Britain in Bloom in association with The RHS, are intended to encourage local communities to improve and care for their local environment through gardening and conservation projects and to promote civic pride.

Judges made their decisions in July this year but the results were announced at the end of September.

The Leys was up against five other parks and was the only Gold winner.

Judges said, “What a delight it was to see a play area and all its facilities being used and enjoyed by all ages. It really felt that the community love being there and that staff really enjoy looking after the park.”

The marks awarded for the criteria scored us 26 out of 30 and were as follows:

Community 8
Maintenance 9
Environment 9

The judges commented on other aspects that they really liked and these included facilities for a wide range of activities and hobbies across age groups, the splash play which was being well used on such a hot day, good tree maintenance, the new war memorial and the bee friendly planting.

They also commented on areas for development and gave constructive advice on continuing to replace old bins with recycling bins, considering accessible picnic benches when these need replacement and some bulb or wild flower planting around tree bases to add colour.

Deputy Mayor, Cllr. Joy Aitman who attended the awards ceremony with Cllr. Melanie Jones and Jess Bailey, Witney Town Council’s grounds contract supervisor; said;

“I was filled with pride collecting our certificates on behalf of the town. It was a project that brought lots of groups of people together to share their skills, expertise and community spirit. Next year we can build on this and look forward to hearing from interested parties who would like to be involved. “

The awards reflect the hard work and efforts of staff, community volunteers and of all those involved in the care and maintenance of the planting around the town and the facilities at the Leys.