At the Annual Council Meeting of Witney Town Council on Tuesday  4th May it was resolved to re-elect  the town’s current Mayor, Cllr Joy Aitman and her Deputy, Cllr Liz Duncan to serve a second term of office, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their first year.

At the same time Leader of the Council, Cllr Luci Ashbourne and Deputy Leader, Cllr Vicky Gwatkin were also selected to serve for a second year.

Mayor Joy Aitman commented,

“I am absolutely delighted to be elected to a second term as Mayor of Witney, along with my Deputy, Cllr Liz Duncan.
Last year most of our work was on Zoom or small Covid secure visits. This year we hope to be back out amongst the community, throwing ourselves into working alongside various projects in town and raising funds for our amazing charities.

 We will be striving to reunite the residents of Witney and continue to support those most affected by the crisis.  Please do contact us if you would like a visit or have any suggestions.”  

Witney Town Council’s Annual Council Meeting has moved from Wednesday 12 May to Tuesday 4 May which means that the statutory business of this meeting can be transacted in a virtual meeting.

POSTED ON BEHALF OF OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Map showing Diversion

TRAFFIC REGULATION NOTICE

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT, 1984

 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:         Bladon & Hanborough, A4095 (from : A44 Woodstock Road/Bladon Road roundabout to Lower Road, Hanborough

          REASON:            To facilitate carriageway patching works

           DURATION:        Starting on 15 May 2021 

                                        The anticipated completion date is 19 May 2021(date included). This woill operate during 05:00–07:30, 09:30-15:30 and 18:00-20:00

                                         (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: via A4095 – A415 – A40 – A44

A copy of the drawing showing the extent of the closure and restriction and also the alternative route for traffic is attached.

Further information regarding the works may be obtained by contacting Oxfordshire County Council on 0345 310 11 11.

T8659/AC

Update on the 2021 Annual Town Meeting

The Annual Town Meeting usually assembles in March every year. Fortunately the last meeting was held prior to first lockdown in March 2020, as usual.
However, due to ongoing concern for public safety, Witney Town Council has taken the decision to cancel the meeting this year, which needed to held by 1 June 2021. We look forward to hosting the Annual Town Meeting, as normal, again in 2022.

In the meantime, if residents have town issues they wish to raise directly with the Town Council please email info@witney-tc.gov.uk .

You can find out anything you need to know about Elections on the West Oxfordshire  District Council dedicated Elections page

The average taxpayer in Witney will be asked to pay a precept rise of less than 40 pence a month for Witney Town Council’s share of the Council Tax from 1^st April. The decision to increase the precept payment was agreed unanimously by all members of Witney Town Council at its meeting of the Full Council on Monday 15th February 2021.

The precept has increased by 3% which will enable the Town Council to maintain its council’s general fund and fulfil its statutory obligations. This is a rise of £4.64 per Band ‘D’ property for the year.

The Town Council offers a range of services to residents, which include: Allotments, Cemeteries, Civic and Community Events, Grants to Voluntary Organisations, Sports Pitches, Public Halls, eleven Recreation Grounds, Planning Matters (consultee on planning applications for the planning authority), The Town Hall and Street Scene.

Many of these do not generate any income and need constant re-investment to enable them to remain an asset for the community.

The precept also takes into account budget setting for specific projects across the town and these include:

• Park Road Play area
• Open Spaces Strategy
• Corn Exchange phase 2 – seating, lighting and sound
• Windrush Place new allotments
• Cemeteries – review of accessibility and associated works
• Rebranding
• Christmas lights display – retender

The Town Council, in common with many businesses, has lost income during the last year due to the pandemic. It is not eligible for any of the Central Government grants and furthermore, it has also lost the Council Tax Support grant.

The forecast cost of running the Town Council’s services for 2021-2022, cannot be anticipated due to the pandemic, so this years’ budget represents a prudent estimate of income and outgoings.

Witney Town Council works closely with West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council to ensure that all the services provided improve the quality of life for people of Witney.

The Town Council looks forward to maximising the benefits from the small increase in continuing to improve and upgrade the delivery of its services and meeting the expectations the aspirations of its residents.

Cllr Luci Ashbourne, Leader of the Council said;

“I’m proud that – despite the challenges the last year has thrown at us, and the resultant funding difficulties – Witney Town Council is only raising its council tax by around 10 pence a week.

This will not only allow us to continue providing our services, but also to expand what we can offer to the people of Witney at a time when our community needs it the most, and to carry on with the many exciting developments that are in the pipeline.

Whether it is a revitalised Corn Exchange, revamped open spaces, or helping the town’s many volunteer groups respond to the challenges of the ‘new normal’, the Town Council is committed to being the progressive, dynamic and forward-thinking council that Witney deserves”

Residents attending the Annual Town Meeting

A flood alert is in force for the River Windrush area. There are things you should do depending on the severity of the alert. This poster is a useful guide.

Flood alert in force now -River Windrush from Bourton to Newbridge. Flooding is possible – be prepared

The poster describes 3 levels of flood warning:

 Flood alert – Prepare

• prepare a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents
• check flood warnings
  

  Flood warning – Act

  

  • turn off gas, water and electricity
  • move things upstairs or to safety
  • move family, pets and car to safety

• Severe flood warning – Survive

  

  • call 999 if in immediate danger
  • follow advice from emergency services
  • keep yourself and your family safe
  • Save a copy of this simple flood plan (PDF, 139KB) so you’ll know what to do when there’s a flood warning in your area.View current warnings and advice specific to your area.All floods are different and you should take advice from the emergency services and your local authority if you’re in a flood.

   

Following a doorstep switch-on that invited residents of the town to help make Witney Sparkle, Town Councillors began a search for the best dressed houses in their wards.

They searched for the most dazzling decorations, the most lustrous lights and the boldest baubles, and shortlisted their favourites. They then voted and selected the winners, surprising them with a visit, to present each with a certificate, a box of chocs and some fizz.

Councillor Owen Collins, Chair of the Stronger Communities working party, which proposed the competition, said,

“After a very difficult year, it was wonderful to see so many local residents take the time to bring a bit of light to their streets and communities over the Christmas season. It did however leave Councillors with a very difficult decision to make, as we tried to narrow hundreds of houses down to just a handful – but I’m confident that we’ve collectively chosen five of the best dressed and most festive-looking homes for this year’s prizes.
Congratulations to all the winners, and a huge thank you as well to everyone else who entered into the Christmas spirit and helped to dispel the December darkness. Here’s to a much brighter New Year, for everybody.”

Some residents in Witney intend leaving their decorations up to keep the town sparkling during lockdown.

Our ward winners

A Flood Alert has been issued by the Environment Agency.

Flood Alert in force: River Windrush from Bourton to Newbridge.

Flooding is possible for: River Windrush from Bourton to Newbridge including Burford, Asthall, Minster Lovell, Crawley, Witney, Ducklington, Rack End and Standlake.

Be prepared.

Property flooding is not currently expected.

River levels have risen on the River Windrush as a result of heavy rainfall. Therefore, flooding of low laying land and roads is imminent, especially around Bourton on the Water and Witney. Further heavy rainfall showers are forecast for the rest of today (23/12/21) and overnight. We expect river levels to continue rising through this afternoon and evening.

We are closely monitoring the situation. Our incident response staff have been in the area clearing weed/trash screens. Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and remain safe and aware of your local surroundings.

This message will be updated this evening, 23/12/21, or as the situation changes.

To check the latest information for your area

——————————————————-

* Visit the GOV.UK website to see the current flood warnings, view river and sea levels or check the 5-day flood risk forecast: https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/target-area/061WAF10Windrush

* Or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 using quickdial code: 171075.

* Follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter.

* Tune into weather, news and travel bulletins on local television and radio.

What you should consider doing now

———————————————

* Monitor local water levels and weather conditions.

* Get ready to act on your flood plan if you have one.

* Move your car or other vehicles to higher ground, if it is safe to do so.

* Prepare a flood kit of essential items including a torch with spare batteries, mobile phone and charger, warm clothes, home insurance documents, water, food, first aid kit and any prescription medicines or baby care items you may need.

* Check that you know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water mains supplies.

* In rural locations, farmers should consider moving livestock and equipment away from areas likely to flood.

* Avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water. 30 cm of fast-flowing water can move a car and 6 inches can knock an adult off their feet.

* Flood water is dangerous and may be polluted. Wash your hands thoroughly if you’ve been in contact with it.

Since declaring a climate emergency in 2019, Witney Town Council has been considering climate change mitigation and environmental impacts in everything we do.

We continue to make changes to how we operate and conduct our business and have implemented measures designed to make our activities more sustainable.

Our paper is FSC certified and 100% recycled. We use less paper too since moving to a digitalised system for sending agendas, reports and minutes to councillors and for storing these and other documents in a digitised format.

All our public buildings run on green energy, and officers are busy exploring other renewable energy sources, and additional ways to reduce the town council’s carbon footprint further.

Witney’s Town Crier, Jean Postlethwaite Dixon joined residents for the Doorstep Christmas Lights Switch on That replaced the big Town Centre event this year, because of COVID restrictions.