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News & News Archive

Health Services Survey

on Tue, 21/03/2023 - 7:34pm

Our MP David Johnston (Conservative) has launched his own short consultation about Health Services in the constituency, it is only a few questions and although it asks for your name and email you don't have to agree to be added to his mailing list.

It’s just 8 questions long and should only take about 5 minutes – no more than 10 – and you can complete it until 17th April.

It might help to influence the Government.

The Blowing Stone, Kingston Lisle - planning application

on Tue, 21/03/2023 - 7:31pm

The Vale has received a planning application, reference P23/V0480/FUL, for development work at The Blowing Stone, Kingston Lisle.

The application is for: Conversion of a public house into a single, residential dwelling and erection of a garage.

You can see details of and comment on the application on the Vale's website by clicking this link:-

Increase in charges for non-household waste (DIY) from April 1st 2023

on Tue, 21/03/2023 - 7:18pm

Information about the charges for non-household waste (DIY) at OCC recycling centres.

From 1 April 2023, OCC DIY waste charges are increasing as follows:

  • All charges at £1.50     Increasing to £2
  • Plasterboard bag at £2.50     Increasing to £3.50
  • Plasterboard sheet at £10     No change staying at £10
  • Tyres at £5     Increasing to £6

Until 1 April, the existing prices shown below will remain in place.  All income received helps offset the charges of operating the service.

  • Always think before you throw.
  • Can the item be reused by someone else?
  • If you are unsure, please ask a team member on site, we try to reuse items where possible and avoid landfill and disposal, and have reuse drop off areas on site.

A revised charging scheme has been in place across all sites since 1 October 2017. From 2020 we have also asked for all payments to be made electronically and preferably contactless.

DIY wastes are primarily, but not exclusively, materials generated through construction, alteration/renovation or repair of your property and garden, or items or materials most people would not take with them when moving home e.g., floorboards, guttering, roofing materials, garden shed/greenhouse, raised beds, decking, and fencing etc. There are also charges for car/motorcycle tyres.

DIY wastes as listed below are legally classified as industrial waste and local authorities have no legal obligation to accept it. However, we recognise that residents require a cost-effective solution for the disposal of small amounts of DIY waste.

Where loose/deconstructed items/materials are presented site teams will estimate the overall cost and their estimate will be final.

Key points

  • If you are unable to pay for items, you will not be permitted to deposit them. Please ensure you have the electronic means to pay before travelling to our sites.
  • Larger amounts of waste should be disposed of using local skip services or other commercial organisations.
  • We do not accept any form of commercial or trade waste. This includes any waste originating from a business or charity etc. Waste also becomes commercial waste where payment is made for the works or for transporting it. For example, a bathroom delivered by the householder is accepted, but this should not be brought to site by the plumber or builder who carried out the work and would not be accepted. Waste is also deemed commercial from a man with a van, house removals/clearance companies, landlords bringing tenanted waste or other commercial collection operations offering transportation of waste/goods for a fee.  It also includes waste from any business operated from your home.
  • You will still be able to dispose of all household waste free of charge at any of the county’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).

£1.50 per 20 litre bag or equivalent.

Part bags are charged as full so one and a half bags would be £3 for example. Loose material or larger bags will be estimated by our teams on site.

An example of a 20-litre bag is available at all sites for reference or can be found in the following link

Dimensions provided for this are 53.0cm by 46.5cm by 15.5cm.

Please note The team member's decision on charging will be final.  If you feel you have been overcharged let us know.

Chargeable items

Price - per bag/item unless otherwise stated

  • Rubble     £1.50
  • Stome. gravel/sand/cobbles/rocks     £1.50
  • Cement     £1.50
  • Concrete     £1.50
  • Soil/turf     £1.50
  • Roof/wall/floor tiles     £1.50
  • Granite/stoneworktops e.g. kitchen     £1.50
  •  Pavings slabs/stone flooring      £1.50 (1m x 1m or equivalent)
  • Breeze blocks     £1.50 (per two blocks)
  • Bricks     £1.50
  • Concrete drain/sewer pipes     £1.50
  • Concrete fence posts      £1.50  (per each post)
  • Sheet glass     £1.50 per pane up to a size 1m square.
  • Bathroom/kitchen fittings examples – sink, toilet/bidet, cistern (Classed as separate to toilet), bath, shower tray.     £1.50
  • Shower door     £1.50 per door
  • Shower panel     £1.50 (equivalent to size of an internal door)
  • Greenhouse panel     £1.50 (per side for a 6ft by 4ft greenhouse)
  • Loose windowpane     £1.50 included in price of wood, UPVC window
  • Chimney pot     £1.50
  • Plasterboard/plaster     £2.50 per 20 litre bag or part of. £10 per sheet
  • Car/motorbike/small van tyre     £5 per tyre maximum of four
  • Internal and external doors     £1.50
  • Wooden window frames     £1.50
  • Fence panel     £1.50 up to 6ft x 6ft
  • Shed panel     £150 per two posts
  • Fence or other wooden post     £1.50
  • Floorboards/roof boards     £1.50
  • Skirting boards     £1.50
  • Kitchen units     £1.50 per single unit
  • Fitted bathroom units     £1.50
  • Fitted bedroom units     £1.50
  • Fitted bookcases and other fitted furniture     £1.50
  • Fire surrounds     £1.50
  • Garage door     £1.50
  • Timber offcuts/chippings     £1.50 per 20 litre bag
  • Plastic baths/sinks     £1.50
  • Insulation     £1.50 per roll or part of or 2m x 1m sheet
  • Plastic/composite decking     £1.50
  • Cladding     £1.50 per 20 litre bag or if wood or composite per 3m/10ft length
  • Laminate/other engineered flooring     £1.50
  • Roofing felt     £1.50 per roll or 2m by 1m
  • Plastic guttering and piping up to 3m/10ft     £1.50
  • Plastic pond or liner     £1.50
  • Artificial turf     £1.50 2m x 1m
  • Storage heater (radiator type, not portable)     £1.50
  • PVC doors and windows     £1.50

Items we don't accept

  • Tarmac     In all grades and forms
  • Large quantities of material      
  • Heavily contaminated sandbags     For example with oil or sewage
  • Plasterboard mixed with other material e.g. attached to tile or stud wall     For example, attached to tile or stud wall
  • Lorry tyres     
  • Tractor tyres     
  • Commercial plant or machinery tyres     
  • Red or blue pallets     These are commercial and should be returned to the supplier

The Star and The Greyhound on the best Gastropub shortlist - Vote!

on Fri, 17/03/2023 - 7:26pm

Vote for our local pubs in the Ox In A Box Food Awards 2023 Best Gastropub category.

  • The Star, Sparsholt
  • The Greyhound, Letcombe

Support them by voting for your favourite.

David Johnston MP - April 2023

on Fri, 17/03/2023 - 7:21pm

Whether you live in Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford, Faringdon or any of the 64 villages I represent, my constituency-wide survey on local health services is currently open. It’s just 8 questions long and should only take about 5 minutes – no more than 10 – and you can complete it until 17th April on my website: https://www.david-johnston.org.uk/health. 
Increasing our health services relative to the population growth we’ve had is one of the things I have campaigned on most since being elected 3 years ago – particularly the need for more GP surgeries. I’ve spoken about this in 19 debates in parliament and had numerous meetings with the local councils, local health leaders, ministers and local people about it. The more people who complete it, the stronger the message we can send.

I held a successful inaugural meeting of my Science and Technology Forum for the companies we have at Harwell, Milton Park and elsewhere which George Freeman, the Minister at the new Science Department, spoke at. He and I are very keen to promote what is going on here more as it is of both national and international significance – and we discussed some good ideas to do so. Watch this space!

I’ll be holding an Apprenticeship Fair for local young people and employers across the constituency at Didcot Civic Hall on 24th April. I visit at least 1 school and at least 1 employer almost every week (and have been to 600 odd organisations overall since being elected) and I hear regularly that young people don’t know the apprenticeships open to them and that employers struggle to recruit enough apprentices. I’m hopeful this fair will help. 

My campaigning on behalf of the local AEAT Pensioners has been bearing fruit: the National Audit Office has published its report on the case following my request and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee recently held a hearing on it, with their own report to come. 

A few highlights from many visits in the last month. It was good to be interviewed on Wallingford Radio which has been going great guns since it got its FM license. You can listen live on 107.3FM. I had a great visit to the new wedding dress shop in Wantage, About You Bridal, set up by Sharon to make the process of buying dresses, shoes and accessories as stress-free as possible. It’s also home to Gallery Cakes, set up by Nicki, so that you can order your wedding cake too! 

It was very good to see The Place in the Corn Exchange in Faringdon, having seen the space when it was just an idea, which supports parents and their children under 5. I also met Keith and Sue to talk about the Faringdon Day Centre and will be back to visit that soon. And I’m pleased to say Michael Gove was very impressed with the Greencore Construction houses I took him to see in Southmoor.

As ever, if I can help with anything then do contact me via [email protected]


 

Your new waste calendar and leaflet for 2023/24

on Fri, 17/03/2023 - 7:15pm

Your 2023/24 waste and recycling collection calendar is now available to download online.  To access your calendar, just visit waste calendar page on the Vale website and follow the instructions.

If you receive your council tax bill through the post, you should find a copy of our latest Vale waste and recycling leaflet inside the envelope.  This includes lots of useful information and advice about waste and recycling, including the upcoming holiday collection changes.

Botley Road Closure - Update March 23

on Fri, 10/03/2023 - 4:23pm

Botley Road will be closed to through traffic for seven months from Tuesday 11 April to allow Network Rail to begin work on its £161 million redevelopment of Oxford Station and rail upgrade.

It will also be closed March 2024 - October 2024.

  • Motorists who usually use Botley Road to get into the city are advised to use the Seacourt Park and Ride or take an alternative route.
  • Buses will turn around just before the rail bridge allowing passengers to continue their journey into the city centre on foot.
  • Pedestrians and cyclists will have access throughout the work.

On heating oil or LPG but not got your £200 payment yet? You can now apply

on Wed, 08/03/2023 - 2:01pm

If you're on heating oil, LPG or other alternative 'off-grid' fuel for heating, and have an electricity supplier, you should've got your £200 payment either in your bank or electricity account (check both), or by a voucher if on prepay electricity. If not, it's likely your electricity firm didn't get the data that you were on these fuels, so you'll need to apply to the Govt.

If you've not got the payment, but think you're eligible, you can now apply to get it - the deadline is 31 May

If you think you're eligible and have an electricity supplier, first check your bank or energy account if you pay by direct debt, on receipt of a bill or have a smart prepayment. If you're on a traditional prepayment meter, vouchers should have been sent by text, email or post.

If you've not got it, or you have heating fuel and you're completely off-grid (so you don't have an electricity supplier), you can now apply to get the £200 payment via an online portal on the Gov.uk website, which launched on 6 March, For those without online access, you can call 0808 175 3287, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

You'll need to provide the following when you apply:

  • an email address
  • phone number (if you have one)
  • bank account details (for the payment to be made into)
  • proof of purchase of alternative fuels since September 2022 (for example, a delivery note or receipt) totalling at least £200. You can upload a maximum of two documents in your application.

Your proof of purchase must include:

  • your address
  • the type of fuel purchased
  • date of purchase
  • name and address of fuel supplier
  • total amount spent

    If you're not registered for council tax, you'll also need to provide proof of address, such as a bank statement or tenancy agreement.

You must apply by 31 May.

More on the Money Saving Expert site <here>.

Sustainable Wantage Saving Energy Leaflet

on Thu, 02/03/2023 - 9:04am

Read and review here, or download the PDF at the link at the bottom of the page.

Cllr Dr.Paul Barrow - Report for Parishes - March 2023

on Tue, 28/02/2023 - 2:59pm

District Councillor Report 20230225

Council Tax

The Vale budget has been finalised and published. You may be surprised to know that the Vale continues to charge one of the lowest district council tax rates in the country. The budget includes a below-inflation increase in Council Tax of 3.4 per cent for 2023-24. For a Band D property, this equates to £5 a year (just under 10p a week), bringing a total charge of £151.69 a year (£2.91 per week) - which is more than 25 per cent lower than the national average. 

Increases in Council Tax are never popular but we hope that this below-inflation increase is at least acceptable to most residents. The increase was approved at full council by all councillors from every party.

Community bus service

Community bus services through our villages were stopped several years ago as a result of shortage of funds and there have been a few attempts to restart these – unsuccessful so far. Wantage Town Council is now discussing the possibility of some sort of local service being set up with housing development money. We have had an online meeting and I attended representing our villages. These are very early days an W&G are initially thinking to see what they can set up in their own patch and hen see how they might bring in our villages. They are (I understand) talking to Faringdon and Uffington, which run their own community buses, to see what the opportunities and limitations are. I will be involved in the group to discuss this. I will shortly be sending out a questionnaire and would welcome its wider circulation through the villages.

Household help

Although the Vale has now closed the Household Support Fund and are no longer accepting any new applications for this fund help is still available for anyone struggling with the high cost of living. Support is still available through the councils’ Community Hub team who offer a wide range of advice, including information on free or affordable food banks and council tax support. The Community Hub Team can also help to signpost people for debt advice and other cost-of-living support and provide information on housing support as well as guidance on how people can look after their mental health and wellbeing.  

Anyone in need of support can contact our Community Hub team during office hours on 01235 422600 or they can email [email protected] 

Please let any neighbours know about this if they do not use the internet,.

We spent £139,615 to help people with the rising cost of food and energy bills and added £60,000 to funding from the county council to boost the funds available to people and provide support at a time when it’s most needed.

Applications already received are currently being processed and all applicants will be informed about whether their application has been successful or not. As there are a high volume of applicants, anyone who has not yet heard back is advised not to contact the councils or advice centres about their applications so that teams can focus on working through the applications - these are being worked through on a first come, first served basis.  

Vale EV charging points

The Vale of White Horse District Council’s installation of Electric Vehicle chargers at its car parks has seen charging volumes double in its first six months. 

In June last year 62 EV chargers were installed across five of the council’s car parks in Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage as part of the county-wide Park and Charge scheme. 

The number of charging sessions has gone up by 60 per cent in the first six months of installation. During the same period the average amount of electricity consumed has doubled, meaning that people are now using them for longer charges. 

Since the first chargers went live in summer 2022 there have been 3,631 charging sessions in the first full six months, which equates to around 169,000 EV miles. This represents a saving 45,863kg of CO2 if those miles had been driven in a petrol or diesel car. 

Saturday is the most popular day of the week to charge an EV in Vale of White Horse and 4pm is the most popular time of day to charge!!

 

Cllr Dr. Paul Barrow
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/Cllr-Dr-Paul-Barrow-104943001583284 
District Councillor for Ridgeway Ward

 

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