Householders will not get their bins emptied weekly, despite a new £250m Government fund for councils to scrap fortnightly collections.

Councils across Oxfordshire look set to snub Communities Secretary Eric Pickles’ announcement that a quarter of a billion pounds had been found for councils to resume weekly bin rounds.

Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said yesterday that it was not a priority, not desirable and a waste of public money.

In Oxford, food waste is collected weekly, but recyclables and landfill waste are picked up on alternate weeks.

Mr Price said it would cost the council up to £1m to reinstate weekly waste collections, and another £1m for new trucks.

He added: “It is interesting they have prioritised this rather than housing benefit, building more social houses, or roads.

“We have not had any complaints about this for such a long time now. People have got used to it.”

But campaigners have called for the return of weekly collections.

Dr Francis Kennett, who was taken to court after withholding council tax following the introduction of fortnightly collections in 2007, said the system had left Oxford “filthy” with more rats on the streets.

She said: “The city council take a completely slanted view about the success of their system. It is very unjust for a great section of Oxford society.”

Collect Refuse in Oxford Weekly (Crow) founder Annie Skinner said: “If the money is available to revert back to weekly collections, that should be encouraged.

“I hope we can take this opportunity, because this clearly has not worked.”

MORE than 100 new homes and a care home for 80 elderly people could be built on an industrial site in Witney town centre.

Wiltshire-based property deve-lopers Bower Mapson has submitted a planning application to build the homes on the Buttercross Works and Pine Lodge in Station Lane.

The site is currently occupied by 120,000 sq ft of concrete warehousing and industrial units, which contains Poundstretcher and a wholesale cash and carry centre for independent traders.

West Oxfordshire District Council’s Lowlands area planning committee is expected to consider the application on Monday, October 17, and is consulting the public on the plans.

If the scheme is approved, the homes, next to the Leys recreation ground, will be connected to the town centre with a series of walkways.

Designer Peter Mapson said the firm had reached an agreement to buy the site from owner Rod Baker once the scheme was approved.

He added: “Building work would take a couple of years to complete and we hope work would start some time in 2012.

“We have been talking to planning officers about the designs of these homes for about 18 months.

COSTCUTTING plans to turn off thousands of street lights after midnight have been dropped by Oxfordshire County Council.

County Hall decided not to switch off streetlights after finding changes in electricity tariffs mean it would not produce major savings after all.

The council’s part-time lighting plan would have seen half the county’s streetlights switched off between 12.30am and 5.30am.

Council spokesman Paul Smith said: “The proposed changes to the way councils will be charged by energy providers will have a negligible effect on overall budgets as the charges for peak times have been raised.

“These will be offset by the new lower rates for lighting during off peak periods.”

The council had planned to save about £350,000 by switching off about 28,000 streetlights.

A HUGE rise in the number of drivers caught speeding in Oxfordshire has led to claims that switching off Speed cameras made the county’s roads more dangerous.

Last month, Thames Valley Police switched the cameras back on after an eight-month hiatus, nabbing 5,917 motorists in the first 30 days.

That compares with just 2,286 fines issued last July, the month before the cameras were turned off when Oxfordshire County Council withdrew its share of funding for them.

Campaigners said the figures showed drivers were flouting speed limits when the cameras were off, because they did not think they would get caught.

But Thames Valley Chief Constable Sara Thornton refused to say if she or the force accepted any responsibility for the increase in speeding because of the lack of enforcement.

The camera switch-off last August came after the council withdrew £600,000 in funding after its grant from the Government was cut.

Speed cameras were left on in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, the two other counties served by Thames Valley Police.

The force switched Oxfordshire’s cameras back on on April 1 – with the first motorist being caught at 6.56am.

Police road safety officer Sgt Chris Appleby believed complacency was a factor.

He said: “There was an element that thought they were not going to comply with the law, because they were not going to be caught.

“The figures are an indication there are a lot of people speeding and we know it (speed) is a major factor in people being injured and killed on the roads.

“I’m disappointed the figure is so high.”

MORE than half of the parking fines appealed in West Oxfordshire in the last year were cancelled, official figures have revealed.

Of the 772 on-street parking fines appealed in 2010/11, West Oxfordshire District Council cancelled 486.

A transport campaigner said the data showed the new parking wardens were getting it wrong and should go back to school.

But a leading councillor said they had to pass very strict training, and the high cancellation figure was simply down to leniency.

The district council took over on-street parking enforcement from Thames Valley Police in January 2010.

Mark McArthur-Christie, Oxfordshire transport campaigner, said: “It sounds like civil enforcement officers are issuing the wrong tickets and need a bit of an education job.”

But he warned against appealing for the sake of it, saying: “The reasons you can appeal a ticket are very restrictive. You can’t just have a bit of a go, you need a case.”

But councillor David Harvey, cabinet member for environment, defended the officers.

He said: “My understanding is that they have all had very strict training and passed exams.
“I think [the high cancellation figure] is where members of the public, more often than not, have been given the benefit of the doubt.

“We don’t view car parking and fixed penalty notices as a revenue-earner. We don’t hide behind buses and jump out on unsuspecting residents.”

Council officer Michael McLoughlin, who runs the service, said: “There are a number of reasons why an appeal will be accepted. These include disabled drivers who have failed to display their badge at the time of parking, but subsequently produce a copy to the council, medical emergencies, broken-down vehicles, and loading and unloading goods, but not observed whilst the warden was monitoring. Our rate of penalty charge notice issue is somewhat lower than other authorities, which often take a more rigid approach to enforcement.”

FASHION firm H&M will open in Witney tomorrow, bringing more trade and jobs to the town.

The Gazette took a look at the new store, as staff members put the finishing touches to it.

The 670-square metre shop, in the Woolgate Centre, has created some 20 jobs, and fills the last vacant unit in the centre.

Area manager, Yanira Ramirez, said: “Witney is a thriving market town, and we’ve jumped at the opportunity to open a store here.

“We continue expanding in Oxfordshire, and this is a perfect spot for us.”

She would not discuss the company’s competitors, but said the chain had identified a gap in Witney’s market. She said: “We feel there are customers that are hungry for fashion — there is a gap for us.”

She added: “Our business concept is fashion and quality at the best price, and we do hope our Witney customers appreciate that.

“We have a varied range of H&M collections, for ladies wear and kids wear, with everything from modern basics to the latest international trends.”

She said the store would also feature a ‘cost conscious collection’, which includes clothes made from recycled polyester to organic cotton.

The store is set over two floors, and features clothing for women and children — but not men.

It has also employed people from the surrounding area to fill the new posts.

AT 5.57PM yesterday, the axe fell on £119m of public services in Oxfordshire.

With one decision, 20 libraries and more than 20 youth centres are set to close, home care for the elderly will be passed into private hands and £13m will be wiped off road maintenance.

Three county rubbish dumps will shut, park-and-ride charges will rise and motorists will have to pay and display on city streets at the weekend.

Some 1,000 council workers will lose their jobs, transport to day centres for the elderly will halt and subsidies for vital bus links will be cut back. Only the fire service and child protection escaped the axe.

The ruling Conservatives on Oxfordshire County Council admitted their austere budget, which was voted in at the full council meeting, was “breathtaking” in scale.

Opposition leaders said it would decimate public services and throw the county back to a “Victorian age”.

But all agreed on one thing – this is just the beginning.

They agreed the full impact of yesterday’s decision – to cut £119m over four years – will begin to bite over the coming months and years, and will be felt in every corner of the county.

Drivers face long diversions as two of the area’s key roads are closed later this week.

The B4022 at Finstock railway bridge will be shut between February 19 and 27, forcing Witney to Charlbury drivers along country lanes or via Woodstock.

The road will be shut so Oxfordshire County Council and Network Rail can install safety barriers.

After February 27, work at the bridge will continue for another week and a single lane of traffic will be open, controlled by temporary traffic lights.

Meanwhile, the A415 at Newbridge will also be closed between February 19 and 27. The county council will use the time to complete resurfacing and repair work at the bridge. Light traffic will be diverted via Bampton and Buckland, while heavy goods vehicles will be sent via the A420, A34 and A40.

Source: Witney Gazette

LABOUR, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party will battle it out in a by-election next week – but the Conservatives will not.

The Tories are not contesting the Witney East ward of Witney Town Council, calling it a waste of cash as all seats are up for election next year.

The January 6 poll was called after Conservative councillor Louise Chapman was disqualified for failing to attend a single meeting in six months.

Liberal Democrat candidate Mark Balaam said: “I have decided to stand in Witney East because I am unhappy with the poor level of representation that we get from our current council.” Mr Balaam is campaigning against the Cogges link road plan, the “mass over-expansion” of housing in the town and wants to stop youths playing in cemeteries.

Labour’s Duncan Enright is also opposing the link road, to run from the junction of Oxford Hill and Jubilee Way, around the Cogges estate to the Station Lane roundabout by Sainsbury’s, and with a new crossing over the River Windrush. Conservatives have backed the plan.

He said: “I am most passionate about the vital issues, which are largely non party-political, but are very controversial and on which the town council is on the wrong side.”

The Green Party’s Kate Griffin said: “I live in Witney East. I really love it here and I know I could fight for the interests of people here.”

She pledged to also fight the link road, protect green spaces and back Fairtrade status for the town, which endorses products that give third-world producers a “better” deal.

She said: “Becoming a Fairtrade town sends a really strong message that we are a town that cares about fair play.”

The 16-member council has one Liberal Democrat, two Independents with the rest Conservative.

Source: Witney Gazette

SNOW and ice in Oxfordshire are still causing disruption for drivers and rail passengers.

Some Oxford Bus Company services remain suspended but the company is re-introducing services when it is able.

The latest of these include a limited City 2 service via Bicester Road and Oxford Road in Kidlington, a City 4 main road service between Rose Hill and Botley Elms Parade, the City 5, 6, 8, 13, and 15.

There is no service for the City 35 and X2 and while the espress to London is running every hour there is no service to Heathrow or Gatwick.

A large number of Stagecoach bus services in Oxfordshire have also been affected by the weather.

“YES, we have enough salt” – that is the message from Oxfordshire County Council as residents brace themselves for plummeting temperatures.

A light blanket of snow cloaked much of the county yesterday and more of the white stuff could fall before the weekend.

And icy temperatures – already struggling to edge above freezing during the day – are set to fall as low as -10C by Saturday in some parts of the county.

The cold snap has been caused by weather moving in from Scandinavia and Russia.

Forecasters have warned there is no sign of a let-up in the icy conditions, with several more centimetres of snow continuing to fall in the North East and parts of eastern Scotland over the coming days.

The rest of the UK will also be affected, with snow moving south, and only parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland will be free of snow showers by Tuesday afternoon, forecasters said.

In Scotland, more than 600 people were offered emergency accommodation at a sports hall in Perth after they were stranded overnight on Sunday on the A90, M90 and A9 amid blizzard conditions.

All schools in Dundee, West Lothian and Shetland are closed on Monday. Across York and North Yorkshire, around 50 schools were forced to shut, with several schools in East Yorkshire also closed for the day.

The coldest place overnight in the UK was Altnaharra in northern Scotland, which recorded a low of minus 16.1C.

Resurfacing work on the B4044 between Eynsham and the Swinford toll bridge will see the road closed for a day, followed by overnight closures to complete the work.

The road will be shut all day today followed by overnight closures after 9pm from Monday, September 13, to Thursday, September 16.

During the work Stagecoach route S1 buses will be diverted from Eynsham roundabout along the A40 and Woodstock Road to and from Oxford.

During the closures, buses towards Witney will depart from stop B2 on the opposite side of George Street from the normal stop.

A shuttle bus will serve the section of the S1’s route between the city centre, Botley, Farmoor and the toll bridge.

Source: Witney Gazette

THE latest bid to protect land in Witney and block the Cogges Link Road has failed.

Witney green campaigners took their fight to stop the Cogges Link Road from being built on Witney Meadows, in Farm Mill Lane, to a public inquiry.

However, the independent inspector recommended that Owen Edwards's application for Town Green Status for the land — which would protect it from any development — be rejected on the grounds that the site was not public.

The meadows are owned by Witney Town Council, but campaigners argued that residents historically had been able to access it freely.

Fellow campaigner Wyn Devonald, of Manor Road, Cogges, said: “It was very disappointing, we have now got to decide what we are going to do.

“We thought we would win it because it had gone so well at the inquiry.”

A MAJOR project to tackle one of Oxfordshire’s most notorious traffic blackspots begins this week — and the roadworks are expected to stretch on until Christmas.

Motorists will be bracing themselves for long tailbacks at the M40/A34 interchange, where narrow lanes, 40mph speed restrictions and temporary overnight lane closures will be imposed for the next five months.

People living near junction nine have said they fear the work will increase rat-running through nearby villages, as frustrated drivers seek to bypass potential hold-ups.

The £4m first phase of planned upgrades to the M40 junction nine will see the southbound motorway exit and the turn from the roundabout on to the A34 both widened to three lanes.

But a planned £6.5m second phase — to improve the northbound approach to the junction on the A34 and to widen the A41 between the roundabout and Bicester — has been put on hold because of funding concerns.

The agency has admitted road capacity would be reduced during the roadworks, but said it would do all it could to minimise disruption.

The first lane closures will happen tomorrow and Saturday night, from 10pm until 5am.

The northbound M40 exit slip will be closed and diversion routes will be put in place.

Highways Agency spokesman James Wright said that, once complete, the work would increase capacity for southbound traffic and improve vehicle flow across the junction.

A decision on the planned second phase of work has been put on hold until the Highway Agency’s budget settlement is announced in the autumn.

Mr Wright said: “We have plans for phase two and its part of the improvements we want to make.

“When we get future years’ budget allocation, after the Government’s autumn spending review, we will look at what we have in terms of funds and what we can do.

“It is difficult to be more detailed than that at this time.”

Speed cameras in Oxfordshire have flashed their last motorist.

Engineers switched off the 72 fixed speed cameras and seven ‘red light’ cameras dotted around the county yesterday.

Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership — the body that has co-ordinated the work for a decade — closed down all operations in the county after Oxfordshire County Council cut its funding by £600,000 in its bid to make £11m of savings.

Source: Witney Gazette

HOUSEHOLDS in Oxfordshire will pay an average of £2.59 more each month in council tax from April, it was revealed last night.

Oxfordshire County Council – which levies the largest share of council tax – said 2010-11 bills would increase by 2.75 per cent this year, or 60p a week for a Band D property, when they are sent out in April.

That means those living in an average band D property will pay the authority £1,161.71 – an increase of £31.09 on 2009-10 bills.

However, final bills will be higher, once precepts levied by district, parish and town councils and Thames Valley Police are added.

Bus driver and father-of-one Jason Sherriff, 35, of Jack Argent Close, Greater Leys, said: “The increase is quite a lot of money if you work it out over the course of a year.

“I wouldn’t mind if they provided a proper service, but the children around here haven’t got anywhere. I have lived on the estate all my life and when I was a child we had lots of facilities – these days there doesn’t seem to be a lot for children to do.”

The county council, which is responsible for education, the fire service, transport and social services, receives about 30 per cent of its income from the tax, with most of the rest coming in government grants.

A NEW team of wardens will start work in Witney next week as the council takes control of on-street parking for the first time.

Thames Valley Police is handing responsibility to West Oxfordshire District Council, which will put its six-strong squad of wardens on the beat from Monday. The new community wardens will wear green uniforms, with high-visibility jackets, and will have the power to hand out penalty charge notices for parking offences.

They will manage council-run car parks and keep on eye out for problems such as littering, dog-fouling, and graffiti.

District councillor David Harvey, cabinet member for environment, said: “Having one team looking after parking across the district makes complete sense.

“The district council is taking on parking management because we want to preserve our market towns and the free on-street and off-street parking that exists.

“This is a great boon for West Oxfordshire, as it is an added attraction to visitors, and helps maintain a thriving local economy.”

At the moment, two police traffic wardens are in charge of keeping control of on-street parking in the town, while another pair of council workers look after local authority car parks.

Mr Harvey confirmed the parking wardens employed by Thames Valley Police would join with the teams.

The district council also said all car parks in West Oxfordshire would remain free, and there were no plans to introduce on-street pay-and-display or residents’ parking areas.

Town hall chiefs could not say how much it would cost to implement the new team of wardens.

More snow is predicted to begin falling in Oxfordshire over the next 24 hours.

The Met Office has warned there will be further outbreaks of snow, some heavy and prolonged, with between 2 to 5cm settling generally and locally around 5cm to 10cm over high ground.

A spokesman said light snow is expected to start falling this evening from 6pm, and could continue on and off until Monday evening.

Source: Witney Gazette

Waste and recycling collection services have been suspended in West Oxfordshire.

The district council said they would remain suespended until it was safe for heavy waste collection vehicles to travel on side roads.

A spokesman said: "If you are due a collection today, please can you take your bins and boxes back in and present again on your scheduled collection date next week.

"Any excess recycling waste materials can be stored in open bags, such as carrier bags or black bags, and we will collect these with your boxes next week.

"If you have a bulky waste collection booked, we will contact you to re-arrange.

"We will continue to assess the situation."

Chipping Norton and Eynsham leisure centres are closed today, but the Windrush in Witney and Carteron leisure centres are both open.

The Witney Visitor Information Centre is open, but Burford and Woodstock are closed.

Source: Witney Gazette