Month: August 2015

Village Postman simply the best

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P1170265You can’t live in the village and not know ROY of the ROYal Mail (look closely at the photo).

He who so cheerfully and diligently delivers the mail six days a week (except when he’s on holiday of course) and is always ready to stop off for a chat.

In our  village survey earlier in the year we asked residents how they rated various services and  of those who responded which  was just over half the community, the postal service got a resounding 99% approval, with just over half rating it very good and just under half rating it as good. I am sure you would agree that this is in no small measure down to the efforts of Roy and the the others who back him up. With two collections a day  and a friendly delivery service we are fortunate to be so well served.

Congratulations Roy and nice to see that you have your name on the side of  Her Majesty’s delivery van.

No 8 local bus service review

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As previously announced, the no 8 subsidised bus service that runs through Stratton Audley from Bicester to Brackley is officially now under review as part of OCC’s (Oxford County Council) need to save money. This is part of a county wide review and we have been told that 100 local bus services that are currently subsidised but not used enough are under threat. Stratton Audley Parish Council, on behalf of the village, attended a public meeting on 6 July to find out more.

THE DETAIL

OCC are looking at two options, either to withdraw all bus subsidies altogether, or reduce funding to subsidised buses and prioritise services to those used by the elderly and disabled – the more likely outcome.

Under option 1 of the consultation, all subsidies will be removed across Oxfordshire. The No 8 service is shared with Northamptonshire and there would have to be some discussions with them about whether they intend to continue subsidising the service within their county, and also some conversations with the operator Stagecoach. Removing a subsidy does not necessarily mean that the service itself will cease. If the service is used to a profitable level, the operator may decide to continue running it without any OCC subsidy or another operator might step in.

Under option 2 of the consultation there will be some budget available for providing subsidies in Oxfordshire. Based on their analysis, the no 8 service has been given a “Medium” risk level. So they have ranked the 100 bus services under review in order of priority and the no 8 bus falls roughly in the middle of the table. All of this information is available on line. Any money available will be given to the services identified as ‘low risk’ first and then they would move down the list trying to retain as many services as possible. It is not entirely black-and-white how far the budget would stretch, and we are told they would aim to spread it to retain at least some level of cover for as many services as possible.

OCC are genuinely looking for any comments, suggestions, or ideas from users of this service. For example a number of people have indicated that they would be prepared to pay a small universal charge for each journey if it meant that some of the subsidy was retained to keep the services operating.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The public consultation ends 14th September and there are 3 ways to register your views on the matter:

  1. Everyone who is likely to be affected is encouraged to go online and answer a short survey at oxfordshire.gov.uk/stconsultation If this is difficult perhaps a friend or relative will help you. Paper copies are also available in libraries.
  2. If you would like to discuss this you may call the ORCC on 01865 883488 who are the independent facilitators for the consultation process.
  3. Alternatively you can register your concerns by sending an email to: parishclerk@gmail.com

Additionally the Parish Council is in contact with our local district councillor Barry Wood and you can be sure that he will be lobbying OCC on our behalf.

Plans for new playground

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As you may know the Parish Council has secured a grant from a landfill company called WREN to renovate the playground. This fund, when added to additional monies built up by the Parish Council over the last few years, mean that we have a fund of £30k to renew the surfaces and replace existing equipment (with the exception of the vintage horse and camel which will be retained and restored).

We believe most parents of children in Stratton Audley are aware and will have seen the plans but for those who have not, please find them attached. We received some very positive feedback at the Children’s Christmas party in the Red Lion on Sunday and all comments received will be given due consideration.

 

The selected contractor, Trevor Stewart, uses natural woods and builds the climbing frames himself. As a local man he has built many other playgrounds in the area, most recently at Hethe, but also Blackthorne, Ardley, Somerton, Steeple Aston and Middle Barton.

The grant has been secured as a result of submitting a detailed proposal in July of this year, so any changes will be of a limited nature. We have been looking carefully at the best surface to use and the general consensus is to use wood chip under the play equipment, retain the grass at the forefront of the playground and put down a limited amount of rubber mulch around a few items.

The intention is to carry out groundworks in the spring and complete the works in time for the summer.

If you have any comments please don’t hesitate to reply to this email.

 

 

Stratton Audley Food & Music Festival Saturday 4th June 2016

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The CLP Group is beginning to plan a Village Food Festival to take place on 4th June 2016. Organisers are presently looking for sponsors, support in event management, stall holders and the providers of beer for a mini beer festival. The event is likely to be marketed as the Stratton Audley Food and Music festival incorporating a Scarecrow competition and the organisers hope that the whole village will participate.

Village Picnic Fun & Games Day

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Sunday 19th July saw the third Village Picnic Fun & Games organised by the CLP working group to bring people in the village together to mix with their neighbours.

More than 80 adults and children attended, some bringing their own picnic and others just turning up to soak up the atmosphere or join in the fun.

There was a children’s craft area and face painting plus games set up around the field such as splat-the-rat and the parachute game. The sun shone as the first of the traditional community games got underway compared by our very own Tony Jones, with a relaxed head & tail’s game for all the family.

The competitive spirit came out during the egg and spoon and three-legged races. Some adults had to be disqualified as their determination to win knew no bounds!

The games concluded with a series of ‘tug of wars’ for children, women and finally the men, although there was some question as to numbers being added on one side for the last men’s challenge!

A brief public address followed with thanks expressed to all those who helped make the event possible and the day concluded with a newly created local live 60’s revival band called BackBeat, playing some great old classics.