Sporting Heroes Is Chipping Norton Heading for a Traffic Nightmare? News in This Issue: Festival Frolics in Or OUT??
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Issue 386 April 2016 50p Gridlock coming? Is Chipping Norton heading for a traffic nightmare? In 2016/17 we’ll see 350 new homes at Penhurst and Walterbush Road, all bringing Sporting heroes more cars through the town centre…maybe trying to get to Aldi and the doctors! In March County surveyors were in town counting the traffic – in advance of 600 new houses at Tank Farm … but with no sign of an HGV ban or by-pass. The Town Centre car parks are increasingly full up, and parking theatregoers are obstructing Spring St, where there’s a 70- bed Premier Inn on the way. Finally Aldi opened in March with queues jamming up Photo: Don Davidson the Banbury Road. Let’s hope someone’s The Town celebrates this year’s Sports doing some planning. Full stories inside. Award winners – details p21. IN or OUT?? Festival Frolics What do you think? Join our Spring flowers are out & it’s the start of Festival debate on whether it’s In or Out season in Chippy. We report on the 104th Music of Europe, and whether Chippy Festival held in March, a sparkling 5th ChipLitFest should abandon Oxfordshire and in April, Artweeks and the Fibrefest in May and join the Cotswolds. And with May District and plans for the Town Festival and Queen’s possible Town elections – why not put 13 April celebration lunch in June. It’s all inside this Spring in the diary for the Town Meeting? See page 2. edition of the News. News in this issue: THE QUEEN’S • Local Councillor for Police Commissioner? BEACON • Join a Neighbourhood Watch Come and watch the • Work starts on new football clubhouse lighting of The • Future of the First Aid Unit Queen’s Birthday • Neighbourhood Plan result Beacon opposite the • And (look carefully) some April Fool’s news Health Centre at Plus all the usual Food for Thought, Arts, 7.30pm on Thursday Sports, Clubs, Schools and Letters 21 April LOCAL NEWS Democracy, Debate, Decisions Some big issues are looming for local citizens: In or Out of the EU? Should Oxfordshire disappear? District, Parish and Police Commissioner elections, and Chipping Norton’s public Annual Town Meeting on 13 April with your Town Council! More below! Chippy to leave Oxfordshire? already good working relationships. But Geoff said ‘we would need to see a compelling case for this as the A big row has broken out between our County and best model for providing services to Chipping District on their own futures – and it could mean Norton’s residents’ rather than ‘just a neat method that Chipping Norton is no longer under of removing the County tier of local government Oxfordshire County Council! No, not an April Fool. dreamed up by the County’s political enemies.’ Views The Government is looking at a ‘Devolution’ proposal on all this welcome! to give much more local power to our local region, and more direct spending control over transport, roads, health, WODC Council election social care and more. But to allow this, the Government 5 May sees nationwide local council elections. In Chipping prefer a much simpler ‘unitary’ system (getting rid of our Norton, Labour District Councillor Geoff Saul will defend his ‘double layer’ of Districts and seat. The Conservative County, which can cause candidate is Clare Percival. Lib confusion and inefficiency). EU Referendum Dem, Green and UKIP Oxfordshire County What does Chippy think? candidates may appear and the Council (led by Conservative Ian News will cover all profiles in Should the UK be In or Out of the EU? The big vote is Hudspeth), with around 80% of the beginning of May edition. on 23 June. There are plenty of voices: the Government- Elections for the Police and our local government spending, led ‘In Campaign’ says ‘Britain is stronger, safer and suggest they might take the lead Crime Commissioner are the better off in Europe than out on our own’. Meanwhile same day – see page 16. as our ‘unitary’, and probably the cross-party ‘Get Britain Out’ and 'GrassRoots Out’ absorb the five Districts groups want to ‘restore UK Parliamentary democracy, Join the Town including our own West be free of EU interference, and control borders’. Oxfordshire. But then in March The Chippy News would like to know what you think. Council the District leaders (including That’s: Would you like to join Chipping WODC’s Conservative leader • Chippy voters, holiday makers, pensioners, Norton Town Council? A new Barry Norton), proposed a rival workers, commuters, parents, visitors? councillor is needed because plan, without consulting the • Students at Chipping Norton School, college or Deputy Mayor Richard Benfield County, which might get rid of university thinking about your future? has stepped down for family and Oxfordshire entirely and create • Farmers, large and small businesses, town shops, health reasons. The Town Council four smaller ‘Unitaries’ to take Experience Chipping Norton members, local can themselves elect a ‘co-opted’ responsibility for County clubs and charities? member but if 10 voters request services and money. Chipping • Our elected representatives and community it, they have to hold a full town Norton would be in one that leaders: including Mayor, Town/District/County vote at a by-election (probably at takes Witney’s ‘West Councillors and Church leaders, etc? the end of May). The vacancy is not in time to coincide with the Oxfordshire’ and combines it Send us your views – In or Out and why this local elections on the 5th. Either with Cirencester’s ‘Cotswolds’, matters to Chippy – by letter or email (contact way, anyone who is interested in details on p35) by Friday Monday 9 May and we which is currently in being elected can get more will publish a special feature in our June edition Gloucestershire!! details from the Town Clerk, in time for the Referendum Our own Councillors are [email protected] cautious. Conservative County Councillor Hilary Biles said, ‘Whatever happens in the Unitary Annual Town Meeting – 13 April debate I want what is best for residents of Oxfordshire. As Would you like to know what your Town Council thinks…and someone who has covered the spectrum of Councils, I can say that the difference between the two (County and District) what they are doing for the Town? Put 7.30 Wednesday 13 and the workload is that of night and day. It was a shock to April in the Town Hall in your diary for the Annual Town hear Districts advocating 4 unitaries. They have nothing Meeting. Everyone should come to hear the Mayor and Town worked up in detail.’ Labour District Councillor Geoff Saul Council report on their activities for the year and answer said it was very early in the debate but the District ideas were public questions. With live issues, topics could include worth exploring. Possible merits might be ‘more Council Tax and town spending, the Neighbourhood Plan, responsiveness to Chipping Norton’s needs, often felt ignored spending Section 106 money, traffic, HGVs, housing, dealing by the County Council based in Oxford, for example, on with public service cuts, new facilities, Town Hall repairs, transport issues for the A44, preservation of services at the smartening the Town, and more. If approved at the ACE Centre and the transfer of intermediate care hospital Mayormaking on 16 May, Mayor Mike Tysoe is set to continue beds.’ There might, he said, be more commonality with a for an unusual fourth year with Don Davidson as Deputy smaller more rural area such as Cotswolds where there were Mayor. 2 LOCAL NEWS announced by the government, which is stopping such funding Busy Aldi opening for homes for rent’. Affordable rental levels are set at 80% of There were queues in advance for the opening of Chipping market rents. The homes should be complete by April 2017 and allocated to those in housing need who have registered with West Oxfordshire District Council. Future of First Aid Unit A First Aid service for evenings and weekends operates at Chipping Norton Hospital – run by an Ambulance Service paramedic. Last year, and this year, stories keep surfacing about ‘viability and cost issues’. However Lesley Corfield, from the NHS Oxford Clinical Commissioning Group (who pay for the Unit) told the News they ‘do not have any plans to close the First Aid Unit, which is greatly valued by local people, and has steadily Norton’s new Aldi discount supermarket on Friday 3 March. increasing activity year-by-year.’ However, the statement Mayor Mike Tysoe cut the red ribbon with customers lined up continued ‘Running a small out-of-hours provision presents undeterred by the chilly early 8am opening. sustainability challenges in terms of cost and clinical staffing, so First through the OCCG is keen to explore ways of linking the Unit to other door with her trolley relevant services.’ Apparently, this could include closer was Hazel Hope integration with the GPs’ Health Centre, their Pharmacy, or (pictured right), who community nurses. Discussions continue – hopefully anything to lives in Hook Norton stop more people with weekend cut fingers, nasty insect bites and told the News, and bumps travelling to busy A&E units at Banbury and Oxford. ‘The store is a great location and the Fairport helps Oxfam parking easily When a first pressing of the LP ‘Unhalfbricking’ turned up accessible. The store is amongst a donation, the Oxfam Books & Music team in much bigger than I Chipping Norton decided to approach the group that thought.’ The first few days were very busy, with car park full and customers being asked politely to try and move on quickly after their shopping – to stop some of the queues on the main road.