There were two items that were discussed for the first time at the March meeting that the members of the Parish Council would welcome comments from people living in the village before they take them any further.
Doorstopper scheme logo
The first topic was the possibility of establishing No Cold Calling Zones. The idea is that a relatively small group of properties probably up to 40 houses with a well defined boundary is identified as a no cold calling zone. There could be more than one zone in the village. The zone could be combined with a neighbourhood watch area. It is important that a large majority of the householders living in the zone consent to it being set up. The boundaries of the zone would be marked clearly with street signs. Each house would have a sticker displayed in the window to reinforce the message. Ideally householders would be encouraged to fit door chains and be given the confidence to say no to unwanted callers. It is essential that someone in the zone volunteers to become the champion for the scheme. It is hoped that advice and support will be available from the local trading standards service. They have the authority to contact companies who do try to cold call in the zone and ask them to comply with the scheme. If there is enough interest in this scheme, the Parish Council will consider supporting the initial start up costs and working with trading standards.
The second topic was the radical suggestion from Oxfordshire County Council that some or all of the street lighting in the village could be switched off during part of the night from approximately 12.30am to around 5.30am. The County Council has a commitment to reduce its carbon emissions from all sources by 18% from 2005/2006 levels by 2011/2012. Street lighting produced 19% of the Council’s carbon emissions, which totalled some 63,000 tonnes. The members of the Parish Council would welcome your views about whether you could support this initiative. The County Council would consult the police before implementing any scheme.
If you have views on either of these two proposals, please write to the Clerk at 102 Kennington Road or email by 8th April so your comments can be considered at the next meeting of the Parish Council.
The members of the Parish Council had an update on the progress of the application for funding for the redevelopment of the Playfield Road play area. They adopted a Play Policy. The landscape designer had produced preliminary designs which had been shown to the Play Area Working group and the members of the Parish Council.
Following the litter pick in March, it was agreed to purchase litter pick sticks, gloves and fluorescent tabards. This would mean they could be loaned to groups and individuals to do litter picks at times other than the organised litter blitz. The Parish Council sponsors each bag or large item collected at £3 per bag for local organisations and charities.
