The Flower baskets around the village are looking wonderful again this year and thanks go to those volunteers who, earlier in the year both nurtured the small plants and prepared the baskets in readiness for Councillors to locate around the village.
Thanks go too to Wyevale Garden Centre who again this year, donated all the compost for the baskets along with the necessary food pellets to keep the plants going through this hot weather.
Mr Leo Boles presented the Council with a cheque for £1400 to purchase a fourth public defibrillator for the village at the Council’s July’s meeting. Mr Boles organised a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth in June 2015 which included a raffle of one prize which raised £650. Mr Boles wanted to thank the following organisations without which this money could not have been raised, namely Cruise.co.uk for donating the prize; the organisers of the Kennington Beer Festival; Kennington Post Office; Best One; Hurley Motors and Kennington Motors.
The Chairman accepted the cheque on behalf of the Council and thanked Mr Boles as without him no money would have been raised.
At the same meeting the Chairman welcomed Mr Jones of the Oxford Bus Company. He was invited to the meeting to explain the change of arrangements with regard to the 35 bus stop at Castle Street, Oxford. In 2011 Oxfordshire County Council designated the E1 bus stop in Castle Street to a setting down stop only, along with other changes within that confined and congested area. However the County Council gave the Oxford Bus Company a dispensation with regard to picking up passengers of the 35 service on the understanding that next time services were reviewed (April 2015) this stop would be setting down only. Oxfordshire County Council led negotiations.
The Chairman explained that a great number of elderly people in Kennington found this stop perfectly placed and are now experiencing difficulty in getting to the St Aldates bus stop. Mr Jones accepted this was a big change and not ideal but that Castle Street is very congested – The Bus Company cannot advertise pick up times at this stop as it cannot wait due to this congestion and can get penalised and fined by the Traffic Commission if buses do not depart on time.
Mr Jones explained that it is in Oxford Bus Company’s interests to satisfy its customers and apologised for this situation. If it can do anything to help its customers it will and upon completion of Westgate Centre hope to review the situation.
You can find the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme’s Newsletter here, which explains that its investigations have confirmed that a flood relief channel will bring significant flood risk benefits to Oxford. There is a proposal to have another road show to advertise the routes being considered.
You may have noticed posters around the village advertising free dog mess bags. This is in an attempt to reduce complaints about dog mess on footpaths and verges.
Finally, the Council would like to thank residents who regularly clear rubbish at both playing fields, especially those who have even taken dustpans and brushes to sweep up the broken glass too regularly found around the pavilion at Forest Side.
Anne Feather, Clerk to the Council
