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Released on: 11.01.2020 from The Vale of White Horse District Council

Community Infrastructure - we want your views

Two consultations launch this week into how the Vale of White Horse District Council raises money for infrastructure and community facilities needed to support planned growth across the District. 

Released 14 January 2021

The Winter Support Grant Scheme is now available for residents in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse who need help to buy food and heating their homes this winter. 

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have been working with Oxfordshire County Council and other district councils to distribute the nearly £1.4million given to the county by the Department for Work and Pensions in December 2020 as part of the Covid Winter Grant Scheme. 

A Covid Response Working Group has been established, with members of Abingdon Town Council meeting every Monday since November 2020, to consider the Council’s response to the Covid pandemic. The group monitors all parts of the Council's operations and responsibilities to ensure that they are COVID safe and meeting the needs of residents. The group also considers any applications to the Covid Emergency Grant Fund set up by Abingdon Town Council. So far, the group has awarded grants to the following initiatives:

In a recent tree survey a number of diseased and damaged trees were identified in Boxhill Recreation Ground and were removed. However, in keeping with the Town Councils policy to replace any trees taken down, our outside works team worked with Carbon Cutters and a group of fantastic volunteers in November 2020 to plant 20 fruit trees in Boxhill Recreation Ground to make a community orchard.

These have been planted to help increase the biodiversity of the town and are part of a long-term plan to establish a wildflower area here.

Scammers target residents with promise of coronavirus vaccine

Read the story on the Oxfordshire County Council website here or below:

Residents are urged to be on their guard against scammers using the promise of a coronavirus vaccine to con them out of money.

Due to the current restrictions in place and the guidelines regarding social distancing we will not be carrying out the Christmas tree recycling event on the Market Place this year.

Please see the Vale of White Horse District Council’s website to find out where your nearest Christmas tree collection point is:

Town Council’s Roysse Court offices are closed from 24th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021. Our works team will be working throughout the period to ensure that essential tasks are undertaken. Our e-mail enquiries@abingdon.gov.uk will be checked daily throughout the holiday period. In the case of a genuine emergency in relation to town council services, we may be contacted on 01865 751605. 

The current Mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Charlie Birks, has spent his time as Mayor fundraising for the following two charities:

Shift which is an informal support group that welcomes parents, carers and extended family members of any child with SEND (with or without diagnosis) and The Abingdon Bridge, a charity which supports young people in challenging circumstances.

Sovereign’s new project ‘Your Community Your Choice’ is launching in Bristol and Abingdon, with £40,000 available to spend in these areas. This is community engagement in a way that Sovereign have never done before! If you’re a Sovereign resident over the age of 18, living in Bristol or Abingdon, you can put forward and vote for project ideas allowing you to decide how this £40,000 is spent to improve your environment in your community.

The Vale of White Horse District Council will be spending a few days in each Parish/Town across Vale of white horse to perform a deep cleanse. They will be coming to Abingdon for 7 days from 04/01/2021 to 12/01/2021. They will be litter picking, sweeping and removing weeds/moss on pavements.

They will not spray weeds, cut grass or vegetation or remove weeds or moss which are on roads. We only clear land to which the public is permitted access and that is under the direct control of the district council.

From today, Wednesday 2 December, Oxfordshire is in the tier 2 alert level following the end of national lockdown.

Some existing guidance remains the same in that people should continue to work from home if they can do so, and education and childcare remain open. We’re also being encouraged to travel only if essential to do so. But remember that when travelling between areas that are in different tiers, you must adopt whichever restrictions are higher to prevent the spread of the virus.

What are the new tier 2 rules?

People in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire can park for free on specific days this December and are being urged to use this opportunity to support their local shops and cafes in the run up to Christmas.

Each year Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils provide free parking days during December to help encourage people to shop locally for their Christmas presents.  

As the cold weather closes in with biting frosts and long, depressing hours of darkness, the combined effects of the pandemic and financial problems threaten to drive us into a pit of total despondency. But if lack of money is your problem, take heart because there could be a way to take control of the situation: you might be entitled to receive benefits and Citizens Advice can help you all the way.

In line with Government guidelines, Abingdon Museum will be reopening to visitors from Thursday 3rd December 2020.
Entry to the museum is via a timed ticketing system through Eventbrite at:

The on-call crew at Abingdon are currently recruiting. Do you live or work within 5 mins of the Fire Station? www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/oncallfirefighters

The Abingdon Community Larder is open every Friday at the Abingdon Carousel Family Centre, off Caldecott Chase ( OX14 5GZ ).

It is a Food Membership Scheme. From £3.50 a week members can choose from 10 food items in boxes and tins and jars, and as much fruit and vegetables as they want.

It is not means tested – open to all, and aims to help some people who are finding food too expensive.

The food – that would otherwise go to waste because of reasons such as over supply, comes from supermarkets like Tesco and Asda

We are delighted to announce that the NHS is launching its first national campaign on mental health services on 17 November 2020. There has never been a more important time to look after the mental health of the nation – and we want to remind everyone that the NHS is here for mental health, even during the pandemic.

Enrych is a charity that supports adults with a disability to enjoy the most active and independent lives possible.

They need volunteers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to create partnerships with adults with a disability to carry out leisure activities across Abingdon & Oxfordshire.

The Guideposts Information Service (GIS) is a free information and signposting service, aiming to help people feel more supported, less isolated, and in better control of their own health and wellbeing.  

The service is ideal for:  

The Leaders of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have written a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to express their dismay that the national lockdown was announced without sufficient support for all businesses in place.  

Cllrs Sue Cooper and Emily Smith explained that businesses have already been in touch with the council extremely concerned that they are now facing an immediate loss of income, including many who fell through the gaps of the government’s previous grants schemes during the last lockdown.