Decisions

The Committee received and considered the report of the Office Manager.  His report covered how the offices had been able to operate during lockdown although it would have been more advantageous and efficient if there was more mobile phones and laptops as some employees had used their own equipment.  He also highlighted the lack of digitalisation of burial records and has sought a quote which could link into the Council’s mapping software.

RECOMMENDED:  that the report be noted and:

1.                  that the quote for digitalised mapping of the Cemeteries from Pear Technologies be accepted;

2.                  that sales invoices be issued to customers electronically unless requested otherwise;

3.                  that the procurement of proportionate equipment (such as laptops/works mobile phones) be purchased for the purpose of continuing Council services while homeworking, be delegated to the Town Clerk and Office Manager.

The Committee received and considered the minutes of the meeting held on 27 January

2020.

RESOLVED:          to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2020

as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There were no matters arising.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Town Clerk, highlighting the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had had on the Council’s income.  The Town Clerk advised that she would be writing to the District Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance as NALC had advised that government funding had been given to District Councils to distribute to town and parish councils to alleviate the effect of COVID-19 on income and the additional expenditure it was burdened with.  The Town Clerk would be seeking some sort of recompense to offset some of the Council’s lost income and additional expenditure.  She also advised that the grant of free use of the Corn Exchange to Witney Fridge during lockdown would be accounted for.

Member also discussed grant funding to West Oxfordshire Community Transport and the requirement to renew the Council’s utilities contracts.

RESOLVED:          that the report be noted and:-

1.            that the grant funding for West Oxfordshire Community Transport continues to be paid at the current rate of £1,500 per month (£18,000 per annum) for the remainder of the financial year and that it is raised to the higher amount of £21,000 from April 2021.  This rate would continue for three years but the Council would retain the right to review this after two years.

2.            that in relation to the utilities contract, the Compliance and Environment Officer be charged with finding the most competitive green energy tariff available with the Council’s existing utility provider, with the ultimate decision delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the appropriate Members if needed.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Democratic Services Officer along with seven grant applications.  It was noted that Witney Buttercross Scouts had applied for a substantial grant, not realising that the maximum grant from the Council was £500.  Members discussed this application as the project to refurbish the premises was substantial and the group had applied for other funding.  It was agreed that £500 should be pledged and that it could be drawn down at a later date when the project went ahead.

Members were also not comfortable in granting the Rotary Club £500 for its planned Dragons Den event without having a clear idea on how it would be spent.  It was decided that it would be better to grant free use of the Corn Exchange instead.

It was noted that some of these planned events may not go ahead because of COVID-19 therefore funds should only be forwarded once the future of the events was known.

RECOMMENDED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that the following grants be made under the General Power of Competence:

RESOLVED:          that in accordance with section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admissions to

Meetings) Act 1960, and as extended by Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the

public, including the press, be excluded from the meeting because of the confidential nature

of the following business to be transacted.

Confidential item.

Cllr Eaglestone left the meeting at this point as he declared an interest in the item being discussed.

Cllr Collins left the meeting at 7.12pm.

Members received and considered the revised policy for Youth Services Grant Funding, which had been recommended by the Stronger Communities Committee at its meeting on 6 July 2020.

RECOMMENDED:             that the policy as now presented be agreed.

The Committee received and considered draft terms of reference for the committee.

RESOLVED:          that the terms of reference as presented be confirmed and adopted for the ensuing municipal year.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Office Manager as circulated with the agenda.  The Chair gave some background to this item and the two national events already marked – Black Lives Matter and the NHS anniversary – which were achieved by the loan of lights from Ben Turner of Slideshow Productions.  The Chair was keen to ensure this offer remained special and to compliment the Council’s flag flying protocols.  She had received a request to mark the Baby Loss Awareness week in October and therefore considered this a good timescale for implementation – but acknowledged more research was required to ensure the Policy was right.  The Town Clerk confirmed that she would contact other Town Councils in order to obtain example policies.

RESOLVED:          that the report be noted and:

1.                   that further research in to a policy for “lighting up” the interior of the Corn Exchange, marking community and national campaigns be undertaken, and report back to the next meeting of this Committee;

2.                   that the Council considers purchasing fixed colour changing led lights for the Corn Exchange windows, up to the value of £500 and that this be delegated to Cllr Ashbourne and the Office Manager.

The Committee received and considered the final internal audit report for 2019/20. The Town Clerk pointed out that it was the role of the Internal Auditor to sign page 3 of the Annual Governance & Accountability Return covered at the next agenda item

The Committee congratulated the Town Clerk and Office Manager on the content of the Internal Audit report.

RESOLVED:  that the report be noted.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Town Clerk as circulated with the agenda which highlighted the fact that the bank mandates needed updating.

RECOMMENDED:             that the report be noted and:-

1.                  that the Members of the Policy, Governance and Finance Committee be authorised signatories on Barclays Bank mandates and if necessary two be named to be able to act on behalf of the Council – in the absence of the Town Clerk, should the need arise;

[the current Members of the Policy, Governance & Finance Committee being: Cllrs Luci Ashbourne (Chair & Leader of the Council), Ruth Smith, Vicky Gwatkin, Owen Collins, Harry Eaglestone, Mel Jones, Joy Aitiman and David Harvey]

2.                  that Members of the Policy, Governance and Finance Committee be authorised signatories on the CCLA Accounts and that in particular two are named to act on behalf of the Council – in the absence of the Town Clerk, should the need arise;

3.                  that the named signatories are Cllrs Gwatkin, Aitman and Harvey;

4.                  that the Town Clerk is also listed on the bank mandate for the Barclays Bank General and Business Premium Account as being able to deal with transfers between accounts as well as setting up direct debits;

5.                  that the Office Manager is set-up to be able to cash cheques up to £500 at the local Barclays Bank branch to replenish the Council’s petty cash account;

6.                  the implementation of online banking with the Council’s current banking provider, Barclays Bank PLC, be agreed subject to the amendments to the Council’s Financial Regulations, which will be presented to the next meeting of this Committee.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Town Clerk along with the Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2019/20.

She explained that it was the role of the Committee to carry out its due diligence and go through the Annual Governance Statement to confirm the correct procedures were in place with the Council’s sound financial management.  She pointed out that she had been unable to present the Annual Corporate Risk Assessment to Council because she’d been off sick for a period of time at the beginning of the year and then COVID-19 had resulted in the last Policy, Governance and Finance meeting being postponed.  Due to these extenuating circumstances regrettably, she advised the Members that no formal assessment could be presented and they would need to answer question 5 of the governance statement with ticking NO.  She explained the potential consequences of this but reassured members that the fact she was the only Officer able to run this report would be addressed via the organisational review being undertaken later in the year.

RESOLVED:  that the report be noted and:

1.                   that the Annual Governance Statement at Section 1 of the Annual Return for the year ended  31 March 2020 where questions 1 to 9 were answered yes, (with the exception of question 5 – which will be no) be approved;

2.                   that in regard to question 5 – where, due to extenuating circumstances of the Tow Clerk/RFO being off for a period of sickness absence culminating with the COVID-19 pandemic – the following explanation be provided to the external auditor along with the assurance that the Council is undertaking an organisational review to address capacity issues and will ensure that support is given to the Town Clerk to illuminate the fact only one member of staff is able to assess the corporate/financial risks of the Council;

3.                   that the Statement of Accounts at Section 2 of the Annual Return for the year ended 31 March 2020 be approved, and presented to full Council for formal adoption on 27 July 2020;

4.                   that the unaudited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2020 be noted.

RESOLVED: that Cllr Smith be elected Vice Chair for the ensuing municipal year.

The Committee received and considered the draft terms of reference for the Committee as circulated with the agenda.

RESOLVED:   that the terms of reference as circulated be agreed with the addition of “Recognising the value and benefit of voluntary groups and endeavours within our community, supporting and helping to facilitate where possible” as the first Term of Reference.

RESOLVED:          that Cllr Ashbourne be elected as Vice Chair of the Committee for the municipal year.

The Committee received and considered the minutes of the meeting held on 16 March 2020. 

RESOLVED:         that the minutes of the meeting held on 16 March 2020 be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There were no matters arising.

The Committee received and considered a verbal report from the Chair on forming an 'Inclusion Panel' made up of members of the community's various minorities, who could advise the Council on various matters to take greater account of the impact on all sections of the community.  The Leader also added some detail.  She proposed that the Council should reach out to people who were under represented by the Council, and get expressions of interest.  Her idea was that Committee Chairs could meet with the people and get their views on upcoming agendas so that they could be represented, therefore requiring no Officer input.

Members agreed that this would be a step forward.

RECOMMENDED:  that the verbal report be noted and that an Inclusion Panel is created, to be made up of Chairs of the Committees and minority members of the community.  This would be supported by appropriate communications from the Communications and Events Officer.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Communications and Events Officer which included details on the annual resident’s satisfaction survey.  Members were concerned that young people weren’t responding but the Communications and Events Officer explained that many ways including direct engagement had been tried but they were not interested. She would continue to explore options for this.

A member suggested asking the Youth Council and the Communications and Events Officer agreed to ask them to get involved.

RESOLVED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that the Communications and Events Officer produces in depth analysis from the annual resident’s satisfaction survey results to help inform the Council’s plans for the next year.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer.

RESOLVED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that the negotiation for the bench and its siting be delegated to the Operations and Estates Officer.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer and correspondence from the Rotary Club.  The Chair said that members had informally discussed an idea of a memorial for Covid-19 Victims and the volunteers.

Members proceeded to debate a suitable location. The Officers pointed out that the Council would inherit the ongoing maintenance cost of such a memorial.  A member commented that she felt that the Committee was talking about two different things – a memorial to those who had lost their lives and a thank you to volunteers.  She felt that the two didn’t need to be together and that a memorial bench could happen quite quickly. 

There was also some discussion about convening a working party.  The Town Clerk advised that as it had been agreed not to have working parties, perhaps a group of councillors could work together and then bring back a proposal to a future meeting.

RECOMENDED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that the siting for a bench, tree and planting in conjunction with Rotary be delegated to the Operations and Estates Officer to progress;

3.            that the Town Council Offers £1,000 match funding to Rotary (bearing in mind the ongoing maintenance costs);

4.            that a group of councillors discuss ideas for a tribute to volunteers and bring them back to a future meeting.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer.  He advised that the hanging basket extenders had gone missing in delivery transit.  He had visited St. Mary’s Churchyard earlier that day with the Tree Surgeon looking at tree T583.   The Tree Surgeon would requote for this tree as it looked to be quite difficult to get down due to its size.

Witney Feast was still due to go ahead in September.

He advised that Tower Hill Football Club were looking to get the defibrillator back to A1 condition before they formally asked the Town Council to take it on.

A member asked if the Council would be guided by Government as to whether the fair could take place.  The Operations and Estates Officer replied that they were allowed to take place now.  The member asked if this changed would it be due to Government guidance and not the Town Council. It was confirmed that this was correct.  Officers would check nearer to the time that the fair would comply with Government Guidance.

RESOLVED:          that the report be noted.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Communications and Events Officer. 

RESOLVED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that commemorations for VJ Day be delegated to the Mayor and the Office Manager to progress;

3.            that  for Remembrance Day, the Communications & Events Officer progresses an event along the lines as detailed in her report but ensuring it is COVID-19 safe;

4.            that a press release is prepared to explain the change in the event;

5.            that plans may be subject to change depending on the situation nearer to the time.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Office Manager, which recapped previous decisions.  Members discussed grant criteria and an accompanying application form.

RECOMMENDED:            

1.            that the report be noted.

2.            that the proposed grant criteria and application form be accepted;

3.            that Youth Services Signposting takes the form of a dedicated webpage, with an interactive map on the Council’s website as a starting point which would list the services commissioned by the Town Council and then evolve, embedding links to the other resources;

4.            that the applicants are affiliated with Oxfordshire Youth or a similar organisation.

The Committee received and considered the verbal report of the Operations and Estates Officer updating Members on this year’s Christmas lights display along with the report of the Cemeteries Officer regarding the children’s Christmas competitions. 

Members discussed other ideas such as putting lights in window, and the impact on the night time economy.  The Town Clerk commented that previously it had been difficult to get the retailers to support the event, and to her knowledge Rotary had nothing planned due to the difficulties brought about from COVID-19.

The Operations and Estates Officer explained that he was not happy with the idea of rushing out a tender because if it was not right the Council would be stuck with it for 3 and 4 years.  He would be happier arranging a very small display just for this year. 

RESOLVED: 

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that a small lights display should be arranged for this year only;

3.            the Mayor’s Christmas Card competition should be run, via social media rather than through schools;

4.         that consideration be given to a Christmas poem initiative at the next meeting.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Office Manager concerning £10,000 of S106 funding for bus stop infrastructure on Tower Hill.   There had already been a site meeting with ward Councillors.  A proposal had been put together by OCC which was significantly over the funds allocated to this project.  The Town Council had previously purchased some bus shelters which were under £3,000.  OCC had agreed that the Town Council could choose the supplier.  County Councillor Price was very interested to know costings and to see if she could help source additional finance.

Members debated how to proceed.  It was felt better to choose a stop on the side of Tower Hill on which buses went into town.

RESOLVED:  that the report be noted and the final decision on design and add-ons for a bus shelter on the town centre bound side of Tower Hill be delegated to the Chair and the Office Manager.

The Chair had circulated some designs for the rebranding of the Town Council prior to the meeting.  Cllr Gwatkin spoke to the Committee about her design.   Another member commented that he liked the banner but didn’t actually feel that the current branding was outdated, especially compared to other parish councils.  He was also unsure how it would work at the bottom of a letter.  Another member liked the fact that it illustrated what the Council did.  Other members thought that it would work at the bottom of a letter.  Members continued to debate this. 

RECOMMENDED:  that the design as circulated is put forward as a proposal to Full Council.

The Committee received and considered the Witney Sports Facilities Options Paper as previously circulated.

There was a discussion about some of the data in the report particularly the Town’s predicted expansion and the fact that using data for the whole of West Oxfordshire had skewed some of the assumptions.  Some of the smaller sports sites had been missed out, including school facilities.

There was also discussion about the 4G pitch and whether the Town Council should wait for West Oxfordshire District Council to engage or whether to push ahead with things that the Town Council could do independently.  Following a member’s question, the Town Clerk confirmed that S106 developer funding was due to be received via the District Council for West Witney Sports Ground (£259,349) and the Corn Exchange (£103,740) imminently – this equated to three quarters of the funding due.

A member felt that it was really important for the Town Council to set out its vision.  Other Committee members agreed.  The Chair commented that it was important to sort the leases out on the West Witney site so that the sports clubs could access grants. 

RECOMMENDED:  that the consultant be requested to assist the Council with putting together a vision for its sports facilities.

RESOLVED: that the Minutes of the Halls & Green Spaces Committee meeting held on 9 March 2020 be agreed and signed by the Chair as a correct record, alongside the Chair of the Sport & Play Committee as the work for the municipal year had been split over two new Committees accordingly.

There were no matters arising.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Office Manager. The report was for information and an update on how much income the public halls had lost due to lockdown.  A member asked if the drop in income would affect the budget for the Corn Exchange upgrade.  The Office Manager advised that it would not as the majority of the money was from Section 106 contributions.

Another member asked how the loss would be made up, the Town Clerk having confirmed that the income would have been spent on running costs.  The Town Clerk would revise the budget later in the year to reflect the pandemic’s impact.

The Chair of the Corn exchange Working Party gave an update on the meeting held earlier that evening.  He updated on the 1863 bar, retractable seating and bench seating. The Working Party had also discussed furniture for the bar/café. There would also be a new logo.

A member asked about opening times.  The Venue Manager advised that he envisaged Monday – Saturday, 10am – 3pm.  The bar would be a bonus for use in the evening for hirers or in-house events.

A member thanked the Venue Manager for welcoming the Community Fridge into the Corn Exchange and another member thanked Officers for the use of Burwell Hall by the Land Army early in the lockdown.

The Office Manager advised that the halls would not be open from 4July as Officers were still working to achieve government guidelines.

RESOLVED: 

1.                   that the report be noted;

2.                   that the verbal update from the Corn Exchange Working Party meeting held prior to this meeting be noted and the recommendations contained therein be agreed.

Members received and considered draft terms of reference for the Committee. A  member asked if Windrush Place Allotments could be included.

RESOLVED: that the terms of reference as presented be accepted with the addition of Windrush Place allotments.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer. As the subject had been discussed earlier, there was no further debate.

RESOLVED: that the report be noted.

RESOLVED:          that Cllr Gwatkin be elected Vice Chair for the municipal year.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Compliance and Environment Officer.  A member commended the report and the fact that it looked into the most modern ways of mitigating the Council’s carbon footprint.

Another member wondered whether it would be worth commissioning for example the Energy Saving Trust to offer detailed advice.  The Leader agreed with this and wondered if the Trust might do a project looking across the Council, including vehicles etc.  She thought this might help with future budget setting.

RESOLVED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that the Energy Saving Trust be asked to look into energy saving across the Council.

The Operations and Estates Officer reported that he had not been able to complete Planning applications for oversized polytunnels as he had been shielding.  He would be able to go out soon.  The Allotment Association had now come back with recommendations for siting some composting tumblers and daleks and the type it favoured.  The Association had also asked for concrete block bases and block walls at Lakeside and the new West Witney Allotments and had requested that the Town Council “turns” the amount of green waste on both of those sites for a year.  These recommendations from the Association had only just been received.  The Council had agreed to provide some assistance as it no longer provided skips.  The costs of the requested items were less than the skips would have cost.

A member expressed concerns that the items might fill up quickly and then the Association would be asking for more.

RECOMMENDED: 

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            to agree to the Allotment Association’s requests for the tumblers, daleks and Town Council assistance at Lakeside and West Witney on the condition that the exact requirements and services offered by the Town Council were specified in writing;

3.            that the Operations and Estates Officer does further research into the cost of hard standing bases at Lakeside and West Witney Allotments and this is brought back to a future meeting.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer.  The Council had been expecting high numbers of burials due to the pandemic and although numbers had spiked initially, they had dropped to a normal level again.  The Environment Agency permitted 50 burials per year and there was a requirement for a groundwater risk assessment.  This had been done alongside a pandemic risk assessment which the Council should also have had.  The results had shown that the Windrush Cemetery could have 100 burials per year without causing any adverse effects.  150 burials per year might also be possible and the cemetery had been approved as suitable for a pandemic burial site if needed in future.  There was still some work to be done on a procedural level.

RESOLVED:  that the report be noted.

Members received and considered the report of the Operations and Estates Officer.  He advised that there was no evidence of bats in the cedar of Lebanon tree according to the survey and the tree surgeon was now resurveying the tree with a view to it being removed in the near future.

A member asked how far the Council had got with rebuilding the arch and the wall at St. Mary’s Churchyard.  The Officer advised that the faculties had now been applied for and the PCC had given permission.   He was awaiting additional information from the stone mason to add to the faculty applications.

A member asked for communication to be put out before the tree was finally taken down. The Communications and Events Officer would be asked to do so.

RESOLVED:          that the report be noted.

Members received a verbal update from Cllr Smith regarding the installation of cycle racks at Tower Hill and Windrush cemeteries along with correspondence concerning potential funding by Oxfordshire County Council for further ones in the town.

The Committee was in agreement that cycle racks should be installed at the two cemeteries and were advised that County Cllr Suzanne Bartington had indicated the cost of these could be covered from her Councillor Priority Fund.

The County Council funding for additional cycle racks was in response to the wider Covid-19 pandemic transport scheme and the Town Council had been asked to identify potential sites for these as soon as possible. It was suggested that the racks at the cemeteries could be funded through this project, along with cycle racks for the proposed Tower Hill Bus Shelter and a list of sites should be submitted.

RESOLVED:         that the verbal update be noted and:

1.            that cycle racks should be installed at Tower Hill and Windrush cemeteries; and that this be funded from the Covid-19 cycle rack fund if possible. If not, this should be funded from Cllr Bartington’s Councillor Priority Fund;

2.            that a list of potential cycle rack locations across the town be delegated to Cllr Smith and the Office Manager for submission to Oxfordshire County Council, and this should include the Tower Hill Bus Shelter site.

The Committee received and considered the minutes of the Climate, Biodiversity and Planning meetings held on 16 and 30 June 2020.

MATTERS ARISING:

P138 – 16 Jun    The Leader advised that she had been in contact with Cllr James Mills regarding communication and had been encouraged by the response and hoped this would be better in the future.

P141 – 16 Jun    Members were advised that a letter had been written to residents in Corn Street concerning a bus shelter outside of their property

P143 – 16 Jun    The Chair advised that she had written to the West Oxfordshire District Council portfolio for the Environment.

P144 – 16 Jun    The Chair advised that discussion had taken place on the possibility of employing a Park Ranger, but this had been deferred until Land Management options had been agreed. Meetings with interested stakeholders would be taking place imminently on this subject.

RESOLVED:          that the above minutes be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee received and considered the schedule of planning decisions as circulated with the agenda.

RESOLVED:          that the schedule as circulated, be noted.

The Committee received and considered the consultation on the West Oxfordshire District Council Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Draft Charging Schedule 2020.

Members were concerned that the schedule had laid out plans for zero-rated CIL in the strategic areas of the Local Plan 2031, of which Witney was included. This would result in North and East Witney Developers not having to pay towards town-wide infrastructure in the future. While the Committee noted that other areas had also favoured this approach to not hamper site viability, members agreed that Witney was an attractive place to develop so were confident that a CIL charge would not have an adverse effect.

RESOLVED:          that the CIL Charging Schedule be noted, and the following consultation response be submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council.

Witney Town Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on the CIL charging schedule for future developments and recognises that Witney is an attractive place to live and therefore develop. Further housing is already agreed in the West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2031 within and just outside Witney, but this should not be to the detriment of the town’s already stretched infrastructure. Due to its geographical location, transport links and other welcoming factors, the Town Council has confidence that if CIL was to be agreed for larger as well as smaller strategic developments, developers would still be interested so therefore the Town Council objects to the proposed charging schedule.

Clear, understandable data and models of various non-zero-rated CIL rates for larger sites as part of this consultation would have provided more insight. The marginal negative calculations, which seem to be in contrast to and diverge from the conclusions of the Local Plan, are questionable inasmuch as they have inflexible land prices and do not anticipate how the market will react to CIL rates.  The effects of Brexit and Covid-19 have had on prices is unknown, but could be significant, so a second independent valuation should be sought as soon as possible.

CIL benefits the whole community and Witney is already significantly underfunded in terms of sports, arts and youth provision for instance and these funds would contribute to those needed areas. While Section 106 funds have been greatly welcomed in previous years, there are projects which have fallen through (Cogges Link Road) where allocated funds have been lost due to their specific nature. CIL would offer more protection and value for money against this happening. In the Town Council’s opinion, CIL as a proportion of contributions collected from developers would also make the transparency and transfer of developer contributions more efficient than the current Section 106 process.

Overall, Witney Town Council is concerned that these proposals in their current form appear to be favouring the interests of landowners, developers and their profits over the infrastructure of the town. While these may help deliver the long-term interests of the District Council, they result in the avoidance of developers paying CIL and a denial of discretionary funds to town and parish councils from the large developments that will impact them the most.

The Committee received and considered active travel and infrastructure development plans which had been created and circulated by councillors.

Members welcomed the documents and were advised by the Chair that they had been developed as a working document which would be available to members and officers. The aspirations would help guide developer contribution requests and Council policies and assist with resident requests. It was agreed that the plans should be formally adopted by the Council and reviewed annually as two separate documents.

RECOMMENDED:             that the Infrastructure Development & Active Travel Infrastructure Plans be noted; and,

1.                   That these documents be separated and adopted formally by the Town Council as

working documents; and,

2.                   That members and officers add items to these plans, from the Council and residents,

and they are submitted to Council annually for review.

The Committee received and considered a list of planning applications for consultation as forwarded by West Oxfordshire District Council.

RESOLVED:          that the comments, as per the attached schedule, be forwarded to West Oxfordshire District Council.

Members received and considered the Oxfordshire County Council Cycle Strategy for the East Witney Area.

The Committee was pleased to see that cycling connectivity was being considered and the plans had taken into account the views of local groups and the Town Council. The strategy was well-thought but there were some specific queries which would formulate the response.

RESOLVED:          that the Cycling Strategy for the East Witney Area be noted, and the following consultation response be submitted to Oxfordshire County Council.

Witney Town Council welcomes this report, and although principally addressing East Witney, it is pleased links to North Witney and the town centre are alluded to. This is a good, well thought-out start towards greater town-wide connectivity and a Witney plan.

The report also displays the benefit of collaborative working with those who have a high level of expert local knowledge, including, Windrush Bike Project, BUG, Witney Traffic Advisory Committee and the Town Council.

There are some specific points which the Town Council would like to draw attention to:

1. The Town Council is expecting a 2nd entrance to the Windrush Cemetery to be included in the SDA road layouts. Cycle routes from the town should link to this.
2. The information contained is occasionally out of date (although it is noted there will be an audit for each development). In particular, the photograph of Woodbank off Woodstock Road is very old as a housing development is now situated here
3. Could removal of barriers be considered at Blakes Avenue and Old Stanton Harcourt Road? (not shown in Figure 11 as Hazards).
4. Could a crossing be considered across Cogges Hill Road leading to Blake Church of England Primary School?
5. Could the crossing exiting Church Lane across to the Old Dairy side be improved? This is a crossing heavily used by cyclists which leads to Madley Park Estate and Wood Green School which could be made safer. It is also the route into Witney from the whole residential area beyond. The alignment of the crossing and a push-button crossing would be welcomed.
6. The fatality figures included in the appendix on page 26 seem a little confusing, further clarity would be beneficial.

7.       Alongside parallel crossings to cross Cogges Hill Rd and Stanton Harcourt Road, could priority for cyclists at side roads along Cogges Hill Rd and Stanton Harcourt Road on the ‘future adjacent to road’ and ‘traffic calming’ sections be considered, so that cyclists travelling to Hanborough Station, Eynsham and Oxford can ride straight along? This would make the routes out of Witney more attractive for those crossing town, too.

The Committee received and considered a list of planning applications from West Oxfordshire District Council.

RESOLVED:         that the comments, as per the attached schedule, be forwarded to West

Oxfordshire District Council.

Members discussed a request from the resident to move the bus shelter outside their new

build property on Corn Street so that they could put in an entrance to a driveway.  The bus shelter had originally been covering one window of the property and extensive negotiation had taken place between the developers and the Town Council, spanning two years, to agree a new siting for it.  Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Valley Police and Stagecoach bus company had also been involved.

The Committee all agreed that it would not be possible to relocate it again.

RESOLVED:  the Town Clerk sends a response to the resident explaining that a lot of work, consideration and negotiation had gone into agreeing the position of the bus shelter with the developer and that it would not be possible to move it.

The Committee received and considered a list of Planning Applications from West Oxfordshire District Council.

RESOLVED:         that the comments, as per the attached schedule, be forwarded to West

Oxfordshire District Council.

The Committee received and considered the minutes of the meeting held on 6 November

2019.

RESOLVED:  that the minutes be noted.

The Chair advised that ideas had been put to Oxfordshire County Council in mid-May. She proposed that she and the Vice Chair worked on an Active Travel Infrastructure Plan to bring back to the Committee within the next few meetings.

RESOLVED:

1.       That the Chair and Vice Chair work on an Active Travel Infrastructure Plan to bring back to the Committee within the next few meetings;

2.    That the Committee writes to the District Council asking it to initiate a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

Members received and considered the report of the Town Clerk.

The Town Clerk gave a brief background to the item, which stretched back to 2016.  She advised that advice would be needed how to manage the land successfully.  The Committee discussed how to move this issue forward, with members concerned that they did not have enough knowledge to make decisions on how the land might be managed.  Members also discussed who the Council could reach out to assist with this.

A member referred to the Park Ranger who had been employed in the past and wondered if this might be a way forward.  The Town Clerk conformed that a qualified Park Ranger had been employed to maintain the area some time ago.  Members felt that a full-time post might be too much.

A member was very keen to utilise the Wychwood Project as she said that they already had a plan that encompassed not only the lake and country park but additional adjoining land owned by the District and County Councils.

The Town Clerk advised that the Town Council should probably work with the Lower Windrush Valley project who had helped in the past and proposed that the Council needed a vision for the lake and country park before a management plan could be thought about.  The LWVP sat under the County Council’s umbrella.  She felt that they would be keen to help.

Members then proceeded to discuss the vision for the lake and country park.

RESOLVED:   that the report be noted and :

1) that the vision for the lake and country park was for it to be actively managed for biodiversity and for access for residents to enjoy safely;

2) that Council explores active management and decides if that takes the form of a ranger or whether Community groups will offer that sort of service;

3) that the Wychwood Project is approached as the Council understands that they have plans for the whole Windrush area in Witney – Cllrs Smith and Prosser would meet with them and Olivia Thornton who had previously contacted the Council about tree planting;

4) that the Compliance and Environment Officer engages with the Oxford City Council Team for some local input.

The Committee received and considered a letter from the portfolio holder for the Environment at West Oxfordshire District Council.

RESOLVED: that the correspondence be noted and that the Chair and Vice Chair write back to the portfolio holder for the environment pushing for specific measures for the District to lead on post lockdown.

Confidential Item.

Confidential Item.

The Committee received and considered the report of the Office Manager as circulated with the agenda, along with the payment schedules, bank reconciliations and bank statements for the period 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2020.

RESOLVED:

1.            that the report be noted;

2.            that the bank reconciliations and bank statements be noted;

3.          that the following schedules of payments be approved: