Agenda item
Receipt of Announcements
To receive any announcements from The Chair, Leader, Members of the Cabinet or the Head of Paid Service.
Minutes:
Chair of the Council
The Chair introduced Zoe Campbell who had recently joined Publica as a Group Manager.
The Chair said that his Reception would be held at 6pm on 11 November at Blenheim Palace and expressed his thanks to the Duke of Marlborough. He announced that his Charity for the year would be the Royal British Legion.
The Chair would be hosting an event at Rousham Park on Sunday 7 May to mark the 50th anniversary of West Oxfordshire District Council and expressed his gratitude to Charles and Angela Cottrell-Dormer.
The Chair had invited Simon Hoare MP to give a lecture in March 2023 on the future of Northern Ireland. A reply was awaited.
The Chair announced it was with great sadness that he had to report the passing of Derek Millard. Derek served as a councillor from 1976 to 2008 and from 2012 until his retirement in 2014. Derek represented the ward of Combe and Stonesfield which changed to Stonesfield and Tackley in 2002. He served as Chair of the Housing and Planning Committees and was a Member of Planning and Uplands (Sub) Committees. He also served as a Member on Conservation Area Advisory Committee. Derek was an active ward councillor and had a very effective working relationship with parish councils in his ward and with the very many residents he supported during his 34 years as a member of this council. The Chair said he had sent his sympathies to the family and that the funeral was to be held in August.
Cllr Woodruff announced the recent death of Brian Hicks, a former Officer of the Council. Mr Hicks had been a key figure in Ducklington serving as a Parish Councillor and on various other Committees. He would be much missed by his family and the wider community.
The Chair asked councillors and officers to observe a minute’s silence in memory of Derek Millard and Brian Hicks.
Leader of the Council announcements:
The Leader announced that the Toolkit produced by the Carbon Change Working Group had received national recognition and had been nominated for an award to be presented in London that evening. It was an excellent example of partnership working across Publica.
The first consultation event on the Council’s Emerging Priorities would be held at Carterton on 5 September followed by a second event at Woodgreen on 15 September.
In a bid to become more accessible to residents, the Cabinet would be holding some of its future meetings in market towns throughout the district. More details would follow shortly.
Head of Paid Service announcements:
The Chief Executive noted the loss of water supply in the Burford area over the previous, very hot, weekend. He thanked Thames Water for their very prompt response and also officers of the Council who had provided support to the most vulnerable residents. Councillors were invited to attend an Emergency Planning briefing session to be held at 2 pm on 21 September which would explain the role of the Council in supporting the Emergency Services.