Agenda item
Receipt of Announcements
To receive any announcements from the Chair, Leader of the Council, Members of the Executive or the Chief Executive Officer.
Minutes:
Councillor Andrew Coles, Chair of the Council, welcomed all attendees to the meeting, and stated it was pleasing to hold a meeting of the Council externally, and thanked Carterton Community Centre for hosting the meeting.
The Chair thanked and paid tribute to Members who attended Remembrance Sunday services and parades across the district, including those Members who laid wreaths over the Remembrance period.
The Chair also thanked Sharon Ellison and Zena Holliday of WODC Electoral Services for preparing and hosting a “Halloween Spooktacular” in October, which raised £350 for charity. The Chair stated that the event was well attended by Members and Officers, and that the funds raised would be of great help to Charity.
The Chair also thanked the pupils of Tower Hill Community Primary School in Witney, for the design of the Chair’s Annual Christmas Card. The Chair stated there was lots of competition between pupils, and that the winner was worthy of selection.
The Chair also congratulated Councillors Tim Sumner and Charlie Maynard on their appointment to the Executive. Councillor Sumner had been appointed as the new Executive Member for Leisure and Major Projects, whilst Councillor Maynard had been appointed as the new Executive Member for Planning and Sustainability. The Chair also paid tribute to Councillor Carl Rylett, who had recently stood down from the Executive, thanked him for his service and wished him well in his new commitments outside of the Council.
Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, rose to advise members that Simon Hoare MP, a former Member of West Oxfordshire District Council, had recently been appointed to the Government as a Minister of State. The Leader congratulated Mr. Hoare on his appointment and stated that he would be invited to the opening ceremony of the refurbished Council Chamber at Woodgreen in January 2024. The Leader also stated that Robert Courts MP, Member of Parliament for Witney and West Oxfordshire would also be invited to the event.
Councillor Duncan Enright, Deputy Leader of the Council and Executive Member for Economic Development, gave an update regarding events that would take place over the Christmas Period of 2023. The Deputy Leader stated that events were detailed in the recently published ‘WODC Voice’ newsletter. The events included a Christmas Market, which would take place at Marriott’s Walk in Witney between 8 and 10 December 2023, with over 30 wooden chalets, offering a range of festive fun and treats.
Councillor Lidia Arciszewska, Executive Member for the Environment, advised Council of the successes of ‘Waterways Day’, which took place on 23 November 2023 at The Corn Exchange in Witney. The Executive Member stated that there were a broad range of speakers at the event, such as the Environment Agency, Thames Water and Oxfordshire County Council, and the Executive Member gave thanks to those who attended the event.
Councillor Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Change, advised that the Council had been awarded £50,000 from the Coronation Orchard Fund. The Executive Member advised that across the district, the Council would be able to support 50 orchards for a variety of different fruits, and the wider, local community would be able to apply for chunks of the funding, by accessing the Council’s website. The Executive Member advised that the deadline for applications was 19 January 2024.
The Executive Member also stated that the Council had launched a consultation on the Biodiversity Action Plan, and encouraged residents to participate in the consultation to help shape biodiversity within the County of Oxfordshire. The deadline for responses was advised of being 22 December 2023 with further information available in the ‘WODC Voice’ newsletter.
Councillor Joy Aitman, Executive Member for Stronger, Healthy Communities, advised Council that information relating to WestHive Community Funding was available on the Council’s website. The Community Funding had almost reached the end of the first round, with more tranches of funding being available for bidding in due course. The Executive Member encouraged other Members to spread the word to residents about the funding, and how it could be used for projects within the district.
Councillor Geoff Saul, Executive Member for Housing and Social Welfare, announced that the Council, in conjunction with Cottsway Housing Association, had secured an additional 23 units for affordable housing within the district, which would accommodate in the first instance, refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. The Executive Member stated that the units had arisen from receipt of Government funding, and at no cost to local residents.