Author: Sonja Francis

FOLLOWING a ray of hope for the future of Childrens Centres in the county after Tuesday’s marathon budget meeting by Oxfordshire County Council, it has become clear today that Thame’s Red Kite Centre and most of the others across the county remain under threat.

Although on Tuesday county councillors eventually negotiated that £2 million of savings relating to Early Intervention hubs and children’s centres would not now take place, a spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council asked Thame.net to clarify today that: “An original £6 million of saving on Early Intervention Hubs and Children’s Centres – agreed by the council at its annual budget meeting in February 2015 – will still take place.

“So, it is not correct to say that ‘Thame’s children’s centre is saved’, he added. (See LINK)

He added: “No decisions have been taken at this stage on how this £2 million will be spent.”

Public opposition

Despite a public consultation that illustrated a great deal of opposition, and public demonstrations by users and supporters of children’s centres, OCC is still planning to stop funding for most its children’s centres and seven ‘Early Intervention’ hubs, and replace them with eight ‘children and family centres’ run by a new service for young people up to 19 years-old.

The existing children’s centres are not expected to begin to close until October 2016, before which it is anticipated that local community groups and district councils may be able to find the resources to take them over.

Some help to reduce the impact

It has been reported today that Jim Leivers, OCC’s Children’s Services Director, has promised £1 million from Government ‘transitional’ funding to local councils to reduce the impact of the cuts.

Cuts to adult social care have been reduced from £21 million to £18 million, mainly affecting day centres for the elderly, whilst some of the ‘transition’ funding may be used to ‘ease the pain’ of cuts to bus subsidies and homeless services.

The council still needs to make £69 million in savings over the next four years, forced on it mainly my cuts to Government grants as part of ‘austerity’ measures.

SGT Vicky Hoskin has taken over the role as Neighbourhood Sergeant as from February 1, with responsibility for Thame, as well as Watlington, Chinnor, Wheatley and Chalgrove.

Sgt Hoskin said: “I’ve worked for Thames Valley Police for 12 years in total and spent the last 10 years as a police officer. Most of that time was spent working for CID in Buckinghamshire. I’ve been working in Thame and covering South Oxfordshire & Vale of the White Horse since November 2014 as a Response Sergeant, so I’ve have had a good opportunity to get to know the area well before taking on this role.

“My priorities for Thame closely follow our Force priorities – ultimately to cut crimes which are of most concern to the community, protecting our community from harm and building public confidence in the service we provide. I’ve been spending time during my first weeks working with our partner agencies looking at how we can best work together to prevent, disrupt and solve crime in the area.

“Some of the issues which we are working to tackle locally include anti-social behaviour, rural crime and burglary. I’m always keen to hear the views of people living in the area and please feel free to call 101 to speak to a member of the Neighbourhood Team or attend a Have Your Say meeting.”

Have Your Say meetings locally are taking place:

• Tuesday, March 1, 11am – midday at Co-op, High Street, Thame
• Wednesday, March 2, 11am – midday at Memorial Hall, Chinnor Road, Towersey

THERE was great excitement in the village of Chinnor, near Thame this week for the opening of a new sports and social club. To be known as Chinnor Community Pavilion, the brand new state-of-the-art, single storey building off Station Road has been the result of fundraising activities by the Parish Council, coupled with grants from Sport England, the Football Foundation and South Oxfordshire District Council.

The Community Pavilion includes a suite of four team and two officials changing rooms to cater for the adjacent sports pitches, tennis courts and playing field, and will also act as a community hub with a function room, club room, bar and kitchen. Chinnor Parish Council will shortly relocate its office into the new building. The Pavilion’s sports facilities and party suites will be available for hire, and a regular range of activities will be on offer from fitness classes to clubs.

Debbie Mellor, of PCMS Design, Haddenham, who designed and project lead the scheme, said: “Care was taken at an early stage to design a building which has eco-friendly, sustainable features; there are solar PV cells on the roof which will generate electricity for the Pavilion and also link into the national grid. There is a grey water collection system to minimise the use of fresh water. A water harvesting tank has been installed and the grey water will be used for all WCs. A large patio area extends across the back of the Pavilion with views across the playing pitches, and the landscaping includes several new trees. The building design, with its asymmetric zinc roof, smartly integrates the external materials of buff brick and cedar cladding which wrap into the entrance lobby.”

The new Pavilion building is next to the playing field and St Andrew’s Primary School, and opposite the Wellington House Doctor’s Surgery and Chinnor Library.

Councillor Pat Hayward, Chair of Chinnor Parish Council, said: “The Parish Council are delighted that the building is now complete. We are indebted to PCMS Design who have not only designed and specified this wonderful building, but guided and supported us through the whole process. The PCMS Design team have done us proud!”

SOURCE: Contributed –  Image courtesy of Chinnor Community Pavilion facebook page

FOLLOWING an adjournment and re-negotiations between councillors, Oxfordshire County Council voted this afternoon to accept an amended budget that will mean financial support for Day Centres for the elderly and Children’s centres, including Thame’s Red Kite Children’s Centre, will not be cut – at least for another year.

Many speakers, including a 13 year-old boy, and Thame Town Cllr Mary Stiles, spoke passionately to the council about the affect controversial cuts amounting to millions of pounds, would have on those affected.

Cllr Stiles spoke particularly about the proposed removal of bus subsidies for some rural routes and presented a petition containing 261 signatures, and about cuts to children’s centres and day centres.  She told councillors: “The cuts proposed, will hurt some of the most vulnerable people in our county.”

Apparently, during negotiations in the adjournment, the two things that Labour councillors proposed, but Tories rejected, were decreasing councillor’s allowances, and increasing council tax only for the higher bands – which has been done elsewhere nationally.

The Lib Dems and some independents supported the amended budget, but the Greens voted against it. They had proposed an alternative budget, which would have meant having a referendum to put council tax up to 7%.

The alternative budget agreed today will now mean that down the road, the council has £15 million of extra savings to find over the next four years, instead of the previous figure of £11 million.

There was no money for bus subsidies however in the revised budget, but the county council has not yet decided what to do with the additional £4.5 million ‘transitions fund‘ from the government over the next two years, so some of it could yet be used to run some reduced bus services.

Full details of the new budget will emerge in the coming days and weeks.

In a tweet after the meeting, Council Leader Ian Hudspeth, said: “Delighted to propose an amended County budget with support from @OxLabourCllrs & @OxonCCLibDems to provide a stable financial platform.”