Dear [Forename],

Two big issues this week.

First - parking charges
At their Cabinet meeting this Friday, Vale of the White Horse District Council are considering changes to parking charges in all of their car parks. 
Option A is to increase all fees (for up to two hours and above) by either 20p or 40p.
Option B is to introduce a flat fee of 60p for up to 2 hours to replace the current free parking.
Option C is to reduce free parking from two hours to one hour and introduce a charge of £1.50 for up to two hours and £2.00 for up to 3 hours.
Option D is to increase the cost of parking permits by ten per cent.
Other proposals include removing reduced cost residential parking permits to bring them in line with standard parking permits over the next two years. For example, at the moment residents living in named streets in the vicinity of Limborough Road car park in Wantage can buy an annual parking permit for £143 whereas the cost of the equivalent parking permit is £455. The proposal is that by 2023 they would be paying the full cost.
Don’t forget that there no parking charges between 6pm and 8am (Monday to Saturday) and on Sundays and there don’t appear to be any plans to change this.
The cabinet paper is available on via our website WantageandGrove.org or you can email haveyoursay@southandvale.gov.uk.”

Secondly - Oxfordshire 2050
Oxfordshire is asking residents if the changes they’ve made during lockdown life could create a better future. As we know Covid-19 has seen more people working from home, walking and cycling to get around and appreciating our public green spaces more than ever.
Open Thought, a new online tool, is asking if these changes – combined with new emerging technology – could be the key in creating a more resilient, successful county in the future.
As part of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, it is looking for solutions to three big challenges facing the county as it plans for the future:

1. how we will all live and work,
2. how we will move around, and
3. how we will tackle climate change.

People have until Friday 14 August to submit their views via the online form at www.oxfordshireopenthought.org

I was listening to the Wantage Town Council Zoom Meeting last night and they were discussing a report from the Interal Auditors (which wasn't available to the public). One item mentioned was that the Clerk's employment contract hadn't been updated since 1999 when a 3 year contract was signed. Surely the Clerk is responsible for making sure that all staff matters are covered and not to keep contracts up to date (especially his own) shows a lack of attention to detail? Given how long most things seem to stay on the agenda before they are actioned this might just be normal.

That's all for now.

Stay safe and if there is anything we can do to help you then please get in touch.
Thanks for reading,

Best wishes
Julie

Julie Mabberley
Campaign Manager

Wantage and Grove Campaign Group
www.wantageandgrove.org