For over 20 years the Fire Service has been testing Oxfordshire residents’ electric blankets and this service is available again this year.
Book an appointment by calling 01865 895999 Option 3 or email duty.officer@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Cherwell’s testing date is Wednesday 21 September – or if you can’t get to that you can book to arrange for your blanket to be collected, tested and returned.
The East West Rail team will be holding a drop-in session at Launton Parish Hall on Wednesday 20 July from 2pm to 5.30pm.
The aim of the open day is to give an opportunity for villagers to talk to the delivery teams and ask questions about the progress of the project.
They will have colleagues from the following disciplines present at the drop-in:
• Ecology/Environment
• Highways
• Structures/ Construction
• Community Investment/ Social Value
Please do drop in and find out what has been happening.
Any questions or concerns should go to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk or call the 24 hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41
Would you like to help with the village Speedwatch?
We need volunteers!
The Community Speedwatch (CSW) programme has been established to involve local communities in the monitoring and reporting of vehicle speeds in their local area.
The programme allows for speeding vehicles to be observed and reported to Thames Valley Police (TVP) for corrective and, where necessary, enforcement action.
The Parish Council has agreed to establish a Community Speedwatch group for Launton.
We hope that the Speedwatch programme will assist in traffic management through the village following the reopening of all the roads into Launton after completion of the EWR bridge works, completion of the A41 Graven Hill roundabout works, and the application to reduce the speed limit through Launton to 20mph.
Community groups are led by a co-ordinator who manages the program through the TVP CSW website.
Individuals joining the program will need to register on the CSW website and complete an online training module before starting – but don’t panic, it’s quite straight forward to complete.
For safety and reliability, teams will consist of two or three individuals for each speed check and all equipment including the speed measuring device, safety vests and any other safety gear will be provided. In addition, TVP will undertake roadside risk assessments for each selected site to ensure the safety of team members during operation.
In the last few years there have been a number complaints about the number of vehicles using Launton as a shortcut between the A41 and the north of Bicester, along with complaints about speeds through the village.
This is the ideal opportunity to get involved to show drivers that Launton is a small village and speed management addresses both safety and environmental issues.
If you’d like to help us in joining the programme please contact the co-ordinator at speedwatch@launton-pc.gov.uk
East West Rail will be carrying out painting and minor works on the Bicester Road bridge over the railway from Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 July 2022.
For these works to be carried out in a safe and secure manner, the Bicester Road will be CLOSED between the hours of 9.00pm and 5.00am each night.
However, access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained.
They have assured us that they will do their best to keep disturbance to a minimum and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Information about their work can be found in their East West Rail Alliance quarterly newsletters. If you aren’t on their list contact publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk to sign up.
Any questions or concerns should go to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk or call the 24 hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41
Oxfordshire County Council is proposing putting in a toucan crossing across the Charbridge Lane to help pedestrians and cyclists get to and from Launton to Bicester.
Please do complete the very short survey on the consultation page at https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/bicester_a4421charbridge_toucan2022
The crossing plan is available
The consultation closes on Friday 29 July.
We are currently updating the village’s Emergency Plan.
Under normal circumstances, of course, major emergencies are dealt with by the emergency services, County and District Councils, utilities and voluntary agencies in a combined response, but there can be times when we may need to help ourselves – particularly if there is an issue which is affecting a large area.
Our Plan isn’t intended to be a substitute for these services, but it is there to increase the short-term resilience of the community in the event of an extreme event. This could be a fire, flood, loss of water, loss of power, or snow.
In addition, the Plan is to cover situations, such as the recent pandemic, where there is a need for community support at a local level.
Experience has shown that those who have spent time planning and preparing for this are better able to cope and recover more quickly.
Community emergency planning enables groups to provide more effective support. It also provides information to responding agencies (emergency services, local authority etc.) who are co ordinating the response on a wider scale.
Our current plan is available on the Parish Council website at https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/emergency-planning/ and it now needs refreshing.
We need you!
If you have a special skill, or a useful vehicle – whether that’s being able to use a chainsaw, have a 4×4 or a tractor, can administer first aid or volunteer to make tea at a reception centre (to name but a few) – we’d love to hear from you.
We will hold your details securely, and will, of course, only contact you if we need to put the plan in place. But this could be at any time – in fact Bletchingdon’s was only implemented recently because of a fire, so it’s always good to be prepared.
The Parish Council has received Kyle Michael’s resignation as a Parish Councillor.
The Council would like to thank Mr Michael for his valued contribution to the village.
The resignation means that the Parish now has a vacancy. The Election Office at Cherwell District has been notified and the notice has been issued.
If an election is not called by ten electors within 14 working days, the Council will be able to co-opt at a future meeting.
More information about the process is available on the Becoming a Councillor page
