Author: Launton Parish Clerk

New Councillors

The Statement of Persons Nominated has just been published by the Elections Team at Cherwell District Council.

Statement of Persons Nominated April 21

Six people have been nominated to stand as Parish Councillors and so there will not be an election on 6 May.

As there are seven seats, the Council will be looking to co-opt one more member; so if you didn’t get around to completing a nomination form but are still interested in joining us, you can!  Please get in touch.

On 10 May, the old Councillors will stand down and the new Councillors will come into office.

As Clerk, I should like to thank all the Councillors who are standing down for all the work and service they have given over the years.  I look forward to working with a new team from May.

April Parish Council Meeting

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 1 April online via Zoom (https://zoom.us/) at 7.30pm.  The meeting ID is 766 0515 7135 and the link, which you can put into your browser, is https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76605157135.

The Agenda and meeting papers are available on the website and the draft March Minutes are available.

As usual, informal public participation will be held from 7pm to enable viewing of any planning applications and informal discussion on agenda items.

Banbury Road Roundabout Improvements

Have your say on Banbury Road Roundabout Improvements.

Oxfordshire County Council are holding an online public consultation to share the design proposals for the Banbury Road Roundabout improvements (at the junction with Bure Park / Southwold Lane / Banbury Road) from today, Friday 19 March, until Friday 9 April at: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/banburyroadroundabout

During this time, you will have the opportunity to find out more information about the proposals, provide feedback and ask questions to the project team via email and telephone.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing: BanburyRoadRoundabout@oxfordshire.gov.uk or calling 01865 792422.

Nomination Papers for Parish Council Elections

All the information about standing in the Parish Council elections is available on the Electoral Commission Website at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent/parish-council-elections-england

If you are interested in standing for election you have a responsibility to check that you qualify before submitting your nomination paper (Part 1)

Image: Can you stand for Election?
Can you stand for election?

As Launton is not a political Council, if you would like put yourself forward, you need to choose the forms for Standing as an independent candidate – Part 2a

Image of Part 2a
Where to find the Nomination Form – part 1

CrossTo find the forms Click on the cross

And select the first option – Nomination Papers – which will download as a Word Document.

Nomination Paper Location

If you do not have access to a printer, please contact the Clerk and she will be able to provide printed copies.

If you need Electoral numbers for you or your proposer and seconder, the Clerk will be pleased to help.

However, any other queries should be directed to the Elections Team at Cherwell District Council – elections@cherwell-dc-gov.uk or call 01295 221534.

All nomination papers should be hand delivered to the Elections Team at Bodicote House by appointment (01295 221534) between 10am and 4pm on weekdays from Tuesday 30 March 2021 to Thursday 8 April 2021 (excluding Bank Holidays).

Further information about the elections is available on the Elections page

Bicester Heritage June Scramble

Bicester Heritage is delighted to announce the return of the Bicester Heritage Scramble on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 June.

Passes from January and April are still valid.

There are still a few neighbour discount tickets available for Sunday 6 June with the FlyingBrevets promo code which needs to be entered in the box at the top of the Eventbrite ticket page and which will immediately allocate a 50% discount.  You will be required to enter your postcode and this will be checked.  Postcodes OX27 and OX26 are the only valid postcodes applicable for the discount.

https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/whaton/junescramble/ which will unlock the promo code.

Roadworks outside Bicester Heritage

Bicester Heritage has now got all the permissions in place to do the works on the A4421 as agreed in the planning permission for their Command Works development.

The works will start on 15 March and will include:

  • the New Toucan crossing on Buckingham Rd (close to Skimmingdish Lane turning);
  • a resurfaced carriageway either side of toucan crossing (to provide high friction anti-skid surface on crossing approach);
  • new uncontrolled road crossing points at the roundabout from Bicester Motion across Buckingham Rd to The Garden Quarter and from Bicester Motion across Skimmingdish Lane to the Bicester side of road, and across the main entrance bell mouth;
  • enhancements to street lighting, signage and carriageway drainage;
  • new section of shared pedestrian footpath / cycleway to provide proper access to the bus stop and Toucan crossing on the Bicester Motion side of Buckingham Rd and the corner of Skimmingdish Lane.

The Strategic transport contributions that they are also making to OCC as part of these works will be used to upgrade the existing bus shelters and real time bus information displays and the cycle shelters adjacent to bus stops.

Bicester Heritage has provided an illustrated map of the works.

The works will take approximately 12 weeks.

Are you interested in becoming a Councillor?

As you’ll have seen, the Parish Council election will be taking place on 6 May.

If you’ve been thinking about putting yourself forward as a Councillor, but aren’t quite sure what’s involved, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is organising a short, free, webinar.

It’s on Monday 2 March at 6pm.

For more information and to book a place go to the NALC website

Also, have a look at the Job Description and read The Good Councillors Guide – a really useful publication.

The elections are your chance to make a difference to your village.

Grant Funding for Village Groups

Cherwell District Council has received a share of the government’s Containing Outbreak Management Fund (‘COMF’) to contain and mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and have allocated £3,625 for the parish to “undertake and facilitate local action”.

They are suggesting that this local action could include:

– targeted communication about local support and assistance;
– support for vulnerable and self-isolating residents;
– measures to encourage and assist compliance with restrictions and guidance.

In this instance, the Parish Council can make the application on behalf of local voluntary community groups (although sadly this does not include businesses).

So, we’d love to be able to apply for some of this funding and would welcome villagers’ thoughts and proposals, with a reasonable estimate of costs, on projects which would qualify.

Please email your proposals to clerk@launton-pc.gov.uk by Friday 12 March.