Save the date!
Volunteers of all ages needed!
Come and join us on Saturday 11 March to help get the village clean and tidy for the summer.
We’ll meet at the Parish Hall from 10am and will have litter pickers, hi-vis vests, gloves and bags available.
The marvellous WI’s refreshments will be available to all who return their equipment to the hall!
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)
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
To find the forms Click on the cross
And select the first option – Nomination Papers – which will download as a Word Document.
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 – democracy@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 28 March 2023 to Tuesday 4 April 2023.
Further information about the elections is available on the Elections page
The Parish Council would like to wish everyone a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year.
The Clerk will try to monitor correspondence, but will also be taking a bit of a break after another extremely busy year.
We’ll look forward to welcoming villagers to the next Parish Council meeting on Thursday 5 January.
Councillors Sanders and Turner, together with the Clerk, met with an Oxfordshire County Council Highways officer in September to discuss the issues with the crossroads and to see if a way forward could be found.
The Officer spent a great deal of time listening and discussing the issues and then took measurements in order to draw up plans. The concerns he hopes to address include the vision splay at the exit from Station Road, the cars parking too close to the crossroads junction together with the speed of the traffic through the village.
He will investigate the possibility of a ‘speed pillow’ over the entire crossroads area together with double yellow lines to deter parking close to the junction – particularly up Station Road and along the northern side of Blackthorn Road – which he thinks will also assist with pedestrian safety.
Further to these proposals, the Officer is suggesting looking at extending the weight limit – which currently starts at Blackthorn Road – so that it starts at the Charbridge Lane roundabout, which would act as a deterrent to HGVs using the village as a cut through; however, all access for deliveries to the village would still be possible.
The Parish Council has already applied for the 20mph speed limit promoted by Oxfordshire County Council and it is hoped that the consultation costs for the crossroads work and the speed limit would be able to be combined.
Further to all this, the Parish Council has asked for a temporary pedestrian crossing, similar to the one which EWR installed while Charbridge Lane was closed, to be provided by the developers working on the A41 roadworks, but this is yet to come to fruition.
We have also set up a village Speedwatch group. The group has already had a couple of sessions, but we do need more volunteers. If you would like to put yourself forward to volunteer please contact David Jones, the Speedwatch Co-ordinator, at speedwatch@launton-pc.gov.uk and he will be pleased to send you all the information.
Please be assured that we are taking the issue of the traffic very seriously, but we have to acknowledge that the roads are provided by Oxfordshire County Council and are, therefore, their responsibility. We also need to remember that the roads are available for all – whether the users live in the village or not – and we have no way of limiting that use.
Any concerns with the condition of the roads, signage etc. should be reported, as usual, via FixMyStreet – https://fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/. More strategic concerns may be directed to our County Councillor, Ian Corkin, at ian.corkin@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022
Launton Parish Council offers its condolences to the Royal Family on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Her duty, service and devotion to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth was unparalleled. We have lived in a truly golden Elizabethan age, the likes of which we will never see again.
Launton Parish Council joins with people around the world in mourning her loss.
A book of condolence will be available for residents to sign at St Mary’s Church
The book will comprise loose pages and will form part of the Official Book of Condolence for Oxfordshire.
Following Kyle Michael’s resignation, the Parish Council now has a Councillor vacancy.
The Parish Council needs Councillors in order to function.
The Parish Council is often the place that people in the community come to for guidance. By standing as a Parish Councillor, you become someone your community may look to for help, guidance and support. You will also have the support of an experienced professional Clerk and training will be given.
Parish Councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. Among a variety of things, we are the village’s voice on planning matters, we are supporting the village Speedwatch Campaign, we arrange the village grass cutting, we are working on the village Emergency Plan and we are the liaison between East West Rail, the District and County Councils.
We’d love to be able to do more, but with fewer Councillors, it is much harder to make the village’s voice heard.
Please think about whether you can help. See the information on the Becoming a Councillor page at https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/becoming-a-councillor/ and join us on 1 September in the Parish Hall. The agenda and meeting papers are always published on the website at https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/agenda-and-minutes/2022-2023-agenda-and-minutes/ .
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
