The full details can be see in the finance section of the Parish Council website, and can be compared with last years accounts.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

People living in Oxfordshire are being given the chance to attend a unique summer garden party to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Four thousand guests, together with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, will attend the party to be held near Henley-on-Thames on the afternoon of Monday 25 June.

To be one of these guests, Oxfordshire residents can apply through a public ballot which will be drawn next month. Successful applicants will join guests from all walks of  life including representatives of voluntary organisations and charities, together with civic, community and business leaders.

Over a thousand tickets up for grabs

The event is being jointly organised by the Lord Lieutenants of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as part of The Queen’s UK-wide Diamond Jubilee regional tour. More than a quarter of the tickets will be available through the public ballot which will be drawn on Wednesday 9 May by the Lord Lieutenants of each of the three counties.

How to apply

The ballot is open to residents aged 18 or over of all three counties. Each successful applicant will be allocated a double ticket so they can bring a guest.

Application forms can be downloaded from Oxfordshire County Council’s website or the Oxfordshire Community Foundation website. Residents without internet access can get a hard copy at public libraries from next week. The ballot closes on Monday 30 April and successful applicants will be notified by the end of May.

Guests are promised a splendid afternoon to remember. A highlight is a river pageant themed around the Thames which celebrates the important role the river has played in the life of the three counties over a thousand years.

Closely associated with the event is a major Jubilee fundraising appeal for the four Community Foundations in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. To make a donation to the Jubilee Fund for Oxfordshire, or for more information, visit the Oxfordshire Community Foundation website.

The newsletter is delivered to all households in the parish by a small team of volunteers. If you have any comments or items that you would like included in the next edition of the Ducklington Village Newsletter please do not hesitate to get in touch with the editor.

Village Newsletter 165 April/May 2012
DVN032012 165.pdf

 

Author:	Ducklington Parish Council
Category:	2012
Date:	April 2, 2012

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Temporary Road Closure – Witney A40 (B4022 to A415)

Please note that further works are now required in order to fully complete the works to this section of road.

The A40 will therefore be closed again overnight on Saturday 21 April and possibly also overnight on Sunday 22 April 2012. The closure times will be as before – 22.00 to 06.00.

This is for essential overhead power line removal works are carried out.

Limited access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles, subject to the progress of the works.

Please note that road closures are generally signed from junction to junction. This is to deter drivers from driving right up to the closure points and then having to reverse or make tight turns. We are, though, very aware that drivers often ignore signage, both permanent and temporary, and increasingly they just follow their Satnavs!

Complimentary cheese, crackers, wine and soft drinks at the start of the meeting. The wine has been received by the Parish Council as a gift from a supplier

• Paul Kourellias, MD of West Oxfordshire Motor Auction Ltd will talk about his company’s plans for their relocation to the Dudley Motor Homes site
• Update from RAF Brize Norton representative on the integration of the squadrons from RAF Lyneham and the impact of the changes on the local area
• Martin Layer from Smiths of Bletchington will present the updated plans for the extension to Gill Mill and the proposals for the restoration and after-use of the quarry.
• Sarah Nisbett, Headteacher of Ducklington Primary School plans to come to tell people about activities at the school
• Annual updates from the Parish Council, the District Councillor, the County Councillor and the local Neighbourhood Police Team

The scheme is available to view in the documents section of this website as has been on display in the Parish Council noticeboards.

Travel Allowance Scheme
Travel allowance Scheme March 2012.pdf
Version: adopted

 Ducklington Parish Council Travel Allowance Scheme for claiming of travel expenses to councilors whilst required to attend meetings outside of the parish.

Author:	Ducklington Parish Council
Category:	Policy
Date:	March 16, 2012

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On Thursday 3 May 2012 a third (17) of the District Council’s seats are up for election along with 140 seats on 19 town and parish councils. Later in the year (15 November), and for the first time, the Council will be holding elections for a Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley Police Area.

Keith Butler, Electoral Registration Officer said, “Sometimes people do not realise that they need to re-register each year. The registration campaign runs every autumn. We send out forms to all households followed up by reminders to those that have not returned.  But, despite every effort there are always some people that turn up at the polling stations only to be disappointed to discover they are not eligible to vote. I urge people to check with us if they think they are not registered.”

Registering to vote is easy: print off a form from www.westoxon.gov.uk/register and ensure it is returned to the District Council by no later than 18 April for elections taking place on the 3 May. To check you are eligible to vote telephone 01993 861410.

For those that can’t get to a polling station to vote requests can be made for a postal vote or proxy vote. A proxy vote is when a registered voter appoints someone else to vote on their behalf.

Registering to vote is a statutory duty and people not on the Electoral Register may also find it difficult to do other things, such as getting a loan or mortgage or mobile phone contract, as registration is one of the criteria used by credit checking agencies. Other pitfalls include not being eligible to apply for certain jobs which require security checks and not being able to open a bank account.

For more details about the forthcoming elections, visit www.westoxon.gov.uk/elections2012

THESE MINUTES ARE DRAFT AND AWAIT ADOPTION AT THE NEXT MEETING

03-March Minutes of Council Meeting
Minutes of Council Meeting 7 March 2012.pdf
Version: Draft

 

Author:	Ducklington Parish Council
Category:	2012
Date:	April 2, 2012

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Oxfordshire County Council

As you may be aware in February 2011 the Government announced wide-ranging reforms to the Blue Badge scheme, after a major review of the scheme will heavy involvement form badge holders across the country. The reform programme is intended to help local authorities and badge holders deal with and reduce the current challenges, and to ensure the scheme is able to deal with future pressures and demands. The aims of the reform are to:

• standardise the scheme rules and eligibility for applicants
• prevent abuse of the scheme.
• produce a more durable and fraud resistant badge
• allow local authorities to cover the costs of these changes more appropriately

As a result of these national changes, this will mean some adjustments to the process for Blue Badge applicants in Oxfordshire:

New national database and new-style cards

In January 2012 all Local Authorities joined the new national database of blue badge holders and are no longer permitted to produce badges locally. Applicants continue to apply for a badge locally through Oxfordshire County Council, if eligible, the card is ordered through a new national contract and it will be posted direct from the national suppliers to the applicants’ home address. The new cards are more robust and more secure than previously. This is to reduce the number of fraudulently used cards, and improve the quality of card issued to the pass holder.

New application form

The Oxfordshire County Council blue badge application form has been revised, the new version of the form can be downloaded and printed from their website: Blue Badge Application Form

It is also now possible to make an application for a Blue Badge online via a national application form on the Directgov website, available here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/MotoringAndTransport/Bluebadgescheme/DG_181208

Customers without access to the internet will still be able to apply by post and until further notice all existing badge holders will continue to receive a reminder and a postal application.

Extended eligibility

During 2011 access to the Blue Badge scheme was extended to more children between 2-3 years old with certain specific medical conditions, as well as including continuing automatic entitlement to severely disabled service personnel and veterans.

Increased charge

From January 2012 the fee in Oxfordshire for renewal or new application of badges under the Blue Badge scheme was increased to £10. The fee for a blue badge had not been changed in nearly 30 years, as part of the national changes local authorities are permitted to charge up to £10 to allow for the new badge design to be produced and to cover local authority costs more appropriately. The raise to £10 reflects a realistic cost for the processing and manufacture of the new style badges and the additional administration as a result of the scheme changes.

New Independent Mobility Assessment Service

From April 2012, all applicants applying against the “subject to further assessment” criteria, where eligibility is not automatically guaranteed by a customer’s permanent circumstances or condition, will be subject to an independent mobility assessment and the local authority will no longer rely on, or ask the customer to provide, evidence obtained from the customer’s own GP.

The independent mobility assessment will include a Desk Based Assessment based on supporting evidence supplied by the customer and available records, with some applicants being required to attend an appointment with an Occupational Therapist professional for a personal mobility assessment.

Extended powers for local authorities and protective legislation

In order to reduce the abuse of the Blue Badge scheme, local authorities will have greater powers to examine and seize fraudulent or misused cards, refuse to issue cards to those who are or have become ineligible, and will be protected by legislation to ensure that the scheme benefits those for whom it was intended.

Further Information

More information about the Blue Badge scheme is available at the following websites:

Oxfordshire County Council Blue Badge:

http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/links/public/bluebadgescheme

Department for Transport:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/access/blue-badge/

Ministerial statement issued by Norman Baker MP:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/statements/baker-20110214/

DirectGov:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/disabledpeople/motoringandtransport/dg_4001061

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Oxfordshire County Council Social and Health Care Team.

Tel: 0845 050 7666

Fax: 01865 783111

Email: socialandhealthcare@oxfordshire.gov.uk