All,

It has been some time since I have sent out an update, thankfully this has been due to things calming down.

I am pleased to attach a “Thank you” note from David Johnston MP, I would be grateful if you can pass this on to all in the support network that have been helping over the last >100 days.

With lockdown being eased across the country, we should stay vigilant. A lot of work is now being put into how to deal with any isolated outbreaks or deal with any “second wave”.

Play Parks

People are urged to not use play areas until they have passed safety checks and have signs to say they are safe to use again – please do not enter any play areas which are closed. 

Important information about staying safe in our play areas

Once a play area is open, visitors will be urged to stay safe by following a few simple instructions which are being introduced to reduce the risk of people transmitting COVID-19.

People are asked to:

• wash or sanitise their hands before entering the play area and then again after they leave;
• come back at a quieter time, if the play area is busy;
• follow social distancing.

It is also advised that only one adult per child is in the play area at a time

Leisure centres update

As things stand, indoor gyms and swimming pools must remain closed and we are still waiting for the government to confirm the timetable for them to reopen.  In the meantime, we are continuing to work on potential reopening plans to ensure we are ready once we’ve been given the go-ahead. 

New signage

Over the coming days we will be placing new signs around our public toilets to remind people to maintain social distancing and to wash their hands.  Our 'Stay Safe, Give Space' message will also be stencilled at key locations in our car parks, parks and mobile home parks.

You’ll find the signage designs attached to this email should you wish to use them around your own facilities.

As ever, any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
 
Best wishes, and stay safe
 
Cllr Simon Howell

More information here.

Click here for more information.

Dear all, 

I realise that this attachment is lengthy but, I feel that circulation is important.  I know that much information is coming down to you but, may be too much is better than a little? 

The attachment has been sent by Oxfordshire County Council’s CEO Yvonne Rees and has been sent to all OCC’s Councillors.  It provides information from our critical health partners and has been circulated to key stakeholders.  Please make time to read it.

With best wishes,

Judy

At the end of the first day of reopening, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member  Cllr Yvonne Constance wanted to thank all those who visited for playing their part.
 
The sites at Alkerton, Ardley, Dix Pit, Drayton, Oakley Wood, Redbridge and Stanford in the Vale have been extremely busy since they opened at 8.00am this morning but Cllr Constance said it was encouraging that residents had understood the importance of the social distancing measures the Council had introduced.
 
"We were committed to get these seven sites open and we knew today would be very busy with people bringing in their essential waste. As expected, traffic queues have built up but our residents have played their part by being considerate and adhering to the revised site layouts.
 
"We know things at the recycling sites will be busy for the foreseeable future, so I hope people will continue to be patient. My main plea to residents is to consider whether they can wait a few days or longer before visiting their nearest site. The more we can stagger waste coming in, the less traffic will queue and the easier it will be for everyone."
 
The council asks residents to remember:

• You should only visit the site if you cannot safely store your waste at home.
• Revised opening hours: All sites will open at 8am and close at 4pm to allow them to be cleaned for the following day. Please do not arrive before 8am. 
• For an initial period, no hire vans or trailers will be permitted onto sites.
• Vehicle numbers and parking bays are reduced on site, and once the maximum is reached the site will operate on a one-out one-in basis. PLEASE NOTE the potential for long delays and queues.
• Please follow any instructions given by traffic marshals to ensure queues are managed safely
• We will continue to charge for non-household waste brought to sites and this will be by contactless card payment only. If you are unable to pay by contactless means you will not be able to deposit non household waste at the site.
• Residents must self-police and abide by social distancing of two metres from site teams and other residents at all times.
• Site teams will be there for guidance only and will not be able to assist residents in unloading their waste.
• Only one resident is permitted out of the vehicle, unless it is to remove a heavy load which would otherwise be unsafe to remove. Visits are best made by just one person per vehicle.
• In line with Public Health England guidance, residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus, should not visit household recycling centres.

Specific rules and restrictions will vary by site. Please refer to the county council website before leaving home to familiarise yourself with these and to avoid frustration and delay:
 
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wastereopenquestions

URL : http://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council-offers-big-thank-you-to-oxfordshire-residents-as-recycling-sites-reopen/

Great Coxwell Parish Council has discussed the advice and recommendations issued by the Government, councils and relevant bodies on social distancing and access to parks and green spaces.

The play equipment on our "Doorstep Green" is not separated from the general village green area. When the initial social distancing guidance was issued, the Parish Council posted signs asking people not to use the equipment.  Unfortunately, these signs were ignored and thus the Council decided to close the area in order to ensure that access to their facilities did not compromise social distancing guidelines from the Government.

Given this situation and with consideration of the extended period during which we as a Council have not been able to perform our usual weekly safety checks and litter picks of the area (due to Councillors' own need to be shielding themselves), we have decided that the whole of Great Coxwell park will remain closed during this period of social distancing. 

We hope that this does not compromise your ability to exercise locally and intend to reopen the park again just as soon as it is safe and reasonable to do so.

Great Coxwell Parish Council 18/05/2020

Dear Everyone, please find attached a briefing that has been circulated to all Oxfordshire County Councillors from our CEO Yvonne Rees.  It is a very detailed and lengthy document but has some exceedingly interesting and valuable information which I wish to share with you all.  Do come back to me if you have any queries. This will also be circulated to all of our key stakeholders.

With best wishes,

Judy

The latest report from Judy can be found on the Parish Council page, here.

As you are aware Oxfordshire’s seven Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) have been shut to waste delivered by the public since 24 March 2020, following Government’s direction that everyone should stay home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
 
Since then we have been working with the city and district councils to ensure excellent kerbside collection services have continued, and preparing for full service reopening of the recycling centres. The sites will reopen on Monday 18th May at 8:00am.
 
All seven sites will be open seven days a week as long as they are not overwhelmed and can operate safely, and will accept all waste materials. Sites will open at 8am and close at 4pm to allow for additional cleaning.
 
The number of vehicles allowed onto the site will be reduced by approximately 50% to allow for social distancing. This means that queues are highly likely, especially at peak times such as weekends. Traffic marshals will be in place to manage queues, but queuing is not allowed on the public highway.
 
Residents are therefore being urged only to visit the site if their trip is essential and they cannot safely store their waste at home
 
Other policy changes in place include:

• Contactless card payments for DIY waste only
• Site staff are there for guidance and will not be able to help unload waste from vehicles
• Only one resident will be allowed out of the vehicle, unless assistance is needed with heavy items, and then 2 people will be permitted
• For the time being hire vans and trailers will not be allowed access, even if they have a permit.
• Sites will shut at 4pm promptly and anyone queuing will be asked to return another day.  This will allow the site staff the time needed to clear and clean the site thoroughly.  Traffic marshals will monitor the queue and warn those who may not reach site by closing time. 
• In line with Public Health England guidance, residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus, should not visit household recycling centres

 
We will begin our communications to residents at the beginning of next week. A full list of FAQs will be available on our website shortly.
 
When communicating this good news with your residents, please emphasise that Government guidance says that trips to an HWRC should only be made if ‘essential’ – that is if the waste cannot be stored safely without harm to health. The Government guidance states: “It would be reasonable for residents to undertake a journey to a HWRC if the waste or recycling could not be stored safely at home or disposed of through other legitimate routes such as a dedicated collection. By this we mean that the waste/recycling could not be stored on their property without causing a risk of injury, health or harm to the resident or other members of their household or harm to public health and amenity.”
 
If you have any questions please contact the waste management team

Judy

Judith Heathcoat
Deputy Leader to the Council, 
Cabinet Member for Community Safety
Oxfordshire County Council
Cllr. Faringdon Division (Buckland with Gainfield, Littleworth, Faringdon, Eaton Hastings, Buscot, Coleshill, Gt Coxwell, Lt Coxwell)

Extra garden waste collections

Please help us to spread the message to residents that we are collecting extra garden waste collections for customers of our brown bin service.

Here’s the message we’re sharing with residents:

If you’re a garden waste customer, this weekend’s the perfect time to get your lawn, flower gardens and vegetable patches in tip top condition as we’ll be collecting one extra bin load of garden waste after the bank holiday.  A bin’s worth of waste is considered around three large bin bags, and should be left next to your brown bin on your usual collection day during: week commencing 11 May – Vale

Friday waste changes

If your waste collection is usually on a Friday, then this week it will change to Saturday to give our crews the bank holiday off.  Collections will be on Saturday 9 May and from 6am so we recommend putting bins out the night before.

To find out more head to our website visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/bankholiday