Author Archives: Backstreeter

Town Council Meeting (25th June 2025) – A Summary

4 Replies


(Picture shows General William Booth visiting Abingdon)
There weren’t many of us at the Town Council meeting last night – just nine councillors, two officers, me in the audience, and Revd Georgina Bondzi-Simpson, who opened the meeting with a prayer.

Revd Georgina shared a short story about General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. When he was too unwell to attend their annual meeting, he sent a one-word telegram to sum up his message: ‘Others.’ She reminded us that this is what council work is all about – serving others.

The meeting itself was relaxed. Each committee chair gave a brief update on their work, and the Mayor shared her recent engagements. One that stood out was a Dementia Awareness event, where she was reminded of simple ways to help – like reintroducing yourself each time you meet someone with memory loss, rather than assuming they remember you.

County Council Update
A consultation is being planned for new parking zones near the town centre, including the Fitzharry’s Estate and the Ock Street / Conduit Road area.

Plans to improve the Bridge Street/High Street junction are moving forward and will go to public consultation (maybe next year). One councillor commented that, after the disruption caused by the sinkhole and recent temporary lights, it’s important any future works happen during off-peak times.

The roadworks at the top of Oxford Road and the fines issued (as mentioned previously) were also noted.

District Council Update
The Vale of White Horse District Council report highlighted frustrations around the North Abingdon developments. Ongoing issues haven’t been helped by staffing shortages and the focus on the new Local Plan, which has meant regular liaison meetings with developers haven’t been taking place.


(Picture shows the old Market Place notice board that got moved to a side area when the Market Place was repaved in 2006)
Environment Committee
A new double-sided noticeboard for the Market Place is going ahead. There’s a £7,000 budget, as installation may involve digging near utilities. Care is being taken not to block shop fronts.

Around 2,500 trees have been planted in Abingdon since 2022.

Bus shelters were discussed. Those on Preston Road are in poor condition but little used, so the focus will be on replacing shelters on High Street and adding a new one on Stratton Way. The County Council has already installed a new shelter on Langley Road.

The town now has a trained staff member responsible for maintaining bus shelters. One councillor said the mess under some shelters gives a bad impression of the town; another noted that clearing the ground isn’t always the town council’s responsibility.


Community Committee
Music in the Park ticket sales are ahead of last year at this stage (550 vs. 200).

Grants were awarded to Heritage Open Day and Oxford Wood Recycling. Unfortunately, One Planet Abingdon missed out this time.

A grant request from the Rugby Club for new women’s and girls’ changing facilities was passed to the Finance Committee, as it could qualify for developer funding (CIL).

The recent Clubs and Societies Day was a success, and the new staff structure is helping events run more smoothly.

Finance Committee
The rugby club grant was agreed in principle but needs final sign-off at the next meeting.

The current auditor will continue for another five years, following a review.

A working group is being formed to look at potential local government reorganisation. To avoid conflicts of interest, councillors who also serve at District or County level won’t be included.

A new Emergency Plan – covering pandemics, flooding, severe weather and more – was approved. While emergency planning is mainly a County and District responsibility, the town council will support them as needed.


Planning Committee
On the North Abingdon development, there were questions about how many homes can be occupied before traffic improvements (like those on the A34) are completed. It appears there hasn’t been close coordination between developers and the district council:
* Kingsgate is almost finished, with the last few homes and paths being completed.
* Abbey Fields (David Wilson Homes) is sold out and finished, with Barratt now building the final dozen homes.
* Radley Reach is progressing, with an estimated 50–60 homes built so far.

The primary school planned for the North Abingdon development may not be built until it’s deemed necessary. Since there are still places available in current schools, one councillor suggested it might not be built until 2028 or 2029.

On the proposed reservoir, councillors attended compaction trials and questioned Thames Water representatives, but felt they didn’t receive proper answers.

I had to leave the meeting at that point. The last item was due to be a discussion on the weir walkway, with the council planning to write to the Environment Agency to ask for a clear timeline when it can be made safe and reopen. I expect that was agreed – with strong wording.

Oxford Road Sewer Works Delayed Again

3 Replies


The contractor working to connect sewers for the new North Abingdon housing had a permit to carry out roadworks on Oxford Road from 28 April to 17 September 2025. However, progress has stalled once again.

The delay follows the discovery of an uncharted water main, which now requires a further redesign in coordination with Thames Water. This comes after an earlier redesign caused the project to be postponed to this summer.

In response, Oxfordshire County Council has cancelled the permit and told the developer to clear the site and return with a revised plan. As a result, it now appears that the works at the Oxford Road roundabout will not be completed any time soon — though this does not affect the A34 interchange, only the Oxford Road and roundabout.

The County Council told the contractor to fully open the road by 23 June. As this deadline has not been met (see picture from today – 25 June 2025), overrun penalties now apply:
* £5,000 per day for the first three days
* £10,000 per day thereafter

The County Council has pointed out that the work has broken some of the agreed rules of the permit, including:
* No one was on site to manage traffic by hand when needed
* Work was done outside the allowed hours
* A safe temporary crossing for pedestrians wasn’t provided
* There were long periods with no work happening and no explanation given

The Council has made it clear that while essential infrastructure work is supported, it must be done responsibly, transparently, and to a high standard.

County and Town Councillors and Highways Officers have played a role in pressing for a new plan for the works and fully opening the road.

Morris Dancing memories

Leave a reply


I met Frank on Saturday, the day of the Mayor of Ock Street. He told me a few of his Morris Dancing memories.

He was with the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers up until 1956 — that makes him one of the oldest ex-dancers still about. He got into it when he was at Boxhill School — him and half a dozen other lads. It meant missing a lesson for an hour. Next thing, because he was good enough, he was dancing with the regular side.

He remembers a young Stuart Jackson — he was the mascot back then. Stuart went on to be the Mayor of Ock Street many times, and now is President.

Frank was dancing in Conduit Road one day when Prince Philip drove past. The Queen and him were in Abingdon to reopen the County Hall Museum. The Prince did a double take when he saw the Morris Dancers in all their kit. Must’ve thought, ‘Whats going on here?’

There was a big Morris ring meeting over in Buckinghamshire one year and Slim Mooring was the fool. He had a pig’s bladder, same as Roger Cox carries now, and went about bopping people with it. He got near this policeman — who was there to keep the crowds in order — and raised the bladder as if to bop him. The policeman just gave him a look, as if to say, ‘You just try it, and see where it gets you.’

They had lots of Americans in those days, from the airbase. They loved all the old English traditions and used to stand and watch the dancing and throw coins, half crowns sometimes.

Major Frier played the accordion and he’d drive the dancers round in his old maroon charabanc. It looked more like a hearse than a bus.

And poor Jimmy Grimsdale. One day he sat on a bag of cherries in his white Morris trousers. He didn’t realise until it was too late and a great big red embarrassing patch bloomed on his backside all day.

When Frank was sixteen, he looked at the older dancers — some nearing forty — and thought, ‘They’ll never get through the day!’ But even though they could hardly walk, they kept on dancing.

What’s On in Abingdon: AA, Books, Beavers, Brass Band, Cream Tea, and Pride Picnic

Leave a reply

Here’s a “What’s On” based on posters seen in town:

Tuesday 24th June 2025: With species vanishing at alarming rates, can Christianity help?

Meet Abingdon’s very own super-star children’s author and illustrator, Rob Jones, known for his brilliantly quirky books.

Wednesday 25th June 2025: Beavers — once extinct in Britain — are now making a comeback thanks to rewilding efforts.

There will also a town council meeting on Wednesday at the Guildhall at 7 pm.  The town council will discuss writing to the Environment Agency to ask when they will do something about the weir walkway + normal council business.

Saturday 28th June 2025: Tea and Scones in a beautiful setting

Celebrate six decades of music-making with a special performance from the Abingdon Town Band.

Celebrate love, inclusion, and community spirit.

Also browse local produce and crafts from independent traders in the town centre at the Summer Craft Local Excellence Market on Saturday 28th June.