The CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) held a hustings this evening for the Oxford West and Abingdon parliamentary constituency.

The venue was the Byzantine St Barnabus Church in Jericho, Oxford West.

Bill Heine, the Radio Oxford presenter, chaired the debate which included six of the seven candidates. The UKIP candidate was not there.
Oxfordshire is still more rural than most of the South East but it appears, from figures quoted at the hustings, that a body called the Growth Board now wants 100,000 new homes to be built in Oxfordshire, with a 40% increase in population. Candidates, by and large, thought growth needed to be spread across the country not just in the South East.

Already there are not enough affordable homes for local people. So there were some big questions around affordable housing, planning and toxic developments in Oxford, Oxford’s green belt, proposed park and rides, the A34, transport generally, and the NPPF.

The coalition government introduced the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework), which appeared to give power to developers over local communities. Appeals by developers have often been successful because local authorities don’t have a five year housing supply. Larry Sanders from the Greens said, as a result, that the coalition government had been one of the most destructive in living memory.
We heard Nicola Blackwood, the Conservative, defend the NPPF policy. It had been good in principle but it did depend on local neighbourhood plans being in place to balance the developers. Those neighbourhood plans did not happen in time – so the NPPF was out of kilter.

As a result, local communities could not demonstrate that the harm being done socially and environmentally would outweigh the economic gains. Sally Copley, of Labour, said that social and environmental factors need to be given as much weight as economic.

On transport, Layla Moran, the LIb-Dem, and Nicola Blackwood, the Conservative, agreed that a long term shift from cars to cycling and public transport needed to be developed if Oxfordshire’s roads are to cope in future.

On the green belt most candidates said that it should only be built on in exceptional circumstances. Layla Moran said a full and open review was needed, not piecemeal attacks…

Next general husting is in Abingdon on 15th and I’ve asked Mike for a report as I’ve got a School Governors meeting at the same time. Mike did say after tonight’s hustings that he was suprised there had been no questions on the countryside.

Thanks to Iain for pictures of the Prime Minister’s visit to Abingdon yesterday

David Cameron came, in his big blue bus, to show support for Nicola Blackwood, the Conservative candidate, in Abingdon.

Just over a month until the elections and there is everything to play for nationally and in the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.

Sally Copley, the labour candidate, was also out campaigning in the Bury Street Shopping Centre yesterday.

Sally said she is taking part in about 19 hustings before the election. There will be lots of chances to hear from her and the other candidates – including at the Abingdon Church Hustings on April 15th in the Guildhall.

Thanks to Richard for this report …

Nick Clegg started the local Lib-Dem election campaign from Albert Park in Abingdon today. He turned up in a very yellow bus.

He gave a short speech and promoted the local Lib Dem candidate Layla Moran.

They then proceeded down to Conduit Road where he attempted to erect a placard in the front garden of a house – where he had a few problems getting it to stand up in the hard ground.

They then returned to the park where he gave interviews to the waiting cameramen and journalists. He was in Abingdon for a good hour and a half.

(Hope this makes sense. The meeting ran late and I need to go to bed so here goes…)

At the Town Council meeting there were presentations by The Abingdon Music Centre, detailing what work they were doing for the community, from their base under the Guildhall, and how they wanted to work with the Town Council in developments at the Guildhall. Then the Friends of the Pool said they were getting their message across and people realised that the Pool’s future is at risk, and so were happy for the consultation to continue.

There was a discussion about the council’s previous position on Residents parking. Town Centre Councillors, Julie Mayhew Archer, and Leslie Legge put their own proposal that the Town Council negotiate with the County Council for improvements to the scheme and the possibility of employing new staff in future when the remaining full time warden retires. The Council then agreed this new position. The council then joined in saying what an excellent service wardens had given over the years. I took the picture in 2007 when there was a Save our Traffic Wardens Petition.

There was some lengthy debate about changes to the council’s committee structures. The main change is that there will be a new committee for Community Services which takes over grants, and community events.

We learned that tenders had been received by the Guildhall Committee, from Cinema Operators, which are under consideration, but all of that is confidential, and an announcement may not be possible during an election period.

Councillors then discussed some motions proposed by individual councillors…

One, about the Guildhall, had the intention to make sure the council did not spend more than it could afford on the redevelopment project. But it also tried to state its own Plan B, which was not the same as the Guildhall Committees Plan B and so was sent back to the Guildhall Committee to decide.

Another concerned the way the Abbey Meadows Consultation had been undertaken. As a result the Council voted by 10-7 to ask the Town Clerk to write to the District Council asking for the current consultation to be halted, and a more open, transparent consultation be started in Summer 2015.

Lastly I believe that Councillor Helen Pighills will be the new Mayor so long as she can get re-elected.