The Roysse Room hosted the Annual Parish Meeting this evening. This is a chance for the Town Council to report back to the people of Abingdon, and for people to ask questions. There were only 14 in the audience and some of those were Councillors, but it was still an interesting meeting.

Topics Mentioned by the Leader of the Council…

A government loan for £30K to set up a Abingdon Business Improvement District (BID) Project has been approved. This would allow local businesses to improve the local economy by paying a small increase to business rates (1-2%). A BID Company could be set up by April 2015 if the majority of local businesses vote for it, and would probably be the end of the Choose Abingdon Partnership in its current form.

From September 1st 2014, running the Outdoor Pool will be part of a much larger VOWHDC and South Oxfordshire DC management contract.

The Isis Open Air Theatre on Nags Head Island has been proposed by some enterprising local people as a new complex, but has a lot of planning work still to do.

Amenities Committee

• The Town Council took over full control of planting the flower beds in town last year.
• Adult play equipment was added to Box Hill Recreation Area, and improvements to surfacing were made at Masefield Crescent Play Area.
• There have been fewer people entering gardens for Abingdon in Bloom, so this competition will not run this year. Instead there will be a competition to design a floral display for the town.
• Fun in the Park and Music in the Park were very successful last year and will be on again on June 7th.
• The MG garden is just awaiting display boards and then will be officially opened.

Guildhall Committee

• More activities are being put on like Comedy and Vintage Fairs, and Atom (see tomorrow’s blog) to increase the range and number of people using the Guildhall.
• The committee are waiting the outcome of the HLF bid this month. If successful the plan for improvements to Guildhall including a cinema will progress to the next stage. If unsuccessful more fund raising will be needed.
• Town Council Offices will soon move to Roysse Court, and the Information Centre will move to the Guildhall Reception area.

County Hall Museum Committee:

• 30,000 visitors in first year. Targeting 25,000 in the second year. They want to encourage more repeat visits.
• Educational activities and additional exhibitions were highlighted. There is an MG exhibition from 18 March
• There is still the will to put in a lift to the sessions hall, but not currently the money.

Planning Committee:

• Disappointment that the planning inspector did not listen to local opinion about the 160 homes in South Abingdon.
• The Radley Road scheme was stopped.
• The committee are yet to discuss the latest proposals for 610 houses round the town, and even more in the surrounding area.

The new District Council boundaries for The Vale of White Horse District Council were recently decided. Instead of 7 wards Abingdon will now have 5 and each ward will get two district councillors from the 2015 elections.

There are currently 21 town councillors and they need to be divided among those 5 wards and their future is still to be decided.

The proposal put out for consultation is:

To rename Fitzharris North parish ward as Fitzharris Wildmoor
To rename Fitzharris South parish ward as Fitzharris Ock
To reduce the number of councillors for Abingdon-on-Thames town council
from 21 to 19 and to allocate them by parish ward as follows:
Abbey 2
Caldecott 4
Dunmore 4
Fitzharris Ock 2
Fitzharris Wildmoor 1
Northcourt 2
Peachcroft 4

If you do have any comments on the proposal send replies on or before 31 May 2014 by email to cgr@southandvale.gov.uk

or write to the Vale of White Horse District Council at:
CGR
Vale of White Horse District Council
Legal and Democratic Services
Benson Lane
Crowmarsh Gifford
Wallingford
OX10 8ED

Since the last Full Town Council Meeting on 25th September there have been two Special Meetings of the Town Council that have decided to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a Grant of just under £2 million for a project to redevelop the Guildhall where the maximum cost is now £4,450,000. The cost has gone up to incorporate some extra features required by the HLF bid.

This January 29th 2014 meeting agreed next year’s budget, which involves a 2.2% increase to the Town Council’s part of the council tax.

I was asked to leave the room, together with three councillors who had a personal interest, while a decision was made on leasing the Old Magistrate’s Court (part of the Guildhall). There was a recommendation that the lease be awarded to organisation A as listed in the confidential agenda. Currently it is leased to the Abingdon Music Centre.

I hope that A stands for Abingdon Music Centre. As well as all their usual music tuition, they have created a very popular Community Orchestra and a big Community Choir.

7 Councillors left the room when the Town Council’s grant towards the Open Air Pool was decided. The District Council runs the pool and so has a financial interest and the 7 were also District Councillors. The grant was agreed by those that remained.

In Town Council planning committee meetings since September, many plans have been discussed. A lot of space in the council papers was given to objections to two plans in particular: the demolition of 55-59 and Abbey Court to build new flats, and the plan to move the Marcham Road lights and install a new set of lights at the top of Ock Street – near the mini roundabouts.

The work on the offices in Roysse Court is complete. The Town Council staff will start moving in at the start of March. There are just some telecoms need installing and carpets to fit.

There was a discussion about the 5 new Abingdon District Council wards, and how 21 Town Councillors could equably be divided among them. The council would like to keep 21 councillors as they all work so hard.

One suggestion was 4,4,4,4,5.

As for less weighty matters The solar powered Christmas trees did not work well in 2012/13 and were fitted with batteries in 2013/14 and worked much better.

The new retirement flats in Wootton Road have been called Fleur de Lis, and the Town Council expressed concern that no reference was made to Thomas Skurray (of Morlands). This was quite possibly a Town Council naming suggestion which the District Council ignored.

The cost of dog bin emptying will increase from 68p to  £4.63 per bin per week. The District Council’s real cost is £5.63 per week so they are still subsidising each bin by £1 per week.

The Cabinet of the Vale of White Horse District Council have decided in principle to “the letting of part of the ground floor and the whole of the first and second floors of The Abbey House in Abingdon to Oxfordshire County Council … “

Although at an early stage of negotiations they have also agreed, to the “letting of part of the ground floor to the Citizens Advice Bureau ” who are currently next door in Old Abbey House.

Once both Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council and Citizens Advice have moved out of Old Abbey House the report by district council officers says “it could then be considered for disposal.”

The plan will involve moving the majority of the District Council Staff from Abingdon to Crowmarsh Gifford to share the South Oxfordshire District Councils offices – a 24 minute drive away, or a 47 minute bus ride.

The front desk people who answer questions at the District Council would remain in Abingdon, so the town would not be completely abandoned. They could potentially be joined by similar people from the County Council to create an enhanced front desk.

The leader of the district council Cllr Matthew Barber says “This is an ideal solution to the problem of vacant office space. We are able to join forces with the County Council who are looking for office space in Abingdon.”

Currently the County Council are at Abingdon Business Park and the lease is up in 2014.

The cabinet report on vale accommodation says (paragraph 4) about the vacant office space “ finding occupiers of that space would not be easy and potential savings would not be easy to come by.”

The report concludes “This is a Fantastic Opportunity for the Council.”