The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils have terminated the lease of the office building in Milton Park. They say in a press release.

‘At the end of September, to significantly reduce unnecessary costs, we will be moving to some temporary office space in the Vale’s Abbey House building in the centre of Abingdon where we plan to stay for a couple of years while South Oxfordshire District Council completes the development of a new office building at Didcot Gateway.

Most of the building in Abingdon is being leased by Oxfordshire County Council, but there is a small amount of available office space on the ground floor.’

The press release then explains why the move to Abingdon is temporary:

While Abbey House will be a suitable office location for the short term, over the longer term, the councils will need more collaboration and non-desk based space, in a more energy efficient building. This will help us meet our targets to become carbon neutral councils and will also help both councils to continue to improve our financial sustainability and offer the flexibility we need to recruit and retain staff in an increasingly challenging jobs market.

Here are pictures from the spectacular floral displays in Abingdon on the 7th of July 2022, the day that Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned after a series of resignations by government ministers.

Boris Johnson’s time in office was the most eventful of any recent Prime Minister. It began with getting Brexit Done. There followed a Pandemic that forced people to stay at home.

The real danger came when he sacked his Brexit ally, Dominic Cummings, appointed as the  Prime Minister’s special adviser. Dominic Cummings blogged about parties at 10 Downing Street when the rest of the country was in lockdown.

Russia invaded Ukraine, and Boris Johnson became a friend of Ukraine.

Spectacular displays do not go on forever.

The Town Council meeting was held in the old magistrate’s court and began with a minutes’ silence in memory of Brian Tonkin – Town Clerk from 1985 to 2000. The town flag was flying at half-mast for him. The silence was also for Johannah Aynsley, Guildhall Manager, from 2012 to 2016. The Town Council have a tribute to Brian Tonkin. The Oxford Mail have a tribute to Johannah Aynsley.

The council meeting was hybrid. Most councillors attended in person, but a few joined using Microsoft Teams. Virtual councillors don’t have quite the same privileges as physical councillors.

The meeting began with a presentation by Sustrans and Oxfordshire County Council on early design work to improve cycle and pedestrian links at the junction of East St Helen Street, Bridge Street, and Stert Street. People may remember there used to be a triangular island at the bottom of Stratton Way to provide three-way pedestrian access. A similar triangular island is proposed with three zebra crossings at this junction. Reducing the flowerbed by the County Hall would help make room for the island and give pavement access. There is no funding yet to do a detailed plan or undertake the work.

Only two committee papers were considered at the meeting, those of the finance and the community committees. The last Town Council meeting was a special meeting to consider the Jubilee celebrations. At that meeting, it was decided to make evening concerts free, using money from reserves to cover the extra cost.

A report from the County Council had the latest timing for the Lodge Hill Junction. Planning permission will hopefully be submitted in September 2022.

Town Councillor Jim Halliday has been made an Alderman by VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council). This honour is similar to being made a Freeman by the Town Council and allows him to attend all ceremonial events. Dr Jim Halliday (in the dark suit) was a VWHDC councillor from 1995 to 2015, representing three wards during his time. He began as a councillor for the Abingdon Ock ward and went on to represent Abingdon Northcourt in 2003. From 2007, Jim was a councillor for the Abingdon Fitzharris ward. He also served as Chair and Vice-Chair on the Scrutiny Committee and the Abingdon and North East Area Committee. (Jerry Patterson and Reg Waite were also made Aldermen.)

This year is a time for staff changes at the Town Council. Steve Rich recently retired as outdoor and facilities manager, and now the financial officer Susan Whipp has decided to move on.

There was a discussion of standards in public life. A national report from 2019 has led to changes. Central government wanted changes decided at a local level. Oxfordshire’s new standards set out how Abingdon councillors are expected to behave.