CHAIRMAN’S REPORT MAY 2020
It goes without saying that this has been a strange year. Although the bulk of the year covered in this report is pre-coronavirus the situation since the New Year has dominated our lives and put a good deal of normal activity, including that of the Parish Council, on hold – what a pity that delightful Langford events such as Gardens Open and the Cricket Club Beer Festival have had to be cancelled.
During the lockdown the PC has tried to take a discreet lead in sharing information and checking on parishioners’ welfare while recognising that most of the support and morale boosting activities are naturally emerging amongst family and friends. The value of having our googlegroups network (with its membership of 100 people) has really proved its worth – well done to Ian for his initiative a few years ago in setting this up. The village website has also been a valuable asset, and our thanks go to Dom Potter for his continued voluntary support to manage the website.
Planning Matters
The PC’s major initiative in the year has been to carry out a Housing Needs Survey in conjunction with Community First Oxfordshire. From time to time over the last half century the PC has been involved in the provision of social housing in Langford, and thus the aim of this survey has been to assess whether local people feel that there would be benefit in the provision of some further social or low cost housing in Langford. As expected the survey revealed a range of views, but with a clear majority in favour of a limited amount of additional social/low cost housing being made available to people with a definite local connection. The PC will thus continue to discuss this possibility with West Oxfordshire District Council, and will arrange a proper consultation process if and when any more definite proposals emerge. Many thanks to Mark and Ian for the lead they have taken with the organisation of the housing needs survey.
The War Memorial
Repairs have been carried out to the stonework at the base of the memorial to make good weathering damage. Our thanks to the War Memorials Trust for their grant towards the cost of this work, and to Ian for his work to liaise with the Trust and the repair company.
Activities Fund
Last year’s report noted that the PC has set up an Activities Fund to support village organisations, events and activities. The fund’s support of the inaugural Langford Arts Festival in June allowed the the Festival to take a more ambitious approach which certainly paid off in terms of the success of the event. To date no further applications have been made, and the PC will continue to publicise this facility.
Parking near the school
While this situation does not seem to have worsened over the year it remains an issue for local residents and thus for the PC. Some parents have been parking on grass verges around the school entrance with the result that over the winter the ground has been churned into an unsightly mess. To dissuade verge parking the PC has acquired some large stones to place on the verges opposite the school and along the Broughton Poggs road, and aims to do this work once the lockdown is over, and after consultation with Peter Kirby.
The Playground
The PC has continued to carry out its statutory inspections and maintenance work at the playground, although of course the playground has been closed since the lockdown. Once it is possible some further work will be carried out including the renewal of the bark under the zipwire.
Village Maintenance
To the best of our ability the PC has continued to do maintenance work around the village, although this spring’s planned work had to be postponed. The state of some sections of road, both in terms of drainage and potholes, has been a major concern. The PC wrote to both WODC and OCC to alert them to the problems, and both have responded to the extent that some problems have been resolved.
The question of who has responsibility for maintaining the drainage and ditches in the parish is not a straight forward one, as responsibilities are shared between riparian owners and councils depending on the particularities of the situation. As regards maintaining ditches the PC is aiming to identify all the relevant riparian owners and liaising with them to try and effect improvements where necessary.
The Christmas Tree
This was our seventh year of the Langford Christmas Tree, and as in previous years the ceremony to officially turn on the lights was a delightful event, with carols, minced pies and mulled wine. It is a pleasure to see so many villagers joining in.
Council Finances
The PC finances remain relatively healthy. During the year we agreed a new policy for the level at which the annual precept is set and for the level at which we should maintain reserves. Adjustments resulting for this policy will occur over the next two or three years depending on the level of PC spend on any unexpected items.
Looking ahead
At the moment we seem mainly to be reacting to events, but hopefully as things return more to normal some of the Parish Council’s priorities will be to work on the outcomes of the Housing Needs Survey, update our Parish Emergency Plan (including looking at any resilience measures we can implement), continue to monitor the school traffic situation, and carry on with the maintenance work we do around village.
Finally can I take this opportunity to thank Parish Councillors, and our Clerk Ann, for their work over the past year.
Richard Kemp
Chairman