Oxfordshire Conservatives

At Tuesday’s meeting of the County Council Cabinet (19 December), the full extent of internal dissent over local government reform amongst Oxfordshire’s Liberal-Democrats was revealed under questioning of the Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Zoe Patrick, by Cllrs Charles Shouler and John Howell.

Cllr Patrick was forced to admit that she was in favour of a unitary authority for the county as a whole, particularly as the current County Council was performing well, and that she could not support the bid for unitary status by the Liberal-Democrat-controlled administration of Oxford City Council.

Under further questioning, she had to admit that Liberal-Democrats were not united on this issue implying that town and country Liberal-Democrat councillors were pitted against each other.

This contrasted with the view of the County Council Cabinet, backed by the ruling Conservative group at County Hall, to reject any bids for unitary councils within Oxfordshire and to advocate enhanced working within the current two-tier structure.

The stunning new Ha!Ha! bar in the Oxford Castle development played host to the launch of the leading campaign to get more women Conservatives elected to Parliament in an event that looked more “Sex in the City” than “blue rinse” last Thursday evening. As part of David Cameron’s bid to dramatically increase the number of Conservative women MPs after the next election, Women2Win, co-chaired by Theresa May MP, is seeking out the brightest and best women in the South East to get involved in Conservative politics.

The bar was buzzing with women and men keen to support the campaign as well as new women who want to learn from those with political experience about how to get more involved in Conservative politics. A dash of sparkling colour was added by several ladies from the Witney Bangladeshi community who were stunning in their saris and who, with representatives from the Conservative Friends of Bangladesh and local Conservatives are planning more events in Oxfordshire.

Women2Win’s primary role is to encourage, train and mentor interested women, as well as convincing Conservative Associations of the benefits of putting their trust in women candidates. Nicola Blackwood was recently selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon and is supporting Women2Win in the South East. Nicola said: “The launch of Women2Win SE was a superb event that demonstrated how many women from all backgrounds are keen to get involved in Conservative politics. In my experience, Women2Win is one of the most effective - and friendly - resources available to women interested politics and I look forward to more events like this in our area.”

Theresa May, who wore leopard print knee high boots for the occasion, commented: “Women2win has already attracted many women to take a look at what politics is all about. We are repeating our successful formula of inviting women along for a glass of wine and a chat at an informal gathering where women can talk with current Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Candidates, local government councillors and complete novices. It is as much about how Women2Win can help other women as how women can help Women2Win.”

Theresa May MP, thanked Niina Kaariniemi, the Regional Coordinator of Women2Win SE, for her part in making the evening a success, wished her luck with future events and presented her with a bottle of champagne – a prize for being the person who succeeded on pinning a W2W badge on David Cameron at the Conservative Party Conference!

On Saturday (16^th December), Nicola Blackwood, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, joined parents of children from Dunmore School at a rally in Abingdon. Parents organised a petition in the Market Square, while the children sang Christmas carols and displayed their artwork. Nicola said,

“It is encouraging to see parents uniting around this vital issue. We must all join together to ensure the best education for our children.”

Nicola is encouraged that the County Council are listening to the concerns of parents, and taking local views into account when making their decisions.

Theresa May, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and MP for Maidenhead, is to launch the South East network of Women2Win in Oxford on 14th December 2006. The stunning new Ha!Ha! bar in the heritage Oxford Castle development will host the leading campaign to get more women Conservatives elected to Parliament in an event that promises to look more “Sex in the City” than “blue rinse”.

As part of David Cameron’s bid to dramatically increase the number of Conservative women MPs after the next election, Women2Win, co-chaired by Ms May, is seeking out the brightest and best women in the South East to get involved in Conservative politics.

Witney MP and leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, said “Women2Win is helping change the face of the Conservative Party. I fully support this excellent initiative to help make the Conservative party look like the electorate it seeks to serve.”

Similar meetings already held around the country have introduced over 100 new women to Conservative politics including ethnic minority teachers, anti-poverty campaigners and businesswomen. Women2Win’s primary role is to encourage, train and mentor interested women, as well as convincing Conservative Associations of the benefits of putting their trust in women candidates.

Nicola Blackwood was recently selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon and will be supporting Women2Win in the South East. Nicola said: “I was one of four women finalists who had been chosen on merit to go through to an Open Primary and I am delighted to have been selected. I do not want women to succeed because they are women but I equally do not want them to fail because they are women.”

Theresa May commented: “Women2win has already attracted many women to take a look at what politics is all about. We are repeating our successful formula of inviting women along for a glass of wine and a chat at an informal gathering where women can talk with current Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Candidates, local government councillors and complete novices. It is as much about how Women2Win can help other women as how women can help Women2Win.”

I would advise Cllr Robins (letter 28 November) to study his own government’s policies on council tax more carefully before jumping to out of date and boring accusations about the Tories only looking after the wealthy.

His party’s council tax policy as a whole, including the proposed revaluation, is unjust because it so unfairly penalises ‘ordinary people’ – to use Cllr Robins’s insulting and class-ridden term.

Let me just remind him that under a Labour Government the council tax has gone up 84%. The same government is now introducing new laws to give bureaucrats the right to enter law-abiding, decent peoples’ homes, to record every feature of their homes such as home improvements, number of bedrooms etc. And for which - surprise, surprise - the homeowner has to foot the bill.

The revaluation that Cllr Robins is talking about means that hard working families and pensioners who have saved, invested and improved their homes will be subject to soaring tax bills, without any improvements in their local services. And, if you are lucky enough to live in a decent area with good schools and friendly neighbours you pay even more! Just because house prices have risen doesn’t mean that local residents have more cash to pay higher local taxes. So not just one stealth tax but 3 in one.

Cllr Robins’s attack on Tories who are trying to protect local residents from this happening is absolutely appalling. I for one freely admit to being terrified of his Government’s stealth taxes and will do anything in my power as a local councillor to stand up for the residents of Kidlington.

Ed Vaizey teamed up with an opposition MP this week to support mobile home owners. Labour MP for Bristol North West, Doug Naysmith, met Mr Vaizey at the Ladycroft Park in Blewbury with almost 50 of his constituents from Avonmere Park in South Gloucestershire. The visitors were treated to lunch by Sheila Austin and Graham Dale from Ladycroft, and given a tour of the park. Both Avonmere and the Ladycroft are owned by Maurice Sines, and the two groups of residents were keen to share their common experiences. "It was a good meeting", said Mr Vaizey. "I think both sets of residents were encouraged to see two MPs from different sides make common cause to support them. Both Doug and I will work together to support mobile home owners, along with other MPs whose constituents face similar problems".

David and Samantha Cameron's Christmas card for 2006 has been designed by seven-year-old Scarlett Sadler from Woodstock Primary School in Oxfordshire.

Mr Cameron went to the school in his Witney constituency to congratulate Scarlett personally on winning an annual competition to design the card he sends out.

The theme of the card is 'Christmas in Woodstock'. The cards will be printed locally, and David Cameron will donate the money he saves by not ordering House of Commons cards - £100 - to the chosen charity of the winner.

Scarlett has chosen the charity 'Mary's Meals' which is a school-feeding project in third-world countries.

David Cameron said: "Every year I enjoy picking the winner of this competition although it is always a tough decision as standards are very high. To me this means much more than ordering them in from the House of Commons shop and I hope the children enjoy getting involved too. I am delighted with Scarlett's great design."

'Mary's Meals' began 4 years ago, initially feeding 200 orphans in nursery schools. It now feeds 100,000 children daily in Malawi alone. The £100 will enable 19 children in Malawi to be fed and receive an education for the next year.

Nicola Blackwood, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Oxford West & Abingdon, has met with David Keen MBE of the Highways Agency and John Patey and Trevor Spice of Costain Ltd to discuss proposals for repairs to the A34 Wolvercote Viaduct at the Wolvercote Young People’s Club.

The replacement of the viaduct is planned due to damage to the existing structure and will begin in the Summer 2008, continuing for approximately 2 years.

Local campaigner Eric Batts commented, “We hope that consideration will be given to alternative routes so that Botley and Wytham don’t become rat runs again as we have seen in the past with construction work on the A34.”

Nicola Blackwood said, ‘I was very concerned that, as well as creating even more congestion on the A40 and A34, long term works of this scale would have an intolerable impact on both local residents and the local environment.

‘However, after discussing the proposals with David Keen and John Patey, I was encouraged to hear that the project designers are making every effort to ensure that the works have minimal impact on both the surrounding countryside and the nearby villages.

‘I look forward to continuing to work with the Highways Agency and Costain to make sure that local residents’ concerns remain at the heart of all proposals for the A34.’

The Vale Conservatives' campaign entitled "Listening to the Vale" has been hailed a great success. Members of the public have been returning survey forms, commenting online and visiting the Conservative's roadshows across the district. Hundreds of responses have been received, and members of the public have commented and how proactive and different the campaign has been.

Conservative Leader, Cllr Melinda Tilley said, "We were delighted with the response, but it doesn't end here. We want to listen to the people of the Vale, and that won't just last for a short period. We will continue to speak to as many members of the public as we can, to find out their views on Council services, and how things can be improved."

This morning Nicola featured on BBC Radio Oxford's Breakfast Show. She was asked about the Conservatives' Women2Win programme, which promotes the brightest and the best women the Party has to offer. When asked about the local fight against the Lib Dems, Nicola explained that the clear difference is that she will be "listening to what local people want".

Nicola also promoted the launch of Women2Win in Oxford. The launch event will take place at the Ha!Ha! bar in Oxford city centre on Thursday 14th December, 6-7.30pm. For more details please contact rsvp@women2win.com

Last night Nicola attended a meeting at Fitzharris School held by the County Council to discuss the future of Dunmore Infant and Junior School. The Junior School is currently without a permanent headteacher and two options have been presented for consultation, either to create and all-through primary school, or an all-through 3-18 school. Nicola attended the meeting and spoke to parents who are concerned about the future of the schools and the quality of their children's education.

Berinsfield’s local Conservative councillors are celebrating their success in steering through Oxfordshire’s first school wind turbine. The wind turbine located at Berinsfield Community Primary School is due to be formally opened on Friday 24 November by local MP Boris Johnson.

The wind turbine is a joint project between South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council together with TV Energy. South Oxfordshire District Council provided 50% of the costs of the turbine and Oxfordshire County Council managed the installation.

Berinsfield’s local Conservative councillors have been instrumental in bringing the project to fruition and allaying local concerns.

“It took two attempts to get the necessary Clear Skies grant in place to make this project a reality. But we never gave up trying. When local residents wanted to know what a wind turbine would be like and whether, for example, it would be noisy, we arranged to take them to a school in Brill in Buckinghamshire which already had one in operation. We’ve really gone the extra mile to make sure this project happens.”

“This is yet another feather in Berinsfield’s cap and a first for Oxfordshire. I hope that other schools will learn from Berinsfield’s experience. At a time when many school budgets are under pressure there are savings to be made here in a way which provides a good learning experience and a visible contribution to the energy debate. I and my district colleagues have pushed hard for this project to happen.

“This is a good example of what David Cameron has been talking about. It’s a practical example of being blue and thinking green”

Tonight saw the launch of the Vale Conservatives' Listening to the Vale road shows. The event, held in the Abingdon's Guildhall, attracted interest from across the district, put particularly from the residents of Abingdon. Cllr Melinda Tilley, Leader of the Conservatives on the Vale commented,

"I am delighted by this initiative. To often politicians claim to know what is best for people, we want to hear from local residents about the things that really concern them."

The comments made by members of the public, along with responses to surveys being distributed around the Vale will form the basis of the Conservative manifesto for next year's local elections.

The event was so popular it even attracted the attention of one of Abingdon's Lib Dem councillors who obviously could not contain her curiosity about this innovative event.

The Supper by Candlelight, organised by Cumnor & North Hinskey Branch to raise fund for campaigning in Oxford West & Abingdon has been hailed as a great success. Tickets for the event was sold out long in advance. Nicola Blackwood, recently selected Parliamentary Spokesman for Oxford West & Abingdon was present to welcome members and supporters and to offer words of encouragement for the forthcoming campaign.

Tonight’s open primary at the Guildhall in Abingdon saw Nicola Blackwood (pictured) win the nomination as Oxford West & Abingdon’s Parliamentary Candidate. In a meeting introduced by Simon Mort, member of the Party’s governing Board, each of the finalists was interviewed by both members and the public.

The final field was very strong indeed and Nicola beat off tough competition to secure the nomination. As well as members of the local Conservative Association, the meeting was opened up to anyone on the electoral register in the Oxford West & Abingdon constituency. Association Chairman Jenny Standen said, “We are delighted to have Nicola as our new Parliamentary Spokesman. Involving the public in our selection process has been exciting, our candidate will now begin to campaign with a much wider base of support from across the community.”

Nicola has lifelong roots in Oxford. Having spent her first years in Charlbury, while her parents worked in the Oxfordshire NHS, she has been educated in Oxford for over a decade, from GCSE to the D.Phil. in Music she is now researching. She returns to full time residence in North Oxford in January following a sabbatical during which she was Parliamentary Researcher to Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. She is a member of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission and has volunteered extensively with aid projects in the UK and abroad. During the General Election 2005, she worked on the national campaign as a volunteer with the Political Unit in the Conservative Research Department and the CCHQ Press Office and helped to run the Slough Conservative Campaign Office. During the May 2006 City Council Elections, she was the candidate for Jericho and Osney and helped with the Oxford City Group campaign for target wards.

Conservatives urge the Government not to reduce vital funding for flood relief in Oxfordshire

At today’s County Council meeting (7 November) Conservative Councillor Kieron Mallon (Banbury Easington) urged the Council to call on the Government to reverse its decision to reduce the funding for flood relief schemes nationally and for the Environment Agency to urgently complete the legal documentation associated with the Banbury Flood relief Scheme.

“This Government decision to cut the funding for the Banbury Scheme has disastrous consequences not only for the Town but the Cherwell Valley as far as Kidlington.

“Hundreds of homes and businesses in Banbury are under threat of flooding and huge areas of brownfield land cannot be developed putting added pressure on green field land to take housing imposed by this same government.”

“The floods last time cost Cherwell £3/4 million to put right. The Spiceball sports centre was devastated and the Mill Arts Centre flooded. This decision is short sighted.”

“I call on the Government to reverse the decision, to fund this scheme and enable the Environment Agency to complete the flood relief for Banbury and avoid the disastrous floods we saw a short while ago.”

Conservative Councillor Patrick Greene (Moreton) showed he was Greene by name and green by nature at today’s meeting of the County Council (7 November). He received the unanimous backing of the Council for his support of rain and grey water harvesting in new housing to reduce the need for new water resources.

Cllr Greene called on Council officers to ensure that at the Examination in Public (EiP) into the South East Plan, which commences at the end of November, the Council’s commitment to rain and grey water harvesting was made clear and that they lobby for regional and national planning guidance to follow suit. Cllr Greene also requested the Leader of County Council to gain the support of members of the South East County Leaders (SECL) of SEERA for these matters and to write to the appropriate Government Ministers.

“Water conservation is important for us all. This Council already made its commitment to this clear in its own Structure Plan. Now it is time for our support and best practice to be embedded in major planning documents such as the South East Plan.”

At today`s County council meeting, Conservative Councillors questioned the extend to what NHS cuts are affecting Conservative areas more than Labour areas, following Reports indicating that about 34% of cuts are in Conservative areas, whereas only 14% are in Labour.

Conservative County Councillor Charles Mathew (Eynsham divison) asked the County Council to request the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Security committee, in considering any proposals from NHS providers, to consider the impact of these cuts and what affect this has the Council`s budget for social & community services.

The research that was carried out by the Community Hospitals Association reveals that there are 62 closed or at risk hospitals in Conservative constituencies, eight in Liberal and only eleven in Labour areas. Only one of the ten Community hospitals closed this year is in a Labour constituency.

“We Conservatives do not believe in playing politics with people`s lives. Therefore I strongly endorse the Council`s decision to support this motion which questions the integrity of the decisions presently being made in the NHS. Who potentially suffers? Mainly the elderly and the vulnerable. If that is so, it is intolerable.”

“We have all heard of the post code lottery concerning health, but it seems that the odds are fixed in favour of Labour constituencies. This Government is playing Politics with the health of patients in Banbury and in the country.”

Conservative Councillors re-stated their support for the county’s post office network and for moves to reverse the decision by government to close the post office card account.

Conservative Councillor Ian Hudspeth (Woodstock) had asked the Council back in April 2006 to write to the government to reconsider the decision to discontinue post office account cards beyond 2010.

Commenting on an almost identi-kit Liberal-Democrat motion put before the Council on 7 November Cllr Ian Hudspeth said:

“I am very pleased that Liberal-Democrats have adopted our policy and joined us in our fight on this vital issue. The loss of account cards would have a huge impact on both rural and urban post offices in Oxfordshire which in return would reduce their viability and choice for residents.

“This would be especially hard for the elderly and the vulnerable who are dependent on County Council services. So we are more than happy to support this motion.”

Conservative Councillors today pledged to stand up for the people of Steventon and surrounding villages in challenging Thames Water to justify the need for a massive reservoir in Southern Oxfordshire.

“It’s essential that the need for such a large and environmentally intrusive project such as this is demonstrated beyond doubt and to all our satisfaction. So far, that is not the case. Thames Water’s record on leakage needs to be addressed first and its record on reinvesting are a relatively small proportion of its massive profits.”

Conservative Councillor Iain Brown (Hanney and Hendreds), who represents the area which would be affected by a reservoir, said after the meeting;

“It’s vitally important that we thoroughly challenge these proposals before any decisions are reached.

“There are alternative measures that can be taken instead of building a huge reservoir and we must ensure theses are investigated in the first instance.

Some of the alternatives include; compulsory water metering, which the Environment Agency wants done by 2016; Thames Water fixing more leaks; harvesting water locally and fully evaluate water transfer from Wales. These measures together would more than take care of the demands for the South East.”

Following the recent incidents of raw sewage flooding the Spiceball sports centre and the Mill Arts Centre, Councillor Nicolas Turner (Banbury Hardwick), Vice Chairman of Mill Management Committee, requested the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council to write to the Chief Executive of Thames Water to pressure the company to ensure this situation does not occur again.

“It’s an intolerable situation when county Council staff are having to build sandbag fortifications to stop raw sewage flooding in through the doors of the Mill Arts Centre and Banbury residents are having to wade through flooding to get to their cars.

“This is down to under funding by Thames Water for an inadequate drainage system.

“The recent flooding caused real problems for local people and County Council staff alike and must not happen again.”

Oxford West & Abingdon Conservatives have today announced the four candidates vying to be the Conservatives’ Parliamentary candidate. The final candidate will be picked by members of the public and party members at a hustings meeting on Monday 13^th November in Abingdon’s Guildhall.

As the Association Chairman, Jenny Standen, announced the names of the candidates, she said, “We have a good field of strong candidates to choose from. Each one of them would be an excellent representative for this constituency, and now we are putting it to the public to make the final decision”.

The candidates are: Emma Webster, Kedra Goodall, Joanne Bowlt and Nicola Blackwood.

Jenny Standen added, “We really want as many people as possible to take part, we want our candidate to represent the whole of the community, and have support from across the constituency”.

Ed Vaizey, MP for Wantage & Didcot, has today been appointed Shadow Arts Minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sports team.

Oxford West & Abingdon Conservatives have announced today that, for the first time, every voter in the Oxford West & Abingdon constituency will be able to select the Conservative Party’s candidate who will stand in the next General Election.

Association Chairman, Jenny Standen said, “This is a great opportunity to bring politics closer to the people. We are giving every voter in the constituency the chance to decide who will be fighting the next general election”.

Over the next few weeks the Conservatives will be placing advertisements in local newspapers and distributing leaflets informing local residents about the process. Anyone, regardless of how they normally vote, can register to attend the hustings meeting at which the Conservative’s next parliamentary candidate will be chosen. At the meeting, to be held on Monday, 13^th November at 7.30pm in the Guildhall, Abingdon, members of the public will have their chance to meet and question all the potential candidates.

Conservative Agent and Vale Councillor, Matthew Barber, added, “People are fed up and disillusioned with politics. We hope that doing things differently will fire the imagination, and get people interested again.”

We were promised that this year's conference would be different from any other, and we certainly have not been disappointed. David Cameron and his Shadow Cabinet team have unveiled an exciting and challenging programme for the Party.

David Cameron opened the conference by describing how we are building the foundations of our Party. The public are now more receptive to the ideas of the Conservative Party. During the week delegates are being encouraged to vote on issues of real public concern, such as our public services and the environment.

Oxfordshire is well represented in Bournemouth by MPs, Councillors and volunteers. Unfortunately some of our members have been delayed by the extra security checks that have slowed down the issuing of conference passes. Nevertheless, most of our local delegates have started as the mean to go on - enjoying an exciting and lively conference that surely marks the start of the Conservative revival!

The Conservative Political Officers’ Network (CPON) is delighted to announce that Boris Johnson will be the Network’s guest speaker at its annual Fringe Event next month. The event will be chaired by ALG Chairman and Leader of The Royal Borough Kensington and Chelsea Cllr Merrick Cockell

Mr Johnson will add his views on the modernisation of the Conservative Party under David Cameron at the event titled Conservatism in the 21^st Century. The Event will be sponsored by TB Marketing and the Association of London Government who have supported CPON on many previous occasions.

This exclusive event will be held on Monday 2nd October at 4pm. The venue is the Priory Room at the Bourne Hall Hotel, Priory Road, Bournemouth – just one minute away from the BIC with food and wine being provided.

The intimate venue will ensure that all guests will have the opportunity to hear the honest and uncensored opinions of arguably the country’s most popular politician.

CPON Deputy Chairman, Morgan Einon, said, “We are absolutely delighted that Boris has agreed to speak at our event. His is an extremely popular politician, and with good reason. I have no doubt that our event will prove to be as popular as ever, and I thank Boris for generously giving his time.”

The Conservative Political Officers Network is the independent, national network for Conservative political officers. Its membership predominantly works for local authorities and Conservative Groups in cities, districts, boroughs, and county councils up and down the country.

Jackie Carpenter, a former employee of the Vale of White Horse District Council has joined her local Conservative Team, and has been selected as a candidate for next May’s local elections. She will be standing alongside local Conservative Councillor Monica Lovatt in the Fitzharris ward of Abingdon.

Jackie, who has lived in Abingdon for the past 13 years and whose three children have all been educated locally, explained: “I have seen things from the inside, and I am confident that I have the enthusiasm and experience to make a difference”

Conservative Group Leader, Cllr Melinda Tilley said, “We are delighted to have Jackie as part of our team. She brings great experience from having worked for the Council, and she is already showing what a great campaigner she is.”

I was saddened to see the Lib Dem leaders comments to your story on low morale at the Vale of White Horse District Council (Thursday 17th August) . He seems to have buried his head in the sand on this issue. Staff morale is not just important for the people working in Abingdon, but it should concern everyone. How can our staff provide the services that the public demand if they do not understand the council's plans and vision. It is ironic to read his comment that the survey was intended to provide an 'honest' picture. Shouldn't we have a bit more honesty about the state of things at the Vale. I have spoken to a number of staff personally who feel completely dejected by the way the Council is being run. It is time for a change in the Vale, time to treat our staff properly and time to provide the value for money services that the public crave.

The attitude of the Leader of The Vale of White Horse District Council Jerry Patterson is quite frankly astonishing. He sat at the same presentation I did when MORI presented the results of the staff survey, (although he didn’t hang around to face questions from the Staff!)

The results were awful, time and time again we were told by MORI that the results were a long way off the national average and what MORI had come to expect from the numerous local authorities they had surveyed.

It is remarkable that the Liberal Democrats would fork out £10,000 for a staff survey and then ignore the results!

Our staff are totally committed to their Jobs and the services the Council provides and one fears just what kind of mess we would be in without such a dedicated team.

It is time for Cllr Patterson to stop ignoring the issue and to take the necessary steps to ensure our staff are treated with the respect and also given the recognition they deserve.

The beleaguered Liberal Democrat administration at the Vale of White Horse District Council was dealt a hammer blow as the results of an independent staff survey carried out by MORI were released.

Conservative Group Leader Melinda Tilley said it was “A damning indictment of the Liberal Democrat administration” A massive 78% of Staff questioned said that morale was very low coupled with only 38% of staff saying that they understood the Council Corporate Plan and visions for the future. This compares to over half of staff in other local authorities that Ipsos MORI has recently surveyed leading MORI to describe the figures as “A striking disengagement of staff with regards to the Councils vision for the future”

MORI go on to say that “55% of staff feel that there is not enough information available to them and, where it exists, it is not seen as credible” (48 % of staff feel you can believe only half the time or less often)

Fellow Conservative Cllr Matthew Barber agreed with Cllr Tilley saying “There is a clear lack of Political leadership coming from the Liberal Democrat administration it is time for them to hold their hands up and sort this mess out”

Councillor Tilley added “You cannot expect to deliver good services, when staff morale is so low”. She also said, treating staff with respect and valuing their professionalism is vital to the well running of the Council”.

Her party is split down the middle over it and they have sent her to cover the cracks with mush.

As she mentions me directly, I would like, once again, to reiterate my views on the Oxfordshire green belt.

I have consistently said that I would be in favour of a review of the green belt - as the statute says should happen from time to time. If some areas are recognized for development then other Greenfield sites need to be put back in to keep the totality.

I believe I am in the illustrious company of Dr. Evan Harris MP and John Goddard the Liberal Democrat Leader of Oxford City Council.

The Conservatives are not split on this issue; we all wish to protect the green belt. We are all though, thoroughly fed up with this wretched Government for giving us all the housing in the first place, and the Lib Dems for doing everything they can to fudge and muddy the issue.

Council backs Conservative MPs in fight for more health cash for Oxfordshire

The Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority receives one fifth less than the national average of NHS spending and Oxfordshire receives the lowest funding for treatment per patient. Oxfordshire has less to spend on acute hospital beds, drug provision and staff and is facing cuts of over 600 NHS posts, ward closures, delayed operations and lost beds. All this is undermining services at hospitals throughout the county.

Councillor Jim Couchman (Cabinet member for social and community services) said:

“Our MPs are doing a fantastic job in bringing home to the government that its funding system is unfair. Tony Baldry MP has already launched a major parliamentary petition which will be presented to 10 Downing Street with the help of town mayors and council chairmen. Neither patients nor NHS staff should have to suffer for the government’s mistakes.

“But this is not just a problem for the NHS. The impact on the County Council will also be severe. As wards close and staff are sacked there will be enormous pressure on social and community services to pick up the pieces using council tax money. We prudently set aside £1 million into an Emergency Stand-by Fund to cope with the fall-out from Oxfordshire’s NHS underfunding and we are already facing bully-boy tactics from within the NHS simply to hand the cash over.”

Conservative councillors pointed out the cumulative impact of a whole range of cuts which arise as a result of the adverse distribution formula - from the NHS through to the Supporting People programme. The combination of these with the resulting pressures on social and community services in the county shows that something is seriously awry.

Councillor Dr. Peter Skolar (chairman of the Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee) added:

“Government needs to take Oxfordshire’s health problems seriously. Instead, all they say is that we are already too affluent and too healthy. When you take this arrogant picture with the ridiculous timescales given to organisations such as the Oxford Radcliffe Trust to sort out its mountainous £33 million debt, you have a picture of a Secretary of State for Health who is simply content to see Oxfordshire short-changed.”

That’s the message to residents following a debate at this week’s meeting of the County Council which highlighted that Government funds for the county’s local transport plan had been slashed by more than one fifth.

“This £12m shortfall in funding meant that some hard decisions had to be made,” said Didcot Ladygrove’s Cllr Bill Service.

“Many schemes that were originally planned had to be delayed or cancelled. For Didcot, it came down to a straight choice between improving the Cow Lane subway or modernising the station forecourt. It was decided to proceed with the station project, as this would be for the greater good of both Didcot and the wider community.”

Cllr Service added, “The county council’s Cabinet is still committed to the Cow Lane project when funding can be found, and I’m sure it will be included in the next local transport plan.”

The county council meeting on Tuesday noted that a letter had gone to members of the Didcot ITS Committee explaining that the reduction in Government funding and a lack of developer contributions had caused the delay. The subway improvements had previously been approved as a ‘Major Project’ and design work had already begun before the promised funds failed to materialise.

Conservative Councillors call for investment in technology to beat car pollution

This was the message of Conservative Councillors at the meeting of the County Council at which they rejected Liberal-Democrat and Green calls to participate in September 22^nd’s European Car Free Day in Oxford City.

Branding the day a token gesture, Councillor David Robertson (Cabinet member for transport) said:

“The County Council has already put its money where its mouth is. Take congestion in Oxford City, for example. We said in our manifesto that we would support park and rides by making them free for people to park at. We’ve done that for those park and rides this council owns. If City Councillors really wanted to support the aims of European Car Free Day they would follow our example and do the same for their own park and rides. That would have more impact than a tokenistic gesture.”

Speaking during the debate, Councillor Dr. John Howell (Dorchester & Berinsfield) lambasted the whole European Car Free Day project. He said:

“This sort of intellectually dishonest gesture holds out to people the illusion that today there’s a real alternative to motorised transport. For many people, especially in rural areas, the car is a necessity which has improved people’s lives. Even the UN point out that without real mobility the poor simply get poorer.

“A billion tonnes of carbon could be saved by 2050 simply by doubling the mileage of all cars from 30 to 60 mpg. That means working with the car industry. Neither the Liberal-Democrats nor the Greens seem to understand that making the industry and the car scapegoats is not going to achieve sustainable change. Instead, they prefer simply to reach for futile gestures.”

The Oxfordshire Waste Partnership, made up of Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Cherwell District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and the Vale of White Horse District Council, wants to know how people view the way forward.

Councils all over the country face fines from 2009 unless they divert more waste from landfill. Currently Oxfordshire diverts waste away from landfill by recycling and composting it. Last year the county recycled or composted 33.36% making it one of the best in the country and 3% ahead of current government targets.

However, there are steep increases in targets from the European Union to each member country from 2009. The British government has, in turn, set tough targets for each county to reach.

These targets can only be partly reached by reducing and reusing waste and increasing recycling and composting.

To further reduce the amount of waste the county sends to landfill, a way of ‘treating’ waste is also needed as European countries and some other areas of

Britain have discovered.

The public engagement exercise will involve leaflets full of information about the current situation and what the options are for the future. A tear off questionnaire will also be included. The leaflets will be available at libraries, council offices and public buildings from next week.

People will also be asked for their views on current services, what they recycle or re-use and how they could be encouraged to do more.

Conservative Councillors welcomed news yesterday that Conservative controlled Oxfordshire County Council had agreed to give funding to the Net youth cinema project in Abingdon.

Vale of White Horse Conservative Councillors had supported a plea from a local Labour Party supporter which had originally been turned down by the Liberal Democrat Council Leader Jerry Patterson.

The project was given new hope when Conservative Cllrs Monica Lovatt and Peter Jones won a motion at the District Council inviting the project to apply to the council for a grant and calling on the County to award similar funding. The grant was awarded by the district and the County Council confirmed yesterday that the other funding would be awarded.

Conservative Leader Melinda Tilley said she was “Delighted” with the decision. “She continued “We recognise the need to provide facilities for the youth of our towns this is an excellent project we have been lobbying our Conservative Colleagues at the County Council and I’m glad it has received the funding”.

Fellow Conservative Councillor Monica Lovatt also welcomed the decision saying the project was “Vital” and “The Council had a duty to assist such projects that were providing facilities for the youth population”

Town and District Councillor Peter Jones added “ I’m pleased the Conservatives on the Town and District Councils supported this project, I’m very pleased the funding has been granted and wish them every success for the future”.

The Conservatives on the Vale of White Horse District Council are preparing to take control of the District in next May's local elections. Last night the Lib Dems held on to their seat in Kennington & South Hinksey, but only just! Conservative Group Leader, Melinda Tilley said, "It shows the Lib Dems are losing touch with local people."

Kennington & South Hinksey is regarded by many as a Lib Dem strong hold, and is home to the Lib Dem Leader, yet last night the Conservatives increased their number of votes by more than 20%! Conservative candidate in the by-election, Gareth Jennings, commented, "They are hanging on by their finger tips here in Kennington & South Hinksey. Despite an increased turn out the Lib Dems have gained only a single vote since 2003."

If this result was repeated across the District the Conservatives would be set to take control in 2007. Conservative Councillor, Matthew Barber said, "It is clear that people want a change, a return to common sense in the Vale."

Conservative Councillors representing Faringdon have pledged to continue the fight to save the Vale of White Horse District Council area office in the town from closure.

As part of Lib Dem budget cuts Wantage Local Services Point is having its hours reduced and the Faringdon Office is due to close. The office is used by people in the west area of the Vale of White Horse to pay Council Tax, inspect council documents and get advice on services and facilities provided by the Council.

Councillors Matthew Barber and Roger Cox had a motion defeated at the last Vale of White Horse District Council meeting in which it asked the Council to recommend to the Executive to keep the Faringdon office, however now Cllr Barber is to attend the Executive Meeting on April 7th to make his representations to Executive members directly.

Cllr Barber commented, "The decision to close the office is very bad news to the residents, not only from Faringdon, but for the whole of the west area of the Vale. This office is used by residents to pay their Council Tax but also offers very good advice. Services include general information about Council services, queries on council tax and benefit entitlement. It is also the Area Office that holds copies of planning applications for inspection. This is only location for such inspection in the west of the Vale."

Cllr Cox questions the Lib Dem commitment to local services:
"In the 'Welcome from the Leader of the Council' on the Vale web site he states: "The Council faces the challenge of addressing the needs of residents across the district and to help us achieve this we are increasingly looking to the internet to provide more and more of our services while maintaining a physical presence in the three main towns." He specifically mentions the area office in Faringdon."
Cllr Cox continued "Not everyone has access to or is proficient in internet operations and the existing provision serves the needs of those residents."

Cllr Barber added, "The residents of Faringdon pay the highest precept in the Vale of White Horse, it simply cannot be expected for them to continue to pay such a large amount and to have their local facility taken away from them."

At the Vale of White Horse District Council meeting last night the Conservatives joined with the Liberal Democrats in a rare show of political unity behind an urgent motion proposed by Cllrs Alison Rooke and Jenny Hannaby calling on the South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) to save Wantage and Didcot hospitals.

The PCT is considering closing the community to hospitals to develop facilities at either Wallingford or Abingdon. As reported in the Herald on 23rd March Wallingford appears to be the favoured site because of the age of the Abingdon facility. Conservative Cllr Gervase Duffield attacked the plans saying "The facilities need to be central and accessible, to suggest Wallingford is either of these is absurd!"

Fellow Conservative Cllr Alison Thomson added "It is the government that are directly to blame for constantly telling the PCT to cut expenditure but this must not be at the cost of vital care to local residents"

The motion passed by all Councillors at the meeting instructed the Vale's Chief Executive to contact the Chair of the PCT to ensure the views of the Vale were received in time for the meeting.

The objections were based on the Vale being a rural area where public transport is limited. Services to Abingdon, Wantage and Didcot were invaluable to most residents. Public Transport and road travel to Wallingford is difficult from most places in the Vale.

The Vale of White Horse District Council area, with a population of around 116,000 residents would have no in-patient hospital beds whatsoever if Abingdon and Wantage hospital were to close.

Conservative Councillors reacted with anger this week when the Lib Dems refused to ensure that a £300 000 rebate from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is returned to the motorist through a reduction in car parking charges.

The Vale of White Horse District Council has been paying VAT on its car parking charges for years but now in a case brought by four councils (Isle of Wight, West Berkshire, Mid Suffolk and South Tyneside) the ruling stated that car parking should be exempt from VAT in areas where the car park was not competing against a commercial car park.

Conservative Councillor Matthew Barber said "The money has to be returned to the people who have been disadvantaged by this error, the Motorist". Conservative Deputy Leader Terry Cox accused the Lib Dem Councillors, who refused to guarantee the return of the money, of a "Dishonest manoeuvre" and accused them of planning to use the money to plug financial gaps in other places.

In his speech Cllr Barber added, "It is not only the £300,000 rebate but the council will now save an extra £60,000 a year. We have seen constant rises in car parking charges in the last few years in some cases a 100% rise. This kind of Stealth taxation cannot be tolerated and only goes to show that the Lib Dem war on the motorist shows no sign of letting up."

Leader of the Conservative Group Cllr Melinda Tilley continued. "This money belongs to everyone who has used the car parks owned by the Vale of White Horse District Council. The Council has a duty to return this money anything less that this is simply stealing from the Tax payer."

Angie Patterson has been elected to South Oxfordshire District Council, following a by-election. The poll, held on Thursday 23rd March 2006 resulted in a swing of over 18% from the Lib Dems to the Conservatives.

At the Vale Council meeting in December, local Councillor, Matthew Barber confronted the controlling Lib Dem group over the introduction of free bus passes. There had been concern about the future of local community bus services, such as the Faringdon Community Bus, which operates in the town and surrounding villages. The funding formula proposed by the Council would have meant that they would receive only half of the price of the fare. This would have been a major blow to the viability of many local services.

Councillor Barber proposed a motion that would ensure that community buses across the district did not lose out through the introduction of the scheme. Since then Vale officers have worked extremely hard to solve the problem, and it has emerged this week that community buses will receive the full fare that they are entitled to.

Matthew Barber commented, "This is a small victory, ensuring these valuable local services are not adversely affected."

The South Oxfordshire Conservative Association is pleased to announce that Rev'd Angie Paterson will be the Conservative Candidate for the SODC Watlington Ward By Election that will be held on Thursday 23rd March 2006.

Angie will be aiming to meet as many electors as possible over the forthcoming weeks and will also be communicating widely with the electorate by delivering lots of campaign material. She supports strongly the achievements since 2003 of the Conservative Administration running SODC and hopes to represent Watlington Ward to the best of her ability at Crowmarsh Gifford after the 23rd March.

Angie has been a very active member of the community since moving to Watlington over 13 years ago. At different times during those 13 years she has served on a host of committees within different organisations including the Pre-School, the Primary School, the Business Association, the Anglican Church and Watlington Festival Committee.

She is currently the Vice-Chairman of Watlington Parish Council and also serves as an Anglican Priest working as a voluntary member of a team serving four local parishes. Angie has run her own HR consultancy business from home for the last ten years.

Her local political priorities are to sustain the economic viability of small communities whilst retaining and protecting the rural nature of the local environment.

If you would like to contact Angie Paterson at any time throughout her campaign she can be reached on 01491 614033 or at watlington@oxfordshireconservatives.com

Oxfordshire County Council sets lowest County Council tax rise in South East

Careful and detailed planning means Oxfordshire County Council is likely to be able to set the lowest council tax rise of any County Council in the South East for 2006/7.

The County Council is ready to set a 4.375% rise when it meets on Tuesday, February 14. County Councils across the rest of the region look likely to set rises of between 4.7% and 5%.

Surrey 5%
West Sussex 4.9%
Buckinghamshire 4.9%
Kent 4.75%
Hampshire 4.7%
East Sussex 4.7%

Cllr Keith Mitchell, the Leader of the County Council, said: “We have achieved this despite setting a no cuts budget. I know that other counties in the South East have had to make widespread cuts and go right up to the Government’s 5% capping limit.”

An extra £250,000 will be spent on the Youth Service along with more than £1million for services to support Oxfordshire’s most vulnerable children in areas such as child protection, children in public care and for children with disabilities.

All schools will receive an above inflation increase in budget per pupil with at least a 4% increase in primary schools and 3.4% in secondary schools.

Elsewhere £1.5m will be spent to tackle traffic problems in Henley town centre and £3.75m on an innovative scheme to ease traffic at the Green Road roundabout in Oxford. A total of £93,000 will be spent on securing the future of the Cogges Museum in West Oxfordshire.

Cllr Mitchell added: “Our planning has been meticulous and based around good cautious principles. We planned for the worst and treated anything extra that came our way as a bonus. We will continue to work in this way.

“Almost as soon as this budget is agreed we will start to plan for the next one. We plan a slightly lower council tax rise next year and this will be the prime factor in how we shape our financial planning in the weeks and months to come.

“Council tax payers want to see rigour in how their money is spent. That is what we are delivering. We are delivering lower tax rises, real choice and value for money and that will continue to be the theme at Oxfordshire County Council.”

Cllr Charles Shouler, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance added: “The Cabinet promised from day one that it wanted a 4.375% council tax rise.

“We have delivered on that. Other County Councils are now following our model of planning Council Tax rises in advance for the full life of a council and watching the books closely to achieve it. This imposes a discipline throughout the year and not just in the run up to budget setting dates. I believe this is a winning formula for council tax payers.”

Vale of White Horse District Council Conservatives this week made their own proposal for Council Tax. At the Council's budget meeting, where the ruling Lib Dem group were proposing a 5%, the Conservatives proposed a rise of only 2% (in line with current inflation). This plan to help local residents by trying to make council bills a little more affordable was rejected by the Lib Dem majority. They said the public wanted the Council to spend more money, and if they could they would have increased council tax by even more than 5%. It emerged after last years budget that the Lib Dems had proposed and increase of 25%, but this had been struck down by Government.

Speaking on the Conservative proposal, Cllr Matthew Barber commented "We had demonstrated that the 2% increase, in line with inflation, was achievable." A public consultation had confirmed the view that the Council is seen by many as wasting money. Cllr Barber added "There is a great deal of waste within the Council, if it was run more efficiently we could deliver both lower taxes and better services for local people. They are crying our for a change!".

Conservatives on the Vale of White Horse District Council joined with local residents to voice their opposition the Lib Dem plans to introduce parking charges in the evenings and weekends. Abingdon Councillor Peter Jones said, "We believe that this would have a harmful effect on Abingdon, particularly affecting churches and voluntary groups."

Following such strong public opposition to the Lib Dem plans, they were forced to unveil a climb down at this weeks budget meeting. "This is a victory for local people" said Conservative Leader, Cllr Melinda Tilley, adding "we must end the Lib Dem war on the motorist".

27th January 2006

Following the sad death of Liberal Democrat councillor Sylvia Patterson, local Conservatives have selected Gareth Jennings as their candidate for the by-election.

Gareth commented, "The circumstances of this by-election are tragic, our sympathies go to Sylvia's family."

A date has not yet been set for the by-election, but Gareth is keen to set out his programme for local improvements.

"I am delighted to have been selected as the candidate. I have lived in Kennington all my life, and I am determined to fight for local people" said Gareth, adding "local transport, and vandalism must be top of our agenda".

Vale of White Horse District Councillor Sylvia Patterson died on Thursday 12th January 2006, following surgery earlier in the week.

She was being treated at hospital in Oxford and had surgery on Tuesday.

Sylvia, 61, was ward member for Kennington and South Hinksey and chaired the Development Control Committee.

She was married to Cllr Jerry Patterson and they have two sons.

Sylvia has served on the Council since May 1999. She was immediately appointed on the Development Control Committee, which deals with planning. In May 2004 she became Vice-Chair of the committee and was elected Chair of the committee the following May.

She was a member of the North East Area Committee and represented the Council on the Hinksey Heights Advisory Committee.

Sylvia was a very active member and singer in the Abingdon Operatic Society and the Oxford Operatic Society. She was also a member of the Oxford Preservation Trust.

Chief Executive Terry Stock, Deputy Leader Tony de Vere and Leader of the Opposition Melinda Tilley, said: "We are all incredibly shocked and saddened by this news and our thoughts are with Sylvia's family at this terrible time."

Abingdon Conservative Councillor Mike Badcock accused the Liberal Democrat controlled Vale of White Horse District Council of being a "little harsh" on people who forgot to display their disabled badges in council car parks.

2 constituents had complained to Cllr Badcock that they had been issued penalty notices for forgetting to display their badges. he Said "They are old People in their 80's and they forgot. It was a simple mistake that people make. In one of the cases the couple went straight to the council's offices to show them that they had the badge and were not trying to cheat the council.

"Unfortunately the officers would not budge and the fines had to be paid. I thought it was a little harsh and the council should have shown a little compassion. They asked me to raise the issue which I duly did and I resent suggestions from Leader Jerry Patterson that my intervention was some sort of political interference"

Liberal Democrat leader Jerry Patterson said "The Vale's policy on penalty notices for blue badge holders is very clear......our policy is clean and fair"

Newly elected Party Leader David Cameron will be visiting Oxford as the guest of South Oxfordshire's Watlington Branch.

We are pleased to announce a dinner with local MP Boris Johnson, to be held on Friday 17th March at the Kassam Stadium, Oxford. Guest speaker at the drinks reception will be The Rt Hon. David Cameron MP, Leader of the Opposition. Tickets for this exciting event are only £65, which includes wine.

For more details and tickets please contact the Association office on 01491 612852.