Tim Emptage

The Liberal Democrat led Kidlington Parish Council has succeeded in preventing Cherwell District Council from supporting the planning application for the proposed  waste recycling centre in Langford Lane, in order to allow planning officers time to investigate the objections raised by the Parish Council.  I am not opposed to the principle of a Household Waste Recycling Centre in Kidlington but object to this proposal because the intended purpose of the site has changed since the planning application was made.  The original application from Oxfordshire County Council was for a household waste recycling site which  ‘would form part of the strategic network of recycling centres in Oxfordshire’   However, Oxfordshire County Council  have now announced that this will also be the only site in Oxfordshire for general waste and that a number of other local household recycling centres such as Ardley and Redbridge will close leaving the Kidlington site as the ‘Flagship’ site for the county.  This would seriously increase the amount of traffic passing through Kidlington to a level much higher than that envisaged with a small household waste recycling centre.   I welcome a local household waste recycling  facility in Kidlington but believe that Oxfordshire’ County Council’s strategy and the purpose of this site has changed substantially since the application was made and this invalidates the site selection process.’      There are also have objections to the site selected and I believe that the site search carried out by consultants for the County Council is seriously flawed, especially their consideration of the Grain Silo site.

 Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition calling on Cherwell to halt proposals to introduce charges at Watts Way car park without full consultation, there has been a massive response.   If you have not already signed the petition please follow the attached link and sign it.  Please also encourage your friends, family and neighbours to do the same. 

                      http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/page1775 

It is essential we make Cherwell District Council aware of the depth of feeling in Kidlington over these proposals and the complete lack of consultation

A few months ago the Lib Dem led Kidlington Parish Council carried out informal consultation with Kidlington Residents over plans for a revised pedestrianisation scheme for the High Street.  An exhibition trailer was stationed in the High Street and residents were shown details of the proposals and were asked to complete a questionnaire giving their views on the proposals.  Analysis of the questionnaires shows that there was a very high level of support  for these proposals which will provide a much safer and more pleasant environment to shop and socialise.   The next stage will be to draw up a new Traffic Regulation Order (TRO).  The is the legal mechanism by which the pedestrianisation can be enforced.  This TRO should be drawn up by April and then there will need to be a short period of formal consultation before the TRO can be introduced.

You will have read in the local press of the Cherwell District Council proposals to introduce parking charges at the Watts Way Car Park.    When the land which is now the Watts Way car park was acquired by Cherwell District Council there was a covenant which prevented charges being imposed for parking unless under the supervision of a paid attendant.   CDC propose spending council tax payers money on overturning this covenant and introducing charges.  I have attended several meetings, some confidential, since 12th October 2010 and I have on each occasion argued against this proposal because of the lack of any consultation with Kidlington Parish Council, the Kidlington Village Centre Management Board, Kidlington Voice, local businesses or residents.
             

I am concerned because of :-

The commercial impact on local businesses and High St shopping          

The consequences for  nearby residential streets such as Benmead Road and Exeter Road.          

The impact on proposals for pedestrianisation of the High St          

The impact on the Tesco and Co-op car parks and well as the Exeter Hall / Medical Centre car park. 

Unfortunately neither of the Kidlington Conservative councillors bothered to attend most of the meetings although they are members of the Scrutiny Board and were invited. I find it appalling that elected representatives of Kidlington failed to speak up for Kidlington on such an important issue.  Kidlington Lib Dem members instigated the ‘call in’ procedure which meant that the decision was brought back for further review.  I attended this review together with Kidlington Lib Dem district councillors Doug Williamson and Alaric Rose and Lib Dem’s Cllr Chris Pack representing Kidlington Voice and Cllr David Betts representing Kidlington Parish Council.    Again both Kidlington Conservative councillors failed to attend.  After a vigorous discussion in which I and my fellow councillors spoke out against the proposals, we succeeded in having the decision sent back to CDC Executive with the proposal that it be reviewed again.  Unfortunately the executive committee decided to press ahead with the plans.  I have spoken to many of the businesses in High Street and there is strong opposition to these proposals. 

An online petition has been set up to enable Kidlington businesses and residents to register their opposition to these proposals and to call for a full consultation process, please follow this link:-

 http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/page1775  

Kidlington Lib Dem’s will continue to speak out for Kidlington residents and businesses on this issue

Please let me have your comments and also complete the survey on the left hand side of this page.

When Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove decided without consultation to axe the entire budget for the School Sports Partnerships (SSPs), he didn’t anticipate the tide of protest from all quarters: from parents, teachers, health professionals as well as from the sports community itself. In an open letter, sixty head teachers, including some from Oxfordshire, described Gove’s decision as “ignorant, destructive, contradictory and self-defeating, and entirely unjustified educationally, professionally, logistically and in terms of personal health and community well being.” Responding to this, I, together with fellow Kidlington  Lib Dem councillors Alaric Rose and Doug Williamson, went to see for ourselves the benefits of SSPs in action at the area finals of the primary school tag rugby competition at Stratfield Brake, where we listened to the concerns of the organisers and participants and held a meeting with the coordinators of the North Oxfordshire SSP. As a result, although we were out of time to secure a full debate at Cherwell District Council before Christmas, we tabled a question to the Leader of the Council instead, seeking an assurance that the Council would write to Michael Gove with a view to dissuading him from cutting the funding, and would do all it could to protect the North Oxfordshire SSP. In his written reply, the Leader expressed the Council’s disappointment at the withdrawal of funding, promised to convey his concern to the Education Secretary, acknowledged the great achievements of the SSP and offered his personal support for it. Since the outcry, Michael Gove has restored £65 million of the £162 million national budget – less than half. Meanwhile, the Kidlington Lib Dem councillors will continue to press in Council for the North Oxfordshire SSP to receive ongoing support.

You will probably have read of plans to discontinue the Kidlington leg of the RH700 bus service to the John Radcliffe, Nuffield Orthopaedic  and Churchill hospitals.  This is a vital service which staff and patients in Kidlington rely on.  It is particularly important to elderly patients and visitors who may not drive and will then be forced to take two buses.  We all know what a problem parking is at the hospitals and this is an excellent solution which benefits the hospital as well as the staff and patients.   It also has the advantage of reducing individual car journeys thus reducing congestion in Headington and Kidlington, especially at peak times.   I wrote to Oxfordshire County Council, hospital management and RH Transport, the operators of the service urging them to ensure this vital service is maintained.  The attitude of the Conservative County Councillor responsible for bus services was appalling, he refused to give any information about the plans to myself and other local district councillors, the elected representatives of Kidlington.   However,  I am pleased to say that the County Council  have taken note of our concerns and the service will be retained, although in a limited form.

The problems of illegal parking in the High Street are well know and many Kidlington residents are dissatisfied with the constant flow of traffic through the High Street.  An important consultation process has been initiated with residents, shoppers and local traders.  On the evening of 23rd September key stakeholders such as shopkeepers, business people and High Street residents came to a consultation evening at Exeter Hall.  On Friday 24th and Saturday 25th September there was an exhibition stand in the High Street showing proposals for improvements, members of the public were able to view the plans and complete a questionnaire.  Lib Dem councillors Chris Pack, David Betts, Alan Graham, Carole Pack, Tracey Wyse, Doug Williamson, Alaric Rose and myself helped man the stand.The consultation process will continue until Friday 5th November, the plans can be see at Exeter Hall and are also on the parish council website, follow this link:-

http://www.kidlington-pc.gov.uk/news.asp?NewsID=503

You can complete a questionnaire, copies are available in Exeter Hall and the library or you can you view the plans online and complete a questionnaire online by following this Cherwell District Council link:-

http://consult.cherwell.gov.uk/portal/phe/re/kpc

I would be interested in your views of the proposals, please complete the quick survey on the left of the main page of my website.

Some of the Kidlington Lib Dem team – Tim Emptage, Doug Williamson, Alaric Rose, Chris Pack and David Betts

Alaric Rose had a convincing win in the Kidlingon North by election which was held on the 22nd July 2010.    The by-election was held after the sad death of John Wyse who had represented Kidlington on Cherwell District Council for many years.    The convincing win came in spite of incorrect Conservative claims that the improvements to Exeter Close were funded by Cherwell District Council when in fact they were funded by the Lib Dem led Parish Council.   Alaric joins a strong Lib Dem in Kidlington keen to stand up for Kidlington on Cherwell District Council

As all Kidlington residents know the continued illegal parking in, and frequent traffic movements through the Oxford Road end of High Street blight what could and should be an attractive and safe shopping area.  The Lib Dems in Kidlington have fought for some time to get this part of High Street fully pedestrianised.    The illegal parking of cars and the constant passage of vehicles up and down this stretch have angered local residents and shoppers for many years. It’s bad for business, bad for shoppers and bad for Kidlington.  The funding bid for this was rejected by the Conservative controlled  Cherwell District Council in February.  We have not taken no for an answer.  Your Lib Dem district councillors wrote to every member of Cherwell District executive and had the matter referred to the scrutiny committee.  The Scrutiny Committee met on the 22nd June and the parish councillors together with the Kidlington Lib Dem team attended the meeting where we successfully persuaded the Conservative scrutiny committee of the importance of this project and restored the funding.  We expected some support from the Kidlington Conservative councillors, but unfortunately they failed to attend.  There will be a full consultation with High Street businesses and residents in September.  Your Lib Dem team is not afraid to speak out and get things done. 

What is your view of the High Street ?   Please add your views by clicking ‘comment’ just below the title of this article.

Firstly,  welcome to my website.  I was very pleased to be elected to Cherwell District Council as Lib Dem member for Kidlington South in May 2010.  I follow in the footsteps of Devena Rae who was an excellent councillor for four years and continues to work hard for Kidlington as a member of the parish council and also on many other bodies. This website is intended to keep you in touch with issues in Kidlington and the work I am doing for and in Kidlington.  It is still under development so please be patient, I hope to have it fully up and running as soon as possible.    Reporting Kidlington issues has never been easier – simply click on ‘report a problem’ on the menu bar on the left side of this page and fill out the form and I will do my best to help you. Alternatively, please telephone or email me, my contact details are shown on the right hand side of this page.