Goring Heath Parish Council
Annual Parish Meeting
Goring Heath Parish Hall
Thursday April 11th 2023
8pm
ALL WELCOME
There will be reports form all our lovely Parish Clubs and Societies, including The History Society, the Scouts and Guides and of course The WI.
Refreshments will be served.
contact
goringheathparishcouncil@gmail.com.
NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY APRIL 11th 2023
GORING HEATH PARISH HALL
B471 OPPOSITE THE CHURCH
7 PM (please note earlier time. we have a shortened april meeting before the Annual Parish Meeting)
ALL WELCOME
PLEASE LET THE CLERK KNOW IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND
goringheathparishcouncil@gmail.com
See Parish Council tab for agenda and minutes.
The Parish Council has a vacancy for a Parish Councillor.
If you are interested in this role please would you contact the Clerk on the email above for further details.Goring Heath is having an ELECTION – check your voter registration and ID before it’s too late
People across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are being urged to check that they are ready for the upcoming elections.
On Thursday 4 May, residents will go to the polls to choose local councillors who will make decisions on important issues, such as where we should focus our efforts locally to help tackle climate change, where and how new housing gets built, how we work to ensure there’s enough affordable housing and much more.
As we get closer to polling day, there are four key things people need to know:
- Everyone aged 18 or over who is eligible can vote in the local elections, but you must be registered at your current address by midnight on 17 April – if you need to register, apply now at gov.uk/registertovote
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If you intend to vote at a polling station on 4 May, you must bring valid photo ID with you. This is a new requirement, introduced by the UK Government which will be in force for the local elections. To find out which ID you can use, visit electoralcommission.org.
uk/voterID
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If you don’t have the accepted photo ID, you need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate which is free of charge – visit electoralcommission.org.
uk/voterID. Please note – if you need to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, you must do so by 5pm on 25 April.
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If you can’t make it to the polling station on 4 May – you can apply to vote by post – the deadline for postal vote applications is 5pm on 18 April, or you can apply to allow someone else to vote on your behalf, this is known as a proxy vote. The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5pm on 25 April. To find out how to apply for a postal or proxy vote, visit southoxon.gov.uk/
localelections2023 or whitehor sedc.gov.uk/localelections2023
Mark Stone, Electoral Registration Officer at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, said: “This is your chance to help to decide who represents you and makes decisions about local issues that affect you directly.
“We don’t want anyone to miss out, so please check now to make sure you are registered to vote at your current address and that you have the photo ID you need if you intend to vote at a polling station on 4 May.”
For more information about the 2023 local elections, visit southoxon.gov.uk/
Please note :
- To apply for the Voter Authority Certificate, voters will need to provide a photo, full name, date of birth, the address at which they are registered to vote and their National Insurance number. The deadline to apply is 5pm on 25 April.
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Details of those standing for election in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse will be confirmed on Wednesday 5 April – this information will be published on southoxon.gov.uk/
localelections2023 or whitehor sedc.gov.uk/localelections2023
Key dates for this election
- 20 March – candidates nomination period opens
- 5 April – details of who you can vote for published (by 4pm)
- 17 April – deadline to register to vote in this election (midnight)
- 18 April – deadline to apply to vote by post (5pm)
- 25 April – deadline to apply to vote by proxy (5pm)
- 25 April – deadline to apply for voter ID (5pm)
- 4 May – voting day (7am to 10pm)
- 5 May – election results day
Do you know anyone who is interested in becoming a councillor?
Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils (OALC) have provided this useful presentation.
Further information can be found on the OALC website.
The council’s website has some useful information for those wishing to stand as a parish councillor including instructions on how to complete a parish nomination form and a completed form. Please see link
COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH FOR GORING HEATH
Crays Pond Goring Heath Community Speedwatch (CPGH CSW)
Crays Pond Goring Heath Community Speedwatch (CPGH CSW) Report
Spring 2023
Activity during January
The group had six sessions during the period due to lack of availability of trained operatives; one session was cancelled due to roadworks on the B471. A total of 38 Offenders were reported to Thames Valley Police (TVP) from 437 passing vehicles. Witness statements have been given TVP in relation to the ‘Garton End Incident’ in Crays Pond. This site is still suspended by TVP due to volunteer Health & Safety concerns.
Community Speedwatch – Need for more Volunteers !!
We are now at a critical point in relation to volunteer numbers which endangers the future of the scheme. We currently have SIX volunteers from Crays Pond and ONE from Whitchurch Hill. Of this, one operative whilst signed up as volunteer, has never participated in a single session. Another has a serious long-term illness which has precluded the operator from participation; and a further two volunteers are currently undergoing medical treatment in the coming months for serious health issues. The ‘Call for Volunteers’ notices which appeared in both the Parish Newsletter and the Woodcote Correspondent yielded not one single volunteer from this course of action. The scheme is in danger of collapsing due to insufficient numbers of volunteers.
Funding
We are still using the CSW kit borrowed on loan from Thames Valley Police. As the scheme is in jeopardy, I suggest no further major capital expenditure is undertaken in the immediate future e.g., to buy a CSW kit of our own – pause this Current funding balance £216.65.
Ian Reynolds CPGH CSW Group Coordinator 1 st February, 2023
Latest Newsletter
Goring Heath Update
For the latest news, see News Update.
For guidance on car sharing during the pandemic, see Goring Heath Volunteers.