WHITCHURCH HILL FETE
SATURDAY 27TH MAY 2PM
BEST DAY OUT EVER !!!
NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY June 13th 2023
GORING HEATH PARISH HALL
B471 OPPOSITE THE CHURCH
8 PM
ALL WELCOME
PLEASE LET THE CLERK KNOW IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND
goringheathparishcouncil@gmail.com
See Parish Council tab for agenda and minutes.
Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
Temporary Road Closure at Goring Heath, Collins End
A request has been received from Sunbelt rentals UK Ltd for a temporary road closure to apply to a length of Collins End, whilst essential ducting works are carried out.
A temporary Notice is being made by Oxfordshire County Council to implement the temporary restriction and will operate from 17 July 2023 up to and including 20 July 2023, 09:30 to 15:30 each day.
Please note that Notices for urgent works can last up to 5 consecutive days only.
A copy of the drawing showing the extent of the closure and also the alternative routes for traffic is attached.
Further information regarding the works may be obtained by contacting Sunbelt Rentals UK Ltd on email surveys@sunbeltrentals.co.uk
COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH FOR GORING HEATH
Crays Pond Goring Heath Community Speedwatch (CPGH CSW)
April 2023 Report
Activity during April
The group had four sessions during April. A total of 37 (50) offenders were reported to Thames
Valley Police (TVP) from 445 (723) passing vehicles. Figures in brackets are from the preceding
month.
Current hot-spots for speeders remain the B471 at St Johns Church, Whitchurch Hill; B4526 Garton
End and the B471 Goffs Hill in Crays Pond. Based on past metrics we are now applying the 80/20
Rule to our sites to focus on these specific troublesome locations.
Sessions
A consolidated Activity Report for the period is appended as Appendix 1. This should be included on
Notice Boards, and the GHPC Newsletter. List of firms/establishments written to is appended as
Appendix 2. We have written again to Peppard Building Supplies who, despite our polite
correspondence with them and others in August 2022, they continue to speed on our local roads.
Multiple Offenders
Since August 2022 to March 2023, we have had seven multiple offenders—these are drivers who we
have reported on more than one occasion. Looking at the data some interesting information is
highlighted. We have:
—7 multiple offenders resulting in;
—14 reportable offences; and,
—65% of all multiple offences occur at the same Goffs Hill location (9 from 14 offences).
—on 15.2.23 we had 3 repeat offenders recorded in one session at Goffs Hill—the total number of
offenders was 16, so 18.75% of that single session was attributed to the 3 repeat offenders.
—9 offences at Goffs Hill coming from the 7 drivers or 9.8% of the total by that site; or,
—4.5% of ALL offences August 2022 to March 2023 coming from just 7 individuals.
I think what we can garner from the above is that we are seeing repeat offenders at the same locations
so they are most probably local people regularly travelling on our roads.
20 MPH—Twenty is Plenty
Abingdon has become the latest Oxfordshire town to adopt 20mph speed limits in residential areas to
create safer, healthier and quieter streets. It was one of seven communities to have applications for
20mph limits approved by Oxfordshire County Council during April. Others were Cumnor,
Faringdon, Forest Hill, Shrivenham, Steventon and nearby Woodcote. The latest decisions mean that
in the 12 months since the first phase of the council’s £8 million project started:
208 communities have applied for 20mph limits
72 schemes have been approved
53 installations have been completed, including Witney.
CPGHCSWReport9523 Page 2 of 5
Implementation in Woodcote is imminent and Goring is at the planning and consultation stage.
Bill Cotton, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director of Environment said: “There is a clear link
between the speed of traffic and the likelihood of accidents happening in which people are killed or
injured. You are seven times more likely to survive if you are hit by a car driving at 20mph than if you
are hit at 30mph.”
The scheme is free to town and parish councils, with the county council funding sign-only changes for
areas wishing to be part of the changes, as long as locations meet the agreed criteria for 20mph
restrictions.
The CPGH Community Speedwatch Group urges the Parish Council to take urgent action to apply to
Oxfordshire County Council for 20mph streets and roads within our community. This only needs to
be supported by the parish and by the relevant local county councillor. Information, including details
on how to apply, is available here:
The 20mph transformation programme | Oxfordshire County Council
Community Speedwatch – Need for more Volunteers
Our volunteer numbers have remained static at seven but only four currently active. See appendix 3
for Joining Instructions.
Funding
We are still using the CSW kit borrowed on loan from Thames Valley Police. As the scheme is still in
some doubt no further major capital expenditure will be undertaken in the immediate future.
Current funding balance £216.65.
Ian Reynolds
CPGH CSW Group Coordinator
9th May, 2023
Crays Pond Goring Heath Community Speedwatch (CPGH CSW)
Please find below a link to the Annual Report.
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
CPGHCSW AGM 2023 Full Year Report.
CRAYS POND GORING HEATH COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH
We are looking for keen volunteers to help keep our community safe .Fatalities are four times more likely to happen in rural areas than in urban areas Do you want to help? The Crays Pond Goring Heath Community Speedwatch Group (CSW) supported by Goring Heath Parish Council has been recently established to tackle speeding in our community. This follows the reduction in the speed limit through Crays Pond on the B4526 and B471. Since August, 2022 the CSW Team have formally reported 312 speeding vehicles to Thames Valley Police (TVP). We currently have seven police approved sites—four in Crays Pond and three in Whitchurch Hill. CSW operatives are there to record and report for educational purposes in the hope that drivers will in future respect the speed limits. The scheme works under the operating principles of Community Speedwatch UK which is a not-for-profit social enterprise that provides support for Speedwatch groups throughout the country. The scheme can provide communities with initial loan equipment and training to monitor speeding in their area. This is organised by the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner, via the local police, in our case TVP who are very supportive of the initiative. Aims of the scheme To allow trained volunteers to address speed concerns in their local community. This is achieved by: 1. Undertaking high-visibility roadside operations to educate speeding drivers, with a view to improving driver behaviour. 2. Reporting to the Police the details of speeding vehicles in specific areas where speed is of concern. These speed monitoring reports enable the police to; Send advisory letters to the registered owners advising them that the speed at which their vehicle was travelling was in excess of the speed limit. Use the data gathered to inform Police and others on the allocation of resources and general road safety issues and targeted enforcement activity. 3. Delivering locally based feedback and problem-solving schemes where speeding is of specific concern to the Community. Speedwatch is not enforcement. It is about raising awareness of speeding within communities and educating drivers.
To find out more about how Community Speedwatch works please visit: https://bit.ly/3CRfy39
All volunteers must be 18 or over and after registration have to complete an online training course which is quite simple and straightforward—usually completed in one evening session. After completing the online training there is further on-the-job training; new operatives will attend the first CSW session as an observer
To register please visit: https://bit.ly/3CRcJ22 Then select “Thames Valley”/”Oxfordshire”/”Crays Pond-Goring Heath” to join our Group.
For any further information please contact the CPGH CSW Group Coordinator. Email: crayspondcsw@sent.com Twitter: @crayspondCSW
Crays Pond Goring Heath Community Speedwatch (CPGH CSW) Report
Spring 2023
Activity during February
The group had eight sessions during February. A total of 55 (38) offenders were reported to Thames
Valley Police (TVP) from 779 (437) passing vehicles. Figures in brackets are from the preceding
month. Current hot-spots for speeders are the B471 at St Johns Church, Whitchurch Hill and the
B4526/B471 in Crays Pond.
Sessions
A consolidated Activity Report for the period is appended as Appendix 1. An amended version of this
should be included on Notice Boards, the GHPC Newsletter and Woodcote Correspondent.
List of firms/establishments written to is appended as Appendix 2. I have had to withdraw a
communication to Camp Hobson in Newbury (the department store) as the trucks seen on 7th and 8th
February were actually from Camp Hobson Removals which is an entirely separate company.
Community Speedwatch – Need for more Volunteers
During the period we offered procedural advice and shared our protocols with the newly established
Wallingford Community Speedwatch. They already have eleven volunteers and they have yet to
commence field activities (expected April).
Our volunteer numbers have remained static at seven but only four currently active.
B471 at Whitchurch Hill – Need for speed reduction
This is currently 40 mph going past St Johns Church, the Village Green and the Village Hall.
Oxfordshire County Council has recently carried out a traffic survey and I would urge the Parish
Council to get behind the campaign to get this 40 mph speed limit reduced to 30 mph.
The same argument exists per the precedent set in Crays Pond, but we believe even more so in
Whitchurch Hill; we have the Church, the Village Green (with children’s amenities) and of course the
Village Hall. For the avoidance of any uncertainty, I will summarise:
DfT Circular 01/2013 Setting Local Speed Limits was issued in January 2013. The guidance contained
within the circular sets out the framework that highway authorities should follow when reviewing and
setting local speed limits. Fear of traffic can affect people’s quality of life and therefore the built-up
area of villages should have comparable speed limits to similar roads in urban areas. For the purposes
of applying a village speed limit of 30mph the definition of what constitutes a village is that there are:
• 20 or more houses (on one or both sides of the road), and
• a minimum length of 600 metres.
If there are just less than 20 houses, extra allowance may be made for any other key buildings, such as
a church, shop or school. The minimum length may also be lowered to 400 metres (and in exceptional
circumstances 300 metres) when there are 20 or more houses located within this shorter length.
30mph speed limits should be the norm on roads in areas with sufficient housing and/or key
buildings.
For Full report see link here:
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
December 2022 Report
Activity during December
The group had a limited number of sessions in the run-up to the Christmas period, this was due to
availability of trained operatives, and one session was cancelled due to the weather, so we had four
sessions during the period. A total of 36 Offenders were reported to Thames Valley Police (TVP)
from 416 passing vehicles. One site in Crays Pond, near to Garton End, was subsequently suspended
by TVP due to volunteer Health & Safety concerns - this due to there being a further public order
incident at this location. Same perpetrator as previous abuse of 23rd August, 2022. Matter formally
reported to TVP who are currently investigating. The perpetrator is a local resident and was given a
police conditional caution following the first incident.
Sessions
A consolidated Activity Report for the period is appended as Appendix 1. An amended version of this
should be included on Notice Boards, the GHPC Newsletter and Woodcote Correspondent. List of
firms/establishments written to is appended as Appendix 2.
Community Speedwatch – Need for more Volunteers
The ‘Call for Volunteers’ notices appeared in both the Parish Newsletter and the Woodcote
Correspondent. As yet, we have not yielded any volunteers from this course of action – not one
person! We currently have seven volunteers—one who has never participated in a session, and one
who is currently ill, so we are down to a net five. I repeat we only have one volunteer from
Whitchurch Hill which is very disappointing indeed.
Joining Instructions are included as Appendix 3. Please share to encourage more to sign up.
Funding
We are currently using a CSW kit borrowed on loan from Thames Valley Police. This will need to be
returned very soon.
Current funding balance £216.65.
Ian Reynolds
CPGH CSW Group Coordinator
19th December, 2022
