Gurkha pension parity petition

You may wish to support an e-petition supporting pension parity for Gurkhas

The petition reads:

Gurkha veterans who retired before 1 July 1997 must be paid pensions in parity to that of the British and the Commonwealth soldiers. Gurkhas must be financially compensated for the loss of pay allowances and the third grade food and accommodation provided during their service before 1 July 1997. This is also to compensate for the mental and physical trauma they went through for not having been allowed to live with their families for several years due to the third class policy that was deliberately made for the Brigade of Gurkhas. Gurkhas who have served for over four years must be eligible for preserved pensions at the age of sixty years just like their British/Commonwealth counterparts. The Gurkha widows must be treated equally like the British/Commonwealth widows in terms of pensions and other facilities.

Click here if you wish to support the petition

Old Road traffic works update

We have reported the state of the Old Road pavement to County officers as we believe that these need proper reinstatement – they are very uneven after having been dug up by utilities companies

The County Council is aiming to get the permanent signals at the junction of Old Road / The Slade /Windmill Road up and running on Friday 11 November.  The new vehicle detection loops installed as part of the junction upgrade works will need configuring in order to optimise the signals, therefore it will take a few days for the signals to settle down.

Concern about Rock Edge

Residents have contacted us because they are so concerned about the perceived ‘damage’ caused to Rock Edge Site of Special Scientific Interest by the County Council’s Old Road traffic management scheme works. The boundary has been dug into in order to make the footway wider with permission by Natural England.

The topsoiled bank is currently fenced off in order to let new grass seed bed in. This is to avoid the topsoil being trampled down the slope and spreading across the footway. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain too hard!

New dog control powers

Parks Officers, Community Wardens, the Dog Warden, Environmental Enforcement officers, PCSOs and Neighbourhood Police Officers can now issue fixed penalty notices of £80 for a variety of offences.

New powers include:

  • Increased fines for dog fouling
  • banning dogs from play areas in the parks
  • putting dogs on leads at the request of authorised officers
  • limiting the number of dogs any person can be in control of in a public place to 4.

FREE! Lantern Making Workshop

Get involved with this year’s Light Night Lantern Parade


Come along to a free Lantern Making workshop on 12 November at the T-Building, BMW Mini Plant Oxford between 10am and 4pm. Help create a large lantern which will form one of the Twelve Days of Christmas in this year’s magical Lantern Procession.

There will be a workshop for families with younger children to make some smaller lanterns.

The workshop is free, thanks to Mini Plant Oxford, but you will need to pre-book your place here.

The Lantern Procession will take place on Friday 2 December at 6pm from The Old Fire Station in Gloucester Green as part of the Christmas Light Night celebrations.

Roadshow for Council Tenants and Leaseholders

Oxford City Council is holding roadshows across the City for tenants and leaseholders. Come along and meet the teams that provide services to you, your home and your community. Share your ideas on how services can work even better and enjoy some family-friendly fun.
• Wood Farm Children’s Centre,
Thursday 17th November, 2–6pm
Titup Hall Drive, Wood Farm,
Oxford, OX3 8QQ
• Oxford Town Hall,
Tuesday 22th November, 5–8pm
St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1DS
• Barton Neighbourhood Centre,
Thursday 24th November, 2–6pm
Underhill Circus, Oxford, OX3 9LS

Building to start in the New Year on the Manor Ground site

You will recall that the planning application by Green Square for the erection of two three storey buildings to provide 27 flats (12×1 and 15×2), and provision of 20 car parking spaces and bin/ cycle storage on part of the old Manor Ground was permitted earlier this year

The site was acquired on 19 October 2011 and that date was entered into the building contract between OCHA and Feltham Construction.  The date in the building contract is to give Feltham Construction immediate possession/ responsibility for the site. 

OCHA/Green Square confirms that

There is a 7 week lead-in which takes us to 7 December.  Subject to agreement Feltham have suggested that it is more realistic that work on site will commence in January 2012 to minimise disruption to the community prior to the traditional 2 week Christmas/New Year shut-down. 

OCHA and Feltham are keen to arrange a meeting as soon as possible with ward councillors and residents to discuss construction access, times of working etc. once details are finalised with the County Council. As soon as a date can be fixed, we will let local residents know