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Longworth's parish allotments are under new management. After over thirty years of dedicated service, Tony Broad has retired from his post as manager, and his place has been taken by Dave Hardy. Already a familiar figure on the allotments and around the village, Dave lives nearby and rents his own plot; his partner, Sandra Sabathy, is one of our newly-elected Longworth parish councillors. The imposing notice board Dave has put up by the car park houses a suggestion box, and he and the parish welcome ideas for making the field ever more useful to its diligent cultivators. There are no plans to raise the (incredibly reasonable) rents, since the parish is well enough funded not to need an added income from this source; however, it does expect that each plot holder will use his (or her) land to proper and profitable use. Our new manager's brief includes the duty of maintaining a watchful eye on this.
Residents may welcome the fact that some further relief from impending penury is at hand with the community bulk oil purchase scheme on offer from one of the county's leading charitable institutions, the ORCC. Their trading arm offers, in return for a yearly fee of £20, delivery of domestic heating oil at bulk rates; a single filling of a 1000 litre tank at a 2p per litre discount will recover this annual outlay. Details on how to join this scheme can be obtained from the ORCC by phone on 01865 883488, or on line at www.oxonrcc.org.uk. Anthony Lloyd at Fallowfields hotel is its local volunteer area co-ordinator, and he will arrange deliveries for all scheme members in Longworth, Hinton and KBS. (Other villages will have their own co-ordinator.)
A recent discussion at the parish council concerned the clearance of footpaths. We have a designated cleaner for streets (Bob Squires), but he is a one-man-band and there is no-one with specific responsibility for the paths in front of each house. The county have limited and sharply reduced funds for this activity and in any case tend to be more noticeable in breach than in observance. I therefore pass on the council's request that each individual resident should bear the responsibility of keeping the footpath in front of their house clear for pedestrians.
Now that the south end of Newbridge lies within Longworth territory, its welfare may become of more direct interest to the parish. The OCC's Trading Standards tell me that since the beginning of this year their cameras have detected 783 instances of weight limit contraventions by HGVs. Offenders get written warnings, at least if they are UK based operators, and this tactic does seem to be working, in that they have not yet needed to prosecute any second-time offenders.
As I write we are (not necessarily eagerly) waiting for Hanson to lodge their revised planning submission to open and operate a sand quarry along Pine Woods Road. When it comes, a village meeting may well be needed to decide action.
Alan Boyce
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