A request was made by two Parish Councillors that a telephone be installed in the Village Hall. Although this is in principle a good idea, the practicalities make it an unviable proposition.
The subject was raised at the Annual Meeting of the Oxfordshire Village Halls Association and it was found that only two Committees actually have telephones. One which is constantly being vandalised A third Village Hall had one for two months and had to have it removed because of the number of times it was vandalised, break-ins to the hall and the fact that the insurance company wanted to make alterations to the policy with a massive increase in premiums.

On two of the last three Sandford Village Hall meetings, the matter has been discussed at the request of the two parish councillors and the idea has been rejected, and the Committee have now decided to review the matter in twelve months.



Painting

Volunteers are required for assisting in painting the interior of the Village Hall. If anyone would like to help with this task, please let Marjorie Harris have your name on Oxford 777900. We already have a volunteer in Sandra to paint a mural on one end of the inside wall of the hall.



Fishing

I have been asked to remind all of you fishermen to use non-toxic alternatives to lead weights and please do not discard your old fishing lines and hooks along the river bank. It is killing the swans, ducks and geese. Remember the countryside belongs to us all.



Date for your Diary

On the 4th July we are holding "It's a Knockout' on the Village Playing field, if you would like to help in anyway, please contact any member of the Village Hall Committee.



Elections

Don't forget the 7th May is both the District and Parish Council elections.



Found Boys Cassino Watch Ring Oxford 716483 for further details.

With local Elections coming up on 7th May, I thought you would be interested in some up-to-date information on what goes on in the District Council.

S.O.D.C. covers 250 square miles and has a population of 134,000, making it one of the largest District Councils in the country. It has 90 parishes, which included four market towns, Didcot, Wallingford, Henley and Thame.

Over the last ten years we have expanded on the recreation side, now providing far better facilities. We have four major Sports Centres at Henley, Thame, Holton and Didcot, together with two dual-use schemes at Littlemore and Berinsfield schools. The Holton Sports Centre was the fist in the country to be built by a foreign firm tendering under EEC regulations. A Dutch company won the contract and as a result of their success have gained other contracts in this country. The building has a reputation of 'a centre of excellence' for certain sports and it is hoped that it will be used for national and international events.

In the housing field we have completed 550 'Build for Sale' low-cost houses for the first time buyer. These schemes are aimed primarily at young couples in order for them to get a foot on the property ladder, and are built in conjunction with the private sector. We hope to build some houses for 'share-and-rent', where the occupier buys part of the property and rents the rest from the Council. More than 2,000 Council houses have been sold, representing 20% of our stock which is above the national average. We have some 7,700 houses left and 2,200 people on the waiting list, 324 of whom are in urgent need. Last year we built 136 units, many were designed for the elderly, enabling us to release under-occupied council houses for young families. Our rent arrears are 1.9% of our gross rental value, the national bench mark is 2% We intend to begin installing emergency alarm systems in the houses for the elderly, later this year. This will enable them to remain far longer in their own homes.

As a District we are very restricted as far as Planning is concerned. Much of the land is in areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and some of it is in the Green Belt and Conservation areas. We are governed by Regional plans, county Structure plan, Town plans and Rural Areas Local Plan, as well as planning law, national circulars and our own planning policies. The only area envisaged for expansion in the next ten years is Didcot, which is set to grow from 15,000 to 25,000 population. Together with some large scale industrial expansion, we are also planning to buy some land on which to build small industrial units. We already own sites in Thame and Wallingford which have proved successful as 'nursery' units for small operators. A YTS scheme operates well from Wallingford and has enabled 80% of youngsters on the scheme, to find employment. We will soon be starting a similar scheme for adult unemployed and will be looking for projects on which they can work, such as repairs to village halls, local churches and various community schemes.

Within the Council we employ 568 full-time staff, approximately half work in the main Council offices, whilst the rest are in our area offices, depots, sports centres, sheltered accommodation etc. We have 24 employees per 1,000 population, some other Councils can average as high as 87 per 1,000. The cleaning and catering services at Crowmarsh are privatised and much of the Council's work is now computerised. We have an early retirement scheme for the staff which has given us the opportunity to restructure our management and to make savings of half a million pounds over the years. Our South Oxfordshire Land and Property Systems (SOLAPS) which is a data based holding of all the Council's land and property information, was the first in the country and has attracted national and international interest. We are one of only 21 District Councils, out of 333, in the country, to have privatised our refuse collection, and have made a saving of one million pounds over five years. This has been achieved whilst keeping our rate down to 11 1/2p in the pound exactly half the national average of other district councils throughout the country. Our product of a penny rate is nearly £200,000 whilst our

It is often confusing to know which Council is responsible for what. The District Council is responsible for:-
Planning; Housing; Environmental Health; Recreation; Off-street parking Refuse collection; Public Conveniences; Cemeteries; Fairs and Markets.
The County Council is for:-
Education; Fire; Police; Social services; Highways; Gypsies; Libraries and Museums.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you should need any further help or advice and may I wish you all a very Happy Easter.

St. Andrews needs your help - The Church could become derelict in this generation unless we all help. £20,000 is needed to repair the tower and restore the roof. The Church has a small and devoted congregation and they are setting out to raise all the money they can. Already over £1,000 has been donated, but we cannot do it alone. To do the job we need help from everyone who has any interest in the village, who enjoys living here. If you like to see the Church as you pass, if you might want your children baptised there, or to be married there or, eventually be buried there, it surely deserves your support. There is to be a village meeting about it on 10th April at 7.45 pm with refreshments. please come, it will be a chance to meet each other and to hear something of the history of the Church and the village.



Easter Services

Palm Sunday 12th April: 10 am Blessing and Distribution of Palms Sung Eucharist.

Maundy Thursday 16th April: 8 pm Holy Communion of the Last Supper Good Friday 17th April: 12 noon - 1 pm Liturgy of the Cross, with Communion from the Reserved Sacrament

Easter Day 19th April: 8 am Holy Communion. 10 am Sung Eucharist - 6.30 pm Evensong

The Acting Vicar will be pleased if anyone wants to see him before Easter (18a, Leopold Street, Oxford OX4 1PS. Telephone Oxford 724309)



Sandford and Littlemore Beat

My article this month, initially concerns the residents of Bodloy Road and Herschel Crescent, Littlemore. An increasing number of people have been complaining to me about the damage which is caused when motor vehicles park half on, half off the curb. The curb in this area being grass. Having looked further into the complaints, I must agree that in certain places the damage to the curb has become considerable and the area is visibly suffering because of it.

To leave a motor vehicle parked in a position such as this, is an of fence, which does carry a fine. HOWEVER, I would much rather attempt to solve this problem initially in another way, with your co-operation. The road in both areas is wide enough to enable vehicles to park on the road, alongside the curb, without causing any obstruction to other passing vehicles, providing everyone concerned uses the same side of the road for parking. Bear in mind that the passing traffic may sometimes be an ambulance or fire engine. With the co-operation of all concerned, I'm sure that the curbsides will once again return to the pleasant grassed areas I am told they used to be. This problem HAS to be resolved, please, I would rather do so this way than another. Thank you.

Dare I suggest, the weather will be warming up soon and with the coming of the lighter, warmer evenings, our enemy the BURGLAR will be on the lookout for likely customers and no doubt he will find no shortage as usual. So much of his or her activities can be prevented by you, therefore during April and May I will have available at my fortnightly surgeries, a range of advice and information concerning protection against this hazard. Come along and pick up a leaflet or two, they won't cost you anything and they might save you a lot.

Surgeries for April:- Friday 17th Surgeries for May:- Friday 1st

If you want help or advice on any problem which might involve the Police, please contact me on Oxford 249881 Ext 2514 and leave a message.

Carl Reynolds
Community Beat Officer