Abingdon

Due to the impact of Coronavirus over 5.5 million people are claiming Universal Credit. Many of them are new to claiming Universal Credit having been negatively impacted by Coronavirus. 

As a result, we are sharing the following guide to help local people navigate claiming Universal Credit. 

Here’s the Universal Credit guide https://www.jobcentrenearme.com/universal-credit/

 

The newly formed Neighbourhood Plan Steering group for Abingdon is really keen to capture a wide and representative range of voices.

In the next few weeks themed, virtual focus groups are being held to gathers views and ideas. The Eventbrite registration links for the 10 x focus groups have been set up and are detailed below. There are 15 places per group so please sign up soon to avoid disappointment. 

 

ABINGDON FAMILIES

Tue 23 Feb [7.30pm until 9.00pm]

Following the sad death of Captain Sir Tom Moore and the advice from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, we are flying the Union Flag at half-mast from the County Hall building as a mark of respect.

Captain Sir Tom Moore was a 100-year-old war veteran whose inspirational fundraising efforts raised more than £32 million for the NHS during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

Did you know that Costa Coffee in Abingdon Market place will fill a customer's reusable cup if asked, and they give a 25p discount for this.

Costa Coffee are then also accepting old takeaway cups back from customers which they will then dispose of in a sustainable way. (They are also accepting disposable cups from other outlets). 

Costa Coffee will then send them to their own composting facility, where they get treated at the necessary high temperature.

Abingdon Carbon Cutters are continuing an existing environmental transport survey of employees traveling to work in Abingdon.

This survey was started by two Oxford University students working for them in December. The purpose is to discover what steps need to be taken in order to encourage more people to travel to work in an eco-friendly way.

The students got 125 responses and have made some interesting observations. They need more data for the survey to carry enough weight to be submitted to the Town Council and OCC to inform their transport strategy,

Abingdon Museum has launched a new project, ‘Abingdon People in Lockdown’, aimed at collecting lockdown stories from the people of Abingdon and the surrounding area.

We invite everyone to share their lockdown experience. We would like to hear lockdown stories from the point of view of children and young people, from parents tasked with home-schooling, from those working on the front line, from those working in the background and from those shielding or isolated. In fact, whatever your experience has been, we are interested to know about it.

South and Vale Business Support have a dedicated website where they provide businesses across South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse with free and impartial support, advice and up-to-date business information.

If your business has been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic, you can access information on the business support schemes set up to help.

Visit www.svbs.co.uk for further information and contact details.

The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 deeply re-framed our way of life. It changed our perceptions,
affected our relationships with the outside world and imposed lockdown on us, forcing us to
‘stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.’

Released on: 11.01.2020 from The Vale of White Horse District Council

Community Infrastructure - we want your views

Two consultations launch this week into how the Vale of White Horse District Council raises money for infrastructure and community facilities needed to support planned growth across the District. 

Released 14 January 2021

The Winter Support Grant Scheme is now available for residents in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse who need help to buy food and heating their homes this winter. 

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have been working with Oxfordshire County Council and other district councils to distribute the nearly £1.4million given to the county by the Department for Work and Pensions in December 2020 as part of the Covid Winter Grant Scheme. 

A weekly Covid Response Working Group has been established, with members of Abingdon Town Council meeting every Monday since November 2020, to consider the Council’s response to the Covid pandemic. The group monitors all parts of the Council's operations and responsibilities to ensure that they are COVID safe and meeting the needs of residents. The group also considers any applications to the Covid Emergency Grant Fund set up by Abingdon Town Council. So far, the group has awarded grants to the following initiatives:

In a recent tree survey a number of diseased and damaged trees were identified in Boxhill Park and were removed. However, in keeping with the town Councils Policy to replace any trees taken down, our outside works team worked with Carbon Cutters and a group of fantastic volunteers in November 2021 to plant 20 fruit trees in Boxhill park to make a community orchard.

These have been planted to help increase the biodiversity of the town and are part of a long-term plan to establish a wildflower area here.

Scammers target residents with promise of coronavirus vaccine

Read the story on the Oxfordshire County Council website here or below:

Residents are urged to be on their guard against scammers using the promise of a coronavirus vaccine to con them out of money.

Due to the current restrictions in place and the guidelines regarding social distancing we will not be carrying out the Christmas tree recycling event on the Market Place this year.

If you are signed up to the garden waste service, you can put your real Christmas tree out next to the brown bin on your scheduled garden waste collection days in January. Trees must be cut to less than 6ft.

If you’re not a garden waste customer, please see the Vale of White Horse District Council’s website to find out where your nearest Christmas tree collection point is:

Town Council’s Roysse Court offices are closed from 24th December 2020 to 3rd January 2021. Our works team will be working throughout the period to ensure that essential tasks are undertaken. Our e-mail enquiries@abingdon.gov.uk will be checked daily throughout the holiday period. In the case of a genuine emergency in relation to town council services, we may be contacted on 01865 751605. 

The current mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Charlie Birks, has spent his time as Mayor fundraising for the following two charities:

Shift which is an informal support group that welcomes parents, carers and extended family members of any child with SEND (with or without diagnosis) and The Abingdon Bridge, a charity which supports young people in challenging circumstances.

Sovereign’s new project ‘Your Community Your Choice’ is launching in Bristol and Abingdon, with £40,000 available to spend in these areas. This is community engagement in a way that Sovereign have never done before! If you’re a Sovereign resident over the age of 18, living in Bristol or Abingdon, you can put forward and vote for project ideas allowing you to decide how this £40,000 is spent to improve your environment in your community.

The Vale of White Horse District Council will be spending a few days in each Parish/Town across Vale of white horse to perform a deep cleanse. They will be coming to Abingdon for 7 days from 04/01/2021 to 12/01/2021. They will be litter picking, sweeping and removing weeds/moss on pavements.

They will not spray weeds, cut grass or vegetation or remove weeds or moss which are on roads. We only clear land to which the public is permitted access and that is under the direct control of the district council.

From today, Wednesday 2 December, Oxfordshire is in the tier 2 alert level following the end of national lockdown.

Some existing guidance remains the same in that people should continue to work from home if they can do so, and education and childcare remain open. We’re also being encouraged to travel only if essential to do so. But remember that when travelling between areas that are in different tiers, you must adopt whichever restrictions are higher to prevent the spread of the virus.

What are the new tier 2 rules?

People in the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire can park for free on specific days this December and are being urged to use this opportunity to support their local shops and cafes in the run up to Christmas.

Each year Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils provide free parking days during December to help encourage people to shop locally for their Christmas presents.