Winter focus

Practical tips and advice as we head towards the winter months

What to do if our waste collections are affected by bad weather

As winter begins to set in - if we get bad snow or ice in the district - it may not be safe for our trucks and crews to make their usual rounds. If we don’t manage to empty your bins on your scheduled day, please leave them out for two more days and we’ll do our best to come back. If after three days we haven’t managed to empty them please bring them back in and we’ll empty them next time they’re due – if this happens, you’ll be able to leave extra waste out beside your bin.

For the latest information on any disruptions and what to do please visit our website, call the Biffa call centre on 03000 610 610 or follow our social media channels.

Have your say on how rural crime is affecting your community

There is still time to take part in our rural crime survey.

We want your views on how rural crime is affecting your area. We are particularly interested in understanding what rural crimes you are most concerned about and how they are impacting your neighbourhood.

Take part here.

The survey is open until 11.59pm on Tuesday 21 November 2023. The findings of this survey will inform our decisions and plans on how to tackle rural crime.

Climate and sustainability

Working together towards a sustainable future

We’re looking to help local businesses become more sustainable

If you run a local business, we’d like to hear from you. We’ve launched a survey to understand the challenges for local business to become more sustainable.

Working with Oxford Brookes University and funded through the UK Share Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) the study aims to create a programme of decarbonisation and sustainability support for businesses in our districts. This work will also help us to support businesses with the current cost of energy crisis.

Have your say here the survey takes around 15 minutes to complete and feedback is helpful to make sure we can provide the right kind of support to help local businesses grow sustainably.

What does climate change mean to you?

The Oxfordshire Climate Action would like to hear your views so they can develop their website to better support local residents and businesses to tackle climate change – take the survey here.

Free trees for schools and communities

The Woodland Trust is giving FREE trees to schools and communities. The Trust is currently taking applications for tree packs to be delivered in March 2024. Applications are expected to close in January, or sooner depending on stock availability. To apply see their website.

Ideas to help people reduce their energy use and costs

We are hosting a free online webinar next week to help town and parish councils and community groups support residents to reduce their energy use and costs. This takes place on Tuesday 14 November at 6-7.15pm. The speakers will talk about the support that is available and some inspiring examples of local projects to help residents. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

To register for the event and get the link, email climateaction@southandvale.gov.uk

Changes for postal and proxy voting

As we start preparations for the Police and Crime Commissioner Election in May 2024, we are flagging several changes that have just been introduced for postal and proxy voter applications.

Residents can now apply online to vote by post and for some types of proxy vote. But they will need to prove their identity when applying, by providing their National Insurance number.

There are also new limits to how many people a voter can act as a proxy for. This means you can only act as a proxy for two people living in the UK. If you act as a proxy for people living overseas, you can act as proxy for up to four people but only two of these can be based in the UK.

For more information, visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/ways-vote or call their helpline on 0800 328 0280.

How to request a litter bin

If your parish is looking to install or request a new litter bin, here is some important information for you to consider first.

Make sure the type of litter bin is correct

To ensure your litter bin is regularly serviced and problem free, we have a standard bin type which is installed throughout both districts. This is due to our current servicing agreement within our waste contract with Biffa.

If you want to install your own bins, please contact the waste team first, so that we can review and confirm your choice of bin matches our requirements. Unfortunately, if we aren’t consulted it may mean we are unable to empty the new bins.

New locations

We need to assess all requests for litter bins in new locations and measure against the following criteria:

There is evidence of litter and dog fouling at the location and there isn’t already a bin within the area.
The land is adopted highway or district council owned land.
The bin is within 25 meters of the public highway to allow the safe emptying by Biffa.
The bin will support the districts overall street cleansing service.

We also check if nearby litter bins could be emptied more frequently or seldom used bins moved to a better location.

Land developers, parish or town councils can install a litter bin on land relevant to them (not owned by the district council). However, it will be their responsibility for the collection and disposal of the waste.

You can find more guidance on this topic here.

Does your parish have some outdoor gym equipment?

If your parish has outdoor gym equipment – but local people would like more confidence on how to use it, we can organise outdoor fitness sessions to help local residents get the most from the equipment. Alternatively, we can provide a video of exercises for the equipment in your area. To find out more, please email active.communities@southandvale.gov.uk putting ‘outdoor gym’ in the subject box.

Could Community Payback help in your area?

If your local area has work that needs doing in public spaces or community buildings, you may be able to get some help through the Community Payback scheme.

Community Payback is where offenders work on coordinated projects to pay back the community for their crimes, for example by removing graffiti, clearing wasteland, weeds or overgrowing bushes, or decorating a community centre.

To find out how your community could benefit and how to refer local projects, please visit our Community Payback page.

Other News

Have you tried the EV Car Clubs?

If you live in Henley or Wallingford, now might be the time to try out your local Electric Vehicle (EV) car club. For those days when you need a car – yours is in use by someone else in the family or in the garage – or you just fancy testing out an EV, then this is a great time to sign up for discounted membership of the car clubs which have a vehicle at council-run car parks at Henley and Wallingford – more information on car clubs here. If you are a member of one of the car clubs we would love to hear about your experiences, please email us at climateaction@southandvale.gov.uk

Let it snow this Christmas

Get ready to be swept away by the enchanting magic of Lyngo Theatre's Heart of Winter this December at Cornerstone Arts Centre Didcot.

Christmas is coming and Sally can't sleep – it's far too hot! The weather has gone topsy-turvy. No-one can remember the last time it snowed. To help her sleep Dad reads her a story about the last snowflake.

Don't miss out on this musical delight for families and keep an eye out for lots of fluffy snow!

Monday 18 December to Sunday 24 December. On Thursday 21 December both shows will be relaxed performances – there’s more information on the Cornerstone website.

This month

Remembrance Day and Armistice Day

Opportunities to work at the May 2024 elections – register your interest now!

Donating old laptops to help people get online