Minutes:
Council received the following public address:
Ms Helen Marshall, spoke on behalf of Protect Rural Oxfordshire (PRO)
against the proposals in relation to Park & Ride Sites set out in Agenda
Item 14, Local Transport Plan 2015 – 2031.
PRO believed the sites proposed in the Plan would have a severe
detrimental impact on the greenbelt and that the County Council should have
conducted proper research into the impact of such sites before including them
in the Strategy. PRO further questioned
the logic of locating Park & Ride sites in the Countryside, thus moving
congestion onto rural roads. Furthermore,
there was no information in the Park & Ride Strategy explaining why 6 of
the proposed sites were in the greenbelt and the cumulative effect this would
have, or whether alternative sites had been considered. She urged the Council to reject the LTP4
until a proper evidence based study had been carried out into Park & Ride
provision in Oxfordshire.
Ms Julie Mabberley,
speaking in relation to Agenda Item 14, urged the Council to oppose the Local
Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) on the basis that the Strategy was not strategic and
did not include planned funds for the transport infrastructure needed to
support the proposed growth in the Wantage & Grove area in terms of road
infrastructure, public transport, cycling and local schools.
Ms Jill Huish, local Resident and user of children centres in Oxford
spoke in relation to agenda Item 8, Questions with Notice from Members of the
Council against the closures of Children’s Centres. She related her personal experiences with the
centres, including the extensive support she received through Domestic
Violence. She urged the County Council
to reconsider closing the centres as they provided essential support to mothers
and families such as outreach, domestic violence, breast feeding, mental health
support, speech therapy, freedom support and nutrition allowing families to
help themselves before intervention was needed. She believed the closure of the
centres would see an increase in Social Services intervention and leave many
families in Oxfordshire isolated and vulnerable.
Mr Alexander
Murray, Local resident of Witney spoke in support Agenda Item 15, Motion from
Councillor Laura Price. He expressed
deep concern that the trust had been implementing changes to the Community
Hospital without due and proper consultation and that further changes would
result in patients from Witney having to go elsewhere for treatment. He urged the Council to support the Motion
put forward by Councillor Laura Price.
Mr David Hartley, West Oxon 38 Campaign Group spoke in support of Agenda
Item 15, Motion from Councillor Laura Price.
He expressed deep concern over the implemented changes carried out thus
far including ward closure and staff losses at the Witney Community Hospital.
He further expressed concern that the implementations had not been carried out
with the expected transparency or formal consultation with all 'stakeholders'
and that the decision by the OCCG, raised serious questions regarding the
future integrity of WCH to offer the high standard of health provision it had
been clearly able to manage up until these apparently arbitrary and unilateral
changes.