As a provider of life essential supplies, Thames Water work hard to ensure water never stops flowing but from time to time, things can go wrong. In these events, we try to deliver bottled water to people with water-dependent medical conditions (i.e. at-home dialysis) and to those with mobility issues, first of all. As key workers, we support the NHS, the councils, our carers and charities in order meet the needs of our customers in vulnerable circumstances. You can benefit from our free priority services: get in touch by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (or ask a friend to email for you and we can call you back) - we would like to know that we can add that extra layer of support to help increase your feeling of wellbeing and independence at home knowing that we are here for you when you need us. If you have online access, you can find more about becoming a priority customer and register at thameswater.co.uk/extrasupport. If you have no internet access, we can register you over the phone (0800 009 3652 option 3) or send you a paper application form in the post with a free return envelope.

If you need help with paying your water bills, find out more at https://www.thameswater.co.uk/my-account/billing-and-payment/help-paying-your-bill 

And last but not least, we developed some fun water testing games to pass the time: https://youtu.be/oJ5DIE-3SKI I hope you enjoy them.

Thousands of residents in southern Oxfordshire have found their recycling bins unemptied each week because they have put the wrong things in them.
Putting non-recyclable items in recycling can contaminate a whole truckload, which is then rejected at the recycling facility. This turns neighbours’ recycling into rubbish and ultimately wastes energy and raw materials by removing these items from the recycling process.
Bin crews in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts have stepped up monitoring of recycling bins in recent months as the lockdown has meant an increase in household waste, which has meant an increased risk of people putting the wrong items in recycling bins.
To remind residents about what can (and can’t) be recycled, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have devised a new recycling quiz available here
https://survey.southandvale.gov.uk/s/TheGreenRecyclingBinQuiz/ 

During one week of recycling collections in the past month there were
• 3,801 reports of wrong items found in recycling bins in South Oxfordshire
• 2,211 reports of wrong items found in recycling bins in Vale of White Horse

Bins found with incorrect items for recycling were left unemptied.
The vast majority were rejected because residents had put black or coloured bin bags into recycling bins. Crews cannot see what is in them and so won’t empty the bin. The next biggest category of rejections was because food was found in the green bin. Food contaminates recycling making it unrecyclable. Food can be collected in food bins and taken to a separate facility where it is transformed into electricity and fertiliser.
Textiles, like old T-shirts and odd socks are another reason for crews to leave recycling bins unemptied. Although both councils collect textiles for recycling at a different facility, they must be left in a tied carrier bag next to the green bin. Other non-recyclable items which are regularly found by bin crews in recycling bins are polystyrene, plastic toys, garden waste, electrical items, wood and nappies.
These items cannot be sorted at the recycling centres and shouldn’t be put in the recycling as they can contaminate a whole truckload of recycling.

Councillor David Rouane, South Oxfordshire District Council cabinet member for housing and the environment, said: “The waste contractor needs to know that the recycling is of a standard that is accepted by the materials recovery facility. With reduced staffing levels at the site, to maintain social distancing, and the increase in quantity of material being sent there, it is important that it receives good quality recycling.”
Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Vale of White Horse District Council cabinet member for housing and the environment, said: “The councils and their waste contractor are determined to reduce contamination and residents can help them do it by educating themselves on what can and can’t go into the recycling bins. Residents could have some fun at the same time by trying our recycling quiz.”
Recycling should be in the green bin loose or in clear bags so the crews can easily identify that the contents are recyclable.
If they see non-recyclables, crews will leave the bins unemptied, record the reasons and leave a tag on the bin explaining to residents.
For more information about what can and cannot be recycled please see our websites:
South and Vale
Notes to editors
Reasons for rejected bins
South Oxfordshire w/c 1 June
Out of approximately 66,000 bins due to be emptied

Reason Quantity
Contaminated - black bags/coloured bags 2251
Contaminated – food 734
Contaminated – other 530
Contaminated - textiles 286

Reasons for rejected bins
Vale of White Horse w/c 25 May
Out of 63,000 bins due to be emptied
Reason Quantity
Contaminated - black bags/coloured bags 1078
Contaminated – food 331
Contaminated - other 596
Contaminated - textiles 206

Communications
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils
01235 422400
www.southoxon.gov.uk | @southoxon
www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk | @whitehorsedc

SODC have announced they will be charging at car parks from Monday 8th June 2020

TRAFFIC REGULATION NOTICE
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT, 1984

Notice is hereby given pursuant to Section 14(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984, that the Oxfordshire County Council

TEMPORARILY PROHIBITS THE USE OF THE HIGHWAY
BY ALL MOTOR VEHICLES

LOCATION: Checkendon, unnamed road between Whitehall lane and Judges Road

REASON: To facilitate repair of a damaged water chamber in the carriageway

DURATION: Starting on 15 June 2020
The anticipated completion date is 17 June 2020(date included). This is a 24 hour per day closure.
(Traffic Regulation Notices cover a maximum of 5 consecutive days.)

ACCESS: Limited access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for frontages within the closed section of road, subject to the progress of the works

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE ROUTE: via Main Street-Stoke Row Road-Gallowstree Road-Horsepond Road-A4074 and vice versa

Jason Russell, Director for Infrastructure Delivery
Communities

If you wish to attend the parish council meeting being held via Zoom on the 28th May 2020 please can you contact the clerk before 5.00pm on the 28th May so that I have time to send you the link.

On the evening of the meeting [please can you be ready for 7.25 so i can admit you to the meeting. once we have started i am busy taking notes and do not want to miss any information or fail to admit someone into the meeting.

Ina Chantry

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Four important messages ahead of this Bank Holiday weekend

1. Help is available
2. Friday’s waste collections moved to Saturday
3. Stay at home – get gardening
4. VE day celebrations at home

1. Help is available

Our support service for people who need urgent help as a result of current government guidelines will be running over the weekend.

Our support line is open Bank Holiday Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm each day.

Please don’t wait until the last minute to call us as the bank holiday might make it more difficult to get hold of the items you need.  Our advice is to think ahead.

The first step if you need help is to check with your friends or family, or a trusted neighbour.  If they can’t help, then your local volunteer group might be able to and, if you have no success with either, please don’t hesitate to call or email us.

Call us on 01235 422 600 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information on how you can find more help and support, please see our Coronavirus community support pages - southoxon.gov.uk/covid19 or whitehorsedc.gov.uk/covid19

2. Friday’s waste collection moved to Saturday

If your waste collection is usually on a Friday, then this week’s collection day will change to give our collection crews the bank holiday off.  Instead, we’ll come and empty your bins on Saturday 9 May – these collections will start at 6am so we recommend putting your bins out the night before.

To find out more head to our website  - visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/bankholiday or southoxon.gov.uk/bankholiday

3. Extra garden waste collections

If you’re a garden waste customer, this weekend’s the time to spend getting it in shape.  As we’ll be collecting one extra bin’s worth of garden waste on your first brown bin week after the bank holiday.  A bin’s worth of waste is around three large bin bags, which you should leave next to your brown bin on your usual collection day during:

• week commencing 11 May – Vale of White Horse
• week commencing 18 May – South Oxfordshire

4. VE Day celebrations at home

It’s tempting to go out and visit friends and family during a Bank Holiday weekend, but its important we remain at home and follow the national guidelines.

This weekend everybody has a great reason to stay at home to take part in the national ‘at home’ celebrations to commemorate 75th anniversary of VE Day this Friday.

We’re asking everyone in our district to ‘make it red, white and blue’ this weekend to help mark what’s an important date in our history.  Residents can get involved by baking and make red, white and blue, cakes, buns or muffins, or dress your front garden, house, car, pet or lockdown partners up in red, white and blue.  Take photos and share them on social media to show your celebrations.

The VE Day website has heaps of information on how you and your household can get involved at home.  It has dedicated educational packs that you can use to teach your children all about why we’re celebrating, and there’s a party toolkit that includes print off bunting and posters to display in your home and windows.  They’ve set up a few special events that people can join in from home including an afternoon tea with recipe ideas from celebrity bakers such as Bake-Off host Prue Leith and previous winner Nadiya Hussain, and a 1940s musical play list. 

Head to the VE Day website to download your educational packs and a toolkit.

Cllr Emily Smith, Leader of Vale of White Horse district council, said, “It is a shame that plans for the bank holiday have had to change, but there are lots of events on TV and online to help us mark commemorate Victory in Europe Day. I look forward to spotting some red, white and blue bunting and other decorations while on my daily exercise"

Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader of South Oxfordshire district council, said, "This is the perfect weekend to get out in your garden and deal with your unwanted weeds and hedge clippings. For residents who are signed up to our brown bin collections, our extra-large garden waste collections start from 18 May for South residents."

Thames Water Communication: supporting customers and communities in light of Covid 19:

“These are difficult times for all of us, and now it’s even more important we do what we can to support the most vulnerable.

We would like to inform people in your communities about our free priority services register. We invite our customers to share their individual needs with us, so we can tailor our communications with them, improve their resilience and prioritise how we help them if their water stops. You can find out more about our service, here.

Of course, we work hard to try and ensure water never stops flowing but from time to time, things can go wrong. In these events, we try to deliver bottled water to people with water-dependent medical conditions (i.e. at-home dialysis) and to those with mobility issues, first of all.

We understand a huge number of people are self-isolating because of the coronavirus at the moment, and although we’d love to be able to deliver water to every home, it’s sadly not possible. We recommend that anyone at-risk and/or self-isolating who needs water supplying to them reaches out to friends, family members or neighbours to help.

If they have a pre-existing health condition or mobility issue, or nobody can deliver water along with their groceries, they should join our register and we’ll always try to help.

If you would like more details on the priority services and how we can support your communities’ resilience please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you and please take care.

Thames Water Communication: supporting customers and communities in light of Covid 19:

“These are difficult times for all of us, and now it’s even more important we do what we can to support the most vulnerable.

We would like to inform people in your communities about our free priority services register. We invite our customers to share their individual needs with us, so we can tailor our communications with them, improve their resilience and prioritise how we help them if their water stops. You can find out more about our service, here.

Of course, we work hard to try and ensure water never stops flowing but from time to time, things can go wrong. In these events, we try to deliver bottled water to people with water-dependent medical conditions (i.e. at-home dialysis) and to those with mobility issues, first of all.

We understand a huge number of people are self-isolating because of the coronavirus at the moment, and although we’d love to be able to deliver water to every home, it’s sadly not possible. We recommend that anyone at-risk and/or self-isolating who needs water supplying to them reaches out to friends, family members or neighbours to help.

If they have a pre-existing health condition or mobility issue, or nobody can deliver water along with their groceries, they should join our register and we’ll always try to help.

If you would like more details on the priority services and how we can support your communities’ resilience please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thank you and please take care.

Please see below for stories and information that we would like to share with you and your residents regarding health and adult social care:

New coronavirus clinics to help patients across Oxfordshire:

https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/new-coronavirus-clinics-to-help-patients-across-oxfordshire/

Praise for Oxfordshire's inspirational care teams:

https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/praise-for-oxfordshires-inspirational-care-teams/

New hotline for diabetes patients during COVID-19

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/news/article.aspx?id=1225

Health and well-being services affected during the coronavirus:

There are a range of well-being and health services that are affected during this period. If you need to find out about services such as: support to quit smoking, sexual health clinics and weight management sessions, please click here.

 Local information about services affected during the Coronavirus:

Updates about critical frontline services such as fire and rescue, waste collections, highways and children’s social care:

https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/coronavirus-information-from-the-government/

For information and updates about other services, please go to: https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/?h=1&all=1

Best wishes

Louise Chandler

Media & Communications Officer

Oxfordshire County Council | 2^nd Floor | County Hall | New Road | Oxford OX1 1ND

Phone number: 07776388154

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk

Press Release: 

Domestic abuse advice is being shared by Oxfordshire County Council and its partners, in recognition that Coronavirus movement restrictions will be having a direct impact on many individuals and families.

Existing abuse can escalate because of stress, anxiety, and other challenges, whilst widespread health concerns and job losses may mean some people experience or use domestic abuse for the first time.

The Home Secretary has confirmed that anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse can leave and seek refuge, despite restrictions on movement. Refuges remain open, and the police will provide support to all individuals who are being abused - whether physically or emotionally.

Oxfordshire’s domestic abuse services continue to offer support and can help people at risk by finding safe alternative accommodation or by increasing safety measures to enable them to remain at home.

The County Council is working closely with partners to ensure those at risk of domestic abuse are able to access the help they need to be safe. 

Sarah Carter, Strategic lead for Domestic Abuse, from Oxfordshire County Council, said:

“It is more important than ever that Oxfordshire residents have access to information and support.

“Social distancing, isolation and shielding measures mean people suffering domestic abuse are less able to reach out for help. This means we all have a role to play in protecting those at risk; looking and listening out for our neighbours, friends, family and others in the community.”

How and where to get help and support:

• Anyone in immediate danger should phone 999.

• Or if in danger and unable to talk on the phone, dial 999 and then press 55. This will transfer the call to police, who will assist without the caller having to speak.

• Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Services offers free advice: 0800 731 0055 (Mon-Fri 10am-7pm). Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Alternatively, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247.

• Anybody worried about causing harm to the ones they love can get help by contacting Respect Phoneline - 0808 802 4040. https://respectphoneline.org.uk/

End

This story has been published on Oxfordshire County Council’s website here,

… and we’ve also shared advice on Twitter (please RT and share via your local communication channels)

Many thanks

Chris Dyson

Press Officer

Oxfordshire County Council