The town council received a presentation on public art, with £141,000 available for Abingdon projects. The largest allocations are £40,000 for the Morlands Estate and £60,000 for the Dunmore Road development. Some money could also be used on art for a roundabout and refurbishing the Stratton Way underpass mural. It sounded as though the town council will set up a working group to work with the Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) arts officer.

The One Planet Abingdon group received a £5,000 grant for their work and are planning a Market Place festival on June 15th.

The Mayor announced a free discussion and film night on domestic abuse on March 8th, supporting the Reducing the Risk charity. The film will be “Gaslight” (1944). The Mayor also had a quiz on 19th January, which was fully booked.

In the written County Council Report, County Councillor Nathan Ley highlighted budget difficulties particularly with rising social care costs, staff shortages, and reliance on expensive agency staff. A 4.99% County Council tax rise is proposed, with 2% ringfenced for social care.

Residents can now dispose of some DIY waste for free at Recycling Centres by booking in advance.

A new trial of an innovative pothole repair method reduces carbon by 50%.

Construction of new south-facing slip roads for the A34 at Lodge Hill is expected to begin this summer.

A fully funded zebra crossing will be installed on Northcourt Road with a mid-February closure for construction.

One councillor also said that Councillor Nathan Ley has called a meeting about the flooding that affected parts of North Abingdon. I have not heard of a meeting for South Abingdon yet.

The VWHDC report was not available. But Councillor Neil Fawcett mentioned an additional budget for the Charter redevelopment. Engagement is planned with the town council.

The rest of the meeting was for Town Council business.

Community grants will be increased by 10% to £33,000, and £2,500 will be allocated for a feasibility study on a children’s centre in north Abingdon.

A new ten-year deal for the fair is being discussed with the operator (Bob Wilson). The fair operator suggested that the fair service be held at 4pm, after which the fair would be allowed to open on Sunday evening until 8pm.

Concerns were raised about high ticket prices for Music in the Park, which may have impacted attendance.

Work has been done on improving the path at the Hillview recreation area.

New town council signs with modern wording will be installed on council grounds.

A policy on single-use plastics in the Market Place and at events is being considered.

VWHDC Officers were positive in their feedback about the work done on the Abingdon neighbourhood plan, but said further work is needed on planning guidance.

Additional quotes are needed for expensive roundabout maintenance work. There is £20k in the new budget for such work.

£20K is also budgeted for the new speed indicators. Speed indicator signs will be  deployed and can be moved about within different locations. (If I heard right there will be 7 indicators and 14 locations.)

The infrastructure committee acknowledged children’s concerns about traffic and road safety around Caldecott School, as detailed in letters from school children. This will be forwarded to the traffic advisory committee.

Radar keys for the “space for change” toilet at the Guildhall will be available for purchase, and a trial scheme with using businesses toilets is being considered wherein businesses could get £1000 for taking part.

The budget for the Abbey Hall refurbishment will be £75,000.

Community Infrastructure Levy funds (developer funds) will be used for more projects next year.

The budget for 2024/5 was discussed. (I had to leave at this point for another meeting.) The town council papers said a 4.7% increase in the town council part of the council tax is proposed, setting the precept at £1,936,996 for 2024-25.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council met at the Magistrates Court this evening.

The meeting began with prayers by the Mayor’s chaplain, Deacon Selina Nisbett.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Transparency

During public questions, Hester Hands asked the council about transparency in spending CIL money (a charge that local authorities can set on new development in order to raise funds to help fund the new services needed by the new homes). The council responded that they would be more transparent in the future and would publish a breakdown of CIL spending each year.

New Councillor Co-opted

The meeting began with the co-option of a new councillor for the Dunmore Ward vacancy. Three candidates stood for the position: Charlie Birks (independent), Mark Gibbons (Liberal Democrat), and Aiden Riley (Green). After two rounds of secret voting, Mark Gibbons was co-opted as the new councillor.

Abbey Cinema Lease Renewed

The council announced that a two-year lease has been signed with the Abbey Cinema. The cinema will continue to operate until the end of August 2025, at which point the building will be closed for a major refurbishment.

New Science Centre Proposed

James White of ATOM suggested the development of a new Science Centre in Abingdon. The council expressed its support for the project and will nominate a councillor to join the project team.

Grants Approved

The council approved larger grants to a number of local organizations, including the Abingdon Carousel, The Abingdon Bridge, Be Free Young Carers, Christ’s Hospital, Citizens’ Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale, and the Abingdon Damascus Youth Project. The grant to Christ’s Hospital is a long standing agreement to help fund a small percent of the cost of running the Albert Park.

Other Topics Discussed

Councillor Jim Halliday congratulated all those behind the Abingdon Active Travel Map https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/shop-eat-drink/active-travel-map-of-abingdon-on-thames.

The council is planning to install new play equipment at Caldecott Road recreation ground, in South Abingdon. This will be funded by CIL Money from the North Abingdon developments.

The council will point the town’s finger posts in the right direction and then refurbish them.

The council discussed the introduction of 20 MPH speed indicators in the town. They will probably put speed indicators near town entry points and other important locations, once they have been identified.

The council has decided to revert to having a full planning committee instead of a planning panel. This will involve more staff time and expertise so cannot be done immediatly.

The council will procure flags for the Holocaust Memorial, the LGBTQIA++ flag, and the Universal Suffrage Flag. The Mayor suggested that the reason why a particular flag is flying be put on a town noticeboard. There is a flag currently flying for the Mayor’s Birthday.

The council has appointed an interim town clerk for the next six months, after the previous interim town clerk stepped down. The intention is then to find a permanent town clerk.

There was a special Town Council Meeting this evening to consider the lease of the Abbey Cinema, which, if not renewed within 25 working days, would lead to the closure of the cinema.

Given the slow progress in negotiations over recent months, this might have seemed a Mission Impossible before the meeting.

This is the first time a Town Council meeting has been held in St Nicolas Church. Many townspeople were expected to support the cinema, so the venue was moved from the Old Magistrates Court to the church.

The new Town Council faced the audience and listened to questions and statements from the audience for about 25 minutes. Ian Wiper, the cinema owner, began by saying that since starting the cinema in 2018, it has been given three short-term leases, and they need a long-term lease to allow investment in the building and the cinema to continue. Since a meeting in August 2022, little progress has been made in negotiations, and since February 2023, the Town Council lawyer has been waiting for instructions.

A number of groups who used the cinema then stood up to support the cinema. They included ATOM, The Arts Society Abingdon with 350 members, and The Abingdon Film Club (which uses the Roysse Room).

One person said that the cinema was a big draw to the town centre and without it, more people would go to Oxford and Didcot. Another person said that The Guildhall had been empty before the cinema arrived and could be empty again without a cinema.

Councillor Jim Halliday responded for the Town Council, saying they all wanted the cinema to continue. But, as a council, they needed to be careful entering into a long-term lease for a community asset when negotiating with a commercial organisation. He mentioned the Upper Reaches as an example of a long-term lease that ended badly. He said that after the public meeting, the council would discuss a Guildhall Property Report in a confidential session. The Guildhall needed big investment for energy efficiency requirements as a public building and possibly needed a new roof, which would be expensive.

Councillor Halliday said he would propose that a team of councillors with knowledge of the cinema meet the cinema owners on Friday, having agreed to the property report. His proposal was applauded. An agreement could still be possible in time.

The meeting was well managed by the new Mayor, Councillor Gwyneth Lewis, and the audience left at that point, happier than they had come in.

There was then a matter of council business. The Mayor then proposed that councillors attend main council and committee meetings in person from now on. Since Covid, there have been some hybrid meetings with councillors attending virtually. After some discussion, this was agreed.

The council then went into the confidential session to discuss the property report.

At the annual meeting of the Council (Mayor Making), Cllr Gwyneth Lewis was elected Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames for the civic year 2023-24.

Cllr Gabby Barody was elected as the Deputy Mayor.

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers danced before the ceremony.

The outgoing Mayor, Andy Foulsham, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gabby Barody, presented biodiversity awards to schools and community groups.

There were also Mayor’s awards to:
* ATOM Science Festival

* John Killick for promoting biodiversity in Abingdon and Oxfordshire
* Hilary Beale for Coordinating and managing Abingdon Food Bank and services to Girlguiding in Abingdon
* Paul Shipman for Services to Scouting in Abingdon

The new Mayor is Councillor Gwyneth Lewis, elected for the first time just ten days ago. So the new council has chosen someone different than Gabby Barody, nominated by the outgoing council.

Gwyneth Lewis has a Wikipedia page if you want to know more about her role as a doctor and in promoting women’s health worldwide. She was born in Abingdon and went to Dunmore School and was in the first intake at St Nicolas Primary School. More recently, she set up a local residents group in Thames Street and campaigned about the Upper Reaches. Her charities will focus on domestic abuse and refuge. Her chaplain is Deacon Selina Nisbett.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Gabby Barody is staying as Deputy Mayor for another year.

There is also a new Town Clerk. Nigel Warner retired last year. He was succeeded by somebody who fairly quickly resigned and the new interim Town Clerk is Paula Lopez, who previously worked at Wallingford Town Council.

Another change was that Abingdon Concert Band played instead of Abingdon Town Band.