Service of Celebration for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III

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The bells of St Helen Church were ringing this evening for the 7:30 pm Service of Celebration for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

The church choir were joined by other Abingdon choirs and sang some of the anthems that will be sung at the Coronation tomorrow. The church was full.

We were told about some of the significant stages of the coronation: The Recognition, The Anointing ( as with Queen Elizabeth II, this will not be shown publicly), and The Crowning.

There were bible readings by the Mayor, Councillor Andy Foulsham; Revd Rachael Hughes, Minister of Abingdon Baptist Church; and Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Felicity Dick.

Revd Paul Smith told us his thoughts on the coronation and its religious significance, and at the end, we sang God Save the King.

Election Count and Abingdon results

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The local election count took place today at the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre.

Four years ago, the count occurred in the centre gym. The centre’s larger indoor tennis area was used successfully at the County Council election two years ago and again today.

At one end was the count for the South Oxfordshire District Council and parish councils in South Oxfordshire.

At the other end was the count for the Vale of Horse District Council and parishes.

After the count, the number of councillors on Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council remains unchanged, with 18 Lib-Dems and 1 Green.

The Conservative Party lost all 6 of their councillors on the district council, and the Lib-Dems and Green Party gained 3 each. There are now 34 Lib-Dems and 4 Greens.

Congratulations to all the winning candidates, and commiserations to those that lost.

Heads of Terms – Agreed or Not Agreed

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The Abbey Cinema, in the Guildhall, has the King’s Coronation on the large screen for anyone who books.

There will also be voting at the Guildhall tomorrow for town and district local councillors.

One issue on the eve of local elections is the future of the Abbey Cinema. There are emails between the Abbey Cinema and the Chair of the Town Council’s Community Committee, about the lease negotiations, which, if not completed by June, could see the cinema closing.

Both sides want the cinema to stay open but are waiting for the other to respond.

The Chair of the Town Council’s Community Committee said, ‘My understanding is that having agreed to the Heads of Terms informally, the Town Council has been waiting for the Abbey Cinema team to sign them.‘

The Cinema’s property consultant has replied, ‘The Heads of Terms are not agreed.  On the 17th February 2023 I responded to the Council’s consultant to various points raised by the Town Council on the draft Heads of Terms. I have yet to receive a response to that email. ‘

P.S. ‘A Head of Terms’ refers to an agreement on the key issues of a negotiation.