{"id":31387,"date":"2023-10-04T22:04:31","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T21:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=31387"},"modified":"2023-10-04T22:04:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T21:04:31","slug":"abingdon-on-thames-town-council-meeting-october-4th-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=31387","title":{"rendered":"Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council meeting – October 4th 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nAbingdon-on-Thames Town Council met at the Magistrates Court this evening.<\/p>\n

The meeting began with prayers by the Mayor’s chaplain, Deacon Selina Nisbett.<\/p>\n

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Transparency<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

New Councillor Co-opted<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.
\n
\nAbbey Cinema Lease Renewed<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

New Science Centre Proposed<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Grants Approved<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.
\n
\nOther Topics Discussed<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The council will point the town’s finger posts in the right direction and then refurbish them.
\n
\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31387\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}