Launton Parish Council reporting . . .

Notes from the Meeting of the Parish Council held on Thursday 6 March 2025 at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall

Councillors present: Mr Glyn Austin, Mr Andrew Briant(Vice Chairman), Mrs Jackie Hackett, Mr Simon Turner (Chairman) and Mrs Jaqueline Webber.

Apologies: None.

In attendance: 3 members of the public

Reports from District and County Councillors

No reports were received.

Governance and Consultations

There are still two Councillor vacancies and there have still been no applications for the vacant role of Parish Clerk, so the Chairman is continuing as Acting Clerk for now. Efforts to find a new Clerk will be redoubled once the Parish Hall re-roofing project is completed. Details of the vacancy may be found on the Parish Council website. Anyone interested in the position, or in becoming a Councillor, should contact the Chairman, SimonTurner: simon.turner@launton-pc.gov.ukor call the Parish Council’s mobile number (07305 303889).

Finance

The Finance Report is available on the Parish Council website.

Planning

All planning applications, which include the links to Cherwell’s Planning Portal, are put on the Parish Council website when they are received (www.launton-pc.gov.uk-inthe Agenda and Minutes section).

If a villager has concerns or comments about a planning application, they are welcome to come along to Parish Council meetings to bring them to the attention of the meeting. Villagers are also welcome to contact Councillors or the Clerk to make comments.

Guidance about how the Parish Council is able to respond is available on the Parish Council website at https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/planningapplications/

Parish Hall

The long-awaited roof replacement should be starting in late March and is expected to take 2-3 weeks. [Update: scaffolding was erected and materials delivered between 18 and 21 March; work started on 25 March.] During the works the Hall will be unavailable for use during the day on weekdays, but should remain available in the evenings and at weekends. As the Hall will be an active building site, users should take appropriate care when arriving and departing. The broadband installation by Gigaclear has been postponed until the roof replacement has been completed.

Highway and Traffic Issues

The open-top Mercedes that was abandoned on Bicester Road, then moved to The Glades during the pothole-filling works on Bicester Road, is being dealt with by Cherwell District Council. Unfortunately there is a lengthy legal process that must be followed before the vehicle can be removed; please be patient.

Village Spring Clean

Thank you to all who came to help with the annual Spring Clean on 15 March - with no permanent Clerk, publicity had not been up to the usual standard but nonetheless a healthy crop of volunteers turned out and managed to cover the whole village between them. Special thanks go to the WI, whose plentiful and delicious cakes, along with tea and coffee, provided welcome refreshment for the volunteers.

Annual Parish Meeting - 17 April

The village Annual Parish Meeting will be on Thursday 17 April at 7.30pmin the Parish Hall. All organisations or groups involved in the village will be invited to make a short report and all villagers are welcome to attend.

If there is anything specific you would like to add to the agenda, please let the Clerk know by Monday 7 April.

This is a great opportunity to hear about what has happened in the village over the past year and to get involved with new projects and organisations.

For more information, please contact Simon Turner at clerk@launton­pc.gov.uk

Agenda items and dates of the next meetings

The next meeting will be on Thursday 3 April 2025 in Launton Parish Hall, starting at 7.30pm. If you'd like to chat with a Councillor, do come along after 7.15pm.

Suggestions for agenda items for the 3 April meeting need to be with the Clerk by 20 March and items for the 1 May meeting by 19 April. March. Note the 1 May meeting will be in the School Hall.

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