Vale of White Horse - Our priorities | April 2015

▲PROTECTING HOMES AND BUSINESSES FROM FLOODINGWhen heavy rain causes flooding, the road closures and train cancellations affect us all, not just those who suffer property flooding. We are investing in schemes both large and small to provide better protection for homes and to keep our community moving.

◄SAVING YOU MONEYWe have frozen Council Tax for the fifth year in a row, meaning that the cost of council services has come down by nearly 8% in real terms since the Conservatives took control of the Council. We have made savings by improving efficiency and reducing building costs not cutting services. Only our sound financial management has put the Council in a position to be able to invest for the future.

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ► FACILITIESWe have taken the decision to invest in local community facilities - despite the financial restrictions on local councils. That is why we have embarked on a new leisure contract that means access to our leisure centres is improved and existing facilities will see investment of £6.6m, whilst we are also committing to a new leisure centre to provide top class facilities and cope with increased demand.

We’ve worked tirelessly over the last four years to deliver excellent services, value for money and to ensure that the Vale of White Horse remains a wonderful place to live, both for those of us who are here now and for future generations. Already Council Tax is down in real terms, there is more investment in leisure facilities and we have improved our town centres with 2hr free parking - but we know that more needs to be done, which is why we are putting in place Our Plan for the Vale. We need your support on Thursday 7th May in order to make that plan a reality.

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WITH YOUR SUPPORT ON 7TH MAY WE PLAN TO:REGAIN CONTROL OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTWe will adopt a Local Plan and put an end to unplanned housing.

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSESEnsuring that the Vale continues to be a great place to do business.

A brighter outlook for the Vale of White HorseOur priorities for the Vale villages

WORK WITH RURAL COMMUNITIESVillages matter hugely to the character of the Vale and we’ll continue to address their needs.

◄ DELIVERING INFRASTRUCTURE The greatest concern for both residents and the Council is the delivery of infrastructure and the housing developments planned across the district. We have put forward a Local Plan and Infrastructure Plan that will ensure we can deliver the improvements that we so badly need. The failure of the Lib Dems to adopt a Local Plan in the past has hampered efforts to secure the infrastructure on many recent developments. The Local Plan will change this and ensure we can focus on delivering improvements for schools and roads such as the much needed A420 improvements.

▲SUPPORTING OUR RURAL ECONOMYWe have worked to make the Vale an even better place to do business. Our policy of 2hr free parking has rejuvenated our towns and we are investing £500,000 to help improve broadband in the most rural areas. Improving our local infrastructure and making home-working easier is all part of our plan to help boost our rural economy.

▲PROTECTING HOMES AND BUSINESSES FROM FLOODINGWhen heavy rain causes flooding, the road closures and train cancellations affect us all, not just those who suffer property flooding. We are investing in schemes both large and small to provide better protection for homes and to keep our community moving.







DELIVER BETTER INFRASTRUCTUREWe will ensure that developers pay their share for infrastructure such as schools and roads.

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ► FACILITIESWe have taken the decision to invest in local community facilities - despite the financial restrictions on local councils. That is why we are planning a new leisure centre at the heart of the Vale in Grove. The £12m facility is in addition to improvements to existing leisure centres worth £6.6m. We continue to improve The Beacon in Wantage, which now offers a cinema as well as a huge range of theatre and community activities.

▲SUPPORTING OUR HI-TECH ECONOMYThe Science Vale area is much talked about and it is fast becoming one of the world leading centres for hi-tech business. We are working with Harwell Oxford, MEPC Milton Park and other employers to ensure we can secure good quality, well paid jobs for local people. We live in a prosperous part of the world, but need to work hard to maintain our position and to spread the benefits across the community.

◄ DELIVERING INFRASTRUCTURE The greatest concern for both residents and the Council is the delivery of infrastructure and the housing developments planned across the district. Only the Conservatives have shown the courage to tackle this problem and have put forward a Local Plan and Infrastructure Plan that will ensure we can provide the improvements that we so badly need. Now we are also consulting on the Science Vale Area Action Plan which will set out how we can deliver on these promises ensure we hold developers to account.



INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ► FACILITIESWe have taken the decision to invest in local community facilities - despite the financial restrictions on local councils. That is why we have embarked on a new leisure contract that means access to our leisure centres is improved and existing facilities will see investment of £6.6m, whilst we are also committing to a new leisure centre to provide top class facilities and cope with increased demand.






▲PROTECTING HOMES AND BUSINESSESOur part of the Vale suffers particularly badly when the Thames floods. The Conservatives are investing in the major flood defence scheme to Oxford to help protect homes and keep our roads open, but we are also funding smaller schemes such as the groundworks for emergency defences in South Hinksey.

◄ DELIVERING INFRASTRUCTURE The greatest concern for both residents and the Council is the delivery of infrastructure and the housing developments planned across the district. Only the Conservatives have shown the courage to tackle this problem and have put forward a Local Plan and Infrastructure Plan that will ensure we can deliver the improvements that we so badly need. Under the Conservatives the Vale is now in a position to front-fund major infrastructure projects such as the Lodge Hill junction to ensure improvements are put in place sooner rather than later.

▲GETTING THE RIGHT PLAN FOR WESTWAYFollowing the Council’s refusal of Doric’s planning application for West Way, we are working with community groups, parish councils and developers to come up with new plans that have broad community support so that we can deliver a local centre to be proud of.









▲IMPROVING OUR OPEN SPACESWe are investing in improving parks, open spaces and play areas across the Vale, including in Faringdon. Improving the environment for local residents contributes to our quality of life. The Vale has contributed to the success of the Folly Sports Park which now brings together a wide range of activities for residents with fantastic facilities.

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE SERVICESResidents’ satisfaction is up in almost every area, reaching 90% for waste and recycling.

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ► FACILITIESWe have taken the decision to invest in local community facilities - despite the financial restrictions on local councils. That is why we have embarked on a new leisure contract that means access to our leisure centres is improved and existing facilities will see investment of £6.6m, including an artificial turf pitch (ATP) in Faringdon. We are also committed to a new leisure centre for the Vale to provide top class facilities and cope with increased demand.

▲SUPPORTING FARINGDONWe have worked to make the Vale an even better place to do business. Our policy of 2hr free parking has rejuvenated our towns and now we are looking at how to improve and expand parking provision to encourage more shoppers and visitors. We are improving our public open spaces and parks and have put free wi-fi into our town centres.

◄ DELIVERING INFRASTRUCTURE The greatest concern for both residents and the Council is the delivery of infrastructure and the housing developments planned across the district. We have put forward a Local Plan and Infrastructure Plan that will ensure we can deliver the improvements that we so badly need. The failure of the Lib Dems to adopt a Local Plan in the past has hampered efforts to secure the infrastructure on many recent developments. The Local Plan will change this and ensure we can focus on delivering improvements for schools and roads such as the much needed A420 improvements.

A brighter outlook for the Vale of White HorseOur priorities for Faringdon






◄ DELIVERING INFRASTRUCTURE The greatest concern for both residents and the Council is the delivery of infrastructure and the housing developments planned across the district. Only the Conservatives have shown the courage to tackle this problem and have put forward a Local Plan and Infrastructure Plan that will ensure we can deliver the improvements that we so badly need. Under the Conservatives the Vale is now in a position to front-fund major infrastructure projects such as the Wantage Eastern Link Road to ensure this happens sooner rather than later.

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ► FACILITIESWe have taken the decision to invest in local community facilities - despite the financial restrictions on local councils. That is why we are committed to a new leisure centre for Wantage and Grove to provide top class facilities for local people. We will also continue to invest in The Beacon which now provides a cinema and a wide range of theatre and community events. This is on top of £6.6m investment in our existing leisure facilities.

▲SUPPORTING GROVEGrove is a unique community and the threat of new housing has hung over the village for well over a decade. We are committed to delivering the development in the best way for residents, aiming to minimise disruption, maximise the benefits and to do our best to preserve the community that we all love so much.


▲SUPPORTING WANTAGEWe have worked to make the Vale an even better place to do business. Our policy of 2hr free parking has rejuvenated our towns and now we are looking at how to improve and expand parking provision to encourage more shoppers and visitors. We are improving our public open spaces and parks and have put free wi-fi into our town centres.

A brighter outlook for the Vale of White HorseOur priorities for Wantage and Grove








▲PROTECTING HOMES AND BUSINESSES FROM FLOODINGIt is only a few years ago that hundreds of homes in Abingdon were flooded and more recently we have seen travel chaos caused by flooding in and around Oxford. We are investing in flood defences to help protect Abingdon from both the River Ock, the Thames and the Stert.

INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ► FACILITIESWe have taken the decision to invest in local community facilities - despite the financial restrictions on local councils. That is why we have embarked on a new leisure contract that means access to our leisure centres is improved and existing facilities will see investment of £6.6m. We are investing at least £500,000 in the Abbey Meadows to provide a fantastic facility for everyone in the town.

▲SUPPORTING ABINGDONWe have worked to make the Vale an even better place to do business. Our policy of 2hr free parking has rejuvenated our towns and now we are looking at how to improve and expand parking provision to encourage more shoppers and visitors. We are improving our public open spaces and parks and have put free wi-fi into our town centres.

◄ DELIVERING INFRASTRUCTURE The greatest concern for both residents and the Council is the delivery of infrastructure and the housing developments planned across the district. Only the Conservatives have shown the courage to tackle this problem and have put forward a Local Plan and Infrastructure Plan that will ensure we can deliver the improvements that we so badly need. Under the Conservatives the Vale is now in a position to front-fund major infrastructure projects such as the Lodge Hill junction to ensure these improvements happen sooner rather than later.

A brighter outlook for the Vale of White HorseOur priorities for Abingdon

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE SERVICESResidents’ satisfaction is up in almost every area, reaching 90% for waste and recycling.

Vale of White Horse - Our priorities | April 2015

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