Newsletter
News from our new District and County Councillor – Peter Stevens
Cllr Peter Stevens, who was elected in June, provides us with an update on progress since his election.
Published: 17 September 2024
Cllr Peter Stevens
Hi all, it is with pleasure that I write my first column for the monthly magazine. I apologise upfront for the late start – I was elected councillor back at the end of June, and then promptly went on holiday with my family, followed by the normal summer holidays through to the end of August, which has meant that I am only really coming up to speed now in September. However, I have now attended the council meetings for all of the six parishes in my division, as well as sitting on two full county councils and three committees that scrutinise council work. Public life as a councillor is quite different from my normal work, lots of wordy reports to read and more formalities – but more formal for a good reason to ensure everyone gets their democratic say, so worthwhile and rewarding.
In terms of news, we are waiting to hear about the new HIF road and bridge across the Thames in between Appleford and Sutton Courtenay. I spent a lot of time over the summer trying my best to help resolve issues with school buses which have faced considerable challenges over the holidays to prepare for the new school year. I visited the massive landfill site in between the two villages, where I saw what action is being taken to prevent bad smells re-occurring from leachate problems over the past year, and I have asked to visit the waste transfer site there to find out what they are doing to minimise their impact on us.
I am trying to support the new pavilion for the football club at Milton through planning difficulties. I will be trained on the legalities of planning before being allowed to join the county planning committee in November, where I will then scrutinise plans for the landfill site, gravel pits, waste transfer stations, the HIF road, and other infrastructure and large new local developments, to try to get the best deal for local residents and long term outcomes for communities.
At county, district, and parish level, we objected to Thames Water and their proposed SESRO mega reservoir, and I continue to feed into the consultation to improve their strategic plans for the Thames, improving resilience to flooding, harnessing flood waters, stopping leaks, stopping sewage spills, and improving water recycling, as well as safe-guarding water supplies.
This week, I am going to meet the county highways team at Marcham to discuss improving the roads, and to find out what steps they are taking to make the repairs to pot holes last longer and be more resilient to the climate changes increasing their prevalence.
I am also being briefed on the master plan to redevelop the Dalton barracks next to Abingdon, and will find out more about the new Joint Local Plan ahead of next month.
More next month, until then enjoy the last of the summer sun,
Best regards
Peter