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From County Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale July 16

From County Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale, July 2016

Berinsfield Children’s Centre

Following a very successful meeting of interested parties, a Steering Group has been established in Berinsfield to try and keep the Children’s Centre open since it is one of the Centres that the County Council will no longer be able to fund. This Group includes representatives from the County Council, the Parish Council, the Church, Soha Housing, Employment Action Group, Berinsfield Information Centre, The Community Foundation and Action for Children who run the centre on behalf of the County Council. The Group will be seeking opinion and support from the village, and mounting a communications campaign this month. If anyone feels they would like to help to keep this valued facility open please get in touch with either myself, Jackie Logan at Soha, or any member of the Parish Council.

Latest Information On Crime And Community Safety In Oxfordshire

An updated version of the Safer Oxfordshire Partnership’s Strategic Intelligence Assessment has been published. The Strategic Intelligence Assessment (SIA) provides the latest information on crime and community safety in Oxfordshire. It aids understanding of emerging trends and patterns in crime and disorder, and it explores future threats and opportunities. The SIA is part of the evidence base which supports community safety partners to plan and target their work. It is a good first port of call for anyone wanting to know about crime and community safety in Oxfordshire. The headline long-term trend shows that crime in Oxfordshire has fallen by 33% over the past eight years. The full report and an executive summary can be seen via this link: http://insight.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/community-safety-0

 

BEC Survey

                                                                       

A big thanks to those of you who took the trouble to complete our survey. The survey aimed to help us understand what kinds of future events you would like to see organised, as well as what you did and did not like about past events.

 

Here are a few headlines:

·        For those who had attended past events (i.e. Barn Dance, Lunch on the Green, Bonfire & Fireworks, Ball, Safari Supper) over 70% of respondents said for each event that they “enjoyed it quite a lot” or “enjoyed every minute”. Safari Supper had a 100% positive rating!

·        In terms of positive attitudes towards future events, the least popular (but still with over 50% saying they would “like it” or “love” it) was the idea of another Ball. The most popular was Lunch on the Green (79% would “like it” or “love” it).

·        We were gratified to find that 82% of respondents felt that BEC was important to the local community – so we do intend to carry on!

·        There were also many useful comments made about the planning and organisation of specific events. In particular regarding the Bonfire & Fireworks, although 73% of respondents “enjoyed it quite a lot” or “enjoyed every minute” a few concerns were raised about the impact on the Green and surrounding properties, so we will make sure we take these views into account.

·        Finally, a big issue for us (the BEC Committee) is the amount of help we have from villagers when setting up and running these events. 29% said they are very willing to help/try to help whenever they possibly can, and another 52% said they are happy to help out occasionally. So please remember whenever the next events take place, your help is an important part of making these things happen and is always gratefully received.

BEC events in the pipeline:

·        Queen’s Birthday Picnic Tea on the Green, Saturday 11th June (see item in this Newsletter)

·        Bonfire & Fireworks, Saturday 5th November

·        Safari Supper – probably Spring 2017, details to be confirmed – watch this space!

If you want to find out more about BEC, go to: http://www.baldons.org.uk/page.php?id=132