City Centre Wayfinding meeting

I attended a meeting today with Placemarque and various figures from around the City Centre.  We had a good discussion about issues of finding your way around the city centre as a tourist, other visitor, local person, student or otherwise.

We had some interesting discussion about creating themes around areas and classes of attractions and how a balance needs to be struck between too much information on signs and too little.

We had a walk around the City Centre and it was striking how, in the eyes of someone who doesn’t know the City, it can be so confusing.  Where, for example do you go from the station to get to the centre of town or to Tourist Information?  It’s not at all clear!

We talked a bit about how mobile devices might help to make life easier for visitors without cluttering the streets with signs.  Some Cities have 3D barcodes on signs so people with mobile devices that can scan them (increasingly common these days) can easily find out more if they need to.  The Placemarque people were also very impressed with the Mobile Oxford site that I showed them as a piece of work by a couple of my colleagues at work.

Licensing and Gambling Acts Committee

I chaired this meeting today as the chair, Mary Clarkson was unavailable.  I’d had lunch with her on Monday to talk through the issues so I felt well briefed.  The agenda today consisted of three main items:

The review of the City Council’s statement of licensing policy.  This policy has to be regularly reviewed and there were no major changes.  The most significant is that it now allows members of the City Council to have representations heard as an interested party for any licensable premises in the City – they not longer have to be resident locally to it.

The second item was the Committee’s response to the Home Office Consultation entitled Rebalancing the Licensing Act.  A balanced and proportionate response had been prepared by our licensing team leader and the committee was happy to re-endorse it (as it had had to be sent last month after approval by me as vice chair and Mary as chair).  An interesting proposal is to give local authorities discretion to set license fee levels.  I think this might be useful firstly as a levy for very late opening so that the Police can be better resourced to cope with the consequences of later opening, and secondly as a levy on off-licences to fund test purchasing to make sure sales are not being made to those under the age of 18.

The third item was the update on licensing activities by The Council.  I was impressed at the can-do, proactive approach taken by our licensing team that had produced so much better control of licensable activities without stifling well-run operations.  We talked about the Tesco (St Aldates) appeal that had been allowed by magistrates and there was a feeling that the appeal had been allowed because the original panel had refused the application on grounds of crime and disorder even though there had been no objection from the Police.  We talked about a couple of other cases and about the need for panels to make proportionate decisions that actually address real problems for which there is evidence rather than second-guessing what might or might not happen.  We also talked about the special saturation policies in place for the City Centre and East Oxford and discussed how applicable they are to off-licenses selling alcohol outside of the troublesome times that the SSP is in place to address.

Finally, I couldn’t resist linking to this image from a story in the Daily Mail from March 2008.  Thankfully things are not like that in Oxford, largely thanks to the excellent work of our licensing team headed by Julian Alison and its partnership working with Thames ValleyPolice, Nightsafe and other organisations.

We completed the meeting in a little under an hour.

Central South and West Area Committee

We met again today at St. Barnabas’ School on Hart Street in Jericho.  The agenda was short so the meeting lasted on an hour.  We discussed the proposals to make Jericho a conservation area and talked about usual street scene issues including the mess near the “backside entrance” (phrase of the night award to Cllr Stephen Brown!) to a building in the Walton Street area.

We were disappointed that the person from First Great Western who had come to listen to the concerns of many residents about noise and pollution from Jericho sidings was unable to attend due to being stuck in a traffic jam on the M1.  What does that say about FGW’s attitudes to transport I wonder?

We also expressed our horror and the County Council’s proposal put increase the cost of residents’ parking permits by a whopping 25%.

We were pleased to note our committee’s unblemished record this year (rolling to 31 Aug 10) on planning appeals – not only had no appeals against our decisions been allowed, none had even been lodged.

It was good to see  Daniel Lowe, OUSU Vice President (Charities and Community) present at the meeting.

Street Pastors Training – Police briefing

I attended a training session today where we were briefed about the role and practices of Thames Valley Police in the City Centre.  This was a catch-up as I’d missed this session in the last series of street pastor training.  It was heartening to see how many new people are training to be street pastors.  The Police officers present gave a really good overview of how Policing works and how it will compliment us street pastors. We learned how we are separate and must stay separate but how Police support is always available for us if we need it.

Mansfield College Development Plans

This was a brief meeting set up by the architects Rick Mather and they showed us plans for the redevelopment of the inside of one of the Mansfield College buildings to improve the dining room and kitchens.  There is also proposed a link between the chapel and that building that would be built after demolition of some rather unattractive garages.  I shan’t comment further on this as it may go to a planning application determination in a public meeting and I don’t want to fetter myself.

O’Hanlon House Service Users Meeting

I attended the weekly service users’ meeting this morning at O’Hanlon House (which you might know as the night shelter but it is SO much more than that).

The meeting was run by Lucy Flanagan, one of the centre managers and there were several service users present.  We talked about what a councillor is and what councillors can do for their residents/electors.  I was also asked about who can become a councillor and what the process is.  I explained how nominations and elections worked, and the critera for being eligible to stand (resident in area, work in area, own property in area or registered to vote in area – all for the last 12 months).  I also explained a bit about what political parties are and how they work with and as part of local authorities.

I also explained how the electoral roll is no updated monthly and how O’Hanlon house could make sure its residents are registered to vote as soon as possible.  This is important not only for voting but as evidence of identity these days.

Service users had a few queries about when facilities could be used and a few issues which I thought were very well dealt with by the staff present.  Concerns were raised about the much-feared cuts to be announced on 20th October but there is not much anyone can say yet.  I hope the City Council continues to fund the wonderful place as it is hugely deserving of it, and if it is forced to reduce service or even close this will only result in the City Council having to spend much more money on its statutory homeless duties.  I don’t believe that’s any way to be treating its citizens.

It’s wonderful how much is done for any by the residents of O’Hanlon house and I really do hope that national and local funding won’t be reduced too much in the cuts that are going to have to be made because this is a really worthwhile service.

Every time I visit O’Hanlon house I am more and more impressed by its staff and users’ work and the friendly welcome I receive.

Street Pastors: Commissioning and our first night on Oxford’s Streets

blog.jpgWhat an exciting night!  I was commissioned along with around a dozen other Oxford Street Pastors yesterday evening and New Road Baptist Church.  We were addressed by DCI Colin Paine of Thames Valley Police and by Revd Paul Rush of the Ascension Trust, that sets up each Street Pastors Scheme.  I’m pictured here with Ruth Wilson, a member of St. Columba’s United Reformed Church, like me.  There were people from many local churches and denominations being inducted as Street Pastors.  Rob and Gemma Winn from Wesley Memorial Church have worked very hard in setting up the scheme and we are very honoured to have Pearl Lewis from the Salvation Army as our coordinator.

We started at 10pm and walked around Cornmarket Street, George Street, Park End Street, Hythe Bridge Street, Frideswide Square and St. Ebbes.  We met and spoke to lots of people.  Many were just interested in what we were doing, some wanted to know where to find a cab, a few women had tired feet and had taken their shoes off and so were grateful for the Street Pastors flip-flops that we were handing out.  One group of us got into a really deep conversation with someone about problems at home and were the first people this person had felt able to talk to about it.   We picked up quite a few glass bottles off the street and put them in bins thereby reducing the likelihood of their causing injury or being used as weapons.    We spoke to quite a few homeless people who seemed genuinely pleased of the conversation and attention. There were some humbling stories.

I think we successfully stopped a fight from happening by going up and chatting to a group of young men who I think had had one to many drinks.  Street Pastors is not about breaking up fights – that the Police’s job – but it is amazing the effect seeing a person wearing a clear Street Pastors uniform has on people.  They want to chat and their aggression just seems to evaporate.  Quite the opposite reaction that people unfortunately sometimes have to the Police.

Towards the end of our session we met a very drunk young man who couldn’t stand up and was rather ill.  We helped him, giving him water, and making sure his friends knew how to look after him and were not going to leave him.   We finished around 3.45am after an incredibly rewarding evening.  I can’t wait to go out again!

We were really grateful for the support of Karen Crossan, Oxford City Council’s nightsafe manager; and of Thames Valley Police for being so friendly and supportive.  You may ask why I am writing about this in my council blog.  Well apart from the fact that most of our pastoring happens in my ward, Carfax, I think doing things in the community, whether they be as a response to faith or not, is very important for councillors if we are to stay in touch with our constituents.

On a theological note, I think that doing things together with other denominations of Christians is extremely important and is absolutely the way we grow together in common understanding of our calling.  Sure – we have differences of opinion on some things but I think we are all agreed that we are called to share God’s love, care and listening with all those we meet on the streets in our 10pm-4am sessions.

The launch of the Blavatnik School of Government

I attended the launch of the Blavatnik School of Government today at the Examination Schools on the High Street in Oxford.  It was a very grand affair and one of those cross-hat things where I am attending as a Councillor even though I’m also a member of The University of Oxford.

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We had inspiring speeches by the Chancellor, Lord Patten of Barnes, the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Andy Hamilton, Leonard Blavatnik himself and Dr Ngaire Woods.  We also had a pre-recorded video message from Bill Clinton.  Lord Patten commented that the lighting in the room made it look rather like a nightclub and I have to say I agreed!

Proceedings then moved to the formal signing of the agreement to open to school and for Mr Blavatnik to give a record-breaking £75M towards the establishment of the school.   This was followed by a reception which was an excellent chance to meet many foreign dignitaries and diplomats and many interesting academics. I also met and spoke to Oxford West and Abingdon’s new MP for the first time.

I really appreciate the opportunity to attend these events as a councillor.  Next week I’m going to listen to concerns and issues at the wet (i.e. alcohol allowed) room of O’Hanlon House, an excellent project used by many of Oxford’s homeless folk.  Oxford is an amazing City of contrasts and I find experiencing them first-hand very humbling.

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Healing in Carfax?

I was in town today doing chores and was slightly alarmed to find a group of Christians performing healing on Cornmarket Street.

This work is a partnership between Oxford Vineyard Church, St Aldates Church, Living Stones Community Church and Emmanuel Church.  It happens in Oxford City Centre every Saturday from 1pm to 3pm according to the flyer.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a committed Christian and entirely approve of taking faith out onto the streets (I am after all about to start serving as a street pastor) but I just feel slightly uncomfortable with the claims the flyer is implying about the healing.  While I’m sure faith can cure serious diseases in some cases I can’t help thinking that this sort of open air practice, with a huge banner, rather belittles and trivialises all the medical research and treatments that there are into such terrible diseases.  What do you think?  Comments welcome on this post.

Central, South and West area committee

We met at the town hall this evening.  It was a long meeting, appropriately enough held in the Long Room.

rail.pngThere were lots of members of the public present and we heard about many issues. Some residents who live on Stable Close near the railway line and sidings and staff car park were being disturbed by train diesel engines being left idling for hours (something to do with the braking system) and by shunting and very antisocial small hours of the morning.  We also heard from a resident on Hamel Walk who was having trouble with an access route to his area that some developers were blocking off at times.  It sounded like the City Council had failed to put a proper enforceable legal agreement in place to ensure right of access was preserved for occupiers of the social housing on Hamel Walk.

13072010742-wince.jpgWe considered several planning applications – the most interesting was the one by Oxford University which would make internal changes to the Radcliffe Camera and the Old Bodleian.  It would open up some of the underground store for public access and would alter the level of the (1970s) paving in the schools quadrangle of the old Bodleian to improve level access to the building and remove the need for the unsightly temporary ramps.  I had to declare a personal interest in this application as I am a senior member of The University of Oxford.  As these are very well known buildings I don’t consider that I have any more or less interest in the success or failure of the planning application than any other member of the public so I did remove myself from the meeting and did vote.  I did make the point that if lots of heavy vehicles were to be using the junction of Parks Road, Broad Street, Holywell Street and Catte Street then EXTREME care must be taken and enforced to ensure no nasty accidents with any of the hundreds of cyclists a day that use that junction.  There was a nasty and fatal accident at that junction not long ago and I don’t want a repeat.