UFFINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Recycling Christmas trees. There will be a collection point for Christmas trees in the village car park again this year.
WHAT'S ON - IN & AROUND UFFINGTON
NO Uffington Wednesday Walk for January. Wishing all Uffington First Wednesday Walkers a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.
A reminder that there will be no walk for January. Details of February's walk will be sent out a week in advance as usual. You can receive details of the monthly walks either by joining the groups e-mail list contacting Verity at veritycavanagh@gmail.com. Or checking on the Friday newsletter of village matters.
Everyone is welcome, there is no obligation to come regularly, dogs are welcome (we just ask that leads are used if we pass near livestock). Look forward to seeing lots of you next year. Bring along family and friends (no need to notify us in advance). If anyone has a favourite walk they would like to share we are always happy to have new suggestions.
The Walking Committee, Verity, Pamela, Hilary and Dave
veritycavanagh@gmail.com 07975861790
Wood fired Pizzas in Uffington. SOLELUNA PIZZA 3 will come regularly to Uffington and serve PIZZA at the car park by the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, between 5 and 8 pm. Next visits are: MONDAYS - 5 and 19 January and 2 February. Pizzas are made fresh to order and served straight from the van. Pre Orders will be open 3 days in advance through our website www.pizzasoleluna.com. If you prefer you can order by the phone on 07894711730 or at the van.
Expect cosy vibes, tasty treats and plenty of chat. Bring a friend — everyone's welcome! See attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/images/268a0a9e-1c93-a4df-9a40-a0a8c8cc4846.png
GENERAL
Uffington Winter Fest – a huge success! A massive thank you to everyone who supported Uffy Winter Fest. This year we raised £495.50, which will be split between Cruse Bereavement Support and Cancer Research UK (CRUK). Thank you to all those who supported the evening with raffle prizes, helped behind the bar, bought raffle tickets, and made such generous donations.
Huge thanks also to the fantastic bands Bush Fyre, Double Tap, and Louis Butler for providing an amazing night of music. A final special shout-out to Ken Allan for his heroic efforts sourcing raffle prizes once again, and to Jack Baily for doing a brilliant job with the sound and lighting.
FROM THE VALE
Thames Valley devolution expression of interest submitted to government. An expression of interest letter to create a mayoral strategic authority (MSA) within the Thames Valley has been submitted to government following discussions and agreement by 13 councils within the region. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Reminder: Garden waste collections paused over Christmas. To ensure our crews can collect the additional waste and recycling produced over Christmas, brown bin collections will be paused between 25 December and 8 January. The service will resume on Friday 9 January. For all you need to know about changes to bin collections and everything else to do with Christmas waste and recycling, visit Vale of White Horse garden waste page
Next week:
| Normal collection day | Revised collection day | | Monday 5 January | Tuesday 6 January |
COUNTY NEWS.
Oxfordshire's transport and travel bulletin. See: Modular Template Patterns
THAMES VALLEY POLICE
My local update – December 2025, from the PCC: My local update for you - December 2025
PCC comments on police funding settlement. The police settlement announced by Government last week confirmed Thames Valley Police's core funding will be £8.8m less than expected, barely covering the costs of inflation and pay increases. Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber said: "This settlement is terrible news for Thames Valley Police. While the Government push headlines claiming they are investing more in policing the harsh reality is that the settlement means nearly £9m less than we were expecting. Even with the significant burden the Government are looking to pass on to local council taxpayers this still leaves a huge gap in our funding plans for policing next year. I am appalled by the way the Government has handled this process which leaves Forces struggling to balance budgets and is in complete contradiction to the Government's own Comprehensive Spending Review.
"I have already met with the Chief Constable and will be working over the Christmas period to consider how we can still set the budget in the New Year which will continue to prioritise the protection of front-line services. It will be challenging to balance the budget going forward. It is likely to mean delaying or cancelling future spending plans as well as drawing down our reserves sooner than anticipated rather than finding additional productivity savings above what the force has already planned. Sound financial planning means that Thames Valley is in a stronger position than many police forces. I am confident that we will be able to amend our plans to ensure that we can maintain frontline policing; these cuts from the Home Office will inevitably have a long-term impact unless the Government think again.
"This appalling situation reinforces the urgent need for a review of the police funding formula which is outdated and becoming more unsustainable every year. The PCC's survey asking residents to share their views on which priority areas they would like to see the policing element of council tax (the precept) used for in the 2026/27 budget will be open until 12pm (noon) on Friday 2nd January 2026. The survey can be completed at https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90503915/OPCC-public-consultation or by visiting the PCC website
Matthew Barber is urging residents to share their views on priority areas for the local policing budget in 2026/27 by completing his ongoing local crime survey
The latest Scam Marshall Newsletter.
Attachments
Scam Marshall Newsletter 2512.pdf
Be The Difference in 2026 - volunteering event. Join us at Thames Valley Police HQ South on Sunday 18 January, between 11am and 2pm, and find out how you can be the difference in 2026.
Whether you're considering stepping into uniform as a Special Constable, inspiring the next generation as a Cadet Leader, welcoming a future police dog into your home as a puppy socialiser, or exploring other ways to contribute towards our mission of protecting our communities - this is your chance to speak with our Citizens in Policing Coordinators and meet some of our amazing volunteers.
To volunteer with TVP, you must be 18 or over. There's no upper age limit, and we welcome people from all backgrounds, with all levels of experience and ability. Register your place today: Be the Difference: Volunteering with Thames Valley Police Tickets, Sun 18 Jan 2026 at 11:00 | Eventbrite Can't make it? We'll be hosting another event at our training centre in Sulhamstead in March (date to be confirmed).
In the meantime, you can learn more about volunteering roles by visiting our volunteering webpage.
FROM THE CHURCHES OF UFFINGTON BENEFICE
Please find attached the revised Weekly Sheet for Sunday 21st December through to Sunday 4th January: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/b7c5a436-5bca-58f5-5747-6b4ee229d900/wsh_2025_12_21_to_2026_01_04_reissue_003_.pdf
For all information, please see: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
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