WHAT’S ON - IN & AROUND UFFINGTON
Churchyard working parties – 19 September and 3 October. The last 2 churchyard working parties will be on Sat Sept 19th and Sat Oct 3rd, both at 10am.
Pet Service on Sunday 27 September. 10.00 am in St Mary’s churchyard – poster attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/bd55e1d8-cdd2-65d6-c1fb-dffd524e9569/PetService2026_1.pdf
Organ recital – Friday 2 October at 6.00 pm in St Mary’s Uffington. Poster attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/f876c60a-00cd-a238-9038-fad472eb5813/OrganRecital2026.pdf
GENERAL
The Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust (OHCT) - September 12. The OHCT Ride + Stride fundraising event takes place tomorrow. Juliet Moss is riding for Uffington again this year and would love to hear from anyone who would like to sponsor her. Half the proceeds go to St Mary's and half to other historic churches in Oxfordshire. We also need a few people to welcome the cyclists and walkers at the church from 10-6pm. If you could help man the church or would like to sponsor Juliet, who hopes to visit about 20 churches, please email her at julietmoss@hotmail.co.uk
White Horse Reservoir - Targeted Consultation and Reservoir Newsletter. (Previously known as South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO))
We have pleasure of providing you a link to our September White Horse Reservoir newsletter which provides the latest updates on the reservoir project. Reservoir Newsletter
You can find our more information on our targeted consultation by visiting our project pages on our website: thames-sro.co.uk/whitehorsereservoir
FROM THE VALE
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council statement on local government reorganisation (LGR) announcement. The government announced on 7 September it will review its local government reorganisation (LGR) decisions across England. This has implications about the future of councils in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire. In a joint statement, the leaders of the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council expressed their disbelief and disappointment ... You can see details on our website by clicking this link
(In plain English, the planned local government reorganisation for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire has been paused; the original District and Parish Council elections will take place in May 2027.)
BUT, an update from 10 September:
Local Government Reorganization (LGR) update. We wanted to update you all after Monday's news that the government will review its decisions on preferred options for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) across England.
Following the announcement we have received some additional information from Minister Jim McMahon. The minister explained that the government remains committed to LGR and devolution but wants to take time to review the decisions made to date. He stated that the review is intended to provide confidence that the process has been followed correctly, and that any future decisions align with the government's priorities, are sustainable and can be implemented successfully. The government has not yet agreed the scope of the review but aims to complete it by mid-October, although no firm commitment was given on timing. The minister also indicated that shadow elections to the new councils are now unlikely to take place in May 2027 and that elections to existing councils will proceed as they would have done without LGR.
The timeline for Oxfordshire and West Berkshire may therefore be moved back. The change in timeline also means the existing councils are likely to continue for at least another year and the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district council elections will take place in May next year instead of shadow elections for a new unitary. We will share more information when we can.
Residents urged to prevent waste before it starts during Zero Waste Week. People across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are being encouraged to discover how preventing waste can be easier than they think as Zero Waste Week gets underway. As part of the councils' Waste Less. Clean Spaces. Better Places campaign, this week's focus is on preventing waste before it's created. That could mean ... You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Vale News Special Edition: Waste. Waste Less. Clean Spaces. Better Places; See: Vale News Special Edition: Waste
Consultation on Councils' second Joint Local Plan launched. A consultation has launched this week on the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils' second Joint Local Plan. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Report details lessons learnt from Land Charges system delay. Following the delays in delivering South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils' new Land Charges system this year, a report has been published setting out the causes of the project delays and identifying lessons learnt. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
COUNTY NEWS.
The latest news for your communities. See: The latest news for your communities
THAMES VALLEY POLICE
Fraud alert: Trusted family members, friends, and carers stole £51 million from pensioners. Older and vulnerable people are seeing millions of pounds stolen from them with the fraud committed by those closest to them, according to new figures released by the City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud.
Data from Report Fraud reveals that criminals stole £93.8 million through fraud by abuse of position during the 2025/26 financial year, with people aged 70 and over accounting for more than £51 million of those losses. More information attached here: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/9f1c4327-1ae1-8925-1217-53f49710bdfb/Fraud_alert.pdf
£200,000 Available for Community Projects. Community groups across the Thames Valley are being invited to apply for grants of up to £10,000 through the latest round of the Community Fund, launched by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber and Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg. The fund helps to prevent crime and keep communities safe. Money for the scheme is created from the proceeds from the sale of items seized from criminals that cannot be returned to their rightful owners.
- Funding is available for projects that support one of the PCC's key priorities:
- Protecting Communities - including anti-social behaviour and road safety
- Protecting People - including domestic abuse and the night-time economy
- Protecting Property - including cybercrime, fraud and retail crime
Organisations are eligible to apply if they have not received funding through the Community Fund within the last 12 months. Further information on eligibility to apply can be found within the guidance documents on our website.
The closing date for this round of applications is 12pm (noon) on Monday 28 September 2026 with applications jointly considered by the Police & Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable. Find out more and apply by visiting our website: https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/get-involved/community-fund/
Online safety advice. Students are a favourite target for fraud and other online harms, so Get Safe Online has put together some tips and advice on how they can keep themselves safe online as they return to uni or college this month. Please see below and feel free to share with your children or grandchildren who might benefit from the tips provided by our experts. Be a safe student - Get Safe Online
75% oppose Government plans to merge Thames Valley Police. 75% of local residents who responded to a survey from Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Matthew Barber, oppose the merger of Thames Valley Police into a larger, regional organisation. The PCC launched the survey in June following the publication of the Government’s Police Reform White Paper to gauge local feeling on proposals to reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales. Read the full story by visiting our website: https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/news/75-percent-oppose-government-plans-merge-thames-valley-police/
FROM THE CHURCHES OF UFFINGTON BENEFICE
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 13 September: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/4f1a84cf-749b-75aa-ef15-0b62e6d293ce/wsh_2026_09_13.pdf
For all information, please see: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
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