2019: A review of events in Witney and West Oxfordshire

Keeping with transport, Combe Primary School pupil Patrick Marks was awarded a bike after winning a national competition.The Year 6 pupil won a helmet design competition.

In February, building work at David Cameron’s home in Dean caused annoyance for his neighbours. Works caused ‘a mess’ outside his house, aggravated neighbours said.

A £2million fine dished out to Thames Water was slashed after the firm donated to three Oxfordshire charities. The company had discharged untreated sewage, which killed more than a hundred fish.

Data revealed in March showed that violent and sexual offences had increased across Oxfordshire. West Oxfordshire experienced the biggest change with a 67.7 per cent increase since 2016.

In the same month, Mr Courts claimed West Oxfordshire’s pothole problem was ‘easing’. He described potholes as ‘one of the key concerns of local residents’.

Wesley Barrell in Ducklington ceased trading in April as staff went unpaid. The furniture firm had traded for 124 years.

Witney resident Alex Train spent three days in hospital after being stabbed whilst saving his friend from being mugged. Mr Train was labelled a ‘hero’ following the incident in Ducklington Lane.

Labour took control of Witney Town Council in May’s local elections. The council had been Conservative for ten years.

A blue plaque was unveiled at the house where IVF pioneer Patrick Steptoe grew up. His pioneering work resulted in the birth of the first ‘test tube baby’ in 1978.

In June, a Witney vet was suspended for ‘disgraceful conduct’. Sue Mulvey was suspended for six months after struggling to maintain professional standards due to her intense workload.

Witney Town councillor Trevor License resigned in June after sending lewd messages to a vulnerable woman. It was claimed he sent sexually suggestive messages to a woman, who had approached him for housing help.

A petition for CCTV in The Leys gathered traction following a series of incidents in the park. One man was hospitalised after being attacked by a ‘gang of up to eight people’.

Swinbrook raft race was cancelled in June due to pollution in the River Windrush. The river was deemed not to be of bathing quality.

Keeping with the dirty theme, the Windrush Leisure Centre got a deep clean after being branded ‘filthy’ by users. Visitors claimed there was malfunctioning showers, unclean toilets and strange smells.

A new building at Hanborough rail station meant that the station was staffed for the first time in 53 years. The £315,000 building was opened on August 9.

An abandoned car in the River Evenlode sparked fears about pollution. The car had been there a month and was finally removed on September 17.

As far as toilets go, one priced at £4.8million is pretty expensive. A golden one at Blenheim Palace was stolen two days after it went on display in September; a sixth person was arrested in connection with the case last month.

An Oxfordshire groundwork company was fined £10,000 in October after a security guard had to have two fingers amputated. A worker at APK Earthworks had his right hand trapped between a metal post and a bulldozer, resulting in the amputation of his middle and ring fingers.

A new £5million bus fleet was unveiled in late October, benefitting commuters between Carterton, Witney and Oxford. Stagecoach launched the fleet of 21 new buses on the S1 and S2 routes.

Lorries were banned through Chipping Norton town centre in November in a bid to improve air quality. There were however concerns on the impact on the Rollright stones, a collection of Neolithic standing stones.

Never far from the headlines, Jeremy Clarkson’s farm shop was given planning permission on his Chadlington estate. Villagers had feared it could deter trade from local businesses.

As the year draws to a close, Blenheim Palace announced they are planning on going ‘carbon positive’. Their goal is to become the UK’s first estate to demonstrate carbon-positive land management.

The year ended with a General Election which saw Mr Courts hold his Witney seat. He was first elected in the by election in October 2016 and was then re-elected in the 2017 General Election.