A sad day for
#Oxford
&
@OxfordshireCC
. An object lesson in how not to do local government. Little or no regard for public consultations; less still for the views of local business people, religious groups & residents with mobility challenges.
#BusGates
&
#LTNs
must be rethought.
Wow.
@OxfordshireCC
have spent £151,676 on advertising its "20's plenty" policy in less than a year - including on Sky, in National Geographic and at Tesco's outside
#Oxfordshire
!
@_LiamWalker_
& I estimate that's equivalent to fixing 2,757 potholes.
#LocalElections2023
matter.
#TrafficFilters
will be big news at
#Christmas
when folk clock they can't drive freely around
#Oxford
.
Bad for commuters, public services & JR patients alike.
This is what happens when LibDem, Labour & Green Cllrs ride roughshod over residents ⤵️
#LTN
protestors in
#Oxford
described as "noisy minority" by
#LibDem
Cabinet member for Highways
@OxfordshireCC
. I call them courageous & decent people making their voices heard peaceably & with dignity. Councillors of all parties must listen to residents.
This is heart breaking - and this is the reality for too many of the most vulnerable members of society trying to get around Oxford at the moment. We urgently need transport solutions which work for them.
🌞 Amazing turnout on a sunny day in
#Uxbridge
with
@GregHands
&
@Conservatives
. I love a good by-election! Let's send Labour & Sadiq Khan a message on
#ULEZ
: £370 in higher taxes every month? It's a 'no' from residents & the
@Hillingdon_Tory
team. You know what to do, folks 💙🗳
Labour, Lib Dem & Green Cllrs 'running'
@OxfordshireCC
have serious questions to answer.
Nothing to fear? Nothing to hide. Publishing data where major policy changes are under consideration is a democratic minimum.
#BusFilters
#Oxford
#LocalElections
@GroupOx
Cllrs &
@OxonTories
will always do right by
#SEND
families.
I have been calling for
#Labour
&
#LibDem
Cllrs to take action for c.10 months now.
Whatever the outcome of ensuing negotiations, we must have good governance
@OxfordshireCC
& we must put SEND families first.
More anti-car nonsense in
#Oxford
. It's almost as if Left-wing Cllrs are determined to give environmentalism a bad name: - Precious little leadership from the city's MPs, it seems...
LibDem-Green Cllrs
@OxfordshireCC
to Council Taxpayers:
"Next year, we'll 'invest' £1.7m of *your* money in a supertax for people who work and park their cars in
#Oxford
... People like teachers, nurses and retail workers... Y'know? People who *should* be paying more."
🤦♂
Enough is enough.
@OxfordshireCC
exists, above all else, to look after the vulnerable.
#Labour
&
#LibDem
Cllrs rejected our costed proposals to invest extra money in
#SEND
. They overlooked good care & indulged in pet projects. Time to take responsibility:
🚧⛔️ Time for councillors to take back control of the county council & end the coalitions anti-motorist approach in
#Oxfordshire
. This is my motion for our next meeting to start removing divisive
#LTNs
in
#Oxford
. Will Labour councillors get off the fence & support my motion? 👀
#Oxford
hollows out further. If you can't get in, out & around a city, it will decay.
A shame, too, that Labour, LibDem & Green Cllrs have spent £6.5m on a 'trial' of divisive, camera-controlled
#BusGates
.
Free
#ParkAndRide
would cost a fraction & change incentives.
🥕 not 🏑
"When will
@OxfordshireCC
conclude its deal to support
@OUFCOfficial
?" I ask of the LibDem Cabinet member for Finance today. The response? "We've had positive discussions, but I won't even give a ballpark expectation". LibDems & Greens are dragging their feet. Clear as day.
Eh? 🤔
So,
@EdHalford1
does his usual digging;
@TheOxfordMail
runs that
#LTNs
are leading to significant delays to ambulances across
#Oxford
;
And, rather than engage on the substance, all
@AnnelieseDodds
can do is deflect blame from her own Council?
To hell with Oxford and the clowns running it into the ground from their ivory tower at
@OxfordshireCC
. I can drive into London or Birmingham in less time than it takes to drive from Kidlington to City Centre. I’m abandoning working here.
#LTN
Lib Dem MP demands crisis talks over traffic chaos in
#Oxford
.
Highways authority,
@OxfordshireCC
, Lib Dem-run.
Alice expected in Wonderland any minute now.
White Rabbit incoming.
#LocalElections2023
@AndrewGant3
The motion wasn't debated. How can you credibly say Labour Cllrs failed? Also, you have no idea how Conservative and Independent colleagues might have voted... because we didn't vote on it. Your argument is bizarre, at best, and misleading, at worst.
Buck-passing galore from
@LibDemsOxon
@OxfordshireCC
today.
#Oxfordshire
residents' satisaction in Council services *way* down since 2021, yet apparently it's all the government's fault.
They will not listen.
They will not take responsibility.
They will only ever buck-pass.
The active travel gravy train gathers pace.
A new-well paid council job, to oversee other well paid jobs. Which mainly result in the destruction of private sector jobs.
For applicants, it probably helps to be a member of
@CoHSATOxon
and /or Green Party crew. You know the type.
🧵 Some issues transcend party politics. On this,
@SEANLWOODCOCK
is right.
Cllr Brighouse and I as Leaders of
@LabourOxon
&
@GroupOx
-
@OxonTories
asked Cllr Levy when the transaction with
@OUFCOfficial
would conclude.
Inadvertently or otherwise, Cllr Levy volunteered that he..
Businesses across
#Oxfordshire
, but above all those in
#Oxford
, have too often often been overlooked.
We need a Small Business Champion to keep
@OxfordshireCC
honest & ensure its policies are pro-business.
Time for Cllrs of all parties to back
@GroupOx
's motion next week.
Money for Council spin yet, apparently, there's no money for
#SEND
& social workers in
#Oxfordshire
. Vote LibDem, get
#LTNs
across
#Oxford
with more to come elsewhere; illiberal traffic filters that'll hammer businesses & commuters; & a refusal to spend money where it matters.
#ClimateLockdown
is overstating it, but
#LTNs
&
#BusGates
/
#TrafficFilters
were supposed to be part of a coherent whole. At best, their introduction has been poorly sequenced. At worst, they've always been an expensive way of harming businesses in
#Oxford
:
Lib Dems nationally:
"We want to build 250,000 more homes than the
#Conservatives
in the next Parliament."
Lib Dems in
#Oxfordshire
(& everywhere else):
"Yeah, but not here! Obviously, not here!"
The Lib Dems are the Magic Roundabout of British politics.
#LocalElections
LAYLA MORAN IS LITERALLY POSTING LOCAL ELECTION LEAFLETS TELLING PEOPLE TO VOTE GREEN TO STOP THE TORIES BECAUSE THEYVE BEEN “IMPOSING MASSIVE OVER-DEVELOPMENT”
Concerns about
#Oxfordshire
's
#SEND
failings following Friday's damning
#OFSTED
's report must be heard publicly.
@GroupOx
colleagues & I have formally requested that the Chair of
@OxfordshireCC
convene an Extraordinary Meeting of Full Council. Please share with parents affected.
#Conservative
Government grants
@OxfordshireCC
an extra £3.7m to fix potholes this year.
#Oxfordshire
's kaleidoscopic Council of chaos respond by immediately resurfacing their own carpark.
This is not an early April Fool's.
It's just a bad joke.
#LocalElections2023
A FOI request submitted by
@EdHalford1
revealed Oxfordshire County Council has spent between £14-15K resurfacing its own car park.
This comes as taxpayers in
#Oxfordshire
have been complaining to us about the state of roads across the county
#potholes
Hang on...
... So, Lib-Lab
@WodcNews
refuse
@JeremyClarkson
planning permission for a proper car park only for Lib-Lab
@OxfordshireCC
to do this?
Is the problem Lib-Lab Councils, I wonder?
Here's an idea: sensible Councils in the business of helping businesses.
#Elections2023
Let this sink in:
@OxfordshireCC
spends half a billion Pounds of your money every year & runs services for
#Oxfordshire
's most vulnerable residents. Here it is apologising for being caught out pushing out naked
#LTNs
propaganda on the taxpayer. (What would
@LGAcomms
&
@luhc
say?)
We recently posted a video on LTNs. We recognise that this did not offer a balance of views. We got this wrong & apologise for this. As a result, we have removed the video & will continue to welcome all views on traffic measures through wider consultation & engagement activities.
Crack team of
@NorthOxonCons
out and about today delivering more of
@VictoriaPrentis
's residents' surveys. Loads of doors knocked, with plenty of positive conversations.
Oxford political map 'shake-up' after wins for 'anti-LTN' party Thank you, everyone, for the support, I'm very proud of the team, now we have deliver on our commitments, and target county seats.
More madness from camera-controlled
#Oxford
🤦♂
Once the city of dreaming spires, now of Lefty vires.
#Conservatives
nationwide have got to get a grip on
#LTNs
. We will in
#Oxfordshire
, if elected, in 2025.
Delighted for
@LucyDemery
.
Lucy will make an excellent
@Conservatives
MP for
#Wokingham
.
Pleased to have spent the afternoon knocking on doors with her - very positive reception.
Much like
#Oxfordshire
, voters are fed up with LibDem Cllrs & want a MP focused on local issues.
I’m honoured to be selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Wokingham. I’m excited to work hard for residents to get things done. A new generation of
@Conservatives
is stepping forward to offer a bright new future for our communities and our country.
#GE24
Pleased to confirm my ballot paper arrived yesterday for
#ToryLeadershipContest
. Both
@BorisJohnson
&
@Jeremy_Hunt
have equipped themselves well, despite no 1:1 debate to date. Reducing business taxes particularly key for me. So, it
#HastobeHunt
. I also like a plucky underdog.
Peaceful protest is important, especially where decision-makers ignore public consultations. Well done for organising,
@ReconnectingOx
. Here's to a powerful, lawful demo. Please join us,
@OneHeadington
,
@JerichoConnect
and - most importantly - residents affected by
#Oxford
#LTNs
.
Anti-LTN petitions will be presented to the full
@OxfordshireCC
council meeting on 12 July. To mark the event, East Oxford and Cowley residents plan to protest around the entrance to the County's main city cente offices / council chamber from 9:30am onwards.
A first-class column from
@EdHalford1
in
@TheOxfordMail
on
#Oxford
's
#LTNs
&
#NHS
response times:
"Ideology has got in the way and decisions which have serious consequences have been hijacked by an agenda which continues to punish those who speak up."
*Many* folk can relate ⤴️
Great to chat on
@BBCOxford
this morning about
#Oxford
's
#BusFilters
. Disappointed not to have any Lib Dem, Labour or Green Cllrs to debate with. Worth listening to the whole package, including
@ClaireStarr_
's report, here (10 mins from 2:16:50):
On 25 July,
@eirianJprosser
&
@DailyMailUK
picked up
@OxfordshireCC
's 'hyperwoke' decision to ruin the
#Oxford
#Christmas
Market for the sake of a cycle lane it redirected without issue only last year. It turns out, people didn't like this year's (mini-)market after all 🤷♂
🧵 had been in discussions with
@OUFCOfficial
in his capacity as Cabinet member for Finance. At or around the same time, it appears that he objected to the club's plans in a private capacity. That cannot be right. Cabinet members are there to set policy in the best interests..2
Wow.
@LibDemsOxon
call those engaged in direct action against
#LTNs
"mindless vandals" (remember, the "noisy minority"?).
Will they condemn
@XR_Oxford
's "Summer Uprising" planned for 16, 19, 28 & 31 July?
#NoToLTNs
; yes to pro-business, blue-green,
@CEN_HQ
-led
#ClimateAction
.
Watch the passionate exchanges outside
@OxfordshireCC
‘s HQ yesterday as demonstrators against Oxford’s controversial
#LTN
scheme came face to face with
@duncanenright
&
@lizleffman
. In all my years covering Oxford, I can’t think of many issues more divisive…
Budget day
@OxfordshireCC
. More on the parties' proposals here:
#Oxfordshire
#Conservatives
have put forward costed proposals to:
1. Fix potholes & drains;
2. Invest in SEND & Children's Services;
3. ✂️ Council PR: &
4. End the £57m car tax bombshell.
Not for the first time,
@_LiamWalker_
's absolutely right here.
According to the Lib Dems, "a teacher in a car is still a car".
Shocking language for a party bent on introducing a £57m car tax bombshell on public (and private) sector workers across Oxfordshire.
🗣️ “A teacher in a car is still in a car.”
🔶 That’s what Lib Dem cabinet member for highways said about teachers complaining about a workplace parking tax Lib Dem’s want to implement in
#Oxford
. Their anti-motorist policies are hitting the pockets of workers.
#GantsGridlock
Update on
@OUFCOfficial
:
Whilst signing of the HoTs is welcome, the press release from
@OxfordshireCC
is instructive;
Clearly, the LibDems & Greens running the Council aren't happy with the club's plans:
Supporters need to keep the pressure up.
I have tabled a motion celebrating the securing of funding for the Lodge Hill junction.
I would like to thank the tireless campaigning by local Lib Dems to get this project over the line.
I will not stop campaigning on this issue until the first shovel hits the ground.
@OUFCOfficial
🧵 of residents. They can't pick and choose the issues on which they're objective and those on which they're not. Sadly, this is
@LibDemsOxon
all over: refusing at every turn to take responsibility for how they've run
@OxfordshireCC
since 2021. We must have better leadership.
Courtesy of
@thetimes
:
“
#Oxford
... is a pain in the arse... [and] has been very anti-car for some time... People are saying it’s the first step to The Hunger Games. As a home-buyer knowing that, would you want to move into Oxford?”
#BusFilters
#LTNs
@fredfelt
This misses the point on every level. Local government in
#Oxford
caused a well-loved event organiser (whose IP the
#OxfordChristmasMarket
was) to lose her business for the sake of a cycle lane that could have - & happily was - diverted last year. Not only woke, but incompetent.
More fake politics from
@LibDemsOxon
:
Using Chrome, Google:
"Treasury Autumn Statement 2023 Submissions".
Your top hit will read:
"HM Treasury will accept representations until 5pm on 13 October 2023".
@CalumMillerLD
writing to
@hmtreasury
on 17 November 2023 is for show.
The Autumn Statement provides a chance for much needed investment in the rail services to Bicester. Rishi Sunak promised £36b for "hundreds of new transport projects...across the country". I have written to the Chancellor to ask for (1) funding to
#KeepLondonRoadOpen
1/2