THE new chairman for South Oxfordshire District Council has been elected for his second term.

Councillor David Turner, who has been a district councillor for Chalgrove since 1995, took on the role of chairman for the second time having previously been in the role 1999.

He takes over from Councillor Jo Robb, district councillor for Woodcote and Rotherfield, who will continue her role of the council’s “Thames Champion”.

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Mr Turner said he feels “very honoured” to take on the role and is excited to raise funds for his two chosen charities which are First Steps Family Hubs, a Chalgrove Children’s Centre, and The River Thame Conservation Trust, a charity that operates along the river helping to restore the ecology and wildlife.

Oxford Mail: David TurnerDavid Turner

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday (25), he said: “I’m very much looking forward to getting out and about to meet residents and community groups especially those that have helped support those in need during the pandemic.   

“I’m excited to raise funds for my two chosen charities too. The family hubs are vital for families living in a rural setting – particularly over the past two years people have felt somewhat cut off from others, so this service can be a lifeline for local young families.

“I also plan to raise funds for the conservation trust to help them to continue with building more natural habitats for wildlife and improving the quality of the water throughout the length of the river.”  

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Councillor Kellie Hinton, district councillor for Henley, was also appointed the new vice chairman.

Oxford Mail: Kellie HintonKellie Hinton

At the same meeting, a motion was approved to act on retrofitting of homes and responding to fuel poverty.

This follows a letter that was sent to the Government in October 2021 noting the need to retrofit homes and providing a report on the retrofit landscape.

The motion claimed that, with the cost of living set to increase, the government is “not doing enough” to help residents to insulate and retrofit their homes to help reduce energy consumption and to introduce renewable energy.  

Mr Rouane will write to relevant government departments to request that a “high-level strategy” be created for mass retrofitting of homes.

A second motion was approved to review the call-in period for planning applications.

Currently there is no ability for a councillor to call-in an application that has been amended after the 28-day call-in period.

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The Constitution Review Group, who look after the council’s constitution, will now review whether the exception should be extended to allow a councillor to call-in an amended planning application after the 28-day period.

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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