The Oxfordshire Growth Board has determined Cherwell District Council should provide an additional 4,400 houses to meet Oxford City’s unmet housing need.

Cherwell’s proposals will; decimate the green belt, destroy Yarnton and Begbroke’s environment and increase traffic chaos in North Oxford.

Oxford City’s commercial development in the The Northern Gateway will create 5,000 new jobs.

According to the Office of National Statistics, Oxfordshire’s unemployment rate is 0.7%, amounting to a claimant count of only 2,900 in the entire county. Take away those; between jobs, approaching retirement, the unemployable and Oxfordshire is close to full employment. The Northern Gateway will attract thousands of people into the area, exacerbating the housing shortage. There are already other proposed commercial developments in and around Oxford.

Cherwell’s Leader, Councillor Barry Wood who lives in Finmere and represents Upper and Lower Heyford is Cherwell’s representative on the Growth Board.

On September 21 at a packed open meeting in Exeter Hall, Kidlington, there was uproar when Councillor Wood failed to give a credible explanation. Many attendees simply walked out in disgust.

Councillor Wood argued his council’s policy is to create jobs to produce an economic solution to the housing shortage. Thousands more people moving into the area will only increase prices. Our young people cannot afford housing at the current prices.

We are entitled to a credible explanation. Given the change in the Government’s method for calculating housing need, the process should also be suspended.

MARK LOWEN

Kidlington

The Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group is one of only ten within the two hundred and ten national Clinical Commissioning Groups that, in the published figures from the Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard, run by NHS England, will fail to achieve Parity of Esteem in the 2016/17 spend. Parity of Esteem is the principle by which mental health must be given equal priority to physical health. It was enshrined in law by the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

It is the duty of all CCGs to ensure that they are fulfilling their duty under the Health and Social Care Act, to reduce health inequalities as well as maintaining Equality and Diversity within the NHS Equality Delivery System, a characteristic that OCC publicly state to be 'central to the way we commission and deliver our healthcare services.'

The Clinical Chair of OCCG, the Head of Mental Health and Joint Commissioning at OCCG and the Mental Health Champion within OCC have all failed to make any response to the above facts since they were brought to their attention in April 2017.

The NHS Constitution clearly states that 'The NHS belongs to the people. NHS services must reflect, and should be coordinated around and tailored to, the needs and preferences of patients, their families and their carers'.

Patients come first in everything we do. We put the needs of patients and communities before organisational boundaries.

CHARLIE HOLMES

Wheatley

AS A Resident of North Oxford for almost 50 years and also a member of the North Oxford Golf Club for 37 years I have viewed with dismay and alarm the proposals of Cherwell District Council to build upon the golf course.

The Club is 110 years old and thriving. It provides recreational facilities for hundreds of members and visitors each year. The course itself is on the crucial wedge of Green Belt land which separates Kidlington from Oxford. Nobody in their right mind would surely wish to join Kidlington with Oxford or vice versa.

Green Belt land was designated inter alia to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another. The proposal to build houses on this site would be totally contrary to the purpose of this designated land. The Council should abandon any such proposals for development on this special piece of land and thus preserve this delightful golf course for future generations.

MIKE LEWIS

Oxford

As the proud patron of Animal Free Research UK, I am writing to share exciting news and to ask your readers to join us in our campaign.

Animal Free Research UK and Breast Cancer UK have joined forces to run a fantastic fundraiser across Breast Cancer Awareness Month this coming October.

We are asking individuals, schools, workplaces and groups of friends to come together and ‘Get Your Frock On’ and ‘dress smart to help us get smart with animal free research into breast cancer’.

The money raised from ‘Get Your Frock On’ will fund ground breaking research looking at the impact of environmental chemicals on breast density, a major risk factor for breast cancer.

We are a small charity with a huge vision. In 2016, nearly four million animals were used in medical research, however much of this research is ineffective when translated to humans and most of the animals are destroyed afterwards. Animal Free Research UK’s mission is to replace the use of animals in all medical research.

Breast Cancer UK works to prevent breast cancer by tackling the environmental and chemical causes of the disease. Together, the two charities have bold plans to change our understanding of breast cancer prevention.

It’s a simple ask with a serious message. Just go to the website www.getyourfrockon.org.uk and find out how to get involved. The website has a wealth of fundraising ideas and further information about this exciting campaign.

Let’s get our frocks on to beat breast cancer and save animals.

JOANNA LUMLEY