A HARD working residents’ body have set their sights on securing full parish council status as they seek to ensure a brighter future for Oxenholme.

The village currently falls within the remit of Kendal Town Council, but Oxenholme Village Residents’ Group (OVRG) feel the granting of formal parish council status would be a positive way of addressing what they describe as “the serious inadequacies of the existing governance arrangement.”

“We feel that for years Oxenholme has been neglected and we have had a bit of a raw deal and we want to do something about that,” explained the group’s secretary Steve Warner.

OVRG only took shape in 2018, but they have already made an impact in several key areas including parking issues and problems with speeding motorists which have long caused problems in the village.

They have also secured funding for planters and welcome signs to be placed at each end of the village.

But the group feel full parish council status would help consolidate the progress made and ensure efforts to improve life for Oxenholme residents would continue in the future.

A public meeting convened by OVRG in February was very positive, and the group’s work has also had the backing of Cllr Doug Rathbone, who represents the area on South Lakeland District Council.

Pointing out that Oxenholme had a proud past connected to the railway which he said formed a natural barrier between the village and the town of Kendal, Mr Warner said the group were well prepared with a chair, secretary, treasurer and seven committee members already in place.

He said if parish council status was secured, there were provisional plans for meetings to take place at Natland and Oxenholme Parish Hall.

If parish council status was not attainable, OVRG said expanding neighbouring Natland Parish Council to include Oxenholme was a viable alternative, and they stressed that should neither of these scenarios be possible, they would continue to campaign to ensure Oxenholme “would not be neglected further.”

The group have made a formal application to SLDC for parish council status and expect to hear further when the current governance review is completed.