Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

96THE OXFORDSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT 1977Tom Hass all, Director.1977 has been a very difficult year for the Oxfordshire ArchaeologicalUnit, the executive arm of the Oxfordshire Archaeological Committee. Whilethe Unit's workload of rescue excavation projects (Fig. 27 ) shows no sign ofabating the financial resources available have been dwindling rapidly, largelythrough the effects of inflation. In 1976 the problem had been partiallysolved by 'contracting out' an excavation in Northamptonshire. However, .in1977 no such opportunities presented themselves. The Unit therefore faced amajor financial crisis with an estimated deficitof £13,000 at the start of thefinancial year in April. The Committee therefore had to take the unpalatabledecision to be prepared to make up to four members of staff redundant, inaddition to two who left through natui'al wastage, and to cut back severely onexcavation. The Unit's many friends offered what support they could while thepress, both locally and nationally, gave space and commented sympatheticallyon the problems. In the event it was possible to avert the redundancies. Theadditional funds which prevented the disaster came principally from the AmeyRoadstone Corporation which both substantially increased its grant to the Unitfor the year and also donated a crew bus and provided assistance with plant.The DoE also provided an additional grant for pre-1973 post-excavation projects.In addition a grant from the Manpower Services Commission's Job CreationProgramme enabled the Unit to employ 10 unemployed persons from September onwardsand thus continue the excavation programme almost as planned. But thecrisis was only narrowly averted and the Department of the Environment's twopapers on Rescue Archaeology: the Next Phase which were published during theyear do not appear to hold out any clear cut solution to the problem, at leastin the short-term. In 1978 the Unit will have to continue to show as muchflexibility and ingenuity as possible if it is to continue to survive at itspresent strength.While the economic difficulties provided a constant backcloth to theUnit's activities during the year, nevertheless the Unit has continued tofunction as smoothly as circumstances would allow. Indeed after four years ofoperation the Unit is operating more effectively than ever before,-particularlyin the choice of excavation priorities. However, priorities canniA be chosenwithout the necessary information on the location of sites and in this respectthe Unit has continued to work closely with the Oxfordshire Department ofMuseum Services. The regular fortnightly meetings to process the lists ofplanning applications are the main feature of this liaison. About fiftyplanning applications were noted as likely to have an effect on a buried site.The first set of Development Control Sheets has been deposited with SouthOxfordshire District Council. These sheets were prepared in their final form byJames Bond of the Department. It is hoped that they will provide an earlywarning system for planning applications in areas outside the village and towncentres. They should provide a useful tool in the attempt to make the conservationof selected key sites the primary aim of archaeological policies inthe County. In this respect it should be recorded that the Secretary of Statehas not allowed gravel extraction to proceed at the multi-period site atNorthfield Farm, Long Wittenham.The Oxfordshire Parish Survey has continued to function through the yearas a joint enterprise bétween the Unit, the Oxfordshire Department of MuseumServices and the Oxford University Department for External Studies. RichardChambers coordinates the survey for the Unit's involvement and his report isgiven below.With the publication of Archaeology and Agriculture by George Lambrick,