Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

SGT Vicky Hoskin has taken over the role as Neighbourhood Sergeant as from February 1, with responsibility for Thame, as well as Watlington, Chinnor, Wheatley and Chalgrove.

Sgt Hoskin said: “I’ve worked for Thames Valley Police for 12 years in total and spent the last 10 years as a police officer. Most of that time was spent working for CID in Buckinghamshire. I’ve been working in Thame and covering South Oxfordshire & Vale of the White Horse since November 2014 as a Response Sergeant, so I’ve have had a good opportunity to get to know the area well before taking on this role.

“My priorities for Thame closely follow our Force priorities – ultimately to cut crimes which are of most concern to the community, protecting our community from harm and building public confidence in the service we provide. I’ve been spending time during my first weeks working with our partner agencies looking at how we can best work together to prevent, disrupt and solve crime in the area.

“Some of the issues which we are working to tackle locally include anti-social behaviour, rural crime and burglary. I’m always keen to hear the views of people living in the area and please feel free to call 101 to speak to a member of the Neighbourhood Team or attend a Have Your Say meeting.”

Have Your Say meetings locally are taking place:

• Tuesday, March 1, 11am – midday at Co-op, High Street, Thame
• Wednesday, March 2, 11am – midday at Memorial Hall, Chinnor Road, Towersey

THERE was great excitement in the village of Chinnor, near Thame this week for the opening of a new sports and social club. To be known as Chinnor Community Pavilion, the brand new state-of-the-art, single storey building off Station Road has been the result of fundraising activities by the Parish Council, coupled with grants from Sport England, the Football Foundation and South Oxfordshire District Council.

The Community Pavilion includes a suite of four team and two officials changing rooms to cater for the adjacent sports pitches, tennis courts and playing field, and will also act as a community hub with a function room, club room, bar and kitchen. Chinnor Parish Council will shortly relocate its office into the new building. The Pavilion’s sports facilities and party suites will be available for hire, and a regular range of activities will be on offer from fitness classes to clubs.

Debbie Mellor, of PCMS Design, Haddenham, who designed and project lead the scheme, said: “Care was taken at an early stage to design a building which has eco-friendly, sustainable features; there are solar PV cells on the roof which will generate electricity for the Pavilion and also link into the national grid. There is a grey water collection system to minimise the use of fresh water. A water harvesting tank has been installed and the grey water will be used for all WCs. A large patio area extends across the back of the Pavilion with views across the playing pitches, and the landscaping includes several new trees. The building design, with its asymmetric zinc roof, smartly integrates the external materials of buff brick and cedar cladding which wrap into the entrance lobby.”

The new Pavilion building is next to the playing field and St Andrew’s Primary School, and opposite the Wellington House Doctor’s Surgery and Chinnor Library.

Councillor Pat Hayward, Chair of Chinnor Parish Council, said: “The Parish Council are delighted that the building is now complete. We are indebted to PCMS Design who have not only designed and specified this wonderful building, but guided and supported us through the whole process. The PCMS Design team have done us proud!”

SOURCE: Contributed –  Image courtesy of Chinnor Community Pavilion facebook page

FOLLOWING an adjournment and re-negotiations between councillors, Oxfordshire County Council voted this afternoon to accept an amended budget that will mean financial support for Day Centres for the elderly and Children’s centres, including Thame’s Red Kite Children’s Centre, will not be cut – at least for another year.

Many speakers, including a 13 year-old boy, and Thame Town Cllr Mary Stiles, spoke passionately to the council about the affect controversial cuts amounting to millions of pounds, would have on those affected.

Cllr Stiles spoke particularly about the proposed removal of bus subsidies for some rural routes and presented a petition containing 261 signatures, and about cuts to children’s centres and day centres.  She told councillors: “The cuts proposed, will hurt some of the most vulnerable people in our county.”

Apparently, during negotiations in the adjournment, the two things that Labour councillors proposed, but Tories rejected, were decreasing councillor’s allowances, and increasing council tax only for the higher bands – which has been done elsewhere nationally.

The Lib Dems and some independents supported the amended budget, but the Greens voted against it. They had proposed an alternative budget, which would have meant having a referendum to put council tax up to 7%.

The alternative budget agreed today will now mean that down the road, the council has £15 million of extra savings to find over the next four years, instead of the previous figure of £11 million.

There was no money for bus subsidies however in the revised budget, but the county council has not yet decided what to do with the additional £4.5 million ‘transitions fund‘ from the government over the next two years, so some of it could yet be used to run some reduced bus services.

Full details of the new budget will emerge in the coming days and weeks.

In a tweet after the meeting, Council Leader Ian Hudspeth, said: “Delighted to propose an amended County budget with support from @OxLabourCllrs & @OxonCCLibDems to provide a stable financial platform.”

THAMES Valley Police is taking part in a national project to create a work of art which will symbolise the country’s stand against knife violence.

The Force is to join more than 30 police forces already contributing to the project by the British Ironwork Centre. Knives surrendered to police from across England and Wales are being repurposed into a magnificent piece of art, a 20 ft, knife angel sculpture, which it is hoped will be displayed on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square in London.

Knife surrender bins will be in a number of police front counter offices across the Thames Valley until Sunday, February 14, in support of London Metropolitan Police’s initiative Operation Sceptre.

A police spokesperson said: “In Thames Valley we do not experience knife crime on the levels seen in similar communities and areas elsewhere in the country. From January to December 2015, Thames Valley Police received reports of 485 crimes in which a bladed or pointed article was used compared to 496 during the same period the year before, a two per cent reduction.

“The figures refer to sexual and violent offences, including robbery, where a pointed or bladed implement is recorded as being used in the offence, and it was capable of piercing or puncturing the skin. A pointed or bladed implement could include items such as knives, pens, screwdrivers and broken bottles. The item could have been used to injure or threaten.

“It is important that we continue to ensure that people understand that carrying a knife makes an individual more likely to be a victim of knife crime themselves.”

Knife surrender bins will be in front counter offices at the following locations until Sunday (14/2): Oxford, Abingdon, Banbury, Henley, Cowley, Didcot, Witney and Bicester.

Knives should be wrapped in cardboard or something similar and secured with tape. You can read more about the Knife angel project here: LINK

TIFFANY Dowie, of Hilltop, Long Crendon, has admitted two counts of theft by an employee by stealing £240 cash from Sally Russ-Silsby at the Shepherds Crook pub in Crowell, Chinnor, on August 22, 2015, last year and stealing a further £150 on August 30.

She was given a 12-month conditional discharge by Oxford Magistrates, and ordered to pay £390 compensation, a £15 victim surcharge and £30 costs.