Category: Thame news

THE Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland, has thanked retiring town councillors for the impact they have made during their combined 55 years of service, to a town that he described as ‘on the up.’

Speaking at the end of the last full Town Council meeting before local elections on May 6, Cllr Adam Buckland said: “You have all made an impact on the residents of Thame in various ways and I know that the type of people you are, you will still be active in the community in various ways.

“At the present, Thame is on the up! We have great facilities, festivals and initiatives taking place in Thame, and we are blessed with great shops, schools and most of all, great people.

PROUD ACHIEVEMENT

“Whether you were directly involved by making decisions on agenda items or supporting partnerships and initiatives, you should all be very proud of what you have achieved in Thame.”

The Mayor concluded: “Not everyone in the town agrees with all decisions we make…Not everyone in this room agrees with all the decisions we make! But between us we have steered our way through the common goal of making Thame a better town.”

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

Cllr Buckland expressed his good wishes to all councillors standing for re-election next month and finished with the words: “Onwards and Upwards!”

The six town councillors stepping down are:
Beatrice Dobie 24 years
Lionel Morbey 12 years
Owen Davies 8 years
Peiter Barker 4 years
Rob Parker 4 years
Cliff Baker 3 years

PHOTO: Retiring Town Cllr Beatrice Dobie, photographed in 2004 when she was Deputy Mayor or Thame.

The Lea Park Residents? Association in Thame, is seeking the views of all residents on the estate about Sainsbury’s proposal to build a supermarket on the Cattlemarket site.

On Thursday, April 14, at Chinnor Rugby Club at 7.30 pm, the Association is holding its AGM and the Cattle Market development is on the agenda. All members of the Association will have an opportunity to express their opinion.

Angela Willson, Chair of LPRA, said: ?Although Sainsbury?s have given us the chance to give our views on the plans, only they and their agents, GKA, will actually know the results. The residents of Lea Park need to be able to express their opinions openly so that we can all hear one another?s views and then be able to uphold a common stance if this becomes a planning issue.?

Those attending the meeting will also be able to see the Concept Masterplan for Site F (the pig field) prepared by Jeffrey Charles Emmett Planning & Development Consultancy.

Angela also said that the Association will also be looking for new members of the committee: “… so that it can continue to be actively involved in improving the estate and supporting residents in issues relating to the local councils and central Government.”

PUPILS from John Hampden Primary School in Thame this week applied the finishing touches to the show home garden at the new Windmill Place development in the town, ahead of the show home launch this weekend.

The pupils were joined by the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Adam Buckland, who officially opened the garden which was inspired by the designs of the pupils themselves.

The garden includes features such as a bird bath, a bird table, a bench and various flower types which are popular with bees and butterflies. The children also planted a sunflower each with the Mayor and have been invited to send in pictures of their fully grown flowers.

Paul Moran, Sales Director for David Wilson Homes Southern, commented: ?Our thanks go to the pupils at John Hampden Primary School for their fantastic input and creative ideas for the show home garden at Windmill Place. I understand that the bird bath already has regular visitors and the garden looks wonderful.?

Jo Tiddy, organiser of the gardening club at John Hampden School, added: ?It?s great for our pupils to get hands on experience like this and see some of their ideas being used in a real garden. The pupils really enjoyed unveiling the gardens with the Mayor and we thank David Wilson Homes for including us in their plans here at Windmill Place. We will take our planted sunflowers back to school and see how tall they will grow.?

One of the pupils suggested that her sunflower will grow as tall as the houses at the development.

Four properties have alrady been sold ahead of the opening of three show homes at the weekend for potential purchasers to view. The homes have been completely decorated internally by David Wilson Homes and will give interested homebuyers a glimpse of the lifestyle on offer at the development.

Paul added: ?We are very excited to be finally opening the doors to Windmill Place this weekend. We have delighted to have already sold four without purchasers having had the chance to view anything and so expect sales to further increase once people have something to see.?

Windmill Place is a new development in Thame by David Wilson Homes in association with Wates Developments. The stylish development offers an excellent selection of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes, in the thriving historic market town of Thame, Oxfordshire. Prices at Windmill Place range from

BEE GEE Robin Gibb, who has lived in Thame for many years, has been foreced to cancel his tour of Brazil after being admitted to hospital.

Robin was set to play shows in cities including Sao Paulo and Brasilia this month, but was taken to hospital on Sunday (April 4)with abdominal pains.

The singer underwent emergency surgery last year and had part of his intestine removed after he suffered stomach pains while performing in Belgium.

It is not known yet whether Robin’s latest illness is linked to this previous problem.

Robin’s twin brother, Maurice, died in 2003 from complications arising from a twisted intestine.

THAME butcher, Tom Newitt, has added his voice to those against a proposed Sainsbury’s supermarket on the Cattlemarket site in the town.

A Facebook Cause page has set up as well as an on-line version of a petition, which is also available in paper version, in Newitt’s shop itself in the High Street.

LINK to the Facebook Cause page, which has over 400 members so far http://tiny.cc/tcj76

LINK to on-line petition: Petition-on-line

NO contest for the Thame North ward election of Thame Town Councillors will now be necessary, as only eight candidates have registered for eight seats.

After the local elections on May 5, Thame Town Council will have two new Labour Councillors, Andy Gunn and Mary Stiles, both former Thame Town Councillors, and Liberal Democrat, Marius Ciortan, who will be taking his seat for first time.

The full complement of North Ward town councillors will be:

Mr David William Bretherton, Liberal Democrats
Mr Donald George Butler, Conservative
Mr Nigel Guy Champken-Woods, Conservative
Mr Marius Sorin Ciortan, Liberal Democrats
Nichola Mary Dixon, Conservative
Andy Gunn, Labour
Jeannette Ann Matelot Green, Liberal Democrats
Mary Honora Stiles, Labour

In Thame South Ward, there are nine candidates contesting eight seats. They are:

Mr Adam James Buckland, Labour
Mr David William Dodds, Conservative
Mr Michael Laurence Dyer, Conservative
Helena Mary Fickling, Liberal Democrats
Mr Vaughan Francis Humphries, Conservative
Mr Peter Christopher Lambert, Independant
Mr David Arthur Laver, Liberal Democrats
Corin Fairbairn Rea, Liberal Democrats
Mr Mike Welply, Conservative

DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Candidates for Thame North Ward:

Mr David William Bretherton, Liberal Democrats Jeannette Ann Matelot Green,Liberal Democrats
Mr Mike Welply, Conservative

3 candidates contesting 2 seats

Candidates for Thame South Ward:

Mr Pete Barker, Liberal Democrats
Mr David William Dodds, Conservative
Mr David Arthur Laver, Liberal Democrats
Ann Midwinter, Independent
Mary Honora Stiles, Labour

5 candidates contesting 2 seats

THIS year’s Annual Town Meeting will be held at Thame town hall, on Tuesday, April 12, at 7.30pm, and be chaired by the Mayor, Cllr Adam Buckland.

Representatives from the Town, District and County Councils will be there to hear your views and answer your questions.

This year the theme is sport and will include updates on:

Get Active in Thame

25 years of Chinnor Rugby in Thame

Thame Hockey ? our success so far

Agendas available from Thame Town Hall: 01844 212833

HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Lucy Thorne and PCSO Diane Jackson.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

The local priority for Thame is ASB. We conduct high visibility patrols in and around the town, engaging with members of the public and listening to local people?s community concerns/issues. Where problems are brought to our attention, we conduct home visits with parents present, issue warning letters and work with offenders to encourage them to move forward.

The most common way we can deal with incidents of ASB is by issuing ASB warning letters, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABC?s), anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO?s), Section 27 (S27) orders ? direction to leave locality, and Section 59 (S59) orders – contracts issued for using a vehicle in an anti-social manner.

ASB warning letters have been given to four young men, following an incident at the Memec Building, Thame.

No ABC?s, ASBO?s, S59?s or S27?s have been issued during March.

Underage smokers & litter in car parks

PCSO Thorne confiscated cigarettes from underage smokers, these people have received warnings.

We continue to monitor the car parks in and around the town centre and would like to remind everyone using the car parks, especially in the evening, that they must take all their litter with them when they leave. Should we continue to find litter in the area people will be moved on.

Due to the recent sunny spring weather, we have noticed the rise in litter on Southern Road rec. We would like to remind everyone using the grounds to use the litter bins provided and we will be monitoring this area regularly.

Pit bikes warning

Following recent reports of pit bikes in Thame, we would like to advise anyone owning one or thinking of buying one, that there is nowhere to ride them legally in Thame. Anyone found riding them will be dealt with by means of a S59, which results in the seizure of the vehicle if further reports are made.

We continue to conduct high visibility patrols in the town, engaging with members of our community and working to deter/prevent ASB.

Offenders brought to justice

So far this month, we have conducted a number of investigations and made numerous arrests. At this time we are waiting to see if offenders will be charged.

Partnership activity

We work with partner agencies on a regular basis and we carry out monthly site inspections with SOHA and South Vale Housing, tackling low level neighbourhood disputes together. We also engage regularly with the local town council.

We conduct visible patrols in around the school areas at key times, ensuring that parking issues are addressed. This also allows us to engage with pupils and teachers on a regular basis.

Pubwatch is running very well in the town and meetings continue to be held every 2 months. This involves us working closely with landlords/landladys and the licensing department within Thames Valley Police.
During March, we have worked with Licensing directly, carrying out routine drug swabbing in all pubs in Thame.

Country watch meetings are being held quarterly.

Non Partnership activity

PCSO Thorne gave a talk to the Cubs on 21 March. This was very enjoyable and the Cubs were a pleasure to spend time with. They all worked very hard to achieve their community challenge badge. Well done Cubs!

Parking issues

PCSO Jackson and PCSO Thorne have dealt with a few parking issues in the town following complaints from local residents. We have offered advice regarding contacting Highways and PCSO Jackson has liaised directly with Highways, who have advised that they will re-paint worn out markings by the end of April.

Planned Activity

PCSO Thorne deployed the Speed Indication Device (SID) on 2 March at Kingsey Road and Oxford Road, following reports of speeding.

We have participated in the following operations during March:
? Maginot – this operation continues to run, tackling travelling criminals entering and leaving our area.
? Magpie – this operation involves checking parked vehicles in local car parks for valuables left on display.
? Mangrove – this is running initially for 8 weeks as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles, over recent weeks, in our local area. This operation involves us carrying out static patrols in key areas at key times in marked vehicles.

Good News Stories

PCSO Thorne took part in ?Tidy Thame? on Sunday 27 March. This was a great success and it was fantastic to see so many members of the local community coming together to focus on making the town so much cleaner.
Following an incident which took place in our area, we have been able to identify the offenders from CCTV due to our local knowledge. The officers in charge of the case are now able to deal.

The Home Office national crime mapping website gives the public access to street-level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events – details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk, type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ?Find out more?.

Community Messaging

This free service provides information to subscribers about crime and police activity in their area via phone or email. It also includes information on what we and our partner services are doing to bring offenders to justice or combat anti-social behaviour, and information on opportunities for local residents to raise concerns with their local policing teams.
More information can be obtained via our website, and you can sign up here too:
http://www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org/rmwebportal/startup.aspx.

Have Your Say online

You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do that please follow the link: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/yournh-about-nh-pol/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n235-hys. Please allow some time for us to get back to you as we do check our mail box only at certain times of the day.

We will be holding a couple of Have Your Say (HYS) meetings in April. This is an opportunity for you to meet an officer in person and raise any concerns that you have. The dates and times for these meetings are as follows:-

? Wednesday 20th April 2011, The Town Hall, Thame, midday ? 2pm with PCSO Diane Jackson

? Saturday 23rd April 2011, Co-Op Caf

IN a dramatic announcement this morning, The Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland, has stepped down from the role.

Hairstylist, Adam told ThameNews.Net: ?Though Thame is a wonderful town and I have enjoyed my months as town Mayor, after the huge success of my Tidy Thame day, I can now admit that my burning, life-long dream has always been to be a Womble.

?I have recently been seeing a psychiatrist about my obsession but this is something I really have to do. I am, as we speak, already in discussions about opening a salon on Wimbledon Common, where the residents are known for their bad haircuts.?

Adam concluded: ?I?m sure my deputy, Don Butler, will be happy to carry out my remaining duties until the local elections in May, with great humility.?

PHOTO: Adam Buckland, who resigned today as Mayor of Thame, incognito.

THE supermarket giant, Sainsbury?s, which wants to build a supermarket on the Cattlemarket site in Thame, is to distribute leaflets to households in the area in an effort to ‘engage with the local community’ on the proposals.

In a statement today, Sainsbury’s said: “Proposals for the site are evolving and Sainsbury?s is keen to hear the views of as many local people as possible before a detailed scheme is progressed.”

The brochure will include a tear-off freepost comments form so that people can provide their views and a dedicated website has been launched at:
www.sainsburys-thame.co.uk This includes an interactive feedback form that can be filled in on-line. Sainsbury?s has also organised two drop-in sessions at Thame Town Hall on the following dates:

– Friday 8 April, 5pm-8pm
– Saturday 9 April, 10am-2pm

Members of Sainsbury?s development team will be on hand at the drop-in sessions to discuss the proposals and answer questions.

Andrew Sanderson, Sainsbury?s Regional Development Executive, said, ?We are in the process of evolving our proposals for the Cattle Market site and are
seeking the views of local people as we develop the plans. We have written to all households and businesses in and around the town to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to have their say.?

Brian Lloyd, Chairman of Thame Cattle Market, said, ?This proposal would secure the future of a cattle market in the town at the Thame Showground.
We would therefore encourage the Thame community to respond to Sainsbury?s consultation so that the views of the wider community can be taken into account.?

The cut-off date for responses to the consultation is 5pm on Friday, April 22.