Category: More News

THAME’S top police officers have made it clear that illegal parking in the town is not a priority for them. Reporting to Thame Town Council at its meeting on Tuesday (24/02), Inspector Mark Harling and Sgt Aidan Donohoe told councillors that with a beat of 110 sq miles, and with just four Constables and seven PCSOs, their priorities had to be talking to victims of crime, child protection issues in the area, dealing with shed and garage break-ins, Road Traffic Collisions and visiting vulnerable elderly and other people with mental health issues.

“We do however, deal with parking enforcement issues when we can,” said Sgt Donohue, who said that he personally was a strong advocate of the Decriminilisation of parking, with the use of dedicated parking.

“In November we issued 30 Fixed Penalty Notices, and more recently, 12 in two days during January, and I am confident that between 20 and 30 will be given in February. But it can only be ad hoc, when we have the time and the resources,” he added.

DROP IN CRIME

Insp Harling said that, after a £40 million cut as part of austerity measures, there was ‘no hanging fruit’ and that the force was going through a  ‘quality-based’ budgeting exercise. “I have no idea what the force may look like in a year’s time,” he told councillors. Despite the challenges, he said, crime in the Thame Sector had dropped by 18% since April last year, with 851 crimes last year, to this last year’s 696. There had though, he said, been an increase in ‘Calls for Service’ – relating to such things as Missing Persons, and Child Sex Exploitation, this latter which had increased ‘exponentially’.

“So, although we have time from the reduction in crime, that time is filled up with these other areas.” he explained. Two or three people are reported missing everyday, he went on, and although most of them are found, they tend to be either very old or very young, and therefore of high risk, so every resource will be used to a specific location to find them. He went on: “On top of all this, we are picking up the slack of other public organisations. Because they do not necessarily operate 24 hours a day, we are the organisation that will be telephoned, and we have to respond even though it is not our sphere of responsibility.

“I cannot make any promises but just explain our position. In six months time, we may be able to come back to you and explain what Thames Valley Police is looking like.”

ZIG-ZAG LINES & PARKING IN RESIDENTIAL STREETS

In answer to a query from Cllr Vaughan Humphries, Sgt Donohoe explained PCSO’s cannot give tickets to drivers who park on zig-zag lines etc, only Constables. So far, he said, eight had been issued. When Cllr Mary Stiles asked about parking in residential streets around the town, she was told that the police did tend to concentrate on the town centre and that, when they did try to catch people parking illegally in residential streets, the culprits had very often gone, having only parked there for a short time.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Cllr Lambert asked about the force’s recent taking up of using social media, particular twitter, where they had published photographs of offending vehicles. He asked whether they would be actually replying to tweets in the near future or was it just a tool for saying ‘we are here; this is what we are doing’ ? Sgt Donohoe explained that he was indeed tweeting as part of a force-wide initiative of public engagement, but that the training was not to get into a back and forth discussion. He added that he does look at twitter and takes note of the postings. For rural crime particularly, he explained, such tweeting was seen as a deterrent.

Cllr Laver asked if the police were able to use the CCTV cameras to identify persistent parking offenders and was told that, although officers did not have the resources to do that, they do target persistent offenders. “We know who they are,” he added. Cllr Lambert then asked whether, if local people tweeted pictures of offenders, could the police doing anything? He was told that the best thing is for people to email such pictures to the Neighbourhood team via ThameWatlingtonChinnorNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

NO CHANGE ANY TIME SOON

The Town Clerk reported that Civil Parking Enforcement (that was supposed to replace the use of traffic wardens and become the responsibility of local authorities) had been put on hold, mainly because of the expense.

NB Civil Parking Enforcement was supposed to be discussed at SODC Cabinet meeting in January, which was cancelled. It does not appear to be on the agenda of February’s Cabinet meeting, and the link to the ‘cabinet report’ does not work. (Could be due to disruptions to the website after the fire at SODC HQ in January)

FOLLOWING representation from a group against a proposed superstore on the edge of Thame, Thame Town Council has voted to support an independent study of the impact of a supermarket on the viability of the town’s High Street.

Clare Nickless, speaking on behalf of the recently formed ‘Thame Centre First‘ group and Thame4Business, told a meeting of the full council last night (24/02), that the independent retailers in the town were ‘overwhelmingly against’ the proposed large supermarket on the DAF site, fearing that it would have a major impact on the vitality and viability of Thame Town Centre. Both the Thame Centre First Group and Thame4Busniness had carried out informal surveys among the independent retailers, she said, and read out some of statements that they had made in response to survey questions about how they thought an edge of town, superstore would affect their business:

“…..detrimental impact on the town and would cream off our trade”; “We would seriously look to relocate”; “I will have to close”; “Proposed site to far from town centre to keep shoppers in Thame”; “A negative impact onThame, I have seen it in Buckingham where small business suffered due to a Tesco opening”; “It will destroy the sense of community”; “An out of Town store would kill off the Co-Op and negatively effect business in the town”; “Thame would die, look at Abingdon, Princes Risborough and Gt Missenden”

“There is already uncertainty in the High Street, with some shopkeepers wondering whether they should be renewing their rental agreements,” Clare told councillors, “They need our support.”

She continued: “Can we work together to produce a Thame-lead, independent assessment; one set of data to support the Neighbourhood Plan, to support and endorse Town and District planning policy, and to use for the whole of the High Street going forward?”

Cllr Don Butler congratulated Clare Nickless on the work her organisations were doing and her presentation, adding: “Great job! Keep up the pressure!”

THE THAME NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

Clare reminded councillors what the Neighbourhood Plan states: “A large superstore on the edge of Thame would undermine the town’s vitality and the viability of town centre shops. This would be detrimental to the overall sustainability of the town and would reduce the accessibility and choice of services and facilities available to the community.”

And the SODC Local Plan 2031 refined options – “..a town centre first approach, directing new supermarkets and other shops to town centres rather than out of town sites, is government policy and is important to help retain the vitality and viability of the town centres.”

‘TIPPING POINT’

The Town Clerk, Helen Stewart, said that the subject of carrying out such a study came from discussions with the council’s Neighbourhood Plan group, with regard, not only to Tesco, but from worries about when would be the ‘tipping point’ that another supermarket would be needed, and to look at all suitable sites. Other studies may need to be carried out, including one on parking, she added. In answer to a question about time scales from Cllr David Laver, the Clerk said that there had been pre-application discussions between Tesco and SODC, but that because of personel changes at Tesco there was some uncertainty over when and if an application would go forward. “A decision would be unlikely before the election,” she added.

It was pointed out during the discussion that followed that if it were to submit a planning application for a supermarket, Tesco would be likely to submit its own version of a Town Centre Impact Assessment to the planning authority, who would then ‘test’ it. “Tesco’s version will say what Tesco wants it to say,” said Cllr Mike Dyer. “Our’s needs to be an independent study,” added Cllr Champken Woods, so that we can make an informed decision.”

Cllr Vaughan Humphries said: “It is the integrity of our Neighbourhood Plan that is at stake here.” Cllr Helena Fickling said: “This is not just about a supermarket. We should have an idea about what retail we need and have a strategy so that we can be pro-active in supporting the town centre.”

The council voted unanimously in favour of an independent study ‘of the impact of a supermarket development’ on the town centre, to be carried out.

THAME Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following theft from vehicles in Thame.

Between 6pm Saturday (21/02) and 8.30am Monday (23/02) offender(s) gained access to an insecure vehicle parked at a property in Towersey drive. Golf balls and a golf cap were stolen.

Between 9am Saturday (21/02) and 7.45am Monday (23/02) offender(s) gained access to an insecure vehicle parked at a property in Towersey drive. A rucksack with personal items was taken.

Between 8pm Saturday (21/02) and 12pm Sunday (22/02) offender(s) broke into a vehicle parked at a property in Towersey drive. Cash, GARMIN sat-nav and charger, APPLE IPod and other personal items were stolen.

If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101.

Alternatively if you have any information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

ARTSWEEK at John Hampden School in Thame, has been a swashbuckling affair with the pupils and staff enjoying a life on the ocean wave, on ‘The Jolly John Hampden’.

The pirate theme saw the school hall transformed into a desert island where ‘The Jolly John Hampden’ has been washed up and shipwrecked, spilling it’s cargo of jewels and treasures across the beach. The John Hampden shipmates attired themselves with homemade Pirate hooks, eye patches, swords, telescopes, compasses and even sewn their own parrots to look the part. They made their own pirate ships and filled class treasure chests with coins, jewels and pirate booty. They printed their own Jolly Roger flags to show their pirate intent, and formed clay skulls and fish to litter their sunken treasure under the sea.

The school’s Arts Co-ordinators, Jackie Nichols and Clare Field, have been very involved in organising ArtsWeek, which also involved finding out about the ‘not-so –romantic’ real pirates who roam the oceans of the world today.

They reported: “Yet again John Hampden has seen an army of parents, grandparents, governors, guardians, teachers and teaching assistants, old and new, volunteer to support the children in their pirate artwork, with a multitude of helpers (over 60!), who came to bring our ideas to life!

“Our PTFA provided the booty to fund the week, with a generous donation which enabled the school to provide a wealth of artistic experiences and resources for the children to enjoy. These have ranged from a woodwork project to make a pirate shipwreck, a mysterious, mod-roc skull cave, a sew-off of felt parrots, fish and jellyfish, a junk modelled challenge to create recycled pirate boats and much, much more!

“The staff also set the children the challenge of identifying which golden coin belonged to which member of staff, by matching the coin head’s profile to the right staff member in the ‘Treasure Trove Quiz’, with an arty prize for the winning entry. We dared all to enter our pirate world at the end of the week, to follow our treasure maps through shipwrecks and sand dunes, past beautiful mermaids and fearsome pirate folk, to find the jewel of our artistic endeavours at the Artsweek Fair-trade Café as a Friday finale.

“The week proved to be a voyage of pirate discovery and it took half-term to recover from our pirate antics, but we can enjoy our hall in weeks to come as a reminder of our swashbuckling adventure!”

A DATE has been announced for repairs to Thame’s skate park, following its sudden closure by the town council ten days ago, for safety reasons.

Repairs will start on Monday, February 23, and are expected to take up to two days. Users and parents have been asked by the council to adhere to the ramp closure, which has been enforced to maintain public safety.

The council has stated: “Notice will be given when the facility is once again fit for use.”

Skate park back-stories – LINK

FEARING a threat to the town centre posed by a national supermarket giant’s plan to build a large store on the outskirts of Thame, a group of residents have formed a campaign group to fight against it.

The ‘Thame Centre First’ group has launched a website http://www.thamecentrefirst.org/ where they explain what they are asking for: “Just like the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, this campaign seeks to put Thame Centre First and keep our shops together in the heart of the community – the Town Centre. Local residents overwhelmingly backed the Neighbourhood Plan via a referendum and now we ask the Town and District Council to uphold our plan and say ‘NO’ to this out-of-town supermarket.”

They want local people to write to our MP John Howell and to Thame Town Council, asking them to act to prevent Tesco’s proposal, to download, print and distribute leaflets and posters and to sign their petition.

The Thame Centre First campaign is working with Thame4Business to gauge the feelings of town centre business towards the supermarket proposal. Thame4Business is currently initiating discussions with the town council and South Oxfordshire District Council to try to source funding for an Impact Study to be carried out on the likely effects of an edge of town supermarket on the vitality and economy of the town centre.

Dave Lewis, Chief Executive of Tesco, has defended his company’s plans, and stated: “We continue to believe that the store will provide a valued service to the local community. The new store will provide a great shopping experience as well as bringing new jobs and investment to the area.”

THAME’S Town Crier, Anthony Church, has been stripped of his title in disgrace, after falsly claiming a Falklands’ war record, and entitlement to wear Decorations, and medals that he bought over the internet.

Mr Church, who was a common sight in Thame often promoting events in the Market Place such as the food festival, was revealed as a fraud by a group calling itself the Walter Mitty Hunters Club, a group of former servicemen which investigates those who illegitimately wear medals.

He has publically apologised and is reported to have said: “‘It was very stupid and I categorically now apologise to everybody who has served in the forces. It was never my intention to cause any distress or upset.”

Also official Town Crier for Banbury, Oxford, Chipping Norton and Wallingford, in 2012, Mr Church, from Cowley, in Oxford, led Team GB athletes to the opening ceremony for the London Olympics. He was one of three representatives of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers who, dressed in traditional liveries, helped to marshall international athletes from the Olympic Village to the stadium for the Athletes’ Parade.

TWENTY fives years after she had visited Thame to officially open the refurbished Market House, HRH The Princess Royal, again visited Thame on Tuesday morning (17/02), to commemorate 800 years since Thame’s Tuesday market received its first Royal Charter. (SEE LINK)

Escorted by Chris Hurdman, better known locally as ‘Mr Sweets’, Secretary of the Thame Market Traders Cooperative (TMTC), Princess Anne strolled through the market in beautiful sunshine, meeting stallholders and shoppers. Accompanied by an entourage of dignitaries, including Bernard Taylor, the Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Chairman of South Oxfordshire District Council, Cllr Ann Midwinter, Thame’s MP John Howell, the Town Clerk Helen Stewart and the Mayor of Thame, Cllr Jeannette Matelot Green, Princess Anne chatted with a selection of stallholders beginning with Michellle Diffey, Chair of Thame SAFARI (Self Advocacy for Adults Requiring Independence) and her charges, who were manning the Community Stall, selling handicrafts that they had made themselves. The princess then moved on to The Local Producers’ stall where she was introduced to Mrs Amanda Hopcroft and her team, who chatted with Her Highness about the products they sell that are produced and made locally.

The royal visitor then met Kezia Ball, one of the newest stallholders at Thame Market, who has been selling cheese and other delicatessen products for just one year. Other traders lucky enough to be introduced to Her Royal Highness were Pat Worthington, whose family greengrocery stall was started by her father 38 years-ago. Amongst the youngest market traders singled out for a chat were Emily and Alice Chilton, the fourth generation to be selling foam sheeting and other foam products at the market, helping their father whilst continuing their studies.

Ian Clooney, the Picture Framer, has been a familiar sight at Thame Market for 20 years, again, working at a business started by his father, 40 years-ago. The princess seemed interested to know whether he framed the work of local artists as well as the prints his sells from his stall. Ian is the Treasurer of the Thame Market Traders Cooperative.

Nearing the end of her guided tour, stopping to chat along the way to shoppers, and to young Byron Gee and a group of other young people who regularly help the market traders set up and dismantle their stalls before and after school, the princess met Egg Trader, Michael Broun, Chairman of the TMTC. He in turn introduced the princess to another long-term regular and Thame character, Terry Guest.

After a quick word with the fish stall owner and some of his customers, the princess met Tony Long and fellow thespians from Thame Players, who were dressed in costume promoting their summer production, The Taming of the Shrew, in July.

Then, finally, the highlight of Her Royal Highness’s visit, and the main purpose of the event. After an introduction from the Mayor of Thame, and a short history of Thame Market and a humorous explanation of some of its traditions from Chris Hurdman, the princess then unveiled a commemorative plaque outside the Market House in Montesson Square, a moment captured by the many cameras and caught on film to be shown later in the evening by the local BBC news channel.

For Chris Hurdman’s 11 year-old daughter, Evie, the princess’s visit was a day she will never forget, after she had the honour of presenting Her Royal Highness with two books about the history of Thame Market, including local photographer, John Comino James’s book of photographs, ‘Nearly Every Tuesday’. Another little girl, who will have very special memories of the day, is three year-old Emily Louise Smith, daughter of Mike Smith, a fruit and vegetable stallholder, who helped present Her Royal Highness with a huge basket of fresh fruit and produce – so heavy that when the princess lifted it, the handles of the basket broke and Her Royal Highness almost dropped it! But Chris Hurdman, who had been the perfect gentleman all morning, was quickly on hand to rescue the situation and the basket was handed over to a young naval cadet who had the job of carrying it all the way down the Buttermarket behind the entourage, to the town hall, where the princess took a short refreshment break before bidding the town farewell and leaving in her car.

All the organising team from the town council, the police officers, air cadets and everyone else who had worked hard to make Her Royal Highness’s visit such a triumph for the town, were able to relax with coffee and biscuits up stairs in the council chamber, and congratulate each other on a job well done, and to share in the pride and pleasure of the market traders and the town for being honoured with a visit from a member of the monarchy, which has itself, like Thame’s market, survived for over 800 years.

Except of course, that Chris Hurdman and his members had to go straight back to work – serving the people of Thame and the surrounding villages as their predecessors have done for eight centuries.

LINK for more photographs