Category: More News

THE two sitting Conservative Councillors for the Thamme and Chinnor ward, have been returned, in the County Council elections held yesterday.

The stats are as follows:

Nick Carter – Conservative 2420 23%
David Wilmshurst – ditto – 1824 18%
Mary Stiles – Labour 1190 11%
William Parkinson – UKIP 1149 11%
David Bretherton – Lib Dem 1038 10%
Michael Montgomery- UKIP 937 9%
David Laver – Lib Dem 699 7%
Simon Stone – Labour 626 6%
Colin Grenville – Green 533 5%

The turnout for the county council elections in Thame, 43%, was up on the 2009 figure, possibly due to the Thame Neighbourhood Plan Referendum attracting more people to the ballot box.

The combined vote for Cllrs Carter and Wilmshurst was significantly down on the 2009 election, when they secured over 60% of the vote between them.

County-wide, the turnout was down significantly with only 31.87 per cent of the electorate voting, down from 38 per cent at the last county council elections in 2009.

Out of an electorate of 500,521, a total of 159,535 people voted, less than a third.

Go to: http://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?XXR=0&ID=112&RPID=3471685 for the full statistical information.

THE Conservative party has failed to hold on to overall control of Oxfordshire County Council – by just one seat.

The Conservatives needed to win 32 out of the 63 seats available on the council to maintain control over the council.

The outcome went right to wire, as the count for Sutton Courtenay and Marcham was eagerly awaited, finally going to the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservatives had been in power in Oxfordshire since 2009. The horse-trading will now begin as the Conservatives talk to other political groupings to determine who will share power with them.

The other parties between them have 32 seats, Labour – 15, Lib Dems 11, Greens have 2 and Others have 4 seats. The Conservatives have 31.

THE latest Thame Sector neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), Diane Jackson, shows local policing priorities and areas of police action for the month of April.

The Thame Sector covers the neighbourhoods of Thame, Chinnor and Watlington.

Offenders brought to justice

16 offenders were brought to justice for a variety of offences including: Shoplifting, Public Order, Drug Possession – Cannabis, Criminal Damage to Vehicles, Actual Bodily Harm, and Aggravated Vehicle Taking.

The following priorities have been identified by the community and the police:

Anti-social behaviour (ASB).
Traffic issues.
Theft from vehicles – in order to assist us in combating this type of crime motorists are encouraged to ensure their vehicles are secure and any valuables left in the car are placed out of sight.
Burglary dwelling.
Burglary non-dwelling.
ASB

With the weather improving we are starting to regularly patrol the parks to check for any ASB and to ensure litter is being disposed of appropriately.

PCSO Michelle Jacques has confiscated alcohol on Southern Road Recreation Ground in Thame and there have been reports of door knocking in Chinnor village. This causes alarm and frightens residents, particularly the elderly. Should any offenders be identified suitable action will be taken by the neighbourhood team.

What is Anti-social behavior? (ASB)

ASB is any behaviour that causes or is likely to cause alarm, harassment, or distress to any person. Thames Valley Police takes ASB seriously and works closely with your local council to resolve it. ASB includes a range of negative, selfish and unacceptable activity which affects the quality of neighbourhood life. Some of the activities need to be tackled by the police, while others are the responsibility of the local council.

ASB can be caused by people of all ages. It has a negative impact on the quality of life of individuals, families and communities. It can damage the environment, especially disadvantaged areas. ASB is regularly identified as a top priority for Neighbourhood Policing Teams to tackle.

Please report ASB to the police if you or someone you know is a victim of it.

If ASB is affecting your quality of life, call 101, the Thames Valley Police 24-hour non-emergency number.
If the ASB makes you feel threatened, or if you or someone else is in danger, or if the ASB is in progress, call 999.

Police will treat every report or incident on its own merit. Your information could help us to take action against persistent offenders.

Under the Data Protection Act, any reports that you make are treated as confidential so please don?t worry about your identity being revealed. For further information about ASB please check the Thames Valley Police website www.thamesvalley.police.uk

Traffic issues

There was recently a Roads Policing Operation in Thame High Street, looking for people not wearing seat belts or using a mobile phone illegally.

Highways are looking at re-marking some of the lines in Thame, including some double yellow lines which have been removed due to patching work.

Speed check operations with the Speed Indication Device (SID) will continue throughout 2013 within the Thame Sector and letters will be sent to offenders, so watch your speed!

Planned activities

Operation MANGER involves patrolling the Town Centre car parks to distribute crime reduction literature.

Operation MAGPIE involves checking vehicles while we are out on patrol to see if there are any items left on display. The owners will then receive an advisory crime prevention letter from the neighbourhood team.

Operation MAGINOT tackles travelling criminals entering and leaving our area by using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system to identify flagged vehicles. Benefits of ANPR are: it identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police attention, unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by ANPR equipped officers, and it can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals and for running proactive operations using dedicated Roads Policing Teams.

Recently a National Rogue Traders Operation was run for one week across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse. This consisted of an ANPR operation with Roads Policing support, and also involved questionnaires being issued to local people to be completed detailing any work they might have had carried out by traders.

Crime mapping

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 (opens new window), type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ?Find out more?.

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: Have Your Say ? contact your local team. 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.

There is also the opportunity to attend Have Your Say meetings in person. Upcoming Have Your Say meetings are:-

Tuesday 7 May, 3pm – 5pm, in the Co-Op cafe, High Street, Thame with PCSO Diane Jackson.
Wednesday 8 May, 11am ? midday, at the Memorial Hall, Chinnor Road, Towersey with PCSO Jacky Madden.
Monday 20 May, at the Co-Op Cafe, High Street, Thame with PCSO Chris Hollis
Thursday 23 May, 3pm ? 4pm, at Chinnor Village Centre, High Street, Chinnor with PCSO Jacky Madden.
Saturday 25 May, 2pm ? 3pm, in the police van outside St Mary Magdalen Church, Stoke Talmage with PCSO Diane Greenwood.
Thursday 30 May, 6pm ? 7pm, at the village hall, Holy Road, Cuxham, near Watlington with PCSO Diane Greenwood.

These meetings are an ideal opportunity for local residents to speak to their neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs about any local issues, no appointment is necessary just turn up and speak to your local officers. Further meetings will be publicised locally and on the force website at: www.thamesvalley.police.uk

For details of more useful website, visit: LINK

THE organisers of Thame’s Music in the Park, on May 12, are aware of how difficult it can be for parents with younger children to fully relax and enjoy large events such as this festival. Thankfully, BASE, from Barley Hill Church, will be lending a helping hand to provide some welcome free time for parents, keeping the kids happy with jungle-themed activities.

BASE* will be running activities for children aged 4 -12 in the Children?s Crafts Area. Children can be left to enjoy a range of fun activities in the capable hands of trained volunteers, allowing their parents to enjoy the music and see the rest of the attractions at their own pace. This year the activities will have a jungle crafts theme and the children will have fun creating animal face masks and musical instruments.

Sessions time are: 13.00-13.45, 14.00-14.45 and 15.00-15.45.

Sessions are split between 4 – 8 year-olds and 9 – 12 year-olds, and there are 40 places per session.

These sessions are free, although a donation would be appreciated.

Other fun activities for the children will include the Mega Slide, Bungee Run and Disco Dome.

Music In The Park is the ideal family-friendly event and local youth are well represented among the performers, which will include the John Hampden School Choir and Little Bill?s Big Band, comprising pupils from Lord Williams?s School.

With Music in the Park?s family entrance tickets being such good value (£20 in advance for two adults and up to three concessions; £25 on the door), this is another great reason why Music in the Park will be a fantastic family day out!

*BASE is made up of Barley Hill Church?s children and youth teams, many of whom support and lead Thames’s summer holiday club, Lighthouse.

THE second UKIP candidate who is standing for one of the two County Council Election seats for Thame and Chinnor in Thursday’s election, is William Parkinson.

Here is his statement: “I have lived in Chinnor for 11 years, attend the local church, work as a volunteer for the elderly, am a member of the U3A and in the recent past have been an Advocate.

I am an Engineer having worked in the aircraft industry and held posts as Assistant Development Engineer and then Experimental Engineer. I have also been employed as a lecturer in Management studies majoring in Management Accounting and HR Law.

I have been a member of UKIP for six years and believe that their policies, both at County level and National level, are what this country needs at the present time.”

THE Liberal Democrats are fielding two candidates for two, Thame & Chinnor seats at the County Council elections on Thursday, May 2, both of them currently Thame Town councillors, and one of them a District Councillor too.

Here is David Laver’s personal statement: “I have been a resident here for over 37 years and as a councillor for 14 years. Twice Town Mayor of Thame, I think I have shown my commitment to Thame and its surroundings. I have been a school governor, am a Museum Trustee, a representative on 21st Century Thame, and for 20 years I have been active with the Cuttlebrook Reseve Volunteers. I think this is proof of my commitment and my intention to get stuck in. I am very keen to maintain the economic and environmental health of the division and as my wife has a shop in Thame.

I am very interested in maintaining the vibrancy and unique character of the town centre. I love the Chilterns and spent some time on the Chilterns Board. I think I can bring my experience to the County Council and I fully understand the problems facing the County Council and how vital it is to maintain the services that the council provides. I am not just standing for political reasons as may be the case with some of the candidates.”

The other Lib Dem candidate, David Bretherton, has lived in Thame for nearly 30 years. Married to Margaret, they have three children who live locally and five grandchildren who attend Thame schools.

He has been a Town and District Councillor for 10 years and has twice served as Mayor of Thame. He has sat for many years on the Planning Committee at SODC. He is a very keen founding volunteer at Thame Museum and is also a trustee of Thame Youth Memorial.

For many years David has been a Governor at Barley Hill School and chairman of the Thame Sinaia Association.
He is keen to ensure that County Council services are maintained for the people of the Thame and Chinnor. He intends to be an active councillor seeking out solutions to Thame residents’ problems.

PHOTO; David Bretherton (Left) & David Laver

MICHAEL Montgomery is one of two candidates who will be standing for UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party. The other will be William Parkinson.

After graduating from Oxford, Michael worked in teaching before becoming a fulltime writer. His most recent book is a revelatory biography of Edward Lear entitled, The Owl and the Pussy Cats. He has lived in the Oxfordshire area for the past 30 years. He is his party statement:

“Although he voted in favour of joining the so-called ‘Common Market’ in 1975, Michael quickly saw that its unelected leaders were bent on turning it into something very different – into nothing less, in fact, than a political superstate. He stood for UKIP in the 1997 General Election in Witney. Since then he has seen us become increasingly isolated, so that more than 80% of all our legislation is now imposed, not by Parliament, but by Brussels ? and only last week Frau Merkel insisted that ‘Europe must have the last word’!

“In his view, withdrawal is the only answer, thereby saving us

SIMON Stone, aged 56, lives in Chinnor and has two teenage girls. He is one of two Labour candidates standing for the Thame & Chinnor seat in the Oxfordshire County Council elections on May 2.

Simon runs his own Human Resources Management Consultancy, specialising in Leadership, Change Management and Organisational Development, giving him, he believes, an understanding of what is required to make Local Government more efficient and effective, whilst safeguarding vital services.

Simon strongly believes in supporting the local community. “At the very basic level, people need jobs, housing, health and education,” he said. He believes that people want visible policing, and they want to live in a society that provides youth services and care for the elderly – “…the basics requirements of a civilised society,” he says, believing that they are under threat by devastating cuts that are going too far and are being implemented too fast.

Simon believes that money for these services could come from major corporations such as Amazon, Google, Starbucks paying ‘fair’ taxes, and that the debate should be about fairness at every level of society, including the banks. “But the real agenda must be to grow the economy, grow real jobs and create the wealth to grow real incomes,? he concludes.

LORD Williams?s School had the privilege of hosting the very first leg of acclaimed author and comedian, Charlie Higson?s ‘The Sacrifice’ tour.

Charlie Higson is a highly successful author, actor, comedian and writer for television and radio. He wrote the phenomenally successful Young Bond series and has just released book four of his Zombie series, The Sacrifice, which started with The Enemy, a former winner of the Oxfordshire Book Award.

In three separate sessions Charlie used his well-known dry humour to engage and inspire the children of Years seven, eight and none, as well as the Year six children from two of the Partnership Primary Schools, St Joseph?s and John Hampden. At the end of each interactive session students had the opportunity to ask questions followed by book signings.

In response to student requests following this successful event, the school library has doubled its stock of Charlie Higson books!

*****HERE’S pupil, Nathan Cartwight’s description of Charlie’s visit to his year group, year Nine:

“On April 22, 2013, a shuffling creature crawled into Lower School. Its name, Charlie Higson. He came to speak about his career, his life and of course ZOMBIES!

His books are dead famous, from Silverfin to The Fear. He explained that he had been writing from a young age and that however much girls may fancy Robert Paterson Vampires, they were stuck with zombies, as that is how he describes teenage boys!

Charlie went on to explain how his own kids decided that every character he introduced into his Young Bond books should be decapitated and destroyed in some gruesome and disgusting way. He also explained how he couldn’t scare his eldest with the sample chapters of The Enemy, and so determined to make him wet himself with fear, he upped the scares until, one night, he burst into the room cold and frightened. Charlie thought, as he put it: “A ha! got the little b*%

NICK Carter has been one of the two County Councillors for the Thame & Chinnor area since 2005, when the Conservatives won control of Oxfordshire County Council after 20 years of coalitions.

?Since then,? he says, ?my colleague David Wilmshurst and I have worked hard to make a difference for our lovely part of the county and give it a loud voice at the Council.?

Nick holds regular surgeries in Thame and describes his role as: ?acting on people?s concerns, cutting through red tape by pulling the county, district, town and parish councils together, and achieving the best outcomes for individuals.? He is also a member of the Council?s Cabinet, where policies are set and key decisions are made.

Nick lives in Thame and has worked as a newspaper editor, then ran his own publishing business and subsequently began freelancing. He and his wife Hilly each have two children, and he says: ?We know that efficient local services can make a real difference for both family and business life.?

He adds, ?The County Council?s activities have an important impact locally ? on our families? health and welfare, our children?s education, our safety from crime and accidents, our reliance on decent roads and transport systems, our shopping and leisure facilities.

?The electors have two votes each and can be assured that David Wilmshurst and I are committed to representing everyone tirelessly on all these issues.?