Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • Thame’s Green candidate on parliamentary reform

    MARK Stevenson, the Green candidate for the Henley constituency, has stated that his email inbox has been swamped with requests to support parliamentary reform.

    Mark said: “In the last two days I?ve had over thirty emails on this issue from voters. I am delighted that people are putting it high on their agenda. In this election the main Parties have already ignored people?s anger and dissatisfaction with the system and are back to business-as-usual.

    “Proportional voting, an elected second chamber and a written constitution have long been part of Green Party policy for democratic reform. Concern for democratic reform was one of the reasons I joined the Greens thirteen years ago.

    “Scrapping ID cards and rolling back the database state is not only about preserving civil liberties, but is one way of making cuts in projected Government spending that will actually benefit us.

    “Labour?s plan for calling a referendum on changing the voting system from first-past-the?post to the Alternative Vote system is likely to be a casualty of calling the election for May 6th. There is unlikely to be time to establish it as a requirement for the next Government before parliament is dissolved,” he added.

    Concluding, Mark Stevenson commented: “Labour announced this idea so close to the election that it was never likely to get the cross party agreement needed to push it through. But even if it were agreed to hold a referendum, the Alternative Vote system is not proportional. It?s just a way of allowing people who voted for one of the least popular candidates to have their second preference counted.”

  • Thame pub raided by HM Revenue & Customs for second time

    A Thame pub was raided for the second time in less than three months yesterday (07/04/10) by HM Revenue and Customs.

    After seizing a quantity of tobacco and alcohol, Officers arrested a man who was later Bailed pending further enquiries.

    Back on January 26, a 67 year-old man was arrested at The Two Brewers pub in North Street, Thame, for possession of a controlled drug (around 1000 pills) with intent to supply, and for tax evasion relating to the possession of approximagtely

  • Ex Thin Lizzie & Status Quo musicians at new Blues club -15/04/10

    A NEW Blues music club will launch on Thursday, April 15, featuring some great “blast from the past” professional musicians, at The Stables, behind The James Figg pub in Cornmarket, Thame.

    The monthly club will see top blues bands promoted by www.dogfoxpromotions.co.uk

    Headlining the first club night will be the King Earl Boogie Band www.kebb.co.uk
     with some top musicians featuring Colin Earl, piano player with Mungo Jerry/Foghat, John Coghlan on drums (original status quo)and Ian Campbell of the Nashville Teens/Thin Lizzy. The legendary Dave Peabody will provide lead vocals and Guitar.

    There will be a brilliant local blues band opening the event.

    The Blues Club organisers are getting in a top PA system and staging/lights etc, so no expenses is being spared to make this a professional night.

  • Housing shortfall likely in South East says Housing Federation

    AS residents’ groups in Thame rally support against the building of up to 850 new homes in the town, new figures show that the housing crisis is set to intensify in the south east, with insufficient numbers of homes being built here since 2002.

    According to the National Housing Federation, who published the figures, they show that too few homes were built in every region in 2008/9, the latest year for which figures are available, with the south east missing its target by a margin of 15%. Over the whole period 2002/3-2008/9, says the Federstion, the south east missed its target by 11%, delivering 186,290 homes against a target of 210,300.

    The news comes as a record 4.5m people are on housing waiting lists nationally (over 203,000 in the south east), and more than 2.5m people across the country are living in overcrowded conditions.

    Regional targets were introduced by the Government as a way of ensuring that enough homes were built in each region to meet local housing need. They are drawn up by the former regional assemblies in consultation with local authorities, government housing agencies and regional government offices. The first targets were issued under the regional planning guidance system. However, since 2004, says the Federation, targets have been increasingly set through regional spatial strategies.

    The National Housing Federation?s south east regional manager, Warren Finney said: ?The aim of putting these targets in place was to give a clear steer to south east planning authorities and government agencies, setting out how many homes can realistically be delivered to meet housing need here.

    ?While the south east is the region that actually came closest to meeting its target in 2008/9, the figures show a significant shortfall of homes being built in the region over a six year period. The end result is thousands of south east households coping with poor and unsuitable housing.

    ?Even during the boom years it?s now clear that too few affordable houses were being built and now we?re left with that legacy. Urgent action is required to get housebuilding back on track in the south east, along with every single part of the country.?

    He added: ?The Federation is calling on ministers and the opposition parties to commit to protecting the current level of public spending on housing, after the general election, otherwise we will quite simply not see the right number of homes being delivered. If we fail to build the right number of homes now, we will store up even more problems for the future, with waiting lists growing further and homelessness and overcrowding getting worse.?

  • Have your say at Thame’s Annual Town Meeting – 13/04/10

    ANNUAL TOWN MEETING – at Thame Town Hall 7.30pm – Public meeting.
    To be chaired by the Town Mayor, Cllr Jeannette Matelot Green; Representatives from the Town, District and County Councils will hear your views and answer your questions.

  • Four hour football match raises funds for Thame Youth Memorial

    A MARATHON football match, organised by a work colleague of a young Thame man, killed in a road crash last year, has raised funds for the proposed Thame Youth Memorial.

    The match was held last Saturday, 03/04/10, at the Thame Leisure Centre, where the late Greg Stiles worked as a lifeguard. It was organised by fellow lifeguard, Jamie Surman, who like Greg, is a former student at Lord Williams’s school in Thame.

    Before the four hour-long football match started, Greg’s mother, Maggie Stiles, spoke about the work going on to provide a Thame Youth Memorial, and to give her thanks to those participating in the match, which raised

  • 07/04/10…United one win away from promotion

    MARK West’s Thame United go into their game with Eton Wick tomorrow, Thursday, April 8, knowing that victory will secure them a return to the Hellenic Premier League.

    With just five games to go, they are currently sitting 15 points clear at the top of Hellenic League Division One, East, following their 4-0 victory over Kintbury at the weekend and the defeats of challengers, Wokingham and Embrook and Holyport.

    Mark explained: “We missed a few good chances in the first half which would have sewn the game up, but after a rocket at half time, the lads responded really well and played some good stuff second half.”

    Thame did not play on Monday, which gave a few teams a chance to narrow the gap. Mark concluded: “It?s quite nice that we have got the points in the bag and teams have to chase us now. There are some tough matches to come in April but we go into Thursday?s match knowing that we can gain promotion before we go into our last five games.”

    PHOTO: Mark West

  • 07/-4/10….Thame’s MP fears charity shops may fall silent

    THAME’S Member of Parliament, John Howell, fears that charity shops in may fall silent as a new law about playing music in shops came into force on April 1.

    John Howell MP says that local charity shops face the choice of not playing music in the shop or paying a fee.

    “The charge applies even where the music played is in the back of the charity shop and is just for the benefit of volunteers,” explained John. “It will also hit charity events such as community drop-in sessions or a carers’ association playing music to entertain children. Major charity chains such as Oxfam will have to pay a charge for each shop which plays music.”

    John raised the new charge in Parliament on behalf of local charities and voluntary organisations during recent questions to Minister of State, Angela Smith MP, at the Cabinet Office. He told the minister, he said: “…. it hypocritical for the Government to claim that it has developed an environment that encourages charities to thrive when they are now saddling them with a cost which across the UK is likely to amount to

  • New Thame studio records single for cancer charity

    LOCAL acoustic rock band, Full Circle, release their debut single this week in a bid to help turn around the life of a little girl seriously ill with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer.

    Recorded at Thame?s BlackFrog Studios, the Thame and Abingdon based band hope that the donation of all the profits from their single, Driving Away (a song for Stella, will help to pay for pioneering antibody therapy not currently available in the UK.

    The 2Simple Trust, a charity that helps children with neuroblastoma, loaned the family of 2 year-old Stella Rogers the deposit for the

  • Thame hair salon supports Thame United’s Wall of Fame

    THAME FOOTBALL Partnership has announced that Brothers Hairdressing in Thame is to sponsor the Wall of Fame for the new community football stadium at Meadow View Park.

    The Wall of Fame will be known as Brothers Community Spirit, and Adam Buckland of Brothers said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to support the Football Partnership in this great community project. It is a really exciting time for Thamefootball and the Wall of Fame is ideally suited to our Community Spirit projects.

    “The regular projects involve our team of young people working together in different areas of the town to make Thamea place we can all be proud of. Brothers hope this is the start of a long and lasting involvement with the Football Partnership and are keen to help in any way they can in the future.”

    The buy a brick campaign for the wall is now underway and for