Thame.net

Author: Sonja Francis

  • New Mayor And Administration For Thame

    FOLLOWING the local town council elections, Thame has a new Mayor.
    Cllr David Bretherton, who is a district councillor for Thame, as well as a town councillor, was elected by his fellow town councillors at last night?s Annual General Meeting.
    The Mayor told ThameNews.Net: ?I am honoured and delighted to have been elected as Mayor of Thame or 2007/8. I shall carry out the duties diligently and am looking forward to representing the town at events around Oxfordshire
    ?Whilst maintaining the traditional role of Mayor, I would like during my year to engage fully with the local community. I will therefore, over the coming months, be paying visits to the youth and community groups in the town.
    ?Traditionally the Mayor has elected two charities for particular support. This year I have chosen the Citizens Advice Bureau, a group that does sterling work in the community, and appropriately in the 100th year of scouting, Thame Scout Group.?

    The Mayor?s Deputy is the out-going Mayor, Nigel Champken-Woods.

    The new Chairs of the three main Standing Committees are:
    PLANNING- Chair, Don Butler, Vice, Beatrice Dobie.
    CULTURE, LEISURE & RECREATION ? Chair, David Laver, Vice, Lionel Morbey
    POLICY & RESOURCES ? Chair, David Dodds, Vice, Jeannette Green

  • Chiltern Rail Changes Due To Wembley Stadium Events (Submitted)

    CHILTERN RAILWAYS will be running an enhanced service this weekend (May 12 and 13)due to Wembley Stadium Events.
    We expect that our services will be busier than usual. Therefore, we have accommodated this demand by strengthening our service and we will also have an additional trains stopping at Wembley Stadium.

    On Sunday, we are advising our passengers travelling from Birmingham to use connecting Virgin Cross Country trains between Leamington Spa and Birmingham New Street until 12.30pm. This is because there is engineering works occurring in the morning. We will be providing a bus service for any passengers travelling during this period.

    This weekend, we will not be running trains between Aylesbury and London Marylebone via Amersham. This is due to track improvements and we are advising our passengers to travel via High Wycombe where a number of additional train services will run. We will also run replacement bus services between Aylesbury, Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden, Amersham and Beaconsfield where connecting train services will run to London Marylebone.

    If you are travelling this weekend on Saturday for the FA Carlsberg Trophy Kidderminster Harriers vs Stevenage Borough (14.15 KO) or on Sunday for the FA Carlsberg Vase AFC Totton vs Truro City (15.00 KO), please note the following:

  • Planning Applications

    THE following planning applications will be considered by Thame Town Council?s Planning Committee on Tuesday, May 15.

    8000
    P05/E1121 VAN DIEMANS ROAD
    Demolition of existing garages, construction of 4 new dwellings and
    6 new apartments with improved parking facilities and landscaping.
    Amendment No. 4 shows a minor alteration to the configuration of
    paths at the rear of Plots 5-10. TTC recommended approval of
    Amendment No. 3 in September 2006.

    8260
    P07/E0446/RM
    (Reserved Matters) 1 CHINNOR ROAD
    Demolish garage buildings and construct 6 new starter homes.
    Amendment No. 1: house number four has been altered to have the
    same layout as other houses, removing the rearwards facing bedroom window; boundary wall links with existing wall; entrance to scheme to
    have a return wall with pier, in line with Thames Valley Police
    comments. TTC recommended approval of original application
    earlier this month.

    8266
    P07/E0543 19 MAPLE ROAD
    Single storey side extension.

    8267
    P07/E0512 KALPANA, BROOK LANE
    To erect a conservatory to the side and rear of the property.

    8268
    P07/E0550 2 MOATS CRESCENT
    Erection of front porch (amendment to planning permission P06/E0152).

  • Council Campaigns For Greener Road Side Lighting (Submitted)

    OXFORDSHIRE County Council has written to the Government to ask for changes to national rules on lighting of road traffic signs so that energy costs can be cut and carbon footprints reduced.
    All councils are currently bound by law to illuminate certain traffic signs – even though modern and efficient highly reflective materials are now used in the manufacture of sign plates and bollards.

    The council has stated that new laws should be flexible enough to take account of local conditions and that safety should remain the prime consideration – with risk assessments being all important. In many European countries, illuminated signs are generally not the norm.

    The letter, from the county council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport Policy, Cllr David Robertson, has been sent to government minister, Douglas Alexander.

    In addition to the advances in technology that make signs highly reflective, the letter lists other good reasons to make rules more flexible. These include:

    The costs of energy are ever rising, as are the pressures on local authorities to make efficiency savings.
    The reduced use of energy would bring a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions and help local authorities reduce their carbon footprint.
    The costs of installing road signs would be reduced.
    There would no longer be a need to install electrical infrastructure to get power to road signs to light them.
    Costs to repair failed lights would no longer be an issue.
    There would be a reduction in the need for disposal of spent electrical components.

    Cllr David Robertson said: “The highly reflective materials that road signs are made from nowawadays mean that car lights reflect in to them and the driver is able to see the signs clearly. That makes the need for lighting far less important.
    “Of course each case needs to be assessed on its merits and there may still be occasions when the safety experts deem that lighting should be fitted. However, there should be flexibility so that judgements can be made at local level and energy and money saved in instances where lighting is not required.”

  • Oxfordshire Thrash Surrey In County Championship Shield

    OXFORDSHIRE beat Surrey 43 to 14, on Saturday, in the rugby County Championship Shield South Pool. The Oxfordshire team included JP Immelman, who, having played for Chinnor RFC for two years, will shortly be returning to his native South Africa.
    See full story

    Chinnor RFC will host the Oxfordshire v Cornwall game this coming Saturday, May 12.

    Photo: Featuring Hooker, JP Immelman

  • Beware Bogus Donation Callers- Ringmaster Message

    OXFORDSHIRE TRADING Standards have been alerted that two young women are going from door to door throughout Oxfordshire, asking for donations for the Farmoor Reservoir Pontoon Project.
    There is such a project, but a trustee has said that they are not collecting door to door. This is noted on their website www.pontoonproject.com

    One of the women is described as being in her late teens/early 20’s, of large build and wearing very small glasses.

    If you receive a call from these women, please call the police on 08458 505 505 and quote URN 1226 of 25/04/07 and try to provide as much information as possible.
    Trading Standards are also very interested in receiving further information and can be contacted on 0845 051 0845.

  • Jenks `Tri? harder at Blenheim

    HADDENHAM company, Jenks, is aiming to raise

  • Thame Museum Now Open Four Days A Week

    FROM tomorrow, May 9, Thame’s new museum will be extending its opening hours.
    With an additional opening day on Wednesdays, it will now be open for four days a week.
    2007 summer opening hours will be:
    Sunday 12 noon to 4 pm
    Tuesday 10am to 4 pm
    Wednesday 10am to 4 pm
    Saturday 10am to 4 pm

    Admission is Free to all visitors

    The Chairman of Thame Museum Trust, Dave Bretherton, said: “It is a great tribute to our volunteer support that we are now able to open on Wednesdays, but we are always looking for more volunteers.

  • Four New Councillors For Thame

    THAME has four new town councillors in the North Ward.
    They are Jeanette Matelot-Green (Lib Dem), Peter Barker Lib Dem), Nicola Dixon (Cons) and Rob Parker (Cons.
    The Full results are as follows:

    David Bretherton (Lib Dems) 843
    Don Butler (Cons) 836
    Peiter Barker (Lib Dems) 792
    Jeanette Green (Lib Dems) 781
    Nigel Champken-Woods (Con) 733
    Nicola Dixon (Cons) 718
    Rob Parker (Cons) 687
    Lionel Morbey (Independent) 646

    Unelected

    Mary Stiles (Labour) 369
    Andy Gunn 335

    Photo: L to R (top) Jeanette Green Peiter Barker
    L to R (btm) Nicola Dixon Rob Parker

  • Thame Publican In Election Shock

    A THAME publican has become a District Councillor for the Thame North Ward – roundly beating his Conservative colleague who has held the post for the past four years.
    Richard Walker, who runs the Star and Garter pub in Thame, gained 675 (23.57%)votes, 25 votes behind the leader, David Bretherton – 700 votes, (24.44%), representing the Liberal Democrats, who was duly re-elected. Mike Welply lost his seat.
    The votes for the other Contenders were:
    Mike Welply (Cons) 634 22.14%
    Jeanette Green (Lib Dem) 633 22.1 %
    Mary Stiles (Labour) 222 7.75%