Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

AMBULANCES workers will be on strike today for four hours, from 7am to 11 am, and are asking people to think twice before calling ambulance.

Unison, Unite and GMB member workers in the NHS will also be taking action, short of a strike, until Sunday, November 30. South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) have issued the following statement:

“We recognise the right of our employees to strike but we need to maintain an essential service to the public, and in light of this action we are working closely with all our staff, partners and the public to help us reduce demand on our services. This will help us to continue to protect our patients and achieve an adequate and safe level of 999, 111 and PTS cover. We will be working hard to get to our most life threatening patients as a priority however there may be a delay in getting to those patients in non-life threatening conditions.

“Contingency plans are being put in place to mitigate any adverse effects of the strike action and ensure the safety of our patients. We are working closely with our unions to deliver patient care that is not compromised across our emergency and non-emergency services. We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and take appropriate action.

“We would like to remind the public to use our services appropriately and only call 999 if absolutely essential. If you are suffering an injury or illness which is non-life threatening there are other avenues of care available to you, you could:

 Visit your local pharmacy
 Contact your GP or out of hours GP
 NHS111
 Walk in centres and Minor Injuries Units
 Access NHS Choices online to check your symptoms and find your nearest service.”

THE POLICE have issued a warning after several incidents recently in the South Oxfordshire and Vale areas, of work tools being stolen from vehicles overnight.

Most thefts from vehicles are committed by opportunist. The following advice is offered to help prevent your vehicle from being targeted:

Where possible, secure your vehicle overnight in a garage.
If you don’t have a garage, park in a well-lit area.
When leaving your vehicle, close all windows and ensure you lock it.
Don’t leave anything on display in your vehicle.
Take all your personal possessions with you.
Remove sat-nav holders and visible sat-nav ring marks from windscreens.
Leave the glove box open to show there’s nothing inside.
For more information, visit http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/theft-from-vehicle

Please be extra vigilant. Report any suspicious activity to the police via the 24-hour non-emergency telephone number 101 or call 999 for crime in progress.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

WE want to liven things up on Thame.Net and SAM JUTHANI, the Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Thame, is the first of our guest opinion piece contributors, a feature we would like to introduce as a regular part of Thame.Net. Here’s his contribution and do please feel free to comment: (PLEASE NOTE that opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Thame.Net)

AROUND Thame, the Neighbourhood Plan continues to be a major issue- most recently, focused on Tesco’s plans for the edge of Thame. However, nothing has got Thame talking like the plan for the Elms. I have been surprised by the lack of generosity and understanding in John Howell’s public statements on the matter. The Elms is a contentious issue, but he has consistently sought to portray those who raised a fundamental objection to the plan as unconstructive and unhelpful to the process.

He is right to say that as candidates running for election next May, he and I must be circumspect in what we say about planning applications. He is also right to say that we need to work together to ensure the best outcome. However, in our respective roles, we also need to be championing the local community. I first realised how much of an issue the Elms was when I was canvassing Thame residents ahead of the European Parliament elections in May. Not only did almost every single resident mention it as a local issue, they were almost uniformly against the proposal to develop the site at all. Local residents’ voices should be heard.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the work of the Elms Petition Group. Whether you agree with them, or not, they are a shining example of extraordinary civic leadership. With no previous experience of campaigning or politics, they have built up a grassroots movement simply because they think that is the right thing to do. They deserve to be commended.

Sam Juthani
Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Thame

IT”S official – South Oxfordshire’s residents are the best recyclers in the country.

The district has topped the latest official league table of England’s local authorities by recycling nearly two thirds of its household waste (65.71 per cent).

Their neighbours in the Vale of White Horse are also sitting proudly in third place with a recycling rate of 65.27 per cent. Both councils have been in the top three for the past three years.

Cllr David Dodds, Cabinet Member for Waste at South Oxfordshire District Council, and a Thame Town Cllr, said: “We are very proud that South Oxfordshire is the number one area in the country for recycling. The service we provide is designed to make recycling easy and our residents have responded to that by ensuring they recycle as much rubbish as possible, and by limiting the amount of other waste that is produced. They are the ones who are setting the standard for others to follow and deserve our congratulations.”

South and Vale councils have had a shared waste collection service with Biffa since 2010, saving an estimated £1.2 million. The councils recently extended the Biffa contract until 2024.

The council is currently looking at the possibility of bringing in a kerbside collection of small electrical goods and textiles to help increase recycling rates even further and will shortly be launching a new service, Recycleopedia, which is like a search engine for your bin – users simply type in the item they want to throw away, enter their postcode, and the results page explains which bin to put it in.

Also on the way are free iCal waste calendars, which means that residents can download a copy of their waste calendar straight onto their smartphone. Their chosen calendar app will display a reminder on the day before they put their bins out, and then on the collection day itself, telling them whether it’s a grey or a green bin week.

Keep an eye on the councils’ websites at www.southoxon.gov.uk and www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk for more information.

A THAME building firm is patting itself on the back this week, after one of its young employees was chosen as Southern Counties Regional Apprentice of the Year, in the prestigious Master Builder of the Year Awards 2015.

Zak Lafford, who works for Stuart Bar CDR Ltd, Thame, was rightly proud of his achievement and said afterwards: “It’s a great achievement. I feel proud to have won the award and feel like my hard work and dedication has started to pay off, especially in an industry that’s not always full of compliments and praise; this is the best type of ‘pat on the back’ you can get.

“Working for Stuart Barr has played a massive part in me getting where I am today. They have helped every step of the way, giving me the time, patience and training needed to develop my skills which has allowed me to reach the high quality of work that Stuart Barr provides.”

Zak’s boss, Stuart Barr himself, said: “Zak has always shown the highest levels of commitment and been keen to extend his knowledge. As well as producing the highest quality of work, he is punctual and presentable with great communication skills, which is exactly what is required to give great customer service in our industry. Within the Stuart Barr group of companies, investing in young people is core to our business and we take on at least two apprentices each year across our business interests of construction, joinery and kitchens.

“We are delighted with Zak’s achievement – he is a great role model for the other apprentices following in his footsteps. and we wish him the best of luck for the finals in February.”

The national winners of the 12th Master Builder of the Year Awards will be announced by TV presenter and architecture enthusiast Charlie Luxton who will present the coveted accolades at a high profile ceremony at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London, on February 18, 2015.

The awards represent a nationwide search by the FMB to find the best builders in the UK. Nominations must come from a satisfied client, and builders are judged on their technical ability together with their customer service skills and attention to detail, along with the project’s end result.

The finalist for Apprentice of the Year will receive a cheque for £1,000.