Category: More News

AS well as Chinnor, this neighbourhood includes the parishes of Towersey,Crowell,Tetsworth, Sydenham and Aston Rowant.
The top priority set for this neighbourhood by local people in 2007 was underage drinking and anti? social behaviour and and a considerable amount of work has been carried out on this priority.

?South Oxfordshire District Council officers and the police have carried out test purchasing twice over the last few months in Chinnor and action has been
taken against three premises that failed by selling alcohol to an underage person. A man has also been
prosecuted for buying alcohol for under 18 year olds.

?the NAG members helped to start Pubwatch last month in all the pubs and off? licences in Chinnor. This
scheme works in partnership with the police and the district council to tackle under age sales, crime and anti-social behaviour.

SCHOOLS in Oxfordshire have outstripped increases in national GCSE results, to the delight of education chiefs.
The provisional 2008 GCSE statistics for England, released today by the Government, show a 2.3 per cent increase for Oxfordshire in the number of pupils getting five good GCSEs including Maths and English.
This compares with a 0.9 per cent national rise.

A total of 50.4 per cent of pupils in Oxfordshire gained 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Mathematics compared with 47.2 per cent in all schools nationally.

A total of 62.7 per cent of pupils in Oxfordshire achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent. This is an increase of 5.3 per cent from 2007, compared with a national increase of 3.2 per cent.

A delighted Michael Waine, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement, said: “I know a huge amount of very hard work
has gone in to delivering this improvement both on the part of schools and the county council’s education team. I would like to congratulate
students and staff for all their efforts. Their success is well deserved.
“We are absolutely committed to offering the highest standards of education for young people throughout the county. Given the relatively affluent population make-up and academic heritage of our county, our schools should be achieving well above the national
average. These results show that we have made a great stride towards achieving this. However we mustn’t stop here and we know that we still have a long way to go on our journey of improvement. There’s a lot more hard work to do.”

THE Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal traffic collision in Oxford on Saturday (11/10).
At around 3.30pm, a blue Suzuki motorcycle and a maroon Fiat Punto were involved in a collision on the A418, between the exit of the A40 from Oxford towards Thame, and the first lay-by towards the service station.

The driver of the motorcycle, a 35-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the JR2 Hospital. He has not yet been named.

Sgt Bill Sykes, of Abingdon Roads Policing Department, said: ?I appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or saw the vehicles prior to the collision, to contact police immediately.?

Anyone with information that could assist police enquiries is urged to contact Sgt Sykes via Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

A potentially cheap and safe power plant, using the very latest ‘fusion’ technology, is expected to be built in the county.
See full story in The Times on-line

AMMENDED: IN our report yesterday, we failed to mention that Mary Stiles was a District Councillor for eight years as well as being a Town
Councillor for 12.

THERE is to be a local election in Thame North Ward on October 30, to elect a replacement district councillor for Richard Walker, who has resigned.

The three candidates are as follows:

Michael Welply (Conservative) – currently a Thame
Town Counillor, and a former District
Councillor.

Mary Stiles (Labour) – a former Thame Town Councillor.

Jeannette Matelot Green (Lib Dem) – currently a Town
Councillor and Deputy Mayor.

Photo: (top to bottom: Michael Welply, Jeannette Matelot Green and Mary Stiles.

IF you enjoy delving into the past, then a new series of historic guided walks across the Chilterns may be right up your street.
The Chilterns Conservation Board has teamed up with a number of local historical and archaeological organisations and groups to bring the past to life with 25 guided walks and events in places as far afield as Little Marlow, Watlington, High Wycombe, Berkhamsted, Amersham, Chipperfield and Totternhoe.

These Chilterns towns and villages have developed over hundreds of years and are full of interesting hidden places that have fascinating stories to tell, often with links to infamous characters and historic happenings. Local guides will take you back in time and reveal some of the historic treasures of the Chilterns.

In some areas only intriguing lumps and bumps remain in the landscape. On some of the walks, with expert help, you?ll be able to read the clues and unravel the mysteries of what happened in the past.

The Walk Back in Time events leaflet will be available in libraries and Tourist Information Centres across the Chilterns, or you can order a copy by calling 01844 355 504.

Photo: Berkhampstead castle

AS Thames Valley Flood Awareness Month gets underway, Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is urging people to be prepared for future flooding incidents.
Residents across the county are still counting the cost 14 months on from the worst flooding episode in Oxfordshire for more than 50 years, and unfortunately, similar events can be expected in years to come.

Since July 2007, Oxfordshire County Council has spent more than

THE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND has just published its Oxfordshire Campaign Briefing for September, a monthly digest of local and national news about the rural landscape.
Follow the LINK
to read this month’s briefing and to find out more about the CPRE.

YOU can now see more photographs taken recently, when a delegation from Thame and District Twinning Association, visited its French, twin town, Montesson, near Paris.
Follow the LINK

Planning Applications Considered by Thame Town Council?s Planning Committee on Tuesday, September 30.

8180
P06/E1170 BARN AT CHESTNUT FARM, MORETON
Change of use and barn conversion to offices (as amended by site
location plan received 18 December 2006)
Amendment No. 2
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8542
P08/E1019 NORTH COTTAGE, LONDON LODGE, THAME PARK
Rebuilding of front screen wall.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8543
P08/E1020/LB NORTH COTTAGE, LONDON LODGE, THAME PARK
Demolition of existing rear extensions and erection of single storey rear extensions. Internal and external alterations. Rebuilding of front screen wall and associated landscaping.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8544
P08/E1040 79 COOMBE HILL CRESCENT
Single storey rear extension and 10ft conversion, including the installation of 4 roof lights (2 on front and 2 on rear elevation).
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8545
P08/E1042 23 HIGH STREET
Change of use from part ground floor offices to residential and internal alterations.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL

8546
P08/E1043/LB 23 HIGH STREET
Internal alterations for conversion of office to residential.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL