Category: More News

DORCHESTER ABBEY will be the venue for a Hustings event for candidates in the Henley Bye Election on Thursday, June 19 ? one week before the Election.
Canon Sue Booys, Team Rector of the Dorchester Team Ministry, said: “I am delighted that all the invited candidates have accepted our offer to come to Dorchester and I am looking forward to meeting those I don?t yet know. We are a large venue at the ?other end? of the Henley constituency to the town itself and as such we are ideally placed to host such an event.”

This event will be a mixture of formal and informal with the opportunity to meet the candidates, hear each of them make a brief statement and give public answers to questions posed by the audience.

The Abbey will be open from 7pm and the candidates will each be invited to address those present briefly from 7.30pm. Questions from the floor will follow.

Dorchester Abbey is situated between Oxford and Reading just off the A4074. Refreshments will be available at the beginning and end of the meeting. Parking is available in Dorchester Recreation Ground (approximately 10 minute walk).

Please note that there is limited parking in the village itself.
All constituents are welcome to attend and further details may be obtained from the office at Dorchester Abbey. 01865 340007. enquiries@dorchester-abbey.org.uk

A HELICOPTER dropped into a Thame primary school this morning, to help it celebrate 35th birthday.
All the pupils of Barley Hill school, Thame, gathered on the playing fields to for the number 35, before the helicopter took off again and took aerial photographs of the spectacle.

THE battle for the Henley parliamentary seat continued today with the Liberal Democrats coming under fire from the Conservatives over accusations of hypocracy over the Green Belt.
Today the Conservatives issued the following response to the Lib Dem’s Chief Executive, Lord Rennard’s statement that the Conservative candidate John Howell advises developers who are desperate to build in controversial locations:
“This is just mud-slinging by the Liberal Democrats and it?s the kind of negative campaigning that really turns people off. John Howell has not worked on any projects that involve development on the green belt because he is a campaigner against such developments.
“These desperate smears are nothing more than a classic case of dirty tricks and do nothing to deflect away from John’s fantastic record as champion of the green belt.
“Let’s be clear about who stands for what on the green belt. The Labour government wants to build thousands of homes here. The local Liberal Democrats support them. Only the Conservatives oppose building on the South Oxfordshire green belt.”

Ed. See above for Mark Stevenson, the Green party’s candidate’s respone to this statement.

THE Green party candidate for the Henley by-election has joined the battle of words over which party party cares most about the protection of the green belt.
Mark Stevenson today issued the following statement:

“The recent revelations over John Howell’s links to
developers have been met with more half-truths. Whilst
the Conservatives are keen to accuse the Liberal
democrats of “dirty tricks” in publicising these
links, they also claim “Only the Conservatives oppose
building on the South Oxfordshire green belt”. Yet
the Green candidate in the Henley by-election, Mark
Stevenson, has consistently opposed it – including in the Green Party’s campaign in last year’s District
Council elections.
“The Green councillors in Oxford City and on the County Council have also consistently argued against the proposed development south of Grenoble Road.

“It seems unlikely that Mr Howell, a County councillor
for the very division in which I live and
campaign, was unaware of this. If he is genuine in his
desire to preserve the green belt, surely he should
know who his allies are?

“The proposal to develop the greenbelt is being driven, in part, by the Labour controlled Oxford City Council. Any campaigner worth his salt would know which City Councillors were opposed to it. So why has Mr Howell failed to acknowledge the Greens?”

Mark Stevenson continued:”The Tories and the Lib Dems want to portray this as a two-horse race – they are both desperately courting the green vote whilst trying to pretend that there isn’t one!
“Mr Howell cannot have been unaware of the Green Party’s opposition to development in Oxford’s
greenbelt. This is the second time Mr Howell’s
campaign has made a false claim and for him to accuse
the Lib Dems of “dirty tricks” is simply hypocritical.

“We all know that this is precisely the kind of
insincere behaviour that brings politics into
disrepute. All we need and all we want is politicians
who will work together for the common good. So I am
happy to acknowledge all the good work John Howell, as
a County Councillor, has done on our behalf. In return
I would appreciate recognition of my work and that of
the Green Party.”

A leading Liberal Democrat has criticised the Conservative’s choice of candidate to fight for Boris Johnson’s Henley seat in the coming by-election.
This follows an article in today’s Guardian which reported that John Howell, the Conservative candidate, is campaigning to keep the Green Belt while acting as a lobbyist for a planning company that advises housebuilders on contentious land and property deals.
The Chief Executive of the Lib Dems, Lord Rennard, said in a statement today: “The Conservatives may have made a major mistake in Henley. They have chosen someone who says that he wants to protect the countryside. People will be shocked to learn the truth that he is closely tied to developers who are desperate to build in controversial locations. This is grade A hypocrisy.”

Today a Conservative party spokesman confirmed that John Howell did work for Savill’s (where, it is reported, he provides communications and political lobbying consultancy on large and contentious land and property developments) but that Howell “had not worked on a single scheme in the green belt”.

Read the full article in the Guardian

Photo: Conservatice candidate, John Howells, with William Hague, on a tour of Thame Farmers Market on Tuesday.

ANYONE seriously thinking of putting their Thame home on the market has been warned that they will need to drop the selling price if they want to sell.
Malcolm stephens, Manager at connell’s Estate Agent in the High Street, said today: “The pendulum has definitely swung. Because of indiscriminate lending in the past few years, house prices have been forced up and what is happening now is a major market correction.
“Anyone who had their home valued in 2007, needs to seriously think about reducing that figure by 10% if they have any realistic hope of selling.”

FOLLOWING complaints over many months about the unpleasant state of Thame’s public lavatories, the town council is to look into taking over responsibility for their cleanliness and minor maintenance.
Currently, the toilets in North Street, which are currently being re-built, and those in the old Market House, are looked after by South Oxfordshire District Council. However, the town council has agreed to ask the district council if it can take over the work currently contracted out, at the same rate.

Local council’s are being encouraged to do more to halt the decline of the great British loo and to adopt pioneering new approaches to boost access to public toilets.

There has been a Strategic Guide recently published to address the level of provision and public satisfaction with public loos.

See: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/publicaccesstoilets (cut and paste this link into your search engine)

MARK Stevenson, the Green candidate for the Henley
by-election, was out on his bike touring the
constituency this weekend. On Saturday he visited the
Green Fair being held by Chinnor Friends of the Earth,
where a bicycle sale was one of the main features.
“It was fantastic to see so many bikes being brought
in during the morning and so few left at the end of
the day” said Mark, “I know cycling is not for
everyone, but it can be a great way to get around over
short distances.”

Mark canvassed along several streets in the village,
handing out a small A6 leaflet to those who were
interested. Despite the deluge of paper being put out
by candidates from the other main parties, Mr
Stevenson came across people who did not know the
election was on. “I want to try and do things a better
way” he said, “if the amount of literature I have
received is representative of the amount everyone else
has had, then between them the Conservatives and Lib
Dems have already used at least three tonnes of paper.
Most of it seems to go directly into the recycling
box, people simply aren’t interested.”

Mark Stevenson’s plan is to do as much door-to-door
canvassing as he can and to hold public meetings so
that people can meet him face to face. So far he has
already had a meeting in Berinsfield, with meetings to
come in Thame (Tuesday 10th), Watlington (Wednesday
11th) and Wheatley (Thursday12th). Henley and
Garsington are planned, but not yet confirmed.

Mark said “I believe every voter should have an
opportunity to meet the candidates, after all we are
asking them to place their trust in us as their
representative. Everyone knows that election leaflets
are unreliable and often uninteresting. The best
opportunity for voters to really make their minds up
is a full-scale hustings with all the candidates there
to be quizzed by the audience. I’d be delighted if
this happened, but I’d be happy to visit any group of
residents who would like to meet me.”

Several motorists recognised Mr Stevenson and waved or
hooted as they passed him on the road. Mr Stevenson
said “I’m not anti-car, we couldn’t do without our van
for business. I just want to help make it less
necessary for people in rural areas to use a car,
let’s keep our village shops, post offices, small
businesses and health care. That’s better for
everyone. So please, keep waving or hooting to support
me!”

OXFORDSHIRE three and four year-olds are about to benefit from a government cash injection of

HADDENHAM’S residents have been invited to attend an exhibition explaining proposed changes to the conservation area in the village.
The conservation area has recently been the subject of a review and appraisal by Aylesbury Vale District Council to determine what makes it a special place. A document has been produced which is now available for public consultation until July 7.

The exhibition, which is being held to help people find out more about the conservation area and the appraisal, will be held in the Mabel Parkinson Room at Haddenham Village Hall on June 13 between 2pm and 8pm. Members of the public attending the exhibition can examine the proposed changes to the boundaries and share their own views and ideas.

?We are hoping that everyone who recognises what a special village Haddenham is and wants to help us protect, maintain and improve it will come along,? said Councillor Sue Polhill, Cabinet Member for Planned Development.
?We haven?t reviewed the conservation area for 37 years and a lot has changed since then. There are areas which we feel would really benefit from being included and others that might not merit the status anymore. It?s vitally important that people in the area come forward with their views.?

A number of factors are taken into account when designating a conservation area including history, development, setting, architecture, archaeology, layout and landscape. Conservation areas provide a degree of protection in planning law, helping to manage proposed changes such as work to trees, the positioning of satellite dishes and the demolition or extension of existing buildings and new developments.

The Haddenham conservation area review is available on the council?s website at: www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/consultation where you will be able to comment using the online form.

The council says that all comments received will be taken into account in the drafting of the conservation area boundaries and the appraisal, and will be reported to the council?s cabinet when it considers the review later this year.

Photograph Copyright Peter Goodearl