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THE Lib Dems’ Parliamentary candidate to fight Boris Johnson’s Henley seat, Stephen Kearney, has paid tribute to Boris.
Stephen Kearney said today: “Local people really took Boris to their hearts after he came here in 2001.
“There is clearly a lot of affection for Boris across the Henley Constituency. He is a real character and became an important figure in the local community in his time here.
“He will be a tough act to follow, but I am looking forward to showing local people that I am up to the job in the coming weeks.”

Earlier however, the Liberal Democrat campaigner joined the Green’s candidate in urging the Conservative’s to withdraw their campaign leaflet which claims that the Conservative’s man is the only Local candidate.

The Liberal Democrat campaigner, Stephen Kearney, said: “It is extremely disappointing that the Conservatives have started off on this negative footing. The Conservatives are well aware that I now live in Aston Rowant in the constituency. I promised local people that I would move to the constituency as soon as I was selected and that is what I have done. I do hope that Mr Howell will join me in fighting a positive and honest campaign rather than carrying on in this negative vein. For me it is important that we debate the issues that matter to local people such as tackling anti-social behaviour, saving local services and protecting our precious countryside.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Director of Campaigns, Neil Fawcett said:

“It is very telling that the Conservatives have started in such a manner. Clearly they know the Liberal Democrats are the main challengers in Henley and are worried about our challenge. Our campaign has been up and running for several weeks. Nick Clegg has sent a survey to local people which has received a tremendous response and Stephen Kearney has been busy sifting through the responses and taking up their local issues. It is very clear from talking to local people that they want an MP who will be a strong voice for local people, in Stephen Kearney we have that person.”

Photo: Stephen Kearney

POULTY Keepers throughout Oxfordshire are being urged to be extremely vigilant following confirmation from DEFRA that the strain of ‘bird flu’ found in chickens near Banbury, is the H7 strain, which is highly pathogenic – that is, it is able to cause severe desease in the birds effected.
However, the Health Protection Agency has confirmed that the risk to public health remains low and the Food Standards Agency says that there are no safety implications for the human food chain.
More information can be found on DEFRA’s website:
LINK

THIS week it is National Recycling week, and according to WRAP, Waste & Resources Action Programme, households in the UK spend

THE Green candidate for Henley, Mark Stevenson, has written an open letter to David Cameron who he ran against in 2001, to urge him to take action on, what he calls “aggressive anti-Green campaigning” ahead of the Henley by-election.
Mark Stephenson says that he formed a good relationship with David Cameron during the 2001 General Election campaign for Witney, based on mutual respect and exchange of ideas. He writes:
“You may remember how our campaigns coincided on several occasions, how we had a number of conversations and even joined for lunch at a country pub. I remember being impressed by your evident desire to take green politics seriously, I also remember being impressed by the way in which you sought common ground and to build on it”

Mark goes on to express his concerns about the Conservative campaign tactics in the run-up to the Henley by-election,

“. . . a Party that deliberately engenders misinformation for its own advantage is a Party that lies; a Party that lies to the public is not fit for government. It is certainly not a Party that embodies the values that I remember you held in 2001.”

He concludes:

“what I see here now in South Oxfordshire makes me wonder if you’ll ever really get your party’s head out of the sand. I hope you can, but we’ll need better evidence than we’re getting in South Oxfordshire.”

ON day one of the election battle to chose Boris Johnson’s replacement as MP for Henley, already the knives out with the Green’s accusing the Conservative candidate as being ‘more gaffe prone than Boris.’
In a statement this morning, the local Green party issued the following:
“Within 24 hours of being selected as the Conservative candidate, John Howell showed that he is more gaffe prone than Boris. The Conservative news sheet “intouch” was distributed across the constituency with the headline ‘Conservatives Pick the Only Local Candidate’.

“As Mr Howell well knows, the Green Party candidate, Mark Stevenson, is every bit as local as he is. Mark lives in the neighbouring village and his selection was announced by the local press the day before Mr Howell was selected.
“Indeed, not only did Mr Howell know that Mark Stevenson is the Green candidate, but he knows exactly how local he is. Mark is a parish councillor in Dorchester on Thames where Mr Howell has regularly been quizzed by him at council meetings.
“Their paths have also crossed when, in his capacity as a school governor, Mark raised concerns with Mr Howell about the purpose and efficiency of Oxfordshire County Council’s Review of Primary Schools.”

Mark Stevenson said: “It’s ridiculous; John knows perfectly well that I am the Green candidate. He also knows that I am an active, effective and vocal parish councillor – only a few weeks ago he heard me giving my chairman’s annual report of the work of the Dorchester Carbon Project. It’s interesting that the Conservatives should already feel so insecure about their candidate that they appear to have resorted to deliberate lies before the campaign is a day old.”

“But we have to be charitable about this”, Mark continued, “it could just be a stupid mistake made in a hurry. After all ‘intouch’ also declared itself to be printed on woodfree pulp sourced from sustainable forests. Just how sustainable are woodfree forests? I wonder.”

Today, the Conservatives have had their ‘big guns’ out-and-about in the town with Party Leader, Theresa May visiting the party’s new election HQ in the High Street, to wish party workers well, and the party leader, David Cameron himself doing a walk-about around the town this afternoon.

THE Liberal Democrats have said that they welcome the news of John Howell’s selection by the Conservatives to fight Boris Johnson’s seat.
Liberal Democrat candidate and charity boss, Stephen Kearney, said: ?I am looking forward to debating the issues that affect people across the Henley constituency with Councillor Howell in the coming weeks.
?Our campaign has been up and running for several weeks, Nick Clegg has surveyed the entire constituency and we are getting a very warm reception on doorsteps. We are ready for the Conservatives to fire the starting gun whenever they are ready to provide local people with a date.?

Liberal Democrat Deputy Director of Campaigns Neil Fawcett said: ?We are delighted that the Conservatives have settled on Councillor Howell. The selection of a senior County Councillor will provide local people with the chance to have their say on rising Council Tax bills and the Conservatives? record in Oxfordshire.
?Stephen Kearney will be a strong voice for local people. He has an excellent track record of listening to local communities as part of his charity work. Stephen has already taken up a number of local issues such as the loss of local services, expansion onto the green belt and anti-social behaviour.?

AS Oxfordshire Conservatives meet this evening in Watlington to chose their successor to Boris Johnson MP, he has said that he intends to keep in family home near Thame.
Boris bought the property about three years ago and since then has been having extensive renovation work done to the property in North Weston.
The chosen candidate will be posted on Thamenews.Net as soon as the winner is known.

Photo: Boris Johnson with his son, Leo, taken when Boris judged the Thame Carnival in 2006

OXFORDSHIRE Conservatives have this evening chosen ex BBC broadcaster and International business pundit to fight the Party corner in the by-election caused by the ‘elbowing out’ of Boris Johnson as the sitting MP for Henley.
Cllr Dr. John M Howell OBE, Cabinet Member of Oxfordshire County Council, won in a run-off with County Council Leader, Ann Ducker, after the third candidate, John Cotton, went out in the first round.

Spokesman, Mike Welply, tonight described John Howell as “very personable, media savvy and yet a man with the common touch – a working class boy who went to grammar school and worked his way up in the world.”
He added: “I’m sure he will do a sterling job in taking over the reigns from Boris.”

Mike Welply, former Conservative Thame Town Councillor and a District Councillor who lost his seat in the 2006 local elections, also revealed that he himself will be standing in the local by-election in Thame on July 10, as will fellow Conservative, Mr Cliff Baker, of Coombe Hill Crescent, in Thame.

THE following are notes from the latest meeting of Thame Town Council’s Planning committee meeting on Tuesday, May 27.
The committee’s new Chairman is Cllr David Bretherton, and Cllr Beatrice Dobie is the new Vice Chairman.

Once again the committee recommended refusal of an application for Outline residential development on the old Thame United site in Windmill Road. The committee felt that the Amendment of the inclusion of a flood assessment, did not change its reasons for refusing the application before in that it is still over-development of the site and that increased traffic generation would not be unacceptable.

The committee was against an application to remove the existing old lath and plaster ceiling of 15, High Street, Thame, and replace it with plaster board, stating that, as recommended by SODC Conservation Officers, it should be replaced like-for-like.

From April 6, Planning applications to South Oxfordshire District Council can now be made on line.

FOLLOWING the loss of around