Category: More News

OVER 50 members of Open Britain Thame and Thame for Europe travelled to London on Saturday, June 23, for the biggest pro-European march ever, as more than 100,000 people filled the streets around Parliament demanding a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal. Many people had never been on a march before.

Robin Storey, spokesperson for Open Britain Thame, said: “It was an amazing day out but the huge numbers shows the strength of feeling. The People Vote campaign is taking off across the country on this vital issue for all our futures.”

Phillipa Tawn added: “It was so inspiring to be with thousands and thousands of like-minded people. There was a two hour wait for the march to get started as numbers were so high. It was hot and crowded but people sang and cheered and laughed and shared stories. As someone said to me-the name “remoaner” could not be less fitting. I estimate that about 50 people from our Thame group attended the march. I think we can feel pretty proud about that. Thame was certainly well represented. A huge thank you to all the wonderful members of our group!”

Robin Continued: Now Thame and with many new groups from Banbury in the north of the county to Wallingford in the south, we have seen our membership increase in recent weeks as it has become clear the Government is intent on a bad Brexit deal that will destroy jobs, harm our NHS and wreck the future of young people.

“Take BMW’s publicly expressed concerns; I’ll be pressing John Howell MP again about the Customs Union and Single Market amendments that he could vote for in the next few weeks, if he wants to help manufacturing employees who work in Cowley and live in his constituency, as well as the wider issue of present and future jobs in export led manufacturing.”

“Whether you were a Leaver or a Remainer two years ago, no one really thinks Brexit is going well. We didn’t know about the £40 billion divorce bill back then or that promises on extra money for the NHS would be broken. Above all, we didn’t know that political leaders in Westminster would be so shallow and self-serving to make such a mess of it.

He concluded: Here in Thame and around Oxfordshire we will be out campaigning all summer to make sure the people get their democratic right to have their voice heard on Brexit. New groups start 10am in Witney on July 14, and Didcot July 21.”

To find out more about Open Britain Thame, contact Robin Storey via robin.openbritainthame@gmail.com

THAME could be the first town or city in the country to adopt a Green Living Plan, a public meeting in Thame Town Hall heard on Tuesday evening (19 June).

Members of the RSA Thame Group, led by Charles Boundy, presented their draft Green Living Plan to Councillors and more than 60 members of the community, ahead of a vote for the GLP to go out for consultation with the people, commerce and other interested parties over the next four months.

The GLP is a plan to protect and improve the environment of Thame for the long-term health and vitality of the town and its community. Thame will be producing a new Neighbourhood Plan over the next two years and the Green Living Plan is intended to be a key part of the evidence base supporting and influencing the forthcoming revision of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

Thame Town Council appointed the RSA Group, a local group of Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce, three years ago to act as Honorary Consultants to assist the Council create a Green Living Plan. They have been working to produce the draft plan for the last 30 months consulting with many local volunteers and experts in the five areas covered by the plan.

These areas are colour-coded for ease of reference and are: Green – Open spaces, green routes and the natural world, Blue – Water, Red – Energy, Grey – Air quality and the natural environment and Brown – Waste.

The aim of the GLP is to help ensure that, as Thame grows and develops, the town remains a green, pleasant and healthy place to live and work. It should raise awareness and encourage action to enhance the community’s quality of life.

Following the meeting, Thame Town Council issued a statement saying: “The council was very pleased to host an informative presentation by the RSA Thame Group on the draft Green Living Plan. The presentation was attended by more than 60 members of the community, with half the time put aside for questions. A wide variety of questions, on traffic management, single use plastics, biodiversity, the amount of commitment, the consultation process and other topics were raised which will help ensure that the Green Living Plan is right for Thame.

“At the Town Council meeting that immediately followed, the draft GLP was authorised to proceed to a consultation over the summer, probably starting in late July/ early August. The Plan will be a living document, that will benefit Thame forever.”

RSA Thame Group Chairman, Charles Boundy, added: “As the Plan develops we’ll be exploring funding opportunities from development and other sources, including looking for local sponsors or partners with green living initiatives. It is only with the support of local people and volunteers that we can achieve our aims. Practical steps for getting involved are included in the Plan.’

RSA Thame Group member, George Westropp, who chaired the presentation, told the meeting: “It is worth pointing out that Thame is the first town or city in the country to try a Green Living Plan. As Charles Boundy has said, ‘Thame is a trailblazer’.”

A THAME resident has written an open letter to Thame’s MP, John Howell, after the constituency’s Conservative representative in Parliament published his views on the current Brexit legislation currently going through Parliament. The letter reads:

“Dear Dr Howell,  I have just read your e-briefing on Brexit and your justification for voting against the meaningful vote amendment, and I am shocked by your disingenuous statements.

“You compare the lies of the Leave Campaign with those from the Remain campaign (which you describe using the Vote Leave spin as “Project Fear”). To Lie is to say something that you know to be untrue with the intent to mislead. Can you please identify the lies from the Remain Campaign – I have asked many Leave campaigners, and all they come up with are “emergency budget”, “I won’t resign” and similar. I am sure that you know where the lying came from during the campaign (“The EU takes £350m/wk”, “Turkey is joining the EU”, “EU Army” …), yet you claim equivalence.

“You equate the Electoral Commission fines for the Liberal Democrats and Open Britain for lack of detail in their returns with the fine for Leave.EU for deliberate and significant overspending. Details of the Leave.EU behaviour have been passed to the police for investigation of criminal behaviour. These findings from the Electoral Commission are clearly not equivalent, yet you pretend that they are.

“You claim to believe that Parliament already has “a meaningful vote” on Brexit, but you must be aware that a vote that has “the deal as negotiated” and “no deal” as outcomes, is clearly not “meaningful” in any real sense of the world.

“Most readers of your e-briefing will take you at your word, because you are their MP. Misleading your constituents in this way is not the sort of behaviour I expect from my MP.

Sincerely,
Roy Motteram   (Pictured taking part in the recent Thame Carnival procession)
Thame
(Full address details supplied)

NB You can read John Howell’s e-briefing by linking HERE 

NBB John Howell has since replied to Mr Mottram’s letter, accusing him of attacking his personal integrity. Here is JH’s response in full:

Dear Roy, Thank you for our email. But I am simply not going to accept your attack on my personal integrity.

In the last few days I have had correspondence with many constituents who have thanked me for the openness, honesty and thoughtfulness with which I have addressed the issue. Those correspondents have come from both sides of the argument and many have commented on the integrity I have shown. So, until I receive an apology from you I am not prepared to continue with our exchanges.

I claim equivalence of the lies on both sides of this argument and I have the evidence of how the Remain campaign has included and distorted what MPs have said in the literature they have provided.

I claim equivalence in the fines that have been received both by the Liberal-Democrats and Open Britain and with the Leave side. A fine from the Electoral Commission is a fine whatever the detail of the circumstances.

I do not accept your view of a ‘Meaningful vote’ but I accept your right to disagree with me.

I look forward to receiving your apology.

John

NBBB Mr Motteram’s reply to John Howell’s response:

Dear John, Thank-you for the rapid response.

Since you were part of the Remain campaign, you should have a good insight into any lies that were told as part of it. I would welcome you to share that insight, since I am not aware of any. Despite asking for evidence from any number of people who claimed that Remain lied, I have seen none. To imply that both sides lied, as you did means that either you know of such lies, or are attempting to mislead. Given examples of such lies, I would willingly apologise publicly.

“A fine is a fine” you say, and both sides are equally black is your implication. That is clearly not true. Neither the Liberal Democrats nor Open Britain were fined for exceeding their spending limit “by at least 10%”, nor did it find that for either of them that there were “reasonable grounds” that they “committed criminal offences”, unlike Leave.EU. The extent of wrongdoing – “disappointing” inadequate transparency vs significant unlawful overspend involving “potentially criminal offences” are clearly not equivalent, as your statement “Similar fining of the Leave campaign” implies. So on this point, an apology is not merited.

I look forward to hearing your examples of Remain Campaign lies & being able to issue a public apology to you.

Sincerely
Roy Motteram

AHEAD of the vote in Parliament later today for an amendment giving Parliament ‘a meaningful vote’ in the event of no Brexit deal, a Thame group has met with John Howell MP hoping to gain his support for the amendment.

The meeting was not a positive one according to Robin storey, of Open Britain Thame, who spoke to John Howell. Robin told Thame.net: “John Howell MP has another chance to vote for an amendment giving a ‘meaningful vote’ for parliament today in the event of no Brexit deal. I am asking everyone – please email your MP again. Parliamentary sovereignty – no Parliament can pass law that future parliaments cannot change – is a basic constitutional principle and MPs were lied to last week.

“I met John Howell MP last week and he was in full denial mode and clearly hoping to bash on supporting Theresa May, regardless of what his remain voting constituents think, or the growing evidence of damage to his constituency and the country. Hard Irish border- not a problem; split cabinet? just the media; economic damage predicted – Treasury modelled the wrong scenario; Conservative Party in thrall to Jacob Rees-Mogg – what could I mean?”

Robin concluded: “Please get along to this Saturday’s march in London – or you could stay at home and look for the NHS Brexit dividend. There isn’t going to be a more important political issue for a generation – so get on the train or join the Oxford for Europe bus. See you in Pall Mall 12 noon.”

Peoples Vote march in London, Saturday June 23. More information and sign up for the Peoples’ march HERE

Email John Howell MP via howelljm@parliament.uk  – You can read John Howll’s views on Brexit etc HERE

THAMES Valley Police has seen another drop in Burglaries, both Dwelling and non-Dwellings (sheds /outbuildings) in comparison to the same period last year across the Thame sector with zero crimes reported in every category. The Thame neighbourhood team have put this down in part to their continued hard work promoting Crime Reduction Advice and targeted patrols.

In its latest monthly update  for May 2018, the community policing team report also has good news about rural crime: “Due to proactive patrols and operations organised by the Thame Neighbourhood Policing Team, reports of rural crime have dramatically fallen since January 2018, which is great news. Rural crime does still remain a priority for the Thame Neighbourhood Team. PCSO Ryan Dollery still commits 50% of his work time to rural crime patrols and engagement which includes frequent visits to farms and rural locations.”

Another one of the team’s priorities is Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) in and around Thame town at night. About this aspect of policing the town, the report states: “The neighbourhood team continue to patrol the town and engage with the youths. Warning letters have been issued to many youths with vehicles advising them to ensure they are not driving in an anti-social manner.  Additionally the youths are being advised to keep their music to a minimum when parked up and to be respectful to other members of the public. The Thame neighbourhood team have future operations planned which are aimed at detecting anti-social behaviour and crime in and around the Thame area at night.”

On May 12, the Thame PCSOs issued a driver with a S59 Warning after witnessing him drive in an anti-social manner on Southern Road in Thame.

 

THE Directors of the Swan Credit Union, which includes Thame Community Bank, visited the House of Commons on June 8, to celebrate winning funding to develop the organisation.

The event was hosted by Jeremy Quin MP, a former Swan board member who is now chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Credit Unions.

Jeremy Quin MP said: “As a former Board member of the Swan Credit Union, I know from first-hand experience how important their work is: encouraging savings and offering affordable credit to those who can otherwise pay exorbitant rates to non-bank lenders. I am delighted that this grant from the Lloyds Banking Group will help Swan to achieve its ambitions to grow and help even more members of its local community.”

The grant funds were provided by the Lloyds Banking Group’s Credit Union Development Fund, managed in partnership with The Credit Union Foundation. This fund is designed to strengthen the financial position of credit unions and give them the capacity to develop new strategies for sustainable growth.

A spokesperson for Swan Credit Union said: “The Board of Swan Credit Union were extremely pleased to receive this grant, which will help to support our continuing expansion and the development of our services to members. It will also provide for an independent review of our future back office service provision to cater for our planned growth..”

The back office review will be carried out by Coventry and Warwickshire Co-operative Development Agency. It will be used to inform the strategy being developed to improve the services provided by Swan in North Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and South Oxfordshire. Further details can be found on the credit union website and its Facebook page.

NB Thame Community Bank was launched in November 2013 by Phil Stratton (Thame Aliance Group – TAG), the then Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert and Steve Eyre (TAG) – LINK HERE

A plan to make sure that a rapidly changing Thame remains a green, pleasant and healthy place to live and work, is to be presented to the town council .

A draft ‘Green Living Plan’ has been formulated by a group of local volunteers, RSA Thame, on behalf of the Town Council to look at how things that we all rely upon, such as the quality of our air and water, or the energy that we all use, can be maintained and improved.

The RSA Thame group will brief Councillors on the preparation of the plan and present the latest draft at 7pm on Tuesday, June 19. Members of the public are being encouraged to go along and ask questions. The presentation will precede the Full Council meeting, which will start at 8pm, where the Town Council will then decide if the plan can proceed to the next phase, which is expected to include a round of public consultation.

The town council, in announcing the presentation, said: “Comments made at that stage will be used to improve the Green Living Plan prior to its adoption as a document that the Town’s community will be able to refer to when making choices about its future.”

The Green Living Plan Working Group is part of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee and as such, its Green Living Plan will feed into the revised Thame Neighbourhood Plan, currently being formulated.

Chinnor RFC have today announced the death of their Head Physio, Lauren Cyster.

In a statement the club said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the heartbreaking loss of our amazing Head Physio, Lauren Cyster.

“Last night the beloved heart beat of our team – Head Physio, Lauren Cyster – lost her short and courageous battle with cancer. It is a devastating loss to the 1st XV and everyone at Chinnor RFC. At this sad time our thoughts and prayers are with Lauren, her parents Brenda and Gary, and all Lauren’s family and friends.

“A full statement will follow in due course.

“RIP beautiful Lozza!!”

AFTER making their way through a raft of applications Thame Food Festival have announced that their first bursary has been awarded to Tess’ Brilliant Bakes.

Set up by Lisa Hartwright in the middle of 2017, the concept was initially built as a delicious sideline business selling to friends and family, but more recently Lisa has been venturing out into the realms of artisan food markets. Priding herself on using local quality ingredients where possible, Lisa has gradually extended her range to include various cookies, tray bakes, loaf cakes, cupcakes and larger cakes.

The bursary includes £1,000 (which Lisa is going to spend on a catering oven), a free pitch at this year’s Thame Food Festival event, a free page in the festival programme, plus PR and social media support for one year. On top of that, she is going to be supported by high profile Food Festival Mentors who will be willing to help and encourage her over the year, using their many years of experience within the food and hospitality industry. These are:
Adam Johnson, Head Development Chef for Raymond Blanc OBE, at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Oxfordshire
Chris Wheeler, Executive Chef for Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire
Nick Downie, Head of Marketing for Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire

When told of the news Lisa said: “I can’t quite believe it. It’s wonderful to have such a group of people believe in me and what I make. It’s also with huge thanks to my partner Paul. Without his unwavering support I wouldn’t be able to do this” she continues, “I am already thinking about new recipes that I would like to share with the mentors to see what they think. There is even talk of us developing a special Thame Food Festival Bake specifically for the event in September. I can’t wait!”

Lotte Duncan Patron and Organiser of Thame Food Festival added: “We were absolutely delighted with the response to our very first bursary and my goodness the competition was tough. There were some great products from some amazing artisan producers, but we just had to make a decision. However, there was just something about Lisa and even more importantly about her fabulous products that completely won all the judges over. It will be a real delight to support her over the next year and see her at the event in our especially dedicated Bursary Area, which will include some of the other applicants and finalists.”