Author: Sonja Francis

FOLLOWING criticism and a vote of No Confidence in South Oxfordshire’s Returning Officer, he has announced that an outside authority’s RO will be brought in to conduct a review into what went wrong.

SODC’s Chief Executive and Returning Officer, David Buckle, was criticised from several quarters for errors, omissions and the mishandling of May 5’s local elections and AV referendum, including a Vote of No Confidence by Thame Town Council.

Some residents were turned away from the polling booths on May 5, and there were problems with postal votes being sent out late and to the wrong addresses. Other errors included sending out inadequately sized, pre-paid envolopes for the return of postal and proxy votes.

Chief Executive of South Oxfordshire District Council and Returning Officer David Buckle says a thorough review will be carried out.

He has been reported (by Mix ’96) as having written to the political leaders at both SODC and Thame Town Council to tell them of a review into the way the referendum was conducted and the 96 separate elections that took place on Thursday, May 5, across South and Vale: “.. to see what improvements we could have made.”

He has promised to bring in an experienced returning officer from elsewhere to carry out it out, which is likely to take a number of weeks.

David Buckle then says that he intends to publish the results and present them to each council’s scrutiny committee, and that until that is complete he does not intend to make any further statement.

He has however, thanked all the people involved in the election this year, the election team, the polling staff and vote counters for all the effort they put in on May 5 and 6.

THAME artist, Christine Tacq is planning an exciting family workshop to produce Christmas decorations for the Thame Christmas tree.
The course will run twice, once in the morning and once in the afernoon, at Thame Cricket Club, on November 19. Participants will use print and paper making techniques as well as folded paper methods to make seasonal birds and stars.
The cost will

OFFICIATING at what was his last Remembrance Service before he retires as the Bishop of Oxford, The Rt Reverend Richard Harries rededicated Thame’s War Memorial on Sunday.
The Bishop reminded the hundreds of Thame residents in attendance, including the Mayor and town councillors, young people from the various junior Service groups, The Fire Service and the Police Service, that they were there to remember those men of Thame who died in both world wars and all wars since; he spoke about the necessity for us all to remember and appreciate that the way of life we have enjoyed for 60 years, “free from fighting and tyrany” is because of their sacrifice.
The Bishop quoted Lloyd George, who dedicated the Memorial on July 30, 1921: “The world goes in a different direction because these 87 men of Thame gave their lives with many others. It has altered the great current of the human story…”

In words so redolent of the current controversy over whether or not it was prudent to go to war against Iraq, Lloyd George went on to say: “These men (of the British Empire), most of who came to the flag voluntary, fought not to repel the invader from their homes, but for fair play to other countries that were being trampled upon by a ruthless foe. That was an element in the sacrifice which ennobled it.”

The Bishop continued: “The lesson for today is clear; to work for a just world, a world in which everyone has an honoured place. When, on the other hand, there is injustice and a sense of exclusion, then will be created the bitterness in which are the seeds of violence.”
He concluded by quoting Lloyd George once again: “We must be aware lest we bequeath to our children a legacy of concentrated hate which will one day explode shattering their happiness and leaving the world a wilderness and man a gaunt wanderer amongst the ruins of the civilisation his folly has destroyed.
“That was not what the gallant young men of Thame died for.”

Phylis Quainton, who was at the originaly dedication of the War Memorial in 1921, met and chatted with the Bishop after the service and joined others for refreshments after the service.

The Last Post and Reveille, was played by Peter Kingsnorth.

A 16-year-old boy from Great Haseley, near Thame, died in hospital over the weekend after he sustained serious head injuries in a crash on Friday, November 11.

Samuel Fleming, of Latchford Lane, was riding his bike along the A329 in Great Haseley, when he was involved in a collision with a blue Ford Focus at around 5.20pm. He died on Saturday at the JR2 hospital, Oxford.

Police investigating the incident are keen to hear from motorists who might have seen him as he cycled from Asda in Wheatley, through Great Milton and then along the A329 towards Great Haseley.

PC Simon Bishop, from Abingdon Roads Policing, said: ?Samuel set off shortly before 5pm so lots of drivers must have passed him. He had no lights and was wearing dark clothing and a hi-vis vest. If you remember him, I would urge you to contact me ? your information could help the investigation establish what happened.?

Witnesses who saw Samuel or the collision are urged to contact PC Bishop via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.