Author: Sonja Francis

A car parked in High Street, Wheatley, has been damaged by vandals, who poured a mixture of cereal, soup and eggs onto the bonnet.
Thame police would like to hear from anyone who may have any knowledge of this incident, which occurred overnight, between Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, between 6pm and 6am.
Call the police Enquiry Line 0845 8505505 or crime Stoppers anonymously 0800 555111

A FLOWER Festival, as part of this year’s Thame Festival, is planned for St Mary’s Church, Thame.
Anyone, or organisation interested in taking part is invited to a meeting on Monday, April 18, to discuss arrangements and positions.
Contact Mrs Eileen Bryant, 21 Cotmore Gardens, Thame.

LABOUR Party county councillors have launched their manifesto for the elections which will take place on May 5, at the same time as the General Election.
The main tenets of the document are as follows, but the whole of their message can be read on the link at the bottom of this page:-
“A Labour Council will:
Get the Council’s finances under control and bring all decisions under public scrutiny.
Rebuild the Oxfordshire Youth Service, to end the ‘nothing to do’ limbo.
Support the national programme of expansion for library services.
Promote the building of houses where they are needed.
Provide more care for older people in their own homes.
Link

THE Liberal Democrats have leapt into the Election race with the publication of their manifesto.
David Turner, the Liberal Democrat candidate, has said that his party is the only party capable of beating the Tories in the Henley Constituency.
“I am very much looking forward to the General Election,” he said. “This election in the Henley Constituency is a two horse race between the Liberal Democrats and the Tories. In successive General Elections it is the Liberal Democrats who are the clear challengers to the Tories.”
He urged Labour and Green supporters to vote for the Liberal Democrats as the only way in which the Tories could be beaten, adding: “A vote for the Labour or Green candidates would be exactly what Boris Johnson wanted to stop him losing his seat to the Liberal Democrats.
“The Liberal Democrats election campaign is about Freedom, Fairness and Trust,” he continued.
“The people are fed up with this spin and deceit type of politics. The Liberal Democrats will be fighting a positive campaign concentrating on people’s hopes for the future.”
The following are the main areas of focus in the Lib Dem’s manifesto:
“Scrap the Council Tax. Liberal Democrats are the only party proposing scrapping the Council Tax, which was introduced by Tory leader Michael Howard and still supported by him and the Labour Party. We will replace it with a local income tax based on people’s ability to pay. Under the Liberal Democrats a typical household will save around

THAME Town and District Councillor, David Laver, who was Thame’s Mayor last year, is standing again in the County elections on May 5.
A Liberal Democrat Member, David’s running mate for the recently reconfigured Thame, Chinnor and Towersey ward, is Pat Haywood from Chinnor.
Among David Laver’s priorities are: More for Children and Young People, Transport improvements including higher priority to the repair of pavements and footpaths, Supporting National LD policy to replace Council Tax with something else based on the ability to pay, More for Older People and Care of the Environment. The full Manifesto can be read on the Lib Dems website, Link below.
Nick Carter, who is also a Thame Town Councillor, is standing for the Conservative Party.
Profiles of both David Laver and Pat Haywood are available on the Lib Dem’s website:
Link

KALEEM Saeed, the Henley Parliamentary Constituency Labour Party Candidate, has accused Boris Johnson of a series of, what he called “blunders” in an interview with ThameNews.Net yesterday.
In a statement today, Kaleem Saeed said: “In an interview with local media yesterday, Henley?s (former) MP, our gaffe-prone Boris, made a series of blunders which are hard to credit. He criticised the local Conservative-led County Council for it?s failure to build more local affordable housing, saying so many people can?t afford to buy somewhere to live. He admitted to the failure of the Conservatives to create a disciplined atmosphere in the county?s schools. He, on the one hand, argued that local people should have more of a say in some areas, yet criticized the South East of England Regional Assembly, brought into being for this various purpose and he admitted he had no plans to live in the constituency or, if he did live in Oxfordshire he could not say if his children would attend local schools.
“He also admits to the failure of the Conservatives to get over to the public what they are offering and what ideas are in place. With friends like Boris the Henley Conservative Party does really any enemies.”

ON the day that the Conservative party published their manifesto in the run up to the general election, Boris Johnson MP has been talking to ThameNews.Net.
Talking at the campaign office in Watlington this morning, Boris began: ?I sense that this election is very different to the last two we have fought in that there seems to be a real movement for change, in people?s voices, their attitudes and comments. I really feel that there is a swing going on towards the Conservatives. It is too early to tell by how much but talking to people around the constituency, they really want to know what we are offering, what ideas are in place and where we are going to take those ideas.
?During the next few days, more information on our spending plans and