Author: Sonja Francis

THAME’S schools now have extra funds to spend on projects for their pupils, thanks to the generosity of the people of Thame who contributed to the money raised by 21st Century Thame’s biggest annual event, the Thame Carnival and fete.

The sum of £725 has now been paid into the bank accounts of John Hampden PTFA, Barley Hill PTFA and St Josephs PTFA. Lord Williams’s schools’s PTA also raised £1,151 on their Pimms stall independently.

Sharon Smits, Chair of John Hampden School’s PTFA, said: “We are delighted with the money Thame Carnival has donated to John Hampden School. It formed part of the fund we used to buy a new Trim Trail for the children. The children loved taking part in the carnival as it enhances their learning experience whilst having fun.”

The Deputy Principal of St Joseph’s school, Thame, Fiona Dyer, said: “St. Joseph’s had a wonderful time at this year’s Thame Carnival. It’s a wonderful community event – enjoyed by all. We were delighted to come first this year and thank everyone involved in making it a success – especially our fantastic School Orchestra.

“‘The generous donation will go towards buying an electric piano to enhance the children’s musical learning at assemblies, collective worship and school performances.”

A spokesperson for Barley Hill School, said: “Barley Hill would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to Thame Carnival for their very generous donation. We thoroughly enjoyed coming together with the other schools and community to celebrate Thame. The money will help us to buy more fiction books for our Library.”

Karen Shardlow, Chair of Lord Williams’s PTA, was delighted with the support they received at the fete. She said: “We are really pleased to be part of Thame Carnival; a fantastic community event which has given us the opportunity to fundraise for LWS. Pimms proved to be a huge success and monies raised will be used to buy outdoor sports equipment for our students. Well done to the organising committee and many thanks to everyone who visited our stall.”

GROUPS campaigning for a People’s Vote will be out in force on Saturday, September 29, for the largest ever People’s Vote National Day of Action, with over 100 groups taking part across the UK.

Activists and supporters from the People’s Vote campaign will take to the streets in Thame this Saturday, as well as across the rest of the UK, in order to demand their right to a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal.

There will be over 100 local groups participating, with thousands of activists and supporters taking part, over 1 million leaflets ordered, and with street stalls due to be set up in towns and cities the length and breadth of the country, in areas that voted both Remain and Leave.

This People’s Vote National Day of Action follows on from the hugely successful People’s Vote Summer of Action, which saw mass rallies take place in Bristol, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Cambridge and Cardiff. This is all leading up to the People’s Vote March for the Future in London on October 20th, which is expected to be the largest Brexit-related march so far, larger than the previous People’s Vote march which was attended by over 100,000 people.

Robin Storey of Open Britain Thame said: “A botched, no-deal or bad deal Brexit will leave the constituency in a mess. We’re asking John Howell MP to take a lead and help find a way out from party infighting, along with other moderate MPs, by supporting People’s Vote. It’s no longer good enough to say things are fine with Brexit.
We’re going to Birmingham to make these local points about Brexit, outside the Conservative Party Conference.

“Nobody voted to be poorer, but constituents’ jobs are at risk. BMW mini in Cowley have warned publicly of the threat to their supply chain and have announced a shut down for a month from Brexit day.  High tech businesses around Oxford wonder why they are losing qualified EU staff, who no longer feel welcome.

“Commuters who live locally are worried. JP Morgan and many other firms have recently announced jobs moving out of the City, taking with them key parts of our tax base and capability.  All this affects the NHS and funding for all our public services over time, if the economy and tax base does less well, outside of the EU single market and customs union, with less comprehensive and efficient trade arrangements than we currently have.

“Already, staff shortages at the John Radcliffe are a problem, as EU staff return home, leading to ward closures. That’s why we’ve been calling on John Howell MP to support the Peoples Vote on the terms of the final Brexit deal and why we’ll be in Birmingham. ”

Anyone who would like to join Open Britain Thame at 2pm on Saturday, or on the 0900 from Haddenham to Birmingham on Sunday, September 30, is welcome to do so.

THAME Town Council is cautiously watching the progression of the county council’s Minerals and Waste Local Plan to 2030, for which sites being considered include land at the rear of the Ford Dealership in Rycote Lane – an area already busy with commercial vehicles likely to be made worse by the planned new cattlemarket close by.

The green field site has been nominated by the land owner, David Einig, and being considered for Inert construction, demolition and excavation (CDE) Waste Recycling including Recycled Aggregates, at a rate of 70,000 tonnes per annum.

Thame Town councillors have said that they will ‘maintain a watching brief’ on the situation. Full details of the plan, its stage of progress and other sites nominated, can be found at:
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/planning/planning-policy/minerals-and-waste-policy/new-minerals-and-waste-plan

TODAY (27/09/18), Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust (BCNWT) have initiated a challenge to the process whereby Highways England and the Department for Transport selected ‘Corridor B’ for the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway and associated ‘Growth Corridor’ which could include up to one million new homes.

Earlier this year the two Wildlife Trusts made a submission to the Highways England consultation in which we detailed our concerns about the potential environmental impact of the three ‘corridors’ that were then being proposed, and made it clear that we consider ‘Corridor B’ to be the worst option.

After making this submission, and participating in environmental stakeholder groups with Highways England, we are disappointed that the government does not seem to have considered the environment in equal balance with economic factors.

Highways England failed to commission a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) or a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) as part of the process of selecting a Corridor. This is required under European Law for schemes that impact on the environment such as this. This means the true environmental effect has not properly been considered and the public has been denied the opportunity to fully scrutinise the comparative economic, societal and environmental impacts of the options.

This failure forms the basis of the legal challenge that we are embarking upon today. A pre-action protocol letter has been sent to the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Chris Grayling, challenging the government’s failure to commission an SEA or HRA and lack of effective public participation in the decision. If there is no satisfactory response, a claim will be made in the High Court before the end of October, after which the Court will consider the case’s merits. It is anticipated that there will be a Judicial Review hearing before the end of 2018.

Estelle Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of BBOWT, said, ‘Earlier this year we told Highways England that the potential impact on biodiversity of Corridor B is so serious that the route should have been discounted entirely, and pressed them to conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment. They ignored us. Today we challenge the Secretary of State for Transport to address the government’s failure to take the environment into account in its decision’.

The Environmental Law Foundation is supporting this action, with Leigh Day Solicitors and barristers from Francis Taylor Building providing pro-bono advice. Their support demonstrates the strong legal foundation for this case. We would like to acknowledge the work that Barrister Merrow Golden and the Horton cum Studley Action Group have undertaken up to this point with regard to challenging the lack of an SEA.

Tessa Gregory, Partner at Leigh Day, said, ‘It is important that decision-makers listen to local organisations and local people and imperative that environmental effects are properly assessed at the appropriate stage. Corridor selection is precisely the time for such strategic assessment to be carried out so that the environmental impacts of a plan or programme, such as the Expressway Corridor, are understood. It is disappointing that the Secretary of State has pressed ahead without such assessment, despite consultation submissions from the Wildlife Trusts’.

BBOWT’s most serious concerns are for the designated sites and nature reserves in Cothill Fen, Oxford Meadows, the Otmoor Basin, Upper Ray Valley and Bernwood Forest. If the A34 is widened west of Oxford the increase in traffic and pollution could affect sensitive areas such as Oxford Meadows, Cothill Fen and Wytham Woods. An alternative route around the south and east of Oxford would potentially impact on important areas for nature conservation including Bagley Wood, Sandford Brake, Brasenose Wood and Shotover Hill.

The area east of Oxford is characterised by a mosaic of ancient woodlands, species-rich grassland, open water, scrub and hedgerows, which form part of the former Royal Hunting Forest of Bernwood. It is one of the most undisturbed and wildlife-rich areas of Buckinghamshire. Upper Ray Valley and ancient woodlands in the vicinity of Calvert, including Finemere Wood, would also be at risk.

Corridor B also crosses the River Ouzel to the south east of Milton Keynes. The river and its associated habitats must be taken into account in the exact route choice following corridor selection. The Greensand Ridge includes a network of wildlife-rich sites including King’s and Baker’s Woods and Heaths. Rushmere Country Park, a popular public open space, would also be affected. Where the corridor moves towards the M1 around Woburn, there are woodlands which contain Wavendon Heath Ponds. Any route within this corridor would need to avoid these biodiversity hotspots.

SOURCE: Contributed (Press release)

THAME’S Music in the Park has donated £442 to the Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA). A cheque was presented to the TVAA by Chris Fram, Chair of Music in the Park’s organising committee.

The money was raised from Music in the Park’s new 50p levy on plastic glasses used during the event at the XT Brewery Bar, Falcon Bar and Lord Williams’s School Pimm’s Bar. The objective of the levy was to reduce plastic waste at the event by encouraging re-use and to raise money for a good cause. Thames Valley Air Ambulance was chosen as this year’s good cause in memory of four-year old Barnaby Cork, who was attended by the Air Ambulance at his tragic accident at Thame Leisure Centre in December 2016.

Chris Fram said: “We’re delighted to have raised so much money for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, while at the same time helping to make Music in the Park a more environmentally-responsible event.”

To keep up-to-date with news of next year’s Music in the Park event, visit the Facebook page LINK HERE  or website LINK HERE