Eye-sore bins, new Christmas lights, VIP sheep buyer and ‘greener’ council delays

THE permanent mass of waste bins outside Prezzo and Coluco (previously Jack and Alice) in the centre of Thame, may soon be a thing of the past, following lengthy correspondence between Thame Town Council, the two restaurants and Oxfordshire County Council that has gone on for over two years. See LINK

Thame’s Town Clerk, Grahame Hunt, told councillors at last night’s full council meeting, that although OCC have asked him for more evidence of the correspondence he has had between the two establishments, there was some good news.  A planning application being submitted by Coluco ‘will deal with their bin issue’.

Christmas lighting

THE town council has agreed a new Christmas lighting scheme for Thame, having retendered for a five year contract which will be in place for 2019/20 festive season, with installation commencing in November. The cost of the lighting scheme is around £19,000 per year, the five-year contract being worth £95,000.

Christmas lights in Thame 2018

Partnership agreements, which are entered into with property owners who agree to have Christmas lights on their property, will need to be renewed for the contract.

Celebrity visitor to Thame sheep market

JEREMY Clarkson paid a surprise visit to Thame’s Sheep market on Friday, where he was spotted being filmed selecting and buying some sheep, for a new TV series Bought a Farm, which will be aired in 2020 on Amazon Prime.

He lives on a small farm near Chipping Norton where, according to Farmers Weekly, he currently grows wheat, barley and oilseed rape.

Environment policy delay 

AFTER a debate on the town council’s draft Environmental Policy at its meeting on Tuesday was stopped on a technicality of Standing Orders, the proposal will now pass back to the Policy and Resources Committee, before again coming before the full council at a later date. Read the Draft Environment Policy HERE