UK's youngest woman councillor, 18, poses in raunchy snaps

By WILL DAVIES, Mail On Sunday, January 27, 2008


She became Britain's youngest female councillor when she was elected last year at the age of 18, on a promise to prove young people are "not all hood-wearing yobs getting drunk".
But a series of risque pictures on the internet show that Laura Pye seems to have taken her own manifesto less than seriously.
The shots may not show her wearing a hood, but there is certainly evidence of drunkenness - and plenty more besides.



















On the online networking sites Facebook and MySpace she can be seen on an alcohol-fuelled night out cavorting around a lap-dancing pole in her underwear, while another shot shows her kissing a girl passionately on the lips.
Another image shows her in bra and knickers brandishing a bottle of vodka. And there is also a close-up of her ample cleavage.
The pictures of Ms Pye, who was elected to Henley Town Council last May, will no doubt raise concerns over whether it is appropriate to elect teenagers to serve their community.
But last night she was unrepentant, saying she was entitled to her fun just like any other 19-year-old. She said: "I may be a councillor but I am still me. I will still go out and get drunk on a Saturday night.

"There are some really silly photos of me on the websites doing 19-year-old, drunken, Saturday-night-out stuff.
"When I got elected I made a very big thing of being young and of promoting a better image of being young. But I don't think I have contradicted myself by running on a youth ticket and then appearing in these photos. It was just a bit of a laugh.
"At the end of the day I am not vandalising. I am not smoking anything I shouldn't. I am not doing anything illegal. I am not stealing.

"I take my council work very seriously and I always show-up fully clothed."

Many of the 29 photo albums on her Facebook site were created after late-night binges in the genteel Oxfordshire town. The album titles include "so much for a month without alcohol", "Sober ... I think not" and "The night I'll never remember", which contains photos with the captions "f****d" and "s**t-faced".
Another album, which boasts some of the most raunchy shots, is called "Slutty schoolgirls for no apparent reason".

She lists her marital status on Facebook as "married to Libby Oxberry", one of her friends. On her MySpace website she describes herself as "lil angel", and says the last things she downloaded on to her computer were Ann Summers photos, and that she believes in "lust at first sight". Bizarrely, when asked in a questionnaire if she is entitled to vote she replies "dunno".

Laura, who works as a customer service adviser for a beauty website, is one of nine Henley Residents' Group members on the council. She was one of just a handful of 18-year-olds who won a seat in last year's local elections - the first held since the minimum age for being a councillor was dropped from 21.


In an election manifesto on the group's website she wrote: "Realising there may be a negative view of the younger residents I aim to change this."
And she told her local paper: "There are so many negative stereotypes about younger people in the town. We are not all hood-wearing yobs getting drunk in the town centre."























Laura's father Chris, 51, who is also a Residents' Group councillor, is standing by his daughter, despite her online antics. He said: "She has a life to lead. What she does in her spare time is up to her. If you cannot have a personal life there is not a lot of point."

And Henley's mayor, Terry Buckett, said on behalf of the town council: "Laura is entitled to her life outside the council and I cannot fault the work she does on the council."
But Conservative councillor Joan Bland said: "She has put herself in a position of responsibility and she shouldn't be cavorting around on these websites. She should be serving the people of Henley."

Gastropub's organic school dinners strangled by red tape

By Will Davies

CHILDREN at an Oxfordshire Primary School will no longer be served school meals cooked by a nearby gastropub, after Government red tape strangled its healthy food initiative.

In January 2006 only four children at Stoke Row Primary School were signed up for lunches, described by school head Steven McTegart as ‘worse than turkey twizzlers’ and so bad that when inspected by a supervisor, the school was told to stop serving the food.

Desperate to get pupils eating healthily, Mr. McTegart approached celebrity chef Paul Clerehugh, who set up one of the first gastropubs, The Crooked Billett. He has since revolutionised pupils’ eating habits, with tasty, organic, locally-sourced menus, chosen by the children.

In fact he has been so successful, serving 250 meals a week to around 47 regular takers including a 100 per cent uptake by pupils eligible for free meals, he has had to employ extra staff.

But early next year, new legislation will be introduced by central Government, which will put an end to the school’s enterprising initiative.
"We will have to take samples of every meal and freeze them, just in case there are problems down the line," Mr. McTegart told the Standard.
"On top of this, we must send samples from all 15 meals to a lab to be analysed; the paperwork will be enormous."

Mr. Clerehugh says the cost of sending samples to a laboratory could be ‘at least £20,000 a year’ and will cost schools in the county ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds.’ He said: "Although the school pays for every penny of the food, I am still subsidising the scheme, paying wages for two staff and their accommodation.

"The Crooked Billet may be well-known in the area, but it is still a small business and cannot afford the extra outlay. We would have to have every ingredient analysed — over 500 — and not for toxins, but so the nanny state can analyse the nutritional value to see if it is correct, and I’ve got to pay for that."

Under the new rules, the pub is also prohibited from cooking any processed food, and fruit puddings must contain a minimum 45 per cent fruit, leaving Mr. Clerehugh perplexed and frustrated as many of the locally-sourced, affordable food items he uses to make the scheme financially viable fall under the banner of ‘processed’.

He added: "This stupid legislation takes a wonderful school, running a hugely successful, healthy scheme and says they can no longer eat local, organic pork sausages, minced meat or honey-sweetened flapjacks with fresh raisins. But I can give them ‘Caribbean fish’ or tinned fruit. It’s really pushed us into a corner."

Mr. Clerehugh, a consultant on Jamie Oliver’s Channel 4 programme School Dinners, argues that if a school opts out of council provision, it should be able to devise its own ‘common sense menu’. He added: "When the district council did the lunches, which consisted of tinned ham, tinned potatoes and tinned carrots, the children slept in the afternoon and there were accidents in the playground.

"With our meals, they are alert all day as their blood sugar levels are balanced and correct. This is a small school with no funds and I want to carry on if I can. If any readers can help, or come up with suggestions or legal loop-holes, please get in touch."

The school says it is currently in negotiations with a number of school catering companies to fill the void, but from next term children ‘may have to bring in sandwiches’, including those eligible for free meals.

Youth centre will turn Henley into 'Croxteth-on-Thames'

By Will Davies

Furious residents in Greys Road have rejected plans for the proposed state-of-the-art youth centre at Makins Recreation Ground, warning it will turn the area into ‘Croxteth-on-Thames’.

Prompted by what they say is the town council’s poor upkeep of the Makins site, including ‘drug-related graffiti’ left on the skate park, dozens of residents in Greys Road have expressed interest in signing a petition in a bid to stop the £2.5 million centre being developed.

"Like the scouts, the residents of Greys Road have totally rejected plans for a proposed youth centre going in at Makins," raged resident Will Hamilton. "Why can’t it stay where it is and have that site redeveloped - is this not good scout common sense?"

Residents fear that if built, the centre will exacerbate the present situation, which has seen a constant barrage of graffiti daubed on play equipment, including the act of ‘tagging’ - spraying a particular signature logo which police have told residents is a calling card for drug users to gather.
They say they would like to live in Henley-on-Thames, ‘not Croxteth-on-Thames’ - referring to the district of north Liverpool notorious for bitter gang rivalries and casual violence.

Mr. Hamilton, who is spearheading the campaign to halt the development, added: "We are still awaiting the green paint from the council to mask the graffiti on the YPod - we have been waiting six months - it should never have been put there. And the graffiti on the ramps is still awaiting to be cleaned off - as you know this is drug related. My neighbours are livid."

Another resident, Kirsty McMillan, recently received an email from the town council stating it is ‘currently running a trial to allow some artwork to remain on part of the equipment’ and that it will be ‘closely monitored by parks service staff’.

Reacting to this, Mr. Hamilton said: "If this is the case, they are effectively sponsoring such offensive behaviour. Just look at what has happened at the Reading skateboard site."

He added: "Since running this trial a huge amount of graffiti has come back. Whatever they put there will be covered in graffiti before long.
"If it was on the town hall it would be cleaned off straight away. The council only put the skate park in at Makins to stop kids smoking and drinking in the market place."

Mrs. McMillan says she is concerned the new development could damage the value of her home. She said: "It will impact on the saleability of my home, its value and our standard of living.
"My 100-year-old grandmother recently looked out of the window here to see a hideously obscene word sprayed in large letters on the skate park.

"We have been duped by the council into thinking they are interested in everybody’s views. They have consulted the youth groups and the schools but not the residents - nothing we have requested has been delivered on.
"Before we know it, there will be JCBs outside, clogging up the traffic. Where is our representation? We already have a youth centre in the town - why not redevelop that?"

The team behind the development, Thamesfield, says although it would like to remain on the existing youth centre site in Deanfield Avenue, it needs funds from its sale to create what its senior trustee, Oliver Makower, calls a solution to the ‘massive gap between the "haves" and "have nots" in Henley’.
"We can’t allow this behaviour to continue, that is why the new centre must be built, to help those young people left behind with practically nowt, disregarded by a culture of sending people to university," he said.

"If we were to redevelop the current site it would cost between £300,000 and £400,000, and even then would be second rate as the space is too limited for what we want. By moving to Makins we can fulfill government objectives and attract funds from Sport England, the Arts Council and Learning and Skills Council.
"We will have an abseiling tower, a climbing wall, music studio with resident rap artist, and a workshop to teach high-level artisan skills such as plumbing, electrical work, brick-laying and even cooking.

"We want to put an end to the nuisance behaviour and graffiti. It will be tough, but with a lot of hard work and a live-in caretaker at the centre, it can happen."

Review: Athenaeum Hotel, Piccadilly

Stretching over Green Park to the London Eye and Buckingham Palace, the Athenaeum Hotel, on London’s Piccadilly, must thank its lucky stars it boasts such a spectacular view. At first glance, it is undeniably the hotel’s most redeeming feature, especially for those who do not arrive by taxi or limousine, but instead by humble tube.
Slap in-between Green Park and Hyde Park Corner tubes, get out at the latter if you opt to splash out the minimum £225-a-night. Because to arrive at the former draws you down the splendour of Piccadilly, eagerly anticipating what you perceive to be a hotel of grandeur: a building to rival embassies, the former home of a lesser-known Prime Minister or even the nearby Royal Academy.

You catch a gasp - there are the tell-tale flags and much-coveted stars adorning heavy, imposing columns which form the entrance. But hang on a minute - the Park Lane Hotel? Must be on the wrong street. Nope. It’s definitely Piccadilly.
Then it hits you, like the waft of a portaloo at Glastonbury. It’s that hideous lump of concrete next door.
A ruddy-faced doorman placates my horror with a reassuring smile as he pulls open the door - he knows what I’m thinking, but doesn’t much care for first impressions.

This is because the Athenaeum is part-way through a re-vamp, which has already seen an exquisite transformation of the entire ground floor. Olive trees and lavender greet you on entering, Riccardo Cinalli’s magical roses painted in oils on plexiglas provide an intriguing touch to the lobby, and set into the wall behind the reception desk are 135,000 mother of pearl buttons, inspired by London’s pearly kings and queens.

What a shame that charm wasn’t shared by the cantankerous, seemingly ageist receptionist. I realise I don’t possess the swagger of a fat cat American with a bank balance even bigger than my bloated belly, but it surely should not deny me any of the same courtesies, such as offering for a porter to carry my bag. It wasn’t heavy, but that’s not the point.
And after all, the hotel gave me a freebie in the hope I write a flattering review and entice the people of Henley to part with their hard-earned cash and enjoy what is a luxury hotel.

But I digress. Attention to detail is this hotel’s forte: try the home-infused rosemary, lemongrass or chocolate vodkas in the bar, apple juice from Henry VIII’s Tudor orchards or one of 250 malts in the famous whisky room.
It also boasts to be ‘the only place in London’ where you can sample honey made from beehives in Regents Park and offers a particularly plush ladies’ powder room, with pink panelling, arm chairs, antique dressing tables and fluffy white towels. Who needs a grand façade with such decadence!

Well, I do. Although scattered with some elegant furniture my ‘executive’ room was no bigger than a standard double in a Thistle hotel. Every room is set for a refit in the coming months - which is somewhat overdue as not even the dreamily comfortable bed or ferocious shower could sway my attention from the brown sweat patches on the dated canvas headboard.

The hotel knows its exterior is ugly, as it has posted not one roadside photo onto its attractive online gallery. It is even considering draping the front in plants.
Regardless, that should not deter visitors, especially after renovations are complete. The Athenaeum stands on one of the most revered addresses in the capital and is a short hop from many of London’s greatest attractions, from the Royal Academy to numerous West End theatres and the most exhilarating view of any city in the world, from Westminster to Wembley, high up on the London Eye.

Postal strike throws marathon organisers into a panic

By Will Davies

Chaos has been narrowly avoided in the lead-up to this Sunday’s Henley Half Marathon after hundreds of entry packs were held in limbo during this week’s postal strike.
Over 1,100 entry packs containing race numbers with safety clips and the crucial chip which attaches to the shoe to time each individual runner, were posted to entrants last week, but it soon became apparent that many would not arrive in time.

Race organisers, Henley Bridge Rotary Club, have been forced to invalidate the chips and reissue new entry packs at a cost of £3,000, which will be borne by the many charities that benefit from race proceeds.

“The RNLI receives 25 per cent of the profits, so they will be most affected,” said race organiser Ian McGaw. The remaining 75 per cent is distributed to a handful of worthy causes selected by Henley Bridge Rotary members, including the Chiltern Centre for Disabled Children, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and Sebastian’s Action Trust for handicapped children.

Rotary members and friends rallied round to implement a contingency plan on Thursday evening, with a 30-strong team assembled at the home of Henley Hawks rugby club, Dry Leas, to put together the new packs. Organisers are expecting upwards of 2,500 runners. Mr. McGaw added: “This shows Rotary at its best. It’s great to see such camaraderie and broad sense of community spirit.

“A lot of people have been phoning and emailing in a panic. We have put advice on our website and sent an email to every runner, but not everyone gave an email address when they registered. The ironic part is that everyone will receive their pack eventually.

“If your chip arrives before the race, we ask that people bring it along and deposit it in the containers at the entrance to the blue room on Sunday, as we can send them back and get a 30p refund for each chip.”
Race packs containing replacement chips will be available for every entrant on the morning of the race between 8 a.m. and 9.15 a.m.

Mews plan gets massive thumbs down by public

By Will Davies

THE RULING party on the town council, the Henley Residents’ Group (HRG), has criticised the proposed redevelopment of Market Place Mews, claiming the plans are ‘not in the best interests of Henley’.

The developer, London and Henley Properties, is making a renewed attempt to get the go-ahead for the £5 million scheme after it was rejected by South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) last year. And for two hours in the Market Place last Saturday, the public was given the chance to view a scale model of what the controversial redevelopment would look like if developers were to gain planning permission.

Over 500 people viewed the exhibition, and of the 106 people who registered their views, 26 per cent voted for the scheme against 74 per cent opposing it, the latter citing over-development, traffic and parking as their primary fears.Residents were given until Wednesday to air their views to the district council.

Developers claim the second plan is smaller than the original, and would regenerate land that is ‘largely overgrown gardens, undefined space and private car parking places’. If it gets the thumbs up, the mews could have 14 new apartments and a public space for alfresco dining, and would bring ‘day-round life’ to a central part of Henley.

But members of the HRG have branded it ‘too large and too high’, and say the quality of the buildings is poor and ‘do not enhance or preserve the conservation area’. HRG chairman Ian Reissmann said: “We think the district council should ask the developer to think again, and come up with a plan for the area which meets the needs of the town and is properly sympathetic to the nature of the conservation area in the middle of our town.”

Cllr. Barry Wood does not subscribe to the views of his party. He agrees with the revised plans, which he feels will encourage investment and development in the town. He refutes his party’s claims that the current shops and small businesses will be driven out by ‘the same chains that dominate so many other towns and cities in the UK’. He said: “The shops will not be big enough for multinational companies. They will be interesting feature shops. We are not trying to build a mini-Reading but an alternative shopping experience.”

He is, however, more sympathetic with HRG’s concerns over the height of the development, believing it is ‘just about acceptable’, but ‘two storeys would have been preferable to three’. London and Henley Properties also proposes no affordable housing for the site — a particular scruple for HRG which has weighed heavy on the conscience of Cllr. Wood.

He added: “The apartments will all be two or three bedroomed and will cost around £300,000 to £400,000. It is a great shame there will be no affordable housing.”

With or without Cllr. Wood, HRG says it will be supporting the case for the plans to be rejected by both the town council and SODC.

The town council will make a recommendation on the plans this coming Tuesday (October 16th), before they are passed to SODC, with a result likely around the end of November.

Students' show of solidarity

College group turns out in support of Burmese monks

By Will Davies

FOLLOWING the brutal crackdown by Burmese authorities on protesting monks and their civilian supporters, dozens of students at the Henley College gathered on Tuesday to demonstrate against the repression.

Wearing saffron-red headbands to display solidarity with the red-robed Buddhist clergy, over 30 members of the college’s Amnesty International student group marched from their Deanfield campus in Deanfield Avenue to the college’s Rotherfield site, picking up protesters along the way.

Burma’s revered monks spearheaded ten days of street demonstrations against the ruling generals, until the army cleared the streets with tear gas, baton charges and gunfire. Although the regime has admitted to killing ten people, pro-democracy groups say the true death toll could be in the hundreds.

“Violence isn’t the answer,” said 17-year-old Amy Hough.

“They are in direct breech of Article 19 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech and the right to protest peacefully.

“It’s disgusting how they are being treated. Everyone has the right to peaceful protest.”

It has been widely reported that around 3,000 monks have been detained by Burmese security forces and are being held in police and military camps. Displaying their disgust, the Henley students shrouded their college’s revered statue — the swan man — in robes similar to those worn by the monks.

“We are showing solidarity with the monks,” said fellow student Lizzie Hudson. “It is important to show people this is happening.”

In a brave turn, 17-year-old student Marcus Fletcher, from Western Road in Henley, volunteered to have his head shaved in the college’s reception, witnessed by hundreds of passing students. “This is an important issue and I want to help raise awareness,” he said. "We’ve had a very positive reaction from so many students.”

One of the most active members of the group, Kathy Mangion, 16, said: “The situation in Burma is getting worse, and action needs to be taken to free the monks.

“We have written to the junta demanding their release and for the brutality to stop.”

But the students are realistic, and admit that only international pressure will put an end to the repression. “Only when China, Russia and India put on the pressure will the generals back down,” added Miss Mangion.

The group’s tutor, Sue Bingham, said: “It’s great to see the students so fired up. It normally takes us months to organise a protest, but with such a pressing issue, we managed to set everything up in one lunchtime.

“I am so proud of them — they are not bothered about making a fool out of themselves. They know what they are doing is nothing compared to how the monks are being treated.”

IT’S BORIS VERSUS KEN

Landslide victory in Tory poll means Henley
MP will stand in London mayor contest

By Will Davies

It's official — Boris Johnson has been chosen as the Tory candidate to challenge Ken Livingstone to become the next Mayor of London.

In a vote open to all Londoners, Henley’s MP won a massive 78.23 per cent of the votes with 15,661 of the 20,019 turnout. His nearest challenger was businesswoman and Kensington and Chelsea councillor Victoria Borwick, with 1,869 votes.

After a month-long campaign touring London boroughs, the Henley MP’s pledge to ‘work as hard for people in zone six as in zone one’ proved successful in securing the Tory party nomination.

Speaking yesterday morning (Thursday), he said: "I’d like to thank Londoners for giving me this opportunity. As I visited all of London’s 32 boroughs in the last few weeks the message was loud and clear — King Newt’s days are numbered.

"Across London I’ve met people fed up with paying so much to City Hall and getting so little in return."

Mr. Johnson, who has been Henley’s MP for six years, has promised to tackle crime, address London’s housing crisis and encourage more cycling.

"The job of the mayor is simple — to get people to work on time, to ensure people feel safe on the streets, to help people find a place to call home, to celebrate our diversity and to champion our success," he added.

"I want to be a mayor that will listen, will learn and will lead."

Mr. Johnson also announced yesterday that if elected, he will relinquish his duties as MP for Henley. The election takes place next May.

All's 'fair' in town trading

Commitment sees Henley designated a Fairtrade town

By Will Davies

HENLEY has become a Fairtrade Town — joining over 240 towns across the UK working to guarantee a better deal for Third World producers.

Last year Henley was declined the coveted status by The Fairtrade Foundation, when, coupled with a lack of interest from schools, the town council failed to pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, citing a need to offer ‘choice’ — in spite of a petition signed by over 500 residents.

But in November the resolution was passed and some schools adopted the scheme, fulfilling the list of five goals the town must achieve.

Proud mayor Terry Buckett said: “It may not seem popular but it is very well supported in the town — and for the right reasons, too.”

The Henley Fairtrade Initiative, set up by Peter Slip and his small band of mainly Quakers and members of Christ Church, have worked to convince councillors, businessmen, community leaders and shop, cafe and restaurant managers to introduce Fairtrade products in the town — and have enjoyed considerable success.

With a population of 10,300 Henley requires four retail outlets and two catering outlets selling two or more Fairtrade products to be awarded the status.

In his report, Fairtrade Towns Co-ordinator for the Fairtrade Foundation, Bruce Crowther, applauds the town’s success in not just meeting the targets set, but far and away exceeding them.

The town now has five shops and eight catering outlets selling Fairtrade products and has established a Fairtrade Directory for Henley.
“It is great that there are so many outlets offering Fairtrade in a relatively small town like Henley,” he said.

“It is especially good to see smaller independent retailers like the Green Olive and Garnett and Stone offering Fairtrade options.”

The town’s major supermarkets now stock a wide range of products; Waitrose, whose constitution promotes ‘a better form of business’ leads the way, offering 32 Fairtrade goods which include not just tea and coffee, but biscuits and even wine. Henley’s recently enlarged Tesco offers 15 products.

Crowther adds: “It is important that this commitment is translated into products on shelves. We now look forward to seeing more outlets and a wider range of products offered by existing outlets.”

Fairtrade changes lives. Many farmers and workers in developing countries struggle to provide for their families. Poor market access and unfair trade rules often mean that the price they get for their crop does not cover the cost of production.

Peter Slip says: “As well as guaranteeing producers a fair and stable price for their products that covers the cost of production, with Fairtrade they also receive a social premium; extra money that has to be spent on community projects.

“In Tanzania, tea pickers have chosen to spend their social premium to set up shop selling affordable food for their families. Now they want to invest in building materials to improve their homes.”

Another string to Henley’s Fairtrade bow has been getting products into the town’s work places and community groups. All but one of Henley’s six churches have subscribed to help lift Third World farmers out of poverty and six work places — including not just Oxfam but Invesco Perpetual — have also thrown their hat into the ring.

One Achilles Heel in putting Henley on the Fairtrade map has been the schools. But staff at Shiplake Junior School are now offered Fairtrade tea and coffee and The Henley College students’ union is fully supplied by Henley’s sole Fairtrade-only cafe, Bloc 2.

In his report, Mr. Crowther praises the steering group’s hard work garnering support within schools, offering an olive branch to other schools in the form of the Fairtrade Schools scheme, launching this month.“There will be a great many resources for teachers and pupils to support them in making Fairtrade a part of their school or college.”

He added: “It is important that the organisations involved continue to promote Fairtrade to others and ensure that the support already gained is developed and deepened still further.”

Boris hits the campaign trail

By Will Davies

BORIS Johnson launched his campaign to be the Tory candidate for London mayor on Monday.

Taking to the stage as punk anthem London Calling raised the roof at City Hall, Mr. Johnson, 43, who has been Henley’s MP for six years, promised to tackle crime, address London’s housing crisis and encourage more cycling.

“London is the greatest city on earth. I love this city and I want it to be greater still,” he said.

Citing house prices as ‘the biggest single worry for Londoners’, Mr. Johnson, who is favourite to become the official Conservative candidate, said there was ‘huge scope’ to help young people onto the property ladder, by taking a more imaginative approach to shared-ownership schemes.

If elected, the former shadow minister for higher education said he would modify but not scrap the capital’s congestion charge, and bring back the classic Routemaster bus to London’s streets — in a 21st century form.

“It is time we got this city moving and have the transport system we deserve,” he added.

The former editor of the right-of-centre Spectator magazine criticised potential opponent Ken Livingstone’s recent deal with leftist Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, whereby Transport for London will receive $32 million in discounted oil, intended to fund half price bus fares for low income Londoners. “You won’t see me doing deals with left-wing dictators,” he said.

Speaking exclusively to the Standard on Wednesday, Mr. Johnson said so far his campaign is going ‘very well’.

“I’ve just been looking at some neighbourhood policing in Blexley and there seems to be a strong desire to get Ken Livingstone out,” he said.

“I’m very encouraged by the first few days and although it is very hard to know exactly what it going on, there is definitely a good feeling out there.”

Mr. Johnson spent the day touring London boroughs, which included taking to the wheel of a Routemaster 70, which he said was ‘an absolute doddle to drive and lots of fun.’

Singing his praises, chairman of South Oxfordshire Conservatives, John Walsh, who has worked closely with Mr. Johnson, believes the Henley MP has what it takes to be mayor of London.

He said: “In contrast to Ken, who hasn’t made a good job of being mayor, Boris will take a fairly chunky budget and use it to improve core issues, like transport in the capital, which at present is a nightmare. Although he has only been an MP for six years, Boris has the ability to put concepts across using colourful language, which gets them noticed.

“Coupled with an ability to examine problems with fresh eyes, he decides on a solution and delivers — without being afraid of the populist view.”

The Tory candidate will be announced at the party’s conference at the end of the month. The mayoral election itself will be held on Thursday, May 1st, next year.

Woman claims 'vicious pranks' have made her life a nightmare

By Will Davies

A WOMAN from Lower Shiplake claims that a campaign of hate is being waged against her — and says since June this year she has been victimised over half a dozen times.

Elaine Fowler, of Westfield Crescent, says over the last three months she has fallen victim to a series of ‘vicious and childish’ pranks, including a dishwasher, awaiting collection, being dragged in front of her gate to block her in.

“On June 18th somebody had propped a sharp object under the tyre of my car, so when I reversed it burst and I had to pay for a new tyre,” she said.

“Ten days later my camper van was reported to the district council as being parked on the public highway whilst declared as Statutory Off Road Notice when in fact it is parked on land not maintained by the highways division.”

In mid-July, Ms. Fowler says she found her garage door forced open, causing her to have the lock repaired, and on the night of July 27th, a heavy concrete fence post, left by the housing association, Soha, after storms in January, was dragged behind a visiting friend’s car, blocking him in.

She added: “Last Friday, my dogs alerted me to an intruder outside and I discovered that criminal damage had been done to my camper van.

“Then, on Sunday, police rang me to say they had received an anonymous ’phone call to tell them I was parked on the pavement when in fact I was not.

“Police say there is little I can do. Every day now, I have to check the tyres on my car and check to see if something has been stuffed up the exhaust. It is very childish.”

Ms. Fowler says she has no proof as to who is responsible.

Police charge ailing victim £105 to recover stolen car

I'm paying for a crime committed against me'

By Will Davies

A FORMER lorry driver from Henley, who had his car stolen and was then charged over £100 by police to have it recovered, says he feels ‘absolutely gutted’.

Lewis Robinson, aged 50, a chronic diabetic who suffers from serious neurological damage, was awoken by police at his home in Crisp Road at 3 a.m. last Thursday morning and told his car, an E-reg Vauxhall Nova, had been stolen.

“Police gave me a phone number and told me to call it and report the car as stolen,” said Mr. Robinson. “When I did this I was told the car had been abandoned at Hennerton Golf Club, near Wargrave, but that I couldn’t collect it as it had been taken to a forensic yard in Winnersh to be examined.

“Why couldn’t they do the forensic work where the car was found?”

Police told Mr. Robinson the car was so badly damaged that it could not be driven, but when he went to collect it, the car was driveable.“The headlamp was bent, the bonnet and both wings were dented and the windscreen smashed, but it wasn’t written off,” he added.

Mr. Robinson was forced to pay Thames Valley Police £105 to get his car back and is outraged that, although he was the victim, police have made him pay and not the culprits.“I am paying for a crime committed against me,” he said. “I could have had the AA pick it up for free as I am a member.”

He says he has ‘no faith’ in police catching the thieves and said they were ‘not at all sympathetic’ when charging him to collect his car.“It’s a lot of money. I cannot work and have to survive on disability benefit. This money for the police has taken a large chunk of that.”

Mr. Robinson struggles to walk more than a 100 yards, so relies heavily on driving, especially to do his groceries and to get to the many doctors appointments and hospital visits he must make every month. He says the damage to his car would cost over £4,000 to be repaired.

"If this hadn’t happened, the car would have sailed through its MOT next year and I would have been driving it for at least another couple of years," he said.

“As it is, I cannot afford to pay for the repairs so when the MOT is due it will have to be scrapped and I will be carless. Whoever did this doesn’t realise the damage they’ve caused.”

Thames Valley Police says it recovers found stolen vehicles ‘as a matter of course’. The force’s Vehicle Recovery Scheme spells out its reasons as preventing ‘secondary theft’ and ‘an opportunity to fingerprint and examine stolen vehicles under controlled conditions’.

It also states that owners covered by comprehensive or third party, fire and theft insurance ‘will usually find that all such charges are recoverable from their insurers’.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police, Rebecca Webber said: “Leading UK insurers have been instrumental in establishing with police forces a protocol for dealing with found stolen vehicles.”

SCRAP IT!

Standard readers vote overwhelmingly against new traffic system

By Nigel Wigmore and Will Davies


HENLEY’S CONTROVERSIAL traffic scheme must go. That’s the overwhelming verdict of Henley residents in our special traffic survey to see if they want to keep the town’s controversial new traffic system.

On the last day of the poll, a total of 643 votes had been cast, including 253 online, resulting in 85 per cent voting against the scheme. From day one of the poll, when it was launched on August 10th, it quickly became clear that most people did not want the scheme to stay.

Town councillor Barry Wood told the Standard: “Oxfordshire County Council would be crazy to disregard these figures. They show a huge amount of dissatisfaction with the scheme.”

Cllr. Wood added: “The way ahead now is to retain what is good in the system and get rid of what is bad. The most important aspect of this now is to improve air quality.”

In a letter to the Standard, Cllr. Wood had attacked South Oxfordshire District Council for only measuring levels of nitrogen dioxide in the town when traffic emissions include ‘amongst others, sulphur dioxide, particulates and carcinogens’, which were ‘even more damaging to human health than nitrogen dioxide’.

In a heated debate during a full meeting of Henley Town Council on Tuesday, Cllr. Peter Skolar said: “It was my election promise to get rid of the scheme. But we can’t simply reverse it — going back to the status quo is simply not an option.

“Three elderly ladies have been killed at the junction with Duke Street and Hart Street. If we go back to two lanes to speed up the traffic, and as a consequence have a fourth death there, it will be on all our consciences as councillors.

“The ITS (Integrated Transport Strategy) has succeeded in keeping traffic out of Henley, which is exactly what it was designed to do.

“But it needs to be modified, and the one single item which will reduce levels of pollution by as much as ten per cent would be a ban on HGVs through the town. The removal of HGVs would have a much more significant effect than anything the ITS can do.”

Cllr. Skolar said he has also requested both a traffic count from the county council and an annual mean figure for pollution levels in the town.

Cllr. Wood said: “As a council, we must come to a conclusion regarding the scheme.”

A vote was carried to hold a special ITS council meeting.

Responding to the Standard poll, Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Cllr. Ian Hudspeth, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “We listened to what people said they wanted in Henley’s town referendum and went ahead and implemented the scheme.

“Traffic levels all over England are rising and towns similar to Henley are facing the same kinds of issues. The scheme was not aimed at meeting this increasing demand but at making the best use of the existing road network within the town.”

Tyre slasher in street orgy of destruction

Drivers left facing big repair bills

By Will Davies


A VANDAL who damaged ten cars parked in Crisp Road, Henley has been described as ‘mindless’ by police.

On Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday, the vehicles were scratched with a stanley knife and around six had at least one tyre slashed.

Crisp Road resident Dee Irving had her car scratched and its tyres slashed and her son’s car scratched. “I have only just bought it as an 18th birthday present for him,” she said. “He’s absolutely gutted.”

Pointing along the road mainly occupied by young families, she added: “This is the first time something like this has happened here. Some cars have really deep scratches.”

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, says it will cost over £1,500 to have her Jeep resprayed. Her neighbour had two tyres on her Ford Mondeo slashed and such bad scratching that it will cost ‘well over a thousand pounds’ to repair. “One tyre you can get away with as you have a spare, but having two done completely immobilises you,” she said.

Many of the vehicles that had their tyres slashed were work vans. Judith Ralph, whose husband Philip is a builder, said: “It’s pretty sick. The reason they got away with it is because they had good cover. They can’t be seen as all the houses are set back from the road and are high up.”

Another resident, whose partner’s van had two tyres slashed and which remains jacked-up on the street, said he has had to ride a bike to work. She said: “You can’t just get new van tyres - you have to order them.

“It is so random and a total shock. We don’t get any trouble round here. I reckon it is people walking back drunk after a night out on the town. I mean, who goes around with a Stanley knife?”

Sgt. Nick Glister said: “This was a mindless, pointless crime and we are keen to find the person responsible.“This may seem like a minor incident but if you add up the damage done to this number of cars it comes to thousands of pounds.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Glister by calling 08458 505 505. If you don’t want to leave your name, ring Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Pony rescuers stranded on island

By Will Davies

WHAT started off as a gen­tle canter along the beach turned into a 10-hour drama on Monday, when a pony and two women were forced to spend a night stranded on an island after being cut off by the tide.

Brigitte Chen and her 14-year-old son Auberi had travelled with their family to the Norfolk coast from their home in Park Corner near Nettlebed, for their annual holiday, riding on the beaches.

Auberi described his beloved 13.2-hand pony, Budd, as `the calmest horse around’. But when he took him onto Holkham Beach for the first time, a pack of 40 Pony Club riders stormed past, spooking 17-year-old Budd, who unseated his rider and bolted out to sea.

“He was a bit excited as he had never been on a beach before,” Auberi said.“He spun round. threw me off and cantered around us in circles about 15 times, before bolting three miles to an island off Wells in a flat-out gallop. I was very upset, as I am very fond of him.”

Budd finally ran out of steam in a salt marsh in the middle of a creek - the tide rapidly encroaching. Auberi added: “The water was only three foot deep when he went out there, but within half an hour the tide had swelled and where he had crossed would have been at least 20 ft deep.”

A canoeist on a Scout expedition found Budd tangled up in his reins and managed to cut him loose, but could not rescue the pony. The coast guard informed Auberi and worried mother Brigitte, a native of Norfolk who manages the stables at Ewelme Park, that Budd would have to remain on the island until the tide abated.

Mrs. Chen, along with friend Suzanna Marshall from Wallingford, heroically volunteered to be taken by lifeboat across to the island, where they found a shaken but healthy Budd. She said: “We stayed under the stars in overalls lent to us by the coast guard. We had to stay awake all night to keep an eye on Budd. We spent most of the time chatting and looking out for shooting stars.

“The worst bit was at around 4 a.m. when the tide went down and we had to lead Budd back to safety. Walking in the dark through the marshes, which are about five miles long and two miles wide, was so scary - it was awful.”

Suzanne Marshall said: “If it wasn’t for Alan Frarv, the coast guard, I’m not sure we would have made it. He was a tank of muscle and knew exactly which way to lead us back to avoid the quick sand.

“It’s a miracle Budd didn’t break his leg.”

Although shaken, Budd is unscathed and back in his field. “We’re going to take him back to Holkham Beach tomorrow.” Mrs. Chen added, “but he’ll be on a lunge rein and will not be going anywhere near the pony club.”

U-turn?

Demand to scrap failing traffic system as town moves towards 'gridlock'

By Will Davies

TWO years ago the people of Henley gave the go-ahead to a new ‘intelligent’ traffic system, in the hope of solving the town’s traffic problems and lowering high levels of pollution.

Designed to keep the town’s streets free from congestion, the system has experienced a catalogue of errors, from intermittent faults to claims of rising pollution levels, while massive queues have built up on White Hill, Reading Road and the Fair Mile.

Town councillor Barry Wood, who was a staunch supporter of the scheme at the outset, is now calling for its full removal. He says that due to the county council’s ‘arrogance’, Henley ‘is slowly moving towards gridlock’.

Cllr. Wood claims there have been ‘adverse increases’ in the length of queues, cross-town journey times and noxious and carcinogenic fumes in Greys Road, Duke Street and Bell Street, causing increased frustration to drivers and residents.

He said: “The outcomes of our traffic deliberations will influence the town’s growth and prosperity for the next decade.

“Oxfordshire County Council has failed to implement a workable scheme and it stands condemned of failing to manage the technical aspects of the scheme and failing to communicate efficiently throughout the project implementation.

“Now the county council wishes to walk away from the problems of the scheme without resolving them,” he said.

“It arrogantly states that the scheme is permanent. This is not the way to gain the acceptance of the residents of this town. We deserve better.”

But at the first meeting of the Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS) members working group on Tuesday, it was agreed from a report by the county council’s senior transport planner, Cath Browning, that ‘very little can be done to substantially improve traffic flow’, as ‘the number of vehicles wishing to pass through Henley exceeds the capacity of the main junctions; therefore queuing traffic will always be seen in the peaks’.

What could be done, the report suggests, would be ‘to the detriment of the pedestrian,’ whereby pedestrian crossings are removed so as not to impede the flow of traffic. A trial is currently in place to give more ‘green time’ to Reading Road traffic coming into town (northbound).

This will be monitored once schools re-open in September and a decision will be made on whether to continue with it or return to the original signal timings.

The possibility of scrapping the traffic lights at the junction, in favour of a mini roundabout, has been discounted, as engineers believe it would have a detrimental impact on Duke Street and ‘would not reduce queuing.’

The report states that ‘queues on Reading Road and Station Road could be made worse and the pedestrian crossings would be lost.’

Ian Hudspeth, OCC cabinet member for transport implementation, says the scheme, which he insists is permanent, ‘was never designed to alleviate traffic’.
He said: “This is not something we’ve simply dumped on Henley. There were jams before the scheme. Above all, it was designed to reduce pollution levels in the town centre.”

Former mayor of Henley, Ian Reissmann, believes that the potential benefits of the scheme are ‘clearly not being felt’.He said: “I believe the trial scheme, while not perfect, can improve pollution and traffic flows in Henley. However, I am concerned that the difficulties OCC has faced in implementing the scheme have caused the problems we’ve all seen.”

On September 16th, Henley Town Council will make a decision on whether or not to pull out of the scheme. Mr. Reissmann is calling on the county council, as the highways authority, to put the required effort into sorting these problems out; publish the pollution and traffic figures and then allow all the residents to have an informed debate on the future of the scheme when the deadline is reached.

He added: “Then we can decide if this trial is permanent.”

The ITS members working group meets again on October 30th, when a report will be produced, detailing air pollution figures and the efficiency of SCOOT, the computer-controlled traffic light system.

Town backs Mayor Boris

By Will Davies

MOST senior political figures in Henley have given MP Boris Johnson their full support in his bid to oust Ken Livingstone and become the next mayor of London.

Initially playing down rumours he would stand — before a spectacular about-turn — Mr. Johnson’s political hokey-cokey roused a media storm, and amidst mounting Conservative pressure he finally entered the race to be the Tory candidate for next year’s mayoral election.

The former Spectator editor threw his hat into the ring just before the noon deadline on Monday, and must now wait for his party to draw up a shortlist from over 50 contenders, with Londoners then able to vote for their Tory candidate.

Peter Sutherland, chairman of Henley Conservatives for over 50 years, said he would be ‘extremely sorry’ to lose Mr. Johnson as MP for Henley. “He will be a great loss, not just for Conservatives here, but for the constituency as a whole,” he said.
“If he is elected, I hope we can find somebody equally dedicated. But Boris wants to make a contribution and London is somewhere he can do that.

“Only time will tell if he has the ability and it will be important for him to pick the right advisors. It is very easy to question whether he is up to the job. Ultimately, if he doesn’t get it right after five years, he won’t survive.”

Former mayor and champion of the campaign to save Townlands Hospital, Ian Reissmann, also wished Boris well. He said: “I think Boris would make an excellent candidate.“There is no doubt that if he were to succeed, the town would miss him. When he is around, everything seems that little but livelier. He became very involved locally - the Townlands issue being one such case. He is a very good constituency MP but this is an opportunity for him to show that he can contribute at a higher level.”

A spokesman for South Oxfordshire Conservative Association said: “Boris has proved an excellent Member of Parliament for Henley and the South Oxfordshire Conservative Association would be very sorry to lose him.
“However we recognise the importance of the position of mayor of London and know that he would be an outstanding candidate. We will give him our full backing.

But Henley’s mayor, Terry Buckett, believes Mr. Johnson is far too inexperienced for the job.“If I lived in London, I would be concerned,” he said.

“He would be in charge of a multi-billion pound budget. He has only been MP for six years and the first three or four years were a learning curve for him.”

Cllr. Buckett added: “He also should have sought approval from his constituents before declaring to run. I am concerned that he will not be able to cope with his constituency work during his campaign.
“And if Gordon Brown were to call a snap general election, would Boris stand? I think his attention would be focused on the mayoral election.”

Mr. Johnson was drafted in as the Tory’s high-profile candidate after former BBC Director General Greg Dyke and one time Director General of the CBI Sir Digby Jones, now Lord Jones, both turned down the job.
To allow time to campaign alongside his responsibilities to Henley, the MP has resigned as Tory higher education spokesman and will cut down on his lucrative public speaking engagements.

Mayor of London is widely seen as one of the most powerful jobs in the land, and if elected, Mr. Johnson has promised to ‘bring fresh ideas to the capital and offer a new direction for London.’

“I believe that the mayor of London should keep things simple and direct his or her intellectual energy at the core problems that affect people’s everyday lives,” he said.
“Even the greatest cities have further greatness in them. I will stand for a greater London and for putting the smile back on London’s face.”

The winner is likely to be announced at the end of September.


'I know I'm taking a chance, but someone had to take Ken on'

A personal and frank letter to all his constituents from MP Boris Johnson following his decision to put his name forward for the job of mayor of London

Dear constituents — If you watched the footage of the gigantic media scrum outside the Greater London Authority building this week, you would have seen the MP for Henley trying to explain why he had allowed his name to go forward for the job of mayor of London.

I think I only uttered about 20 words, and then the clamour grew too intense. And just about the only intelligible sentiment I offered was that it would be a terrific wrench to lose my constituency. I meant it, and I mean it with all my heart.

In all the agonising that I have done over the last few days, there has been one consideration that has been uppermost in my mind: that even to contemplate running for mayor could mean that I was letting down friends and colleagues with whom I have worked over the last six years. It could mean sacrificing a life in Oxfordshire that has meant more and more to me and my family.
That is why it is vital that I set on the record now that it has been a joy, a privilege and an education to be the MP for Henley since 2001, and as I have said to anyone who has ever asked, being the MP for this town, and for South Oxfordshire, has been incomparably the best job I have ever had.
The reality, of course, is that there is a large part of me that hopes the job is very far from over. So why have I launched this venture? In the end, I felt I had to make a gigantic choice.

By the end of last week, I was facing huge and growing pressure from all corners of the Conservative Party to take up the challenge, and see if I could winkle King Newt from his lair.

Mayor Livingstone has been there too long, he has squandered untold millions on all sorts of nonsense, and it defied belief that we could not find a powerful voice to speak up for common sense in the administration of the greatest city on earth.

We are entering a fascinating period of British politics, in which the Tories are recovering fast in the South East and in London, and we could not afford to let a huge contest go by default.

Of course I will be fighting hard, and fighting to win, but at the very least we need a vibrant campaign to give heart to Londoners weary of Livingstone.
People will ask how I can continue to serve Henley in the run-up to the election on May 1st and the answer is that I hope there will be — if anything — even more time, since I have cut down on other speaking engagements up and down the country, and have resigned from my job as Higher Education spokesman, so I won’t be continually travelling to far-flung universities.

If I do succeed in ousting Ken, of course, you will need another MP, and with huge sadness I will be on my way. And if I lose — well, I realise that I am taking a big risk, but it seemed to me that someone had to take it.
There is, of course, a long way to go: I have yet to discover whether I have even been shortlisted by the Tories! So watch this space, and please, as usual, send any requests to Wayne Lawley at the Watlington office or at the House of Commons.

With Best Wishes,
Boris Johnson.

Mayor slams regatta rip-off merchants

Hotels and pubs cash in by more than doubling prices

By Angela Brennan and Will Davies

PUBS and hotels cashed in on the flood of Henley Royal Regatta visitors last week, hiking up their prices by as much as 150 per cent.

With over half a million people descending on the town, some hotel rooms more than doubled in price.
The Red Lion charged £385 for a double room compared to its usual tariff of £165. And a room at Milsoms increased from £95 to £250 during Regatta week.

General manager of The Red Lion, Richard Vowell, said: “It was the decision of the previous owners, who had an existing contract with regular guests who come to the Regatta every year.”

Pubs also hopped on the profit-making bandwagon, with the cost of a pint rising by as much as £1 at The Bull. The cost of house wine was raised by 50p to £4. And Pimm’s was being sold for £5 a glass, and £20 a jug.

Edward Rehill visited the White Lotus night club on Saturday night following the Regatta. He said: “I think the club hiked up the prices to capture the Regatta trade. It was £4 for a pint and an outrageous £8 for a double vodka and coke.”

At the Little Angel and Angel on the Bridge price rises were less exaggerated. At the former, the cost of a pint rose from £3.40 to £3.80, and at the latter from £2.90 to £3.20.

The Catherine Wheel, which is normally free to enter, charged a £7 entry fee on Saturday to people they did not know and £3 to regulars. On the same evening the River and White Lotus charged £10.

One pub staff member, who did not wish to be named, said: “It’s very expensive, but during the Regatta we can basically charge what we like.”

Eddie Gershon, press officer for the pub’s owners, JD Wetherspoon, said: “The pub charged an entrance fee in line with the approach by every other establishment in Henley, simply to keep numbers to a manageable level.”

Neil Blake of the Henley Partnership thought it was an inevitable result of the law of supply and demand. He said: “I don’t have any experience of it personally, but I can imagine price increases do happen as people are inclined to increase their trade and income.

“You can’t blame them for having a go in a free enterprise, but on the other hand it is anti-social. I suppose people could always vote with their feet and find other pubs to drink in.”

Mayor Cllr. Terry Buckett was both shocked and concerned by the inflated prices.
He said: “I think it’s unfair, especially on the local people. It’s their only social outlet — where else are they meant to go?

“I don’t think it paints a good picture of the town either. It’s not the best way to encourage visitors to come into town and spend money. I mean, seaside towns don’t put up prices during summer.”

Cllr. Buckett felt that in the long run such establishments could be damaging their own trade, as people would be unlikely to return.

He added: “But what can we do about it? If they can get away with it and have a good turnover, they will continue to do it.”

Mayor of London? Maybe, says Boris

Exclusive by Will Davies

MP BORIS JOHNSON could be the next mayor of London.

In a sensational about turn on Wednesday, Mr. Johnson first said that he would not run for the post as had been suggested in a report by the BBC.

Talking exclusively to the Standard, Henley’s MP for six years said that although he was flattered to be considered, there were ‘overwhelming logistical difficulties’ and that it was ‘not really a goer’.
But hours later, he said: “I am ruling nothing out. Being mayor of London would be a fantastic job and anyone who loves London would want to consider the possibility very carefully.

“I want to stress that this idea did not come from David Cameron or from anyone in his office but I have, of course, been very struck by the number of people who have been urging me to run.

“In my case there are huge obstacles — above all my commitment and responsibility to my constituency. It is hard to see how these difficulties could be overcome — but I am ruling nothing out.”

Rumours circulated after the BBC announced the MP was being considered as the possible Tory candidate to take on long-standing mayor Ken Livingstone, who is bidding to win a third term after first taking office in 2000. The election is likely to take place next year.

Peter Sutherland who, as president of Henley Conservatives for over 50 years has worked with six Tory MPs, said: “Boris is the most pleasant, sincere, dedicated and hard-working MP in my experience. If he were to go we would be most disappointed as he is an absolute delight and we’re very lucky to have him as our MP.

“However, with his abilities it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he did stand for mayor of London at some point.”

NatWest Three film comes to the Regal

By Will Davies

A provocative new film inspired by the NatWest Three extradition is coming to Henley this Friday, after the Regal cinema was inundated with requests to screen the documentary.

Taking Liberties features Goring man David Bermingham who, as one of The Three, was extradited to face Enron-related fraud charges in the US and is set to face trial in September.

The Three campaigned vigorously to have their case fought in the UK, but were flown to the US in July last year under a fast-track extradition treaty that only the UK has so far ratified.

In an exclusive interview, writer and director Chris Atkins, told the Standard: “I saw what was happening to David and thought it was absolutely outrageous. We were initially going to make a small documentary about him but he said no; what was happening to him was pretty bad, but what is happening to a lot of other people is much worse.”

Taking Liberties accuses the government of systematically eroding British civil liberties since 1997 through ten real life stories. “The extradition treaty is one of a number of insane laws that was passed by New Labour as part of an unsightly scramble to try and please the USA after the twin towers disaster,” he added.

“Whole swathes of innocent people are getting ensnared in these laws that were passed with a genuine desire to stamp out terrorism. But they were badly drafted, badly negotiated and not debated, so it means ordinary people like David Bermingham are suddenly caught up in a mangle.

“David has many faults but he is not an Islamic terrorist.”

The film charges the Government of abolishing habeas corpus, meaning that when it comes to criminal justice, Britain is effectively ‘the 51st state of America’.

Mr. Bermingham has never been tried in a British court and no evidence has ever been presented in a British court.

Atkins added: “If it happened to David, it can happen to you. If they can get a millionaire banker, they can get anybody.

"They aren’t in jail because at the very last minute, thanks to the media embarrassment, Tony Blair called the US state department and said, ‘please don’t put these men in jail or I’m going to face a rebellion.’”

The Three have been ordered to live separately, under house arrest, cannot work and have had to re mortgage their houses to fund mounting legal costs.

“The US government is doing what it can to make sure they go to jail for a very long time. David could plead guilty to one offence and get five years in jail as part of a plea bargain. Or he pleads not guilty, and if found guilty could go to jail for 35 years,” says Atkins.

“He is a man of extraordinary principle and won’t take that leap because he’s adamant that he’s innocent.”

Since Mr. Bermingham has been in Texas he has campaigned tirelessly for a change in the extradition law. If the law changes, he would still go to trial. But he continues to campaign for others in Britain facing extradition.

Living in fear of Mugabe's thugs

Uncertain future for asylum seeker

By Will Davies

THE future remains uncertain for asylum seeker Mark Coleman, who faces enforced deportation to Zimbabwe, where he fears prison, torture and even death.

Earlier this month the Court of Appeal referred a key case for Zimbabwean asylum seekers back to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT), directing it to consider oral evidence that it originally rejected.

On October 18th, 2005, the AIT found that enforced deportation of asylum seekers like Mr. Coleman would expose them to a risk of ill-treatment at the hands of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), Mugabe’s secret police.
It froze forcible repatriation.But in April of last year, the High Court ordered the AIT to reconsider its decision following an appeal by the Home Secretary.

The tribunal decided that there was ‘no automatic risk’for Zimbabwean deportees.

Last Tuesday, the appeal court judges were satisfied with the AIT’s ruling, but criticised the lower court for rejecting oral evidence in support of charity Refugee Legal Centre, who brought the case on behalf of those facing deportation.

Mr. Coleman said: “This is good news. Mugabe is helping everyone’s cause as well, with what is happening in Zimbabwe at the moment — attacking opponents and beating up the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai .”

Deputy chief executive of Refugee Legal Centre, Thea Rogers, said: “The evidence reveals a risk that Zimbabweans who exercise their right to claim asylum in the UK are at risk of serious violence if returned to Harare Airport.
“The Government should not just maintain its ban on forcibly removing Zimbabwean asylum seekers, but should grant them protection in the UK until the situation improves, allowing them to work and support themselves.”

The Home Office maintains it will defer enforced returns to Zimbabwe while the case continues, but will expect Zimbabweans like Mr. Coleman to leave voluntarily, and encourage them to take advantage of the ‘generous return and reintegration package’available to them.

A spokesman for the Home Office said: “It is only right that we provide protection to those in genuine fear of persecution, but enforcing the return of those who have no right to remain here is a key part of upholding a robust and fair asylum system.
“It remains our intention to resume enforced returns as soon as possible.”

Mr. Coleman added: “It’s hard to understand just what the Government’s motives are. They either pretend its not happening or pretend it is not as bad as it is, which is terrible.”

Mr. Coleman said he could be entitled to an ancestral visa because his mother was born in colonial Singapore while her father was serving in the British Army.
He said: “My mother should be entitled to citizenship which can then transfer onto us.“It will be a few months before we know what’s going on. She has to prove she was born while he was in service — there is a chance, which is great.”

The 10 Downing Street petition set up by friends and family of Mr. Coleman has reached nearly 800 names.
In a letter to the Standard, Mr. Coleman’s parents, Celia and Steve Coleman, who escaped to Costa Rica from Mugabe’s tyranny, said: “We would like to thank all your readers who have taken an interest in the case.
“Our son should not be returned to Zimbabwe after all the publicity and we are desperate to ensure that he is allowed to remain in the UK.”

Those wishing to add their name to the petition can do so by logging on to: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/MarkColeman.

Trip of a lifetime is a mission of mercy

Will Davies

A Henley brother and sister are about to fulfil the dream of a lifetime when they throw in their jobs, strap on their backpacks and fly to one of the poorest regions in the world.

Ryan Irving, 22, of Crisp Road, and sister Jade Sayer, 29, of Lower Assendon, are heading off in March to Darjeeling in north-east India where they will work alongside local volunteers to improve lives of special needs children and youngsters from the disadvantaged backgrounds.

Jade said: "It is something I've always wanted to do. I felt I wanted to give something back to the community — its more beneficial than just going on holiday."

Through charitable travel company, i-to-i, they will help teach basic English, organise group activities and encourage participation in extra curricular activities like arts and crafts, sports and games.
Ryan and Jade hope to contribute by bringing valuable native English skills — they are now qualified TEFL teachers — and will also offer advice on health issues.

In Darjeeling, there is a need to promote awareness of HIV and AIDS, and they will get involved with visiting educational instituations to disseminate information about the virus.

Jade added: "Everyone knows about the poverty in Africa, but in India a large percentage of the population live beneath the bread-line and it has more AIDS and HIV sufferers than any other country.

"Historically tea plantation workers in Darjeeling have received low wages and live in poor conditions, resulting in high levels of disease and low literacy rates.

"So next time enjoy a cup of tea, think of those less fortunate, who help bring it to your table!"

BT fails to connect with customer

By Will Davies

A YOUNG businesswoman claimed this week that BT’s failure to reconnect her telephone line following the storms of three weeks ago is crippling her business.

Joanna Lowe, who teaches cookery courses from her home in Stoke Row, said she is losing money every day. And to make matters worse, mobile ’phone reception is poor in the village, so she cannot be contacted until the line is restored.
Mrs. Lowe said: “BT has changed the date to come and repair the fault four times now. They said it would be fixed within two days but nothing happened, so I ’phoned again and the person I spoke to was so rude to me, he reacted to my frustration by putting the ’phone down.

“They have not been sympathetic at all. I am only a small business and cannot survive without a ’phone or the internet.

“Every time I want to make a call I have to go down the road, and even then the reception is bad.“ I can’t function at all. I’ve had no business for three weeks and probably lost at least £2,000. BT has got to provide me with some sort of compensation.”

This is not the first time Mrs. Lowe, who lives in Stoke Row, has been cut off.
She explained: “The last time this happened, BT did not reconnect the line for over two months.
“I find it so soul-destroying that I’m completely powerless to get this thing moving.

"That’s why I came to the Standard.

“I have paid my BT bill diligently and I find their attitude absolutely despicable. They call it customer care — I haven’t had any care.“BT has got to realise they are dealing with real people who need the phone to function. There’s no excuse for treating its loyal customers in such a cavalier fashion.”

A spokesman for BT has apologised for the delay and said that any substandard customer care could be put down to an “unprecedented busy period.”

BT press officer Emma Tennant said: “We have been very severely hit and obviously overhead cable work is notoriously time-consuming due to all the safety reasons. We are having to replace about 100 metres of overhead cable in the Stoke Row area.
“We think about ten customers are affected and have had engineers working round the clock. It isn’t normally what we would expect and we ask that customers bear with us.

“Keeping customers informed is something we try to do. It may well be that as we have been so busy it hasn’t been done to the normal high standards that we aspire to, and if that is the case I am very sorry — it isn’t typical.
“The repair is in hand and will be completed within the next few days. It is frustrating and all we can do is apologise.”

Blazing Cherokee found after cash machine theft

Did ram raiders torch vehicle?
By Will Davies

FIREFIGHTERS were called to the scene of a burning Jeep Cherokee last Thursday — the fourth such vehicle deliberately set alight in the Goring area in less than a year.
Police believe this latest 4x4 vehicle was used to steal a cash machine in a ram raid in Greater Leys, Oxford, before being set alight and ditched on Bridle Way, Goring, at around 4.30 a.m. on April 12th.
Three people wearing balaclavas reversed the black Cherokee through glass doors at the Vue Cinema in Greater Leys and ripped out the cash machine, containing over £5,000.
Watch manager at Goring Fire Station, Sean Absolom, said: “This is the fourth Jeep Cherokee in under a year to be deliberately set alight in the area, all of which are the same model with either an M or N registration.“Two were found in exactly the same place, on the Ridgeway junction near Ipsden. We have no idea why this is happening.”
DC Jacqui Bartlett, from Oxford CID, said: “If you happened to have been where this 4x4 was found in the early hours of the morning, we would like to hear from you.”
Police confirmed that another of the four Cherokee vehicles, which was found burned out in Streatly on February 16th, was stolen from a house in West Ilsley near Newbury. However, it could not verify whether it had been used in a crime.
Thames Valley Police spokesman Kate Smith said: “It is possible that all these cars may also have been involved in crimes.“Cars that are found burned out are often cars that have been stolen to commit crimes. If you see a car on fire please report it and report anyone acting suspiciously in the area.”
DC Bartlett can be contacted on 0845 8 505 505. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

'We don't want this development'

Overwhelming vote by residents against town centre plans

By Will Davies

HENLEY RESIDENTS have voted overwhelmingly against the controversial re-development plans for Market Place Mews — with 96 per cent saying no.
Responding to a questionnaire printed in the Standard, angry residents are branding the £5 million development as ‘dense and vulgar’ and ‘big money talking.’
The developers London and Henley Properties are launching a revised bid after their original plans were rejected.
But many residents worry about what is already a contentious issue in the town — the increase in traffic congestion and heightened exposure to carbon emissions.
They are also concerned about additional parking requirements to cater for extra visitors the development would generate.
But mayor Cllr. Barry Wood stressed that while the council is sympathetic to the issues of parking and congestion, there was a need to find a solution in order ‘to encourage investment and development in the town.’
The majority of those who replied to the questionnaire, voiced fears over the size of the project — that it was ‘far too large’ and that ‘the buildings are too high and over intensive.’ But the overriding concern was that Henley would eventually become overdeveloped and lose its charm.

One reader said: “The retail units are aimed at attracting large companies rather than niche shops, which are more attractive to Henley.”And another wrote: “I object to the proliferation of chain shops. Soon Henley will resemble any other high street.”

But Cllr. Wood insisted that the council does not want to increase the number of chain shops within the town.He said: “We might have no choice but to let chain shops come to Henley, but we don’t want a predominance of them.“We have a great need to encourage independent retailers.”

One reader gave a cautious thumbs up to the development, saying: “I hope it will put pay to the proposed development at the Townlands site. We do not need a department store or a 600-seat auditorium.”
The mayor said that at present, it is ‘most unlikely’ that the town council will endorse the development and has asked that the new plans which are being drawn up are exhibited at the end of the month.
He said: “We hope that as many people as possible will view these plans and give their response. It is important that the people of Henley have their say.”

'This man fears torture and jail if deported' MP tells commons

By Will Davies


HENLEY MP Boris Johnson has come to the defence of asylum-seeker Mark Coleman, who is facing enforced deportation to Zimbabwe.

In a debate secured in the Commons, Mr. Johnson attacked the legality of the Home Office’s threats to deport his constituent.

He said: “There is nothing left for Mr. Coleman in Zimbabwe. There is clear evidence that when Zimbabweans return to Harare airport, they face intimidation, abuse and even torture and jail.
“It is quite rightly against British law to send them back in such circumstances.”

Mr. Coleman is of British ancestry. He has four British grandparents, yet he cannot claim an ancestral visa because all four grandparents were born in what was the British Empire — three in India and one in South Africa.

Mr. Johnson added: “I think it is extraordinary that we are telling the descendents of people who were driven out of their farms that they must now go back to Zimbabwe, when those farms have been ruined and stolen.”

In October, 2005, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal found that enforced deportation of asylum seekers like Mr. Coleman, would expose them to a risk of ill-treatment at the hands of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) — Mugabe’s secret police.

The Government, who initially stopped forcible repatriation, have now contested the ruling and are appealing against the tribunal’s ruling.

Mr. Coleman is now awaiting the outcome of this, which is expected within weeks.
Mr. Johnson said: “Mr. Coleman has a much more organic claim to British citizenship than many people who are here legally or illegally.

“I wonder whether the Government can find some means of granting Mr. Coleman the ancestral visa that he surely deserves, so that he can settle in this country and work and be part of the economy, which is all that he desires to be.”

But the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, Joan Ryan, said: “The Government’s position is about operating a robust and fair immigration system for the UK.

“We categorically condemn the appalling human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. However, I am satisfied that the rules are appropriate and should stand.”

Revealed: the hermaphrodite who saved a village from the county set

A true life story about a millionaire philanthropist who saved a Cotswold village from the bulldozer, inadvertently creating a unique society in which people are valued for who they are and not what they have.

This is a remarkable story about a man called Raymond Cochrane.
A hermaphrodite, he was born into a wealthy family at the turn of the last century and brought up a girl, studying at Oxford University's girls-only college, St Hilda's.
Confused with his sexuality, at the age of 40 he had a sex change and later married. Fascinating though this may be, it is however, rather superfluous; colourful decoration for the life of a man whose legacy is far more dignified and accomplished.

In 1958 he arrived in Guiting Power, a picturesque but ramshackle Cotswold village in desperate need of renovation. Eighteen houses had been condemned and there were more in like state. He bought the manorial estate - nearly 50 houses and 1,000 acres of agricultural land - and turned it into a charitable trust. In the Guiting Gazette, a monthly newsletter published by the trust and written by him, Cochrane stated his aims as: "to conserve the houses in perpetuity; to restore them in character and internally modernise them; and to rent them at figures which our tenants could afford."

From the end of the 1960’s, house prices in the Cotswolds rose to such an extent that local people were priced out of the market. Cochrane duly closed the trust’s waiting list, allowing only people from the neighbouring parishes or workers moving to the village to live there, giving priority to "young-marrieds". He built a village hall and playing fields, providing a social hub for sports teams and many other local organisations, and established a team of craftsmen charged with maintaining and modernising the trust’s properties.

Unlike any other village, which has to suffer the erratic foibles of the planners, the trust tolerates very little new building, and then only in a style wholly befitting of the picture post-card, rural image of the village. "Now that over eighty per cent of the country’s population live in towns and suburbs, it seems right that countrymen’s values should be conserved…we have an immortal landowner and an immoral tenant, ensuring continuity and security for the village and the surrounding land," Cochrane wrote, shortly before his death in 1994.

Free as it is from having to pay taxes, the trust provides the means to conserve the village in a way that no individual could possibly do. Cochrane had no grand social agenda for the village and his aims were simple: preserve its bucolic charm and provide affordable housing for local people. He said: "It remains to be seen what grows out of this milieu, in which people are valued for what they are and what they do, and not for what they have."

Such altruism was, however, clouded by rumours of his sex change and unfortunate appearance. As a young boy, my animated memory was of an old man, devoid of facial hair and shrivelled and shrunken from what seemed a hundred years of authority, terrifying my brothers and I with effeminate shrieks of "get off the grass!" while driving endlessly round the village, his head barely over the steering wheel. Only now, in adulthood, can I appreciate the pride he took in such benevolent patronage.

Many villages may think they have their share of weirdo’s, but having lived in Guiting Power for nearly 25 years, I can readily attest to having grown up around a disturbingly strong concentration of misfits. Wherever you go in rural England, you can always find a village idiot or two and a few eccentric types - the countryside would feel strange without them - but it is undeniably disturbing when only a small minority of a village’s inhabitants can be labelled ‘normal’. Not even on a sunny spring morning, when the village looks breathtakingly beautiful, can you escape the stark glares, the eeriness, and sense that something is not quite right, as if a long time ago something unspeakable happened in this small hill village, opening Pandora’s box to habitual high jinks and an unhealthy dose of tragedy on a community of just three hundred people.

This is one viewpoint. What if, pre 1958, this was a village of ordinary rural folk, blissfully content amongst the rolling green fields and honey-tinged cottages that so characterise this peaceful corner of rural England. What if it was actually this outlandish, hermaphrodite outsider, Raymond Cochrane, who arrived in a flurry of controversy, inadvertently giving carte blanche for society’s cranks to seek refuge in the village?