16 May 2023 – Minutes

THAME TOWN COUNCIL

Minutes of the Meeting of Thame Town Council held on 16 May 2023 at 6:30pm in the Upper Chamber, Town Hall, Thame.

Present:

Cllrs M Baines, D Bretherton, N Champken-Woods, P Cowell, D Dawson, A Dite (Town Mayor), H Dollman, D Dodds, M Dyer, L Emery, H Fickling, A Gilbert (Deputy Mayor), C Jones, H Richards, and T Wyse

Officers

M Sturdy, Town Clerk
G Markland, Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer
L Fuller, Committee Services Officer

 

1 Election of Town Mayor

Town Mayor, Cllr Cowell, called for nominations for the position of Town Mayor. It was moved and duly seconded that Cllr Dite be elected as Town Mayor.

RESOLVED that:

  1. Cllr Dite be elected Town Mayor for the ensuing year.

The Town Clerk presented Cllr Cowell with a photo album of his last year as Mayor on behalf of the Council, and the Chairman presented Cllr Cowell with his past Mayor’s badge.

Cllr Cowell thanked everyone who he had worked with during his time as Mayor, and wished the new Mayor an enjoyable time in the role.

During his Mayoral year, Cllr Cowell had been fundraising for Thame Youth Projects and Thame Senior Friendship Centre. A cheque of £2,808 was presented to Thame Youth Projects, and £4,308 to Thame Youth Projects. Cllr Cowell’s fundraising efforts were applauded by the council and public in attendance.

 

2 Declaration of Acceptance of Office by Town Mayor

Cllr Dite signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Town Mayor for the ensuing year. Cllr Dite took the chair.

 

3 Election of Deputy Town Mayor

Town Mayor, Cllr Dite, called for nominations for the position of Deputy Town Mayor. It was moved and duly seconded that Cllr Gilbert be elected as Deputy Town Mayor.

RESOLVED that:

  1. Cllr Gilbert be elected Deputy Town Mayor for the ensuing year.

 

4 Declaration of Acceptance of Office by Deputy Town Mayor

Cllr Gilbert signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Deputy Town Mayor for the ensuing year.

 

5 Apologies for Absence

There were no apologies for absence.

 

6 Declarations of Interest and Dispensations

There were no declarations of interest.

 

7 Declarations of Acceptance of Office

The Town Clerk reported that following the elections she had so far executed 14 out of the 15 Declarations of Acceptance of Office, and the remaining Declaration of Acceptance of Office would be signed immediately after the meeting.

 

8 Public Participation and Public Questions

There were no applications to address the Council.
There were no questions put to the Council.

 

9 Standing Orders

The report was noted. The Town Clerk advised that a few changes were proposed to the Standing Orders which had been highlighted whilst studying for the CiLCA qualification. It was noted that Section 26.3 referred to Section 26(f) which should read 26.6. It was confirmed Councillors have the same rights as members of the public when attending and speaking at committees which they are not members of.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The amendment to Standing Order 24.1 be adopted.
  2. The amendment to Standing Order 26 be adopted, with the correction to Section 26.3 as discussed.
  3. Standing Orders are adopted.

 

10 TNP2

The Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer was pleased to present the draft Thame Neighbourhood Plan 2 (TNP2) to Council, for their approval to begin the statutory 6-week public consultation in June, subject to finalisation of the communication strategy. The plan was due to be presented in April, however upon receiving advice from South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) with regards to one aspect of the main housing site, the plan had to be amended. The Environmental Report was being updated following this advice, and whilst it was not yet available it had been updated considering Member’s comments.

TNP2, including its policies and projects, reflects the review of the first TNP, various reports and evidence, and consultation with the community, businesses, and authorities. TNP2 aligns with the District’s Local Plan housing requirement for Thame, allocates land for housing and employment, provides a mix of housing types, identifies the most suitable location for a supermarket, proposes a small extension to the town centre, and provides guidance on how housing and extensions should be delivered in Thame’s different character areas. There is an increasingly pressing need to progress TNP2 as local and national policy overtake the TNP.

What was the timing for the consultation? The 6-week consultation will launch in June, following that comments will be reviewed and any changes will be presented to the council to approve and the draft TNP2 be submitted to SODC. At this point, the plan effectively becomes theirs, and they will run another 6-week public consultation including statutory consultees. The plan will then be subject to an examination, with modifications proposed to SODC, and finally a referendum – likely in 2024 – with Thame residents voting. If residents do not support the plan, the Town Council would have to revisit its evidence base and aim to progress the plan as fast as possible.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The draft Thame Neighbourhood Plan 2 be approved for the Regulation 14 Consultation.

 

11 Financial Regulations

The report was noted. No changes were proposed to the Financial Regulations.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The unchanged Financial Regulations be re-adopted.

 

12 General Power of Competence

The report was noted. Having the General Power of Competence is fundamental to how the Council operates now and in the future.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The Council meets the criteria for eligibility for the General Power of Competence relating to the electoral mandate and relevant training of the Town Clerk.

 

13 Delegations

The report was noted. No changes were proposed to the Delegations Policy.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The unchanged Delegations Policy be re-adopted.

 

14 Code of Conduct

The report was noted. No changes were proposed to the Code of Conduct.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The unchanged Code of Conduct be re-adopted.

 

15 Dispensations

The report was noted. No changes were proposed to the Dispensations Policy.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The Dispensations Policy, and General Dispensations, be re-adopted by the Council.
  2. The Dispensations granted by the Town Clerk be renewed.

 

16 Member / Officer Protocol

The report was noted. The Town Clerk explained that the Member / Officer Protocol had been updated in line with the adoption of the Oxfordshire Code of Conduct last year and signing of the Civility & Respect Pledge earlier this year.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The Member / Officer Protocol, as amended, be adopted.

 

17 Committees

The report was noted. It was recognised that the committee structure and responsibilities needed updating but that this would take time.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The Committee Responsibilities, Committee / Working Group Structure and Terms of Reference be adopted.
  2. If required, these documents can be brought back to Full Council, or a relevant committee, to make changes as part of the wider review, within 6 months in accordance with Standing Order 17.1.

 

18 Appointment of Standing Committees Membership

The Committee Services & Processes Officer updated the draft Committee Membership document, as circulated, following the election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor earlier. Committee preferences were taken from Cllrs Baines, Cowell, Dawson, and Dollman. This resulted in a vacancy on the Policy & Resources and Planning & Environment Committees, which would be filled following the co-option.

Members were reminded that all committees were under review, including their meeting frequency, and that committee appointments are reviewed annually.

It was noted that the Chairs and Deputy Chairs for each committee will be elected at the respective committee meetings which immediately follow this meeting.

RESOLVED that:

  1. Cllrs Baines, Cowell, Dodds, Emery, Fickling, Jones, Richards and Wyse be appointed to the Planning and Environment Committee.
  2. Cllrs Baines, Bretherton, Champken-Woods, Cowell, Dawson, Dyer, Emery, Jones and Wyse be appointed to the Community, Leisure, and Recreation Committee.
  3. Cllrs Bretherton, Champken-Woods, Cowell, Dawson, Dollman, Dodds, Dyer, Fickling and Richards be appointed to the Policy and Resources Committee.
  4. Cllrs Bretherton, Champken-Woods, Dawson, Dollman, Dyer, Emery, Fickling, Jones and Richards be appointed to the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee.
  5. Cllr Dite (Town Mayor), Cllr Gilbert (Deputy Mayor), and Chairmen of the Policy and Resources Committee, Community, Leisure and Recreation Committee, Planning and Environment Committee and Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee be appointed to the Personnel Committee.

 

19 Working Group Membership

Vacancies had arisen across a number of working groups following the elections. The item was on the agenda as working group membership is open to all Councillors.

The War Memorial Panel vacancies did not to be filled as the panel only met as and when necessary.

Cllrs Dawson and Dollman expressed an interested in joining the Community Youth Centre Working Group, which would be progressed by Officers outside of the meeting alongside the filling of vacancies on the other Working Groups.

 

20 External Organisations

The report was noted.

Why had the Health Hub (including Community Hub Pilot) been removed? The Community Hub Pilot had been created by Buckinghamshire Health as a trial and the Town Council attended meetings during the trial period, but as this is no longer a trial there is no need to keep a representative. The Health Hub representative was appointed when there was a vision to move to a new single site however that is now effectively dead in the water as there is no funding or suitable site available.

Health facilities are important matter for Thame’s residents. Members agreed it would be good to build relationships with Rycote Health and Unity Health, and the Chair agreed to take this matter away for consideration. It was noted that one surgery was owned by Buckinghamshire Health and the other by Oxfordshire.

The following appointments were agreed:

  1. Barns Centre – Cllrs Baines and Dodds, and the Town Clerk
  2. Citizens Advice – Cllr Wyse
  3. Thame Business Forum – Cllr Dyer
  4. 21st Century Thame Partnership – Cllr Fickling
  5. Welfare Trust – Cllr Champken-Woods
  6. Red Kite Family Centre – Cllr Emery
  7. Thame Senior Friendship Centre – Cllr Champken-Woods
  8. Thame Youth Memorial Trust – Cllr Dyer
  9. Thame Youth Projects Group – Cllr Bretherton
  10. Chinnor CRC – Cllr Bretherton
  11. Cricket Club – Cllr Champken-Woods
  12. Cuttle Brook Management Committee – Cllr Jones
  13. Thame Good Neighbour Scheme – Cllr Dollman
  14. Thame Carnival Committee – Cllr Emery
  15. Thame Football Partnership – Cllr Dyer
  16. Thame Museum Trust – Cllrs Emery & Cowell
  17. Thame Remembers – Cllrs Bretherton & Dyer
  18. Twinning Association – Cllr Emery
  19. Sinaia Friendship Association – Cllr Bretherton
  20. Music in the Park – Cllr Jones
  21. Thame Shed – Cllr Wyse
  22. Thame Sports Club – Cllr Jones
  23. Friends of Elms Park – Cllr Champken-Woods
  24. Transport Representative – Cllr Bretherton
  25. Thame Community Land Trust – Bob Austin

RESOLVED that:

  1. Cllr Baines be appointed as a council representative and trustee to Thame Barns Centre.
  2. Cllr Wyse be appointed as the council representative to Citizens Advice.
  3. Cllr Champken-Woods be appointed as the council representative to Thame Senior Friendship Centre.
  4. Cllr Dollman be appointed as the council representative to Thame Good Neighbour Scheme.
  5. Bob Austin be appointed as the council’s external liaison to Thame Community Land Trust.
  6. National Association of Local Councils and Health Hub (including Community Hub Pilot) be removed as External Organisations.
  7. All other external organisation representatives, as listed above, be appointed.

 

21 Chairs

The report was noted. The purchase of new chairs for the Upper Chamber had been a long-standing project and true teamwork between Officers and Members to get to this point, where all involved are satisfied that the procurement policy has been correctly followed.

Was it possible to defer this item given the current economic climate? There were several reasons to not defer. Stopping the process could cause issues with the suppliers. The Town Council had ringfenced a budget for this specific expenditure for a number of years. Significant resource would be lost if the chairs were not purchased. And, most importantly, the current chairs are difficult to move which is a health and safety concern for staff and hirers, and some chairs should also meet requirements in line with the Equalities Act

How would the existing chairs be disposed of? The Town Clerk confirmed that officers had received a quote for disposal, although options for upcycling / recycling would be explored.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The purchase of 80 chairs, to be funded from the Rolling Capital Fund at a cost of £5,787.00 + VAT.
  2. The Town Clerk, in consultation with the Operations Manager, be delegated the decision of the colour of the chairs.
  3. The Town Clerk, in consultation with the Operations Manager, be delegated the purchase of 4 x DDA compliant chairs at a cost of approximately £150 each + VAT to be funded from the Rolling Capital Fund.

 

22 Members Questions (under Standing Order 11)

Cllr Wyse asked the Mayor to make it a priority to follow up the pedestrian crossing on Wellington Street, which was agreed by the county council 5 years ago.

The Mayor agreed to follow this up with the Town Clerk. Members added that the last update from the county councillors was that it was scheduled for this summer, and County Cllr Champken-Woods advised he had not heard anything to the contrary.

 

23 Minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 25 April 2023 were received.

RESOLVED that:

  1. The minutes of the meeting held on 25 April 2023 are confirmed as a correct record, and signed by the Chairman.

 

24 Policy & Resources Committee

The minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2023 were noted.

 

25 Planning & Environment Committee

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 May 2023 were noted.

 

26 Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 May 2023 were noted.

 

27 Training

The dates of upcoming training were noted.

 

28 Co-Option

It was noted that following the election, a vacancy has arisen in the North Ward. The vacancy must be filled by co-option within 60 days of the 9 May 2023. The co-option process began on 11 May 2023, with the aim to appoint a Councillor at the June Full Council meeting.

It was disappointing that there was a shortfall in Councillors following the election despite the work of the Officers. The Town Clerk reported that a few applications had been received for co-option so far.

 

29 Schedule of Meetings 2023-24

The Schedule of Meetings for 16 May 2023 – 31 August 2023 was noted. A Schedule of Meetings for September 2023 – May 2024 should be proposed at the June Full Council meeting.

 

The meeting concluded at 7:49pm.

 

Signed ………………………
Chairman, 13 June 2023