Transparency
About the Transparency Code
The government has published ‘The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency’ which effectively recommends parish councils which have a gross annual income or expenditure (whichever is the higher) of a least £200,000 to publish ‘Public Data’.
The Government has implemented this Code of Practice for local authorities to provide greater transparency of public bodies, which is at the heart of their mandate to enable greater democratic accountability over how council tax and public money is spent. However, Public Data does not include personal information as this would contravene the Data Protection Act 2018.
Policies & Procedures Financial Management
In accordance with the Code of Recommended Practice and general good practice, Thame Town Council makes the following information available:
Expenditure exceeding £500
Local authorities must publish details of each individual item of expenditure that exceeds £500. This includes items of expenditure, consistent with Local Government Association guidance. This must be published quarterly. Thame Town Council chooses to publish this monthly.
Our payment documents can be found under the Payments heading located on the Financial Management page of our website.
Government Procurement Card Transactions
Local authorities must publish details of every transaction on a Government Procurement Card. This must be published quarterly.
The Town Council does not use a government procurement card as defined by the code.
Procurement Information
Publish details of every invitation to tender for contracts to provide goods and/or services with a value that exceeds £5,000. Publish details of any contract, commissioned activity, purchase order, framework agreement and any other legally enforceable agreement with a value that exceeds £5,000. This must be published quarterly.
Our contracts can be found under the Contracts heading located on the Financial Management page of our website.
Local Authority Land
Local authorities must publish details of all land and building assets. This must be published annually.
Social Housing Asset Value
Local authorities must publish details on the value of social housing assets within local authorities Housing Revenue Account. This must be published annually.
The Town Council does not hold any Social Housing Assets.
Grants to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Organisations
Publish details of all grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
Grant Award Recipients 2018-19 [PDF]
Grant Award Recipients 2019-20 [PDF]
Grant Award Recipients 2020-21 [PDF]
Grant Award Recipients 2021-22 [PDF]
Grant Award Recipients 2022-23 [PDF]
Grant Award Recipients 2023-24 [PDF]
The Town Council’s Grant Award Policy, can be downloaded from the Polices and Procedures page of our website.
Organisation Chart
Publish an organisation chart covering staff in the top three levels of the organisation. This must be published annually.
The Town Council currently employees 16 members of staff. Our full staff structure can be viewed under the Staff Structure heading of the Council Staff page on our website.
Trade Union Facility Time
This must be published annually.
The Town Council does not have any Trade Union representatives.
Parking Account
Local authorities must publish on their website, or place a link on their website to this data if published elsewhere: a breakdown of income and expenditure on the authority’s parking account, and a breakdown of how the authority has spent a surplus on its parking account. This must be published annually.
On 1st November 2021, the Town Council ceased to control any parking in Thame as this was taken over by Oxfordshire County Council who are now responsible for all civil parking enforcement in Thame. The Town Council no longer has a parking account.
Parking Spaces
Local authorities must publish the number of marked out controlled on and off-street parking spaces within their area, or an estimate of the number of spaces where controlled parking space is not marked out in individual parking bays or spaces. This must be published annually.
On 1st November 2021, the Town Council ceased to control any parking in Thame as this was taken over by Oxfordshire County Council who are now responsible for all civil parking enforcement in Thame. The Town Council does not control any parking in Thame.
Senior Salaries
The Town Council is required to publish details of any senior employees (including job descriptions, responsibilities, budgets, and number of staff) earning over £58,200 per annum. This must be published annually.
This information will be available soon.
Constitution
Local authorities must publish their Constitution on their website. This must be published annually.
Our Standing Orders can be downloaded from the Polices and Procedures page of our website.
Pay Multiple
Publish the pay multiple on their website defined as the ratio between the highest taxable earnings for the given year (including base salary, variable pay, bonuses, allowances and the cash value of any benefits-in-kind) and the median earnings figure of the whole of the authority’s workforce. This must be published annually.
This information will be available soon.
Fraud
The Town Council’s Fraud Policy can be downloaded from the Policies and Procedures page of our website.
Waste Contracts
Local authorities must publish details of their existing waste collection contracts at the point they first publish quarterly contract information. This is a one-off publication.
Our waste contracts can be found under the Contracts heading located on the Financial Management page of our website.
Committee Attendance
The Town Council publishes the attendance records of its Town Councillors at council & committee meetings.
2023-24 Committee Attendance [PDF]
2022-23 Committee Attendance [PDF]
2021-22 Committee Attendance [PDF]
2020-21 Committee Attendance [PDF]
2019-20 Committee Attendance [PDF]
2018-19 Committee Attendance [PDF]
2017-18 Committee Attendance [PDF]
Please bear with us whilst we upload information to this page.
If you require any documents not available on our website or any assistance in locating information, please call 01844 212833 or email info@thametowncouncil.gov.uk.
Most of the information is available free of charge and can be viewed on our website by clicking on the relevant hyperlink heading on this page which will redirect you to the relevant PDF/Word document or webpage of the council’s website. Below are our charges for printing:
- Photocopying (Black and White) – 20p per A4 sheet
- Photocopying (Colour) – 40p per A4 sheet
- Postage – cost of Royal Mail standard 2nd class