18 August 2026 – Minutes (draft)
THAME TOWN COUNCIL
Minutes of a Meeting of the Corporate Governance Committee held on 18 August 2026 at 6.30pm in the Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall.
Present:
Cllrs P Cowell (Deputy Chair), A Dite, M Dyer (Chair), S McGarry, P Swan, A Wainwright (Deputy Mayor) and W Wilde.
Non Voting
Officers
M Sturdy, Town Clerk
K Slater, Corporate Services Manager & Responsible Financial Officer (RFO)
J Doherty, Committee Services Officer
1) Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence received from Cllrs Gilbert (personal) and Bretherton (personal).
Cllr Richards absent without apology.
RESOLVED:
i) To accept the apologies and reason given from Cllrs Gilbert (personal) and Bretherton (personal).
2) Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
There were no declarations of interest or dispensations.
3) Public Participation and Public Questions
There were no applications to address the Committee.
There were no questions put to the Committee.
4) Minutes
The Minutes of the Committee Meetings held on 5 May 2026 and 12 May 2026 were received.
RESOLVED that:
i) The minutes of the meeting held on 5 May 2026 are confirmed as a correct record, and signed by the Chair.
ii) The minutes of the meeting held on 12 May 2026 are confirmed as a correct record, and signed by the Chair.
5) Devolved Services Grant – Thame Senior Friendship Centre
The committee received and noted the financial accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 from Thame Senior Friendship Centre.
The committee received a presentation from Thame Senior Friendship Centre. The representative spoke to highlight key information within the financial accounts. The Trustees are keen to continue to progress and develop the Thame Senior Friendship Centre for the best interests of those attending and to continue to expand the reach of services for the success of the centre.
Thame Senior Friendship Centre supports those with dementia and carers, including those who are isolated and will continue to do so. It is noted that there is little support in rural areas in Buckinghamshire, of areas which are bordering Thame and it can be a challenge to reach the right people
The Centre continues to seek opportunities for grant applications; and fundraise with the support of community groups. It is not known if the unitary council might affect funding and grant opportunities which the centre has received in the past.
Thanks were given to the Mayor for selecting Thame Senior Friendship Centre as one of his chosen charities for his Mayoral Year this year (2026/2027).
Cllrs noted that both Thame Senior Friendship Centre and Memories Café are supporting the community, and this is a fantastic opportunity for residents to have such a facility.
Clarification was sought if funding is received from Buckinghamshire for those who attend. Sadly not, and this needs to be addressed.
It was noted that Meadowcroft are seeking a vehicle also; and suggested that this could this be a shared facility? In principle, Thame Senior Friendship Centre see no issues with this.
It was noted that grant opportunities may be available through partnerships with community health organisations, the NHS, Oxfordshire County Council, and other service providers. While recognising the charity’s financial and capacity constraints, and that trustees are volunteers, the value of its work in reducing loneliness, providing respite, and supporting people with dementia and their carers was acknowledged. It was noted that this was a promising area for further investigation.
It was asked if the centre were at capacity. Memories Café is at capacity; Thame Senior Friendship Centre is not at capacity, and this is the focus to increase the number of attendees.
Cllr McGarry or the Town Clerk to share the Rural Services Network weekly emails which contain funding information, it was also raised that there are OCC and SODC Cllr grant opportunities.
6) Financial Update
The Committee received and noted the budget summary and balance sheet up to 30 June 2026, the Earmarked Reserves up to 30 July 2026 and the latest list of regular payments.
7) Financial Overspends
The committee noted the financial overspends against budget line items (greater than the agreed de minimis of £100 / 5%) since the last meeting.
8) Banking Update
The committee noted that with close monitoring of monies the Public Sector Deposit Account with CCLA has generated £27,931 interest payable up to July 2026. This compares to £11,635 interest which would have been received from the Lloyds 32 Day account for the equivalent amount invested within same period. An overall increase of £16,296 income this quarter.
The RFO was thanked for this.
9) Internal Software
The committee received a verbal update on the implementation of the internal cloud-based software. It was noted that several employees are carrying increased responsibilities, while the accountant is providing a reduced level of service. Future Corporate Governance meetings will be scheduled for weeks 3 or 4 of each month, effective from February 2027.
Work on the new processes remains ongoing and will continue to be monitored and refined. A future trial of providing data directly from Rialtas to Councillors was suggested. The Rialtas Cloud based system should improve efficiency once processes are fully embedded and all users become more proficient on this new software. Opportunities to streamline workflows further were also identified, including reducing scanning and printing through greater use of digital tools.
The committee noted the significant benefit of the Council having greater control over bank transactions, improving organisational resilience and strengthening financial management. While concerns were raised regarding officer time and resources required to support the changes, it was acknowledged that efficiencies are being achieved and that the Council is now in a stronger financial position. Future discussions on officer resources and additional software subscriptions to streamline the process further may be required.
10) Investment Update
The committee noted and received:
- the summary of the investment performance noting that the investment monies have been increased by a further £60,000 and the capital money will be shown on the next portfolio summary published.
- the letter from Rathbones relating to investment performance.
- the response received from Rathbones regarding the ESG queries previously raised.
- Bertie, our former Account Manager at Rathbones had left and our new account manager is Charles Seargent who will be attending the Corporate Governance committee meeting on 3 November 2026.
11) Utilities Report
The committee noted the utilities report and that the change of electricity supplier from UGP to SSE from 1 October 2026 for a three-year contract which will save TTC minimum of £2,000 over 36-month contract.
The RFO noted that the month-by-month usage will be reviewed by Officers before the next Corporate Governance meeting.
It was asked if solar panels could be investigated and installed; the Town Clerk advised that this will be explored in the future with possible grant opportunities sought.
It was noted that Officers are seeking information regarding the water meter, and associated invoices at the Hampden Gardens Allotment site, funding for these costs are available from S106 monies.
12) Insurance
The committee noted there is a pending insurance claim of approximately £3,500 due to accidental damage that occurred in maintenance area. This amount is covered by our insurer who is currently denying any TTC liability. The RFO to update the Committee once resolved.
13) Council Policies
The committee were asked to approve the following council policies as presented: Business Continuity Action Plan, Document Retention & Disposal, Freedom of Information, Induction, Information & Data Protection, and Information Management Strategy. It was noted that typos and abbreviations have been corrected on policies between publishing and the meeting date. Policies were taken for approval individually.
It was asked if there was an Induction process for Councillors; the Councillor handbook will be updated, and additional information will be available for May 2027.
It was noted that the legislation regarding probationary periods is changing from January 2027; and the Induction policy reflects this legislation.
It was requested that the Freedom of Information Policy, Information and Data Protection Policy, and Information Management Strategy be reviewed, with the intention that they be consolidated into a single policy at the next review.
RESOLVED that:
i) The Business Continuity Action Plan is approved.
ii) The Document Retention & Disposal Policy is approved.
iii) The Freedom of Information Policy is approved.
iv) The Induction Policy is approved.
v) The Information & Data Protection Policy is approved.
vi) The Information Management Strategy is approved.
14) Information Management
It was noted that two Freedom of Information requests have been received from members of the public.
It was noted that a communication was issued to Councillors regarding GDPR principles and refresher training in July 2026.
It was noted that a Freedom of Information request had been received relating to the UK Town of Culture 2028.
It was noted that an official complaint had been received relating to the restriction of the disabled spaces during the Community Market.
The meeting concluded at 7.28pm
Signed ………………………………
Chair, 3 November 2026