14 October 2025 – Agenda
SUMMONS TO ATTEND A MEETING OF THAME TOWN COUNCIL
TO: All Members of Thame Town Council
Cllrs M Baines, D Bretherton, P Cowell, D Dawson, A Dite, D Dodds, H Dollman, M Dyer, L Emery, A Gilbert, C Jones, S McGarry, H Richards, P Swan, A Wainwright, and W Wilde
You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of the Full Council on Tuesday 14 October 2025 at 6:30pm (maximum two hours) in the Upper Chamber (Thame Town Hall) for the transaction of business as set out on the attached agenda.
Mandy Sturdy
Clerk of the Council
Date: Wednesday 8 October 2025
AGENDA
1) Apologies for Absence
To receive and agree apologies for absence.
2) Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
To notify of any items that appear in the agenda in which there may be an interest that has not been recorded in the Member’s Register of Interest; and confirmation of any relevant dispensations.
3) Civic Announcements
To receive the report of the Mayor and any such communications as the Mayor may wish to lay before the Council.
4) Public Participation and Public Questions
To consider applications from members of the public to address the Council (5 minutes maximum), in respect of any item of business included in the agenda. Applications to speak must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 5pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
To consider questions from members of the public (who live, work or run a business in the Parish). Written questions must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 4pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
5) Planning Application Amendment – P23/S4262/FUL – Land North of Oxford Road
Full application for 111 residential dwellings including new highways, associated infrastructure, sustainable urban drainage systems, pumping stations, demolition of agricultural buildings, green infrastructure and ancillary works (additional Information and amended plans received 13 August 2025 and 22 September 2025).
To consider the amended plans and agree a response.
5. Report – AMENDMENT 4 P23S4262 Land north of Oxford Road [PDF]
6) Report from County Councillors
To receive the report of County Councillors J Edwards and K Gregory (10 minutes maximum).
6. Report from County Councillors – October 2025 [PDF]
7) Reports from South Oxfordshire District Councillors
To receive reports from Cllrs P Barker, D Bretherton, and K Gregory (Maximum of 5 minutes each).
7. Reports from South Oxfordshire District Councillors – October 2025 [PDF]
8) Members Questions (under Standing Order 11)
A Member may ask the Mayor any questions concerning the business of the Council.
9) External Audit
To receive the External Auditor’s report for 2024-25 and to note External Auditor’s limited assurance opinion.
9. Report – External Audit 2024-25 [PDF]
9a. External Auditor Certificate 2024-25 [PDF]
10) Internal Audit
To note after a review of internal auditors, that Auditing Solutions have been awarded a new contract for 2025-2030. For information the 2nd lowest quotation for like for like services was £250 higher.
- 5-year strategic plan
- Internal Audit programme
10a. 5-year strategic plan 2025-30 – Internal Audit [PDF]
10b. IA Programme 2025-30 [PDF]
11) Thame Community Land Trust – Custodian Trustee Request
To accept the role of Custodian for the Thame Community Land Trust subject to registration of the amended rules by the FCA.
11. Custodian confirmation request Oct 25 [PDF]
12) Land Management Officer
To approve the Land Management Officer role and supporting projects in principle. The role will be subject to a successful Section 106 application.
12. Report – Land Management Officer [PDF]
12a. Draft Action Plan for Land Management Officer [PDF]
13) Community Governance Review
To consider a proposal developed with the Clerk and Councillors of Great Haseley Parish Council regarding the parish boundary as part of the upcoming Community Governance Review.
To approve the proposal be submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council, subject to the support of Great Haseley Parish Council’s Full Council.
13. Joint Boundary Change Proposal [PDF]
14) Local Government Reorganisation
To consider the three proposals and whether the council wishes to express support for a preferred option:
- A single unitary council for Oxfordshire– Oxfordshire Council (responsible for all services for Oxfordshire residents).
- Two unitary councils:
- Oxford and Shires Council (previously referenced as North Oxfordshire Council) created from the existing district councils of Cherwell, Oxford City and West Oxfordshire.
- Ridgeway Council created from the existing district councils of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse and the unitary council of West Berkshire.
- Three unitary councils – with a unitary city on expanded boundaries (referred to as Greater Oxford) as well as northern and southern unitaries, also including West Berkshire.
To consider services that Thame Town Council could take on as part of Government reorganisation to enable more detailed investigations and preparations of business cases for submission to Council and subsequently the successful unitary authority.
14. Report – Devolved Services – Local Government Reorganisation Oct 2025 [PDF]
14a. A single unitary council for Oxfordshire [PDF]
14b. Oxford and Shires Council and Ridgeway Council [PDF]
14c. Three unitary councils [PDF]
15) Proposal – Thame and Baesweiler Friendship Agreement
To consider supporting a proposal to form a friendship agreement between Thame and Baesweiler (Germany).
15. Proposal – 25-AG001 – Baseweiller Friendship Agreement [PDF]
16) Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting held on 12 August 2025.
17) Planning Committee
To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the meetings on 26 August 2025 and 23 September 2025.
18) Exclusion of the Public
To move that under Section 1, Paragraph 2 of The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business because publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
19) Personnel Committee
To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the meeting on 1 October 2025.