25 August 2026 – 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 25 August 2026 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 19 August 2026
AGENDA
1) Apologies for Absence
To receive and approve 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.
3. Civic Attendances (pdf)
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) Report from County Councillors
To receive the report if available, of County Councillors J Edwards and K Gregory (10 minutes maximum).
6) Reports from South Oxfordshire District Councillors
To receive reports if available, from Cllrs P Barker, D Bretherton, and K Gregory (Maximum of 5 minutes each).
7) Planning Application P25/S3631/O – Amended Plans – Land to the east of Howland Road (B4012) and south of Kingsey Road
Outline planning application (all matters reserved except for access) for the construction of up to 70 age-restricted dwellings (over 55’s) (Use Class C3), including 40% affordable housing and communal facilities, together with vehicular access off Kingsey Road and pedestrian access off Howland Road, landscaping and all enabling ancillary works, including off-site highway improvements related to new pedestrian footways, pedestrian crossing and bus stops.
To consider the application and agree a response.
7. Report – AMENDMENT – P25S3631O Land east of Howland Road (pdf)
8) New Website
To ratify the recommendation of the Working Group regarding the preferred company to undertake a replacement website for the council, and associated website support, maintenance and hosting services.
8. Report – New Website (pdf)
9) Council Policies
To receive and approve the following Council Policies:
Standing Orders
9. Standing Orders – Updated 12 May 2026 Proposed changes 25 August 2026 (pdf)
10) Reports from Representatives on External Organisations
To receive reports from the nominated representatives as listed in the report.
10. Council Report – Reports from External Organisations Representatives Updated 24 August 2026 (pdf)
11) Project Link
To receive a verbal update.
To note the public meeting on 27 August.
To agree to draw down the £250,000 grant and agree and name, at least 2, but up to 6, Councillors who are authorised to sign any legal agreements or acceptance of conditions letter for the awarded grant. Signatures to be in the presence of the Town Clerk who will seal the document if required.
12) Committee Membership
To approve that Cllr Dodds be removed from the Environment & Assets Committee.
To approve that Cllr Emery fills the vacancy on the Environment & Assets Committee.
13) Mayor of Thame’s Charity Trust
To receive the annual technical summary of the Mayor of Thame’s Charity Trust for the year 2025-26.
13. Report – Mayor of Thame’s Charity Trust 2025 – 26 (pdf)
14) Hedge Laying
To approve that Thame Town Council apply for funding from Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment for a grant to cover training and resource costs needed to lay the hedge along the roadside boundary of Queen Elizabeth Circle play area. This hedge has been left to grow long in anticipation of this work as mentioned at point 2.1.1 in the report to Environment & Assets Committee 3/3/26, Green-and-Open-Spaces-and-Play-Areas-for-3-March-2026.pdf
The project will include the delivery of several sessions of training, facilitated by an experienced hedge layer, who will train Thame Town Council staff in the art of hedge laying, allowing this skill to be used to improve hedges managed by Thame Town Council elsewhere in the future. The project is supported by 21st Century Thame who are registered with the hedge laying trust and are able to provide insurance cover for this training opportunity.
The project will be scheduled within normal working hours for Thame Town Council staff and will require up to a maximum of 64 staff hours (in total, averaging 16 hours per staff member each) to attend the training course and complete the work. Whilst primarily provided for the benefit of the Town Council’s maintenance team, other members of the Town Council as well as local business and community volunteers will be invited to get involved to help achieve this project in a shorter number of hours. To enable this, the project will be launched as part of National Tree Week during w/b 30th November, coinciding with the week that the Thame Sustainability Champion Awards hosts its’ ‘volunteering’ week for businesses involved.
15) Notices of Motion
Motion: Smart Phone Free Childhood
Motion proposed by Cllr Swan on 17/8/2026 to the Town Clerk in line with Standing Order 9.
15. Smartphone Free Childhood Motion – Full Council 25 August 2026 (pdf)
16) Members Questions (under Standing Order 11)
A Member may ask the Mayor any questions concerning the business of the Council.
17) Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 August 2026.
18) Planning Committee
To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the meetings on 11 August 2026 and 28 July 2026.
a. Speed Limit Review (from 28 July 2026)
To approve the recommended responses to the stakeholder consultation relating to Speed Limit Review.
18a. Report – Speed Limit Review by OCC (pdf)
18a. Speed Limit Review Planning Committee Recommendation (pdf)
19) Corporate Governance Committee
To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the meeting on 18 August 2026.