01 October 2025 – Minutes

THAME TOWN COUNCIL

Minutes of the Personnel Committee Meeting held on 1 October 2025 at 3pm in the Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall.

Present:

Town Mayor, Cllr A Gilbert
Chairman of Corporate Governance, Cllr M Dyer
Chairman of Community Services, Cllr P Cowell
Chairman of Planning Committee, M Baines

Officer:

M Sturdy (Town Clerk)

 

1) Apologies for Absence

Apologies were received from Cllrs Dawson (personal) and Jones (personal).

RESOLVED:

  1. To accept the apologies and reason given from Cllrs Dawson (personal) and Jones (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 Meeting held on 9 June 2025 were confirmed as a correct record, and were signed by the Chairman.

 

5) Exclusion of the Public

RESOLVED: 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.

 

6) Annual Appraisals

The committee received an update on the annual appraisal process.

 

7) Staffing Costs and Gradings

The committee noted the cost-of-living increase for 2025-26 which was set and agreed by The National Employers for Local Government Services at 3.2%. This increase was below what had been included in the full budget, as such even with this year’s staff changes the predicted end of year figure will be within budget.

The committee considered the staff cost budget proposal for the 2026-27 which included a 4% Cost of Living Increase. The committee discussed the details of the budget at some length and made recommendations on how future increases are reported.

The committee are concerned with ongoing price rises and the cost-of-living increase, the committee would support a review of services to ensure that the council continues to provide best value for money to residents.

The Clerk advised that the council’s needs and staff resources will continue to be reviewed over the coming months and years, anything impacting on the proposed budget being put to the council for resolution.

RECOMMENDED to the Budget Working Group and Full Council:

  1. To allow for a salary budget of £858,610 to be included in the Annual Budget inclusive of employer costs, scale point increments and a predicted cost of living increase of 4% for 2026/27.

 

8) Staffing Matters

The committee received an update on staffing matters including staff changes brought about by some reorganisation over the past 3 Months:

  • The Communication and Events Officer role was split to create a Communications Manager role and part-time Community Events Officer role.
  • The Committee Services Officer role will be filled in October as a part-time role.
  • A new Multi-Channel Marketer Apprentice joined us in August.

An overview of staff training in the past 3 months was given, including:

  • HR legislation
  • Fire marshal training
  • Mental Health first aid
  • Dementia awareness (also open to councillors)
  • Other role / council specific training

Staff welfare is a key responsibility for the council and this committee. The Clerk reported on sickness trends noting that there are usually fewer incidents of sickness during the first half of the financial year. However, to help keep staff well (which is to everyone’s benefit), there has been greater emphasis on the importance of a work / life balance with the introduction of Flexitime, and this year we have been able to offer staff a free Flu Jab at a total cost of less than £150.

 

9) Christmas Closure 2025/26

The committee noted that the Town Hall and Information Centre will close at 1pm on 24 December 2025 and will remain closed until 9am on Monday 5 January 2026. The shutdown period has been extended by 1 day to include Friday 2 January 2026. Staff have been asked to use their holiday allowance or flexitime for the extra day. They can also choose to work from home (where able) but the information centre and phones will remain closed.

 

The meeting concluded at 4:10pm.

 

Signed ………………………                                       Date: 12 January 2026

Chairman