From:	Graham Hunt
Sent:	27 February 2018 16:13
To:	Bob Austin; David Bretherton; Don Butler; Nigel Champken-Woods; Paul 
Cowell; Mike Deacock; Nichola Dixon; David Dodds; Mike Dyer; Linda Emery; 
Helena Fickling; Catherine Jones; Peter Lambert; Ann Midwinter; Mary Stiles; 
Tom Wyse
Cc:	Staff
Subject:	TAL use of Meeting Room / Upper Chamber in 2018

Hi

Cassie and I had a wash-up meeting with the TAL festival back in November, and we agreed a 
number of items, summarised as follows:
- We agreed that some things went well, and some not so well
- The Town Council does recognise that the Festival has grown and is still growing
- We all want to ensure correct expectation and delivery in our future working together
- There is an option of paying for room use, to make things firmer, earlier [but TAL appreciate 
the support of the Town Council in providing free use where it can]
- The Town Council is still open to any / every request via the Grants process
- Separately, in advance of the Grants process, the Town Clerk can consider how best TAL 
requirements could be satisfied
- The sooner that TAL can define their requirements, the better.

One of the issues last year was a clash on the availability of the Meeting Room as a box office, 
as the dates required were not defined until after the Grants process.  We do now have the 
dates/times that TAL would like to use the Meeting Room for 2018.  There is already an issue 
with the Upper Chamber, in that there is a paid for booking from a while ago on the Saturday, so 
TAL will only need / can use the Upper Chamber on the Sunday.  As all those room 
requirements for 2018 are within the 120 hours free use as granted last year, I would like to say 
yes to their request now. But at a value of £1,434 that is outside of my authority to 
grant.  Standing Order 25 requires that such decisions are agreed between me as Clerk, the 
Mayor (Tom), Deputy Mayor (Linda) and Chairman of the relevant Committee.  In this case the 
relevant Committee is either P&R or the Grants Award Panel – both of which are MikeDy.

So if anyone has any concerns on that proposed arrangement, or specifically wishes it to go 
ahead, please tell me, so I can confirm the final decision with Tom / Linda / Mike, before 
reporting back to TAL (and having a noting item at next Council / P&R meeting).  I would like to 
go back to TAL by Tuesday 6 March. 

Separately, given the Upper Chamber clash this year, we have provisionally booked the Upper 
Chamber for TAL for the next 3 years.  If any paid request comes in, we will then ask TAL to 
make the payment instead, and encourage the requestor to go for a different date.

Regards

Graham Hunt
Town Clerk
Thame Town Council
www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk
Town Hall, High St, Thame, OX9 3DP
T: 01844 260495  F: 01844 216094