Community Governance Review

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thame Town Council has considered the Community Governance Review and would like to request two changes:

1. Electoral Arrangements for Parishes

The North / South ward electoral ward boundary be repositioned so that the boundary line runs along Oxford Road. Properties north of Oxford Road (including Thame Meadows estate) would be included in the North Ward. (See Appendix A for a map showing the proposed boundary)

Justification for this change:

· Over recent years, Thame has experienced high levels of residential development in its South Ward compared to the North Ward. This is creating an imbalance in the two wards.

· The Town Council felt that including the Oxford Road ‘Thame Meadows’ development in the North Ward would help to balance out the numbers and provide greater representation.

· Repositioning the ward boundary line as proposed would also visually give the town a clearer North / South split.

2. Altering the Existing Boundary of a Parish

The Thame Parish boundary be extended westwards up to North Weston (with a suggested boundary extending west along Rycote Lane, heading north along the watercourse and Weston Lane / Track and east from the junction of the A418). (See Appendix B for a map showing the proposed boundary)

Justification for this change:

· Thame’s Cattle Market, once relocated, would be within the Thame parish, rather than Great Haseley which would be the case with the current parish boundary.

· Potential for Thame to have more influence over future development in this area if its Neighbourhood Plan area was also extended to include it.

· Within the proposed new parish boundary is a live Reserved Matters planning application for employment land that currently falls under the parish of Great Haseley. This would be dependent on / serve predominantly Thame’s facilities and people but Thame currently would not receive any support to manage the impact on its infrastructure. By moving the parish boundary, Thame would be eligible to receive developer contributions to offset the impact of the development on Thame’s infrastructure.

Thank you for considering the Town Council’s recommendations as part of the Community Governance Review. We look forward to hearing the outcome of the review.

Yours faithfully

Mandy Sturdy
Town Clerk to Thame Town Council

APPENDIX A

Proposed North and South Ward Boundaries (red line shows boundary) Map Description automatically generated

APPENDIX B

A picture containing map Description automatically generated