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Present

Members

  • Cllr Mike Acreman
  • Cllr Dan Beauchamp (The Mayor/Chairman)
  • Cllr Ailsa Charter
  • Cllr Mahmood Ebrahimjee
  • Cllr Marcus Harris
  • Cllr Susan Hendrie
  • Cllr Stephen Holder (The Deputy Mayor)
  • Cllr Claire Holford (up to Minute 110/24)
  • Cllr Jacki Hoskins
  • Cllr Mark Hoskins
  • Cllr Nigel Hughes
  • Cllr Katharine Keats-Rohan
  • Cllr Len Pannett
  • Cllr Christine Sandall

Officers:

  • Michelle Taylor, Town Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer
  • Luke Whitcomb, Meetings Officer
  • Arthur Hodsdon, Head of Parks and Estates

Others:

  • Cllr James Barlow, South Oxfordshire District Council
  • 3 members of the public
  • 0 members of the press

 

 

86/24     MEETING PROTOCOL

The Mayor welcomed members of the public and outlined the protocols that needed to be followed in the conduct of the meeting.

87/24     APOLOGIES

Apologies were tabled from Town Councillors Lester and Margarido, and Town Councillor Holford had indicated that she would need to leave the meeting at 9.00 pm.

It was proposed by Councillor Pannett, and seconded by Councillor Sandall, and RESOLVED that these apologies be received and accepted

88/24     DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

No interests were declared.

89/24     MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS

The Mayor reported on recent activity and events, including the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Carnival, a drama festival, the skittles group, Walled Gardens of Wallingford, and the Civic Dinner.  He said that these successful events showed the thriving nature of local groups in the town.

90/24     MINUTES

It was proposed by Councillor Holder, and seconded by Councillor Acreman, and  RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 22 May 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor

91/24     ACTIONS FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Council reviewed (by exception) progress on ‘open’ actions agreed by previous meetings of the Full Council.

Councillor Holder suggested that in future the ‘red’ items, i.e. those items which were not progressing adequately for whatever reason, be read out at each meeting.  The Mayor agreed this was an approach to be considered.

92/24     PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

A member of public spoke in favour of a vote of no confidence in Thames Water given that Oxfordshire ranked as the seventh worst county for sewage releases into rivers.

The South Moreton site which discharged into the Mill Brook and Bradford Brook system in Wallingford was one of the Top 10 spills in the region covered by Thames Water.

Henley-on-Thames and Witney Town Councils had taken similar action.

Several councillors spoke in supporter of cleaner waterways and highlighted local efforts to monitor and improve quality.  Some support for a vote of confidence was expressed but could not be covered at this meeting as it was not an agenda item.

93/24     COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS

District Councillors Barlow and Keats-Rohan reported on the matters that had been attracting their attention and other news from the District Council, including the bathing water status, planning issues, the withdrawal of the extending licensing application by Greene Kings for The Boathouse, a new artwork on the bypass bridge across the Thames and a new District Council grant scheme.

County Councillor Sudbury was not present and had not submitted a report.

94/24     CLEAN BATHING WATER STATUS, WALLINGFORD BEACH

Councillor Holder reported on the actions taken since the designation of clean bathing water status for ‘Wallingford Beach’ .  It was unclear which body was responsible for taking matters forward, but representatives of the Town Council, the District Council and Thames21 (the voluntary body that had played a key role in the application) had formed an alliance and were channelling their energies through the River Users’ Group.  Councillor Acreman was the Town Council’s representative on this group.

95/24     THE REGAL

The Mayor explained that the contract award for the feasibility review of options for the future of The Regal would be made later in the meeting in closed session due to the contractual nature of the discussion.  However, the name of the winning tender would be publicly announced later in the week through the draft minutes on the Town Council website.  It envisaged that this work would be carried out between now and the end of September – as advertised in the brief – and the outcome be brought to the Full Council in October 2024.

Minute 692/23 refers to the decision of the Full Council to undertake a feasibility review of the identified options, to explore whether Option 1B (redeveloping the site in partnership with a third party to create a multi-functional space including a community hall) was feasible, and to identify the best possible alternative if not.

[ADP Carter Jonas were awarded the contract for the feasibility review later in the meeting in a closed session (Minute 111/24). Their tender was the highest scoring after all tenders had been evaluated according to the publicised six criteria with their weighted scores.]

96/24     YOUNG PEOPLE

Councillor Sandall, who was leading on this issue, reported that she had met with all stakeholders and that the formation of a youth council had been discussed.  She now proposed the formation of a Town Council Working Group.  There was an initial need to identify administrative support and there was a discussion taking place with external bodies such as TRAIN; the Town Council Office did not currently have the capacity.

It was proposed by Councillor Sandall, and seconded by Councillor Keats-Rohan, and RESOLVED that a working group focussing on younger people be formed

97/24     TOWN HALL CONSERVATION PROJECT

Councillor Keats-Rohan reported that an Expression of Interest had recently been submitted to the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF).  The Fund had published a new ten-year strategy which aligned with the Full Council’s aspirations for the Town Hall.  There had been a constructive discussion with the Fund’s officers.

The conservation project, which was a key priority for the Town Council, was likely to take two to three years.  Remedial work would be needed in the meantime.

If successful, the next step would be NHLF’s Development Stage where the Town Council could apply for the funding of a project manager.

The Town Council would be required to fund 10% of the total cost and the Council’s contribution could include volunteer hours.

It was proposed by Councillor Harris, and seconded by Councillor Pannett, and RESOLVED that this be endorsed as an approach

98/24     HERITAGE CRIME

Councillor Keats-Rohan reported on a new Heritage Watch initiative that was being developed in Wallingford as part of a broader Neighbourhood Watch scheme.  This involved the support of Thames Valley Police.  A report on crime in Wallingford was expected shortly.

99/24     WILDING ANDREW ANNIVERSARY

The Council considered the costs of restoring or cleaning the cairn in time for the 80th anniversary.

The Mayor also reported that the memorial plaque previously approved by the Full Council would be unveiled on behalf of the people of Wallingford on 3 or 11 September 2024 at International Bomber Command in Lincoln.

It was proposed that Councillor J Hoskins, and seconded by Councillor Holford, and RESOLVED that the revised quotation of A J Jones Stonemasons for £4,446 be accepted for the full restoration of the cairn

100/24     BANDSTAND

Councillor J Hoskins introduced the idea of a permanent bandstand in the Castle Gardens for the music events that took place there.  Various Members expressed strong support for this

It was proposed by Councillor J Hoskins, and seconded by Councillor Acreman, and RESOLVED that the idea be formally scoped, with the assistance of Councillor Charter, and be used as a case study to define the gateways that ideas of this kind needed to pass through to become adopted as a Town Council project

101/24     VISION, STRATEGY AND PROJECTS

Councillor Holder reported that revised documentation would be tabled at the next meeting of the Full Council.

102/24     QUARTER 4 ACCOUNTS, 2023-24

The Council reviewed these accounts.  The Finance and Properties Committee had recommended approval (Minute 76/24, 17 June 2024)

It was proposed by Councillor Hendrie, and seconded by Councillor Holford, and RESOLVED that the Quarter 4 accounts for 2023-24 be approved

103/24     AUDIT REQUIREMENTS FOR ANNUAL GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN (AGAR) 2024

The Council received and reviewed the Internal Auditor’s report prepared by Audit Solutions Limited.

It was proposed by Councillor Keats-Rohan, and seconded by Councillor Hendrie, and RESOLVED

(i)         that the Internal Audit be received;

(ii)        that the Internal Audit has been effective;

(iii)       that the action taken by the Town Clerk in response to all the Audit’s recommendations be noted and supported

It was proposed by Councillor Holford, and seconded by Councillor Sandall, and RESOLVED

(iv)       that the Annual Governance Statement for 2023-24 be approved and the Mayor and Town Clerk be authorised to sign the document;

(v)        that the Accounting Statements for 2023-24 be approved and the Mayor and Town Clerk be authorised to sign them

The Council thanked the Council’s Finance Team for their work, especially for achieving such a positive outcome.

The Finance and Properties Committee had recommended approval of both items (Minute 76/24, 17 June 2024)

104/24     CASTLE LODGE

This item was deferred until the next meeting as further information needed to be obtained.

105/24     OXFORDSHIRE COUNCILS CHARTER

The Council NOTED the imminent launch for this new county charter to improve partnership working between county, district, and parish/town councils.

106/24     FUTURE AGENDA MEETINGS

The following items were identified for future meetings:

  • Pedestrianisation of front area of Town Hall (Action Log) (Town Clerk leading)
  • Policies (Town Clerk leading)
  • Governance cycle (Cllr Charter has volunteered to lead) (Bandstand being used as a case study)
  • Community emergency plan (The Mayor is leading, and this would be a priority once the D-Day commemoration had taken place)
  • The Regal (recurring item) (current stage: feasibility review of options)
  • Vision, strategy, and projects (Cllr Holder leading) (July 2024)
  • IT contract, including training and policy regarding document repository
  • Vote of no confidence in Thames Water (July 2024)
  • Castle Lodge – roof repairs (July 2024)
  • Bandstand – outcome of scoping
  • Boathouse – heads of terms (July 2024)
  • Honorary Freeman
  • Bathing water status
  • Bunkfest in the Bull Croft
  • Community transport scheme
  • Rental property portfolio management
107/24     EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

It was proposed by Councillor Keats-Rohan, and seconded by Councillor J Hoskins, and RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting due to the confidential nature of the business to be transacted

 

The meeting ended at 9.38 pm.

Minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 24 June 2024, signed as a correct record

 

Chairman

 

2024-06-24 FC minutes DRAFT CONFIDENTIAL