Under-used council surgeries scrapped

A NEW system to enable Thame residents to raise issues with town Councillors is to be introduced, and the current system of monthly, Saturday surgeries, ended.

This follows a year of logging visits to the often poorly attended monthly surgeries, which showed that of the 50 visits made to the surgeries by residents, only five of them were town council matters. The highest number, 19, were about county council matters and 12 referred to matters which are the responsibility of the district council.

From now on, residents will be able to contact the town hall and arrange to meet a particular Town Councillor on a particular matter, at an agreed time.

The County Councillor (currently Nick Carter) will hold his own surgery separately, and the pre-booked appointment system for arranging an appointment at a pre-agreed time with a Councillor of the resident’s choice (Town and/or District) at either the Town Hall or an alternative venue of their choosing, will apply. 

The new proposal was agreed at tonight’s meeting of the town council’s Policy and Resources committee.