MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF TROSTON PARISH COUNCIL ON MONDAY

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF TROSTON PARISH COUNCIL ON MONDAY 22 nd MAY 2017 COMMENCING AT 7.30 PM Members Present: Councillor Graeme Norris chaired the meeting along with Councillors Brenda Burridge, Peter Johns, Roger Anderson and Richard Balaam. No members of the public were present. PROCEDURAL INFORMATION FOR THE COUNCIL S ANNUAL MEETING (a) To elect a Chairman Councillor Roger Anderson proposed Councillor Graeme Norris, which was seconded by Councillor Brenda Burridge. This was a unanimous decision. There were no other proposers. (b) To receive the Chairman s acceptance of office and register of members interest form Councillor Graeme Norris signed the acceptance of office form, witnessed by the Clerk. (c) To elect a Vice Chair Councillor Brenda Burridge proposed Councillor Roger Anderson as Vice Chair, this was seconded by Councillor Richard Balaam, unanimous decision. There were no other proposers. (d) To receive any updates to Register of Members Interest forms Councillors were reminded to update their forms. (e) To appoint a Responsible Financial Officer and internal auditor Councillor Graeme Norris proposed the Clerk, Linda Harley as the Responsible Financial Officer and Heelis and Lodge as the internal auditor. This was seconded by Councillor Peter Johns, unanimous decision. The Clerk explained that the public session legally forms part of the Council meeting. Apologies for absence Councillors Richard Walker and Peter Hay had sent their apologies. (i)to receive members Declarations of Interest (ii) Council to consider any new written requests for dispensation There were no declarations of interest and no requests for dispensation. Report from County Councillors Councillor Rebecca Hopfensperger had sent her apologies. Report from Borough Councillor Borough Councillor Simon Brown offered to pay 1/3 rd of the cost for replacing the broken window in the attic of the Village Hall. Councillors agreed that Councillor Graeme Norris should be refunded the cost of the sink unit for the Community Centre at RAF Honington. This had been purchased by Councillor Norris in November 2016 and was being funded from a combination of the Parish Council (payment already made) and from Councillors Rebecca Hopfensperger and Simon Brown, through the Village Hall. These funds have not yet been received and therefore the treasurer of the Village Hall Management Committee did not want to provide a refund at the present time, without an audit trail. The Clerk advised the Council that it would not be good procedure to refund Councillor Norris from the Parish Council as the transaction is being processed through the Village Hall s bank account and not the Parish Council s. The Council overruled the advice of the Clerk and unanimously agreed to refund Councillor Norris from Parish Council funds, as an interim measure, until locality

2 funds are received. Parishioner s Comments and Question time No members of the public were present. Rubble which has been dumped on Ixworth Road/Livermere Road will be cleared up by Councillor Richard Balaam. Acceptance of accuracy of minutes of previous meeting on Monday 6 th March 2017 The minutes from the last Parish Council meeting on Monday 6 th March 2017 were signed as an accurate record of the meeting. Proposed Councillor Graeme Norris, seconded Councillor Peter Johns, unanimous decision from those present at the meeting. Lottery Councillor Peter Johns, who is auditing the lottery accounts, has not received any items to check. The Clerk will remind Councillor Richard Walker and confirm that the Small Lottery Return has been completed. Projects and matters arising from the previous meeting (a) Update on the new dog bins There are now 3 dog bins in the village, 1 on Church Road at the site of the old piggery and 1 by Heath Wood, Honington end & the third possibly near Garden Fields. St Edmundsbury Borough Council are empting them on a weekly basis. There is 1 further bin to put up at Heath Wood. There will not be a dog bin at the junction by The Bull, due to visibility issues. A request had been received for a bin by The Jackdaw. This will be monitored. Thanks were given to Councillor Richard Balaam, who had emptied the dog bin by the bus shelter and swept out the shelter. (b) WW1 Beacons of Light celebrations The Council will review this again in November Village issues not already covered: (a) Village Hall Councillor Brenda Burridge reported that the sign for the disabled parking is now visible. Councillor Richard Balaam will cut the grass. Bob Holden has been doing lots of maintenance work and thanks were given but he needs help. Councillor Graeme Norris will put an advert in the newsletter. The round window in the attic has fallen in. Councillor Rebecca Hopfensperger agreed to pay 500 towards the cost of repairing it. Borough Councillor Simon Brown offered to pay 1/3 rd ( ). The remaining 224 will be paid from the Village Hall reserve. The purchase of a shed will be reviewed once the window is mended and there has been a sort out and reorganisation at the hall. The fire and heath and safety risk assessments are being prepared. (b) The Bull and playground The Council resolved to approve the extended area for the Junior playground and to have the original equipment proposed by the developer, Simon Burgess. Proposed Councillor Roger Anderson, seconded Councillor Brenda Burridge, unanimous decision. The clerk will chase the additional fencing costs. There was a discussion on the design of the new inclusive roundabout for the junior play area and whether rubbish would collect under it. The Clerk will look into the cost of getting the old roundabout refurbished. The Clerk will confirm with Burgess Homes, following their offer of top soil for a BMX track, whether they will be able to make it into a track? GN

3 Councillor Graeme Norris offered to look into grants for the older children s play area. (c) RAF Honington - Councillor Richard Balaam will attend the RAF Honington liaison meeting. (d) Heath Wood footpaths and bridleways The new picnic tables have been purchased and further sculptures are being explored along with a green woodworking event. Councillor Norris is reviewing the situation with the grants as they were issued over 12 months ago. There is still the issue of a safe footpath to the wood along The Street. The Clerk will check the cutting schedule for Suffolk County Council for the verges. There was a discussion on providing a proper footpath to the wood. Councillor Graeme Norris will contact County Councillor Rebecca Hopfensperger regarding a footpath and also the passing places on Ixworth Road. Thanks were given to Councillor Norris for his hard work in Heath Wood. (e) Ratify the closure of the Heath Wood committee from January 2017 The Council resolved to ratify the decision from November 2016, to dissolve the Heath Wood Committee. Proposed Councillor Graeme Norris, seconded Councillor Roger Anderson, unanimous decision. (f) Schools No update had been received from the school. (g) Staining of village benches Councillor Richard Balaam confirmed he will refurbish the bench on the High Street and at Heath Wood. The Council agreed that Councillor Richard Balaam could remove the concrete grit bin on the corner opposite The Bull and install a bench. The Clerk will look into the cost of new benches. (h) Street name for the development of 8 new properties Pear Tree Close proposed Councillors were happy with the proposed name. Finance (a) Financial Report from the Responsible Financial Officer Bank of Ireland balance at 28/4/17 4, cr. Balance for Unity Trust Account at 28/4/17 27, VILLAGE IMPROVEMENTS RESERVE Emergency Plan - fencing cones etc Legal fees - Greene King Playground improvements & Legal fees 7, Village Sign Club 1, Toddler Group Balance 11, CONTINGENCY RESERVE 1, LOFFT DAY RESERVE 1, VILLAGE HALL 2, HEATH WOOD 2, (grants due) ( 10,550) Total funds held in reserves 19, Membership to Community Action Suffolk has been renewed free of charge. Review of existing policies : Complaints, data protection, dignity at work, equal GN GN GN

4 opportunities, playground accident policy and review and adoption of a media relations policy was carried out in 2016 and will be reviewed again in The red telephone box has been transferred to Troston PC and is included on our asset register. (b) Agree payments to be made and future spending The Council resolved to make the following payments. Proposed Councillor Graeme Norris, seconded Councillor Peter Johns, unanimous decision. Details Chq no TOTAL INVOICE VAT RECLAIMED HMRC D/D BT WiFi telephone village hall April and May 2017 D/D Artisan Structures , Earth Anchors L J Harley Clerk salary/ expenses Kallkwik newsletter printing March & Heath wood item SALC Troston PCC grant Cancelled cheque Suffolk Cloud-website host Westcotec-VAS mounts Troston Village Hall - hire ACS- flip chart Artisan Structures-benches , Kallkwik - newsletter printing May G Norris - Refund for sink unit Total 6, Councillors did not wish to make a donation to the Ixworth Patients Association for community travel at this time as it is thought that only a few residents are currently using this service. (c) Bank reconciliations to be checked and agreed Councillor Brenda Burridge had completed the bank reconciliation check. (d) Council to approve by resolution Section 1 of the Annual Return, the Annual Governance Statement followed by Section 2, the Accounting Statement. The Council resolved to approve Section 1 of the Annual Return, the Annual Governance Statement, followed by Section 2, the Accounting Statement. Proposed Councillor Peter Johns, seconded Councillor Brenda Burridge, unanimous decision. (e) Dates for exercise of electors rights The Clerk confirmed the dates for the Exercise of Public Rights of 30 working days from 3/7 11/8, for residents to view the accounts (f) Consider the explanation of their significant variances in income and

5 11.6 expenditure of < >10% and < > 100. Both criteria must apply for the variance to be significant This Last Explanation Box no year s figs year s figs Diff Diff % 2015/16's precept payment was 8,000 and included a grant of /17's precept payment was ,000 7,255-1,745 24% ,550-5, % % 9,000 and did not include a grant 2016/17 - Increase in grants received 4,635 and increase in Vat refund of 521 = 5,156 Employees expenditure increased by off payments in 2015/16 : Grass cutting 831 and purchase of speed sign off payments in 2016/17 Improvements in Heath Wood 1,063, legal fees licence to occupy playground 300, Installation and cost of WiFi for village hall 342 & setting up of Toddler Group ,054-1,786 35% Box no s 5 and 9 had no differences. As Troston has a high level of reserves the Clerk has produced the following explanation for the auditors, which Councillors were happy with. Funds are all held under designated reserves for improvements and to enhance the amenities for residents in the village, with items earmarked for spending : EARMARKED FOR: Emergency Plan - fencing cones etc BALANCE 72 EXPLANATION For expenditure under the Emergency Plan Toddler Group 129 Funds held for equipment for the new toddler group Legal fees - Greene King, Heath Wood 991 The legal fees for Green King relate to the gift of a playground following planning on the existing playground and Heath Wood legal fees are for establishing ownership and registering the wood if needed. Lofft Day 1290 A grant received to arrange a community event to bring communities together The day is 2 nd September and all funds will be spend by then. Heath Wood 5,627 Grants received to put tables, chairs, carvings, notice boards, fencing etc in the wood Playground 7190 For playground equipment on the new

6 improvements piece of land. Village Sign 600 To improve, maintain the village sign Funds to be made available to the Village Hall if required for maintenance etc. 1,000 reserved to pay for WiFi for a 2 Village Hall 2288 year contract Funds received from a village fundraising 200 Club 1300 club which have yet to be allocated For small projects in the village, emergencies/unexpected demands and to General reserve 1,034 avoid problems with cash flow. TOTAL 20,521 (g) Consider the Council s aggregate receipts and payments for the year and the comparison between income and expenditure, including expenditure against budget A full list of the Council s aggregate receipts and payments for the year and the comparison between income and expenditure, including expenditure against budget had been provided to all Councillors. There were no questions. (h) Resolve to move any unspent provisions in the budget from to an earmarked Reserve (Financial Standing Order 3.5) The Council resolved to move the unspent provision of from the budget from to their contingency reserve. (i) Update on the Transparency Code Grant The Parish Council have been successful in applying for a grant from NALC for 1,389.52, to help Troston Parish Council comply with the Transparency Code. This is for a new laptop and software and to pay for Clerk s hours doing work on the website. (j) Confirm items paid for by direct debit : BT WiFi for village hall, SEBC emptying bins and HMRC The Council resolved to pay the following items by Direct Debit : BT WiFi for Village Hall, bin emptying and HMRC. (k) Consider obtaining a piece of play equipment which is for able bodied and disabled children at a cost of 8-10,000 The Council resolved to purchase an inclusive roundabout for the use of able and disable bodied children for the new play area, with a cost of up to 5,000. (l) Ratify decision to pay the hire of the Village Hall for the bi-monthly IT help/coffee morning for 6 months from the contingency reserve Councillors resolved to pay the hire of the Village Hall for 6 sessions at a cost of 120. (m) Update on Troston s pension duties Troston does not employ anyone who is eligible to join a pension scheme. The Clerk has completed the Declaration of Compliance. (n) Reallocate funds earmarked for Troston s toddler group and for Greene King Legal Fees to the contingency reserve The Council resolved to reallocate the funds earmarked for the toddler group and for Greene King Legal Fees to the contingency reserve. (o) Troston s red telephone box discuss maintenance/repairs needed and what

7 it can be used for Councillors agreed to get a quote for repainting the telephone box. The clerk will contact Gt Livermere PC to see who they used. (p) Researching grants for a new village sign The Clerk will research grants. (q) Grant request for a Scout The Council declined the grant request for funds towards a charity trip to Africa as they felt that funds should be used for the wider community. (r) Repairs to Village Hall windows Council to confirm this can be paid from Village Hall reserve fund once quote chosen Following offers of funds from Councillors Rebecca Hopfensperger and Simon Brown, the Council resolved to pay the outstanding balance from the village hall reserve. (s) Items from precept bus shelter cleaning and verge planting Councillor Richard Balaam offered to clean the bus shelter. It was felt that thousands of bulbs would be needed to create a good show on the verges in the village. (t) 30mph wheelie bin stickers Councillor Graeme Norris proposed ordering mph stickers for residents to put on their wheelie bins. This was seconded by Councillor Brenda Burridge. 2 Councillors voted for this item and 1 abstained. (u) Confirm that, following Heath Wood committee dissolving, all financial decisions will be referred back to the Parish Council. Councillor Graeme Norris can authorise payments up to the amounts of the grants allocated and for their specific purposes The Council confirmed they were happy for Councillor Graeme Norris to authorise payments up to the amounts of the grants allocated and for their specific purposed. Any other payments will come back to the Parish Council to be agreed. (v) Confirm costs of refreshments for Annual Parish Meeting, flip chart and paper ( ) to be paid from contingency reserve Councillor Brenda Burridge will provide receipts for the Annual Parish Meeting refreshments. The Council agreed to pay from the contingency reserve for a flip chart and paper. All resolutions under item 11 were proposed by Councillor Richard Balaam and seconded by Councillor Brenda Burridge. Unanimous decisions unless otherwise noted. Good Governance continuing procedural information from the Council s AGM (i) A full review of standing orders and financial standing orders had been carried out. There were no changes. (ii) A full review of inventory of land and assets (asset register) had been carried out along with (iii) a review of insurance cover to confirm the council are adequately and sufficiently insured and covered by their fidelity guarantee. (iv) A review of the Council s procedure for handing requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Data Protection Act 1998 had been carried out. (v) The Council confirmed that it meets the conditions for the General Power of

8 Competence: Clerk holds CiLCA, Clerk has completed relevant General Power of Competence training, members of council that have been elected are equal to or greater than 2/3 of total members. (vi) Council resolved to continue with their and employees memberships of other bodies Suffolk Association of Local Council s, Community Action Suffolk, Information Commissioner s Office (Data protection ) and Society of Local Council Clerks. (vii) The council were happy for the Clerk to attend SALC s Information and Networking events quarterly. (viii) A full review of risk assessments in place for audit purposes was completed. (ix) Council adopted Governance and Accountability for smaller authorities in England March (x) The Council re-adopted the Suffolk Code of Conduct (xi) The Council carried out a full review of their internal audit and control procedures. The following schedule shows the key internal controls to provide assurance that the minimum level of coverage has been met: Internal Control Proper Bookkeeping a) standing orders and financial regulations adopted and applied; and b) payments controls Suggested testing Is the cashbook maintained and up to date? Is the cashbook arithmetic correct? Is the cashbook regularly balanced? Has the council formally adopted standing orders and financial regulations? Has a Responsible finance officer been appointed with specific duties? Have items or services above the de minimus amount been competitively purchased? Are payments in the cashbook supported by invoices, authorised and minuted? Has VAT on payments been identified, recorded and reclaimed? Is s137 expenditure separately recorded and within statutory limits? Bank reconciliation checked against cashbook bi-monthly by Clerk and a Councillor (excluding the Chairman) and reported to full Council. Includes arithmetic and balancing cashbook. Standing Orders adopted Item 12(a) Financial Regulations adopted Item 12(a) Yes Item 1(e) No items or services above the de minimus amount have been purchased. Yes Yes Yes recorded on spreadsheet monthly. Risk management arrangements Does a review of the minutes identify any unusual financial activity? Do minutes record the council carrying out an annual risk assessment? No minutes reviewed monthly by full Council Yes carried out in December.

9 Budgetary Controls Income Controls Petty cash procedures Is insurance cover appropriate and adequate? Are internal financial controls documented and regularly reviewed? Has the council prepared an annual budget in support of its precept? Is actual expenditure against the budget regularly reported to the council? Are there any significant unexplained variances from budget? Is income properly recorded and promptly banked? Does the precept recorded agree to the Council Tax authority s notification? Are security controls over cash and near-cash adequate and effective? Is all petty cash spent recorded and supported by VAT invoices/receipts? Is petty cash expenditure reported to each council meeting? Is petty cash reimbursement carried out regularly? Yes - Checked by Council annually item 12(c) Yes Regularly reviewed through risk assessments which are updated annually. Yes Prepared in December annually. Yes reported quarterly. No All variances from budget explained and documented to full Council quarterly. All income recorded in cashbook and promptly banked. Yes Checked by RFO & Chairman. Yes reviewed by full Council annually and internal auditor. No petty cash held. Payroll Controls Assets controls Do all employees have contracts of employment with clear terms and conditions? Do salaries paid agree with those approved by the council? Are other payments to employees reasonable and approved by the council? Have PAYE/NIC been properly operated by the council as an employer? Does the council maintain a register of all material assets owned or in its care? Are the assets and Investments registers up to date? Yes Clerk/RFO Yes Clerks salary invoices are checked monthly by Chairman and a Councillor. All other payments to employees are approved by full Council. PAYE/NIC processed through Basic PAYE Tools using RTI. Payments made to HMRC and checked by 2 Councillors. Yes. Yes and reviewed annually. Yes checked annually ( Items 17 (b) & (c)

10 Bank Reconciliation Year-end procedures Do asset insurance valuations agree with those in the asset register? Is there a bank reconciliation for each account? Is a bank reconciliation carried out regularly and in a timely fashion? Are there any unexplained balancing entries in any reconciliation? Is the value of investments held summarised on the reconciliation? Are year-end accounts prepared on the correct accounting basis (Receipts and Payments or Income and Expenditure)? Do accounts agree with the cashbook? Is there an audit trail from underlying financial records to the accounts? Where appropriate, have debtors and creditors been properly recorded? Yes. Yes Current accounts bimonthly No checked by Councillor and full Council. Yes. Yes Receipts and Payments. Yes checked by full Council. Yes checked by internal auditor. No debtors or creditors. Effectiveness of Internal Audit : MEETING THE STANDARDS Evidence of Achievement Expected Standard 1. Scope of Specified by internal auditor. Scope of audit internal audit work takes into account risk management processes and wide scope of internal control. Areas for development Risk management processes in place and confirmed by internal audit 2016/ Independence 3. Competence 4. Relationships Internal Auditor has direct access to the Clerk who is in charge of governance (see Financial Regulations). Financial reports are made regularly to the Council and annually to the internal auditor. Auditor does not have any other role within the Council. There is no evidence that internal audit work has not been carried out ethically, with integrity and objectivity. Responsible Financial Officer & Clerk are consulted on the internal audit plan and on the scope of each audit. (Evidence is on audit files). Responsibilities for officers and internal audit are defined in relation to internal control, risk management and fraud and corruption matters. Internal auditor has specific knowledge of Parish Council sector.

11 5 Audit Planning and reporting Internal audit work is planned Understanding the whole organisation its needs and objectives Be seen as a catalyst for change Add value and assist the organisation in achieving its objectives Be forward looking Be challenging Ensure the right resources are available The responsibilities of council members is understood; training of members is carried out as necessary. The Audit Plan properly takes account of corporate risk. The precept is approved by the council annually in November/December. Internal Audit has reported in accordance with the plan. Planned Internal audit work is based on risk assessment and designed to meet the body s governance assurance needs. The annual audit plan demonstrates how audit work will provide assurance in relation to the body s annual governance statement Supportive role of audit for developments such as governance review, risk management and ethics (code of conduct). Demonstrated through positive Council responses to recommendations and follow up action where called for. When identifying risks and in formulating the annual audit plan, changes on national agenda are considered. Internal audit maintains awareness of new developments in the services, risk management and local government governance. Internal audit focuses on risks and encourages members to develop their own responses to risks, rather than relying solely on audit recommendations. The aim of this is to encourage greater ownership of the control environment. Adequate resource is made available for internal audit to complete its work. Internal auditor understands the body and the legal and corporate framework in which it operates (l) Dates for 2018 Council meetings The dates for the 2018 Council meetings were confirmed as : 8 th January, 8 th March, 30 th April (APM), 14 th May (AGM), 2 nd July, 3 rd September, 5 th November, 26 th November (Finance). The Council resolved to accept items 12.1 to Proposed Councillor Peter Johns, seconded Councillor Brenda Burridge, unanimous decision. Thanks were given to the Clerk for her hard work on the procedural items.

12 Clerk s report including correspondence received and action taken or required. There were no further items to report. Any Other Business Burgess Developments will be asked if there can be a gate from Garden Fields onto the playing field. The Conifer hedge by the footpath at Garden Fields is overgrown. Councillor Richard Balaam will report this. Date of next meeting The next Parish council meeting will be on Monday 3 rd July There being no further business the meeting finished at 9.30pm. RB...Sign & Date...Print name. CHAIRMAN Signed as confirmation that they are a true record.

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