Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 16 June 2010
at the Kings Worthy Community Centre, Fraser Road, Kings Worthy
Present:
Councillors:
Malcolm Prince [Chairman]
Bob Barnes
Ian Gordon
Peter Warrener
Sarah White
Clerk/Finance Officer:
Colin Arnett
Public: 1
F/10/58 Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Bohle. Cllr Welstead did not attend.
F/10/59 Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman
Cllr Prince was proposed as committee chairman by Cllr White and seconded by Cllr Barnes. All members voted in favour.
Cllr Prince thanked members for their support and looked forward to working with them.
Members agreed that the appointment of a vice-chairman be deferred to the next meeting. Action – the clerk
F/10/60 Public Question Time
None
F/10/61 Minutes of the Meeting held on the 12 May 2010
The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting and were signed by Cllr Price.
F/10/62 Matters Arising from the Minutes of 12 May 2010
F/10/52 - Accounting System – Members approved a quotation of £175.25 per month for Active Accounting to assist with book-keeping until a deputy clerk is appointed. This would involve two visits each month. Funding would come from the vacant post.
F/10/62 Matters Arising from the Minutes of 12 May 2010
Cllr Prince asked to be included in any training which would help him understand how the system worked. It was further suggested that all councillors should have some kind of training to ensure that they also understood how the figures were calculated.
F/10/54 – Insurance Policy – the internal auditor was now recommending that the fidelity cover be increased to £200K. The clerk is to process the proposal form with Allianz Insurance for a quotation. Action – the clerk
F/10/54 – Website – Funding for the website will be discussed in due course by the new committee. Cllr Gordon expressed his concerns that Headbourne Worthy PC were agreeing to fund enhancements without consulting Kings Worthy.
Election costs – the clerk reported that he had yet to receive any notification from WCC as to the costs to the PC. It was pointed out that this would not be received until 28 days had elapsed from the date of the election.
F/10/63 Cheque Signatories
The clerk shared with members that three signatures were required on each cheque; that of the clerk and two councillors.
The three councillors that had not been re-elected were cheque signatories, so it was necessary to appoint new signatories.
It was agreed that Cllrs White, Prince and Gordon should be signatories. The clerk issued the new signatories with the related forms to take to NatWest bank. A copy of the minutes would also be required to allow NatWest to process their authority.
F/10/64 Project Updates
Open Space Funding – the clerk shared with members the latest figures from WCC. There was a deficit of £19,888.21 on play facilities, but a surplus on sports facilities of £44,885.52 which gave a balance of £24,997.31. Headbourne Worthy PC have agreed that their sports balance of £8,491.41 could contribute towards the all-weather pitch at Eversley Park. Cllr Gordon explained that WCC do not share details of where the funding originates, nor if it is allocated for any specific project.
F/10/65 Audit Commission Annual Return
The clerk circulated a summary of the end of year accounts together with the accounting statement which is part of the Audit Commission Annual Return. Both sets of accounts had been approved by the auditor.
Cllr Gordon proposed and Cllr Warrener seconded that the accounts be adopted. All members accepted the proposal allowing for the accounts to be ratified at the next meeting of the PC.
Members all agreed that positive responses be entered into the Annual Governance Statement. This was proposed by Cllr Warrener and seconded by Cllr Gordon and all agreed that it should similarly be ratified at the next PC meeting.
The clerk highlighted the Risk Management Assessment which needs to be completed in this financial year. It was agreed that two councillors should be involved. A decision was postponed to the next meeting. Action – the clerk
F/10/66 To Receive Statement of Accounts
The clerk circulated the management and activity reports for April [revised] and May 2010.
Members asked that in future they be circulated a minimum of three days prior to the meeting. The representative from Active Accounting indicated that the bank statements at present are only sent to the office once a month. She suggested that we ask that the statements be received more regularly to enable the clerk to facilitate this. Action – the clerk
F/10/67 RFO’s and Clerk’s Notices
Byelaws – the clerk had received a quotation from our solicitors to process the introduction of new bylaws for all of our recreation areas. There was a lengthy debate with members asking if this figure was likely to be any higher. The email from the solicitors brought into question Church Green. Members asked the clerk to confirm that Church Green had been properly registered and that the council would be receiving no further accounts on this matter.
Members also requested that the clerk clarify with the solicitors that the quotation was to be the maximum cost and whether the costs could be less than that quoted. Action – the clerk
It was also suggested that a draft listing of the byelaws be considered by the R&A Committee. Action – the clerk
F/10/68 Chairman’s Notices
Annual Leave – Cllr White expressed her concerns that the clerk was unable to schedule any annual leave due to the non-appointment of a Deputy Clerk.
Members asked that the option of a relief clerk be explored. Action – the clerk
Cllr Gordon offered to provide such cover. The clerk was asked to investigate the appropriateness of such an arrangement. Action – the clerk
F/10/69 To Authorise Invoices for Payment
The clerk outlined the invoices due for payment and although members agreed the listing, the cheques could not be signed due to the non-availability of cheque signatories.
F/10/70 Date of next meeting
The next meeting was scheduled at 9.30am on the 14 July 2010
The meeting closed at 11.08am
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