Minutes of The Annual Meeting of Sawtry Parish Council held on May 13th2015
Present: CllrsRiddle, Morris, North, Laxton, Chisnall, Bacon, Day, Tuplin, Scott, Alexander, Rayson, Emerick, Custance, County Cllr Bywater, 20 members of the public (who left after the public forum) and the Clerk.69/15 / To elect the Chairman of the Council and to receive the Chairman’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office / Cllr Riddle was elected and signed the declaration of acceptance of office form.
Cllr Riddle thanked Cllr Morris for his hard work and support as vice chair over the last 12 months.
70/15 / To elect the Vice Chairman and to receive the Vice Chairman’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office / Cllr Emerick was elected.
71/15 / Co-option to fill casual vacancy / No-one put themselves forward.
72/15 / Apologies For Absence / District Cllr Tysoe
73/15 / To Sign And Approve Minutes Dated April 8th 2015 – attached / The minutes were approved and signed by Cllr Riddle.
74/15 / Matters Arising From Previous Minutes (for information only) / None
75/15 / Members’ Declaration Of Interest for items on the Agenda / None
76/15 / To approve and adopt amendment to item 7 of
Standing Orders for Sawtry Parish Council
(adopted 2007, amended 2007, 2011, 2012) –
amended April 2015 / The amendment was approved and adopted
77/15 / To approve and adopt the Financial Regulations for
Sawtry Parish Council – amended April
2015 / The amendments were approved and adopted.
78/15 / To appoint Councillors with Lead Responsibilities to
assist the Clerk in reviewing
the following policies:
- Health and Safety –
- Old School Hall and House
- Current Cemeteries
- Closed Churchyard
- Play Park
- Fire Safety
- Finance and Accounts
Deferred to next meeting
Cllr Tuplin
Cllr North
Cllr Rayson
Cllr Emerick (as Vice-Chair)
79/15 / To note the following annual reviews have been
completed:
- Staff Appraisals (February 2015)
- Fees, Hire Charges and Rents (February 2015)
- Assets Register, Insurance Schedule, Inventory (April 2015) – previously circulated
- Councillors Register of Interest (September 2014)
- Insurance (September 2014)
80/15 / Accounts:
1.Audit Commission Annual Return – Chairman and Clerk to sign Sections 1 & 2
2. To confirm Internal Auditor for 2015/16
3.To confirm cheque signatories – Cllrs Riddle, Morris, Rayson, Custance, Emerick and Tugwell
4.Summary of accounts to March 31st 2015 – previously circulated
5. Bank Balances at March 31st 2015 – previously circulated
6. To note next Internal Auditor visit – May 21st at 9.30am / 1. The completion of the form was agreed and then signed by the Chairman and the Clerk.
It was agreed to continue to use Jacquie Wilson of canalbs ltd.
3. It was agreed not to include Cllr Tugwell and to add Cllrs Laxton and Scott.
4. Noted
5. Noted
6. Noted – Cllr Emerick will attend with the Clerk
7. Cllr Alexander advised that he had carried out a check of the petty cash procedure on May 13th – all was in order.
81/15 / To agree committees for 2015/16 and their terms of reference – recommendations from Finance and General Purposes Committee April 22nd 2015:
That the committees for 2015/16 should be:
Planning
Amenities
Community
Finance and General Purposes.
The responsibilities of the Churches and Civic Committee be allocated to Amenities (cemeteries, closed churchyard), and Community (carol services, feast week, national celebrations, secular festivities).
The recommendations for terms of reference (taking into account the changes to the code of conduct in June 2014) are:
Planning:
The Committee has the authority to report on decisions on planning applications to the District Council without referral to Full Council.
All other items on planning and all other committees:
To deal with matters of the committee either referred from Full Council or that arise, and recommending a course of action to Full Council.
Each committee must refer recommendations and expenditure to the next Full Council meeting for approval.
Any urgent matter to be referred to the Chairman of the committee, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council and any two of these to deal direct with the matter in conjunction with the Clerk .
Non-councillors may be appointed to most committees by co-option. Co-opted members may speak during the meeting but do not have voting rights and are bound by the code of conduct.
A councillor who is not a member of the committee has the same rights to attend a meeting of the committee as a member of the public – ie they may only speak in the public forum part of the meeting.
A Councillor with a declarable interest is not permitted to speak during a public participation session. / The proposal to reduce the number of committees was defeated.
It was agreed to continue with the following committees:
Amenities
Churches and Civic
Community
Finance and General Purposes
Planning
The terms of reference were agreed as proposed.
Cllr Day wished it to be recorded that she did not agree that non-committee members could not participate in committees.
82/15 / To note the appointment in September 2014 of members to serve on the Staffing Panel – Cllrs Morris, Alexander, Laxton, Rayson, Emerick and the Clerk / The members were confirmed. It was noted that as Cllr Emerick is now the Vice-Chairman he will be chairing the committee.
83/15 / To appointment representatives on the under mentioned bodies as required:
- Sawtry Sports and Leisure Association
84/15 / To note the dates and times of ordinary meetings of the Council and Committees for the ensuing year – previously circulated / Noted.
It was stressed that all members should give notice of any non-attendance at committees as early as possible to ensure that all meetings are quorate and can go ahead.
Public forum – meeting suspended.
Representatives from the Sawtry Youth Project addressed the Council concerning play provision for 11 – 16 year olds in the village. They asked for the Council’s support. They are not asking for a financial contribution.
It was agreed to include an item on the agenda for the next Full Council to allow the Council to debate this proposal.
85/15 / To Receive Reports From Representatives
Of Outside Bodies
Sawtry Sports and Leisure Association
– Cllrs Tuplin/Chisnall
Sawtry Show – Cllr Tuplin
Sawtry Carnival – Cllr Emerick
Sawtry in Bloom – Cllr Rayson
District Council – Cllr Tysoe
District Council – Cllr Tuplin
County Council – Cllr Bywater / Cllr Chisnall – SSLA request that the Parish Council ask the Middle Level Drainage Board if they would agree to the part of the Black Horse drain that runs alongside the football pitch be filled in and a French drain constructed. It was agreed that the Clerk should contact Middle Level.
Cllr Tuplin – the schedules have now been produced.
Cllr Emerick – the Carnival Court has been selected. Cllr Riddle was thanked for her involvement. The Stilton Cheese Rolling event provided an opportunity to publicise the carnival. It is hoped that it will be an even bigger event this year. The final planning meeting will take place on Tuesday May 19th.
Cllr Rayson – the volunteers who plant up the village signs and planters are feeling demoralised due to some planters having feature plants removed. The latest occasion was the topiary in the planter in Gidding Road – a replacement would cost in the region of £80. Therefore the group have agreed only to plant bedding plants.
A request for the west side of Gidding Road between the roundabout and the traffic calming fence to be cut to match the other side of the road was agreed.
Cllr Tysoe was not present.
Cllr Tuplin – there are some changes of Councillors following the elections.
Cllr Bywater – congratulations to Cllr Riddle and to Cllr Emerick on their elections. Also thanks to Cllr Morris for the last year.
A report will be going to the Children’s and Young Persons Committee recommending that children from the new house on Alconbury Weald are provided with free buses to Sawtry Academy until the senior school is built at Alconbury Weald (expected to be completed in 2022). The developers would pay for the bus.
Cllr Bywater left the meeting.
86/15 / To Receive The Chairman’s Report / Cllr Riddle attended the British Legion service at All Saints Church on May 8th and laid a wreath on behalf of the Parish Council.
On 24th April she was on the panel to choose this year’s Carnival Court. Cllr Emerick was thanked for looking after her at the event.
On 13th May Cllr Riddle took part in the Police Community Action Day held at the Old School Hall.
87/15 / To Receive And In So Far As Required, Ratify Recommendations Contained In The Minutes Of The Following Committees (attached to this Agenda as listed)
Amenities / April 15th – minutes attached.
The following proposals were put forward for Full Council approval:
KIckwall - That the HAGS/SMP quote of £5132 is accepted. A quote for a 3G surface in the goal area to be sought and included in the installation. The remainder of the £12,500 allocated to this project to be put into the protected budget for further equipment in the future.
(Note – quotes for surface now received from HAGS/SMP – Tarmac (£8651), Grassmat tiles (£475), 3G surfacing (£8616) – attached)
It was agreed to the purchase of the kickwall at £5132 and to a 3G surface at a cost of £8616 – both to be supplied by HAGS/SMP.
That the repairs to the large gate at the dog exercise field should be carried out by the Caretakers – the Clerk advised that the gate was beyond repair and would need to be replaced. It was agreed that the Clerk would source quotes for a replacement.
That Wicksteed be contracted to carry out the annual play park assessment at a cost of £60 – this was agreed.
Churches and Civic / No meeting
Community / No meeting
Finance and General Purposes / April 22nd – minutes attached.
The following proposals were put forward for Full Council approval:
Tenancy Agreement for Regular Users – Amended agreement attached for approval at Full Council – approved.
Hourly rate for regular users – That the hourly hire charges would apply to all hirers. Regular users will continue to receive 10% discount – approved.
Old School Hall – Front Door – That the door is replaced. The Clerk to seek three quotes. To be funded from the protected refurbishment budget – approved.
Schoolroom flooring – That the replacement of the flooring is approved in principal. The Clerk to research the costs of the various options available. The new flooring should not be carpet, should be hard wearing, easy to clean and resistant to stiletto heels – approved.
Replacement of plastic chairs in Schoolroom – That 30 chairs are purchased from Furniture at Work at a cost of £20 each to match the chairs in the Main Hall. The current plastic chairs to be stored for use at outside events. To be funded from the protected refurbishment budget – approved.
Replacement of boilers in Old School Hall – That the Clerk should contact a local plumber to provide a specification to replace the boilers in the Old School Hall for which they would pay. To be funded from the protected refurbishment budget – approved. To be received in time for approval at next Full Council.
Old School House, Front Door – that the door is replaced. The Clerk to seek three quotes – approved.
Garage on the Green Tenancy Agreement – Amended agreement attached for approval at Full Council – approved.
Cemetery Software Package – that the package is purchased from Scribe 2000 Ltd at a cost of £145 per annum. The paper system to be continued to run alongside the electronic version – approved.
The storage of paperwork and records relating to staff – That confidential paperwork will not be stored outside of the Parish Council office. Confidential papers will be returned to the Clerk at the end of the meeting to which they refer – approved. It was confirmed that confidential papers are stored in a locked cabinet.
That the Clerk attend:
Regional conference in Kettering (52 miles total) – August 19th – cost £69 if booked before July 22nd, then £79)
Training day at Huntingdon on VAT – June 30th – cost £75
Both events were approved.
Health and Safety – Risk Assessments – the Clerk reported that all risk assessments had been carried out and action plans drawn up where required. Councillors with lead responsibilities will be contacted by the Clerk to go through their relevant risk assessments and to agree a timescale for the action plans.
To consider S137 donation to the Royal British Legion for a VE Day wreath – it was agreed to make a donation of £25.
To consider purchase of logos for Parish Van and street Furniture – it was agreed to accept the quote from HDC of £369.09 for 50 signs for street furniture and £47.31 for 2 adhesive signs for the sides of the Parish Van.
Planning / April 22nd – minutes attached.
May 13th – minutes attached. It was agreed to include an item on the next Planning agenda to consider representation to the government regarding planning application approvals in Sawtry.
88/15 / Changes to committee membership / Cllr Morris to be on all committees.
89/15 / To Approve Payment and signing of cheques / Cllrs Custanceand Rayson confirmed cheque payments corresponded with invoices. Payments were approved.
Cheque
No / Invoice No / Budget Heading / To / Amount / NET / VAT
305877 / 755 / Pension Conts / CCC Pension Fund / 2010.25 / 2010.25 / 0.00
305878 / 756 / Tax & NI / HMRC / 967.05 / 967.05 / 0.00
305879
-
305883 / 757 –
761 / Salary/Wages for 5 members of staff / Admin / 4232.33 / 4232.33 / 0.00
305884 / 762 / Youth Club / Cambridgeshire County Council / 1515.46 / 1262.88 / 252.58
305885 / 763 / Village Maint / Portland Polybag Supplies / 661.25 / 551.04 / 110.21
305886 / 764 / Property Maint / S G Electrical Services / 78.00 / 65.00 / 13.00
305887 / 765 / SLCC Membership – Asst Clerk / The Society of Local Council Clerks / 118.00 / 118.00 / 0.00
305888 / 766 / Property Maint / G B Heating & Plumbing Services / 112.20 / 93.50 / 18.70
305889 / 767 / Office Expenses (Cllr ID Badges) / Huntingdonshire District Council / 39.30 / 32.75 / 6.55
305890 / 768 / Carnival Account / Harmony Majorettes / 30.00 / 30.00 / 0.00
TOTAL / 9763.84 / 9362.80 / 401.04
90/15 / To Note Direct Debit Payments:
British Gas - £199.03 (electricity Old School House)
HDC – £64 – Rates, St Andrews / Noted
91/15 / Correspondence:
For referral:
- Local Council Public Advisory Service membership – F & GP
- From resident – complimenting new grass contractors
- Co-op bank – changes to accounts
- From Fisher German re the Sale of the Government Pipelines and Storage Systems (GPSS)
- Sawtry Sports and Leisure Association – minutes 13th April 2015
- Notification of cancellation of Fairtrade Village Status
- Came & Co – Spring 2015
- A P Partnership – April 2015
- Clerks & Councils Direct – May 2015
92/15 / Exclusion Of Press & Public - To Resolve:
That the press and public be excluded from the meeting because the business to be transacted contains sensitive information. / Resolved
93/15 / Verbal report from Community Centre Working Party on meeting held with the County Council on April 28th / Cllrs Riddle and Emerick reported on the meeting. It was agreed to arrange a meeting as soon as possible of the working party to consider a response to the items raised by the County Council at the meeting on April 28th. Cllr Morris to continue as chair of the working party.
94/15 / Next Meeting / June 10th 2015 at 7.30pm
Appendix 1 – Minutes of a meeting of the Amenities Committee held on April 15th 2015
Prior to the meeting four representatives from the Sawtry Youth Project addressed the meeting.
The project have set themselves up as a community group with a constitution and bank account. The aim of the project is to actively involve and positively engage people aged 11 – 17 within our community. Following consultation with students at Sawtry College they are aiming to raise funds to provide a skate park, multi-use sports area or similar at St Judith’s Field. They ask that Sawtry Parish Council will work with them in this aim. To date they have raised over £3,000.
Present: Cllrs Riddle, Tuplin, Newton, 1 member of the public and the Clerk.1 / Apologies for absence / Cllrs Rayson and Laxton
2 / Minutes of last meeting / February 18th – already approved at Full Council
3 / Matters arising from previous minutes / None
4 / Members Declaration of Interest / None
5 / Sawtry Sports and Leisure:
5.1 Minutes of meeting March 9th 2015 – attached
5.2 To note invoice for May 15/April16 has been sent / 5.1 The minutes were noted. Cllr Tuplin advised that a meeting had been held on April 13th and SSLA are investigating the possibility of taking advantage of a FA and ECB initiative to provide grounds maintenance at reduced costs. If the work is carried out Fertiliser costs in the autumn could be reduced.
6 / Allotments – verbal update – the Clerk / The Clerk confirmed that all allocated allotments are being worked. There is one half plot still unallocated.
7 / Village – Green Spaces, Play areas and Maintenance
7.1 To agree contractor to supply kickwall
7.2 Large gate at dog exercise field needing repair
7.3 To approve Wicksteed to carry out annual playground inspection and risk assessment – total cost £60 / 7.1 Quotes from Park Leisure, Sovereign and HAG/SMP were considered.
Proposal to Full Council:
That the HAGS/SMP quote of £5132 is accepted. A quote for a 3G surface in the goal area to be sought and included in the installation. The remainder of the £12,500 allocated to this project to be put into the protected budget for further equipment in the future.
7.2 The committee agreed that the repairs to the large gate at the dog exercise field should be carried out by the Caretakers.
7.3 It was proposed that Wicksteed be contracted to carry out the annual play park assessment at a cost of £60.
8 / Sawtry in Bloom update / No update
9 / Tree Warden update / No update
10 / Financial Report / Noted – filed separately
11 / Notices and Correspondence / None
12 / Date of next meeting / June 17th at 7.00pm
Appendix 2
Minutes of a meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee held on April 22nd 2015
Present: Cllrs Riddle, Morris, Alexander, Day (for the start of the meeting)1 / Apologies For Absence / Cllrs Laxton, Rayson
2 / Minutes of Last Meeting / February 25th – approved at Full Council
3 / Matters Arising From Previous Minutes (for information only) / The Clerk reminded the committee about the amendment at Full Council to item 6.6 – the burial fees would increase by 50p for costs up to £50, by £1 for costs up to £100, equivalent to approximately 1%.