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REPORT ON A MEETING OF THE POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE HELD AT 7.00PM ON TUESDAY 8TH APRIL 2014 IN THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS, THORNE.
Present: Cllr. M. Houlbrook(Chair)
Cllrs. D.Barton, C.Blackham, J.Blackham, L G.Derx, R.S.Durant, S J.Durant, A.Farrand, R.Porter, R.Powell, R.Walker and M.Williams.
There were six members of the public present.
2592. APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from:
Cllr. A.Brookes – Personal.
Cllr. A.Jones – Personal.
2593. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATIONS
None.
2594. PRESENTATION
Caroline Temperton and Emma Black from Doncaster MBC’s Public Health Department gave a short presentation on the Public Health Transition and explained what it meant for the residents of Doncaster.
2595. MINUTES
Consideration was given to signing the minutes of the Planning and Amenities meeting held on Tuesday 19th March 2014, pages 4160 – 4166.
RESOLVED: That the minutes be signed.
2596. MATTERS RAISED BY THE PUBLIC
There were no issues raised by Members of the Public present.
2597. PLANNING APPLICATIONS
i) 14/00622/FUL
Erection of a pair of semi-detached houses on approx. 0.04ha of land with associated car parking and formation of new vehicular access (being resubmission of application withdrawn under ref: 14/00003/FUL on 12.3.14) on land adjacent 39 Orchard Street. Thorne for Mr Simpson.
RESOLVED: That observations in relation to levels of traffic and the parking arrangement for customers of The Canal Tavern.
ii) 14/0619/3FUL
Erection of single storey kitchen extension (approx. 2.6m x 5.95m) (being application under Regulation 3 Town and Country Planning (General) Regulations 1992) at King Edward Road Primary SchoolRESOLVED: No observations.
iii) 14/00404/LBC
Listed building consent for replacement of windows to front and side elevations at 44A King Street, Thorne for Mr Simon Houghton.
RESOLVED: No observations.
iv) 14/00666/OUT
Outline application for the erection of 2 residential properties and associated infrastructure on approx. 0.14ha of land (all matters reserved) on land to rear of Rosedene, Coulman Street, Thorne for Mr S. Pattrick.
Councillors asked that the outcome of this application be reported back at a future meeting.
RESOLVED: That an objection be raised due the access egress being unsuitable.
v) 14/00687/FULCreation of new access at Nunmoor Farm, High Bridge Road, Thorne for Mr A. Temperton.
RESOLVED: No observations.
vi) 14/00725/FUL
Infilling of external door opening adjacent to public footpath and removal of ramp at Community Centre, Moorends for Thorne-Moorends Town Council.
RESOLVED: No observations.
2598. FINANCIAL REPORT
Consideration was given to the financial report to the end of month 11. The Clerk said that expenditure was within budget and that he would do a full review at the next meeting.
A vote was taken with 2 people voting against the report being noted whilst the remaining Councillors were in favour.
RESOLVED: That the report be noted.
2599. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
Consideration was given to the Accounts Payable to the Accounts Payable to 30th June2013.
RESOLVED: That the accounts payable be approved.
2600. USE OF ELECTRONIC BANKING
The Clerk reported that the Legislative Reform (Payments by Parish Councils, Community Councils and Charter Trustees) Order 2014 came into effect on 12th March 2014 explaining that this repeals the statutory requirement for 2 elected members to sign cheques and other orders for payment, opening the way for the use of electronic banking and credit/ debit cards.
He reported that NALC have issued guidance on this change which remind Councils of the importance of retaining financial controls regardless of the methods of payment. Some revised model Financial Regulations have also been produced for Councils which wish to utilise electronic Banking.
The Clerk said that whilst this provides the opportunity for changes to current arrangements there is no requirement for changes to be made. The current relevant paragraphs in the Financial regulations are as follows:
· A schedule of the payments due/ made, forming part of the Agenda for the Meeting, shall be prepared by the RFO and be presented to Council/ Committee
· Cheques drawn on the bank account in accordance shall be signed by two members of Council and countersigned by the Clerk (or a staff member delegated by the Clerk).
Consideration
The Clerk reported that in principle this repeal is an opportunity to improve the efficiency of the Council payments systems, allowing the use of BACS and internet payments. He said that he had explored it further and that there are 2 main areas to consider – Banking arrangements, and Financial Regulations.
1. Banking – the Clerk said that he had discussed this with Business Banking at NatWest our current Bank. At the moment it is not possible to set up the Account online requiring that any changes are signed off by more than one person. In addition the person(s) with authorised access can make unlimited changes without additional authority. In addition a read only arrangement is also not possible at the moment.
2. Financial Regulations – NALC have drafted some model Financial Regulations which are intended for consideration by Councils who wish to use electronic banking. These identify the necessary checks and balances needed to introduce such a system. In terms of making payments 4 paragraphs in the current regulations are replaced by 21 paragraphs. In some circumstances the suggested payment arrangements could be more complex rather than simpler.
The proposals would appear to largely match arrangements made for payments by Principal Authorities who now make the majority of payments electronically. The Clerk said that he is satisfied that in principle the system could work within the Town Council. However he said that he had concerns. The inability of the current systems to allow multiple signatures puts a lot of responsibility on a small number of staff, and means that Councillor involvement becomes more remote.
The introduction of electronic banking has merits, but also has risks. The Clerk proposed that no changes are made at this point, but that the situation is reviewed in the light of practice in other Councils, and if a suitable Bank Account is introduced.
RESOLVED: That that the Financial regulations remain unchanged but kept under review.
2601. SPORTS PITCH CHARGES
The Clerk reported that at the Planning and Amenities Committee on 28th January 2014 it was agreed to amend the charging policy for Sports Pitches to be as follows:
Pitch Charges –£35 including VAT (Junior Pitch £17.50 plus VAT)
Season Charges – these are at a rate of 11 times the basic charge (inclusive of any discounts), for up to 14 games. These would be for single teams, non-transferable, booked and invoiced in advance, though payment can be in instalments. Date changes would be permitted.
Discounts – reductions would be made on the following basis (maximum 50%):
Changing room not required – 25%
Marking own pitch – 15%
Grass cutting/ pitch maintenance – 25%
Building maintenance – 25%
Following the circulation of these charges a number of representations had been received from clubs where it had previously been agreed not to charge due to their contribution towards pitch maintenance etc. Issues raised include:
1. The arrangement does not fully allow for work undertaken by some clubs (especially at Moorends Welfare) in helping the Council to improve facilities.
2. Discount should be allowed for the poor condition of the changing rooms at Moorends Welfare. It was hoped that improvements would be carried out this year using an “Inspired Facilities” grant. Unfortunately this was not successful, though the Council has been encouraged to resubmit. The next round of funding will not be considered until the autumn.
3. The 50% limit is arbitrary.
The Clerk said that the Council must consider the balance between income generation and the need to encourage sports activities when it considers charges. Due to current free provision income is limited. He said that a number of the clubs were facing difficulties at the moment particularly with adult participation. Notwithstanding this some clubs, particularly in Moorends have made a considerable contribution to the development of facilities with a view to increasing participation.
The Clerk suggested that should the Council wish to respond to the comments received from the clubs this can be done by supplementing rather than replacing the agreed policy.
RESOLVED: That:
· The limit on the maximum amount of discount available.
· That there be a 20% discount in Moorends to recognise the poor quality of the current facility, this to be withdrawn once the premises are refurbished.
· A discretionary discount of up to 50% to recognise contributions for improvements to the facilities that have been achieved by the club. Clubs would need to apply for this on an annual basis prior to the start of each season. Decisions would be made by the Clerk in consultation with the Chair and vice Chair of Planning and Amenities Committee, and would be based on an assessment of the saving to the Town Council over the previous 12 months. If introduced this would replace the building maintenance discount indicated above.
2602. FOOD BANK
The Clerk reported that in February he had been approached by a group of volunteers who wished to use Council premises for Food Bank use. The group already had offers of food and were keen to provide the service immediately. The request was for storage space and a distribution area which could be used flexibly by the Group. Generally there is a lack of storage space in the Council buildings, and the only building identified with a store room was the Community Centre.
The group had initially requested use of the Coulman Bungalow. The Council have agreed to dispose of this building.
Under normal circumstances buildings are hired out with groups paying the room hire fee agreed by Council, and the Council does not get involved in the running of the activities. The Food Bank Group are newly established and advised that they were not yet in a position to pay the room hire charges.
The Clerk reported that, in view of the nature of the activity and the ability of the group to offer an immediate service he had agreed a trial period (in consultation with the Chair and vice Chair of Planning and Amenities Committee), with the following conditions:
· The Food Bank could use the Moorends Community Centre at no charge for a trial period from 3rd March 2014 to 7th April 2014. This was to allow the Food bank to become established and its sustainability to be assessed.
· All sessions using the Community Centre Hall must be booked using the standard casual hire booking forms. The caretaker will open and close the building for these sessions.
· The Group would be provided with a key for a lockable storage unit within the Centre and must liaise with the caretaker for access to this space if needed outside booked times.
· The group must provide the Clerk with a written report on progress by Tuesday 1st April to enable him to take a report to the Policy and Resources Committee meeting the following week.
· To ensure consistency between building users he said that he would anticipate that usage of the building would become chargeable in the future. The current rate for community users being £6 per hour.
The Clerk said that a report has been produced by the Group that included the following:
a. The Food Bank has been available on a Wednesday and Friday during the trial period, and a small number of “crisis” bags have been made available via CAB.
b. There had been 7 sessions to date with a total of 89 people attending. The Group consider that there are 32 regular attendees of whom 3 are retired, 19 unemployed, 6 working, and 1 on sickness benefits. They estimate that they have fed 55 children in 3 weeks.
c. Concerns about the adequacy of the storage area, and operational difficulties due to the building opening arrangements.
d. No indication of future requirements or arrangements.
Consideration
The Clerk said that under the current economic climate the demand for Food banks has been growing nationally. The initiative shown by the Food Bank group is to be welcomed, and it is appropriate for the Council to support its initial development whilst they seek financial support
The Clerk said that it had to be recognised that other groups who provide social need, use Council buildings and pay for the facility. It is important to be even handed.
The Group’s report provides information regarding current activity, but fails to address the longer term vision of the group. There are a number of issues that the Council will need information on including:
· More information on beneficiaries, particularly in terms of whether they are Thorne/ Moorends residents
· Information on the operation of the Food bank, including how people are identified and arrangements for handling and managing the food. Whilst this is principally a matter for the Group the Council will be questioned by other residents on this issue.
· How they see the group developing going forward
· Arrangements for payment for Council facilities.
The Clerk said that detailed discussions will be needed on these issues which he suggested should involve the Chairs and Vice Chairs of Policy and Resources and Planning and Amenities. In addition the Group has been operating for a relatively short period and suggested that the trial period be extended to May to ensure that a full report can be prepared for Council consideration.
RESOLVED: That
1. The Food Bank trial period be extended to 13th May 2014
2. A meeting be arranged between the Food Bank Group and the Chairs and Vice Chairs of Policy and Resources and Planning and Amenities Committees to discuss current and future operation of the Food Bank.
3. A detailed report on the future of the Food Bank be considered at the Council meeting on 13th May 2014.
End of meeting
JG/C:/P+R 8.4.14