DOWNEND AND BROMLEY HEATH PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES SUB COMMITTEE

Transcription

1 DOWNEND AND BROMLEY HEATH PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES SUB COMMITTEE MEETING HELD AT Parish Office, Downend Library, Buckingham Gardens, Downend, Bristol BS16 5TW on 9 June 2017 Present: Councillors:- Officer:- Janet Biggin, Ben Burton, Sheila Ottewell and Martyn Poole. Angela Hocking Please Note - All items detailed below are recommendations from the Finance & General Purposes Sub Committee, for authorisation by a meeting of Full Council. 1. Election of Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee Cllr Ben Burton was nominated, seconded and elected unopposed. RESOLVED Councillor Ben Burton will serve as Chairman of Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council s Finance & General Purposes Committee for 2017/ Apologies for absence Received from Cllr Kathy Morris and Cllr James Griffiths. 3. Request for Dispensations Received from Cllr Ben Burton in relation to item 8.1 (Lock Stuck and Barrels). 4. Confirmation of Minutes of Meeting held 11 May 2017 The Minutes were AGREED as a true and accurate record, and signed by the Chair. 5. Matters Arising Page 2 re. Hill House Park, SGC confirm that the S106 contributions are available and relate to planning application PK06/1169/R30 former Downend Lower School - contribution towards the cost of enhancing the adjacent public open space area to offset increased demand on community facilities. There is not a claw back date set in the S106. It is apparent that a meeting will be taking place with the Head of Property Services and Director on 22 June to discuss the future of the Park. Page 3 metal cabinet has been ordered for the pavilion costing exc. VAT. Page 3 - Clerk met with representatives from the Downend Round Table who explained more about the fireworks event on 3 November and procedures adopted with South Glos. Council in the past. In summary:- - Round Table arrive on site around 8am on Thursday 2 November - Depart from site by midday on Saturday 4 November - Security is provided throughout this time and overnight 1

2 - Stalls D&BH PC may wish to consider having a presence at this year s event - Round Table will copy D&BH PC on all correspondence, ie, risk assessment, health & safety, event notification etc. - Bins to be emptied the day before (Prestige additional charge) - Members of Parish Council and Friends Group to assess matters for reinstatement on the Monday following the event (5 November) - After the assessment, mud to be cleared from pathways (Prestige), clearing up from the bonfire (Prestige), reinstatement of pitches (Prestige) additional charges. - One item brought to light was the need to have some aggregate laid on the path to the side of the play area. AGREED Clerk to discuss with Prestige Grounds. Page 4 Resident has been tracked down in relation to possible sponsorship for a defibrillator. Page 4 - Community Plan will be a specific item on the agenda for the 2018 Annual Assembly, asking residents to agree to the formal dissolution of the group and that any remaining funds are handed over to the Parish Council towards a new defibrillator. Page 5 Cllr Biggin has passed the Parish Champion Certificate to Graeme Riley s widow. 6. Review of the format and membership of F&GP Committee (as per Council Minutes 153.6) As raised by Cllr Poole, members discussed the current format and membership of F&GP. Cllr Burton proposed that the committee should limit discussions to purely financial matters only, ie, looking at budgets in accordance with the Business Plan. The standard proposal form, as previously agreed, should be completed and subsequently assessed by the committee as to the financial viability of the project. This will then be taken to full Council for agreement / further investigation. With effect from September, meetings of the Finance & General Purposes Committee should be held during the first week of the month. This will enable any documentation to be copied to full Council during the second week, in time for the full Council meeting during the third week. All Finance documentation will be printed on coloured paper for ease of reference. Cllr Poole reiterated that F&GP should spend time reviewing all grant applications received in the first instance, to enable an informed recommendation to be made to full Council. Members discussed analysing each application with a scoring / ranking system, subsequently providing an overview of each application to full Council with F&GP s recommendation. AGREED Cllr Burton will prepare a simple flow chart to take to full Council in this regard. AGREED that F&GP Committee agendas should be circulated to all members of the Parish Council as all are welcome to attend. 2

3 NB only members of the committee are entitled to vote. 7. Downend Innovation Transformation request from Downend School As requested by F&GP, Nick Smith has provided additional information about the project, which was outlined to members. After discussion, AGREED to recommend to full Council that a donation of 650 should be awarded towards this project. 8. Localism / Sports Pitches update - Re. Bromley Heath Pavilion - Cleeve Hill Tennis Club has stated that the door to the main pavilion doesn t seem to shut properly and the padlock has to be used to secure it. Clerk has checked the door, which is totally secure when used with the padlock and there are additional gates in front of the door, again secured with a padlock. Noted. 8.1 Quotations for emergency assistance Despite numerous calls and s to various contractors, quotations for emergency call-outs have been received from: Gary Smart Electrical - PPS Maintenance & Renovation Services LLP - MDW Services Clerk clarified the charges for each contractor and explained that she currently calls the South Glos Handyman service for day to day problems, whose recent labour charge for works to the pavilion was 90. In addition, Lock Stuck and Barrels have provided an efficient, first class work when repairs were required to the locks and Badminton Road pavilion. AGREED to seek clarification from PPS Maintenance & Renovation Services about call out costs for out of hours work. AGREED, subject to ratification of the above, to recommend to full Council that PPS Maintenance & Renovation Services are used in case of an emergency at the pavilions. AGREED to employ the services of Lock Stuck and Barrels in the event of lock failure. 8.2 Hire charges for events Clerk has sought clarification from SGC who confirmed the 2016 charges as follows:- - C in the Park (charity) - Round Table Firework Display reinstatement costs of 280 (charity) - Heathfest 145 D&BH PC are not obliged to keep to the same pricing structure. After discussion, AGREED that hire charges for charity events should be the same as that charged for the cricket users, ie, AGREED that the hire charge for Heathfest remains unaltered at

4 AGREED that a deposit of 150 will be required upon collection of the key, which will be returned after the event if no reinstatement costs are considered necessary. Any costs incurred will be deducted from the deposit. In addition, enquiry has been received for an Elf Hunt in December. AGREED to provisionally accept the event, with further discussions later in the year. 8.3 Review of Sports Pitch Regulations (Cricket) Clerk circulated amended draft regulations to members for consideration. AGREED that invoices for payment should be submitted via Openplay twice each year, in line with SGC. Wording to be amended slightly to or as specified on the invoice sent. AGREED that one-off users should be invoiced immediately. AGREED to put the regulations on the Openplay site. 8.4 Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance Stripe is the payment processor connected with the on-line booking system for the sports pitches. To satisfy the requirements of PCI a compliance questionnaire needs to be completed and validated. AGREED that Clerk and Chair will action and bring to Council for approval. 8.5 Repainting of Tennis Courts at Bromley Heath Playing Fields Request has been made from the user groups to have the white lines repainted. Prestige can only recommend one company to implement the work Avon Road Mark Ltd. Clerk has subsequently requested a quotation which has totalled 380. AGREED in principle to proceed with the repainting. ACTION - Clerk will obtain Landlords consent. ACTION Clerk to obtain information from Cleeve Hill Tennis Club as to who they engage to paint their white lines. 9. Review of D&BH PC Financial Regulations, to include emergency procedures, as agreed at full Council May 2017 Clerk referred members to Financial Regulations no. 4.1 in relation to budgetary control and authority to spend. AGREED to incorporate an additional bullet point under 4.1 to read as follows Clerk, Chair or Vice Chair for any items up to VAT in emergencies to mitigate further damage or to secure premises that the parish council is responsible for. It should also be noted that Chair and Vice Chair, in addition to the Clerk, will have access to both Open Play and Stripe websites to ensure financial compliance and disaster recovery procedures. AGREED to amend Financial Regulations, as detailed. 4

5 10. D&BH in Bloom Asset update Clerk circulated the updated Asset Register and accompanying map from D&BH in Bloom. Noted. 11. Benchmarking of Parish Council from ALCA:- ALCA estimate, using the NALC / ALCA Local Councils benchmarking system and also taking into account factors such as precept, assets, population, level of service delivery, additional staff support, pension arrangements and a regional salary comparison is: Clerk to Downend and Bromley Heath Parish Council, which includes the RFO role, in the region of SCP 37-41, if qualified (35-39 unqualified). However, what is apparent from the exercise is that more than the average 40 hours per week of staff time would be required to undertake the responsibilities outlined in the survey, if the Parish Council aspires to deliver a good quality service to the community. As an estimation I would expect the combined work hours of Officers to Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council to be in the region of 55 and 65 staff hours per week. This estimation is for guidance only and it is the responsibility of Downend and Bromley Heath Parish Council to ensure they adopt what they consider to be fair working practice for their employees. AGREED Cllr Burton will prepare a paper for debate at full Council in July. 12. Defibrillator proposed way forward Cllr Griffiths wishes to move forward with purchasing two defibrillators as two sites have been identified Quakers Road and Cleeve Wood shops. Clerk has contacted AED Locator from whom the first defibrillator was purchased by D&BH PC after much research and consultation. AED Locator have now reduced their prices and for the same defib and associated cabinet, signage etc, the total cost is now If three or more defibs are bought there is a further 5% discount. In view of our original purchase, AED are willing to let the discount apply to a further two defibs, totalling 3, The Business Plan allows one defibrillator to be purchased each year. AGREED in principle to proceed. ACTION - Defibrillator Working Group should move this project forward by contacting the lady who initially agreed to sponsor a defibrillator, and to seek contributions from the local shop keepers / pub in Quakers Road. 13. Petty Cash Current balance AGREED to authorise an additional 15. 5

6 14. Bank reconciliation (see Financial Regs 2.2) Cllr Ottewell agreed to sign the bank reconciliations and bank statements as evidence of verification. 15. Payments for authorisation Payments to be ratified by full Council on 15 June. 16. Any other business Cllr Biggin advised that the Friends of Page Park have been awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. Cllr Biggin will also be officially opening the roundabout in Downend on 17 June. Clerk outlined a request from the Friends of Lincombe Barn to have the Britannia memorial plaque refurbished. In addition, Clerk has noticed that the plaque for Jenny Jones is in need of cleaning. Following agreement from Cllr Poole, AGREED that Man and His Tools will implement the works. Clerk confirmed that Cllr James Griffiths has been booked on the ALCA training Chairmanship Skills on 22 June, cost 50. AGREED & NOTED. Plant a Tree Charter Legacy Tree In celebration of the launch of the new Tree Charter on 6 November 2017, 800 Legacy Trees will be planted across the UK. Legacy Trees will be accompanied by a small plaque about the Tree Charter. It is hoped that these trees will ensure the principles of the Tree Charter are continued well beyond A portion of Legacy Trees have been reserved for local councils who contribute to the Tree Charter by becoming local council Charter Branches. Level of involvement is up to individual councils. Noted. Clerk outlined information received from Scribe Accounts a software system built specifically for Parish and Town Councils designed to mirror actual actions, day to day functions and reporting demands, whereby documents, budgeting, multi-level reporting and the end of year structure are all ready to go. 17. Date and time of next F&GP Committee meetings Thursday 27 July, 9.30am in the Parish Office Thursday 7 September, 9.30am in the Parish Office Chairman: Date: 6