A finance meeting to discuss Parish Council accounts in advance of the full May Parish Council meeting was held on Tuesday 10th May 2011

at 7.30 pm, Mawson Room, Winscombe Community Centre.

 

Councillors Present: Mrs. M Ballard (MBa), Mr. N Bentley (NB), Mrs. A Brading (ABr), Mr. Steve Bridges (SB), Mrs. J Corry (JC), Mrs. Phyllis Cram (PCr), Mr. Archie Forbes (AF), Mr. Gerald Lloyd (GL), Mr. Chris Sampson (CS), Mr. J Westlake (JW)

 

Clerk: Mrs Lynne Rampton (LR)                                      Finance Assistant: Mrs Nina Flint (NF)        

Press: None                                                                  Members of Public: None

 

Notes to the meeting

 

New Councillors were welcomed to the meeting and advised that committee membership will be appointed at the full meeting of the Parish Council on 19th May 2011. All Councillors present had signed their ‘declaration of acceptance of office’ in advance of the meeting.

 

1

Apologies for absence were received from Mr. M Williamson (MW).

 

2

Declarations of Interest.  A personal interest was declared by MBa in discussion item 4 (iii) small grant applications as a member of All Saints Church in Sandford. A personal interest was declared by AF in discussion item 4 (iii) small grant applications as a friend of a user of the MS Therapy Centre.

 

3

Public Participation.  No members of the public were present

 

4

Budgets Annex 1

(i)         2010/11 Budget Summary to 31st March 2011. Detailed budgets for the last quarter of the 2010/11 financial year, summary sheets and bank reconciliation to 31st March 2011 had been circulated to Councillors in advance of the meeting. The balance of budget remaining at year end along with this figure as a percentage of the initial budget was shown for each budget head and committee.  

·         It was noted that the Section 137 payments totalled £152.00 (made up of a contribution to the Royal British Legion of £50 for poppy wreaths and a two payments totalling £102 for grant assistance to a local group to raise awareness of National Grid proposals for increased size pylons through the parish).   

·         Attention was drawn to the large costs for electricity supply and maintenance of Parish Council owned street lights. Following North Somerset Council’s example, consideration is to be given to part night lighting only.

·         For the benefit of new councillors, the digital mapping software system that includes mapping of the Ilex Lane Cemetery and allotments was explained.

(ii)        Consideration of late grant application for £1,000 received from the Youth Club. Administration problems that have existed in the affairs of the Youth Club and led to submission of a late grant application, we are now assured have been resolved. The Youth Club is not financially supported by NSC with the Parish Council historically being the primary source of funding. In discussion, the general consensus of the meeting was that Councillors are fully supportive of the club and appreciative of the volunteers that run this. Whilst some Councillors were cautious about reducing contingency funds this early in the current financial year to allow payment of the full grant, others debated that the benefit to the community of running the club warranted this action.

(iii)       Consideration of small grant applications received by deadline date of 28th Feb 2011. The applications as detailed, with further verbal information given were considered. Due to the limited funding available letters from Age Concern and Vitalise were discounted along with the request from the Mendip Hills AONB Service.

 

It is recommended to the Parish Council that in accordance with its powers under sections 137 and 139 of the Local Government Act 1972, the following expenditure should be incurred which in the opinion of the Councillors present, is in the interests of the area or its inhabitants and will benefit them in a manner commensurate with the expenditure. Of the £858 surplus funds from the 2010/11 financial year the following payments should be awarded: £250 to All Saints Church, Sandford (payment Class 2: preservation or restoration of old objects or buildings (i) churches and chapels, £100 to the MS Therapy Centre and £500 to Winscombe Youth Club (both falling within payment class 9 Social Welfare). It is further recommended that an additional payment of £500 be made to the Youth Club with these funds to be deducted from the Parish Council contingency fund 2011/12.

 

 

5

To consider the Annual Return for the Financial Year ended 31st March 2011 – Annex 2

(i)       Parish Council Accounts for the 2010/11 financial year. It was advised that Mazzars have been appointed by the Audit Commission as External Auditors for the Parish Council and Councillors were reminded of their requirement to declare any interests or connections with this accountant to enable an alternative auditor to be secured as soon as possible if necessary. A question was raised and answered concerning the recharge of utility bills to the sporting clubs using the changing room facilities at the War Memorial Recreation Ground.

(ii)      Section 1 - The Statement of Accounts. How information from the consolidated income and expenditure account is apportioned to the accounting statement is considered to be very helpful in the understanding of this. It was confirmed that the predicted cost of Parish Council Elections held on 5th May 2011 to elect 15 Parish Councillors is significantly less than the bye-election held on 25th February 2010 to elect 1 Parish Councillor (£2,230 as opposed to £4,063). This is due to shared cost of the May 2011 election expenses as the poll was held at the same time as the district elections and Alternative Vote Referendum.

(iii)     Section 2 - Annual Governance Statement. Statements to be answered within this section were considered and should be completed by full Parish Council at their next meeting. It was confirmed that the Parish Council does not hold any Trust Funds and there were no issues arising from those present at the meeting. This would indicate that boxes 1 – 8 should be answered as ‘Yes’ with box 9 being marked as not applicable.

(iv)      Section 4 – Annual Internal Audit Report to 31st March 2011. Our Internal Auditor has now completed his inspection for the 2010/11 period with no issues arising. The completed report to the External Auditor on the Annual Return was circulated to those present at the meeting.  

 

6

Matters for Information – either points of information or subjects for discussion at the next meeting

  • Review of current banking arrangements – as it has been heard that one of our local banks will be closing, it was requested the Parish Council considers short term investment of Parish Council funds using local banks in the Parish – this should be included as an agenda item at the next finance meeting.
  • Scribe 2000 Accounts Package – the software package has now been installed on Parish Council computers and financial reports will be available from this for the first quarter accounts period.

 

 

 

Date of next Committee Meeting;    Monday 24th October  2011

 

 

 

Meeting Closed:                   8.35 pm