Ordinary Council Meeting – 6th February 2024

Agenda

Waltham Parish Council

EST. 1894

Website: https://waltham-pc.gov.uk

TO: ALL MEMBERS OF WALTHAM PARISH COUNCIL.

Councillors are hereby summoned to attend the Ordinary Meeting of the Council on Tuesday the 6^th of February 2023 commencing at 7.30 pm at Waltham Village Hall for the transaction of the business described in the following Agenda. Supporting documents can be found in an Agenda Pack on the Parish Councils website. Members of the public may make representations, answer questions, and give evidence in respect of the business on the agenda during item 4 – Public Session.

AGENDA

1. To receive any apologies for absence.

 

2. To receive Declarations of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Other Significant Interests.

 

3. To approve the minutes of Motions and Resolutions of the meeting held on the 5th of December

 

4. Public Session: To receive representations questions and evidence from members of the public .

 

5. Chairman’s Report: To receive an update on current issues:
6. The Waltham History project.
7. Update on communications and online banking arrangements.
8. Adverse Weather arrangements.
9. Use of 30mph Toolkit.
10. Progress report on IT development.

 

6. To receive reports: from County and City Councillors.

 

7. Interim Internal Audit Report: To discuss findings and recommendations and confirm action required.

 

8. Policies and Procedures: To review policies and procedures for:
9. Clerk/RFO payment system.
10. Notice of conclusion of audit.
11. Complaints Procedure.
12. Risk Management Policy.
13. Training and Development Policy.
14. Winter Service Level Agreement.

 

9. Financial Matters:
10. To receive a Finance Report for the period 1^st   April 2023  to the 31st of January 2024
11. To approve a Payment Schedule.

 

10. Date of next meeting: The next Ordinary Meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Tuesday the 5th of March 2024.                          

                                                                                                                           Clerk to the Council.                      WPC/asm/30:01:2024

 

Minutes

 

Waltham Parish Council

EST. 1894

https://waltham-pc.gov.uk                                                    https://clerk@waltham-pc.gov.uk

 

Minutes of the Ordinary Parish Council  held on the 6th of February 2024 at Waltham Village Hall

 

In line with the Transparency Code all public documents relating to the meeting are published in an agenda pack on the parish council website. Please note that the minutes remain in Draft form until approved at the next meeting.

 

Present:   Parish Councillors John Barry (Chair), John Hockley, and Yolande Andon.

Parish clerk Tony McCord was in attendance.

 

There was one member of the public present.

 

The meeting commenced at 7.30pm with a welcome  by the Chairman.

 

23/24.083 Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence had been received from parish Cllrs Jane Robinson and Ben Grillet. Ward Councillor Alister Brady had also emailed his apologies.

 

23/24.084 Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests

There were no declarations pertaining to items on the agenda.

 

23/24.085 Approval of Minutes

The Chairman invited comments on pages one to three of the minutes.  It was Resolved to approve the minutes and the Chairman signed the document as a correct record.                         Action: Clerk                                                                                                

 

23/24.086 Public Session

Church Warden Chris Cox gave a brief report on St Bartholomew’s issues:

1. A new priest has been appointed. Rev. Dawn Stamper would take up the position in April.
2. Problems of potholes necessitated repairs to the car park, and the Church Council may be submitting a request to the parish council for grant funding. During discussion it became clear that the car park was not owned by the Church and the clerk advised that this may affect  any grant funding considerations. Councillors Resolved that this be further investigated and the  Church Warden be informed of the legal position.             Action: Clerk

 

23/24.087 Chairman’s Report

23. Waltham History Project. A note of thanks had been received from the project organiser for the £300 grant to support the Waltham History exhibition (minute 22/23.100). This was regarded as a very professional event which attracted in excess of 250 visitors and raised £341 for the benefit of village organisations.
24. IT systems. While there was steady improvement one Councillor was experiencing problems logging on to Webmail. It was Resolved that the Clerk would investigate and recommend remedial action.                                                                                                                Action: Clerk
25. Adverse Weather Arrangements. The Chairman reported that urgent action had been required following overnight freezing on the 7^th/8^th The Scheme of Delegation had been enacted in consultation with the Clerk/RFO and a local contractor had treated hazardous areas at Anvil Green, Church Lane and Whiteacre Lane. A draft Winter Service Agreement was discussed in detail and it was Resolved that this be shared with WPC’s insurers together with a revised Risk Management Policy to check for any legal complications.                                                                                                                    Action: Clerk
26. 30mph Toolkit. Having received a range of publication material from the City Council the Chairman suggested that this be an agenda item for discussion at the Annual Parish Meeting on the 16^th of April. Action: Chairman/Clerk
27. Progress on IT development. Cllr John Hockley presented a progress report on the email system and on further development of the parish website. It was noted that further compatibility between the website, Waltham Facebook, and PAWNews would be of benefit to parishioners, and it was unanimously Resolved that Cllr. Hockley take a lead role as part of councillor responsibilities. Action: Cllr Hockley/Clerk                                                                         

 

23/24.088 Reports from County and City Councillors

1. A report from County Councillor Mike Sole had been received and had also been posted on Waltham Facebook. Members wished Mike every success in his role as acting chairman for Wymenswold parish council.

 

23/24.089 Interim Internal Audit Report

An action plan from the Internal Auditor and RFO responses had been included in the agenda pack. While the report was considered to be generally positive a review of WPC’s financial policies and procedures was required, and the target for completion is the 31^st of March 2024. It was Resolved to note the report and consider the position at the 7^th of April meeting.                        Action: Clerk/RFO

Concerns were raised about the cost of the Interim Report. At £158.75 this represented a significant part of the Internal Auditor’s original quote of £220.00. A request for clarification had been sent on the 30^th of January.  It was Resolved  that the Clerk should continue to seek clarification on the understanding  that any significant increase in charges should be by negotiation.   Action: Clerk/RFO

 

23/24.090 Policies and Procedures

In preparation for meeting the criteria for National Award Scheme recognition and in response to Internal Auditor comments a review of six policies and procedures had been conducted and included in the agenda pack. The Chairman introduced each item for discussion, action confirmed by resolution:

1. Clerk/RFO Payroll Policy:
2. Notice of Conclusion of Audit:
3. Complaints Procedure:
4. Risk Management Policy: Noted – for approval by Zurich Insurers.
5. Training and development Policy:
6. Winter Service Level Agreement: Approved subject to insurance validity check.

                                                                                                                                              Action: Clerk

23/24.091 Year to Date Finance Report

The reports revised structure, intended to comply with Internal Audit recommendations was considered in detail. In brief the total receipts of £10.455 and payments of £9,570 were consistent with usual financial patterns at the end of the third quarter. A difference of £0.01 between the cashbook and bank balances is within permissible variances but will be resolved by detailed examination by year end.                                                                                                                  Action: RFO

 

23/24.092 Payment Schedule

A revised payment schedule had been circulated prior to the meeting and is summarised in Table 1:

 

Table 1

 

Transactionnumber	InvoiceDate	Invoice Number	Payee	Summary	Amount  £
					Net	VAT	Total
23/24.27	26:01:24	0180	April SkiesAccounting	Interim  audit + additional work	158.75	0	158.75
23/24.28	04:02:24	00390	D.J.Peacock	Road Gritting	110.00	22.00	132.00
23/24.29	06:02:24	Payslip	A.s.McCord	December/January salary & expenses	574.20	0	574.20
Total					842.95	22.00	864.95

 

The Chairman introduced each  item and it was Resolved to approve payments. Cllr Barry and Cllr Hockley initialled the schedule.                                                                                                       Action: RFO

 

23/24.093 Date of Next Meeting

There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.10pm. The next Ordinary Meeting will be held on Tuesday the 5^th of March 2021.

 

 

Chairman’s Signature:                                                                             5^th of March  2024