Minutes of the Meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee Meeting held on Tuesday, 14th November, 2006 in the Civic Chamber, Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe.
Members Present:
Clr. G. Turner – Chair
Clrs. J.C. Birdsall, Mrs. M. Clarke, Mrs. G. Hague, A.N. Weatherby, Mrs. V. Woodhead.
In attendance: Clr. Mrs. J.E. Birdsall, C. Watson
315 Declaration of Councillors’ Interests
No interests were declared
316 Public Discussion Time
No items were raised.
317 Apologies for Absence
Reasons for absence were submitted by Clrs. J.A. Barlow, Mrs. C. Beal and R.G. Allen. Long term apologies were submitted from Clr. J.D. Carr. It was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr. J.C. Birdsall and RESOLVED that the reasons for absence submitted by the above Councillors be accepted as valid reasons.
318 Minutes
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Clarke and RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 19th June, 2006 be approved and received.
319 Cash Flow
The Clerk submitted the six month statement of accounts to the meeting. Interest rates were compared with other investment options and it was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr. Turner and RESOLVED that the statement of accounts be accepted and that the Council continue banking with the Co-operative Bank and invest with Kirklees M.C.
320 Audit Matters
The Clerk reported that the Internal Auditor had checked the six month accounts, bank statements and cash books and was satisfied that all the necessary accounting systems were in place. The Internal Auditor will continue to audit the rest of 2006/2007 accounts, including the year end accounts and the Annual Return but had stated that other arrangements should be made by the Council for the auditing of the 2007/2008 accounts. It was agreed that the new Council should give consideration to the appointment of an internal auditor for the 2007/2008 accounts at the June, 2007 meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
321 Community Grant Aid 2005/2006
It was agreed that this item be moved further down the agenda for discussion
322 Purchase of various items
a) It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that new financial software be purchased after consultation with the newly appointed Clerk.
b) It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Clarke and RESOLVED that the purchase of poop scoop bags be included in the estimates.
c) It was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr. Turner and RESOLVED that no action be taken towards the purchase of a water cooler.
323 Future of Road and Home Safety Committees
The Committee were informed that the Road Safety Committee would no longer be in existence after this current financial year, and the Council was asked to support the continuance of the Road Safety schools competition. It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that the Council would continue to support the competition and that the Home and Leisure Safety Committee be asked if they would consider taking on board some aspects of the Road Safety Committee’s workload, possibly through amalgamation.
324 Annual Newsletter
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that the November newsletter be made into the Annual Newsletter of the Council and that enquiries be made about varying distributing methods to ensure that as many households as possible receive a copy.
325 Community Grant Aid 2005/2006
Yorkshire Ambulance Service: The Clerk submitted details of the Ambulance Service’s Community First Responder Scheme whereby volunteers are trained and equipped to administer life saving skills within the community. It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Clarke and RESOLVED that £1,000 be awarded to the Ambulance Service to help further the scheme in this area.
Community Engagement: It was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr. Turner and RESOLVED that remaining monies be allocated towards community engagement costs and possible schemes and projects that may occur.
326 Estimates of Expenditure
Matters relating to capital expenditure and administrative costs were discussed. It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that it be recommended to Council that the estimates of expenditure for 2007/2008 totalling £85,950 be accepted and that the Countryside Project be now classed as a permanent expenditure of the Council, in line with the co-funding partner, Kirklees Metropolitan Council.
327 Parish Precept
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that it be recommended to Council that the sum of £85,000 be precepted for the year 2007/2008.
328 Annual Parish Meeting
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Hague and RESOLVED that the Annual Parish Meeting be held on Wednesday, 25th April, 2007 at 7.00 p.m.
329 Orders for Payment
It was proposed by Clr. Mrs. Clarke, seconded by Clr. J.C. Birdsall and RESOLVED that orders for payment on schedule no. 445, totalling £124.85, be authorised.
330 Reports
The Clerk submitted the following items for consideration: Statement of Accounts 2005/2006 Kirklees M.C.; Penistone Line Partnership Autumn/Winter journal. The Clerk also submitted a letter of thanks from Scissett C.E. (A) First School in respect of the £200 grant award.
331 Date of Next Meeting
The next Finance and General Purposes Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 20th March, 2007.
332 Staff Procedures
The Clerk reported that the new Clerk had confirmed acceptance of the position and that she was keen to become involved with the administration of the website.
333 Employers Policy Statement – West Yorkshire Pension Fund
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that the Council adopt the additional discretions and policy statement in line with the recommendations of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund.
334. Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
The Clerk submitted a summary of the above regulations to the meeting. It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that the Regulations be received.
CHAIR