Finance and General Purposes Committee 21st October 2013

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Wheatley Parish Council

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY 21st OCTOBER 2013 IN THE Parish OFFICE AT 7.30PM

PRESENT: Councillors: RJ Reilly (in the chair), S Coleridge, R Old, E Stacey, G Birks & R Bell

OFFICER THE CLERK: Gareth Morris

MEMBERS HAD BEEN REMINDED BY MEANS OF THE AGENDA THAT IF THEY   HAD AN INTEREST TO DECLARE IN ANY AGENDA ITEM, THEY SHOULD DO SO IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING IN THE BOOK PROVIDED FOR THIS PURPOSE

42.   APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE had been received from Cllr Carr

43.   DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – None

44.  MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING HELD 23rd SEPTEMBER 2013 which had been circulated previously were signed as a correct and accurate record

45.  UPDATE ON ITEMS FROM THE MINUTES 23RD SEPTEMBER 2013
(i)  Minute 33(ii) – Sandpit at Cullum Road – Bev Paton and Jane Brandon had agreed to serve on the Recreation Areas Working Group. It was hoped that they would be able to suggest activities for the area that was once the sandpit. Cllrs Bell and Bailey and Jane Brandon had attended the Oxfordshire Playing Fields Association AGM. Their membership would be ratified by full council at its next meeting.
(ii) Minute 34 – Parish Council leaflet on boundary change – Cllr Bell reported that the public consultation was likely to be delayed
(iv) Minute 33(iv) – Memorial Gardens – the clerk would ask the outdoor workers to tidy up the Memorial gardens and the War memorial in time for Remembrance Sunday and ask John from Down to Earth to tidy the flower beds.

46.  TO START THE BUDGET PROCESS FOR 2014-2015
The clerk reminded councillors that over the next two meetings the 2014-15 budget would be decided and that if there were any projects etc that any councillor wished to pursue to bring them forward next month

47.  THE MAPLE TREE CHILDREN’S CENTRE AND YOUTH PROVISION
Cllr Coleridge reported that the Centre might approach Oxfordshire Association for Young People to   provide provision for the youth in the village. However there was a possibility that the centre would be closed by 2017 due to OCC cuts.

48.  TO DECIDE THE TWO DELEGATES TO THE TOWN AND PARISH FORUM WEDNESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER
It was Agreed that Cllrs Lamont and Coleridge should attend.

49. TO RECEIVE MR SHEW’S  DESIGN STATEMENT  AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
OUTLINE FOR THE NEW ACCESS INTO CHURCH ROAD RECREATION GROUND –
NOTED
No date had been received from OCC Highways re a start date for the footway around the roundhouse.

50.  CLERK UPDATE
i)  Refurbishment of Parish Office – the painting had been had been completed and the new carpet tiles were expected in the next two weeks
ii) Report on SODC Briefings on how precepts are calculated: Wed 16th Oct @ 1pm. The clerk and assistant clerk had attended the briefing. The amount received from the government for the Council Tax benefit reduction scheme had been reduced by 13.7%. So the amount that was likely to be received by the Parish Council if the previous year’s formula was used would be £3,500. If the Parish council wished to show a 0% increase in the council tax bands it should reduce its precept request by a similar amount.
iii) Hessian bags for newsletter deliverers. – Re-usable bags for the newsletters. 40 had been obtained from Cricks at £1 each. Only one deliverer so far had said they did not want to use them

51.  GRANTS, LICENCES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
i) South and Vale Carers – AGREED £200

52.  FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
a) Scrutiny of budget to end of September 2013 & signing of completed copy of reconciled bank statement by Chairman & RFO
b) Balances

After the cheques below have been paid the balances on the council’s accounts as at21st October will be as follows:     Community       £2,419.89

[Please note adjusted figures – clerk]                                                                                                                                                                     Tracker             £146,186.88

Treasury           £60,506.54

53.                            SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS T AUTHORISED

Cheque no.    Payee    Payment details    Amount
Cheques paid
105781/3/4/6-8    GM/SW/JO/OCC/HMR&C    Sept sal/wages/pen/PAYE/NICs    3,862.10
105789    Wheatley Park School    Prize Giving    200.00
d/d     Public Works Loan Board    Loan Repayment    483.47
d/d    Barclays Bank    Charges 13/08-12/09    29.49
d/d    Orange Home    Internet    18.37
d/d    Siemans Financial Services    Photocopier lease    403.70
Total    £4,997.13
Cheques to Pay
105790    Parchment Printers    Oct/Nov Newsletter    1,484.90
105791    Oxfordshire County Council    MapleTree centre 15/4-15/7    790.87
105792    Berinsfield Community Business    Verge cutting September     596.40
105793    J Watson    Oct/Nov Newsletter    680.00
105794    S Shew    New entrance in to Ch Rd Rec    1,500.00
105795    Mainstream Digital    Tel Rental 09/13-12/13    90.70
105796    Southern Electric    Electricity  05/07-30/09 with cr    8.29
105797    Andrew Marsden    Advice on VAT    71.20
105798    Swift Digital Services    Copier usage & annual support    183.24
GM/JB/SW/JF/OCC/HMR&C    Oct sal/wages/pen/PAYE/NICs    3,700.00
Total    £8,922.36

INCOME RECEIVED SINCE LAST MEETING

Income details    Amount
Interest – Treasury Account    20.55
Interest – Tracker Account    16.02
Newsletter Advertising    1,030.00
Precept 2nd Instalment    52,304.50
Allotments    70.00
Newsletter subscriptions    18.00
Total    £54,45907

54.  PUBLICATIONS & CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED AND NOTED
The Haseleys – October    2013*
Little Milton Newsletter – October 2013*
Great Milton Bulletin September 2103*
Holton, Waterperry & Waterstock News – September 2013*
Tiddington with Albury & Milton Common Newsletter October/November 2013*
URC Newsletter October 2013*
Tree News – Autumn Winter 2013*
ORCC Annual Review 2013-14*
Garsington Newsletter October/November 2013
Oxford Brookes Residents’ Association meeting on Thursday 31st October at 6.30pm.*
Thames Valley Police – Neighbourhood Policing Newsletter – October 2013*

* On display in Parish Office

55.  DATE OF NEXT MEETING – 18TH NOVEMBER 2013 – NOTED

56 .  RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC
Cllr Reilly proposed and Cllr Coleridge seconded: ‘that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded on  the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph X of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act, namely private contractual and employment matters’

AGREED NEM CON

Meeting closed at 9.15 after the confidential business had been concluded