December 8 2020 - Minutes and Personnel Committee Terms of Reference
Minutes of the Meeting of Nocton Parish Council held via Zoom on Tuesday, 8 December 2020 at 7:00 pm
PRESENT: Cllr Elisabeth Murray (Chair), Cllr Michael Clarke, Cllr Neil Faulkner, Cllr Philip Johnston-Davis, Cllr George McDonnell, Cllr Hayley Wilson.
Also present: R Keillar (Clerk – non-acting), DCllr N Byatt
7 members of the Public
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
There were no public questions.
CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS
The Chair welcomed the Clerk back and welcomed Cllr McDonnell to the Parish Council. She thanked Cllr Faulkner for providing the Christmas tree at the Hub and thanked two members of the public who had put the Christmas tree lights up. The Chair explained virtual meeting etiquette and how the meeting would proceed.
593.
APOLOGIES AND REASON FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Cllr M Duff (reasons not accepted), CCllr R Oxby, DCllr L Pearson.
594.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ON ANY ITEM ON THE AGENDA
Cllr McDonnell declared an interest in any matters relating to Nocton Social Club t/a Ripon Arms, as a member of its committee.
595.
MINUTES
It was proposed by Cllr N Faulkner, seconded by Cllr P Johnston-Davis and it was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held 11 November 2020 be taken as read and signed as correct.
596.
TO RECEIVE NOMINATIONS FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHAIR
It was proposed by Cllr P Johnston-Davis, seconded by Cllr H Wilson and it was RESOLVED that Cllr M Clarke be elected as Vice-Chair of the Council.
597.
REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES
a) Local Police/CPP – the Annual Report of the Police & Crime Commissioner has been circulated to councillors. The CPP chair has reported that crimes are being reported on social media but not always to the police. DCllr Byatt explained that the police are using the “nextdoor.co.uk” website to inform residents and the Lincs Alert system is now only used for fraud warnings.
b) District Councillor – DCllr N Byatt reported that although NKDC has cleared the banks of the beck, the watercourse itself remains full of weeds; he has contacted the environmental team and a response is awaited. Cllr Byatt commended the latest edition of NKNews to residents.
c) County Councillor – CCllr R Oxby is expected to submit his report by email imminently.
598.
CHAIRMAN
a) The Parish Council noted the Chairman’s Report which had been circulated previously. Item discussed further:
vi. The cost of removal of streetlight 23 was less than expected as the removed light has been retained by the Council for future use.
Cllr M Clarke enquired regarding social media training; the Chair confirmed that this related to councillors’ use of their personal social media accounts.
b) The Parish Council noted the Financial Report which had been circulated previously. The Chair explained that some items were larger than usual as they covered more than one month, and that the higher than usual fee for the auditors was because the Public Works Loan had taken the Council’s income over the threshold for a higher level of audit. Cllr M Clarke asked how much was left in the Nocton Hub budget; this information will be available for the next meeting.
599.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
a) It was proposed by Cllr N Faulkner, seconded by Cllr G McDonnell and it was RESOLVED to adopt the Health and Safety policy. The Chair confirmed that the Council has already adopted a Lone Worker policy.
b) The Terms of Reference of the Personnel Committee were discussed and amendments were made. It was proposed by Cllr M Clarke, seconded by Cllr P Johnston-Davis and it was RESOLVED to adopt the Terms of Reference of the Personnel Committee as amended at the meeting.
c) It was proposed by Cllr H Wilson, seconded by Cllr P Johnston-Davis and it was RESOLVED to appoint Cllrs M Clarke, N Faulkner and G McDonnell to the Personnel Committee.
600.
NOCTON HUB
a) The Parish Council noted that most of the unfinished work and “snagging” has been completed. Cllr M Clarke noted that some building materials remained on land adjacent to Nocton Hub. The Chair explained that these belonged to an adjacent property; Cllr Clarke offered to contact the owner to assist with their removal.
b) The Hub Manager’s and Cleaner’s temporary contracts are due to expire imminently. It was proposed by Cllr N Faulkner, seconded by Cllr G McDonnell and it was RESOLVED to extend these contracts to the end of January. The Personnel Committee will make arrangements for the permanent appointments.
c) Two quotes have been received for the hedge to mark the furthest extent of the land to the rear of Pegasus formerly used as the builders’ yard; £301.49 for a beech hedge and £69.99 for a blackthorn-based mixed hedge. The Council had previously agreed on £100 for a beech hedge. The mixed hedge was considered unsuitable due to its maintenance needs and the beech hedge quote was considered to be high. Cllr N Faulkner will seek other quotes.
d) The dedicated telephone number for the Hub has been set up and requires activation.
601.
NOCTON HUB – MANAGEMENT
a) Two people have expressed interest in joining the Management Group. Cllr P Johnston-Davis will make a further public request. It was noted that it may be necessary for the Management Group to commence before all appointments have been made.
b) No update on the establishment of a Charitable Trust was available.
602.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND ISSUES
a) The following applications were considered:
i. 20/1569/PNND Mill Drain Yard Nocton Fen (prior notification). No comment.
ii. 20/1160/FUL Land adjacent to Kelkherd House Main Street Nocton. It was noted that this was a further amendment. It was agreed to repeat the previous comment regarding the settlement boundary.
iii. 20/1217/VARCON Plot 6 Red House Farm Main Road Potterhanworth. No comment.
iv. 20/1536/VARCON Hanworth Country Park Station Road Potterhanworth. It was agreed to submit a comment that permanent residency in the static caravans should not be permitted.
v. 20/1558/TCA 1 Old Ten Row Main Street Nocton. No comment.
vi. 20/1578/TCA 3 Potterhanworth Road Nocton. No comment.
b) The following planning decisions were noted:
i. 20/1216/VARCON 23 Parklands Avenue Nocton – approved.
ii. 20/1157/FUL Land to the rear of 1, 3, 5 & 7 Hodgson Close Nocton – withdrawn
iii. 20/1202/HOUS 1 The Park Potterhanworth – approved
iv. 20/1310/FUL Hanworth Country Park Station Road Potterhanworth - refused
603.
NOCTON PARISH COUNCIL – DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS
a) It was noted that the next meeting of the Parish Council will be on 25 January 2021 to allow the budget and precept for 2021/22 to be set. [Post meeting note: the date is in error and should be 26 January 2021]. There will be no meeting in February 2021 unless urgent business arises.
b) It was agreed that the next meeting will be held by Zoom.
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
A member of the public supported the clearing of the remaining builders’ material belonging to an adjacent property.
604.
TO RESOLVE WHETHER TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC AND PRESS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE FOLLOWING CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS.
It was proposed by Cllr N Faulkner, seconded by Cllr G McDonnell and it was RESOLVED to exclude the public and press for consideration of the following confidential matters.
The public and press left the meeting at this stage. (20:23)
a) Arrangements for supporting the Clerk’s return.
i. The previous Chair of the Parish Council had offered to provide support on a personal basis and to work with the Clerk on the budget and precept for 2021/22. This offer was gratefully accepted.
b) The CCTV privacy and data protection reports and associated privacy issues were noted.
c) It was proposed by Cllr P Johnston-Davis, seconded by Cllr G McDonnell and it was RESOLVED to adopt the CCTV policy.
d) It was proposed by Cllr N Faulkner, seconded by Cllr H Wilson and it was RESOLVED to adopt the security policy. Some security issues were discussed.
There being no further business the Chair closed the meeting at 20:54pm
Chair…..E.MURRAY. Date….26 January 2021
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NOCTON PARISH COUNCIL
Personnel Committee Terms of Reference
Purpose:
To provide personnel support and advice on behalf of Nocton Parish Council (“the Council”), to ensure that legislative requirements are met in respect of all employees and to ensure good governance.
Membership:
* The Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the Council at its Annual Meeting or when a vacancy arises.
* All members of the Committee are bound by the Council’s Code of Conduct and Standing Financial Instructions.
* Members of the Committee are eligible to offer themselves for re-appointment at the Annual Meeting of the Council.
* The membership of the Committee may be reviewed by the Council at any time.
Conduct of meetings:
* Meetings will be convened as and when necessary, except that one meeting will be held in February every year for the following purposes:
* to review staff salaries and make recommendations to the Council
*to review all staff contracts and job descriptions
* to review the Grievance and Disciplinary Policies
* Meetings may be held in person and/or remotely.
* Meetings will not commence until the decision is taken to exclude the press and public.
* Minutes will be taken by a member of the Committee and presented to the next meeting of the Council.
Committee responsibilities and delegated powers:
* The Committee is empowered to invite specialist professional advisors to attend meetings to provide guidance as to matters under discussion.
* The Committee is empowered to employ or dismiss staff other than the Clerk.
* The Committee will make recommendations relating to recruitment or dismissal of the Clerk to the Council.
* The Committee Chairman, in conjunction with the Chairman of the Council, shall approve the Clerk’s sick leave and annual leave, with this ratified retrospectively at the next Committee meeting.
* Sick leave and annual leave for other staff will be the responsibility of the Hub Manager (for Nocton Hub staff) or the Clerk (for all other staff).
* The Committee will, when necessary, convene a Disciplinary Panel consisting of three Councillors.
* The Committee will, when necessary, convene a panel consisting of three Councillors to hear any formal grievance made by the Parish Clerk and any appeal by other staff against the outcome of a grievance investigation undertaken by the Parish Clerk.
* The Committee will endeavour to ensure that staff members receive the relevant training and development to carry out their roles effectively and safely.
Restrictions:
* The Chairman of the Council may not be a member of the Committee in order that he/she can chair a meeting of the Council as an appeal body, should that be required.
* Only Members of the Council may be members of the Committee.
* Only members of the Committee may attend meetings unless specifically summoned.
* The quorum shall be three; a replacement Member of the Council shall be appointed if a Committee member will be absent from a meeting.
* A Member of the Council will not sit as a member of the Committee if that Member is involved in any matter under discussion.
* Any business discussed by the Committee is strictly confidential and must not be discussed outside the Committee meeting.
Recruitment processes and staffing matters:
* A written Statement of Employment Particulars and Job Description will be provided for every employee within a month of their taking up employment.
* Recruitment panels will consist of:
* three Committee members when recruiting a Clerk
* one Committee member and the Clerk when recruiting a Manager for Nocton Hub or staff not associated with Nocton Hub
* the Clerk and Hub Manager when recruiting staff for Nocton Hub
Appraisals
* Every employee will have an annual appraisal, held in February or March each year, in order to determine training and development needs.
* For the Clerk, this will be conducted by the Chairman of the Committee and one other member
* For the Hub Manager and staff not associated with Nocton Hub, this will be conducted by the Clerk
* For Nocton Hub staff, this will be conducted by the Hub Manager
Nocton Parish Council – 8 December 2020