June 08 2021 - Clerk's Advisory Meeting - Minutes
CLERK ADVISORY MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
08 June 2021
MINUTES
Present: Councillors: Cllr. Clarke (Acting Chair), Cllr. Faulkner, Cllr. McDonnell
Clerk and RFO: Mr S Baxter Members of the public (MOP): 10
Meeting commenced at 7.05pm
AGENDA ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND DECISION
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Please note: All decisions taken in the meeting were ultimately taken by the Clerk under the delegated authority (as permitted under Section 101 of the Local Government Act 1972) which was given by the Parish Council and commenced on the 07 May 2021. The Clerk would seek the advice of the Councillors before any decision made.
1. The Chair’s welcome to all Councillors and any members of the public sitting in observation and opening remarks.
The Chair reminded all Councillors and any members of the public of the following:
• The meeting is not a formal Parish Council Meeting; it is a Clerk Advisory Meeting to provide guidance to the Clerk. Final decisions will be made by the Clerk through the Delegated Authority motion agreed at a previous Full Council Meeting
• The Clerk has confirmed that while the meeting is not a Full Council Meeting, normal procedures and formats will be followed including given opportunities for the Members of the Public to ask questions
• The Chair will also remind the attendees the meeting is being recorded and the digital recording is saved for a minimum of twelve months
2. Apologies for absence from Councillors – for the Clerk to note if any Councillors have expressed an apology for non-attendance.
There were no apologies as all current Councillors were present. The Chair stated that previous Chair, Elizabeth Murray, as well as Hayley Wilson and Philip Johnston-Davis had resigned from the Parish Council at the end of last week. He stated he wished them all well and wanted to thank them for their service to the Community.
3. Declarations of interest – for the Clerk to note if any Councillors wish to state any dispensations
The Clerk stated that there were no declarations received from any Councillors prior to the meeting. There was no declaration by any Councillor during the meeting.
4. Exclusion of members of press and public – to discuss and recommend to the Clerk to ensure Press and Public cannot participate but will be able to listen
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that this would be appropriate for the proper handling of the meeting.
• CLERK DECISION: He agreed to the advice and thus degreed that any public and press would be excluded from participation but that they could observe.
For the following agenda points members of the public and press will be excluded from participating in meeting and will be muted but can view the meeting
5. Minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting 04 May 2021- Recommendation to the Clerk to accept the minutes
The Chair asked the Councillors if there was any point of note or any inaccuracy they wished to bring to attention. The was none offered.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that the minutes were an accurate record of the meeting.
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk agreed that the minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting on the 04 May 2021 was a true and accurate record and noted it as such.
6. Minutes of Full Council Meeting 04 May 2021 - Recommendation to the Clerk to accept the minutes
The Chair asked the Councillors if there was any point of note or any inaccuracy they wished to bring to attention. The was none offered.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that the minutes were an accurate record of the meeting.
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk agreed that the minutes of the Full Parish Council Meeting on the 04 May 2021 was a true and accurate record and noted it as such.
7. Minutes of Clerk Advisory Meeting 27 May 2021 – confirmation that the meeting did not proceed due to a request from the Clerk.
The Chair stated that this meeting did not go ahead as the Clerk had offered his apologies due to an urgent family issue that needed his attention. It was hoped that in due course the meeting will be rescheduled.
8. Council vacancy: Guidance to the Clerk on the way forward for advertising of the process of co-opting an eligible member of the community
The Chair stated that with the recent Councillor resignations, there was now four Councillor vacancies on the Parish Council.
The Clerk confirmed that the NKDC had given notice that no letter signed by 10 electors had been sent and thus for the vacancy left by Mr Duff the Council could proceed with advertising co-option. But the Clerk advised that with the three vacancies left by the resent resignations, it would be prudent to await if these could be advertised for cooption and then the notices could be for all four.
The deadline for the letters to be sent by the community for the three recent resignations was the 18 June 2021.
There was consensus among the Councillors for this approach.
9. Bank account set up update and decision on the amount of bank accounts for the Council: Discussion and recommendation to the Clerk
The Chair stated that the Clerk had recommended that the Council have three bank accounts; one current account for the core PC operations, one for the Hub Finances and a savings account for the PC reserve. This approach would allow the finances of the Hub and the PC to be kept separate but under the same umbrella. It would also allow the HMG to see the financial activities of the Hub more clearly. The clerk confirmed that for the current accounts there was a bank charge of £6 per month but the saving account was free.
The Councillors discussed this proposal and there was consensus among the Councillors that while they accept the recommendation would cost £72 per year, it was appropriate and would be useful for the HMG.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that the recommendation of having three bank accounts was appropriate.
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk thanked the Councillors for their support and agreed it would be a useful tool for the HMG – it noted it as such.
10. Finance Committee Terms of Reference (ToR) and pattern of meetings – Discussion and recommendation to the Clerk to accept the proposed ToR of the Finance Committee and meetings
The Chair stated that the need for Finance Committee’s ToR had been discussed at the previous Full Council meeting and that a recommend set had been devised by the Clerk and sent to the Councillors. But he did state that as he was the only remaining member of the Finance Committee, he was unsure how they could proceed.
The Clerk recommended that the Councillors may consider moving this point to a later meeting, when the Council has been repopulated with more members to ensure that a proper discussion on the proposed ToR could be had.
There was consensus among the Councillors to this approach and they agree it was appropriate.
Actions: Clerk to ensure this agenda point is at next meeting
11. Clerk’s report including Financial update: Discussion and recommendation to the Clerk to accept the financial update
The Clerk had previously sent the Clerk’s report to the Councillors and it will be published on the website. The Financial Report (for April and May) was also sent to the Councillors for their perusal (the shortened version will be published on the website).
The Chair asked the Clerk (as RFO) to update the Councillors and community on the financial details.
The Clerk stated that he was able to ensure that the financial report was as up to date as possible (as at 31 May 2021) but that the new design and format would hopefully allow the Councillors to understand the details that were the most pertinent. The current bank balance was circa £48,000 but that it was too early in the year to assess the impact of the decisions on the budget. Currently there had been an extra nearly £1,100 spent in tax liabilities (due to historical issues) and a £750 increase in insurance due to a budgeting error.
The Chair asked the RFO if he was willing to provide some basic financial training to him and the remaining Councillors to ensure that they fully understand the financial reports. The Clerk welcomed this request and hoped that this would give confidence to the Councillors to question him on the financial picture of the Council. This would allow the Councillors move forward from historical issues.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that they accepted the financial reports.
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk thanked the Councillors for their support confirmed it would be noted that the financial detail was accepted by the Councillors.
12. Internal Audit update – the Clerk to update the Councillors
The Clerk stated that he had received the Internal Audit report from INTERNAL AUDIT YORKSHIRE LTD and it had been shared with the Councillors for their perusal. The Clerk stated that while the report was not as bad as initially feared, the Council had not met the minimum required in four of eleven areas that the Council and in other areas the Council had only met the absolute minimum.
But while there was a lot of work to be done on the recommendations the IA had made, it was nothing the Council could not manage and it would meet its challenges. The Clerk stated that there were some elements which were highlighted that could not be discussed currently.
The Clerk recommend that the Councillors may consider an interim mid-year review from the IA to give an assessment for the work the Council undertakes following the recommendations.
The Chair stated that he had read the whole report and while he had digested the detail, he would ask the Clerk to go through the report in more detail with him and the other Councillors to ensure he (and they) fully understood what the report and the recommendations meant for the running of the Council.
Cllr Faulkner stated that he felt the report was very detailed but well laid out to ensure you could see what the findings were and the recommendations.
The Clerk confirmed that that IA report would be published on the Council’s website along with other statutory accounting and governance documents.
13. External Audit - Discussion on the recommendation by the Clerk to request an extension for the deadline of the submission of the documents as required by statute
The Clerk stated that he had recommended to the Councillors that the Council should consider requesting an extended deadline from the External Auditor for some of the documents they need as part of the External Audit. While he could not go into detail (due to confidential reasons the Councillors were aware of) the deadline would allow other statutory bodies to complete the work they were undertaking. The extended deadline of the 30 July 2021 with PKF LITTLEJOHN has been provisionally agreed with them pending the Councillors consensus.
The Chair stated he understood the reasons behind the request of the extended deadline – the other Councillors agreed to which there was consensus.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that they agreed with the recommendation of the Clerk
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk thanked the Councillors for their support and confirmed it would be noted and he would contact PKF Littlejohn to confirm.
Actions: Clerk to contact the External Auditor to arrange the extension.
14. Asset Register – update by the Clerk
The Chair stated that he had received the Asset Register from the Clerk and that he wanted to review the details. He asked why there was no detail of depreciation or up to date values.
The Clerk stated that the Asset Register was the document found in the Council records that had been undertaken by the previous Clerk. But that he agreed it was not detailed enough, and as well as depreciation factors, also needed to have clearer replacement values and that the Council may need to have the Nocton Hub revalued.
The asset register review was a point made in the Internal Audit report.
The Chair agreed and asked that the Councillor (and the Clerk) undertake a proper review of assets, and to make sure that the assets stated in the Asset Register were properly checked for their current condition.
Cllr Faulkner agreed that he would help in reviewing the asset register and report back to the Council on the condition and state of some of the items.
The Clerk stated that upon the review of the smaller assets, and then a revalue of the Nocton Hub (to ensure the insurance is sufficient) then the asset register would be fully redesigned and updated.
15. Payment to staff – Discussion and clarification on previously agreed process of paying salary and overtime and discussion of Clerk’s action of checking financial control measures
The Chair opened the point that he was aware that there had been a request for the payslips for the staff to be more clearly itemised with the pertinent detail. He also asked about the process that was now in place.
The Clerk stated that the Payroll Bureau had agreed to the requested extra detail on the payslips which would allow the Councillors, when reviewing the payslip to be able to compare the detail to the requested bank payment.
He also stated that the process now was that the staff of the PC (not including himself) would send in any timesheets with any overtime by the 25th of the month and that upon the authorisation of the Clerk, payment would be put through the bank for payment near or on the last working day of the month. The Clerk would ensure that the Councillors had as much time as possible to authorise the payment to the staff through the bank. This would be in addition to the contracted pay which would be set up as a standing order in the new bank account.
The overtime pay of the Clerk would be paid a month in arrears – this would allow the Councillors to properly review the overtime claim of the Clerk to ensure its accuracy and validity.
16. Printing allowance for clerk or printer – Discussion on way forward advice to Clerk
The Chair asked the Clerk to update the Council on the request that they had received.
The Clerk stated that it had been agreed with the former Chair that before a decision on the printing option for the Clerk was made, it would be prudent to asset what printing was actually needed. Th Clerk stated that due to recent work, the amount of printing was now in the few hundred sheets in the last 6-7 weeks. He stated that the Council was aware of the Clerk printing issue as the previous Clerk had discussed this with the former Chair but that she had not made recommendations.
The Clerk stated that the Councillors would now need to decide if the Council wishes to purchase a printer for the clerk (as well as funding the paper, ink and maintenance) or if they wish to provide a printing allowance. The NALC guidance is that the full office allowance (including printing) was £26 a month – the Clerk currently receives £15 a month. Thus, the Council could decide to increase the office allowance to £26 a month which would cover the normal printing needs.
The Councillors discussed the issue and appreciated the need, but would need clarification on the cost analysis between the allowance and buying a printer. Cllr McDonnell stated that the Council needed to be aware that in his experience printer ink and paper cost was increasing and that this would be need to be included in the discussion at the next meeting.
Actions: The Clerk to provide a cost analysis for the printing options.
17. Nocton 200 update - Update from the clerk on the Nocton 200 funds
The Chair stated that he was aware that the Clerk had sent a review of the funds to the Councillors and the Nocton200 team.
The Clerk stated that he had sent Nocton 200 funds update but since then he had received further detail from the Nocton 200 Team that did not initially fit with the records he had found. Due to that detail, he would now need to fully review the bank statements and other records to assess why the information the PC hold and what the Nocton 200 team did not match.
The Clerk asked that he would like to further review the records, with any further detail from the Nocton 200 Team and that the update could be discussed at the next meeting.
The Councillors discussed this and there was a consensus to allow the Clerk time to investigate further.
Actions: The Clerk to fully review the financial detail of the Nocton 200 fund donations and update the Councillors at the next meeting.
18. Schedule of payments: Guidance to the Clerk on what payments are acceptable for payment
Payee
Amount
Reason for payment
Staff pay and overtime
Amount withheld due to confidentiality
Clerk’s expenses
£ 100.74
Travel for meeting, office allowance and postage
Main Lec Electrical Solutions
£ 378.00
Internal electrical work on Hub
EON Maintenance
£1,140.00
Street lamp renovation
EON Maintenance
£ 90.00
General Service charge
NKDC
£ 157.50
Bin collection
Insurance – Came and Co
£ 1095.46
Insurance for all PC needs
Paul Waters Window Cleaning
£ 20.00
Window Cleaning for the Hub
EON electricity
£ 176.30
Overdue electricity
HMRC liability
£1,046.69
Tax liability owed
Cathedral Leasing Limited
£ 421.20
Provision of sanitary bins for the Hub (from July 20)
Internal Audit Yorkshire Ltd
£ 388.14
Internal Audit and postage of records
TJP Accounts
£ 100.00
Payroll
Fire Stop Services
£ 340.62
Fire Alarm Service and signs
The Clerk went through the payments as detailed in the agenda and explained the reasons for each. He did state that the payment to the CATHEDRAL LEASING and NKDC would be suspended on advice from the Hub Manager who was working with both payees to ascertain the accuracy of the invoices.
In regard to the actual payment, the Clerk stated that he would ask the former Chair (who still had access to the PC bank account) to input the payments into the bank and that Cllr Faulkner would be the actual authoriser.
The Councillors discussed the payments, together with the budget implications. But there was consensus of the approval for the payments.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that the expenditure as detailed was acceptable.
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk noted the support of the Councillors of the expenditure and that he would now initiate the payments through the bank and request they are authorised in the bank by the Councillors.
19. AGAR documents – discussion of the AGAR documents and recommendation to the Clerk
The Clerk stated that the AGAR forms (which he clarified upon request from the Chair that they were Annual Governance and Accountability Return) would need to be agreed at a Full Council Meeting as the authorisation of these forms could not be delegated to the Clerk through the Scheme of Delegation. These forms needed to be submitted as per legislation to the External Auditor by the 30 June 2021.
The Clerk stated that unfortunately meant that the Council would need to convene a Face to Face meeting with all the required social distancing as still currently required.
The Chair and the Councillors discussed this and felt that as the meeting needed was near to the July meeting, it may worth combining both meetings.
Actions: The Clerk to arrange the Full Council Meeting for the end of June with consultation with the Hub Manager and the Councillors.
20. Planning Permission applications / Application for Tree works - Discussion and recommendation to the Clerk on how respond to the Planning Team at NKDC
The Clerk stated there was no Nocton planning permission applications nor any applications for tree works.
21. Tree Planting to celebrate Queens 70th – Proposal by Cllr Clarke
The Chair stated that he wanted the Parish to follows the request by the HM The Queen that as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of her Reign, that PC could plant some trees on Parish land. But upon a review of what land the PC actually own, it was revealed that the only land owned was the village green of which planting trees would be inappropriate. He thus would ask and encourage the members of the Community to plant trees in their gardens as part of the celebration.
The Councillors discussed this proposal and fully agreed it was a great idea to promote in the village.
22. Nocton Hub update
i) Hub Noticeboard: Discussion and recommendation to the Clerk
The Clerk had detailed this in the Clerks report. The update was that he had received confirmation from the Planners that as long as the notice was in keeping with the conservation area, it would not require planning. In regard to cost, the example the Clerk had found was in the region of £1,300 as it needed to be wood and large enough to be able to have room to allow the Hub and the Ripon Arms to publicise their events.
The Clerk stated that he had approached Dyson Farming for any sponsoring or commercial partnership opportunities to help pay for the noticeboard. He had received an initial reply but asked if the Councillors would allow more time to allow him to communicate with the Dyson Farming team.
The Councillors agreed that a standalone noticeboard would be very useful for the Hub and the RA and that there was a consensus to allow the Clerk more time, and to move the point to a future meeting.
ii) Charitable Status of the Hub – update by Cllr Johnston-Davis and recommendation to the Clerk to agree way forward. Also, formal request by Cllr Johnston-Davis to share official Hub property documents - the Council to consider and advise the Clerk
The Chair stated that as Mr Johnston-Davis had resigned as a Councillor (but that he was still willing to help with the working group to establish a Charity to lease the Hub from the PC) he was unable to formally report.
The Clerk stated that the former Chair had decided that his request to share the Hub land documentation and property documents would need to be agreed by Councillors. The clerk stated that he did not feel there was any issue with the sharing of the documentation as it would be advantageous to the proposed working group.
• The Councillors advised the Clerk that the request was acceptable.
• CLERK DECISION: The Clerk noted the support of the Councillors for the request and that he would contact Mr Johnston-Davis.
iii) Service Level Agreement with the Ripon Arms: Discussion and guidance to the Clerk on the consideration of the agreeing the SLA with the Ripon Arms
The Clerk stated that the SLA between the PC and the RA was about 99% there (which the Chair of the RA present at the meeting) agreed. There were a few small issues to discuss and agree and that the Clerk, the Chair and the Ripon Arms were meeting next Monday to finalise the last few areas. The Clerk stated that he had a brief telephone meeting with the RA Chair and that they had both agreed that a final resolution had to be found, but that everyone was fully committed to work together for the better of the community.
The Councillors discussed the issues and all agreed that once a final resolution to the last few areas were agreed, then the SLA could be signed by both sides for the benefit of all.
iv) Without prejudice offer to the Ripon Arms to settle an electric liability disagreement: Discussion and guidance to the Clerk on whether to accept the recommend without prejudice offer to deduct £100 from invoices for a period of 10 months in equal 10 monthly deductions
The Clerk stated that the without prejudice offer from the PC to the RA to draw a line under the issue was not approved by the RA Committee. They had asked that now that the phasing electrical work had been done, they would over the new few months review the costs incurred over the lock down period and then decide if they had overpaid or not. This would then be fed back to the Council through the Clerk.
The Chair agreed that this approach was the best way forward to ensure that the RA felt they had paid the correct amount but that the PC was not left out of pocket. There was consensus with the Councillors with this approach.
The clerk confirmed this would be one of the topics of discussion for the meeting with the RA next week.
v) Booking Clerk for the Hub: Discussion and guidance to the Clerk on the consideration of the agreeing the recommendation of having a Booking Clerk role which is paid and thus an employee of the Council
The Chair noted that the previous Booking Clerk had resigned and that the Hub Manager had in effect been acting as the Booking Manager as well. The Clerk confirmed that while the previous Booking Clerk and the Hub Manager did have a meeting with the previous Chair, the previous Booking Clerk would not be returning to the role. The Clerk wanted it noted the great job the Hub Manager was doing in regard to the bookings and that the number of hirers was increasing. He stated that he had discussed various options with the Hub Manager and the previous Chair in regards to the Booking role – he would discuss this in detail with the Hub Manager in the next few days and would update the Councillors in due course.
vi) Keys for the Bar Area of the Hub – Discussion key access
The Chair stated that he was aware that this was going to be a discussion point at the meeting with the RA next week and there was a suggestion of few ideas to solve the issue. The Councillors did discuss the need for flexibility in regard to dealing with emergencies in the bar area – such as a water leak which may affect the rest of the Hub.
The Chair and the Clerk would update the remaining Councillors at the next meeting.
vii) Update on the snagging list and funds owed by Builder – update by the Clerk and recommendation
The Clerk stated that he had received an initial response from Mr Millard of Maher Millard Construction who confirmed that the snagging work, and the work already paid for, would be done by 30 June 2021. The clerk stated that he had requested the payment of the funds owed to the PC to be paid by 31 May 2021 – unfortunately this had not been met.
While the Council should consider legal avenues, the Chair stated that Cllr Faulkner would be asked to contact Mr Millard to get more detail before legal options would be considered. Cllr Faulkner agreed and would update the Council at the next meeting.
viii) PRS Music licence – update by the Clerk on the licence needed
The Clerk confirmed that he had been in contact with the PRS organisation and that despite reassurances that the PC and the Hub would not be chased for any music used without a licence (as we had been in contact with them) the Council had not as yet received the necessary documentation.
The Clerk confirmed to the Council and the RA that the Hub did have permission for the playing of music and that it was simply getting the document signed (once the PRS send them) and the payment made. The Clerk would continue to chase the PRS for the correct forms.
ix) Alcohol licence for the Hub – update by the Clerk and detail what geographical area it covers
The Clerk confirmed that he had been in contact with the Licencing Manager and that the Clerk had had it confirmed the precise situation as he had promised. The clerk stated that the Alcohol Licence the Council had covered the bricks and mortar building, and because of the dispensation the Government had given to alcohol licence holders, the drinking of alcohol outside the Hub and the takeaway of drinks would also be permitted to the 30 September. Then the Council would need to apply for a minor variation to include the off sales and the garden area – this would cost the Council £89.
The Clerk reassured the Council and the RA that the alcohol sales were properly licenced and could proceed.
23. Village Welcome pack: Discussion and recommendation to the Clerk
The Chair opened the agenda point by asking for the members of the community who were driving the project to update the Councillors. The clerk had sent to the Councillors an old format of the Welcome Pack which the Councillors could consider using again.
A member of the Community stated that she had emailed some details to the clerk on a possible way forward for the welcome pack. The update described what the welcome pack could involve, who could be involved and the estimated costs – including a proposal to consider the use of Nocton 200 funds. The document was shared with the Councillors for their perusal – the Councillors felt it may be worthwhile for the Clerk to review the details that the member of the Community had sent and then ascertain the impact on the Council.
Several members of the community did state to the Council that they had found the provision of the welcome pack a few years ago when they moved into the village quite useful and that they wanted to encourage the Councillors to consider restarting the initiative.
Actions: The Clerk to review the detail provided about how the Welcome Pack would work and make a recommendation to the Councillors at the next meeting when available.
24. Next Clerk Advisory Meeting – Tuesday 13 July 2021 7pm by Zoom
The Chair stated that it had been already recommended that as it was needed to hold a Full Council Meeting during the end of the June 2021 for the AGAR to be signed, it would make sense to combine the C A M with the Full Council Meeting. The Chair did state that it may be a shorted meeting due to the close timeframe of the meeting to this meeting.
The Councillors were in consensus and the Clerk fully agreed with the Chair’s recommendation and thus would arrange with the Hub Manager to ascertain an appropriate date.
25. Questions from the Public – at the discretion of the Clerk, the Chair will moderate and to ensure that members of the public are to be limited to three minutes for each question and for a maximum of ten minutes
There were the following questions asked of the Councillors and Clerk:
1) A question was asked about the deeds of the Nocton Hub and the effect on the possible creation of the Charity to lease the Hub from the Parish Council.
The Chair asked the previous Chair if he could help provide any detail about this issue to which the previous Chair was willing to help update to which the Chair thanked him.
The previous Chair stated that the legal owner of the land unfortunately destroyed the actual deeds and thus all that is left is the quite hazy photocopies of the originals and some of the documents. The main issue the Council will have to face is that it they may face great difficulty in being permitted by the land owner to lease the Hub to a Charity and thus if this cannot proceed, the Charities Commission may now support the creation of the Charity. The Council would have to take legal advice and undertake a negotiated position with the landowner.
The Chair agreed that the working group looking at the required facets of setting up the Charity would have to understand the leasing issue is very complex and may take a considerable amount of negotiation.
2) The previous Chair wanted to clarify the issues of the increased insurance that PC had to pay against the budgeted cost.
The previous Chair stated that the previous clerk was meant to ensure the insurance cost was broken down by what the PC needed and what was needed for the Hub. Then the Hub element of the cost would then be portioned against the running costs of the Hub from the initial founding funds. The costs of the PRS Licence and the NKDC bin cost was also considered in the previous year to be proportioned to the Hub financial picture.
The Clerk thanked the previous Chair for the clarification and that it would be considered in the apportioning of the costs in the budget and accounts.
3) Are the Chair and the Council committed to holding Full Council Meetings face to face in the near future?
The Chair stated that the next meeting would be a face to face meeting due to the need of the formal agreement of the Council to the AGAR documents. The Council would then consider the picture detailed by the Prime Minister on the 14 June in regard to the opening (or not) or social distancing restrictions. This would then allow the Council to consider the preferred options for safety for but also for open democracy.
4) Have the Council identified where the money to pay for the increase in the Internal Audit and any mid-year audit review?
The Clerk stated that the cost of the Internal Auditor was around £120 more than budgeted for as the Council was given very late notice by the previous auditor and had to find a reputable and reliable Auditor to undertake the necessary audit. The Clerk stated that he was aware of the work the Auditor had done for other Councils and was impressed on the thorough and detailed work they did which the Council most definitely needed. In regard to the extra costs, the Council would consider the budget implication later in the year and consider possible virement, however no decision had been made currently.
5) In regard to the Hub Management Group, a member of the HMG asked (now that the Chair of the HMG has resigned) how are they going to function and do they need any further guidelines?
The Chair stated that he was aware that he may need to be more involved in the HMG as the previous Chair as the Chair of the HMG. He appreciated all the work they did and understood there had been some changes with personnel and that the Council would need to provide as much help as they could. He continued that he was not aware of the details of any specific guidelines but would discuss with the Clerk and the HMG to ensure that the necessary work continued.
The Chair of the Ripon Arms did state that he would like to ask if his organisation should be considered for a place on the HMG as they are an integral part of the Hub.
6) The very kind member of the community wanted to update the Councillors on the planters.
The member of the community stated that some of the planters were in the process of being replaced as the Council had agreed at a meeting earlier in the year. The Chair thanked him for his hard work and that he would look forward to seeing the new planters.
THE CHAIR THANKED EVERYONE FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION AND CLOSED THE MEETING AT 9.05PM
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ADDENDUM
Update from Cllr Nick Byatt – District Councillor from North Kesteven District Council
Cllr Byatt provided the Council and the members of the public the following details:
• Report from District Councillor Laura Pearson – a report was provided by Cllr Pearson and would be published on the website of the Council.
• NKDC meetings – he stated that they had agreed that for any meetings under 30 people (including officers) the meeting would be held face to face. This is to ensure that proper social distancing safe measures can be accommodated in the meeting room. This would be kept under review and would depend on the advice from Government
• Nocton Hall update – he stated that the NKDC Planning Team were very pleased to state that he owners of the Nocton Hall had started to engage with the Planners and were now seeking proper professional guidance on the necessary requirements for the renovations. The NKDC were now hoping that proper discussion could be had with the owners to start the long process of ensuring the Nocton Hall is brought back to a proper use.
• NKDC Tourist Facilities – he stated that the NKDC had started to open the tourist facilities
NOCTON PARISH COUNCIL
Clerk to the Parish: Mr S R Baxter JP MIFA ADPS ADIP Email: clerk@noctonparishcouncil.gov.uk Tel: 0781 444 3058