MONMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL Shire Hall Agincourt Square Monmouth NP25 3DY

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1 MONMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL Shire Hall Agincourt Square Monmouth NP25 3DY Tel: Finance and Policy Committee Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 7th July 2014 at 7 pm in The Council Chambers, Shire Hall, Monmouth Present: Chairman Cllr R Hayward (RH) Cllr S Chivers (SC) Cllr J Hall (JH) Cllr T Christopher (TC) Cllr G Pritchard (GP) Cllr A Dewhurst (AD) Cllr A Were (AW) Cllr J Fletcher (JF) Cllr S Wilson (SJW) Cllr J Gunter (JG) In attendance: Mrs S James, Town Clerk 1. To receive declarations of interest on items on the agenda None received. 2. To receive apologies for absence All members present 3. To approve and sign the minutes of the previous meeting dated 27 th May 2014 The minutes Tuesday 27 th May 2014 were proposed as a true record and signed Proposed: Cllr J Hall, Seconded: Cllr J Gunter 4. To receive and approve the summary of expenditure Details had been previously distributed to members. i. To approve the accounts for payment between 20/05/14 and 30/06/14. The Clerk explained that the bank statements for end of June had not yet been received and this list may not be exhaustive (eg. Salary payments not included) It was proposed to approve and accept the payments and accounts. Proposed: Cllr G Pritchard, Seconded: Cllr J Gunter 7

2 ii. To review a statement of the bank reconciliations as at 31/5/14 iii. To review a statement of income from 1/4/14 to 31/05/14 iv. To receive report on committee expenditure from 1/4/14 to 30/06/14 The statements and reports on committee expenditure were reviewed and received, and the separate list of earmarked reserves noted. 5. To receive correspondence (listed separately) Late correspondence no.26 was noted for member s attention, regarding funding available from the War Memorial Trust Fund Cllr Hall requested copies of correspondence numbers 14, 16 and 29. Correspondence no.2 was noted from MCC Roger Hoggins in relation to possible transfer of services from MCC to MTC and had been referred to the Consulting with People of Monmouth working group discussed later on the agenda item 9g. 6. To update action review summary All items noted and updated (also included as agenda item 10) Cllr Hall reported that she had researched and produced a paper on the role of Mace Bearers, as agreed by the Protocol working group, although no progress had taken place in using it to advertise the role of trainee Mace Bearer as previously discussed. The Clerk suggested Ms Caroline Bright as a potential new Mace Bearer. It was suggested an agenda item be placed on the next meeting agenda to consider this. The Clerk also requested that the Mace Bearer line managers follow up management of the Mace Bearers following the Civic service parade and service. 7. To receive Town Clerk s report Annual Return 31st March 2014 Following agreement of sections 1, 2 and 4 at Full Council 27th June 2014, a copy of the Return has been sent to the External Auditors, Mazars. The accounts have also been advertised for inspection in accordance with legal requirements. Mayor s Cadet badge A request has been made regarding the provision of a badge for the Mayor s Cadet, to mark the cadet s appointment. An enquiry has been made, and response is currently awaited from Ross-on Wye Town Council, and also Fattorini s have been approached for suggestions. They have suggested something along the lines of the Past Mayor s badges, using much of the existing artwork at a cost of although it s not clear what individual badges would cost at present. Town Coat of Arms A request for a detailed and updated copy of the town Coat of arms has been made by the Carbonne Twinning Association to produce on Welsh slate to present to the twin town next year to commemorate 40 years of visits. This is to be supplied as a clearer and more detailed image than previously used. Society of Local Council Clerks Conference update The SLCC conference in Cwmbran was recently attended by the Clerk. Deryck Evans, from the Wales Audit Office spoke about changes to the external audit regime and the thematic governance statement requirements which will change each year. He revealed that the thematic governance statements required for would be based around budget setting evidence and procedures. 8

3 Steve Thomas CBE, CEO of the Welsh Local Government Association spoke about the proposed re-organisation of Unitaries in Wales and was scathing about the recent report of the Commission on Public Service and Delivery which apparently provided little or no actual evidence to prove any possible benefits of the proposed re-organisation and amalgamation of unitary authorities in Wales. Banking Arrangements It appears likely that the Town Council will soon incur charges from banking providers, Lloyds Bank, although specific information on when these will commence, or extent of costs has not yet been obtained.at the SLCC conference, it was apparent that the majority of Community and parish councils are already being charged for banking services provided. Many community councils, including Chepstow locally, use Unity bank, which appear to have good feedback according to various online forums. Contact details for Unity Bank and also for the Public Sector Deposit Fund are available, which could hold easily accessible Council reserves, with the two often being used together. At some point in the future, the Clerk suggested representatives be invited, and possibly other banks, to talk to Council about alternative banking services and charges offered, in comparison to existing providers. Following the Clerk s Report, the Chair referred back to Mayor s Cadet Badges, it was agreed that this should be discussed at Full Council when full information available. It was also confirmed that no vote was required for the Clerk to assume delegated authority to provide the Coat of Arms as requested. Cllr Pritchard asked for confirmation of Unity Bank being guaranteed under Financial Protection regulations and it was reported that no steps had yet been taken to approach or confirm any details with the bank; this would be checked within any changes that were to be considered. 8. To receive any items to report as CSAT S issues Cllr Were asked for the area around the toilet block and buses parking dangerously on the double yellow lines to be considered. When the coach bays were full, buses did not appear to return to the bus station, but park illegally and dangerously in an area where there are often many pedestrians around. Cllr Hayward reported that he had written to the Police Commissioner three times to ask for parking issues to be de-criminalised and transferred to MCC for enforcement by car parking attendants. Cllr Dewhurst reported that at a recent conference the Police Commissioner did not appear to support this and was keen for parking issues to be tackled by the police. Cllr Christopher referred to a letter received that day also complaining about the area around the old Monnow Bridge. Cllr Wilson reported that considerations had taken place at CSATs regarding possible leafleting of cars reminding of impact of bad parking. 9. To receive reports from, and to confirm working group membership: a) Agincourt Street Toilets working group (AD,JF,RH) No meeting or further updates b) Shire Hall Service Level Agreement working group (RH, JG, AD, AW) No meeting. The Clerk advised that MR M Booth of the Shire Hall had that week reported he was chasing the SLA with MCC. 9

4 c) CCTV representatives (SJW, Deputy re-confirmed as Cllr Hall) Cllr Wilson reported all 7 cameras working well and there had been recent successes with CCTV and Storenet been used in conjunction. Cllr Were noted that reports received usually involved crimes against shops and commercial premises, although CCTV was paid for through the precept by resident s not commercial properties. Some discussion took place regarding residential/commercial funding of CCTV. It was reported that the location of the cameras had been agreed and that most local people work in or visit the town. Cllr Hall expressed the view that CCTV also allowed people to walk safely and feel safe in Monmouth at night. Following a request from Cllr Were, Cllr Wilson confirmed procedure for asking CCTV reporting/footage to be checked, was to report an incident or concern to the police directly, not through the CCTV Monitoring group. d) Standing Orders Revision working group (reviewing format & regarding delegation to committees, RH,JG,SC,GP) The Chair confirmed this was an ongoing task and to enable the format to be updated to a new model, a significant amount of work was required which had been previously volunteered by a member who had now left the Council. No volunteers were forthcoming. e) Protocol Working group (SC, RH,JG, JH,SW) No meeting. The Clerk requested a meeting be held in the near future regarding Mace Bearer issues. f) Review Risk Management measures (RH, JG) No meeting g) Consulting with people of Monmouth regarding MTC additional responsibilities (TC Chair, SJW,AD,GP) Cllr Christopher reported that boxes were available as collection points for public feedback further to the newsletter, in the EE Shop, Shire Hall, Wyesham Post Office and Bridges. A meeting of the group was to be held in late August to look at feedback received and confirm and publicise details for three public meetings to be held around the town on 6 th, 13 th and 20 th September. h) Others The Chair reported to members that following Mr Andrew Tuggey s approach to Council several months ago regarding events to mark the 600 th centenary of the Battle of Agincourt, the promised MCC support, project management and funding from MCC had not materialised. Instead, it appeared that MCC would offer some support from Adventa should the Town Council wish to arrange events. Cllr Hayward had been trying to arrange a meeting with Mr Tuggey and Adventa for a while without success. 10. To consider and discuss lease for Monmouth Rowing Club further to advice received This item had been previously deferred from Full Council awaiting advice requested from MCC Legal Department. This advice had now been received and circulated to all members before the meeting. In effect, a lease was advised as not appropriate if the Town Council wanted to limit use of the Town field by the Rowing Club to 10 days per year and the council still be able to use the field otherwise. A lease would give the Rowing Club exclusive possession of the field for the whole term of 50 years or so and this was obviously not the Council s intention. A licence was suggested as more appropriate, with an offer made from MCC for more details or drafts if required. 10

5 It was confirmed that this advice received had been forwarded onto Monmouth Rowing Club. It was then suggested that it be left to the Rowing Club to approach the council again with an alternative request if required, although it was hoped the Club may be satisfied with the status quo now as dates requested for field use this and next year had already been granted. Since the Club had approached the council initially, MCC had given assurances that MRC would have exclusive use of the adjacent car park on regatta dates, and it was hoped that this would alleviate some of the concerns voiced at the initial request. It was raised that other organisations are usually required to pay rent to MCC for use of land and perhaps MTC should consider this for use of the Town Field. However, it was generally felt that the Town Field should remain available for the free use of a valued local organisation. 11. To discuss and review the Precept Income by MCC on behalf of MTC (GP) Cllr Pritchard had recently researched the breakdown of precept income and had been provided with figures by MCC, on request, for breakdowns between bands and number of houses within bands, to understand the calculations. Following the MTC precept request of 187,000, Cllr Pritchard had calculated that up to 211,000 could have actually been collected by MCC, although this figure would be lowered by single occupancy, disabled people occupancy allowances etc. However, this led Cllr Pritchard to question what slippage is considered reasonable in order to guarantee collection of the 187,000 and he had investigated the number of houses the tax is based upon, and detail of new housing developments in Monmouth. It appeared that MCC had made educated guesses of occupancy of new houses, in October last year, of 10 in the Almshouses development, 10 in the Wyesham development, and 15 in Croft-y-Bwla. In reality, the occupation numbers have proved to be 33, 25 and 84 respectively, and Cllr Pritchard estimated that an approximate additional 6,700 of income may have been collected through the MTC tax than was actually passed on as the 187,000 precept as requested. Cllr Pritchard was interested where this possible surplus may go, and suggested currently to MCC reserves. He drew member s attention to this anomaly especially in the light of possible devolution of services from Unitary to Community Councils, and highlighted this for future years, with implications on MTC precept requests. It was acknowledged that not all household Council tax was collected for a variety of reasons, but it was believed there was possibly still a significant amount of money not accounted for elsewhere, and this could be put to significant use. Cllr Dewhurst suggested that it should be considered for funding the next layer of previously unsuccessful s106 funding project applications and hence be transparent. Cllr Christopher suggested that nearer budget setting time in Oct/Nov, closer examination of MCC statistics of the tax base should be made with implications for setting the MTC precept and more accurate information on projects and requirements for the following year. Cllr Pritchard reported that, in effect, the number of houses to be taxed should be considered in conjunction with setting the precept as it would be possible to keep the household tax the same with an increase in precept due to increasing tax base with further developments. Cllr Were confirmed this had been considered briefly at budget and precept setting last year, and some councillors had supported a higher precept that could have been achieved with a higher number of households being taxed at a lower rate than previously. 11

6 Cllr Pritchard asked members to consider his findings especially with regard to further housing developments in Monmouth. The Chair thanked Cllr Pritchard for his thought provoking work, and suggested that he may wish to consider taking this up further with MCC regarding additional income as a result of developments, perhaps investigating 5 year projection figures for future use. 12. To confirm invitation to Mr S Bees to act as MTC Internal Auditor for The Chair confirmed that Mr Bees had acted as Internal Auditor for the council for the previous year, and recommended he be invited for appointment for the current year. It was proposed that Mr S Bees be invited for appointment as Internal Auditor for the current year. Proposed: Cllr R Hayward, Seconded: J Hall 13. To confirm budget and costs of Civic Service Details of civic service anticipated costs for this year, and costs incurred last year, were circulated to members. Church fees were noted as increased to a more realistic cost levels, and it was also noted that numbers catered for at the reception were not yet confirmed. The Clerk confirmed 4 catering quotes had been sought, with the previous year caterer s engaged again as responded and available, unlike others approached. The quality of service was also known and good. It was proposed to accept and agree costs for this year s Civic service of 1412 with variation allowed for catering numbers when confirmed. Proposed: Cllr R Hayward, Seconded: Cllr G Pritchard Proposal unanimously agreed 14. To confirm Clerk s attendance at LCAS seminar Cardiff 15/7/14 and any other councillors wishing to attend ( 30 per additional place) Details of the seminar had been previously distributed to members and the Clerk recommended the seminar as very informative and useful as she had attended previous years. It was proposed to confirm the Clerk s attendance and any other member who wished to attend at a cost of 30 (cost to be met by the Council as training). Proposed: Cllr R Hayward, Seconded: Cllr T Christopher 12

7 15. To consider the main Finance and Policy Committee objectives and outline programme (Forward plan) The Chair read the previous year s Committee Forward Plan which had been distributed at a previous meeting. It was proposed to adopt a new Forward plan on the same basis as last year. Proposed: Cllr R Hayward, Seconded: Cllr S Wilson 16. To confirm procedure for Co-option at extra Full Council meeting of 21 st July 6pm Brief notes were distributed to members regarding co-option procedure considerations, and the Chair reminded members that following a complaint in 2010, the Council had agreed the whole co-option process should take place with the public and press present. He reminded members though, that the procedure itself was the choice of the council, 2 applications had been made, and a Full Council meeting was due to take place on Monday 21 st July, 6pm for the co-option of a member for the Town Ward. The Clerk has requested the format of the co-option be clearly decided in advance of the meeting on 21 st July. Much discussion took place on whether both the candidates should remain in the same room when individually talking to Council and answering questions, the nature of the questions, possibility of a scoring system, and whether both candidates should remain in the room for the vote. It was proposed that: Candidates would be introduced to members at the beginning of the meeting and the process would be explained. Each candidate would be requested (although this cannot be enforced) to leave the room when the other candidate is presenting to Council and answering questions. Candidates will be invited (in alphabetical order), to individually talk to Council for 5 minutes or so, and then answer 4 questions put by the Mayor. The same 4 questions would be asked of each candidate by the Mayor. These questions would be decided by the Mayor from questions submitted to her by members before 5pm, Monday 14 th July (through the office is acceptable) No additional or supplementary questions from members will be allowed. It is the choice of the individual candidate to remain in the Chamber for the vote or not. Voting will be as normal by show of hands, unless a request for signed ballot or a record of names is made before the vote. Votes for the first candidate alphabetically will be taken, and then votes for the second candidate will be taken. Proposed: Cllr J Gunter, Seconded: Cllr G Pritchard Proposal unanimously agreed 13

8 17. To review subscriptions, contracts, fees and charges (Forward plan) A list of current subscriptions, contracts, fees and charges was circulated to members including details of any long term contracts. The list was explained by the Clerk and confirmed that individual committees had responsible for payment and issue of contracts. The Committee considered and reviewed subscriptions, contracts fees and charges as in order and satisfactory. 18. To consider and agree MTC full membership of Monmouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce at 40pa Details had been previously circulated to members. It was explained that MTC was not currently a member of the Chamber and membership had been suggested for receipt of full benefits and voting rights for MTC representatives, at a cost of 40. It was suggested that the Town Council doesn t represent the businesses, but the residents of Monmouth, and membership may be interpreted as bias towards commercial interests. It would be of mutual benefit to communicate effectively with the Chamber by representatives attending meetings where they would not expect to be entitled to vote as not members. It was proposed that the Town Council would like to be considered as an honorary member only, and representatives be allowed to attend meetings to develop links and communications but not necessarily vote on any matters. Proposed: Cllr R Hayward, Seconded: Cllr J Hall 19. To consider and agree to host buffet for approximately 25 VIPs following Coronel Service 1 st November 2014 The Clerk outlined details for the proposal requested by Mr C Rogers of the Royal Naval Association (RNA). It was confirmed that the RNA would be organising the service, invitations and events for Coronel Day, and requested that the Mayor host a buffet for about 25 dignitaries following the Church service, and before the film showing at the Savoy in the afternoon. The RNA would be hosting a buffet for other invited guests at the same time in the Conservative Club, but numbers were prohibitive and it was hoped that the Mayor would agree to host a buffet for 25 invited dignitaries and Councillors in the Mayors Parlour or as appropriate. It was proposed to accept the request in principal, for the Mayor and Town Council to host the buffet for 25 VIPs and councillors on 1 st November, with budget considerations to be confirmed with further details as available at the following Finance and Policy Committee meeting Proposed: Cllr G Pritchard, Seconded: Cllr R Hayward 14

9 20. To consider and agree a code of conduct/protocol on member/officer relations policy Draft details of a suggested basis of a policy were circulated by the clerk with apologies time constraints had not allowed further research or earlier circulation. The Clerk requested that this be considered by members fully at a later date. It was proposed that this be considered as an item on the next Committee agenda, and it was asked that members draft any amendments or suggested changes and give a copy to the Clerk ready for distribution with the agenda for the next meeting. Proposed: Cllr J Gunter, Seconded: Cllr G Pritchard Proposal agreed 21. To agree items of discussion for future meetings Coronel Day 1 st November buffet budget and details Code of conduct/protocol on member/officer relations 22. To confirm date of next meeting Monday 18 th August 2014, 7pm, Shire Hall, Monmouth 23. To resolve to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business, by virtue of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, Section 1 (2), on the grounds of confidentiality Cllr Chivers requested further explanation from the chair for the exclusion of press and public. It was proposed to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business, by virtue of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, Section 1 (2), on the grounds of confidentiality Proposed: Cllr R Hayward, Seconded: Cllr G Pritchard For: 9, Against: 1 Proposal agreed 24. To consider and agree any action required regarding MTC Regalia Recorded as confidential pink paper minutes. For further background information or an explanation of any of the information provided, please contact the Town Clerk on receipt of these minutes. Please contact the Town Clerk if you foresee any problems with these minutes; if possible these will then be resolved before the meeting. 15