Agenda and approved minutes – AFM 2023

THE ANNUAL FINANCE MEETING FOR BOZEAT PARISH COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, 9^th JANUARY 2023 AT BOZEAT TLC, DYCHURCH LANE, BOZEAT, NN29 7JP, AT 7pm. UNLESS OTHERWISE ADVISED. 

*please note that meetings may be recorded.

A G E N D A

1. To consider accepting apologies for absence.

2. To accept declarations of interest from members of the Council for items included on the agenda.

3. Employees.
4. to review the following salaries [please refer to the report and summary of salaries].

(i) Clerk/Burial Registrar.

(ii) Allotments Manager.

1. to note that all Parish Council employees are employed and that PAYE is operated.
2. Pensions – to ensure that the requirements of the Pensions Regulator are fulfilled.

4. Cemetery.
5. to review the Cemetery fees [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised September 2017].
6. to review the Cemetery guidelines [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised January 2021].

5. Allotments.
6. to review the rents for the year 1^st January – 31^st December 2024.

Rents for 2023 = £44 [full plot]; £22 [half plot] with primary tenants over 65 paying £28 [full plot]; £14 [half plot]. [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised January 2021].

1. to review the Allotment guidelines [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised January 2020].

6. To review insurance cover [please refer to the report].

7. To review all policies [please refer to your Policies Manual – [last reviewed January 2022, Civility and Respect Pledge added October 2022].

8. To review risk assessments and to make any necessary amendments to the schedule [please refer to your Policies Manual – [last reviewed January 2022].

9. To review all Terms of Reference [please refer to your Policies Manual – last reviewed January 2022].

10. To review additional Standing Orders [please refer to your Policies Manual – last reviewed January 2021, anonymous correspondence Standing Order added September 2022].

11. To review the Parish Plan Action Plan – [last reviewed January 2022 – please refer to the report and copy].

12. To review the Parish Council Community Project List – [please refer to the copy of the list – last reviewed January 2022].

13. To review all GDPR documents and report any data breaches – [please refer to your copies of the documents – last reviewed January 2022].

14. To review the Emergency Plan – review currently in progress.

15. To review the effectiveness of internal controls for audit purposes – [please refer to the report].

16. To review the Training Policy – [please refer to the report and draft policy].

17. Precept for the year 1^st April 2023 – 31^st March 2024.
18. To consider including £12,500 in the budget towards the cost of providing VDS equipment near to the village primary school.
19. To consider including funds in the budget towards costs incurred by Bozeat Playing Field Association.
20. To consider including funds in the budget to pay for additional planters to be placed on the Village Green.
21. To review all budgets and agree the precept for the financial year beginning 1^st April 2023.

Tax base – the projected tax base is 756, which is lower than the previous year.  Last year, the Parish Council prepared a budget based on the advised tax base of 768 but the actual tax base was 752 which led to an unexpected increase in the parish share of council tax paid by Bozeat residents.

Please refer to the report and Precept Calculation Sheets which include payments from April to December 2022 inclusive.

SIGNED BY LYNDIS PAYNE, CLERK TO BOZEAT PARISH COUNCIL.

THE ANNUAL FINANCE MEETING FOR BOZEAT PARISH COUNCIL WAS HELD ON MONDAY, 9^th JANUARY 2023 AT BOZEAT TLC, DYCHURCH LANE, BOZEAT, NN29 7JP, AT 7pm.

PRESENT: – Cllrs Skittrall  [Chairman]; Brown; Cooke; Docker; Duckles; Foward; Morris and Pritchard.

PUBLIC: – No members of the public were present at the meeting.

It was resolved to accept apologies for absence received from Cllrs Dudley-Smith; Gibbins and Pollard.

2. Declarations of interest.

Cllrs Brown and Cooke declared pecuniary interests in agenda item 5, relating to the allotments.

Cllr Cooke declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 17, relating to Bozeat Playing Field Association.

3. Employees.
4. Review of salaries: –

(i) Clerk/Burial Registrar – information received from SLCC and NorthantsCALC was reviewed and discussed and it was resolved to make no change to the salary for the Clerk/Burial Registrar for the time being but to review again at the October meeting of the council.

(ii) Allotments Manager – it was resolved to make no change to the Allotments Manager’s salary.

1. It was noted that all Parish Council employees are employed and that PAYE is operated.
2. Pensions – it was noted that the requirements of the Pensions Regulator are being fulfilled.

4. Cemetery.
5. Review of Cemetery fees – fees being charged by other local authorities were compared and it was resolved to make no changes to the fees at this time.
6. Review of Cemetery guidelines – it was resolved to make no changes to the guidelines at this time, noting that changes can be made as and when required.

5. Allotments.
6. Review of rents for the year 1^st January – 31^st December 2024 – it was resolved to make no change to the rents due for 2024 = £44 [full plot]; £22 [half plot] with primary tenants over 65 paying £28 [full plot]; £14 [half plot]. Cllrs Brown and Duckles abstained.
7. Review of Allotment guidelines – it was resolved to make no changes to the guidelines at this time, noting that changes can be made as and when required.

6. Review of insurance cover.

Following discussion, it was resolved to remove the Clerk’s desk from the insurance cover as it is many years old and to set up a small working party to look at the council’s insurance cover for public events.

7. Review of policies.

It was resolved to amend policies as per a report [Appendix A].

8. Review of risk assessments.

It was noted that Cllr Morris is currently reviewing the risk assessment policy, schedules and

Page 2111 – 9^th January 2023

Page 2112 – 9^th January 2023

templates and it was resolved to form a small working party to complete the review.

9. Review of terms of reference.

No changes were noted.

10. Review of standing orders.

No changes were noted.

11. Review of the Parish Plan Action Plan.

No changes were noted.  Cllr Cooke suggested that the Parish Council creates a list of achievements and it was agreed to add this to the agenda for the February meeting.

12. Review of the Parish Council Community Project List

The Clerk apologised that this document had not been circulated prior to the meeting, it was unclear whether or not North Northants Council requires this information.  Cllr Skittrall provided information on the situation with S106 agreements and it was resolved that the Clerk check with North Northants Council if this document is still required. The Clerk to send a copy of the current list to all members of the Parish Council.

13. Review of GDPR documents and data breaches.

No changes were requested and no breaches reported.

14. Review of the Emergency Plan.

It was noted that a review is currently in progress.

15. Review of internal controls for audit purposes.

Details of the controls in places were noted and no changes requested.

16. Review of the Training Policy.

No changes to the policy were requested.

17. Precept for the year 1^st April 2023 – 31^st March 2024.

The Clerk and Chairman had prepared a basic budget calculation and precept forecast.  It was noted that the projected precept request would produce too large a percentage increase in the parish share of council tax and detailed discussions followed.

It was noted that there may be scope to reconfigure the Green Burial area in order to release space for additional conventional burial spaces removing the pressing need to purchase additional land to extend the cemetery.

It was further noted that funds have been set aside for the production of a Neighbourhood Plan but to date all efforts to get the project off the ground have stalled, it was noted that a Neighbourhood Plan is a good way to control development within the village.

It was resolved to set up small working parties to look at the detailed budget requirements to ensure good management of the council’s funds.

1. The provision of VDS equipment near to the village primary school – detailed costings for this project to improve safety during the school run were provided and it was noted that North Northants Council would pay 50% of the cost and it may be possible to obtain a grant of up to £5000 from Northamptonshire Police which is currently available. It was resolved to submit a grant application and investigate budget virements in order to provide sufficient funding for this project. This to be an agenda item for the February meeting of Bozeat Parish Council.

Page 2113 – 9^th January 2023

1. The provision of funds in the budget towards capital projects requested by Bozeat Playing Field

Association – this to be considered at the March meeting of Bozeat Parish Council.

1. The provision of funds in the budget to pay for additional planters to be placed on the Village Green – this to be considered at the April meeting of Bozeat Parish Council.
2. Review of budgets and to agree the precept for the financial year beginning 1^st April 2023.

Cllr Pritchard proposed that a precept request equating to an increase of 10% be submitted to North Northants Council to permit the provision of safety improvements either side of the primary school and allow for inflation.  This was seconded by Cllr Foward and unanimously agreed.  It was noted and agreed that the precept request would be £36750.

There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed.

Signed by the Chairman.  20^th February 2023.