THE ANNUAL FINANCE MEETING FOR BOZEAT PARISH COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, 13th JANUARY 2025 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
- To consider accepting apologies for absence.
- To accept declarations of interest from members of Bozeat Parish Council for items included on the agenda.
- Employees.
- to review the following salaries [please refer to the report and summary of salaries].
- Clerk/Burial Registrar.
- Allotments Manager.
- to note that all Parish Council employees are employed and that PAYE is operated.
- Pensions – to note that the requirements of the Pensions Regulator have been fulfilled.
- Cemetery.
- to review the Cemetery fees [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised April 2022].
- to review and revise the Cemetery guidelines [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised January 2021 and report].
- Allotments.
- to review the rents for the year 1st January – 31st December 2026. Rents for 2025 = £44 [full plot]; £22 [half plot]; £12 [quarter plot] with primary tenants over 65 paying £28 [full plot]; £14 [half plot]; £10 quarter plot. [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised October 2023].
- to review the Allotment guidelines [please refer to your Policies Manual – last revised January 2020].
- to review the Allotment Tenancy agreements [please refer to the copy provided for the December council meeting].
- To review insurance cover [please refer to the report].
- To review all policies [please refer to your Policies Manual – [last reviewed January 2024, Debit Card and Email Policies added during 2024].
- To review risk assessments and to make any necessary amendments to the schedule [please refer to your Policies Manual – [last reviewed January 2024].
- To review all Terms of Reference [please refer to your Policies Manual – last reviewed January 2024].
- To review additional Standing Orders [please refer to your Policies Manual – last reviewed January 2024].
- To review the Parish Plan Action Plan – [last reviewed January 2024 – please refer to the report and copy].
- To adopt a Parish Council Community Project List – [please refer to the copy of the list and report]
- To review all GDPR documents and report any data breaches – [please refer to your copies of the documents – last reviewed January 2024].
- To review the Emergency Plan – to note that a revised plan was adopted in December 2024.
- To review the effectiveness of internal controls for audit purposes – [please refer to the report].
- To review the Training Policy – [please refer to the report and policy].
- Precept for the year 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026.
- To consider including funds in the budget towards costs incurred by Bozeat Playing Field Association.
- To consider including funds in the budget towards set up costs for the new village hall.
- To review all budgets and agree the precept for the financial year beginning 1st April 2025.
Tax base – the projected tax base is 768, which is slightly higher than last year.
Please refer to the report and Precept Calculation Sheets which include payments from April to December 2024 inclusive.
SIGNED BY LYNDIS PAYNE, CLERK TO BOZEAT PARISH COUNCIL.
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THE ANNUAL FINANCE MEETING FOR BOZEAT PARISH COUNCIL WAS HELD ON MONDAY, 13th JANUARY 2025 AT BOZEAT TLC, DYCHURCH LANE, BOZEAT, NN29 7JP, AT 7pm.
PRESENT: – Cllrs Skittrall [Chairman]; Cooke; Docker; Foward; Gibbins; Moulds; Pritchard and Steel.
PUBLIC: – No members of the public were present at the meeting.
It was resolved to accept apologies for absence received from Cllrs Brown, Duckles and Pollard.
- Declarations of interest.
It was resolved to note the following declarations of interest: –
Agenda item 3 – Cllr Steel declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 3.
Agenda item 17 – Cllrs Cooke and Gibbins declared non-pecuniary interests in agenda item 17a.
- Employees.
- Review of salaries – (i) Cllr Pritchard proposed that the Parish Council continues to award the Clerk pay increases that reflect the annual Local Government Pay Award, this was seconded by Cllr Docker and agreed. (ii) Cllr Pritchard proposed that the Allotments Manager’s salary be increased to £400 per annum from 1st April 2025, this was seconded by Cllr Docker and agreed.
- It was noted that all Parish Council employees are employed and that PAYE is operated.
- It was noted that the requirements of the Pensions Regulator have been fulfilled.
- Cemetery.
- Review of Cemetery fees – it was resolved to increase fees from 1st April 2025 to the following: – the purchase of a grave space in Bozeat Cemetery to £500 for Bozeat residents and £1500 for non-residents; fee for a Green Burial plot to £1400; fee for the interment of cremated remains to £150, all other fees to be increased by 15% rounded to a sensible amount.
- Review of the Cemetery guidelines – Cllr Steel requested that the restriction on the colour of chippings permitted and the placing of wind chimes etc on graves be removed from the guidelines. It was resolved to leave the wording of the guidelines as they are but add a clause to allow chippings of other colours to be submitted for approval. It was also resolved to not actively enforce the removal of loose items on graves.
- Allotments.
- Review of rents for the year 1st January – 31st December 2026. It was noted that rents have been unchanged since 2022 and costs have increased. It was resolved that allotment rents for 2026 be increased to £50 for a full plot and £25 for a half plot with those
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in receipt of state pension paying £35 for a full plot and £20 for a half plot. It was resolved not to offer quarter-sized plots but to consider any application for a smaller plot as and when received.
- Review of Allotment guidelines – no changes to the guidelines were recommended.
- Review of the Allotment Tenancy agreements – it was resolved to change the wording from “himself” to “themselves” and “his” to “their” in order to make it gender neutral.
- Review of insurance cover.
It was resolved to remove the office desk from the policy and to set up a working party to ensure that cover for jointly organised public events is fully covered.
- Review of policies.
It was noted that Debit Card and Email policies were added during the year, no other changes were recommended to current policies.
- Review of risk assessments.
It was noted that these were subject to a check in 2024 and no other changes were recommended to the risk assessments.
- Review of Terms of Reference.
No changes were recommended to terms of reference.
- Review of Standing Orders.
No changes were recommended to the Standing Orders.
- Review of the Parish Plan Action Plan.
It was resolved to remove the following items from the Plan as they are no longer relevant – Pocket Park; Bottle Banks; Street Lighting upgrade.
- Parish Council Community Project List.
The Clerk reported that parish and town councils had been required to submit a Community Project List to Wellingborough Borough Council for consideration when S106 agreements were being agreed. The creation of unitary authorities in Northamptonshire meant that these were no longer required but the Parish Council had requested that the Clerk create a “wish list” at the last Annual Finance Meeting. Cllr Skittrall reported that the rules on S106 agreements have changed and a list may no longer be relevant. It was resolved to keep this on file but not adopt it.
- Review of GDPR.
The Clerk reported no data breaches in 2024 and no changes were recommended to GDPR documents.
- Review of the Emergency Plan.
It was noted that a revised Emergency Plan was adopted in December 2024.
- Internal Controls for audit purposes.
The internal controls currently in operation were outlined and no changes were recommended.
- Review of the Training Policy.
Training courses attended during 2024 were noted and no changes were recommended to the Training policy.
- Precept for the year 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026.
- It was resolved to include £5,500 in the budget towards costs incurred by Bozeat Playing Field Association.
Page 2231 – 13th January 2025
- It was resolved to include £2,500 in the budget towards set up costs for the new village hall.
- All budgets were reviewed and discussed and Cllr Foward then proposed that a precept of £40,830 be requested from North Northants Council for the financial year beginning 1st April 2025. This was seconded by Cllr Steel and unanimously agreed.
There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed.
Signed by Brian Skittrall, Chairman on 17th February 2025.
