Finance committee minutes

Tuesday 2 November 2021 11am

Mayor's parlour

Present

The Mayor: Councillor D Russell (Chairman)
Councillors: V Higgs; D Little; R Lloyd

Officers: S Saunders (Town Clerk); G Shaw (Treasurer)

19. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J Thomas. Councillor R Lloyd was appointed as a substitute.

20. MINUTES

It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on the 28th July 2021 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

21. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest.

22. EXTERNAL AUDIT CERTIFICATE

Members received the External Audit Certificate which gave a clean audit and this was endorsed.

24. HALF YEARLY BUDGET REPORT

Members received a report from the Treasurer which gave information on the actual expenditure and income for the six months up to 30th September 2021. The Treasurer informed Members that there was currently an underspend of £56,000.

The Treasurer was thanked for this informative report.

25. PAYMENT METHODS

Members considered a report from the Treasurer on payment methods for the Town Council. A discussion took place and it was RESOLVED that, where possible, payments would be made online in future. Online payments were becoming increasingly more popular than writing cheques and there would be a saving for the Town Council on bank charges and postage.

RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL

A new mandate be delivered to HSBC Bank instructing the bank to facilitate online payments from the Town Council’s bank account, such payments to be made on the authorisation of EITHER the Council’s Treasurer (Graham Shaw) OR the Council’s Town Clerk (Sue Saunders).

26. UPDATE FROM THE TOWN CLERK – VARIOUS ITEMS

Members received an update from the Town Clerk and were asked for approval on quotations received:

Draft Criteria for Grant Applications
Members considered the draft application form and criteria and asked for point number 6 on the criteria to be amended so the only information required were last annual accounts and bank statements for the last year.

The Town Clerk would arrange for these amendments to be done and would place it on the Town Council website.

Works at Stourport Community Centre
Quotations had been received for works to be carried out at the centre (now in the ownership of the Town Council) – these were:
Works for repairing all roller shutters on the external doors and windows - £1,150 plus VAT.
Installation of external security lighting system - £380 plus VAT.
Installation of an external CCTV system (6 cameras) - £1,190 plus VAT.
Members RESOLVED that the Town Clerk arrange for the works to be carried out.

Donation to West Midlands Air Ambulance
Following a fatal incident in the War Memorial Park where two Parks staff had helped with an emergency situation, Members agreed to donate £500 to West Midlands Air Ambulance in memory of the late Chris Hallam (former teacher at Stourport High School).

Replacement of lamps on Riverside Victorian Lights
The Town Clerk had been informed that the Victorian lights on the Riverside were not working. Due to the age of the lights and water ingress (flood waters), three were damaged and needed replacement. A quotation had been received for £957 plus VAT. Members RESOLVED that the Town Clerk arrange for the works to be carried out.

Mayoral Allowance for 2021/22
A discussion took place on the mayoral allowance for the remainder of the municipal year. It was agreed, that as there were not many events planned, no allowance would be made for the remainder of the year. However, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor would reclaim any expenses incurred.

Benches and works for Paddling Pool
The Town Clerk advised Members that, following the opening of the paddling pool in the Summer, several items required looking into. For safety reasons, it was perceived that anti-slip paint be applied around the paddling pool surround and a quotation had been received for £824.50 plus VAT. It had also come to light during the Summer that there had not been adequate seating around the area. Another quotation had been received for £1,929.48 plus VAT and members asked the Town Clerk to arrange for the installation of the benches and the anti-slip paint to be applied.

27. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

The Treasurer asked Members if there was any merit in nominating the Chairman for Finance Committee at the first meeting of the new municipal year, as was the case for other committees. After a discussion, it was agreed that this would be added to the agenda for the Annual Council meeting in May 2022.

Chairman

The Meeting closed at 11.45 pm.