Godalming Town Council

Minutes and report of
The Policy & Management Committee
held on 25th June 2009

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86-09 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 11 June 2009, having been previously circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a true record.

87-09 PETITIONS/STATEMENTS/QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

No petitions/statements/questions had been received from members of the public in accordance with Standing Order No 80.

88-09 DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS

Councillor PJ Martin declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.

Councillor RA Gordon-Smith declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.

Councillor JPJ Hubble declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as Chairman of DisCASS which has an office at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre and as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.

Councillor SP Connolly declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.  

Councillor T Martin declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.    

Councillor NC Pinches declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as an employee of DisCASS, which has an office at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.

Councillor SN Reynolds declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.

Councillor JR Thomson declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed. 

Councillor LE Wheatley declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.

Councillor CA Wilson declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 12, as a Member of Waverley Borough Council, and remained in the Chamber while that item was discussed.    

89-09 ACCOUNTS PAID SINCE LAST MEETING & SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

Godalming Town Council

Accounts paid since the 11 June 2009 £ 19,786.62
Balance held in Business Deposit Account Balance at 31 May 2009 £432,546.16
Balance held in the Current Account bank Balance at 31 May 2009 prior to bank reconciliation £ 14,370.54
 
A schedule of the accounts paid was tabled for the information of Members.  The vouchers relating to these payments were also tabled at the meeting for inspection.  All payments made were in line with the agreed budget or other resolution of this Committee or Full Council.

Members agreed that the Chairman should sign the schedule of accounts paid.

90-09 AUDIT SUB COMMITTEE

Members received the minutes and report of the Audit Sub Committee meeting held on 18 June 2009 and agreed the recommendation contained therein i.e. that the Responsible Finance Officer should be authorised to withdraw cash directly from the bank via a cheque drawn on the Town Council's account.

To enable this to happen the bank would require two authorised signatories to sign a letter to provide a mandate to this effect and Members agreed the draft mandate letter (appended to the Audit Sub-Committee minutes).

91-09 INTERNAL AUDIT

Members noted that the internal audit for the financial year ending 31 March 2009 was completed on the 12 June 2009 and received the Internal Auditor’s report (copy of the letter and report attached to record minutes) and considered the recommendations contained therein.

Members considered the two forward recommendations from the Internal Auditor (at G and H of the Internal Auditor’s letter dated 12 June 2009 and paraphrased here):

That when this Committee authorises payment of any staff pay award the Clerk should not sign the letter, which informs employees of the payment of the pay award, addressed to herself. The Internal Auditor recommends that the letter should be signed by the RFO.
That more detailed information should be recorded on the Council’s assets register and the Internal Auditor directed the RFO to a proforma asset register for guidance.

Members' response to these recommendations was that weaknesses leading to both recommendations were accepted. However, in the case of i) the Committee agreed that any letter about the Town Clerk's pay should be signed by the Chairman of the Staffing Sub-Committee at the request of the RFO. In respect of ii) the Committee asked the Audit Sub-Committee to examine the recommended proforma asset register and to make any such additions or amendments to the proforma as are necessary so that it meets the requirements of Godalming Town Council. A fully completed asset register in the new form to be submitted to a future meeting (to be before the end of the current financial year) of this Committee for approval.

Members recorded their thanks to the RFO and to the Audit Sub-Committee for all their good work.

Members authorised the RFO to write a letter of response to the Internal Auditor (Mark Mulberry of Mulberry & Co) thanking him for his report and setting out the Council's response.

92-09 ANNUAL RETURN (INCLUDING ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT) FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2009

Members received a copy of the Annual Return Sections 1, 2 & 4 (copy attached to record minutes).

Members considered the Annual Return Section 1 - Statement of accounts for Godalming Town Council, noting that the figures contained therein reconciled to the accounts received and adopted by this Committee on 11 June 2009 (Minute 58-09 refers). Members approved Section 1 - Statement of Accounts for Godalming Town Council and authorised the Chairman to sign it.

Members further considered Section 2 - Annual Governance Statement, and at this point considered the detailed observations of the Audit Sub-Committee on each of the answers required by the Annual Governance Statement (Minute 71-09 refers).

Members concluded that they were in agreement with the answers suggested by the Audit Sub-Committee and agreed that questions 1 – 8 inclusive of the Annual Governance Statement should be answered in the affirmative and that question 9 was not applicable as the Council holds no trust funds.

Members authorised the Chairman to complete the Annual Governance Statement and sign it.

Members also noted that Section 4 - the Annual Internal Audit Report to Godalming Town Council contained a summary of the Internal Audit Report considered above.

93-09 GODALMING HEALTHCHECK - IMPLEMENTATION BODY

Members considered a report by the Town Clerk about the creation of a Community Interest Company (CIC) as a vehicle to implementing the Godalming Healthcheck and agreed the following:

  1. that the Town Clerk is authorised to seek legal advice on the most appropriate form of CIC, on any risks facing the Council (and individual Councillors & Officers) in respect of the CIC and on the responsibilities of members/shareholders in the CIC. The costs of this advice to be met from the professional fees budget and to be capped at £1,000 (any potential fees above that sum to be the subject of a further report to this Committee before they are incurred);
  2. that the Town Council will take the lead in bringing organisations together to form a CIC (Members agreed a list of organisations to be approached - copy list attached to the record minutes);
  3. agreed to commit £50 from the New Initiatives Fund to cover the fees needed to register the CIC;
  4. agreed to commit £10,000 for each of two years from the New Initiatives Fund as a contribution towards the costs of a Project Co-ordinator;
  5. recommended to Full Council that the appointment of Councillor JR Thomson and Councillor JM Poulter to the Healthcheck Steering Group be rescinded.

94-09 QUALITY COUNCIL STATUS

On 19 February 2009 this Committee resolved that the target date for a Quality Council application should be 1 October 2009 (Minute 410-08 refers).

The Town Council has made steady progress towards an application for Quality Council status - however, Trevor Leggo from the Surrey County Association of Parish & Town Councils (SCAPTC) had provided some clarification of the requirements surrounding the council’s quarterly newsletter. No application for Quality Council status can be submitted until the council had produced three quarterly newsletters (with the fourth in production) and this Council’s first quarterly newsletter was published in June 2009.

Therefore it was agreed that the target date for an application for Quality Council status be amended to 1 February 2010.

Members congratulated the Town Clerk on achieving the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) without which no application for Quality Council status may proceed.

95-09 TOWN MAP - POCKET EDITION

Members agreed to accept a proposal for the Town Council to place an advertisement or message on the title page of a pocket edition of the Town Map of local traders commissioned by this Committee. Members agreed to expenditure of £225 for which there was no specific budget provision but which could be accommodated within existing budgets.

96-09 DEVOLUTION OF ASSETS FROM WAVERLEY

Members considered a report that had been received by the 9 June 2009 meeting of the Executive Committee of Waverley Borough Council. The report was on the devolution of assets to Farnham & Godalming Town Councils. The recommendations therein were agreed by Waverley’s Executive.

Members instructed the Town Clerk to write to the Chief Executive of Waverley Borough Council along the following lines:

Phillips Memorial
That Godalming Town Council is content to accept transfer, at nil cost, of the Phillips Memorial upon completion of the current refurbishment project.

Wilfrid Noyce Centre
That Godalming Town Council is disappointed by the tone of Waverley’s report on this building and notes that the sentiments expressed therein are at variance with what Members of this Council expected from Members of Waverley Borough Council. Godalming Town Council has reservations about taking a 125 year lease of a building that, however well-maintained, probably does not have 125 years of life left. The Wilfrid Noyce Centre was built by Godalming taxpayers and Godalming Town Council would like clarification of how much money Waverley Borough Council has spent on the Wilfrid Noyce Centre since it took ownership of the property in 1974.

Godalming Town Council is not content that progressing the matter of its request for the transfer of the Wilfrid Noyce Centre should be left in the hands of officers and would like a Member level meeting to discuss the issues further.

Perrior Road footpath to the More Road Allotments
Godalming Town Council is happy to accept the transfer, subject to all existing rights, of the footpath between Perrior Road and the More Road Allotments.

Members also instructed the Town Clerk to pursue officer level negotiations about the feasibility of transferring the Borough Hall into the Town Council’s management.

97-09 FAIRTRADE LOGO ON GODALMING TOWN COUNCIL CORRESPONDENCE

Members noted that on 8 March 2007 at a meeting of the Full Council it was agreed (amongst other things) that:

'the Fairtrade Logo (monochromatic version) should be added to all Town Council correspondence' (Minute 385-06 refers)

This recommendation had not yet been implemented because the office had taken time to use extant supplies of stationery; the Town Clerk sought Members' guidance as to whether the resolution should be implemented now that the purchase of new stationery was imminent.

Members agreed that the resolution should not be implemented, i.e. it was now resolved that no logo other than the Town Crest should appear on Town Council correspondence.

Upon the request of Councillor PMA Rivers a recorded vote was taken, the results of which are below:

In favour of the proposal (that no logo other than the Town Crest should appear on Town Council correspondence):

Councillor T Martin
Councillor PJ Martin
Councillor RA Gordon-Smith
Councillor JPJ Hubble
Councillor GS Barnes
Councillor SP Connolly
Councillor CM Gordon-Smith
Councillor AK Lister
Councillor SN Reynolds
Councillor LE Wheatley
Councillor CA Wilson
Councillor JE Woodham

Against the proposal:

Councillor PMA Rivers
Councillor PS Rivers
Councillor ML Peacock
Councillor JR Thomson

Abstaining:

Councillor SW Cosser
Councillor NC Pinches

98-09 TOWN COUNCIL REPRESENTATION ON EXTERNAL BODIES - REPORT ON THE ST MARKS COMMUNITY INITIATIVE GROUP

Members agreed to defer a report from the Town Clerk on the St Marks Community Initiative Group until the next meeting of the Committee.

99-09 TOWN COUNCIL REPRESENTATION ON EXTERNAL BODIES - REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS

Members agreed that the report by Councillor SW Cosser on the Godalming & District Chamber of Commerce would be received at the meeting of the Committee scheduled for 6 August 2009.

100-09 NOMINATION TO THE GODALMING TRANSPORTATION TASK GROUP

Following Councillor SW Cosser's election to Surrey County Council it was necessary to replace Councillor SW Cosser as one of the Town Council's representatives on the Godalming Transportation Task Group (the group was run by Surrey County Council).  

Councillor CA Wilson was nominated to be the second representative to this group. There being no other nominations it was agreed that it be recommended to Full Council that Councillor CA Wilson should be one of the Town Council's representatives on the Godalming Transportation Task Group. (Members noted that Councillor SP Connolly was the other representative.)

101-09 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Policy & Management Committee is scheduled to be held on Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 7.15 pm in the Council Chamber or at the conclusion of the Planning & Environment Committee meeting, whichever is later.

102-09 ANNOUNCEMENTS

Members were asked to record Saturday, 26 September 2009 in their diaries that date having been selected for a Town Council business planning day.