Meetings 2019

May 2019

Approved Minutes of Minutes of the Council Annual General Meeting, held on 8 May 2019 in the Rippingale Village Hall

Present: Cllrs C. Charlton (Chairman), S. Charlton, E. Field-Lucas, S. Warcup, A. Vaughan & P. Moseley

In Attendance: Michelle Free (Clerk & RFO) and 2 members of public.

  1. Apologies for absence.

018. Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Goode.

  1. Councillor Acceptance of Office.

019. All Elected Cllrs present signed their Acceptance of Office. The Clerk, as Proper Officer, confirmed that Cllr Goode had signed his Acceptance of Office in her presence.

  1. Councillor Declarations of Interest, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011.

020. The Proper Officer issued Declarations of Pecuniary Interest (DPI) forms to all Cllrs and requested they state any declared interests in the Agenda items: Cllr Moseley stated that he was the Director of Finance for Environment SK; Cllr S. Charlton is owner of E.C. Charlton & Son. Completed DPI forms to be returned to Clerk for submission to SKDC. Cllr Moseley to arrange for copy of his DPI to be sent to the Clerk.

  1. Election of Chairman.

021. Cllr C. Charlton was proposed, seconded and voted unanimously to remain as Chairman. Cllr C. Charlton accepted the nomination and signed the Acceptance of Office.  

  1. Election of Vice chairman.

022. Cllr Goode was proposed, seconded and voted unanimously to remain as Vice Chairman. Clerk to notify Cllr Goode and confirm acceptance.  

  1. Allocation of Members to designated roles and responsibilities

023. The lead Cllrs for the roles and responsibilities were allocated and approved. Clerk to publish the updated list.

  1. Approve Minutes of last Council Meeting

024. The previously circulated DRAFT Minutes were presented for approval. As he was not present at the previous Meeting, Cllr Moseley abstained from the vote. The remaining Cllrs unanimously approved the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 April as a true and accurate record. The Chairman signed the file copy. Clerk to publish the approved Minutes.

025. The Allotment Walkabout and accounts discussion with the Feast Chairman were ongoing. Cllr Field-Lucas shared examples of plaques for the sponsored Churchyard lampposts. The plaque and wording were subject to strict guidelines set by the Diocese. The Council unanimously agreed to the mid-range lacquered brass plaque as the preferred design.

  1. Review & Approve Asset Register

026. The previously circulated Asset Register was presented for approval. As advised by the Internal Auditor, the Clerk had reduced the total value of the Register by the full purchase value of the Grounds Maintenance equipment. The Clerk briefed Cllr Moseley on the requirement of the purchase costs to be used in the return for the External Auditor. The Council unanimously resolved to accept the updated Asset register as a true record.

  1. Review & Approve Council Insurance Cover

027. The Clerk stated that she had been unable to obtain renewal quotes due to insufficient time. Ongoing.

  1. Financial Reports:
    1. FY2018/19 End of Year Accounts & External Audit Return.

028. The DRAFT Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR) and supporting documents had been previously circulated to all Cllrs; hardcopies were also available at the Meeting. As he was new to the Council, Cllr Moseley abstained from the vote. The remaining Cllrs unanimously resolved to approve the End of Year Accounts. The Chairman highlighted the accuracy of the presented accounts, as acknowledged in the Internal Auditor’s report, and thanked the RFO for her efforts.

  1. Approval of Annual Governance Statement

029. Section 1 of the AGAR was presented for approval. The Chairman read out the statements and proposed responses. The Council unanimously resolved to approve a ‘yes’ response to all questions in Section 1 of the AGAR. The Chairman and Clerk signed the file copy.  

  1. Approval of Accounting Statements

030. Section 2 of the AGAR was presented for approval by the RFO. The Chairman reiterated the stated figures and the supporting explanations. As he was new to the Council, Cllr Moseley abstained from the vote; the remaining Cllrs unanimously resolved to approve the stated figures, supporting documents and ‘yes’ response to the Trust Fund question in Section 2 of the AGAR. The Chairman signed the file copy.  

031. The RFO stated that the Public Inspection period for the accounts was 3 June to 12 July. The Notice would be published on the website and Noticeboard on 9 May. Clerk to submit the approved AGAR to the External Auditor.

  1. FY2019/20 Accounts to date & Approval of expenditure

032. The RFO stated that the previously circulated accounts to date and expenditure for approval had been checked by Cllr Good prior to the Meeting. The difference between the quote and invoice for the installation of the lampposts was being clarified. The April grass cutting invoice had been received but there was no backsheet; this had been chased. Cllr S. Charlton abstained from the approval of the E.C. Charlton & Son invoice. The remaining Cllrs resolved to approve the list of expenditure except for the grass cutting and lamppost installation, which were deferred to approval by email. Cllrs Field-Lucas & S. Charlton signed the cheques. Clerk to submit the approved BACS payments.   

  1. To Adopt the Council Policies & Procedures

033. The adoption of the Council’s Policies & Procedures was discussed. The annual review of the documents had been carried out and approved by the Council in March. The Council unanimously resolved to adopt the Council’s Policies & Procedures. All documents were published on the website.

  1. Clerk Appraisal

034. Cllr Field-Lucas confirmed that the current Individual Training Plan for the Clerk had been circulated to Council Members and the Clerk with a request for comments by 31 May. Cllrs Field-Lucas & S. Charlton would meet with the Clerk and submit an appraisal for approval by the Council at the July Meeting.

  1. Public Footpaths – Usage & Signage

035. The Clerk confirmed that the issues of dog fouling and trespassing on land adjacent to the public footpaths, and the request for additional signage, had been reported to LCC Countryside Access. Ongoing.

  1. To Receive any Urgent Reports from Members

036. Further complaints had been received regarding the increased parking of off-road vehicles on Doctor’s Lane and the continuation of fly-tipping of grass cutting and building rubble on the verge. The Council had previously reported these issues. Through his role on SKDC, Cllr Moseley confirmed that the dumped material was fly-tipping. It was unanimously resolved to highlight in the Newsletter that the fly-tipping and unlicensed vehicles on the public road were offences; witnesses were encouraged to report the instances to the relevant authorities.

037. A dropped kerb had been installed at a residential property on Station Street. The Clerk confirmed that the Council had not been consulted on the formal request. Clerk to confirm that the dropped kerb had been authorised by the relevant authorities.

There being no more business, the Chairman closed the Meeting at 8.24pm. The next Meeting would take place on 13 June in St Andrew’s Church at 7.30pm.

On completion of the Meeting, the Chairman opened a 5 Minute Public Forum and invited comments:

  • It was suggested that providing alcoholic refreshments would encourage more people to stay for the Annual Meeting.  

May 2019