18th March 2024 meeting minutes

 This meeting was held at Letwell Village Hall at 7pm.

Present: Councillors: Louise Addy (Chairperson), Amanda Wood, Martin Horn. The Acting Clerk Martin Horn, was in attendance. Parishioners: Twenty parishioners were in attendance.

Welcome: a statement was made by the Chairperson Louise Addy to advise the village hall was not insured.

24-001 To receive and approve reasons for absence

None

24-002 To appoint an Acting Clerk

There is no paid Clerk at present. Councillor L Addy nominated Martin Horn to be Acting Clerk, seconded by Councillor A Wood. All in favour.

24-003 To appoint a Councillor to the vacant position.

At this time there have been no applications. The position will remain open until the Election in May. Co-option may take place at the next Ordinary Meeting if anyone applies.

24-004 To receive declarations of interest in respect of business on the agenda.

Councillor L Addy declared a conflict of interest. Being an employee of HSBC, will not be commenting on the changing of the bank account that the Parish Council might use.

24-005 To authorise the chairman to sign the minutes of the meeting held on the 11th January 2024 as a true and correct record.

The minutes from the meeting stated that Chairperson L Addy signed off the bank statement but this did not happen because the bank statements were not produced at the meeting. The minutes were signed.

24-006 To identify any agenda items which may be considered following the exclusion of the press and public, due to the confidential nature of the business to be discussed.

None

24-007 To note any matters arising (For information only)

None

24-008 To give an update on the financial situation of the Parish Council.

Councillor A Wood read the following Statement: To follow on from the statement the council made in the Extraordinary meeting we would like to start by adding the following. To enable us to begin to function going forward we have to make it clear that we can not suggest in any way how we got into difficulty with our finances, we can not imply wrong doing of any individual and ask you do the same. This may become a criminal investigation so please understand that we cannot share anything more with you today that may hinder that in the future. During this meeting we can however discuss our financial position and what we are putting in place to safeguard practices in the future.

I would also like to extend our thanks to Martyn Sharpe who has decided to step down from the council after his many years of dedicated service to the village. Martyn has agreed to assist us where needed and will still be looking after Letwell Music as a separate entity going forward.

24-009 Open Forum for Parishioners in Attendance – Public Participation Session (up to 30 minutes will be allowed)

1. What is happening? The Clerk has resigned, the return of information and paperwork, is still being sought. The Police officer involved has introduced himself to the Parish Councillors.
2. Public expressed concern about not knowing why what has occurred was allowed to happen. Policies and procedures were not in place. Reassurance was given that Policies and Procedures are being put in place to prevent this from ever happening again. At this time the new Parish Councillors need to look forwards and not backwards.
3. What is happening about insurance? Insurance will be in place from midnight Monday 18th March. The premium is £1682.60, about double because of what has happened. Three companies declined to provide a quote. This premium is higher than some larger parishes due to the risk posed by the current situation and the lack of documentation and processes in place. To afford this premium we have been given reduced cover. The underwriter is Q and the insurance company is Aviva.
4. Question was asked about the Parish Council finances in general. Everflow water direct debit was cancelled in October 2022, since when there have been 11 monthly surcharges of £40 added plus two charges of £150 adding a total of £740 in charges. Electric DD was cancelled in October 2023. The debt is now £527.64. It has been agreed that we can repay this over 3 years with no extra charge. Direct Debit will be £70.50 a month, £56 for the coming year and £14.50 towards the debt. PPL/PRS music licences DD was cancelled and the debt is £280. It has been agreed this can be repaid over monthly payments of £70. Premises licence has not been paid since 2021, this includes the alcohol licence for the bar. The debt is £210 for the past 3 years plus £26 to transfer it, then they will reactivate it. There was surprise that the licensing had not been checked by RMBC. Lottery licence was not paid so RMBC cancelled the licence last summer the cost to apply for a new licence is £40 plus £20 annual fee. Electrical inspections: The 5 year building inspection is due in January 2025. The annual smoke detector. PAT testing and extinguisher checks are done in January. The invoice for December 2023 was paid within 4 days. The next year 5-year inspection, due in January, is expected to be about £300, this has been budgeted for. Discrepancies appeared from around Sept 2021 within 3 months of the new Clerk starting. Very few cash payments were made into the bank account. NI and tax have not been recovered or paid to HMRC so the Parish Council is expecting a bill for employer NI. The clerk was not paid through a payroll.
5. Thursday’s extraordinary meeting is to get some of the required documentation in place that Insurers have asked for. It was noted that it was lucky there had been no accidents/problems in the hall.
6. There is a new email to contact the Parish Council, letwellvh@gmail.com
7. Light in phone box - Not sure if it is a bulb or if it has been cut off. The Clerk has phoned EON, no payments appear to have been made since 2021. The phonebox did have an unmetered account, not sure where it is linked to now because EON no longer service unmetered services and do not have the PC as a customer. Carried forward to next meeting. Action to be carried out by Clerk.
8. Hedges – A meeting was held with Firbeck PC. A joint approach was suggested, coming up with plan to reinstate hedges. DEFRA guidelines encourages less cutting, leave wider. There will be a financial incentive. It was proposed to set up an environmental group between the 2 villages to pursue this and other issues e.g. over-run verges, we could go along with Firbeck leading. The Clerk advised that a Bio Diversity Policy will be established with the advice from Local Clerks when other policies have been set up. It has been recommended to keep policies as standard as possible.
9. Have the PC thought about merging with Firbeck? The Acting Clerk advised that there are 3 options: 1) Stay as we are 2) Merge with Firbeck, this would also have to be agreed with Firbeck. 3) Move to a Parish meeting once or twice a year. Options 2 & 3 are onerous, they require the decommissioning of the Parish Council, Whitehall involved. It is believed that Gildingwells let everything lapse. The PC have discussed it and this would be a decision for the village at some point. A Parish meeting can be called by either the Chair, 2 councillors or 10 people. Give 10 days’ notice, form an agenda and chaired by Louise or another. If no Parish Council, you cannot raise money.
10. What will happen with the elections? The Acting Clerk gave some information about the coming elections. A minimum of 3 people must sit on the Parish Council. If after the election there were not 3 Councillors there would be another election within 35 days. If there were still not 3 Councillors Rotherham would invite someone from Dinnington to make up the quorate. If the Parish Council did not continue The Village Hall can be run separately. Firbeck is run separate from the Parish Council. Laughton own the building and a separate entity runs the Village Hall. Ours is classed as a commercial entity so we cannot claim all the VAT, there are strict rules. This needs to be checked by the Acting Clerk. It would need dialog with the Church about the lease. This will be pursued at a later date.
11. Observation the email needs better language. The word summoned look like they are from the government. The Acting Clerk advised that it was standard wording on an agenda. The Acting Clerk has since looked into this and emails sent to the public will have this removed.
12. How can the Acting Clerk be signing the emails before being appointed Acting Clerk. In an emergency the Parish Council can carry out an action as long as it is addressed at the earliest opportunity and minuted in a meeting, hence this was the 1st agenda item. Parish Councils are governed by over separate 230 pieces of law.
13. An observation was made about having our own councillors who will have a vested interest in our village. There is a Worry about this being watered down if we merged. Would prefer to see us keep the Parish Council in the village.
14. The agenda items for Thursday are to approve documentation that needs putting in place. Financial Regulations that were required by an insurer are on the PC website but has never been approved. Thursday is about putting some of the policies and procedures in place to protect the Parish Council going forward. The Acting Clerk will check to see how they are implemented and reviewed. Action to be carried out by Clerk.

The Public Session closed at 19:46

24-010 To receive an update in respect of planning matters and consider any further action on ongoing applications.

None

To receive information on the following issues and decide further action, where necessary.

24-011 Appointment of a new Clerk

Concern was expressed about affordability of the Clerk. In Oct/Nov, a financial plan at the end of the year will include Clerk costs, the precept for next year will be increased to cover this. The Acting Clerk gave an overview of projected expenditure and income for the year 2024/25. See budget on the website.

The Parish Council should be £2000 - £2500 under budget without a Clerk. Reasons were given for why Letwell Parish Council needs a professional Clerk, they know who to approach and how to apply for grants and can bring in more than they cost. They know the contacts and departments in RMBC to get things done. It gives credibility to the Parish Council. Martin Horn will only do this role temporarily as he cannot get to know enough. Need the professionalism brought by training, etc. It is believed 2 hours a week should cover it with a bi monthly Parish Council meeting. This will mean that the Parish Councillors will have to pick up some of the work that a Clerk might do. Cost is based on the size of Parish and experience of the Clerk being employed. It is estimated that this will be £2000 PA. It was agreed that it was not suitable for someone in the village, need someone with experience, because it is a profession. There is a possibility of sending an advert to all existing Clerks, but there is a cost. Another place to advertise is YLCA but our membership has now lapsed. Concern was expressed about affordability of the Clerk. In Oct/Nov, a financial budget will be set and will include Clerk costs, the precept for next year will be increased to cover this. Councillor Martin Horn Proposed that we have a professional Clerk, seconded by Councillor Amanda Wood and carried by all.

24-012 Insurance

The insurance for the Parish Council and Village Hall is £1682.60 and will be spread over 10 monthly payments of £168.26

24-013 Appointing an Internal Auditor for 2023/24

Declaration – Councillor L Addy stated that, at her first Parish council meeting in 2023, the Clerk gave her a pile of documents to sign as Chair this included the AGAR report (audit) for 2023. Louise apologised to the meeting for signing these because an Internal Audit should have taken place and presented to the Parish Council before the document was signed.

The Internal Audit is a public document. The Internal Audit checks all processes and documentation are correct and up to date and have been implemented. The Internal Audit for the year 2020-21 was carried out by Faye Hazelhurst. If there had been an Internal Audit in the last 2 years they would have identified issues. The previous two AGAR's were signed and submitted late incurring fines of £48 on each occasion. District auditors and RMBC see the issues as an internal problem and an employee issue because Letwell Parish council is an entity in its own right.

Advice received is that the processes are there to protect public money from the Clerk who is an employee. Two quotes were received for the Internal Audit, Internal Audit Yorkshire £495 and FH Accountancy Services £250. FH Accountancy Services made the Acting Clerk aware that there is the possibility that Letwell Parish Council will not be able to self certify this year, sign an AGAR, and that an external auditor might have to do an inspection. The cost for this is £2485 per day plus VAT.

The Acting Clerk asked if anyone could help with some of the processes.

Councillor M Horn proposed appointing FH Accountancy Service Internal Auditor for 2023-24. Seconded by Councillor L Addy, approved by all.

24-014 Bank Account

We are not set up for dual authorisation. We have to set this up with Nat West. If anyone would like to look into the choice of Bank Accounts for the Parish Council that would be helpful. Best for Parish Council is Unity but costs £6 per month, many other Councils use them. There are other accounts that are free. It is hard to get people off the existing account. Clerk has been removed from the bank account; other old Parish Council members are in the process of being removed.

The preference is for the Parish Council to be cashless going forward.

Agreed to defer this decision for now. Approved payments:

• £1682.60 for insurance
• £236 for premises licence (transfer from Letwell Village Hall committee, to PC was never done)
• £60 for Small lottery licence
• £15 for window cleaner

The website is not up to date. The PC was advised that RMBC were not uploading documents making changes very quickly so the website was now out of date. The Acting Clerk was given the contact details for the RMBC web team and made a submission for changes to the website these were completed within a few hours. It has been decided that as we can make changes to the website we will stay with RMBC and cancel the new website. Councillor L Addy will contact the supplier. In future the JPAG process and Good councillor guide will be put on the website along with past minutes and agendas. The Acting Clerk is looking into requesting access for the PC to update the website. 

24-016 Elections

Acting Clerk gave some information about the coming elections. The details for standing will be going on the noticeboard on Tuesday 26th. There are 3 elections in the borough. If anyone wants to stand for any of the position for Letwell Parish Council the Acting Clerk has some application forms. RMBC do a service to check if it is filled out correctly. Deadline is Friday 5th April and the application form needs to be taken into the office.

This year when voting you must bring photo ID to vote.

Postal vote – you have to fill out a form if delivering to polling station.

You can’t take into Rotherham otherwise you must fill out form. Or simply post!

The elected period is four years. If there is a Parish Council election in Letwell the costs will be split 3 ways for the hall hire and the salaries for the polling staff. It is estimated the cost would be around £600.

24-017 Financial Matters Budget

The budget for the year 2024-25 was discussed. See attachment.

24-018 Agree time and date for the next ordinary meeting

Time and date for the next Parish Council Ordinary meeting was agreed as Thursday 11th April at 7:30pm at Letwell Village Hall.

The meeting closed at 08:50pm.

Thank you to Hazel Rowson for taking notes and producing a draft for the minutes.

Budge 2024-2025

Village Hall Costs