2024-25 Minutes

0001/25

Potterhanworth Parish Council Meeting
Minutes of meeting held in The Pavillion, Queensway, Potterhanworth LN4 2EA
Monday 20th January 2025 at 7pm

Councillors Present:    A. Clarke (Chairman)
            G. Blake        J. Giles        M. Ott
            Cllr Carrington (for Lincolnshire County Council)

In Attendance:         One Member of the Public

PUBLIC FORUM

During the public open forum, no members of the public raised anything.
Police and Crime report - No report was provided.
District Council - apologies for absence received.
County Council - Cllr Carrington provided a verbal update covering the following:
The County Council are considering budget options for the year ahead.
There is concern surrounding the estimated amount of Solar farms proposed across Lincolnshire land.
The County Council has been liaising with individuals and certain areas that have suffered from flood damage to see if there is any mitigation to the issue; whilst emphasising the importance of the Resilience Forum communication to any predicted bad weather.

0001.    OPEN MEETING
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the first meeting of 2025 and welcomed the latest co-opted member Cllr Blake. The Chairman asked for thanks to be recorded for the volunteer that cleaned the notice board on Queensway. The Chairman announced that the Council is without a Clerk and RFO presently and it was agreed that a Cllr shall minute the meeting. 

0002.    APOLOGIES
    Apologies were received from Cllr S Ellis, Cllr S Copsey, and Cllr P Lundgren
    
It was Resolved: That apologies with valid reasons for absence from all be accepted.

0003.    DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
    None.

0004.    MINUTES
To approve as a correct record notes of the Meeting of the Council held on 16th December 2024.

It was Resolved: The notes of the Parish Council meeting held on 16th December 2024 be approved as the official minutes.

0005.    DEFERRED FROM 16TH DECEMBER 2024 - TO DISCUSS THE UPGRADE / PROVISION OF SPORTS FACILITIES AND AGREE ANY TIMELINES.

It was Resolved: Cllrs to begin looking into the preliminaries of the project and bring back to full Council.

0006.    TO AGREE THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DATES FOR 2025/2026

It was Resolved: For the following meeting dates to take place throughout 2025/2026:
24th February, 31st March, 28th April, 12th May - (Annual Parish Council), 19th May - (Annual meeting of the Parish), 30th June, 28th July, 29th September, 27th October, 24th November.

0007.    TO AGREE A COMMUNICATION METHOD/S TO LET RESIDENTS OF THE PARISH KNOW HOW THEY CAN ACCESS, VIEW AND COMMENT AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC ON PUBLISHED NKDC PLANNING APPLICATIONS. 

    It was Resolved: Deferred until the next meeting.

0008.    TO NOTE CORRESPONDANCE RECEIVED FROM A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC RELATING TO AN FOI REQUEST REGARDING THE 2023/2024 INTERNAL/EXTERNAL AUDIT AND RECEIVE AN UPDATE FROM THE CLERK ON THIS MATTER

The Clerk responded to the correspondence received within the statutory time frames which all Council members have had sight of.

0009.    TO RESOLVE WHETHER TO SIGN UP TO THE LALC ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR 2024/2025 AT A COST OF £275.42 

It was Resolved: To sign up to LALC’S Annual Subscription.

0010.    TO RESOLVE WHETHER TO SIGN UP TO THE LALC ANNUAL TRAINING FOR 2024/2025 AT A COST OF £162.00

It was Resolved: To sign up to LALC’S Annual Training

0011.    PLANNING

To consider planning and tree applications received since the last meeting of the council and any new applications received after the publication of the agenda.
There were no planning and tree applications received to consider.

0012.    FINANCE

a)    To note bank balances.
TSB bank balance of £32,432.98 noted by Council Members present.

b)    Resolve accounts for payment.
It was Resolved: Council members present accepted accounts for payment, invoices and future payments.

TOTAL 

Expenditure=£733.81

Income/refunds=£54.51

c)    Authorisation for invoice payment and future payments.

d) To consider and resolve application for grants for the period 2024/2025. 

It was Resolved: To award the Scouts £300, Autumn Festival £400, St Andrews Church Yard tidy up £1250 and the Over 60’s club £250.

e) To receive the external audit and Notice of Conclusion for 2023/2024
The external Audit has been published on the Parish Councils website and can be accessed by viewing: https://potterhanworth.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/download/15/2023-24-annual-return

It was Resolved: To accept the external auditors’ findings and the matters relating to the external audit for 2023/2024. Councillors gave their reassurance that all the matters raised have been acknowledged by Council members present and will be appropriately actioned in line for 2024/2025.

f) To receive an update on the Internal Audit for 2023/2024 and resolve any actions or items for noting. 

It was Resolved: The internal audit was not available in electronic format even after reaching out to the internal audit provider. At the time of this resolution no hard copy document of the internal audit could be located. Whilst the Council accept that this is not ideal the Council gave their reassurance that an Independent internal auditor for the period 2024/2025 has been appointed through the use of the Local Association for Local Councils (LALC) to prevent and minimise the risk of this happening again.

g) To consider the budget and agree the precept for the financial year 2025/2026.

It was Resolved: Council considered and agreed the precept for the financial year 2025/2026 at £29000.00, an increase of £1929.89, £4.83 annually for a Band D property. 

h) To consider the purchase of a sim card for the Clerks phone at a cost of £10 per month

It was Resolved: A new phone shall be purchased with a monthly contract up to £30 per month. 

0013.    MONTHLY RISK ASSESSMENT

It was noted that due to having no Clerk and RFO there was a risk to invoices, payments and emails being missed. 

It was Resolved: The Vice Chair to log on to the planning portal regularly. The Chairman shall keep an eye on the Clerk and RFO’s inbox.

0014.    EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

To consider passing a resolution in accordance with the public bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, that public and press be excluded from the meeting for the matters set out below on the grounds that it could involve the likely disclosure of private and confidential information.
To discuss and resolve the appointment for the role of Clerk and RFO.

It was Resolved: To advertise for the position of the Clerk and RFO.