COOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of an Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the

COOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL

PRESENT:            Cllr H. J. Woodbridge (Chairman); M. Wellman (Vice Chairman).

Cllrs. M. Barnes, M. Brar, P. Brockwell, M. Coker, G. Harris, A. Hay,

R. Piercey, A. Prichard, D. Ricardo and J. Stretton.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

Apologies were received from Cllrs Fairlie and Saintclair-Abbott after the meeting There were no Declarations of Interest.

1.      TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF ACCOUNTANT, MR BARRY DANCER TO ASSIST THE CLERK IN PRESENTATION OF THE 2004-2005 ACCOUNTS ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL GUIDELINES LAID DOWN BY NALC:

The Chairman invited the Clerk to explain why this course of action was necessary. The Clerk said that Mr Dancer used to work for the Audit Commission signing off Parish Council audits so he has expert specialist knowledge of parish council accounts which are treated differently to business accounting methods. He had also helped David Armstrong back in 1999 and had shown how the accounts should be set out according to the NALC guidelines. The two main reasons to involve Mr Dancer is the fact that the last two audits which the Clerk has been involved with are not correct even though they have been signed off by Hacker Young. The treatment of the lease purchase on the new Parish Office should have been declared as a capital expenditure item which would appear only in the 2002-2003 accounts – - the year the purchase was made. We have spread the cost of the purchase over the full 60 year term of the lease – an action that was verbally approved by Hacker Young at the time.

The second reason we need Mr Dancer’s help is the treatment of the loan from Cookham Welfare Trust in showing the interest paid over the year. Again our treatment has not been shown correctly and Mr Dancer needs to help us revise this for the remaining term of the loan.

It was AGREED (12 votes in favour, 1 abstention) to appoint Mr Barry Dancer to help the Clerk prepare the accounts in the correct manner and present them for approval as soon as possible.

The Meeting closed at 8.55pm