COOKHAM   PARISH   COUNCIL

Minutes of a Meeting of the

 FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE

PRESENT:            Cllr M. Wellman (Chairman)

Cllrs: P. Brockwell, G. Harris, M. Innes and H.J. Woodbridge.

1.            APOLOGIES AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: Apologies were received from Cllrs Barnes, Fisher, Prichard and Stretton. There were no Declarations of Interest.

2.            REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS FOR 2006-2007 FINANCIAL YEAR: The Chairman had already circulated a Summary of Accounts paper with the agenda. At the end of December 2006, total expenditure was at £79,065.85 and total income at £76,278.51. The forecast expenditure by the end of the financial year was approx. a further £20,000 compared to a forecast income of a further £7,894. With further expenditure agreed for the lighting of the war memorial at £4755 – this would leave an end of year sum of £18,781 in our accounts (close to the budget of £18,621). The Chairman noted the following: General Committee: £5,000 contribution for the refurbishment of Lullebrook Bridge has at last been paid from the Reserved Funds; the Donations allowance has run over-budget by £2,500 (the sum paid towards the Parish Plan). Footpaths Committee: the grass mowing on the Alfred Major sum was up from last year but still within budget; the mowing of Odney/Stonehouse was also a little over-budget. Adoptive Acts Committee: on the grave-digging it was noted that Keith Heybourne was more expensive than the late Chris Hughes; it was agreed to review these figures for the running of the cemetery.

3.            BUDGET FOR 2007-2008 FINANCIAL YEAR: The Budget forecast figures gave a start of year bank account sum of £18,621 with a forecast expenditure sum of £101,360 and an Income of £84,772. This would leave an end of year balance @March 2008 of just £2,033. With these figures in mind, the Chairman suggested a precept increase of £6,000. Cllr Woodbridge thought this was too small an increase. After some discussion it was AGREED to increase the precept by £8,000. The increase would allow the following: £2,000 towards election costs; £2,000 as part of our agreed donation of £2,500 to the Parish Plan; £2,000 towards consultancy fees on the risk assessment tests required on the Cemetery extension; plus a further £2,000 cost of living increase – inflation was now running at 3%. It was also AGREED that a sub-committee should be formed early in the new financial year to monitor the budget.

4.            FORMAL APPROVAL OF PRECEPT REQUEST: It was proposed by Cllr Wellman and seconded by Cllr Woodbridge to present a precept request for £64,000 for approval by the Full Council. This was an increase of £8,000 or 14.5%.

5.            APPEAL FOR FUNDING FROM THE SCOUTS ASSOCIATION: The Maidenhead area Scouts were celebrating their 100 years of scouting with a large camping rally on Marsh Meadow. Some 800 children would be in involved including children from the Cookham scouts, cubs, beavers, brownies and guides. The Clerk reminded the Committee that filming in Cookham Dean recently had led to a goodwill donation of £150 from Pinewood Studios. Cllr Innes proposed a donation of £250 towards the Scouts celebrations. This was seconded by Cllr Woodbridge and AGREED.

6.            REPLACEMENT TABLES IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM: It has been of concern for some time that the tables purchased by RBWM were to heavy for one person to set up on their own. The Clerk had been talking to the Christina Hibbert, Head of Cookham Rise Primary School who was keen to contribute to some lighter tables. It was AGREED that the Clerk would contact the school and offer a contribution in principle of approx. £250 towards some new tables. It was also agreed to ask the school to recommend some cheaper alternative to the ones in the Clerk’s brochure.

The meeting ended at 8.45pm.