COOKHAM   PARISH   COUNCIL

Minutes of a Meeting of the

 FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE

PRESENT:       Cllr M. Wellman (Chairman)

Cllrs: M. Barnes, P. Brockwell, M. Coker, F. Hewer, Jean Stretton and H.J. Woodbridge.

1.            APOLOGIES AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: Apologies were received from Cllr G. Harris. Cllr Hewer declared a personal interest in item 6 on the agenda.

2.            REVIEW THE ACCOUNTS AND FORECAST FOR 2008-2009 FINANCIAL YEAR: The figures were circulated to all Councillors with the agendas. A Summary of Accounts for the 2008-2009 financial year was also circulated. This showed the bank balance at the end of October at approx. £82,778. Total expenditure so far is £65,424 and total income is £108,507. The forecast end of year is estimated at £39,000 less the Reserve Fund of £10,000. The Chairman said that the figures show how Cookham has benefited from the extra precept money. Income from burials is also higher this year. However, there were several decisions where expenditure had been committed that had not been budgeted for. These are listed on the Page 730 of the Minutes entitled “Summary of Accounts 2008/9”. The cost of the by-election in July is also listed as this had not been budgeted for.

3.            DRAFT BUDGET FIGURES FOR THE 2009-2010 FINANCIAL YEAR: The budget figures for 2009-2010 financial year show expenditure at £143,875 and income at £137,796. This is a deficit of approx. £6,079 and would need to be kept in mind when the Parish Council set their precept request. The Chairman said that the precept did not have to be decided until January 2009 and the Council would have figures for November and December by then. Also, the Adoptive Acts Committee were still to go through their figures and budget for next year.

Cllr Hewer asked if the Parish Council had a written five year plan and goals for the year ahead. The Chairman said that it was a good idea and had been done some time ago. It was also noted that the inclusion of 106 developers contributions in the accounts would distort the figures. Cllr Hewer insisted that the Parish Council should lean in that direction. She came up with the suggestion of the Committees stating short, medium and long term projects. The Chairman thought this was a good idea and also wanted to explore the possibility of using 106 developers contributions for other parish projects. The costs of buying new computer equipment was also discussed and it was AGREED to wait and see what help, if any, that RBWM would offer to the parishes when the practice of e-planning really becomes established.

4.            STREETLIGHT INSURANCE: At the present, the parish streetlights are insured for a total of £27,054 – there are 84 streetlights in total, 68 of these are columns and 16 are brackets on telegraph poles. To make a claim on a replacement column, one has to divide the total sum insured by 84 which leaves a sum of £325 less our £100 excess. This is clearly not worth claiming but to insure each streetlight individually would add another £80,000 to our insurance cover. The cost of replacement bracket lights was approx. £1,000 each. The other option was to leave a contingency sum in the finances in case a column needs replacement and to actually remove the £27,000 of insurance from the policy. The Clerk was asked to find out from Barrie Dancer whether there were any other eventualities that would justify leaving the insurance in place. It was also noted that the new Outdoor Fitness Zone and the new play equipment would add to the cost of our insurance at renewal.

5.             PROGRESS REPORT ON THE NEW KITCHEN AT CEMETERY LODGE: Cllr Barnes had received no news. The Clerk said that she would try to contact the tenants.  

6.            REQUEST FOR FUNDING FROM THE VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT WORKING GROUP: The Chairman said that the £3,000 reserved for the Station Hill project could now be released to the VDS team. It was AGREED that the Clerk should write to the Cookham Society and RBWM to see if they could contribute. The Chairman proposed giving £3,000 to the VDS Group immediately to help them get started and a further £2,000 at the end of this year, beginning of the next financial year. This was seconded by Cllr Barnes and AGREED unanimously.

7.             CONFIRMATION OF LOCATIONS AND BUDGET FOR CYCLE RACKS: There was some discussion on the different types of racks and the best places to fit them. The Clerk had found an attractive planter with two cycle racks. This could be put in place of the bollard at the Cookham War Memorial. It was AGREED that the Clerk would write to the National Trust for permission and the British Legion to see if there were any objections. Cllr Hewer mentioned the “Sheffield Loop” form of cycle racks that were favoured because they did not squash the tyre. These could be used at the library and the station. The Clerk was asked to find some prices for the Sheffield Loop and to write to Darren Jones, and possibly Network Rail, for permission. The Clerk would also see if there was any grants available to pay for this initiative.

PART 2 – was held under Standing Order 68.

The meeting ended at 10.10pm.