Minutes – Finance Committee – 4 September 2019

The minutes of this meeting are presented below.

You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Finance Committee – 4 September 2019

MINUTES OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2019 AT 5.30PM

PRESENT:

• Councillors Scicluna (Chairman), Barrie (Vice-Chairman), K Hughes

EX-OFFICIO:

• The Mayor (Councillor Plowman), The Deputy Mayor (Councillor J Hughes)

ALSO PRESENT:

• Councillors Carter and Sharp

APOLOGIES:

• Councillors Apel, Dignum, Harry

ABSENT:

• Councillor Joy

IN ATTENDANCE:

• Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk (Responsible Finance Officer), Member Services Support Officer, Temporary Finance Assistant

The Chairman welcomed Kirsten Easterbrook to the meeting. Kirsten attended as part of her work experience placement with the Finance Team.

28. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

As recorded above

29. MINUTES OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 11 JUNE 2019

The Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 11 June 2019, having been circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

30. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE IN MATTERS ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING

There were no declarations of interest from Members.

31. UPDATE FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

(i) Mayor’s Trophy (Minute 7(i) refers)

The Member Services Support Officer presented the Mayor’s Trophy which had now had the work undertaken to remove the old plaques and replace them with full face plates to create more room for future trophy winners. The previous winner details had been reengraved and the main award name plaque had also been replaced as the previous plaque had become very faded.

(ii) Maurice Patten statue (Minute 7(iii) refers)

The Town Clerk reported that he had met with the Rotary Club of Chichester and spoken to the Royal Sussex Regimental Association and past confusions had been cleared up. Rotary had now agreed to donate £2000 to the project which the Town Clerk acknowledged with thanks. The plinth for the statue had been ordered and wording for the interpretation board agreed with Rotary, Royal Sussex, Vincent Gray and members of Maurice Patten’s family.

The Town Clerk advised that the Property Manager continued to work closely with Vincent Gray and that the statue will be unveiled and dedicated on Remembrance Sunday when it is understood at least 30 members of Maurice Patten’s family will be present.

The Town Clerk reported that, since carrying out this work, it was his sad duty to inform the Committee of the death of Colonel Roderick Arnold, President of the Royal Sussex Regimental Association.

The Chairman then gave some background to the statue and its origins.

In response to a question from the Deputy Mayor, the Town Clerk clarified the selected location for the statue.

(iii) Finance Committee – Terms of Reference Review (Finance Committee Minute 16 refers and Council Minute 16c refers)

It was noted that at the Council Meeting of 19 June 2019 it was RESOLVED that the following items be added to the Finance Committee Terms of Reference:

• Public Realm Expenditure
• CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) projects
• Biodiversity and Climate Change

(iv) Addition of Councillor meeting attendance records to the City Council website (Minute 19 refers)

The Town Clerk informed the Committee that Councillor attendance records for all meetings had now been made available on the City Council website with the Member Services Support Officer updating the records as appropriate.

The Committee had a short discussion about the origin of the request for this to happen as well as the relative merits of making this information available.

The Town Clerk then advised Members that this information would assist Officers in monitoring Councillor attendance under the six month rule and when responding to enquiries from members of the public. The Town Clerk then reminded Councillors of the importance of sending apologies in advance of meetings they would not be attending otherwise a note of “Absent” would be added to the attendance records.

(v) Charles I Bust (Minute 24 refers)

The Town Clerk updated Members that the necessary Government indemnity had been obtained and the move of the Charles I Bust to the Novium Museum would be proceeding with a target of 27 November for completion.

The Town Clerk further updated Members on the proposed location of the bust at the Novium. The Committee agreed that this would be the most suitable location and that the museum would provide the best opportunity for visitors to enjoy the bust and its place in Chichester’s history.

(vi) Finance Work Experience (Minute 25 refers)

The appointment of a work experience student to the Finance team had been completed and the appointee had taken up her post.

PUBLIC BODIES (ADMISSION TO MEETINGS) ACT 1960

Proposal to resolve that the public and press be excluded from this meeting for Agenda Item 28 only because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted namely financial matters.

(vii) Market House – reassignment of lease – unit 4 (Minute 26 refers)

Further to the sudden departure of the leaseholder of unit The Town Clerk and Deputy Town Clerk advised that they had met with Orion Southern, the City Council’s Development Partner for the Market House.

The Committee were shown architectural plans outlining a request from Orion Southern to make a minor change to the layout of unit 4 to make the unit more attractive to potential tenants.

After some discussion, the Committee RESOLVED to permit the changes subject to the correct Planning and Historical Building consents being granted.

THE MEETING RETURNED TO PUBLIC SESSION

32. RISK MANAGEMENT ACTION PLAN

The Deputy Town Clerk informed Members that a full risk assessment covering all of the City Council’s areas of business and activity had been carried out.

The Deputy Town Clerk then advised that the Risk Management Action Plan had then been created from this risk assessment to highlight the higher risk areas for the Council. These higher risk areas were then outlined in more detail for the Committee.

The Committee felt that of particular concern was lack of distributed knowledge about the IT, Email and web setup with the risk being based on the Member Services Support Officer being unable to attend work or otherwise undertake any necessary updating.

Councillor Sharp raised a question regarding training in corporate resilience and the Town Clerk advised Members that he was arranging for a briefing at the Annual Parish Meeting from the What If organisation.

33. REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING TO JULY 2019 

A copy of the Revenue Budget Monitoring Report to 30 July 2019 had been circulated to all Members with the Agenda.

The Deputy Town Clerk advised that this report was currently showing a surplus of £23,067 against the budget.

The Deputy Town Clerk summarised the main variances and answered questions from Members.

In response to a question about planting in the City, the Committee discussed the planting schemes within the City and the future of the supply and maintenance of the floral planting schemes. Members felt strongly that any scheme should maintain the current high standard while ensuring support for local providers.

34. CAPITAL MONITORING REPORT 2019/20

The Committee considered the New Homes Bonus report highlighting the capital expenditure on approved projects.

The Deputy Town Clerk advised that the only capital expenditure to date were the amounts shown in the 2018/19 column for Southdowns Planetarium (£12,000), Chichester Boys Club (£12,000) and The Murray Club – Vincent Gray statue (£15,000).

35. REVIEW OF EARMARKED RESERVES

The Deputy Town Clerk updated Members on the purpose of the earmarked reserves and noted the large increase in the Council House earmarked reserve to cover potential repairs and maintenance.

36. PUBLIC REALM PROJECTS

To authorise the replacement of the Whyke Road junction Parish boundary sign which had recently been demolished in a road traffic accident. No details of the driver were available therefore the cost would be paid from the Public Realm budget in the sum of £352.00.

It was RESOLVED that the Whyke Road Parish boundary be replaced at a cost of £352.00 to be paid from the Public Realm budget.

37. COUNCIL HOUSE SURVEY AND CAD DRAWING CREATION

Property Sub-Committee Minute 3(b) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to the Finance Committee that Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings of the Council House be commissioned up to a maximum of £5,000 to be funded from Council House Reserve.

The Chairman clarified the purpose of the CAD drawings and informed the Committee that this would provide an ongoing resource for future building and renovation projects at the Council House.

It was RESOLVED that the Property Manager should commission a surveyor to create a set of CAD drawings of the Council House at a cost of no more than £5000 to be funded from the Council House Reserve.

38. PROPERTY TEAM ROTOVATOR PURCHASE

Property Sub-Committee Minute 4(b) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to the Finance Committee that a Stiga Silex 103B 60cm Rotovator should be purchased for the sum of £1000 to be funded from the Allotment Improvement (Capital) Fund.

The Committee discussed the merits of purchasing a rotovator for the Property Team against the repeated cost of hiring. The Members felt it was a positive step to enable the Property Team to bring untidy allotments back in to use as well as being a useful tool for possible other works on City Council land.

It was suggested that the rotovator could be made available for allotment holders to hire. The Member Services Support Officer advised that the intended machine was a large commercial sized rotovator which would be unsuitable for general use and could present a health and safety hazard.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed with Screwfix for a Stiga Silex 103B 60cm Rotovator for the sum of £1000 to be funded from the Allotment Improvement (Capital) Fund.

39. LITTEN GARDENS FENCE AND FOOTPATH ALTERATION

Property Sub-Committee Minute 5(e) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to the Finance Committee that changes be made to the fencing and access to Litten Gardens on the New Park boundary be undertaken at an estimated cost of £1350 to be funded from the Public Realm budget.

The Chairman clarified that the purpose of this project was to remove a section of fencing that has been repeatedly vandalised to create an access point. The access point footpath would then be made good for public use.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed to remove the section of fencing at Litten Gardens on the New Park boundary to a value of £1350 to be funded from the Public Realm budget.

40. WHYKE ROAD BUS STOP BENCH

Property Sub-Committee Minute 6(b) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to Finance Committee that an order be placed to install an additional bench in Whyke Road at a cost of £1,215 to be funded from the West Sussex County Council Benches Fund.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed with Earth Anchors to install an additional bench in Whyke Road to a value of £1,215 to be funded from the West Sussex County Council Benches Fund.

41. WARD BOARDS

Property Sub-Committee Minute 47(d) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to Finance Committee that an order be placed with Earth Anchors for the replacement of the existing Ward Boards and the installation of a fifth Ward Board at a cost of £4,228 to be paid from the Public Realm Budget.

The Committee discussed the positive benefits of the Ward Boards and the need to add a fifth Ward Board further to the recent ward boundary review that had created an additional ward for Chichester.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed with Earth Anchors for the replacement of the existing Ward Boards and the installation of a fifth Ward Board to a value of £4,228 to be paid from the Public Realm Budget.

42. MODIFICATION TO ROUSSILLON PARK STREET SIGNS INCORPORATING VICTORIA CROSS RECIPIENTS

Property Sub-Committee Minute 9 refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to Finance Committee that an order be placed with GB Sign Solutions for the modified signs in the sum of £1507.50 to be paid from the Public Realm Budget.

The Committee agreed that it was important to ensure that visitors and residents alike were made aware of the reasons for the names of the streets and that the individuals highlighted were remember for their place in Chichester’s history.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed with GB Sign Solutions for the new street names on Rousillon Park to the value of £1,507.50 to be paid from the Public Realm budget.

43. REPLACEMENT OF WOODEN SEATS OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY IN TOWER STREET AND WOOLSTAPLERS

Property Sub-Committee Minute 10(b) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to Finance Committee to place an order for two replacement benches at a total cost of £1,230 to be funded from the West Sussex County Council Benches Fund.

Members discussed the reasons for the replacement of the benches and whose responsibility the respective benches are.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed with Earth Anchors to the value of £1,230 for the replacement of the wooden seats outside the library in Tower Street and in Woolstaplers, to be paid from the West Sussex County Council Benches Fund.

Councillor K Hughes left the meeting.

44. FENCING AT THE ST JAMES ROAD MAINTENANCE COMPOUND

Property Sub-Committee Minute 12(b) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to Finance Committee that an order for the supply of the fencing be placed with Safe Fence to the value of £3,161.45 to be funded from the Allotment Improvement Fund.

It was RESOLVED that and order to the value of £3161.45 for the fencing supplies be placed with Safe Fence. To be paid from the Allotment Improvement Fund.

45. PROPERTY TEAM MOBILE PHONES

Property Sub-Committee Minute 12(c) refers

To consider the following Recommendation from the Property Sub-Committee:

It was RECOMMENDED to Finance Committee that an order be placed for the purchase of two “Tuff” phones for the Property Maintenance Team at a maximum total cost of £250 and three SIM only plans with a total monthly cost of £33 to be funded from the Health and Safety budget.

The Member Services Support Officer highlighted the fact that the nature of the work meant that a standard phone would not generally be suitable due to the dust and potential for rough treatment. It was noted that a special “Tuff” phone would cost approximately £100 per handset and that the monthly ongoing cost would be kept as low as possible.

It was RESOLVED that an order be placed for two “Tuff” phones for the Property Maintenance Team at a maximum total cost of £250 in addition to three SIM card data plans at an approximate cost of £33. Both to be funded from the Health and Safety budget.

46. CLIMATE CHANGE AND SINGLE USE PLASTICS

The Town Clerk advised Members that it would be proper for the Property Sub-Committee to review allowing preferential hire rates for a potential Swap and Repair shop. The Town Clerk further advised that, due to the nature of regular and one-off bookings it would be very difficult to commit space within the Council House on a regular basis.

The Chairman responded that the principle of the Swap and Repair shop was a sound one but that it may cause difficulties if preference were shown to a particular group.

The Committee then discussed the possibilities of pop-up shops and contacting Chichester District Council about venues. It was generally felt that the Swap and Repair concept was a very sound one that would be more effective with a venue directly on the High Street.

The Deputy Town Clerk advised that a Discretionary Grant may be a suitable funding source to help develop the Swap and Repair shop concept in Chichester.

It was RESOLVED to encourage the organisers of the Swap and Repair shop to apply for a Discretionary Grant and provide further information about requirements as part of the application process.

47. CITY COUNCIL STANDING ORDERS REVIEW

The Town Clerk informed the Members of the need to form a group to review the Standing Orders for the City Council. As part of the groundwork, the Town Clerk advised the Committee that he had almost completed the draft Procedural Standing Orders whilst the Deputy Town Clerk was working on the Financial Standing Orders.

The new Standing Orders would be based on the newest National Association of Local Councils (NALC) standard framework which include obligatory legal requirements within the overall text. These legal requirements were mandatory for inclusion in the new Standing Orders.

The Town Clerk advised that the Deputy Mayor would Chair the Working Group (Standing Orders) and it would also include the Chairmen of the Standing Committees.

Councillor Sharp suggested to the Committee that, once the Standing Orders review was completed, a training session for all Councillors on the Standing Orders would be very useful. The suggestion was well received.

The Town Clerk reminded the Committee that the laws governing Parish Councils differed from the legal frameworks of Principal Councils, i.e. County and District; so it would be vital that Councillors were fully aware of the differences.

48. CHICHESTER CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS PLAN 2019-2023 (REVIEWING 2015-2019 PLAN).

The Chairman advised the Members that the Business Plan needed regular updating. In order to do this a Working Group (Business Plan) would be created made up of The Mayor, The Deputy Mayor and the Chairmen of the Standing Committees. The Working Group would also include a further Member from each of the Standing Committees. These additional Members would be selected to reflect the ratio of the political parties in the current Administration.

These further Members so far were Councillor Bell (Planning Committee) and Councillor Carter (Community Affairs). The Chairman proposed Councillor K Hughes would represent the Finance Committee.

This was agreed by Members and it was RESOLVED that Councillor K Hughes would represent the Finance Committee on the Working Group (Business Plan).

49. CITY COUNCIL OFFICE CLOSURE FOR CHRISTMAS PERIOD

The Committee considered the options for Christmas closure of the City Council offices and it was RESOLVED that the Council House would close at 2pm on Tuesday 24 December 2019 and reopen on Thursday 2 January 2020.

The Town Clerk advised that during the closedown period Councillors would be provided with emergency contact details, a public notice would be displayed on the Ward Notice Boards and the City Council’s website site would also be updated.

50. APPROVAL OF CIL (COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY) SPENDING ON THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

The Deputy Town Clerk advised Members of the process for applying for CIL funds from Chichester District Council and how the amount of £50,000 was decided on.

The Mayor and Deputy Town Clerk outlined how some of this money would be spent. This would include commissioning reports from consultants to support the development of the Neighbourhood Plan as well as funding an increase in the hours for the Planning Adviser who was the lead Officer on the project.

It was RESOLVED that a proforma would be submitted to Chichester District Council to include the development of the Chichester Neighbourhood Plan at a cost of up to £50,000 to be added to the Infrastructure Business Plan.

51. CREATION OF A CIL (COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY) SUB-COMMITTEE

The Chairman queried the need for a separate Sub-Committee to manage the CIL projects. The Members then discussed the appropriate mechanism for this process including using the Property Sub-Committee.

However, the Committee felt that the CIL projects covered a broader remit than the Property Sub-Committee and it was therefore RESOLVED that the Finance Committee would be responsible for the management of the CIL funds.

The Mayor left the meeting.

52. ITEMS FOR INFORMATION ONLY

(a) MONTHLY RECONCILIATION WITH EVIDENCE OF BANK STATEMENTS TO END OF APRIL, MAY, JUNE AND JULY 2019

RESOLVED to note the monthly reconciliation with evidence of Bank Statements to the end of April, May, June and July 2019.

(b) LIST OF CHEQUES PAID FOR APRIL, MAY, JUNE AND JULY 2019

No cheque payments were made in April, May, June or July 2019.

(c) LIST OF BARCLAYCARD PAYMENTS FOR APRIL, MAY, JUNE & JULY 2019

RESOLVED to note the Barclaycard payments for April, May, June and July 2019.

53.  ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED ON NEXT AGENDA

• Business Plan
• Standing Orders Review
• Infrastructure Business Plan consultation
• Review of the work experience post
• Budget
• Climate Change and Single Use Plastics

54 and 55 – These items were covered in Minute 31 (vii)

56. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Tuesday 22 October 2019 at 5.30pm

The meeting closed at 7.25pm