LITTLE ECCLESTON WITH LARBRECK PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday 9th May 2024, 7.00pm at Elswick Village Hall, Roseacre Road, Elswick.
PRESENT: Cllr P Bull (Chair), Cllr A M Bull (Vice Chair), Cllr G Stead, Cllr Sandra Milton, Cllr Steve Milton
IN ATTENDANCE: Jane Lingings (Clerk), Cllr P Hayhurst (Agenda item 14 onwards)
1191/24 1. Election of Chair
Cllr P Bull stated he would like to continue as Chair.
Cllr Stead requested a recorded vote.
- For – 3 councillors (Cllr A M Bull, Cllr Steve Milton, Cllr Sandra Milton)
- Against – 1 councillor (Cllr Stead)
It was resolved to elect Cllr P Bull as Chair for the next 12 months
1192/24 2. Election of Vice Chair
Cllr Stead stated that he would not seek re-election as Vice Chair.
Cllr A M Bull stated she would like to be considered as Vice Chair
Cllr Stead requested a recorded vote.
- For – 3 councillors (Cllr P Bull, Cllr Steve Milton, Cllr Sandra Milton)
- Against – 1 councillor (Cllr Stead)
It was resolved to elect Cllr A M Bull as Vice Chair for the next 12 months
1193/24 3. Acceptance of Apologies
Nil
The Chair closed the meeting for public participation.
Public Participation
Seven members of the public representing the Village in Bloom group attended the meeting to discuss the rationale of recent decisions documented in the March and draft April minutes, made by the Parish Council, regarding the East End triangle.
The Chair reopened the meeting.
Following a request from Cllr Stead, the Chair agreed to move to Agenda Item 13 first.
1194/24 13. Amenities/Maintenance/Environment
East End triangle: one quotation had been received for a block triangular planter at a cost of £815.83 plus VAT. The Councillors discussed this item at length. The Councillors noted the concerns raised by the in bloom group about disturbing the plants during the growing season.
It was resolved to defer the purchase of the wooden block planter to a later date.
Five members of the public left the meeting.
1195/24 4. Appointments to Outside Bodies
It was resolved to agree subject leads to the following areas:
- Maintenance/Village Inspection: Cllrs AM Bull, Milton & Milton
- Defibrillator: Cllrs Stead
- Contractors: Cllrs Bull & Bull
- Human Resources: Cllr A M Bull
- FBC Planning: Cllrs Steve Milton & A M Bull
- FBC District Parish Liaison Committee: Cllr Stead
- LALC: Cllr Stead
- Responsible Financial Officer: J Lingings
- Elswick Village Hall: Cllr P Bull
- In-Bloom Group: Cllr G Stead
- Risk Assessment: Cllrs P Bull & Milton & Milton
- Showfield Liaison: Cllrs P Bull & Stead
- National Events: Cllr A M Bull
1196/24 5. Calendar of Parish Council Meetings for 2024 25
It was resolved to approve the dates of the meetings as below:
- Thursday 13th June 2024
- Thursday 18th July 2024
- No meeting in August 2024
- Thursday 12th September 2024
- Thursday 10th October 2024
- Thursday 14th November 2024
- No meeting in December 2024
- Thursday 9th January 2025
- Thursday 13th February 2025
- Thursday 13th March 2025
- Thursday 10th April 2025
- Thursday 8th May 2025
1197/24 6. Declaration of Interests and Dispensations
Cllr Sandra Milton & Cllr Steve Milton Agenda item 9 (pecuniary)
1198/24 7. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
It was resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting 11th April 2024 as an accurate record and were signed by the Chair.
1199/24 8. Action Tracker
The action tracker of previous decisions of the council was noted and updated.
1200/24 9. Finance
- It was resolved to approve the monthly bank reconciliation.
- It was resolved to approve the cumulative budget report.
- It was resolved to approve payments as below:
Payee Details Net VAT Gross
Netwise Training Ltd Gov.Uk Domain setup fee 10.00 2.00 12.00
Netwise Training Ltd Upgrade to premium package 67.32 13.46 80.78
Currys Business Laptop/security 415.00 83.00 498.00
SLCC Auditor Training 120.00 24.00 144.00
Imperative Training Ltd Defibrillator pads 105.00 24.00 126.00
Salaries Staff costs 387.67 0 387.67
J Lingings Admin Reimburse 40.00 0 40.00
Mr S Milton Amenity Cleansing 390.00 0 390.00
EDF Energy Defibrillator electricity 11.04 0.55 11.59
Zurich Parish Council insurance £300.00 0 £300.00
J Smith In Bloom reimbursement 15.00 3.00 18.00
K Sudlow In Bloom reimbursement 36.98 7.40 44.38
F Porter In Bloom reimbursement 140.00 28.00 168.00
Income: £50.00 Resident donations old barrels
£10.00 Resident donation old barrel
£10.00 Resident donation old barrel
1201/24 10. Audit: Annual Return for the year ending 31st March 2024
- It was resolved to approve the Internal Auditors Report and recommendations will be put into practice where required.
- It was resolved to approve and authorise the Chair and RFO to sign
- Section 1 (Annual Governance Statement)
- It was resolved to approve and authorise the Chair and RFO to sign
- Section 2 (Statement of Accounts)
- It was resolved to action the Electors Rights to view annual return documentation commencing on Monday 3rd June 2024 and ending on Friday 12th July 2024
1202/24 11. Monthly Health and Safety Risk Assessment
Defibrillator – the defibrillator was used for the first time in April. As part of the returns process, the Parish Council received guidance to order a spare set of pads which can be fitted instantly when the unit is returned. These were ordered (Financial Regulations Section 4) and are stored securely within the cabinet.
1203/24 12. Planning and Licensing
Nil planning applications at time of agenda.
Amenities/Maintenance/Environment
Moved to the first item.
1204/24 14. Parish Council Business Continuity
The Clerk raised the issue of having a robust business continuity plan in the event of an unscheduled absence of the Clerk and discussed workable solutions. It was resolved that the Clerk will write up the plan and bring back to a meeting before August for approval.
1205/24 15. County & Borough Council
- FBC: Parish Councillor Vacancies: the Parish Council has two vacancies. It was resolved that these will be advertised by leaflets to residents and details placed on the website and notice boards. The Clerk will send out the drafts again for final comment. Migration of emails to .gov.uk will take place on 17th May and will need to be included on the final copies.
- FBC: DPLG Planning Forum: Following recent engagement between members of the Planning Forum Working Group, Cllr Stead and FBC, regarding the direction of the Planning Forum and its Chairmanship; the Working Group has written to all Town and Parish Councils for their views on the outcome of these discussions.
- It was resolved that the Parish Council unfortunately could not support the approach outlined by FBC and would prefer to seek an alternative approach allowing Town and Parish Councils the ability to contribute to the election of Chair and input into the agenda. The Clerk will forward this response to Cllr Glyn Stead, Chair of the District Parish Liaison Group.
1206/24 16. Parish Council Insurance Renewal
The Parish Councils long term agreement with the current insurance company, expires at the end of this month. All Councillors had received and considered the three quotations obtained by the clerk. It was resolved to proceed with Zurich on a one-year agreement of £300.00.
1207/24 17. Items for the Next Agenda
1208/24 18. Date of Next Meeting
Thursday 13th June 2024