MINUTES OF MEETING
17th January 2022, Whitney on Wye Village Hall
Present: Cllrs Alan Watkins, Phil Bayliss, Ian Bowman, Chris England, James Forrest, Ken Goodman, Nancy James, Yvonne King, Andrew Layton, Terry Morgan and Steven Whittall
In Attendance: Clerk to the Parish Council, Alison Morgan
Members of the Public: 1
1. Apologies were accepted from Cllrs Geoff Greenhill, Sue Prosser, Tony Raymond, Paul Whittall & Ward Councillor Jones. Not in Attendance: Lewis Price
2. No Declarations of Interest or requests for Dispensation were received for this meeting.
3. Open Discussion:
3.1. Ward Councillor Address: Weobley Ward Councillor Mike Jones is deputising for Graham Jones; the Chair read out a report sent by Cllr Jones, which will also be circulated.
3.2. Public Participation Period: No points were raised by members of the public on this occasion.
4. Minutes of the last meeting held on 29th November 2021 were APPROVED as a true record; they were duly signed by the Chair and will be available on the PC web site shortly.
5. Finance & Compliance Matters: The Chair reported he and the Clerk attended a meeting at HALC offices with Lynda Wilcox, during which the Clerk’s appraisal took place. Various recommendations from the meeting are included as agenda points below; others will follow at the next PC meeting.
5.1. Review of Q3 Financial Performance: A budget tracker report was presented showing the actual financial performance to the end of Q3 (31st December 2021) against budget and forecast figures to the end of the fiscal year (31st March 2022). No red flags were raised and the report was ADOPTED as an accurate record of income and expenditure and will be published on the web site.
5.2. Budget Figures 2022/23: Following approval of individual budget figures at the last PC meeting, Clerk had updated the budget to consider a projected slight increase in staff and other operational costs. The revised budget was ADOPTED and will be published on the web site. It was noted updates did not alter the amount of precept previously approved for 2022/23.
5.3. EGPC Structure & Future Direction: As a follow-up to the HALC meeting, the Finance & Compliance Working Group (FCWG) recommended the PC should review its structure and future direction in preparation for the next planned elections in 2023. It was accepted there are both pros and cons and further research and consultation was essential before any changes were proposed. It was AGREED the FCWG should review this in more detail for discussion with the full PC in the following months. If necessary, a separate meeting would be arranged.
5.4. Councillor Training: prior to considering whether to adopt a new (revised) Code of Conduct published by the Local Government Association (supported by NALC), it was RESOLVED a training session for all EGPC councillors, facilitated by HALC, would be beneficial. The Clerk will liaise with Lynda Wilcox to arrange a date, probably in March 2022.
5.5. Confidential Matters: A resolution was passed to close the public meeting to discuss agenda item 13, Employment Matters. The Clerk will also temporarily leave the meeting at this point.
6. Planning: No new planning applications were received since the last meeting. Cllr James briefed councillors on the successful appeal of the Outline Planning application submitted by the Hereford Dioceses regarding proposed development of the Glebe land, which it is hoped will now be able to proceed to full planning, subject to conditions imposed. An issue was also raised regarding the way Herefordshire Council are continuing to count earmarked development in Eardisley, despite known facts that mean it is no longer likely to be developed. This is reported to be hindering the granting of permission for development of other potential sites. The Planning Working Group will seek to clarify this with the Planning Department.
7. Highways Working Group (HWG) Report: A wide range of updates on highways topics was presented, including footpaths and planned PROW works and an issue raised by Whitney Court regarding responsibility for the sluice gate located on one of its fields. The report can be found in full on the Highways page of the EGPC web site: https://eardisleygroup-pc.gov.uk/highways-working-group-reports/ Current and past SID reports are available here: https://eardisleygroup-pc.gov.uk/highways/speed-indicator-devices-sids/
7.1. PROW Furniture: The HWG recommended additional kissing gates are purchased as stock for installation in 2022/23. It was RESOLVED as many gates as possible should be obtained using remaining Highways budget, noting that integrated mesh should be included in the selected gates for security of stock. The Clerk estimated this should permit purchase of between 5-7 gates at BBLP prices.
7.2. ‘No SatNav’ Signs: The HWG reported one existing sign had gone missing and another site had been identified that would benefit from such signage in the same vicinity by Great Oak. Councillors APPROVED purchase of two additional signs from the original supplier as per the quotation provided (i.r.o. £83.00 + VAT).
7.3. Lengthsman Scheme 2022/23: it is necessary for the PC to engage a qualified contractor to be accepted on to the scheme overseen by Herefordshire Council. The possibility of county funding being reinstated or to access ad hoc drainage grants, it is necessary for the PC to have signed an annual contract. To address drainage and other works in the parish requiring specialist skills, equipment or certification and to be eligible to receive additional funding if it becomes available, it was proposed the Clerk should research availability and cost of contractors working locally. This was AGREED and will be reported back via the HWG to the next PC meeting.
8. Flood Alleviation, Eardisley: A site meeting took place on 7th January at Hobby Lyons bridge at the request of an Eardisley resident; the meeting was attended by affected residents, several Eardisley councillors and representatives from Herefordshire Council. In parallel, the PC’s request for a further meeting and walk round with Herefordshire Council/BBLP to look at flood alleviation options for Eardisley village has been accepted; Steve Hodges (HC) will send date options to the Clerk and it is hoped this meeting will take place soon. The Clerk will follow up if nothing is heard.
9. Community Matters: Councillors were asked to consider what role the Parish Council should take in celebrations to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. After discussion, it was AGREED the PC would take a supportive role for events organised within the parish and would be open to any requests received through its donations & grants policy.
10. Bank Reconciliation & Payments:
10.1. Bank Reconciliation reports for November and December were presented and ADOPTED by councillors. The reports will be available on the PC web site shortly.
10.2. Councillors VERIFIED the following payments made under delegated powers. NB: the first 3 were previously fully authorised during the summer recess but did not appear on a subsequent agenda for verification, which is an audit requirement. This point was discovered during a recent internal audit and is corrected here.
| Ref. | Payee | Description | Gross Amount (£) | VAT (£) |
| 10.2.1 | Eardisley VH | Hall Hire (May/Jul paid in Aug) | 60.00 | 0.00 |
| 10.2.2 | Vodafone | SIM card replacement (Jul) | 15.00 | 2.50 |
| 10.2.3 | Amazon | Mobile Phone Case (Jul) | 6.99 | 1.17 |
| 10.2.4 | Eardisley VH | Hall Hire (Sep-Nov) | 45.00 | 0.00 |
| 10.2.5 | BBLP Ltd | SID Baseplate Assessment | 1,128.00 | 188.00 |
| 10.2.6 | MidMeds | Defib Battery Packs | 322.92 | 53.82 |
| 10.2.7 | Autela Payroll Services | Q3 Payroll Processing | 50.40 | 8.40 |
| 10.2.8 | Elviar’s Shed | Gavel & Sounding Block | 30.00 | 0.00 |
| 10.2.9 | Herefordshire Council | Green Bags (2 boxes) | 480.00 | 0.00 |
10.3. It was RESOLVED to pay the following:
| Ref. | Payee | Description | Gross Amount (£) | VAT (£) |
| 10.3.1 | HMRC | PAYE Q3/2022 | 44.19 | 0.00 |
| 10.3.2 | Herefordshire Council | Courtlands Signage (Community Commissioning Model – donations to follow) | 654.38 | 109.06 |
| 10.3.3 | A Morgan | Zoom Sub Renewal | 143.88 | 23.98 |
| 10.3.4 | A Morgan | Salary (Jan 2022) | As per contract of employment | |
11. Correspondence: Most correspondence received has been discussed under agenda items and reports above.
11.1. Fastershire Community Grant – open access to broadband infrastructure.
12. Matters for the Next Agenda – No discussion.
The meeting was duly closed to the public; member of the public and Clerk left the room accordingly.
13. Employment Matters: Following on from the Clerk’s recent appraisal, the Chair asked councillors to consider the proposals below:
13.1. Hourly Rate Uplift: It was recommended the Clerk’s hourly rate should be increased to the nationally negotiated NALC pay rate, backdated to 1st April 2020 once it is formally agreed and published. [The award for 2021-22 has been delayed due to ongoing negotiations.] When published, if the award for 2022-23 is included, it is assumed the uplift for that period will be made automatically without the need for further referral to the full PC. The proposals were APPROVED and it was noted the expected increases have been factored in to budget forecasts and precept calculation.
13.2. Increase to Spinal Column Point: in recognition of good performance, councillors RESOLVED the Clerk should move from point 26 to point 27, with effect from 1st April 2022.
The Chair will write to the Clerk to confirm the update to her contractual terms & conditions and as authorisation for adjustments to be made by Autela Payroll Services Ltd.
Please send Agenda items for the next meeting to the Clerk by Friday, 11th February 2022, thank you.