POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE
12th November 2007

Committee Members Present: Cllrs J Tucker, Mrs S Brown, C Block, Mrs S Boakes, D Brown, L Withey (from 8.30 pm)

Council Members Present: Cllr J Atkins, Mrs S Hunter (Town Clerk)

Members of the Public Present: Mr J Boyes, Mr P Hickmott, Mr S Porter

1. Apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs B Garlick, D Keeley, C King and Miss A Moloney.

2. Declaration of interest

None.

3. Matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2007

3.1 Should read Mrs B Brown, not Mrs S Brown.
3.2 Cllr Atkins asked if the Council could review Item 10 at a later date – air conditioning for Moyeuvre-Grande Suite.

4. Open Forum

4.1 Mr P Hickmott requested that any extra urgent items be mentioned at the beginning of the meeting as people may wish to comment on them in Open Forum.
Cllr Tucker said the rewording of the Council’s parking statement would come up this evening under any other items.
4.2 Mr B Porter asked why the fence at Birling Road on the footpath had not been removed. Mr Hickmott kindly explained that this is a KCC issue and it could take up to three years before the fence is removed.

5. Financial Review April – October 2007

Our current Capital Reserves: £71071
Our current General Reserves: £121303
A bank reconciliation was presented to the Committee.
Cllr Atkins enquired if the Council had received Section 106 money from the Borough yet.
This has not been finalised yet, and the Council is waiting for the legal side to be tied up.

6. Audit Trail

Cllr Atkins and Cllr Block each chose a cheque and the Clerk produced the relevant documentation to go with these. Cllr Atkins is unhappy with the cost of line marking paint for the football pitches and suggested the Clerk should look for a cheaper option. The Clerk said the Council uses the same people as KCC to purchase this and looking for a cheaper option is time consuming and she will see what she can do when she has her full staff back.
Cllr Withey joined the meeting at 8.30 pm.

7. Requests for donations

Requests had been received from:

7.1 The Goddens Trust - The Committee did not feel the Council were able to fund this charity.
7.2 All Saints Church – the Committee while sympathetic to the church’s need for repairs, did not feel a donation from the Town Council would be of much help.
7.3 Invicta Education Business Partnership – The Committee did not feel this would be of benefit to the people of Snodland.

8. Staff Committee/ Grievance Committee and Policy Recommendation

Staff Committee – Cllrs C Block, J Atkins, C King, Mrs B Brown, D Keeley, Mrs B Keeley and J Tucker.
Grievance Committee – Miss A Moloney, B Garlick, D Brown, Mrs S Boakes, C Grayhurst, Mrs K Grayhurst, L Withey and Mrs D Crook.
The grievance procedure is the national one currently used by STC and is part of the staff contracts.
The Clerk can provide a copy for anyone who wishes to see it.

9. Licence at Potyns

RECOMMENDED – Cllr Mrs Dilys Crook becomes the DPS at Potyns Sportsground.
Mr Paul Hickmott has kindly offered to help at any time a personal licence holder is required.

10. Policy Regarding the Minibus

RECOMMENDED – All hirers will contact the Council Office prior to their trip, to confirm the driver is available.

11. Fourth Week Summer Playscheme

RECOMMENDED – To accept the fourth week of the Summer Playscheme cost of £1080.

12. Proposed Budget

A further, separate meeting will take place next week to discuss this further.

13. Any other items which the Chairman has decided are urgent owing to special circumstances

13.1 Cllr Withey asked if we could purchase three ‘A’ frames for the far end of Brookland Lake. This would stop motorcycles, which have currently caused a danger to pedestrians at the Lake. The Clerk reported that a motorcycle coming through the Lake had caused one of our vehicles to swerve and damaged the front headlight.
13.2 The fire escape at the Town Hall needs urgent attention. It has been inspected by TMBC’s Structural Engineer, who has recommended that is renovated. It is structurally sound apart from the lower steps and platform. The Clerk has arranged for different companies to call this week to inspect and offer quotations for the work.
Cllr Block suggested we ask the steel fabricators if they are able to make ‘A’ frames for the Lake at the same time.
13.3 The Clerk attended a managerial fire training course and one thing the Council needs to be completely compliant is an EVAC Chair, to evacuate disabled persons from the upper floor in the event of a fire. This will cost approximately £1000. The Clerk will look into this. The Clerk also purchased some fire training DVD’s which she will show at Full Council meetings
RECOMMENDED to Full Council the following – While Snodland Town Council welcomes the Parking Review to be undertaken by the Borough Council in 2008, it is opposed in principle to people being asked to pay to use the High Street car park which we believe would detrimentally affect the residents of Snodland and its traders.

The Chairman moved that the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted