Minutes of a MEETING of the
FINANCE COMMITTEE held in the Council Office, Annexe to 1 Bushwood Close, Welham
Green on
PRESENT :
Councillors
W A Storey
Chairman
C Everard
R Horrocks
K Pieri
Clerk
Mrs J A Schettino
1.
APOLOGIES FOR
ABSENCE
There were no
apologies for absence.
2.
MINUTES OF THE LAST
MEETING
It was agreed
that the Minutes of a Meeting of the Finance Committee held on
3.
MATTERS
ARISING
a) Jury
Duty
The Clerk
reported that Karl Whybrow had been excused Jury Duty.
4.
ACCOUNTS FOR
PAYMENT
A Schedule of
Accounts for Payment totalling £33,784.82, inclusive of Imprest Expenditure of
£429.41 was presented. After
careful consideration of each item, it was agreed that the total amount be
recommended to Council for approval and payment in full.
5.
STATEMENT OF
BALANCES
A Statement
of Balances dated
6.
TRANSFER OF
MONIES
Approval was given to the Clerk’s action
in transferring £24,000 from the Council’s reserve account to current account on
7.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
a)
Little
The Clerk
said that at the last meeting of the Amenities Committee a request had been made
by Little Heath School for a donation towards their centenary celebration and
mistakenly this request had been turned down.
Having
re-examined the notes on the subject and as this would be in the public
interest, it was proposed by Councillor Everard, seconded by Councillor Horrocks
and unanimously agreed to recommend to council that a donation of £50 should be
made to the school.
b) Special Arrangements - August
Recess
As the Council did not
normally meet in August it was agreed that the custom and practice of previous
years should apply and accounts due for payment could be authorised and cheques
signed by any two Councillors that are available.
c) Rubbish Bins for Playing
Field
The Clerk requested and the
Finance Committee agreed to recommend to council that 2 new rubbish bins should
be purchased for the playing field at a cost of approximately
£200.
d) Scribe Report
The Finance Committee noted a
Scribe summary from the Internal Auditor for the first quarter of the financial
year 2008/09.
e) Welham Warriors
An extensive e-mail had been
received from the manager of the newest junior football team offering various
items to enhance the Burns Pavilion and football pitch facilities in return for
a donation to the football club.
Following a discussion it was
agreed that regretfully these items could not be accepted as any work or items
purchased by the council were subject to Financial Regulations. Comparable quotations, the necessary
manufacturer’s guarantees and proper budgetary provision must always prevail as
they are subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the Auditors and
Insurers.
f) Bill Rogers
It was noted with great sadness
that Bill Rogers, a Parish Councillor for almost 29 years when he stepped down
in 2007, had passed away on Saturday 26 July 2008 and that his funeral would
take place on Wednesday 6 August 2008 at 4.15 pm at Harwood Park Crematorium,
Knebworth. It was agreed to
recommend to Council that a letter of condolence should be sent.
g) Calendars 2009
It was proposed by Councillor
Horrocks, seconded by Councillor Pieri and unanimously agreed to recommend to
council that 350 calendars should be produced for an extra £39 as all Calendars
in 2008 had been sold.
A discussion arose regarding the
VAT element due on each calendar and it was agreed to make the relevant
enquiries to be sure rather than receive a penalty notice.
h) Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council
Community Chest
Councillor Pieri advised that each
ward in the district had received a small amount from the Borough Council’s
Community Chest for expenditure to benefit their community.
He and Councillor Doug Berry,
Welwyn Hatfield Council Ward Councillors for Welham Green, agreed to request a
contribution towards a steel shipping container for the Welham Green playing
field in which to keep various football teams nets and equipment in time for the
commencement of the football season in mid August.
The Clerk had received one
quotation and was in the process of requesting a second one to comply with the
Council’s Financial Regulations. It
was agreed that if funding was available for at least half of the cost of the
container at approximately £1,000 then the matter could be discussed and a
decision made at the next meeting of the Amenities & Building Development
Committee on
8.
DATE OF
The next meeting of the Finance
Committee has already been arranged for
Meeting Closed 8.00
pm