MINUTES OF THE POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 12th APRIL 2022
PRESENT: Cllrs. Beck (in the Chair), Bunyan, Fletcher, Hatcher, Kings and Pethurst.
APOLOGIES: Cllr. Gilbert.
Declaration of Interests, Dispensations and Predetermination:
Members are required to declare any interests, dispensations or predetermination on items on this agenda in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct. Members are reminded that changes to the Register of Interests should be notified to the Clerk.
111/21: Internal finance check:
Cllr. Beck confirmed that the internal finance check had been completed and everything was in order.
112/21: Authorisation of payments made after the March meeting:
A list of payments totalling £29,169.19 made after the March meeting, is filed with these minutes.
113/21: Transfers of monies between accounts:
£125,000 had been transferred from the Lloyds account to Unity Trust to ensure sufficient funds are available to make online payments.
114/21: Invoices for Payment:
A list of payments to be made in April had been circulated for approval, a copy of which is filed with these minutes. It was proposed by Cllr. Beck seconded by Cllr. Bunyan and agreed to approve the payments as presented.
These included:
Policy and Resources £8,344.64
Properties & Burial Grounds £2,062.50
Environmental Management £1,328.92
Total £11,736.06
Two members are required to log in to the account and authorise the payments following adoption of the minutes on Thursday evening.
In response to Cllr. Bunyan the Clerk confirmed there had been two repairs to the Vestry Hall roof, one following a long term issue arising from a roof light window which leaked and the other following damaged which occurred during Storm Eunice.
115/21: Community Centres/Medical Centre:
Cllr Fletcher advised a quote for ground work investigation totalling £7,521 + VAT from Evans Langford had been accepted.
116/21: Toilet cleaning quote for approval:
A quote of £146.00 per week from Twilight Cleaning and Facilities Management, for a daily clean of the public toilets in Crane Lane had been received. Consumables would add an additional £15.00 per week. An initial deep clean would cost £103.00. All prices quoted are exclusive of VAT.
Cllr. Beck proposed the quote be accepted; this was seconded by Cllr. Hatcher and agreed. The Clerk advised cleaning could not start until 2nd May, therefore the reopening of the facilities would be delayed until that date.
117/21: Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations:
Cllr. Beck had put this on the agenda to seek the Committee’s views on awarding grant funding to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Street Party being held in Cranbrook High Street on Sunday 5th June. Members fully discussed various options. The feeling amongst Members was that seed funding for community events was acceptable, but any profits made, should fund future events before donating any profit to local charities. There was some discussion as to whether an umbrella management committee for all events should be considered? A committee could comprise of members representing the different community events held in town. Members agreed in principle that a grant application for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration, could be considered but suggested the organisers also be advised to seek sponsorship from local businesses, as many would benefit from the increased footfall into the town. Any fees charged for pitches or stalls should also be used to offset any grant funds requested.
118/21: Approval of the revised GDPR Policies:
Following a GDPR Audit we had been advised that our Data Protection Policy, Data Retention Policy and Privacy Notice required updating. New policies had been created based on templates supplied by the Data Protection Officer. These had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting. Cllr. Pethurst raised a query in one section of the Data Protection Policy which Members agreed required some clarification. An error in the footer also required correction. The Clerk would ensure this was done and resubmitted for review at the May meeting. Cllr. Pethurst proposed the Data Retention Policy and the Privacy Notice be accepted as presented. Copies would be sent to all members with the Minutes of this meeting.
119/21: Staffing:
No issues were raised. The Clerk advised she had one day annual leave to carry over to the current year’s allocation.
120/21: Grant Applications:
a) Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance:
A letter had been received requesting £300 to help the Charity in their mission of saving lives and ensuring the best possible outcomes for their patients. It was proposed by Cllr. Hatcher, seconded by Cllr. Bunyan and agreed to award the sum requested.
b) Cranbrook Apple Fair
A request for £1,500 to help finance the event had been received. Members discussed the request but were confused by the income statement attached to the application. It was agreed the Clerk would request a breakdown of the expected cost of the project and seek some clarification of the alternative sources of income expected. The application would be considered again at the next Policy & Resources meeting, subject to the additional information being received.
120/21: Items for Information:
a) Cllr. Bunyan advised the following names would be sent to TWBC to be considered for the new development in Common Road, Sissinghurst:
1. Carpenters Cross/ Corner
2. Damson Drive
3. Coltsfoot Meadow
4. Handbill Lane
5. Pleach Field.
b) Cllr. Fletcher reported the Field Shelter had been erected in the Crane Valley. He had asked Ben Hatcher if it was possible to put a couple of heavy tree trunks inside, as seating.
