MEETING OF THE FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE of Radley Parish Council on Thursday 14th November 2024 at 7.30 pm in the Church Room, Radley.
Jane Dymock
8th November 2024
AGENDA
Documents are saved in the shared file (link)
| 1. |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: To receive |
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| 2. |
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ON MATTERS ON THE AGENDA: |
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Members must declare any personal disclosable interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. |
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| 3. |
DISPENSATIONS: |
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- TO CONSIDER any requests for dispensations which have been notified to the clerk in advance.
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| 4. |
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 16th MAY 2024 |
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- TO AGREE the minutes as an accurate account of the meeting.
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- TO NOTE the clerk’s report on matters arising from the minutes:
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| 4.1 |
| CLERK’S REPORT on matters arising from the minutes – for information. |
| 1. |
Rialtas move to cloud based system – it was recommended that Rialtas’s quote is too expensive and instead the Assistant Clerk will save reports to the shared file each month once the reconciliation is complete.
Update: Internal auditor raised concern that others should be able to log in if the assistant clerk is off work. Rialtas could be asked to transfer the licence if necessary at short notice. |
| 2. |
Accounts to 31 March 2024:
In-year deficit: £17,067, primarily the cost of replacing the pavilion lean-to roof. |
| 3. |
Pavilion utilities –
New contract with SSE starts June 2024
Gas – While Opus agreed to close the contract, it had been transferred to EDF as Opus have withdrawn from gas (and small business) electricity sales. EDF confirm that the contract has been closed. |
| 4. |
Insurance – new contract to start 1st June. Increase +£200, saving c£800 on the budget. |
| 5. |
That play area will be out of action during the village hall refurbishment:
The architect has since advised that the contractor will need to fence off a significant area of the pavilion for access to the side of the hall and for safety reasons, recommended that the play area should be closed for the duration of the works.
Play areas on the Lawns and Church Farm will be open during this time. |
| 6. |
TWM quote £688 plus delivery and commissioning £750 = £1,438 to replace the solar panel for the Whites Lane SID. No significant reduction offered. Recommend that the upgrade should be considered in the next financial year |
| 7. |
Cemetery:
Action from October PC meeting to write to the PCC explaining that there is no suitable land on offer and asking if they would want the Council to investigate the possibility of some of the land becoming a garden of remembrance.
PCC members have been asked to clarify with the archdeacon his assertion that the District Council will become responsible for providing grave space and to conduct a review of available spaces in Radley cemeteries. |
| 8. |
Clerk to check the length of the Gooseacre lease: Expires 14 October 2037 |
| 9. |
Budget for 24-25: Margins remain very slim. It is unlikely that there will be a surplus at the end of the year. |
| 10. |
Bank interest was allocated according to the proportion of reserves held between general and CIL reserves. |
| 11. |
Allotments: There are now 14 plots: 4 full and 10 sub-divided.
The water situation was resolved in the summer at a cost of £1,208 over the two years.
Total rent income from the site = £90, up from £80 in 2023 (plot subdivision) and £16 in 2011. |
| 12. |
Playing field and pavilion: Football club rent was received in October. Promised documentation has not been provided. |
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| 5. |
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31ST MARCH 2025 and revised estimates
Document attached |
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| Cost centre |
Notes |
| 115/ 515 |
All payments are net of VAT (where paid). Now that the accounts have moved to Income and Expenditure, VAT is held in a separate account. |
| 4000s |
Staff:
– The local government pay award from April 2024 has been agreed. The clerk and assistant salaries are based on a scale point and the increase should be applied backdated to April 2024.
– Council to confirm that the increase should be applied to the Litter Cleaner’s salary and consider if the future Lengthsman should be appointed to a scale point or salary.
– The change in employer National Insurance from April 2025 will mean that 2 extra posts (Assistant Clerk + Lengthsman) will become liable to NI. Parish councils will remain outside both the small employer concession and government mitigation for institutions which are directly funded by central government. |
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– Lengthsman post to be reviewed and readvertised |
| 4130 |
Underestimate. External Audit fees are based on turnover. |
| 4230 |
Cost of the new website- underspend against the budget |
| 4250, 4600 |
Subscriptions are due in March |
| 4350 |
Grant budget £3,000 |
| 4440 |
Village Hall frontage grass cutting amalgamated into gardening this year. |
| 4450 |
Bus shelter purchase – OCC to install using S106 funds which they already hold. No information on when they will be installed. |
| 4610 |
Playing field grass cutting. |
| 4470 |
Defibrillators – Servicing deferred to 2025. Turtle engineering recommend cabinets are serviced every 2 years. Defibrillators are checked every week. |
| 4730 |
Play area repairs: It was anticipated this time last year that the play area would be out of commission for the Village Hall building works and replaced thereafter. |
| 4840 |
Garden competition – costs for the Radley Environment Group competition paid from Abingdon Marathon grant |
| 4860 |
Verge cutting increased – BGG were appointed late in the season after a number of contractors declined to quote. Some felt unable to quote due to the complexity of the specification. |
| 5010 |
Allotments: Investigating the water problem and replacing the tap cost £1,208 over 2 years. Some unpaid work. Allotment holders asked to retain the water butt installed as a temporary measure. |
| 4600 |
Car park and Gooseacre grants are due in December |
General budget summary:
| Income |
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76,524 |
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| Expenditure |
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| Overheads |
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66,362 |
| Grants |
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3,000 |
| Village Hall |
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700 |
| Playing field pavilion |
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8,111 |
| Play area |
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1,800 |
| Conservation |
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14,252 |
| Village improvements |
800 |
| General maintenance |
1,500 |
| General contingency |
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7,500 |
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Total |
104,025 |
| Difference |
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-27,501 |
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| Staff- salary transfer from CIL |
15,793 |
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| Projected year end |
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-11,708 |
This would result an end of year of year balance as below
| Balance b/f general budget |
57,181 |
57,181 |
| C/f general budget |
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45,473 |
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Reserves |
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General reserves |
27,931 |
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Earmarked reserves |
29,250 |
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| 6. |
GRANT APPLICATIONS:
- TO CONSIDER applications received from
Applications are in the file. Summary document attached.
Grants budget £3,000 |
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| 7. |
POLICIES: |
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1. Risk Management Policy
2. Safeguarding policy
3. Equality Policy
4. Dignity at Work Policy |
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| 8. |
BUDGET 2025-26: |
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Document attached.
Notes:
General budget: In year surplus £85,545 indicates sum to be raised through the precept to cover running costs in 25/26.
CIL budget: Shows a deficit of £98,737 based on the current budget for Rotunda and the Village Hall. No assumptions have been made for potential increases in cost.
To consider:
Uncertainty of final spending on the North Radley Room – Rotunda delays and inflation due to late start, potential overspends on the building specification including heating and kitchen, non-Rotunda elements still to go out for tender.
Impact of potential over run on other projects primarily the Village Hall. |
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CIL budget
Note CIL spending rules
The levy can be used to fund a wide range of infrastructure, including transport, flood defences, schools, hospitals, and other health and social care facilities (for further details, see section 216(2) of the Planning Act 2008, and regulation 59, as amended by the 2012 and 2013 Regulations). This definition allows the levy to be used to fund a very broad range of facilities such as play areas, open spaces, parks and green spaces, cultural and sports facilities, healthcare facilities, academies and free schools, district heating schemes and police stations and other community safety facilities. This flexibility gives local areas the opportunity to choose what infrastructure they need to deliver their relevant plan (the Development Plan and the London Plan in London). Charging authorities may not use the levy to fund affordable housing.
Local authorities must spend the levy on infrastructure needed to support the development of their area, and they will decide what infrastructure is needed.
The levy can be used to increase the capacity of existing infrastructure or to repair failing existing infrastructure, if that is necessary to support development. |
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| 9. |
PRECEPT |
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Action:
- CONSIDER initial recommendations on the precept for 2025-26:
Information:
The Council will not able to adopt a precept until the Tax Base (the number of Band D equivalent properties) for 2025/26 is released by the District Council.
The Band D equivalent council tax is £63.06. This produced a precept for the current year of £ 71,365.
| Current council tax payments |
| Band |
% |
£ |
| Band A |
6/9ths |
42.04 |
| Band B |
7/9ths |
49.05 |
| Band C |
8/9ths |
56.05 |
| Band D |
9/9th |
63.06 |
| Band E |
11/9ths |
77.07 |
| Band F |
13/9ths |
91.08 |
| Band G |
15/9ths |
105.10 |
| Band H |
18/9ths |
126.10 |
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| 10. |
DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS: To be agreed
May 8th 2025 (to consider end of year)
July 10th 2025 (to consider the Internal Auditor Report)
November 13th 2025 (to agree the budget and precept for 26/27) |
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