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Earley Town Council |
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EARLEY TOWN COUNCIL
Minutes of a meeting of Earley Town Council held in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Radstock Lane, Earley, Berkshire on Wednesday, 1st August 2007 which commenced at 7.45 pm.
Present
Chairman – Mayor, Councillor N Jorgensen
Councillors Mrs A Ames, J Armstrong, A Bradley, Mrs L Chambers, T Chambers D Chopping, Ms P Dunn, C Edmunds, M Firmager, T Holton, G Hughes, Mrs P Jorgensen, Mrs J Lissaman, T Maher and G Woods.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M Deegan, W Gothard, S Khan, K Miall, Ms C Mitchell, N Preston and P Willis. __________________________________________________________________________________
36. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
One amendment to the minutes was read out in respect of item 26.3 where the minutes of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting held on 13th June had been presented by the Committee Vice-Chairman, Councillor M Firmager.
The minutes of the meeting of Earley Town Council held on 27th June 2007, as amended, were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
37. MAYOR'S COMMUNICATIONS
37.1 Earley Fun Day
The Mayor reported that he had received a letter from the Woodley and Earley Lions Club thanking him for his attendance at the Fun Day on 7th July. The Mayor continued by reporting that it had been an extremely well organised and enjoyable event.
38. TOWN COUNCIL COMMITTEES
38.1 Planning Committee
Councillors received an update on actions taken in respect of the anti-social behaviour being reported as occurring around the seat in Cutbush Lane.
On the proposition of Councillor Mrs P Jorgensen, seconded by Councillor J Armstrong, it was
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 19th June 2007 (Minutes 17-28) be approved.
38.2 Amenities & Leisure Committee
In view of the fact that the Chairman had been absent from the meeting in question, the minutes of the meeting of the Amenities & Leisure Committee held on 4th July were presented by the Committee Vice-Chairman, Councillor T Holton.
On the proposition of T Holton, seconded by Mrs A Ames it was
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Amenities & Leisure Committee held on 4th July 2007 (Minutes 17-27) be approved.
38.3 Policy & Resources Committee
In the absence of the Chairman, the Minutes of the Policy & Resources Committee meeting held on 18th July 2007 were presented by the Committee Vice-Chairman, Councillor M Firmager. Attention was drawn to the recommendation at Minute 17.
On the proposition of Councillor M Firmager, seconded by Councillor C Edmunds it was
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee held on 18th July 2007 (Minutes 13-21) be approved, and the Recommendation at Minute 17 be adopted.
39. REPRESENTATIVES TO OUTSIDE BODIES 39.1 Wokingham Borough Sports Council
Councillors noted details of a report submitted by the Town Council’s representative, Councillor M Firmager, which had been appended to the Agenda for Councillors’ consideration.
39.2 Wokingham Job Support Centre
Councillors noted details of a report submitted by the Town Council’s representative, Councillor M Firmager which had been appended to the Agenda for Councillors’ consideration.
39.3 Reports of Representatives
39.3.1 Neighbourhood Action Group
Councillor A Bradley reported on the most recent meeting of the Neighbourhood Action Group which had taken place on 31st July. He confirmed that the group would be having a stall at the forthcoming Green Fair, at which it was hoped that the PCSO would be present, and questionnaires would be available for residents to complete.
40. THE QUEEN'S AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE
40.1 2007 Nomination
Councillors were advised that a letter had been received from the Queens Award for Voluntary Service which indicated that over 360 entries had been received for the Award in 2007. The letter continued by indicating that 71 groups were awarded in 2007, but that the CResCent Resource Centre had, unfortunately, not been successful. The letter suggested that a re-nomination would be welcome.
40.2 2008 Nominations
It was suggested that CResCent should be re-nominated. However, the view was also expressed that the group may not welcome a re-nomination for 2008, if there was a likelihood that the nomination would not be successful.
Since there did not seem to be any limit on the number of groups which could be nominated for this award, it was also suggested that the Waterside Centre and Just Around the Corner groups should also be nominated. On the proposition of Councillor C Edmunds, seconded by Councillor A Bradley, it was
RESOLVED that the CResCent Community Resource Centre should be re-nominated and the Waterside Centre and Just Around the Corner groups should be nominated, subject to those organisations agreeing that their names should be put forward.
41. FINANCIAL MATTERS
41.1 Balance Sheet & Supporting Information
A copy of the Town Council’s Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2007 had been circulated for Councillors’ consideration. Councillors were advised that, in view of the recent changes to the Accounts and Audit Regulations, the Town Council now fell below the threshold requiring its Accounts to be prepared to include the value of fixed assets and infrastructure, including depreciation and capital charges, as had been the practice over the last few years.
On the proposition of Councillor N Jorgensen, seconded by Councillor A Bradley it was
RESOLVED that the Earley Town Council’s Statement of Accounts and supporting documentation for the year ended March 2007, as appended to these Minutes, be approved.
41.2 Audit of Accounts to March 2007
Councillors were reminded that under the Account and Audit Regulations, the audit of the Town Council’s Accounts now fell under the “lighter touch” regime. This required that the external auditor received the Annual Return completed by the Town Council, part of which required the Chairman of the meeting and the Responsible Financial Officer to sign a “Statement of Assurance” on behalf of the Town Council,
A copy of the appropriate sections of the Annual Return was attached to the Agenda for Councillors’ consideration. On the proposition of Councillor C Edumunds, seconded by Councillor M Firmager, it was
RESOLVED that the Statement of Assurance be confirmed and the Responsible Financial Officer and the Chairman be asked to sign the document, as appended to these Minutes, on behalf of the Town Council.
42. ORDERS FOR PAYMENT
Following a question from a Member, it was confirmed that Voucher 192 on the list of Orders for Payment, which had been circulated with the Agenda, was to meet the cost of “No Smoking” signs and suitable bins for the disposal of cigarettes at the community centres and Council Offices, to ensure compliance with the new No Smoking Regulations. It was
RESOLVED that the various accounts as set out in the list attached to these Minutes (Vouchers 178-194) be paid in the sums as stated.
43. PUBLICATIONS
It was noted that the following publications had been received and were available for perusal in the Council Offices:
44. PRESS RELEASES
It was
RESOLVED that, subject to their agreement, a Press Release should be issued detailing the organisations which the Town Council wish to nominate for the Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
45. TERMINATION OF MEETING
The meeting was declared closed by the Chairman at 8.30 pm.
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