| Finance mins 4 March 2009 |
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AMPTHILL TOWN COUNCIL REPORT OF THE FINANCE, POLICY AND GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE held at the Council Offices 66 Dunstable Street, Ampthill on Wednesday 4th March 2009 at 7.30 pm Report No. 6/2008 Present: Councillors Cllr G Summerfield, (Chairman), Mrs S Bacon, Mrs P K Foster, R A Holden, M A Smith, Mrs M E Wilson, Mrs A M Wright and the Clerk.
Apologies were received from Cllrs R A D Chappell (unwell), P Duckett (work commitment) P Eversley (another commitment), G Pascal (work commitment) and R Tebbutt (another commitment).
There were no interests to note. The Friends of Ampthill’s Christmas Lights is a sub committee of the Town Council and therefore there is no requirement for members to declare an interest.
A member had raised this matter as the emptying of the cesspit will be necessary because of the use by the Football Club and Nursery. Members went on to discuss whether the terms of the lease allow any extra charges to be made. The Football Club are the only organisations holding leases that are charged at a commercial rate, this allows them to sub let the rooms to the nursery. The Cricket Club are charged a nominal rent and also let out rooms on occasions. It was then: Recommended that: i) The Clerk investigates the terms of the lease. ii) The Clerk investigates the sums relating to the emptying of the cesspit over this financial year. iii) The information is to be prepared for the Town Council to consider at the meeting on 18th March.
Cllr Smith advised that the attendance at the Ampthill Community Forum has dwindled over the last few meetings. There is currently no funding available for grants to be made and this may be why attendance is low. Central Beds are keen to create Community Engagement Networks based on geographical basis which once implemented may take the place of the Community Forum. An idea had been floated that the Community Forum could be a much larger meeting held once a year, this could be structured to address issues of the day and representatives from Authorities could be invited. Resolved that no action be taken for the next six months and this is to be an agenda item to discuss again in September once Central Beds is up and running.
Members were advised that the Friends of Ampthill’s Christmas Lights have agreed to ask Lamps and Tubes to be the contractor for the Christmas lights 2009. It would be beneficial if the lights on the Christmas Tree was also dealt with by the same Company. Recommended that Lamps and Tubes be appointed to erect the Christmas Tree lights for Christmas 2009.
Members were provided with a copy of the Internal Audit Review and Effectiveness for 2008/2009 as appended to these minutes. Recommended that the Internal Audit Review and Effectiveness be adopted for 2008/2009.
Members were provided with a copy of the Financial Risk Assessment 2008/2009 as appended to these minutes. Recommended that the Financial Risk Assessment be adopted for 2008/2009. A Member raised a matter relating to the storage of computer back ups. This matter is not to be added to the Financial Risk Assessment, but falls under Data Protection. It was then: Recommended that the Clerk investigates the cost for an external hard drive and off site back up systems. There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.05pm CHAIRMAN DATED |