Finance mins 4 Nov 09

AMPTHILL TOWN COUNCIL

REPORT OF THE FINANCE, POLICY AND

GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE MEETING

held in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices 66 Dunstable Street, Ampthill on

Wednesday 4^th November 2009 at 7.30 pm

Report no 04/09

Present: Cllr R Holden (Chairman), Mrs S Bacon, R A D Chappell, Mrs P Foster, G Pascal, M Smith, R Tebbutt, Mrs M Wilson, Mrs M Wright and the Clerk.

1. To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllrs P Duckett (illness), P Eversley (illness) and G Summerfield (close contact with swine flu).

2. Period of Public Participation.

There were no members of the public present.

3. To receive and record declarations of interest, whether personal or prejudicial.

There were no interests declared.

4. To consider asking the Greensand Trust to work with the Town Clerk and recommend how a Car Parking donation scheme and an extension to the Friends of Ampthill Park scheme could be set up for a launch in the Spring of 2010 – Cllr R Tebbutt

Cllr Tebbutt advised that he made this proposal on the following grounds:

Due to pressure of work on Office Staff and previous experience of the Greensand Trust they would be asked to work with the Town Clerk and recommend a scheme to be decided by the Council at the full TC meeting in January/Feb 2010.

This is NOT an old motion or discussion because it adds the Friends of Ampthill Park extension to the proposal; and is a genuine attempt to get fund raising in the Park moving forward, while recognising the pressure the Clerk and her deputy are under.

Outline Suggestions for Car Parking donation scheme in West Car park

Ask the Greensand Trust to draw up a scheme for at least one donation collection car parking scheme for the approval of the TC to be implemented at first in the West Car Park in the Spring of 2010.

The scheme to take into account.

That all donations are voluntary and not applicable to Ampthill residents unless they so choose.
The system is secure, vandal proof and easy to operate.
Collection and countering procedures are identified and if possible an audit trial established.
The costing of the collection and counting system to be estimated.
Suggestions of how donation scheme is monitored.
Initial target of circa £10K per annum.
Reasons for establishing the scheme are publicised and explained to visitors to the Park; i.e. the Park is run by ATC and is a heavy burden on the rate payers of Ampthill, and more resources are required for it to be developed and maintenance.

Recommended that

i) The Clerk contacts Louise Ashmore at BAPTC to check the legal status of the Town Council asking for donations.

ii) The Clerk is to request that the Greensand Trust draw up a plan for at least one donation collection car parking scheme for the approval of the TC to be implemented at first in the West Car Park in the Spring of 2010.

Extension of Friends of Ampthill Park Scheme (FAPs)

Both residence and non residence of Ampthill can make an annual parking donation to the Park by completing a Friends of Ampthill Park application form that will entitle them to:-

Park in the car park(s) without making a donation each visit.
Receive a biannual FAP News Letter.
A FAP Car sticker (this would also publicise the Park and FAP.)
The annual recommended donation for residence of Ampthill and FAP volunteers is a £5 admin fee and for non residence rate payers a minimum of £25.

There were no Recommendations made on this matter.

5. Cllr Mrs M Wilson then passed the following motion

“That in view of the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted relating to financial and property matters, it is advisable in the public interest that the public and press be temporarily excluded and that they are instructed to withdraw”.

6. To receive the reports from the Financial Planning Working Party for adoption of the estimates for the financial year 2010/2011 to be considered by the Town Council at their meeting on 18^th November to set the Precept.

Members had been provided with the report as appended to these minutes.