MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MYERSCOUGH AND BILSBORROW PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT MYERSCOUGH COLLEGE ON THURSDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2017

PRESENT

Cllr Mrs Olivine (Chairman), Cllr Mrs Allan, Cllr Barker, Cllr Bolton, Cllr Pye, Cllr Robinson & Cllr Sutcliffe

APOLOGIES

CC Turner, Cllr Murphy & Ann Turner, Principal, Myerscough College

CLERK OF THE COUNCIL

Roy Bassnett

*

44.17 MINUTES

The minutes of the July Council Meeting were approved and signed and the minutes of the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Trustees of Barton, Bilsborrow & Myerscough War Memorial were noted

45.17 FINANCE

Financial Regulations

Every member had been provided by the Clerk with his/her own copy of the Financial Regulations

RESOLVED

Having reviewed the Financial Regulations (which are modelled upon, and in accordance with, the latest advice from The National Association of Local Councils dated January 2016) it was resolved that they be approved and that, in future, they will be reviewed annually by a Sub-Committee comprising two members and the Clerk

Payments received

The following payments had been received:

Wyre Council £600-00 re Britain in Bloom

War Memorial Account

Barton Parish Council £170-00 contribution 2017/18

Accounts for payment

The following payments were sanctioned:

Heckford Printers Ltd £66-00 replacement interpretive panel

BDO LLP £120-00 audit fee 2016/17

Post Office Ltd £198-00 tax on Clerk’s salary July to September 2017

Roy Bassnett £792-00 Clerk’s salary July to September 2017

Claughton-on-Brock Parish Council £1250-00 Parish Lengthsman Scheme October to December 2017

War Memorial Account

Royal British Legion £47-00 wreath and 30 memorial crosses

Reconciled balances at Bank as at 31 August 2017

Current Account £628-31 CR

War Memorial Account £2427-64 CR

NS&I Investment Account £24888-54 CR

Transfers between accounts

The following transfers were authorised

From the Investment Account to the Current Account £2500-00

From the Current Account to the War Memorial Account £230-00 being Myerscough and Bilsborrow’s contribution for 2017/18

Review of performance against budget

Exceptional items to date:

Community vegetable garden £1845-31 including VAT, less £600-00 grant by Wyre Council

Ball-stop netting repairs £252-00

Taxable benefits payable to the Clerk

HMRC prefers that all such benefits be ‘payrolled’ in future (which will cause tax thereon to be deducted at source, rather than via the Clerk’s tax code as happens presently)

AGREED

To take advice from Lancashire Association of Local Councils

ACTION

Clerk

Payments of PAYE at the Post Office

From 15 December 2017 it will no longer be possible to make payments to HMRC at the Post Office. There are other ways to pay, e.g. Direct Debit

AGREED

To take advice from Lancashire Association of Local Councils

ACTION

Clerk

Bilsborrow Recreation Ground – Public Liability insurance

It had been confirmed by the Council’s insurer that an organised group using the Recreation Ground (e.g. Bilsborrow Football Club) would have to have insurance in place

Generic risk assessments by Cllr Sutcliffe: Barton, Bilsborrow & Myerscough War Memorial, Bilsborrow Recreation Ground and Old Brock Station Pocket Nature Reserve

RESOLVED

That the risk assessments be approved, with thanks to Cllr Sutcliffe

Annual Return for the year ended 31 March 2017

The external auditors had completed their work and had issued a qualified report. The issue was that the Clerk had given a hardwood bench donated to the Council a book value of £500 in the Fixed Assets section of the Accounting Statements. The auditors had pointed out that a gifted asset should be included at a value of £1, or nil, and that, therefore, the accounting treatment was not in accordance with proper practice in force during 2016/17. (The value of the bench for insurance purposes remains at £500, being the cost to the donor in 2015)

RESOLVED

That the Annual Return including the auditors’ certificate therein be approved and accepted and that the value of the bench as shown in the Council’s Fixed Assets Register be changed to £1

ACTION

Clerk

46.17 PLANNING

Barton Village Neighbourhood Area Application

The neighbourhood plan designation area application had been approved by the Planning Authority

Publication Draft Wyre Local Plan 2017

The Planning Authority had published the draft Local Plan 2017 and had invited representations on the draft and associated Sustainability Appraisal over a six week period from 22 September to 3 November

47.17 DIVISION & WARD

The Clerk read aloud a briefing paper helpfully provided by CC Turner

48.17 HIGHWAYS, FOOTPATHS, BRIDLEWAYS & WATERWAYS

The Clerk briefed the members as to various highway, footpath and waterway matters

In respect of proposed horse drawn boats on Lancaster Canal it was resolved that Canal & River Trust and the boat operator be reminded that the Council had recently upgraded the towpath at considerable expense and that the Council would expect that the towpath would be maintained in good condition

ACTION

Clerk

49.17 BARTON, BILSBORROW & MYERSCOUGH CIVIC REMEMBRANCE SERVICE

The annual Civic Remembrance Service was to be held at the War Memorial in Bilsborrow Village on Armistice Day, Saturday 11 November, commencing at 10:40 a.m. Brigadier Iain Robertson OBE TD DL, brother officer and friend of the late Colonel John Bird OBE DL, had been invited by the Trustees of the Memorial to attend the Service and to recite the ‘Ode to the Fallen’ and Kohima Epitaph

50.17 FORTHCOMING MEETINGS

November 2017 Council Meeting: Thursday 23 November

January 2018 Council Meeting: Thursday 11 January

March 2018 Council Meeting: Thursday 22 March

………………………………….

CHAIRMAN

Distribution list:

Chairman and members of the Parish Council

on behalf of The Duchy of Lancaster

Cllr Peter Murphy, Brock with Catterall Ward

Myerscough College webmaster

J Cliff Sharp Esq, Honorary Internal Auditor

Revd Garry Whittaker, Vicar, Fellside Team

Wyre Council (x3)

Minutes of September 2017 Council Meeting