SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Held at Singleton Village Hall, 16 May 2023
MINUTES
| 1. | Attendance: – Cllrs Lee (Chair), Bailey (Vice-Chair), Cholmondeley, Clifford and Ibbotson and the Clerk Verena Henderson who took the Minutes. |
| 2. | Apologies – None |
| 3. | Minutes of the Previous Annual Parish Meeting held on 4 October 2022 The Minutes, having been previously circulated, were agreed as a true and correct record and duly signed by the Chairman. |
| 4. | Chairman’s Report Cllr Lee thanked all members of the Parish Council for their continued support during what has been another busy year. Works and disruptions on the new by-pass had dominated matters this year once again and it is hoped that the works will conclude in the coming year. Thanks were expressed to County Councillor John Singleton who has liaised both with Kier and Lancashire County Council on the Parish Council’s behalf to sort out issues surrounding the roadworks and other highway problems. His work has been much appreciated by the Parish Council. Speeding motorists continue to be monitored through the village and the use of data provided by the SpID machines has shown that most of the traffic has slowed down somewhat since the introduction of the 20mph speed limit. There are, of course, some motorists who continue to speed and the Parish Council is looking at increasing the use of SpID machines in the future. The main project for the coming year for the Parish Council will be the construction of a Village Green in the village. To this end, the Parish Council will be working with both The Singleton Trust and Fylde Borough Council. It is hoped that progress on starting this project will be made in the coming year. Fylde Borough Council will be helping with the design and planning process. |
| 5. | Financial Report from the Clerk The Clerk distributed copies of the end-of-year accounts for the financial year 2022/2023. This showed that the total income was £26,485 and total expenditure was £25,671. With bank reserves of £41,635 the amount carried forward to 2023/24 was £42,449. A full copy of the accounts is annexed to these Minutes. The main expenditure was as follows: – Grass-cutting contract … … … … … … … … 6,303 Playground maintenance to Fylde BC .. … … 3,739 Clerk’s wages … … … … … … … … … … 3,825 Litter-picking and new Euro bin … … … … … 5,616 New plants, tubs, trees, general maintenance 2,114 New noticeboard outside Village Hall … … … 821 Insurance … … … … … … … … … … … … 866 The Parish Council has invested a lot this year in trying to tackle the menace of litter which is a problem throughout the parish. The hours the litter-picker works have been increased and a large litterbin has been leased from Fylde Borough Council, which is emptied every fortnight. Singleton Trust contributes half of the fees for all this, and the Parish Council is very grateful for this support. The Parish Council has also invested in new planting tubs throughout the parish – 24 in all and has contracted a new handyperson who is responsible for planting the tubs and general maintenance issues which occur. A new noticeboard to replace the damaged one at the Village Hall has been purchased and another one will shortly be purchased to replace the one at the end of Pool Foot Lane. The Clerk was thanked for her report. |
| 6. | Election of Chair and Vice-Chair for 2023/2024 Cllr Bailey proposed Cllr Christine Ibbotson for Chair. This was seconded by Cllr Lee and Agreed. Cllr Bailey proposed Cllr Robert Cholmondeley for Vice-Chair. This was seconded by Cllr Lee and Agreed. Cllrs Ibbotson and Cholmondeley accepted their new positions. |
| 7. | Review of Salaries and Contract fees It had previously been agreed to review the litter-picker’s hourly rate in the Spring 2023. Cllr Lee suggested an increase of £1 to an hourly rate of £12. This rise was particularly in view of the current financial situation. Cllr Clifford seconded this proposal, and it was Agreed. The Groundsman had also asked for a 7.5% rise in his fees. He had not put in a request for a pay-rise for several years and Cllr Cholmondeley proposed that this increase be accepted, and Cllr Ibbotson seconded this proposal. This was Agreed. As regards the Clerk’s salary, this is now linked to Fylde Borough Council’s pay scales and will rise at such time as there is an increase in their pay. |
| 8. | Any Questions from the Public – None As there was no further business, the meeting closed at 7.25pm. |
Verena Henderson
Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer
Singleton Parish Council
Email: Clerk@SingletonParishCouncil.org
Tel: 07530 605 291
SINGLETON PARISH COUNCIL
End-of-Year Accounts for 2022/2023
Balances brought forward –
Community Direct Plus Account 21,986
14-day Business Select Account 19,649
41,635
Plus receipts – Parish Council Precept 23,485
Reclaimed VAT 2,017
Donation from Trust 489
LCC for grass-cutting 468
Interest on bank account 26 26,485
68,120
Less payments – Clerk’s wages 3,825
Admin expenses 719
Insurance 866
Rent 148
Newsletters/Xmas cards 327
Playground Maintenance 3,739
Grass-cutting contract 6,303
Plants/tubs/trees/maintenance 2,114
Litter-picking/Euro bin 5,616
Defib expenses 244
Thank you’s 105
Data Protection 40
New Noticeboard 821
New Laptop 479
Coronation mugs 295
Electrical wiring for Xmas tree 30 25,671
Total Carried Forward to 2023/2024 £42,449
Verena Henderson,
Responsible Financial Officer
Singleton Parish Council
8 May 2023