Singleton Parish Council
Minutes of the ANNUAL PARISH MEETING – To be formally agreed
Held at Singleton Village Hall, Singleton
on Tuesday 29 September 2020 at 7.00 pm
Present: – Cllrs Gallagher (Chair), Bailey (Vice Chair), Lee, Ibbotson and Cholmondeley and the Parish Clerk, Verena Henderson, who took the Minutes.
| 1. | Apologies – None |
| 2. | Minutes of Previous Meeting held on 26 September 2019 The Minutes of the previous annual meeting, having been previously circulated, were formally agreed as a true and correct record and signed by the former Chairman Cllr Lee. |
| 3. | Chairman’s Report Cllr Gallagher told the meeting that at this point in previous years, the Chairperson would list the accomplishments of the Parish Council for the last year. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the work of the Parish Council has been stifled for the last 7 months. However, he thanked all councillors for carrying on in their duties throughout this period and for finding ways to adapt to allow the Parish Council to function as an entity. In particular, he thanked Verena the Clerk for her hard work and dedication over the last months. All bills were paid and correspondence dealt with. Cllr Gallagher reiterated his welcome to the two new members of the Council and hoped that Covid-19 had not made their first year a difficult one. Although there was not a lot of notable achievements this year, sitting at his laptop reviewing the year in emails, he felt heartened to see how the Parish Council had just got on quietly with its day-to-day duties. The one large achievement was to have finally purchased the two Speed Information Devices (SpIDs) and four solar panels. Cllr Gallagher extended his thanks to the Singleton Trust for the match-funding of the SpIDs. He then listed the smaller accomplishments: – The revival of the newsletter under Cllr IbbotsonCllr Bailey following and advising on the BypassEmails on blocked gullies and drainsPlayground equipmentPotholesPlanning mattersRoad markingsBroadband speedsCyclists on pavementsFly-tippingDog foulingLitter-picking, andFlower tub planting. Cllr Gallagher concluded that although none of these would count as projects they were nevertheless vital in the running of our parish and community. |
| 4. | Financial Report from the Clerk The Clerk distributed a statement showing the end-of-year accounts for the financial year 2019/2020. In accordance with laid down procedure, the accounts were now with the Official Auditor and a 6-week period had been advertised for public viewing of the accounts. The accounts showed a total income of £23,658, of which £19,462 came from the annual precept, with reclaimed VAT raising £2,306. Lancashire County Council had paid £936 for grasscutting of their land and Singleton Trust had kindly donated half the fees of the annual cost of litter-picking, which came to £871. Finally the interest paid on the bank account was £83.00. During the financial year 2019/20, the Parish Council had spent £26,163. The main expenses were as follows:- Grasscutting contract £5797 2 new SpID machines £4882 Repayment of loan taken out for car park £3550 Playground maintenance paid to Fylde BC £3460 Clerk’s wages £2496 Litter-picking £1382 Admin expenses £1013 Other expenses included annual insurance – £718, rent for meetings – £227, Official Audit fees – £240, Newsletters/Christmas cards – £215, Plants, compost and new tubs – £610, Moving of SpID machine – £510, general maintenance – £235, Election charges – £100, Laptop for SpID data – £296 and thank you’s £432, totalling £26,163. Bank balances being brought forward from the previous financial year left a balance to be carried forward to 2020/2021 of £24,643. |
| 5. | Election of Chair and Vice Chair for the period 2020/2021 Cllr Bailey told the meeting that he did not wish to become Chairman and proposed that Cllr Gallagher remain in office for a further year. Cllr Lee seconded this proposal and Cllr Gallagher accepted the role of Chairman for 2020/2021. Cllr Lee proposed that Cllr Bailey remain as Vice-Chair for a further year. This was seconded by Cllr Ibbotson and Cllr Bailey accepted the role of Vice-Chairman for 2020/2021. |
| 6. | Any questions from the public As no members of the public were present, the meeting closed at 7.20pm. |
Signed …………………………………………… Dated ………………………………………
Verena Henderson
Clerk to the Parish Council
Tel: 01995 670455