Present:
| Members | Present | Apologies | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair: Cllr G Darrington | ✓ | ||
| Deputy Chair: Cllr P Brown | ✓ | ||
| Cllr C Barnes | ✓ | ||
| Cllr P Darrington | ✓ | ||
| Cllr C Morgan | |||
| Cllr C Prestedge | ✓ | Personal Circumstances | |
| Cllr E Uttley | ✓ | ✓ | Personal Circumstances |
| Cllr R Wood | ✓ |
Officers:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Ryan Hayman
Executive Assistant – Tracey Bayliss
Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) – Stephen Innes
Venues Manager – Kerina Keir
Grants & Admin Officer – Megan Campbell
Also Present:
Cllr M Horwood
Cllr K Mitchell
Public: NONE PRESENT
MEETING COMMENCED: 19:59
12157 – APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr C Morgan
Cllr C Prestedge
12158 – DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
NONE
12159 – MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve as correct the Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 15th November 2023.
APPROVED AND SIGNED
12160 – TO RECEIVE THE MONTHLY FINANCES
Civic Centre
5054 – Room Hire – Recharge. It was mentioned that it was more than the budget figure. RFO confirmed that this was due to an internal movement of monies from the Civic Centre to the Olympic and the Alexandra Suite.
The Alexandra Suite and the Olympic hire in community groups and allow sporting groups to use their facilities and it was agreed that there would be a budget to allow them to host the functions and events free of charge, the Civic in effect meet the cost.
The number of bookings is far greater than anticipated at the beginning of the year. It was confirmed that the budget had been reviewed and will be increased for next year. It was mentioned that it was put in place to demonstrate the cost of the community groups booking as opposed to commercial bookings.
4900 – Investment Income. It was noted that it has done very well. We were only expecting approximately £8,000 over the budget for 2023/24 and is now on £20,033.44.
Housing Stock
It was asked if the breakdown of rental income per property could be made available at the next Policy & Finance meeting. RFO confirmed that it would be available at the next meeting and 6 monthly thereafter.
Swanley Link
It was asked why there was no income shown from the Post Office. The Link Manager confirmed that STC do not receive an income from the Post Office. The Swanley Link building is leased from KCC to the various organisations and rental for the Post Office is paid to KCC.
Estates
4222 – Service Recharge – Landscaping. It was asked what the figure £12,890.31 was made up of. RFO confirmed that West Kent Housing Association asked STC to perform some landscaping works all over Swanley that they were not able to cover themselves.
4224 – Service Recharge – Greenhithe. It was asked for some clarification as to what this is. RFO confirmed that it was a contract with Greenhithe for a landscaping project at Greenhithe railway station. It was asked if this would be on a regular basis and if we use our own staff. CEO hoped that it would be and we use STC staff to cover this which was allocated for in the expenditure against it. It is an annual charge.
Bank Reconciliation
It was asked why the balance for the November statement was £122,032.36 and the December statement is £43,044.94 and where the difference of £78,987.42 had gone. RFO confirmed that it was normal various monthly expenditure which is all noted in the various monthly reports.
The amount can be topped up from the CCLA account as and when it is needed. It was asked if the CCLA account could be broken down into CIL, regular savings and the operational bank account. RFO confirmed that this would be reviewed in March.
Aged Debtors and Creditors
It was confirmed that the monies from Sargeant Partnership LLP had now been received and there were no outstanding debtors.
Projects
It was mentioned that the floodlight project at a cost of £22,122.90 by Cema Lighting was agreed on the basis that the work take place during January. Cema Lighting are now not able to meet this obligation and have missed meetings and deadlines. Works with OM Projects Lighting would save STC £2,234.50 and are able to start in January. Bookings have been arranged around the floodlight replacement in January.
The works come with a five year warranty and an additional six new lights compared to the previous quote. It was voted on and approved to go ahead. It was asked when the lighting work would start, CEO confirmed the 26th January 2024. It was asked if it should be shown on the projects report. CEO confirmed that it should not as it was funded via CIL money which would be shown on next month’s Civic Centre income and expenditure report.
It was noted that there was an emergency spend for £6,425 for the carpet replacement in the Pavilion due to health and safety concerns. £20,000 had been allocated towards the project for next year’s budget so this will be a significant saving. It was asked who would be doing the work. It was confirmed that K2 Flooring in Swanley would be carrying out the work.
It was asked if the projects that are currently on hold be started. It was confirmed that they would not be reinstated.
RESOLVED – accepted reports A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K
Date of next meeting – Wednesday 21st February 2024
MEETING CLOSED AT: 20:33
SIGNED: 21/02/2024
Cllr G Darrington
Chair of Policy and Finance
