Present:

Members	Present	Apologies	Reason
Chair: Cllr G Darrington	✓
Deputy Chair: Cllr P Brown	✓
Cllr C Barnes		✓	Work Commitments
Cllr P Darrington	✓
Cllr C Morgan	✓
Cllr C Prestedge	✓
Cllr E Uttley		✓	Work Commitments
Cllr R Wood	✓

Officers:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Ryan Hayman
Executive Assistant – Tracey Bayliss
Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) – Steve Innes

Also Present:
Cllr S Durden
Cllr M Horwood
Cllr K Mitchell

Public: NONE PRESENT

MEETING COMMENCED: 19:30

12048 – APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
NONE

12049 – MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve as correct the Minutes of the Meetings held on Wednesday 19th July 2023.
APPROVED AND SIGNED

12050 – DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
NONE

12051 – TO RECEIVE THE MONTHLY FINANCES

Civic Centre
7602 – Health & Safety – It was asked if this spend covered the fire doors for the Alexandra Suite and if so, why were they attributed against the Civic Centre. RFO confirmed that there were fire door inspections, fire risk assessments, legionella and asbestos testing for all sites and each site will show a proportion of cost for that. It was mentioned that there will be testing for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) on each of the sites from the 28th September which will show in future budget figures for each site.

Swanley Park
It was mentioned that the income for the park had been affected by the adverse weather this year compared to the very hot summer last year. RFO advised that there is still car parking to be invoiced which would increase the income for the park. It was noted that September’s income to date was higher than the same period in 2022.

Housing Stock
It was said that the report still does not show the full year’s payments for the properties. It was mentioned in the 19th July 2023 minutes that the RFO would adjust the reports to reflect that. The RFO said that in future statements would be produced for each property to show detailed transactions.

Bank Reconciliation
It was mentioned that the CCLA account amount received into the account far surpasses what would be received on a property in terms of income due to the increase in the interest rates. CEO mentioned that when the precept is received a large proportion of that would be moved into the CCLA account to benefit from the high interest rates. The business bank account will hold sufficient funds for day to day running and salaries. Money can be transferred between accounts and is accessible next day and there are no withdrawal penalties. It was also mentioned that CIL money would also be deposited into the CCLA account.

Payments Out
31st July 2023 – CEO mentioned that emergency spending powers would be enforced due to a fire door falling off in the Alexandra Suite. This will need to be replaced as soon as a door is available.

Debtors and Creditors
It was mentioned that it was good to see that payments are being received promptly and any aged debtors are being actively pursued for payment.

Projects
It was mentioned that there were some projects showing as not started but had spend against them. RFO mentioned that the spreadsheet just needed updating to show them as in progress. It was asked why there were two projects to replace the flooring in the café. It was mentioned that one project was to replace the café door and some flooring around this. This project was 48% below the estimated costing and compensated for the replacement of the concrete standing and wooden jetty which had come to 155% of the estimated budget. Overall, combined they still came below the overall budget for both. Work is now in progress to replace the existing flooring throughout the cafe and this explained why it had come under a separate project and budget.

It was asked how big the tractor shed was for the project costing £20,000. CEO confirmed that it was a large building that can contain two tractors with additional space.

It was asked what the status was with the project for the Alexandra Suite garden area patio and fencing. It was confirmed that the project was currently on hold due to other projects needing to be prioritised, and the quote for the project being £10,000 over budget. It was mentioned that this project would be a welcome addition to the Alexandra Suite for functions to have an outside space. It was stated that the project has not been ruled out, but there are other issues with the area. It was discussed that being an open and accessible space, there have been some issues with vandalism. It was asked if a fence could be installed, but there are issues with this due to access via the trees and fire access. It was asked that the Project spreadsheet status be changed from Not Started to On Hold to reflect this.

Swanley Park Fireworks
It was asked if the photographer attended the event and if so where are the photographs. It was confirmed that he did, and the photographs were saved onto the system for future use in various publications. It was asked if the cost of the photographer was necessary given the photos were not used immediately after the event. The CEO mentioned that the photographer is not used every year and frees up staff from having to take photos. It was mentioned that the pyrotechnic and lighting show had received great feedback from those who saw it. They were a special one-off booking for the 40th Anniversary show.

It was noted that the cost of the fireworks was very good value for the spectacular show that was put on.

RESOLVED – accepted reports A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L

Date of next meeting – Wednesday 18th October 2023

MEETING CLOSED AT: 20:04

SIGNED: 18/10/2023

Cllr G Darrington
Chair of Policy and Finance