Agenda and minutes

There were none.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 5th January 2021 and to authorise the Chair to sign them as a true and correct record of the proceedings (draft minutes enclosed)

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 5^th January 2021 were agreed as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

There were none.

To consider the report of the Acting Town Clerk (copy enclosed)

The Acting Town Clerk recalled that over a period of time a wide range of properties and services had been suggested for possible transfer from the Borough Council to the new Town Council. These fell into three general categories: those which had already been agreed; those which the Borough had agreed to transfer in principle subject to further reports; and those in respect of which the Town Council had requested further information on the financial and staffing implications of transfer before considering further.

a)    Transfers already agreed

The Statutory Order creating the Town Council had transferred the following allotment sites on 1^st April 2021: Billing Road East, Broadmead Avenue, Glebeland Road, Graspin Lane, Harlestone Road, Parklands, Rothersthorpe Road and Southfields.

The Order had also transferred the Mayoralty and accordingly the full current budget for mayoral support services is being included in the draft budget. A long list of other civic items including regalia, robes, muniments and other artefacts was being compiled and would be reported in due course.

Following the creation of the Town Council the Borough Council’s previous responsibility for maintaining closed churchyards also passed automatically to the Town Council. I have not yet been advised the precise areas of land involved or the maintenance costs for them.

b)    Transfers agreed in principle by the Borough Council

At its meeting on 2^nd November the Borough Council had agreed in principle to transfer the following property and services subject to further reports to the Cross Party Working Group and full Council: Markets, Events and Entertainments, Festive Lighting, Street Furniture, Hanging baskets and Planting Displays, Town Twinning, Community Grants, and Town Centre Management Activities.

The Borough Council at its meeting on 18^th January had agreed that the Town Council be offered, subject to the concurrence of the Shadow West Northants Council, a long lease of the historic part of the Guildhall on an internal repairing basis only. At the last meeting of this Committee it had been noted that the principal council would retain the freehold and responsibility for structural repairs including the roof and the external statues. As the Guildhall was currently managed and serviced as a single unit with the modern office extension and could not be readily be divided it was likely that the landlord would continue to be responsible for heating, lighting and other services, cleaning, security and other overheads such as insurance and business rates. The Town Council would then be required to pay a service charge for its proportion of those costs.

The Committee had agreed at its last meeting that the Town Council was willing to continue to explore a long lease of the historic part of the Guildhall as indicated, subject to the receipt of further details of all income and expenditure related to this part of the premises. No further details were available at this meeting, but officers undertook to endeavour to present more details of income and expenditure at the Council meeting.

c)    Property and Services for which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To recommend to the Council a budget and precept for 2021/22 (report of the Acting Town Clerk enclosed)

The Acting Town Clerk advised that the Meeting of the Council on 27^th January 2021 was the final occasion at which the Council could agree its budget for the coming financial year and agree a precept upon West Northants Council. He further advised that, for the reasons explained in the previous item, it had not been  possible to provide the degree of itemised estimated income and expenditure for all budget heads which Councillors might usually expect to have before them as a number of key component decisions, not least relating to services to be transferred, were yet to be finalised. The draft budget was therefore very much a contingency budget to meet the deadline for setting a precept and at the same time provide adequate financial flexibility to enable the Town Council after the May elections to determine its own priorities. Although the Government had not applied referendum principles to town and parish council precepts for 2021/22, it had urged restraint and had advised that it could consider introducing such measures (which are more likely for the largest town councils) for future years.

The Borough Council had suggested a draft base budget for the Town Council, but it was this Council which had to make the final decision.

The net contingency budget of £1,775,500, based upon 36,401 equivalent Band D properties would result in a Council tax of  £48.78 at Band D or £32.52 (62p per week) at Band A (a typical town centre property).

This level of proposed council tax compared with other town and parish councils as follows:

Recommended:

1.                  To approve the draft budget in the sum of £1,775,500 as set out in the Appendix to these minutes and to agree a precept on West Northamptonshire Council for 2021/22 in that sum;

2.                  That, as a matter of priority, the new Town Clerk undertakes detailed reviews of all services which are transferred to enable the Council to consider any possible modifications and enhancements to those services.

3.                  That, subject to the inclusion of appropriate provision in the finally adopted budget, the Town Clerk be authorised to recruit and appoint the following support staff to commence duties on 1^st April 2021:

Administration Officer (full time)

Administration Assistant (part time)

Finance Officer (part time); and

4.                  That no expenditure be committed on the items in the budget marked with an * until the relevant committee has approved full details of how these contingency sums will be expended.

Appendix

Northampton Town Council Draft Contingency Budget 2021/22

To note the following meetings which are due to consider the key decisions indicated:

Full Council, Wednesday 27^th January 2021 at 6:00pm

·       Recommendations re: Town Clerk and Precept

Executive Committee, Thursday 18^th February 2021 at 6:00pm

·       Confirm committee structure

·       FOI Publication Scheme

·       IT, Telephones, Specialist software

·       Payroll provider

·       Professional Support

·       Councillors Allowances

·       Mayoral Allowance

·       Chaplain and prayers at meetings

Full Council, Monday 1^st March 2021 at 6:00pm

Executive Committee, Monday 15^th March 2021 at 6:00pm

Executive Committee, Monday 12^th April 2021 at 6:00pm

RESOLVED: The Northampton Town Executive noted the following meetings which are due to consider the key decisions indicated:

Full Council, Wednesday 27^th January 2021 at 6:00pm

·       Recommendations re: Town Clerk and Precept

Executive Committee, Thursday 18^th February 2021 at 6:00pm

·       Confirm committee structure

·       FOI Publication Scheme

·       IT, Telephones, Specialist software

·       Payroll provider

·       Professional Support

·       Councillors Allowances

·       Mayoral Allowance

·       Chaplain and prayers at meetings

Full Council, Monday 1^st March 2021 at 6:00pm

Executive Committee, Monday 15^th March 2021 at 6:00pm

Executive Committee, Monday 12^th April 2021 at 6:00pm