Chesham Town Council

Bill Richards Town Clerk

Tel: 01494 774842 Fax: 01494 582908 www.chesham.gov.uk Email: [email protected]

21st October 2013 Dear Councillor

I hereby give you notice that a meeting of the POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE to be held in the Council Chamber, The Town Hall, Chesham, on

MONDAY 28th OCTOBER 2013 AT APPROXIMATELY 8.00pm (i.e. immediately following the close of the Development Control Committee meeting which is due to commence at 7.30pm) when the business set out below is proposed to be transacted:

A G E N D A

1. Apologies for absence. 2. Declarations of Interests. 3. To receive and confirm the Minutes of the meeting of 15th July 2013. 4. To receive and consider the Minutes of: Town Centre Working Group meeting of the 13th June & 3rd October 2013. CHAP Management Committee meeting of the 17th June & 16th July 2013. Chesham & District Transport Users’ Group meeting of 25th June, 6th August and 17th September 2013. Finance Working Party meetings of 18th July, 11th September and 2nd October 2013. 4b. Presentation on 'Living Green Wall' for Chesham - Biotecture. 5. Devolved Services Update. 6. Completion of Audit. 7. Response to Buckinghamshire County Council Service Delivery and Chiltern District Council Tax Scheme Consultation. 8. Elgiva Board – Financial Request and Vision Document. 9. Financial Report to 31st August 2013. 10. Revised Grievance Policy and Procedure. 11. Staffing Review. 12. Exclusion of the Public and the Press. 13. Review of Council’s Publications and Contracts. Yours sincerely,

Bill Richards Town Clerk

Chesham Town Council, Town Hall, Chesham, Bucks HP5 1DS Twinned with Friedrichsdorf Germany; Houilles France; Archena Spain Chesham Town Council continued . . .

Circulation:

Councillor V.M. Abraham Councillor Mrs. R .Juett Councillor A.K. Bacon Councillor Mrs C.M. Michael Councillor Mrs C. Boxer Councillor M. W. Shaw Councillor Mrs P. Cherrill Councillor F. S. Wilson Councillor M. Fayyaz Councillor P. W. Yerrell Councillor T. Franks Councillor P. J. Hudson

Publication Date 21st October 2013.

- 2 - CHESHAM TOWN COUNCIL TOWN CENTRE WORKING GROUP

Minutes of the meeting of the Town Centre Working Group held on Thursday 13th June 2013.

PRESENT:

Cllr Colette Littley (CL), Chesham Town Council Kathryn Graves (KG), Chesham Town Council Masud Ahmed (MA), Taxi Drivers’ Association Noel Brown (NB), Buckinghamshire County Council David Carter (DC), Chesham Society Rod Culverhouse (RC), FastBreak Sports PCSO Jaqueline Day (JD), Thames Valley Police Jed Elverson (JE), your Chesham PCSO Matt Sansom (MS), Thames Valley Police Anwar Zaman (AZ), Chiltern District Council

1. APOLOGIES Apologies were received from Oliver Asbury (Chiltern District Council), Jon Dickens (Transport For Buckinghamshire) and Cllr Peter Hudson, (Chiltern District Council).

2. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING AND MATTERS ARISING The minutes of the meeting held on the 14th March 2013 were confirmed as a correct record.

(i) High Street Relating to Minute 2(i), MA said that taxi drivers are still concerned that they could be ticketed if they pick up, or drop off a disabled passenger in the pedestrian- dominated areas of the High Street. It was confirmed that the Police would not ticket taxi drivers accessing the High Street to pick up or drop off passengers from/to High Street premises who are Blue Badge holders. NSL will not issue tickets in these situations, as there is no parking involved. NB advised MA that should any taxi drivers receive a ticket under these circumstances, he would take the matter up on their behalf.

Town Centre Working Group 13 June 2013 - 1 - If there are members of the public who are eligible for a Blue Badge, but do not have one, they can apply via the GOV.UK web site. Guidance on eligibility is available from the Bucks County Council web site: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/social-care/disabled-persons-car-badges/

JE requested that KG write an article for yourChesham to explain that people with Blue Badges can be picked up or dropped off in the High Street and also to highlight how people can report people breaking car parking rules. Action: Kathryn

MS said that many people have voiced their concerns to the Police about the congestion caused by people parking in The Broadway near Barclays on the faded double-yellow lines, especially on market days. There is a general feeling amongst the public that there is insufficient enforcement of the double yellow lines in the town centre and the abuse of disabled spaces. People are also under the misapprehension that the Police should be enforcing this, when it is the responsibility of NSL on behalf of Bucks County Council. MS suggested that it would be helpful if NSL could do some awareness raising with the public to explain what parking enforcement they are responsible for. It was noted that both the Police and Chiltern District Council are getting a lot of phone calls about on-street parking, which indicates that public awareness is low.

NB said that we need to balance enforcement with an understanding of the difficulty faced by taxi drivers and bus drivers in negotiating The Broadway.

MA expressed his disappointment at how NSL are operating. NB said that he is trying to address the problems caused by NSL focusing on residential areas, where parking is already very difficult, especially on Bank Holidays. He is urging that NSL take a more common sense approach. NB said that it would be helpful if members of the Town Centre Working Group could supply him with a list of their concerns regarding NSL. KG will coordinate this. Action: Kathryn

3. COMMUNITY SAFETY/POLICE REPORT Anti-social behaviour in the town centre is quite low and there has been a reduction in the number of reported incidents.

The Police have made a request to BCC Highways to assess the signage in The Broadway to see if the restricted zone outside Caffe Nero can be made clearer. The Police continue to warn the drivers who are seen using this area.

The Police will be tackling antisocial behaviour by young people in some of the town’s car parks.

Four new PCSOs for Chesham are currently being trained and we have two new sergeants: Sergeant Ali Tallett and Acting Sergeant Jez Byrom. Another PC will be starting in this month.

Town Centre Working Group 13 June 2013 - 2 - A number of drugs warrants have been conducted recently and it is emphasised that the Police welcomes intelligence from the community in order to address drugs within the town.

Awareness needs to be raised amongst the public as lots of people are leaving their vehicles unlocked overnight, resulting in thefts from these vehicles. This will be included in a police report for yourChesham.

DC asked what impact the Police and Crime Commissioner is having on local policing. There has been an increased focus on preventing rural crime and more attention on drugs.

MS and JD left at 11.20am.

4. HIGHWAYS ISSUES (i) Lighting The group discussed the wall-mounted lighting on the High Street, which is generally perceived by the public to be inadequate. The possibility of replacing the lighting with LED lights with funding through the Green Deal was considered and whether this could be tied in with the Change for Chesham campaign. It was agreed that this should be suggested to the Lighting Department at BCC.

(ii) Culvert A newsletter from the Environment Agency was distributed to the group, explaining the current plans for work to the culvert in Market Square.

It was noted that the protective barriers surrounding the culvert are out of place. KG explained that these are normally monitored under the Getting Closer to Communities scheme, but the operative is currently on holiday.

(iii) High Street Trees The repairs to the raised paviers around the trees in the High Street have now been completed.

(iv) Market Square Chesham in Bloom volunteers have planted up the raised beds in Market Square, painted bollards and other street furniture and organised for Chiltern District Council to refurbish the benches. It was noted that Chesham in Bloom have also been working with Chesham Environmental Group to remove the ivy on Parsonage Lane wall. NB asked whether the vegetation along St. Mary’s Way would be cut in time for Chesham in Bloom judging on the 9th July and suggested that KG should check this with Jon Dickens. Action: Kathryn

(v) Town Signage NB asked AZ to investigate whether CDC has any responsibility for the finger posts in the High Street, as the Little Theatre by the Park would like to be added to the post

Town Centre Working Group 13 June 2013 - 3 - in Market Square. KG said that all three fingerposts are out of date and at least two are in need of repair. It was noted that there is a need to determine responsibility for on-going maintenance when equipment is installed through partnership working. Action: Anwar

The group discussed the possibility of installing a sign saying “Town Centre & Car Park” within Star Yard Car Park. AZ will investigate whether it would be feasible for CDC to do this and whether planning permission would be required. Action: Anwar

(vi) Road Surfacing The new white surface that has been applied on the approach to a number of junctions in the town centre is a non-slip surface dressing.

5. PARKING (i) Water Meadow Car Park It was noted that a section of Water Meadow car park will be used as a compound for the Environment Agency when they are undertaking their works on the culvert. This includes use of the grassed area to minimise the number of parking spaces that are taken out of use. The grassed area will be reinstated once the works are complete. The trees in the car park will not be affected by the works.

(ii) Market Square Concern was raised that the level of parking in Market Square by vehicles associated with Peri Peri may increase if the brick planters are permanently removed as a result of the culvert works. There is also an issue with people driving through Market Square on market days to visit the shops, which is a safety risk. BCC are going to review the signage along the length of the High Street, and there is the possibility of a metal barrier being installed at the end of Market Square to prevent access when the road is closed. However, this will not be a quick process. It was queried whether the barrier could be put in when the works are taking place on the culvert. The group felt that enforcement of these issues is key.

Masud left at 11.52am.

(iii) Station Car Park From the 17th June, CDC will no longer run the Station Car Park. It will be run on behalf of TFL by NCP. The car park will be shut on Saturday 15th June to conduct works as part of the handover. AZ said that he had requested that the car park be kept open on the 15th to provide parking for the Schools of Chesham Carnival event, but this was refused. NB asked that AZ put in a further, strong plea for the car park to be kept open until the afternoon to facilitate this community event. AZ has pressed NCP for their contact details and charges that he can pass on to the public, but has received no information. Action: Anwar

Town Centre Working Group 13 June 2013 - 4 - (iv) Short-Term Parking NB said that it is hoped to trial some short-term parking in Chesham, although there are no details as of yet.

6. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will take place on 3rd October 2013 at 10.30am.

Town Centre Working Group 13 June 2013 - 5 - CHESHAM TOWN COUNCIL TOWN CENTRE WORKING GROUP

Minutes of the meeting of the Town Centre Working Group held on Thursday 3rd October 2013.

PRESENT:

Cllr Colette Littley (CL), Chesham Town Council Kathryn Graves (KG), Chesham Town Council Masud Ahmed (MA), Taxi Drivers’ Association Noel Brown (NB), Buckinghamshire County Council Rod Culverhouse (RC), FastBreak Sports Jon Dickens (JD), Transport for Bucks Jed Elverson (JE), your Chesham PCSO Andy Mayhew (AM), Thames Valley Police Martin Parkes (MP), Better Chesham PCSO Les Roche (LR), Thames Valley Police David Stowe (DS), Chiltern District Council

1. APOLOGIES Apologies were received from Oliver Asbury (Chiltern District Council), David Carter (Chesham Society) and Cllr Peter Hudson (Chiltern District Council).

2. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING AND MATTERS ARISING The minutes of the meeting held on the 13th June 2013 were confirmed as a correct record.

(i) Parking KG confirmed that she had written an article in yourChesham outlining how car parking works in Chesham and how people can apply for a Blue Badge.

(ii) St. Mary’s Way Unfortunately the St. Mary’s Way verge vegetation was not cut in time for the town’s RHS In Bloom inspection in July, but it is hoped that the works will be done before Christmas.

Town Centre Working Group 3 October 2013 - 1 - (iii) Finger-Post Signs Anwar Zaman was unable to find any information at CDC on the finger-post signs in the town centre.

Noel Brown, Masud Ahmed and Rod Culverhouse arrived at 10.35am.

3. COMMUNITY SAFETY/POLICE REPORT

KG has been contacted by the owner of a shop in the High Street, who has concerns about anti-social behaviour and littering between 4 and 7pm in the vicinity of the benches opposite Sainsbury’s. LR said it was important that all incidents are reported on the 101 non-emergency number; this would enable CCTV to be trained on the area. LR said that Shop Watch has been successful elsewhere in Chesham when there has been persistent anti-social behaviour. LR will make the PCSOs who have the town centre beat aware of the issues. JE requested that these officers visit the shops in the area so that a better relationship is established with the police and to help shopkeepers and business owners understand how the system works to tackle anti-social behaviour. MP said that he would be happy to talk to the owner of the shop concerned, as a representative of Better Chesham.

MP requested that a representative from Thames Valley Police comes back to the monthly Better Chesham meetings where matters such as the above are raised.

LR said that reports of anti-social behaviour have declined across Chesham and that there have been very few reports in the town centre. The persistent problem of anti- social behaviour in Water Meadow car park has been halted by issuing Section 59s. There was no spike in anti-social behaviour during the summer; the 65% decrease in anti-social behaviour obtained last summer has been maintained.

CL queried whether the police had powers to deal with customer and delivery vehicles parking in Market Square. DS will check whether CDC handed any parking powers to the police. CL asked whether the signage in Market Square could be looked at as part of the Market Square regeneration. JD will look at the signage. Action: David Stowe and Jon Dickens

PCSOs Les Roche and Andy Mayhew left at 11.05am.

4. PERI PERI

Cllr Peter Hudson had emailed an update on a number of issues relating to Peri Peri. CDC’s Environmental Health department are conducting spot checks on the property regarding their waste management and the ventilation tube that was venting into Market Square has been removed. Peter is looking at options for resiting the bins in Market Square, but options are limited. JD will write to Peri Peri to explain that the bins are an obstruction on the highway. Action: Jon Dickens

Town Centre Working Group 3 October 2013 - 2 - Black bin bags keep being dumped in Market Square, but the source of these bags is unknown. NB urged that people report this to Waste Management at CDC whenever it is seen.

Peri Peri’s illuminated signage is currently going through the planning process at CDC. NB suggested that the town council could write to Peri Peri asking that the lights are turned off as they are in contravention of planning policy. Action: Colette

5. PARKING

MP reported that the Catlings Car Park trial may start in November, offering 10 minute pricing increments, e.g. 10p for 10 minutes, 20p for 20 minutes, etc. The machines will be modified to enable this to happen. If successful, an ANPR camera system will be installed. Parking will be free after 4pm. The maximum length of stay will be raised from 3 hours to 4 hours. If Catlings Car Park is a success, the scheme will be rolled out to other CDC car parks.

KG queried how the ANPR system would affect the many vehicles that come to Catlings car park to drop-off visitors or make deliveries to the Town Hall. However, the details of an ANPR system are not yet known.

It was noted that many High Street business owners have been using the car park at The Chequers while the building has been empty. This source of free parking is likely to end imminently. NB reminded the group that discounted season tickets can be purchased for CDC car parks.

6. HIGHWAYS ISSUES (i) High Street Deliveries Better Chesham will be meeting CDC later in the month, and the issue of restricting deliveries on the High Street outside the hours of 10am and 4pm will be discussed.

The poor condition of East Street as a service road, and the congestion caused by traffic turning right out of East Street on to Red Lion Street was noted. JD will look into the possibility of guide lines and arrows on the road. Action: Jon Dickens

(ii) Market Square MP explained that there is a proposed design for a sculpture in Market Square made of local brick. The bricks will be provided for free by H.G. Matthews. The Clock Tower Traders are looking to raise £20,000 to fund the sculpture.

Town Centre Working Group 3 October 2013 - 3 - (iii) Safe Access to Lowndes Park The town council has received a letter from two residents concerned that visitors to Chesham are crossing St. Mary’s Way in unsafe locations due to a lack of adequate signage to Lowndes Park. DS will take this issue back to CDC, to see whether signage can be installed. Action: David Stowe

A discussion was held as to whether it would be feasible to install traffic lights to replace the zebra crossing at the main entrance to the park. JD suggested that this would be best investigated as a LAF scheme.

(iv) Broadway Bus Lay-By At a recent local council surgery, a complaint was received from a member of the public about vehicles other than buses and delivery lorries using the lay-by. NB suggested that the temporary CCTV camera could be employed in that location.

(v) High Street Paviers A rolling programme will be underway from the end of October to relay uneven and loose paviers along the High Street.

(vi) Gullies All accessible drains have been cleared over the summer. Attempts are now being made to access drains that were inaccessible due to parked cars. Over 50 gully defects have been identified by this work and these are now being fixed.

Martin Parkes and Rod Culverhouse left at 11.50am.

7. ANY OTHER BUSINESS (i) Flood Fair A Flood Fair is being held on the 9th October at Chesham Town Hall from noon until 3pm where people can obtain expert advice.

(ii) Dog Waste Bins A dog waste bin is required in the vicinity of Chessbury Road. NB advised that a request should be put to the town council to fund this.

(iii) Rubbish Bins MA said that a replacement bin was needed for the bus stop near 152 Bellingdon Road. DS will pass this information on to the CDC Waste Management team. Action: David Stowe

6. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The date of the next meeting will be circulated with the minutes.

Town Centre Working Group 3 October 2013 - 4 - Chesham Action Partnership Management Committee Meeting Tuesday 17th June 2013 at Chesham Town Hall

In attendance:

Martin Parkes (Chairman) Better Chesham David Carter (Treasurer) Chesham Society Kathryn Graves (Secretary) Chesham Town Council (CTC) Ken Austin Chesham Environmental Group (CEG) Emily Culverhouse Chesham Society David Gardner Chiltern District Council (CDC) Louise Hickman Colette Littley CTC Mary Pomeroy U Project Mark Rann Chesham Comedy Club Bill Richards CTC Barbara Richardson COPAG Mort Smith Buckinghamshire Examiner Tanya Sunman U Project Mora Walker Chesham Museum Fred Wilson CTC, CDC

Apologies:

Noel Brown (CTC, CDC, BCC) and Merrin Molesworth (Chiltern Voice).

1. Welcome & Introductions The group welcomed Mark Rann as a new committee member. Martin Parkes explained that Emily Culverhouse and Louise Hickman were attending as observers.

2. Roundtable Everyone introduced themselves and provided a short piece of good news from their group.

3. Community Hub Martin provided an update on the project to provide a Community Hub in the town centre. The hub team are applying for grants for the start‐up, but the intention is that the hub would then be self‐supporting. The group held a discussion about using some of ChAP’s town centre revitalisation money for the hub. It was noted that committee members Fred, Colette and Mark declared an interest as members of the hub team. The committee agreed in principle to allocating some money (amount as of yet undetermined), subject to scrutiny of the business plan.

Mary Pomeroy left at 2.35pm.

1 4. Christmas in Chesham The committee considered whether the Christmas in Chesham organising committee should become a sub‐group of ChAP. David Gardner expressed the view that more could be made of the event in terms of kick‐starting a season of events involving other groups and sharing costs and he expressed a willingness to look at this. David will liaise with Mark Rann with a view to developing a brief to go before the next ChAP meeting. Action: David & Mark

Mort Smith said that the Buckinghamshire Examiner would be happy to promote the event.

Concern was expressed at how a long‐term commitment to Christmas in Chesham (including financial support) fits within the ChAP structure. Fred Wilson said that the Chamber should be asked to contribute to the event, as it is for the benefit of the High Street.

5. Volunteer Brigades Martin said that there is always a shortage of volunteers for specific activities and events. He would like to see something like ChAV extended into the rest of the year to build a team of volunteers willing to take on a variety of tasks. Communication mechanisms to get the message out to the public were discussed. Mort offered to draft a proposal of how the Buckinghamshire Examiner could be involved in a communications network for this purpose. Action: Mort

Louisa Hickman and David Gardner left at 3.10pm.

6. Any Other Business (i) Finance The group discussed the fact that ChAP has been used by CDC as an authorised body for making payment to small organisations. Fred said that he was concerned that this has been taking place without the knowledge of all committee members and he would like retrospective authorisation for any money that we have already paid out that specifies who we have paid the money to. He emphasised that a purchase order may not be adequate if it does not specify the payee. Any future transactions must be similarly organised.

It was noted that the LAF have awarded funding for the Community Hub, which does not have a bank account as of yet. As there is already an invoice waiting to be paid, David Carter, Martin and David MacBean (the hub’s accountant) will meet to find a solution.

(ii) Networking Evening The committee agreed to hold a second networking evening in September. Possible venues were discussed, including Chartridge Park Golf Club, the Football Club and the Town Hall.

2

(iii) Well‐Being Project Kathryn Graves will circulate an update on the Well‐Being Project with the minutes of this meeting. Action: Kathryn

(iv) Chesham Society Emily highlighted that Ibrahim Ameen from the Mosque Committee will be giving a talk for the Chesham Society this Wednesday from 7.30pm at the Town Hall.

(v) Chesham Community Vision Fred said there was a need for ChAP to review the CCV and said that he was happy to start the process. Action: Fred

The meeting closed at 3.40 pm.

3 Chesham Action Partnership General Meeting Tuesday 16th July 2013 at Chesham Town Hall

In attendance:

Committee: Martin Parkes (Chairman) Better Chesham David Carter (Treasurer) Chesham Society Kathryn Graves (Secretary) CTC Ken Austin Chesham Environmental Group (CEG) Noel Brown CTC, CDC, BCC David Gardner CDC Colette Littley CTC Merrin Molesworth Chiltern Voice Mark Rann Chesham Comedy Club Bill Richards CTC

General Members: Mick Carling Better Chesham Vince Crompton Chesham in Bloom Phil Folly Transition Town Chesham/COPAG Louise Hickman Charlotte Norris Broadlands & Barnes Avenue Residents Stuart Ottley Shed@ThePark/Caracol Helen Petty Chiltern Dial‐A‐Ride Peter Squire Chesham Rotary Allen Tilbury Chesham Allotments Group

Apologies: Committee: Barbara Richardson (COPAG) and Fred Wilson (CTC, CDC, Chesham Chamber).

General Members: Roy Abraham (Chiltern Commissioning Group), Deborah Taylor (NHS Bucks and Oxford), Jed Elverson (yourChesham), Christine Gardner (BCC), Amanda Thompson (Job Centre Plus), Mort Smith (Bucks Examiner), Beverley Trevitt (Bucks Community Foundation).

1. Minutes of the meeting of the 23rd April 2013 The minutes of the 23rd April 2013 were accepted as a correct record. In relation to Minute 3, Bill Richards said that a Cycle Chilterns workshop is being held at the Town Hall on the 22nd July and all are welcome to attend.

In relation to Minute (8i), the group noted its congratulations to Phil Folly and Martin Parkes for winning Pride of Bucks Awards.

1 2. Roundtable Update from Organisations Everyone in attendance introduced themselves and provided an update of positive news from their organisation. Bill distributed flyers for the Vintage Celebrations in Lowndes Park on the 3rd August and asked for volunteers to act as stewards at the event.

Martin Parkes thanked Chesham in Bloom for their amazing work in the preparation of the town for RHS judging on the 9th July.

3. Election of New Committee Members Louise Hickman and Emily Culverhouse were voted on to the ChAP committee.

4. Funding for Christmas in Chesham Martin explained the need to make Christmas in Chesham financially sustainable and said that if ChAP supports Christmas in Chesham, CDC will provide match funding. David Gardner and Mark Rann outlined a proposal to develop a larger festival that will have events and entertainment every Saturday night in December in the High Street. A volunteer has already come forward to lead on marketing. It was agreed that, subject to a satisfactory business plan and sufficient organisers, ChAP will commit to giving £500 to Christmas in Chesham.

Mick Carling arrived at 7.30pm.

5. Funding for the Community Hub The group agreed that clarity was needed on how the LAF funding for the hub can be drawn down. Noel Brown will investigate and David Gardner will set up a meeting to resolve the cash flow issue. Action: David Gardner and Noel Brown

A brief discussion was held on the principle of allocating ChAP funds to this project. The hub business plan will be circulated to committee members and any questions should be forwarded to Kathryn Graves for collation. A decision on funding will be taken at the next committee meeting.

David Gardner left the meeting at 7.40pm.

6. Chesham Community Vision Review Bill explained that the Town Council’s Finance Working Party has been reviewing the Council’s strategic objectives and that Fred Wilson has been expanding this to look at the Council’s synergy with the town. This process is very much in its infancy and will need to be put before Council for consideration in the future. However, the boundaries of this review may not be as wide ranging as the CCV.

Attendees suggested that the CCV was in need of review and Noel offered to speak to Community Impact Bucks to see whether it can offer any assistance. Action: Noel

2 7. Finance David Carter said that we have c.£5,500 and are waiting for £100 from CDC, which David Gardner is chasing up. David Carter will check that we have received our grant from CDC for this year. Action: David Carter and David Gardner

8. Networking Evening Following on from the success of the April networking evening, it was agreed to hold a further event in September. Alternative venues to the Town Hall are being considered, including Chesham United Football Club and The Elgiva foyer. It was suggested that a raffle could be run to defray costs and that this event should have greater publicity than the first. Kathryn will identify dates in September that do not clash with other town events. Action: Kathryn

9. Any Other Business (i) Funding Advice Surgery Martin provided an update from Beverley Trevitt, who is co‐hosting a funding advice surgery in the Chiltern area on the 8th August. The surgery will be held at the CDC offices in Amersham. The surgery offers voluntary/community groups an opportunity to have a 45 minute 1:1 session to discuss grant funding opportunities. If groups wish to book an appointment, then they would need to do so via Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7329168741.

(ii) Community Well‐Being Project Noel advised that the Community Well‐Being Project is well underway and recommended that people get involved if they have the opportunity to do so.

The meeting closed at 8 pm.

3 CHESHAM & DISTRICT TRANSPORT USERS’ GROUP Minutes of a Meeting held at Chesham Town Hall on Tuesday, 25th June, 2013 at 7.30pm

Present: In Attendance:

Chris Emery (CE) Anthony Wood (Chairman (AW2) (Chairman and Acting Secretary) of FOMLUC) Ian Bartlett (IB) Joann Judson (JJ) Frances Kneller (FK)

Action 13/40 Apologies

Apologies for absence were received from Alan Wallwork (AW), Andrea Polden, Martin Cooper, Jenny Richardson, Maureen Winders and Mark Brookes.

13/41 Re-appointment of Chesham Town Council Representatives

Cllr Rod McCulloch and Cllr. Tina Michael have been re-appointed as representatives from Chesham Town Council.

13/42 Minutes of the meeting on 14th May 2013

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 14nd May 2013 were approved and signed.

13/43 Matters Arising

 The notice about the Chesham TUG is now displayed in the foyer of Chesham station.  As CE had not yet arranged a daytime meeting specifically on local bus services (see Minute 13/28) this item would be carried forward to the next Meeting. CE  Chesham Town Council has carried out a survey on street parking including taxis in Chesham Broadway  FOMLUC said that there are no plans to stop the fast peak trains from Chesham  The town councillors informed the meeting about the 'charity' stand in Chesham Market on Saturdays. This can be booked with the Council. The meeting thought this would be good idea for the Autumn. ALL

13/44 Report From The Treasurer

There was no report as the Treasurer was not present.

13/45 Federation of Met Line User Committees Association (FOMLUC)

The Chairman welcomed and introduced Anthony Wood, the chairman of FOMLUC. Anthony gave a brief history of FOMLUC. It started 20 years ago with Gordon Dixon, former mayor of Chesham, and a few personal members. The Chairman and Secretary met with Met Management 3 times a year. Gradually passengers set up user groups at most stations – sometimes part of the local residents' committee.

Initials …… About ten years ago the meetings were restructured with 6 meetings a year. Three of these meetings are held with Met Line Management at their Baker Street offices, the other three at Harrow for FOMLUC members only.

After the disruptive signal failure at Harrow-on-the-Hill, an e-mail was received by AW2 from Dave White, Performance Manager Trains – Metropolitan Line, apologising and explaining what had happened. The failure was in equipment installed in 1946 and had been scheduled to be replaced soon. The new signalling due in 2016 will replace all this equipment.

CE reviewed the last FOMLUC & Met Line Managment held on 23rd May 2013. The main items were the timetable changes planned for December 2013 with both peak hours being extended by two hours. There will be four more fast trains from Chesham in the morning and four more to Chesham in the evening. Chiltern Line had not decided whether to change their timetable so LUL were unable to plan changes to 'mesh' Chesham trains with the Marylebone trains. The other main item was a review of the planned engineering works. Harrow-on-the- Hill track layout needs to be replaced involving many weekends of closure and the replacement of the track between Baker Street and Finchley Road which will involve closure for 'a small number of months'.

The next FOMLUC meeting is on 24th July, without Met management.

13/46 Ongoing Operational Issues

The Meeting touched on a number of recent operational and other issues including:-  A passenger (Pauline) had a problem renewing her season ticket using a company cheque. AW witnessed the incident. AW2 suggest that Alan should report the incident to Sue Lofthouse, Performance Manager Stations – Metropolitan Line. CE to inform AW. CE  the incident of a trespasser on the line at Wembley Park causing disruption to services, but the flow of information to passengers was very poor.  generally poor information at Harrow-on-the-Hill when services are disrupted.

13/47 Chesham Station Car Park – Change of Control

At short notice, control of Chesham Station Car Park had passed from the Town Council to NCP who control most LUL Station Car Parks. The main change was to daily, not hourly, charge. Also charges are now imposed on Sundays and Bank Holidays, previously free. NCP increased the daily Mon-Fri charge to £4 but after the first week this was reduced to £3.50, the same as it was before, except that there is now no free parking after 6pm.

13/48 Chesham TUG Website (www.cdtug.org)

IB reported that the website was now fully operational and had been populated.

Keith Raeburn (KR) undertook to provide IB with some form of words to explain more about the Group and AW indicated that he would provide further pictures for inclusion. KR/AW

Initials …… It was thought that the web-site was not yet searchable by Google due to the small number of hits.

13/49 Any Other Business

 The on-train message at Harrow-on-the-Hill on trains bound for Uxbridge should inform passengers to change for trains to Chesham (it already mentions Amersham). CE will pass this CE on at the next FOMLUC meeting.  Announcements should be made at Chalfont & Latimer station about the destination of the next northbound train. CE will pass this on at the next FOMLUC meeting. CE  London Travelwatch has published a document entitled 'Essential passenger safeguards to ensure successful and fair devolution of rail services' to stress that passengers should get the same service regardless of train operator, e.g. Metropolitan Line passengers should get the same level of service as Chiltern Line passengers within the LTW area which is much larger than the area covered by the Underground/Overground services. The document is available on the London TravelWatch web-site.

13/50 Date of Next Meeting

Tuesday 6th August 2013 at Chesham Town Hall at 7.30pm.

Signature

Chairman

Distribution Those Present + Apologies + Steve Gentry + Kevin Bee + Timandra Slade + Bill Richards + Maria McGwynn + Jared Wood + Jonny Cheetham + Camilla Goodman + Merrin Molesworth + Andrew McCallum + Pauline Cuggy + Tony Smale + Andrew Bosi

Initials …… CHESHAM & DISTRICT TRANSPORT USERS’ GROUP Minutes of a Meeting held at Chesham Town Hall on Tuesday, 6th August, 2013 at 7.30pm

Present: In Attendance:

Chris Emery (Chairman) (CE) Mark Brookes (MB) Keith Raeburn (Treasurer) (KR) Ray Delahunty (RD) Alan Wallwork (Secretary) (AW) Joann Judson (JJ) Cllr.Rod McCulloch (RM) Andrea Polden (AP) Cllr.Tina Michael (TM) Maureen Winders (MW)

Action 13/51 Apologies for Absence

Apologies were received from Ian Bartlett (IB), Martin Cooper, Pauline Cuggy, Frances Kneller, Georgina Lomnitz and Jenny Richardson.

13/52 Minutes of the Meeting on 25th June 2013

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 25th June 2013 were approved, and signed, subject to a couple of minor amendments.

13/53 Matters Arising

 CE reported that no daytime meeting on bus services had been arranged yet, as the possibility of having a 'charity' stall in Chesham Market on Saturdays instead was under consideration. CE  KR reported that he had now compiled some wording for use on the website, which would be passed to IB. AW was still to KR take some replacement up-to-date photographs. AW  In response to further reports of incorrect use of microphones by drivers, CE advised that all instances of poor PA announcements should be notified direct to Angela Back at LU as and when they occurred.

13/54 Report From The Treasurer

KR reported cash at the Bank of £38.

Having been asked to formalise the members’ records, he tabled a membership form which was circulated for comment.

13/55 Federation of Met Line User Committees Association (FOMLUC)

It was noted that Membership Fees of £8 were now payable to FOMLUC for 2013-14 and it was unanimously agreed that the Group’s membership should continue. A cheque was accordingly produced for signature, which KR would send to FOMLUC. KR

Reference was made to the Minutes of the FOMLUC AGM held on 24th July 2013 and CE gave a resume of the topics covered.

In particular, CE had highlighted the nonsensical routing of services when there were engineering works south of Northwood; involving southbound trains journeying from Rickmansworth – Watford – Northwood and the reverse for northbound trains, adding 14 minutes to journeys, including a 5 minute wait at Watford.

Initials …… 13/56 Meshing of Chesham and Chiltern Railways’ Services

It was noted that Anthony Wood had spoken to Keith Foley about the possibility of swapping the paths of the Amersham and Chesham trains, which would facilitate better connections for Chesham passengers with Chiltern Railways services at Chalfont & Latimer, without adversely affecting Amersham passengers, but for reasons which were unclear, LU had indicated that this was not in prospect until December 2014 at the earliest.

After discussion, it was agreed that CE should alert Chesham Town Council to the issue and draft a letter for Bill Richards to sign and send to LU, having first sent it to RM and TM for comment. CE

13/57 Ongoing Operational Issues

The Meeting discussed a number of recent operational and other issues including the following:-

 JJ reported extensive housing development at Berryfields, north of Aylesbury, close to Aylesbury Vale Parkway Station with some of the developers claiming a journey time to London of 54 minutes. AW produced the current timetable from which it was noted that the fastest journey was in fact 63 minutes on the 06.19 departure to Marylebone. JJ would re-check the actual wording used and RD advised that on the face of it, she would be well-placed to lodge a valid complaint with the JJ Advertising Standards Authority.  TM provided further instances of LU trains leaving stations earlier than timetabled and as this was a recurring issue, CE agreed to raise it via FOMLUC. CE  MB commented that given the S stock trains are faster than the A stock units they replaced, the timetables now contain too much slack and there may well be punctuality / reliability bonuses involved.  KR reported advertising of direct services to Quainton Road over the weekend of 3rd / 4th August, which could never have happened due to planned engineering works.  Trains on the Chesham branch had been subject to a 25mph speed restriction recently due to the heatwave, which had been causing difficulties in adhering to the timetable.  CE confirmed that Oyster allowed 2.5 hours in the system to avoid penalty charges, before tickets had to be swiped out.

13/58 Croxley Link

AW referred to a paper circulated with the Agenda, confirming that Watford Met Line station would close to passengers when the Croxley Link opened, as trains would be diverted into Watford Junction station instead to link up with Virgin, London Midland and London Overground services. It was also rumoured that the Bakerloo Line would again be reinstated between Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction.

Major resignalling work was planned at Watford Junction from 8th – 25th August 2014 partly to accommodate this.

Initials …… 13/59 Any Other Business

 CE reported that at a previous FOMLUC meeting, Sue Lofthouse of LU had indicated that all ticket offices were under review and it was likely that all that would be available at Chesham if closures took place, would be a “meet and greet” service. It was agreed that further investigation would be undertaken and if found to be true, Chesham TUG would do everything possible to keep the Chesham Ticket Office manned and for the station to continue to be properly staffed. AW  With reference to the above item, once the position was clearer, it was agreed that the Bucks Examiner should be alerted and facts provided to them for publication, in an effort to maximise publicity. CE/AW  JJ highlighted reports about contactless bank cards inadvertently triggering Oyster charges as passengers went through ticket gates.  AW reported that a number of members had suggested that the Committee should meet less frequently. After discussion, it was agreed that the present arrangements of meeting every 6 weeks or so was optimum and that if members didn’t want to attend every meeting, that was for each individual member to decide.  AW again raised the question of overcrowded northbound rush hour Chesham-bound trains and suggested that LU should be asked to cut-out the Wembley Park stop, which was only introduced in 2011. This would be raised via FOMLUC. AW

13/60 Date of Next Meeting

Tuesday 17th September 2013 at Chesham Town Hall at 7.30pm.

Signature

Chairman

Distribution Those Present + Apologies + Steve Gentry + Kevin Bee + Timandra Slade + Bill Richards + Maria McGwynn + Jared Wood + Jonny Cheetham + Camilla Goodman + Merrin Molesworth + Andrew McCallum + Tony Smale + Andrew Bosi

Initials …… MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FINANCE WORKING PARTY HELD ON THURSDAY 18th JULY 2013

PRESENT Councillors Roy Abraham (RA), Alan Bacon (AB), Tina Michael (TM), Ruth Juett (RJ) & Mark Shaw (MS), Chesham Town Council Bill Richards (BR); Chesham Town Clerk Steve Pearson (SP); Finance and Contracts Manager

An apology for absence was received Councillor Fred Wilson (FW)

1. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

These were agreed as a true and correct record.

2. POTENTIAL INCOME FROM DRAINAGE CONNECTION UNDER COUNCIL LAND

With the Mayor and Chairman of Policy and Resources Committee in attendance and, having being given delegated authority through the Clerk, to determine the request for a developer to install drainage through the Elgiva car-park under Council land, SP took the opportunity to update them and other members of the working party on advice from a local surveyor and Thames Water.

In light of the surveyor’s reservations about the possible effect on the Elgiva’s sewerage and potential blockage, it was agreed to decline the request unless a significantly improved fee was put forward by the developer.

3. STRATEGIC RISK MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

In the absence of FW, RJ went through the draft document. She explained, as agreed, that it was based purely on strategic objective 1 (‘To enable residents to enjoy high quality social, recreational, and cultural facilities within the town and to seek the continuing improvement and development of these facilities in accordance with the desires expressed by the residents.’ ) as an example.

The working party welcomed the work undertaken and fully accepted that it was a first draft only. There was a general view expressed however that a more detailed narrative was required to explain both the ratings and mitigation measures.

AB opined that a risk pertaining to the Gym and Swim should be that ‘The Council would not continue to subsidise the facility’ rather than the Friends’ business plan not succeeding since there would be little change to the current situation in that respect. RA suggested ‘long term viability’ rather than ‘long term sustainability’ would be a better term to describe the impact on the business plan failing.

Additionally, the working party suggested the following amendments:

 ‘Lowndes Park pond silts up’ – change likelihood from ‘Medium’ to ‘High’  ‘Gym and Swim business plan fails to deliver reduction in subsidy’ - change likelihood from ‘Low- Medium’ to ‘Medium-High’. 4. WORKING WITH PARTNERS’ UPDATE

A discussion took place on the use of partners to achieve some of the strategic objectives as previously raised at the last meeting. MS advised he had supplied officers with a few different dates in October.

A brief discussion followed on the form this inaugural meeting should take and who should be invited. It was agreed that, as the purpose of it was to engage town partners to ascertain how they could work with the Council to deliver the objectives to the mutual benefit of both parties, as many of the town’s organisations and groups as possible should invited. It was accepted however that not all groups would want to be seen working as a partner as they valued their independence.

The working party agreed that the final details of the evening and whom, as Mayor, MS should invite, should be determined at the next working party meeting to be scheduled for early September.

5. STAFFING REVIEW

BR explained that, while an Executive Committee meeting was scheduled to take place straight after this meeting had finished, the working party’s views were sought on both the replacement of the Clerical Assistant’s post and staffing generally. MS explained that he had asked for the Executive meeting to be called as he felt Members had a duty to scrutinise local authority positions as they were funded by public monies. He stated however that he did not necessarily have a problem with the Clerical Assistant’s position being filled. AB opined that it was difficult to say that, in financial terms based on the Council’s current position that this, or any, post needed to be lost. TM also pointed out that the loss of the post would also impact upon the Elgiva. It was agreed that these thoughts should be fed back to the Executive. SP also gave a brief update on the amount of employees in the pension scheme and the new legislation which results in staff being automatically included in the scheme unless they specifically opted out.

6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

None were raised.

7. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The suggested date of next meeting is Wednesday 11th September at 10.30am

Bill Richards Town Clerk

2 MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FINANCE WORKING PARTY HELD ON WEDNESDAY 11th SEPTEMBER 2013

PRESENT Councillors Alan Bacon (AB), Tina Michael (TM) Fred Wilson (FW), Chesham Town Council Bill Richards (BR); Chesham Town Clerk Steve Pearson (SP); Finance and Contracts Manager

Apologies for absence were received Roy Abraham (RA), Ruth Juett (RJ) & Mark Shaw (MS)

1. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

These were agreed as a true and correct record.

BR advised that the new Administrative Assistant would be starting work on the 17th September.

2. INCOME GENERATION

SP circulated an income generation sheet with income streams for April to July comparing the same months in 2013/13. He also advised that, following requests from Members, he had included expenditure figures so Members could see if any rise in income was being negated by associated rises in costs.

The Working Party noted that income generation had increased by 10.2% overall over the same period last year. The Chesham Moor Gym and Swim Centre had an excellent rise of 37% but most of this could be attributable to the fine summer weather and increased swimming attendances. The gym income was also significantly up but it was not known as yet whether this was due to the £25 ‘all-in’ monthly pricing that was attracting people to sign up for the summer only to take advantage of swimming as well . The Elgiva was showing a fall of nearly 10% in income but SP advised that was almost entirely due to a large unpaid hire invoice which had now been settled. Accordingly figures were very similar to last year, which, in turn, had been exceptional in terms of income. Town Hall lettings were up by nearly 19%. The local produce Market income was down but this was likely only to be a temporary blip as a vacant stall plot would be filled from the waiting list once the culvert repair works were completed.

In respect to net deficits it was noted that the Chesham Moor Gym and Swim Centre was down and actually showed a slight surplus for the first four months and the Town Hall down 25%. The Elgiva was up by 30% but would be reduced significantly when the recently paid outstanding invoice was taken into account along with the timing issue on the payment of the ‘What’s On’ brochure.

All-in-all, the group expressed satisfaction with how income was growing over expenditure.

3.STRATEGIC RISK MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

FW explained that he, RJ and RA had devised some comprehensive strategic risks on the understanding that the group would inevitably want to reduce the number. The group agreed this was an excellent start but accepted they needed reducing. It was further agreed that those rated as a ‘low’ or ‘low to medium’ risk be dropped and the risks be focussed on the Elgiva, Chesham Moor Gym and Swim Centre and the Parks and Open Spaces.

FW opined that these risks should highlight the effect on the Council in respect to its:

 Finances  Reputation  Relations with community groups.

TM also suggested ‘effect on personnel’ be added and this was agreed. FW stated he would re-convene a meeting with RJ and RA and revise the list for a future meeting.

4. COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION COMMENTS

Note: FW declared an interest in this item as a member of Chiltern District Council’s Council Tax Policy Advisory Group.

BR advised that the Council had been contacted in respect to being a major consultee on Chiltern District Council’s draft policy on the Council Tax reduction due to changes in funding from central government. FW explained that, due to the government providing 10% less in funding to pay the Council Tax for those on benefits, the shortfall had to be financed elsewhere and, as pensioners were exempt, it was effectively 20% that the District Council had to recover in benefit receipts.

The working party agreed that this was very sensitive issue and, with only three of the six working party members in attendance, it would be wrong to even try and recommend a draft response. Instead it was agreed that it be recommended to Council that the Finance Working Party reconvene, recommend a response and that this be submitted to the Policy and Resources Committee for approval.

5. ELGIVA LONG-TERM ASPIRATIONS AND RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Working Party considered the draft Long term Aspirations and Risk Management Plan devised by the Elgiva Board.

FW opined that it was a good start but, to become an acceptable Business Plan, recommended some additional ‘linkages/explanatory notes’ in it, namely:

 ‘The Elgiva's goal is to build on success; it has already demonstrated its ability to bring in larger audiences and generate increased revenue while keeping costs low.’  ‘However, the Elgiva is constrained in particular by 1) limited space/lack of premises and 2) a limited marketing budget’.  ‘The following list provides a number of ideas/proposals to help achieve our goal’.  ‘The aim is to continue growing PROFIT i.e. growing revenue at a faster rate than costs, and so reduce the subsidy required from the Council over time’.  ‘As the volume of business grows, we need to recognise that we may need to take on an additional member of staff or equivalent (see risk analysis).’  ‘The plan is to fund this from additional revenue i.e. without calling on the Council for additional funding for that purpose.’ BR agreed to amend the plan to reflect FWs comments and re-circulate. 2 The Working Party also thought the wording on possible use of the Sea Scouts Hall should be amended.

The Community Hub and the Elgiva’s possible involvement in it was also discussed. It was noted that the Board had raised concerns as to whether any extra income generated through extra ticket sales through the Hub would outstrip possible staffing costs/rental costs.

6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

None were raised.

7. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The date of next meeting to be confirmed following the Council meeting on the 16th September

Bill Richards Town Clerk

3 MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FINANCE WORKING PARTY HELD ON WEDNESDAY 2nd OCTOBER 2013

PRESENT Councillors Roy Abraham (RA), Ruth Juett (RJ), Tina Michael (TM) Fred Wilson (FW), Chesham Town Council Bill Richards (BR); Chesham Town Clerk Steve Pearson (SP); Finance and Contracts Manager

Apologies for absence were received Alan Bacon (AB) & Mark Shaw (MS)

1. WORKING WITH PARTNERS

With the date set for the Mayor’s launch of the ‘Working with Partners’ scheme, BR suggested that, although they had no official Member representation on them, the Friends of Lowndes Park and the Chesham Environmental Group be invited as well. This was agreed.

2 COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION COMMENTS

Note: FW declared an interest in this item as a member of Chiltern District Council’s Council Tax Policy Advisory Group.

The main reason for calling the meeting was to make recommendations to the Policy and Resources Committee on Chiltern District Council‘s proposals for Council Tax Reduction based on recent Government legislation. FW briefly outlined how the District Council had arrived at its draft proposals but reminded fellow Members that he was constrained on making any particular comments to this group in light of his interest listed above.

It was noted that AB had already submitted comments to the Working Party which were duly considered. There was general agreement that the proposals were disproportionately unfair to a considerable number of Chesham residents. Moreover the potential impact upon the Council’s finances was raised as a major concern.

The Working Party’s draft consultation response is attached.

3. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The date of next meeting to be confirmed following the Policy and Resources Committee meeting on the 28th October.

Bill Richards Town Clerk Report of the Officers to a meeting of the POLICY & RESOURCES

Committee on Monday 28th October 2013.

Agenda Item: 5 Devolved Services Update

G2C2 John Hemmings - Closer To Communites Worksheet

Jul-13 1 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Flyposting removal, and racist graffiti cleared from sign post. 2 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Banner removed from Market Square. 3 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE Posters removed. 4 BARRIER CHECK 2 MARKET SQUARE Graffiti wiped off from signs. 5 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Nil to report. 6 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 2 MARKET SQUARE Removing flyposting - Ferrit and Racing posters. 7 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 8 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Poster and sign removal. 9 BARRIER CHECK 1 MARKET SQUARE Banner removed from Market Square. 10 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2.5 TOWN ROUTE Posters taken down and banners put up. 11 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Nil to report. 12 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Removed flyposting. 13 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 14 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 15 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Poster and sign removal. 16 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Wood removed from the subway. 17 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE 18 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3.5 END TO END WALK Training with Dave Wright 19 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 20 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 21 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 22 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Banners and flyers and graffiti cleaned from road sign. 23 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Nil to report. 24 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2.5 TOWN ROUTE Removed flyposting and graffiti. 25 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Flyposting taken down from empty shop windows. 26 Annual Leave 27 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 28 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 29 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Posters removed and pot hole on White Hill (previously reported) 30 BARRIER CHECK 1 MARKET SQUARE 31 Sick Leave

Total 55.5 John Hemmings - Closer To Communites Worksheet

Aug-13 1 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 3 TOWN ROUTE Posters removed and pot hole on White Hill (previously reported) 2 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Nil to report. 3 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 4 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 5 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Poster removal and cleaned graffiti from sign post. 6 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Removed banners. 7 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2.5 TOWN ROUTE Subway checked and wooden pallets cleared. 8 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Banner put up and graffiti cleared from signpost. 9 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Flyposting removed. 10 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 11 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 2 MARKET SQUARE Flyposting removed. 12 BARRIER CHECK 3 MARKET SQUARE Putting up banners for CTC and also removing flyposting. 13 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE cleared stones from Red Lion St pavement as trewuested by Jon Dickens. 14 BARRIER CHECK 2 MARKET SQUARE Poster an banner removal. 15 BARRIER CHECK 2 MARKET SQUARE 16 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 1.5 END TO END WALK Nothing to report. 17 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 18 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 19 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Nil to report. 20 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Poster and graffiti removal. 21 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE Nil to report. 22 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 23 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Removed posters and banners . 24 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 25 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 26 BARRIER CHECK 2 MARKET SQUARE Removed garage sale signs from roads and roundabouts. 27 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK 28 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE Cleared graffiti from reoad sign. 29 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 30 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK 31 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE

59.5 John Hemmings - Closer To Communites Worksheet

Sep-13 1 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 2 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Poster removal & A board signs. 3 BARRIER CHECK 1 MARKET SQUARE Circus posters removed. 4 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2.5 TOWN ROUTE Removed posters 5 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 6 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Barrier taken down. 7 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 8 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 9 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Poster removal. 10 BARRIER CHECK 1 MARKET SQUARE Walk around town looking for any Circus Posters. 11 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE 12 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 13 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Poster & banner removal. 14 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 15 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 16 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Removed flyers and cleared graffiti. 17 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Removed banners from park railings. Tree near Star Yard Car Park needs cutting. Reported for Community Gang to 18 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE do in October. 19 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE Graffiti Removal. 20 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Poster removal . 21 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 22 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 23 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 1 MARKET SQUARE Poster removal 24 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Removed posters & Signs 25 BARRIER CHECK & TOWN AND BACKS 2 TOWN ROUTE Posters removed . 26 BARRIER CHECK 1.5 MARKET SQUARE 27 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 3 END TO END WALK Barriers put back into place and graffiti removed. 28 BARRIER CHECK - Saturday 1 MARKET SQUARE 29 BARRIER CHECK - Sunday 1 MARKET SQUARE 30 BARRIER CHECK & END TO END WALK 2.5 END TO END WALK Removed posters and banners.

Total 52.5 Report of the Officers to a meeting of the POLICY & RESOURCES Committee on Monday 28th October 2013

AGENDA ITEM NO: 6 - COMPLETION OF AUDIT 2012/13

Reporting Officer: Stephen Pearson (01494 583825)

Summary

1. To receive the external auditor’s annual governance statement for 2012/13.

Background

2. The Annual Return was approved at the Council meeting held on Monday 24th June 2013.

Financial Consideration

3. The Council’s external audit fee this year was £2,000 as opposed to £13,300 of three years ago. This reduction is due to a change in the ‘bandings’ which allowed the Council the opportunity to produce a simplified statutory Annual Return, which, together with a lighter touch audit, produced the significant savings. The Council also produced a voluntary set of Financial Statements similar to previous years but agreed that these would not be audited.

Strategic Objectives

4. Non applicable.

Detailed Consideration

5. The external auditors have just issued their annual governance report, see Section 3 of the Annual Return attached, for consideration by the Council and I am pleased to report no matters have come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met.

Recommendation

That the report be noted

Report of the Officers to a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 28th October 2013

AGENDA ITEM NO: 7 – CONSULTATION RESPONSES

Reporting Officer: Bill Richards (01494 583824)

Summary

1. To consider what, if any, response to the Council wishes to make to Buckinghamshire County Council’s service delivery consultation and agree the Finance Working Party’s draft response to Chiltern District Council’s consultation on possible Council Tax reduction.

Background Information

2. The closing date for the consultation from Buckinghamshire County Council is the 2nd December and the Chiltern District Council consultation closing date is the 31st October.

3. At the Council meeting held on the 16th September 2013, it was resolved ‘that the Finance Working Party be delegated to consider and devise a draft response to the Council Tax Reduction consultation and for this to be discussed and ratified, if agreed, at the Policy and Resources Committee on the 28th October.’ (Minute No. 32)

Financial Implications

4. The effects of such changes in respect to the financial implications of the localisation of Council Tax for the Council are still unknown which is reflected in the Finance Working Party’s draft comments.

Strategic Objectives

5. The consultations accord with Strategic Aim 4b – ‘Consult with and respond to District Council, County Council and other Authorities on current services and planned changes, to ensure continuing improvement in services consistent with local needs’

Equality Act Implications

6. Those with protected characteristics are likely to be more affected by the proposed changes in the Reduction of Council Tax proposals.

Detailed Consideration

Buckinghamshire County Council Service Delivery Consultation

7. An e-mail has been received from the Research Division at Buckinghamshire County Council with the attached questionnaire. The e-mail from the officer stated that responses from town and parish councils to the previous consultation on service delivery had been spasmodic and the County Council was particularly keen to hear from town and parish councils this time around.

8. As can be since, the questionnaire is very short with just three questions:

1. What is most important for your organisation that you would want Buckinghamshire County Council to deliver, support, or be an advocate for on your behalf?

2. What would you say is most in need of improvement to help the performance of your organisation?

3. If you have any ideas about how Buckinghamshire County Council can deliver services in a more efficient manner please let us know.

9. Members could decide to devise a response via a working party but as there are only three questions, they may feel a response can be achieved on the evening.

Chiltern District Council ‘Reduction of Council Tax Scheme’ Consultation

10. As agreed at the Council meeting, the Finance Working Party have met and devised a draft response (see Agenda Item 4 – Notes of Finance Working Party of the 2nd October). The notes and draft response should be self-explanatory but if Members require further background information in advance of the meeting, they are advised to contact the Town Clerk or the Finance and Contracts Manager.

Recommendations

1. That the Committee decides what, if any, response it wishes to make Buckinghamshire County Council consultation questions. 2. That the Finance Working Party’s draft response to the Chiltern District Council’s Reduction in Council Tax Scheme consultation be agreed and endorsed, subject to any amendments Members may wish to make. You can help us tackle what’s important to you Tell us what you want from your Council in the future

Please complete this form and post your responses to us via the pre-paid envelope or email [email protected]

1. What is most important for your organisation that you would want Buckinghamshire County Council to deliver, support, or be an advocate for on your behalf?

2. What would you say is most in need of improvement to help the performance of your organisation?

3. If you have any ideas about how Buckinghamshire County Council can deliver services in a more efficient manner please let us know.

Your name Your role within your organisation Your organisation’s name: Your organisation’s address: Your organisation’s email address:

Please complete the survey by the 2 December 2013. If you would like us to email you a copy of the results, please provide your email address.

BCC Consultation.docx RESPONSE TO COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME CONSULTATION

Chesham Town Council has a number of strategic objectives, two key ones of which are:

1. To consult with, understand and represent the views and wishes of the citizens of Chesham

and

2. To help create a socially inclusive and caring community, which embraces all its residents equally, seeking to develop their well‐being, knowledge, understanding, and mutual co‐operation

It is therefore beholden to the Council to respond to any proposals which we feel will unfairly disadvantage some of our residents in comparison with other inhabitants within the district and we believe this to be very much the case with Chiltern District Council’s ‘Localisation of Council Tax’ proposals. Significantly more of our residents are working age council tax benefit claimants compared to the rest of the Chiltern area. The proposals as they stand will not only have a significantly detrimental effect on Chesham people who are least able to pay and who are most vulnerable but will also have a knock-on effect on the local economy as there will be less disposable income to spend at local shops. The Department of Health profiles in 2012 showed that roughly 1,500 children in Chiltern live in poverty and a sizeable amount of those reside in our town. Such a system, with its huge increases in some categories, would undoubtedly, in our view, exacerbate this child poverty. With the effect on, not just the unemployed, but also the low-paid and their families, we believe that this proposal, as it stands, would unfairly affect many of our residents much more than any other parish in Chiltern.

We are aware of Chiltern District Council’s proposal to set up a fund to assist those ‘unable to pay’ but we question whether the most vulnerable members of our community will have the knowledge or ability to access such funds. Moreover we are not convinced the criteria of who is applicable is defined clearly enough and covers all those in need. If the scheme does go ahead as planned then we would strongly wish to see evidence of how this would be completely accessible to all those in need of support.

We note the cap on the amount people are able to claim if they are living in a property above Band D. We are not sure on how this would affect Chesham residents but if there was a disproportionate effect compared to others affected across the district, we would express our reservations at such a threshold.

As well as the moral and ethical dimension, my Members are aware how the government scheme as a whole affects the tax base and has a consequential effect on local precepts. Last year we were grateful that Chiltern District Council passed on the full government grant to offset any shortfall for this Council. We are aware that the proposed scheme will of course raise the council tax base but not to the full level it was previously before the government legislation and there will still be a significant shortfall. The grant we received from Chiltern District Council this year was, we understand, over 50% of the whole monies passed down to town and parish councils. Even a reduction in a grant of some £4,000 next year would mean a 0.5% rise in our precept and, of course, no grant at all would have a calamitous effect on our services and what we could provide for the all residents of this town.

In conclusion, Chesham Town Council opposes the proposals on the Council Tax Reduction as they currently stand, both on moral grounds and the potential effect they have on town and parish council funding. We believe the grant shortfall could be met by a small per annum council tax increase for everyone across the district. Also council tax bases will be getting a boost from the changes to discounts on second homes and properties and monies from this could be used to offset at least part of any shortfall in the government grant. Should there be no flexibility on the principle of working age council tax benefits claimants paying, then we strongly believe the figure set of a minimum of 10% is too high for the most vulnerable persons and should be significantly lower. Report of the Officers to a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 28th October 2013

AGENDA ITEM NO: 8 – ELGIVA BOARD – FINANCIAL REQUEST AND VISION DOCUMENT

Reporting Officer: Bill Richards (01494 583824)

Summary

1. To consider a request from the Elgiva Board of Management to utilise some of last year’s saving to assist with projects and to receive and adopt the theatre’s Vision Plan.

Background Information

2. The Elgiva Board of Management was set up in 2003 to assist the officers with projects outside of the day-to-day running of the venue and keep a check on the theatre’s finances.

Financial Implications

3. As outlined within the report.

Strategic Objectives

4. Accords with Strategic Aim 1c – ‘The Elgiva is central to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of Chesham. Working closely with partner organisations, this unique facility will be developed and promoted actively to meet the evolving needs of residents and to act as a catalyst for the further development of Chesham as a centre for the performing arts.’

Equality Act Implications

5. Non applicable

Detailed Consideration

6. Attached is a Vision Plan with a Risk Assessment drawn up by the Elgiva Board as requested by the Recreation and Arts Committee and amended by the Finance Working Party. It was accepted by the latter, that a full Business Plan should not be, as stated by the Board itself, an in-depth five year projection due to the vagaries of the national economy and its effect on leisure attendances generally) but rather an overarching long term vision for the theatre.

7. Accordingly the document has looked at other, more radical ways of increasing possible income, including expansion of facilities; looking at parking options and involvement in the proposed Community Hub. The Board believes that to increase revenue it needs to invest further as a simple standstill position will not attract any more customers to the theatre. There is a definite view that investment in marketing particularly is essential to increase income. 8. Accordingly, as can be seen on page 2 of the report, the Board is requesting some of the budget for 2012/13 that was not utilised be used ‘for marketing projects, possibly including The Hub and to increase the potential revenue of the theatre. This would be subject to a separate mini business plan outlining benefits and disbenefits of both, and how income would be increased.’

9. Members will recall that some years ago, a similar ring-fencing was agreed for the Board. This money was shrewdly used to help off-set the costs of the on-line booking system in the box-office and, latterly, the new digital projector recently installed.

10. The Chairman of the Board, Mr Trevor Pilling, will be in attendance on the evening to further explain the rationale for the Board’s request.

Recommendation

That the Committee decides upon the Elgiva Board of Management’s request to allow monies to be ring-fenced for the Elgiva for marketing projects. Report of the Elgiva Board of Management 6/9/13

PLANS, ASPIRATIONS AND IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE.

The Elgiva's goal is to build on success; it has already demonstrated its ability to bring in larger audiences and generate increased revenue while keeping costs low.

However, the Elgiva is constrained in particular by 1) limited space/lack of premises to sell as rehearsal or exhibition space and 2) a limited marketing budget.

The aim is to continue growing PROFIT i.e. growing revenue at a faster rate than costs, and so reduce the subsidy required from the Council over time. We feel that it is almost impossible to increase revenue significantly through simply trying to boast attendance numbers at shows or increasing hirings, as we believe we have realistically achieved all we can in this regard in a limited 290 seater auditorium. We also believe costs have been cut to the minimum to allow for a fully functioning theatre that adheres to public safety to operate successfully and no further major reductions in expenditure are achievable or desirable.

The following are a number of ideas/proposals to help achieve our goal.

EXPANSION OF FACILITIES

Some years ago a plan was proposed for the Elgiva Theatre to take over the running of the Sea Scouts hut, when it looked as if the Sea Scouts were moving out, and convert it into studio theatre and rehearsal space. However, at that time the lease was subsequently renewed with the Sea Scouts and the idea was not pursued.

However, we now feel that this concept should be raised again with the County Council. Clearly the Elgiva has no wish to compete against the Sea Scouts or see them evicted and there may be scope for sharing the facility to the mutual benefit of both parties. If this was feasible, it has many advantages.

(1) It could provide a studio theatre for smaller productions and a potential rehearsal and meeting place for local theatre groups, dance schools, other local organisations and even a resource for professional companies who are often looking for reasonably priced facilities on the fringe of the London area.

(2) This would also provide a further source of income for the theatre with a relatively small (to be examined) capital outlay as, apart from actual productions which would require a theatre manager, the building would be let on a lock up basis.

(3) The use of this building could increase the bar and café revenue and the building would be managed by the existing theatre staff. (4) All the costs of running the building would be recouped from the hire revenue.

This would all have to be negotiated with the County Council but would give them an opportunity to do something for the town of Chesham.

An alternative to the above would be to pursue the idea of covering part of the patio.

Within planning restrictions the space would be smaller and the cost would be greater, probably between £100,000 and £125,000 but the feasibility has been examined with the planning authority and, in principle, was agreed.

PARKING

We should encourage the District Councillors to allow the short term lower rates of parking in the Elgiva parking area for people coming to book tickets at the theatre and to enquire about the current programme.

We should approach the District Councillors to release one of the electric car spaces which are virtually never used to general parking or, at least, disabled parking.

We feel it might be worth approaching Wickes & Co to negotiate the use of their car park after a certain time in the evening.

THE HUB

We are still awaiting further details to see if the idea of our involvement would be feasible and cost effective.

USE OF PREVIOUS YEAR’S SAVINGS

We would like the Council to consider allowing some of the £20,000 of the 2012 - 2013 budget which we did not spend, to be used for marketing projects, possibly including The Hub and to increase the potential revenue of the theatre. This would be subject to a separate mini business plan outlining benefits and disbenefits of both, and how income would be increased.

As the Councillors may be aware the new digital projector is now in use and with the potential of getting newer films earlier, 3D films and live streaming, there is a lot to tell our patrons about.

The marketing is all currently being done by Mr Mark Barnes and his team in conjunction with all their other jobs and this could help to take the pressure off them. RISK ASSESSMENT

As the volume of business grows, we need to recognise that we may need to take on an additional member of staff or equivalent. The plan below is to fund this from additional revenue i.e. without calling on the Council for additional funding for that purpose.

Potential Threats:

Apart from the obvious worse-case scenario of any further national financial recessions, which could lead to the Elgiva and other theatres facing difficult times through a down turn in income and the availability of quality shows plus a likely downturn in hirers etc (this has already been looked at by the BOM and a financial risk assessment report given to members and it showed the financial risk to be fairly low), it is felt that the most problematic issues that may arise are based around the ‘skeleton’ staff structure.

Long/Short Term Staff Absence:

Due to redundancies (marketing manager) and job cuts (bar manager), the core team of 4 full time ‘management’ staff have already had to share the workload that these two posts and with a hugely busy programme of events that need catering for, the ‘team’ are certainly at the limits of what they can undertake work wise.

Short term staff ‘cover’ for holidays and illness have to be planned if at all possible and only 1 member of the ‘team’ is able to take time off at any given time. This system has worked successfully for many years.

It is also felt that long term ‘cover’ is possible but a bit more difficult. If the Manager were to be off work for an extended period, we believe that the Deputy Manager would be able to manage the facility, as she has the necessary knowledge in most areas of management. However, it is felt that she may not have enough budgetary skills but, with the support of the Council finance team at the Town Hall, this issue again should not cause too many problems and another area would be the producing of the annual in-house pantomime and, again, it is felt that with the assistance of other team members that this is also achievable.

Factors that would affect how easy it would be to cover the Manager long term are:  if the absence is sprung upon the team, not giving time to organise the extra cover etc  the timing of any absence, an example being if the Manager is about to complete the new season’s brochures and is waiting for confirmation on shows etc, meaning that the Deputy would quickly need to step in and organise, much harder than it sounds.

There are several others duties that the Manager undertakes which would somehow have to be taught to the Deputy, but some of these i.e.: doing the press and marketing (including e/marketing) can in fact be undertaken by the current Box Office receptionist whom the Manager has trained to be able to do these tasks. If the Deputy Manager were to be the staff member on long term ‘leave’, the Manager would be able to do her daily tasks but obviously wouldn’t have time or be able to cover her front of house Duty Manager evening/weekend shifts, but it is felt that, albeit with difficulty, we should be able to manage using the 3 part-time/casual Duty Managers we currently employ as part of the team.

As for the technical members of the team, from experience (the Technical Manager was off for over 7 months during 2012 through injury) we know that these posts can be covered a little easier and therefore is not of too much concern.

Overview:

As can be seen above, the small dedicated team at the Elgiva are already fairly ‘stretched’ currently undertaking their various roles. However, due to this situation over the last few years, they have had to adapt with a lot of crossover between staff, meaning that the staff are actually able in a lot of situations to do duties of other staff members and this flexibility between posts is vital to the smooth operation of the venue.

Therefore, if a member of the main management were to be unfortunate enough to have to take an extended period off work, we believe that the ‘team’ would somehow manage to keep the ship afloat in the interim with a lot of help and assistance and goodwill, but it would be necessary to employ temporary cover as soon as possible. We do hope of course that such a scenario never occurs. Report of the Officers to a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 28th October 2013

AGENDA ITEM NO: 9 - FINANCIAL REPORT TO 31st AUGUST 2013

Reporting Officer: Steve Pearson (01494 583825)

Summary

1. Attached is a simple summary of the Actual Income and Expenditure of the Council for the five months ended 31st August 2013 shown against the annual budget for 2013/14.

Background Information

2. The Council’s financial regulation 3.3 states: The RFO shall periodically provide the Policy & Resources Committee with a statement of income and expenditure to date under each head of the approved annual revenue and capital budgets.

Financial Implications

3. Included within this report.

Strategic Objectives

4. Financial control will assist with strategic aim 1 – ‘To enable residents to enjoy high-quality social, recreational and cultural facilities within the town and to seek the continuing improvement and development of these facilities in accordance with the desires expressed by the residents.’

Equality Act Implications

5. None pertaining to this report.

Detailed Information

6. The report attached shows individual cost centres’ total expenditure and income to 31st August 2013 against the annual budget.

7. On page 2 you will see the total of all the cost centres, which shows an actual year-to-date expenditure total of £588,986 (£566,320 August 2012) against the annual budget expenditure total of £1,603,733. You will also see actual year-to-date total income of £735,667 (£680,980 August 2012) against the annual budget income total of £1,535,395.

8. The actual net income over expenditure shows an actual income surplus of £146,681 (£114,660 August 2012) against the annual budgeted deficit of £68,338 which includes £46,338 relating to items carried over from 2012/13.

9. The first five months of this financial year show a subsidy requirement of £1,654 for the Chesham Moor Gym and Swim Centre. This compares to £17,184 for the same period last year. The decline in Gym membership has been reversed and membership is showing a healthy increase due to the new pricing structure. Swimming is also up due to the better summer weather although season tickets sales are down, probably due to the new gym pricing structure. Income is up but expenditure is up also due longer opening hours. Both this year and last year’s figures have benefited by termination of the lease agreement on the gym equipment but the purchasing or leasing of new gym equipment for next year has been agreed in principle by the Recreation & Arts Committee. The deferred investment in gym equipment and overall improvement should see the end of year results well below the budgeted subsidy requirement of £120,530. Any improvement could be used towards the funding of the new equipment.

10. The Elgiva shows a subsidy requirement of £78,502.This is up by £6,405 on the same period last year but this is mainly due to earlier panto payments being made. Last year proved to be a good year and this may well be repeated if similar results can be maintained over the rest of the year. The Elgiva Board of Management business plan does mention the possibility of ring fencing £20,000 from savings made on last year’s annual subsidy and this will be considered at this meeting’s agenda.

11. The Town Hall is showing a deficit of £21,114. This compares to £23,314 at the same time last year. This improvement is the result of a rating revaluation which was taken into account when the 2013/14 budgets were produced and the Town Hall’s overall position is currently on budget.

12 Other budgets look to be on target but there is still seven months of the financial year to go and, as always, the end of year results will depend a lot on how the Elgiva and the Chesham Moor Gym and Swim Centre’s income performs.

13. The new digital cinema equipment was installed in August at a cost of £61,141, a new vehicle has been purchased £17,426, work on a new skate park is due to start in November at a cost of £65,000 and new gym equipment (estimated cost £50,000) has been agreed in principle.

14. The first round of the annual budget review is due to take place shortly and will be considered by this Committee at its next meeting. Just for information at this stage, are the longer term issues concerning the silting up of Skottowes Pond in Lowndes Park and the future capacity of the cemetery which will need to be planned for.

Recommendation

That the report be noted. 14/10/2013 CHESHAM TOWN COUNCIL YEAR END 31.03.2014 Page No 1

17:24

Summary Income & Expenditure by Budget Heading 30/09/2013

Month No : 5 Cost Centre Report

Actual Year Current Variance Committed Funds

To Date Annual Bud Annual Total Expenditure Available

100 REPAIRS & RENEWALS FUND Expenditure 0 134,030 134,030 134,030

Income 0 0 0

101 CENTRAL SUPPORT SERVICES Expenditure 421 50 -371 -371

Income 420 50 370

102 CIVIC ACTIVITIES Expenditure 9,466 18,660 9,194 9,194

Income 5,550 0 5,550

103 C C T V Expenditure 50 200 150 150

104 CHESHAM CEMETERY Expenditure 17,044 48,725 31,681 31,681

Income 2,459 10,480 -8,021

105 ST MARYS CLOSED CHURCHYD Expenditure 559 1,745 1,186 1,186

106 INTEREST INCOME

Income -2,031 8,950 -10,981

107 HOUSING Expenditure 1,591 2,375 784 784

Income 0 12,450 -12,450

108 CORPORATE MANAGEMENT Expenditure 32,631 89,355 56,724 56,724

109 DEMOCRATIC MANAGEMENT Expenditure 36,174 89,630 53,456 53,456

111 STAFF SICKNESS Expenditure 0 0 0 0

117 SECTION 137 EXPENDITURE Expenditure 554 1,070 516 516

201 CHESHAM MOOR GYM & SWIM Expenditure 149,468 273,740 124,272 124,272

Income 147,814 153,210 -5,396

202 CODMORE FOOTBALL Expenditure 3,748 6,250 2,502 2,502

Income 1,850 2,845 -995

203 MARSTON FOOTBALL Expenditure 1,748 1,735 -13 -13

Income 574 1,145 -571

206 AMENITIES Expenditure 14,468 41,153 26,685 26,685

Income 3,440 1,205 2,235

207 OPEN SPACES Expenditure 57,970 161,765 103,795 103,795

Income 3,275 2,855 420

208 LOWNDES PARK TOILETS Expenditure 3,859 18,430 14,571 14,571

Income 21 0 21

209 AGENCY WORK Expenditure 432 2,170 1,738 1,738

Income 1,667 11,760 -10,093

210 SKATEPARK NOISE ABATEMENT Expenditure 1,275 3,270 1,995 1,995

Continued on Page 2

14/10/2013 CHESHAM TOWN COUNCIL YEAR END 31.03.2014 Page No 2

17:24

Summary Income & Expenditure by Budget Heading 30/09/2013

Month No : 5 Cost Centre Report

Actual Year Current Variance Committed Funds

To Date Annual Bud Annual Total Expenditure Available

218 WORKS DEPOT Expenditure 50 190 140 140

Income 50 190 -140

301 THE ELGIVA Expenditure 203,139 563,145 360,006 360,006

Income 124,637 416,510 -291,873

303 TEMPERANCE HALL Expenditure -239 0 239 239

Income 0 100 -100

304 TOWN HALL Expenditure 39,974 75,270 35,296 35,296

Income 18,860 46,850 -27,990

401 ASHERIDGE ROAD ALLOTMENTS Expenditure 864 515 -349 -349

Income 344 670 -326

402 CAMERON ROAD ALLOTMENTS Expenditure 6,826 11,210 4,384 4,384

Income 1,612 3,075 -1,463

403 AMERSHAM ROAD ALLOTMENTS

Income 36 75 -39

503 TOWN CENTRE Expenditure 6,344 47,050 40,706 40,706

Income 1,517 3,450 -1,933

504 DEVOLVED SERVICES Expenditure 573 12,000 11,427 11,427

Income 0 12,000 -12,000

599 ASSET MANAGEMENT

Income 1,160 2,700 -1,540

702 PRECEPT

Income 422,413 844,825 -422,413

INCOME - EXPENDITURE TOTALS Expenditure 588,986 1,603,733 1,014,747 0 1,014,747

Income 735,667 1,535,395 -799,728

Net Expenditure over Income -146,681 68,338 215,019

Report of the Officers to a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 28th October 2013

AGENDA ITEM NO: 10 – REVISED GRIEVANCE POLICY & PROCEDURE AND COLLECTIVE GRIEVANCE POLICY & PROECDURE

Reporting Officer: Kathryn Graves (01494 583798)

Summary

1. To consider the adoption of revised versions of the Council’s Grievance Policy & Procedure and Collective Grievance Policy & Procedure.

Background Information

2. As of the 1st October 2004, all employers are required to have a formal Grievance Procedure in place.

3. Arising from Minute no. 15 of the Minutes of the meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee held on the 17th September 2007, it was agreed that all Council policies will be reviewed over a four year cycle. The Grievance Policy & Procedure and the Collective Grievance Policy & Procedure are now due for review.

Financial Implications

4. None pertaining to this report.

Strategic Objectives

5. None pertaining to this report.

Equality Act Implications

6. The Grievance Policy is designed to deal with instances of discrimination against people with protected characteristics.

7. The revised policies are explicit that reasonable adjustments will be made during the procedures to accommodate people with disabilities.

8. If an employee with a grievance has difficulty reading or writing English, or if English is not their first language, any written documentation will be explained orally. Additional support that may be required at meetings will also be taken into consideration and provided if appropriate.

Detailed Consideration

9. The Grievance Policy & Procedure is based on the ACAS Code of Practice, which came into effect in April 2009. The revised policy, attached as Appendix One, is largely unchanged from the 2009 version, although inclusions have been made to explain that reasonable adjustments will be made to accommodate people with disabilities when organising Investigatory, Grievance or Appeals meetings.

10. Similarly, the Collective Grievance Policy & Procedure, attached as Appendix Two, has been updated to include making reasonable adjustments for meetings where nominated representatives have disabilities.

Recommendation

That the revised policies be adopted, subject to any amendments the Committee wishes to make. CHESHAM TOWN COUNCIL

GRIEVANCE POLICY AND PROCEDURE

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

The purpose of this policy is to specify the formal procedure by which employees can raise a grievance, whilst encouraging employees to use informal discussions to resolve problems in the first instance.

This policy applies to all employees of Chesham Town Council.

This policy does not apply to grievances raised on behalf of two or more employees by a representative of a recognised trade union or other appropriate workplace representative. Such grievances will be dealt with using the council’s collective grievance process.

This policy does not apply where the council has no control over the matter, although the council will give information and advice where possible, to help an employee resolve the issue.

This policy does not apply where the procedure has been invoked within six months of the completion of any action under the grievance procedure of the same or similar issue, unless the original action agreed to redress the grievance has not been implemented.

DEFINITION OF GRIEVANCE

For the purpose of this policy, grievances are defined as concerns, problems or complaints over work-related matters that an employee raises with the council. Examples of grievances include concerns over employment terms and conditions, contractual or statutory rights, health and safety, work relations, the working environment, new working practices, bullying and harassment, organisational change and discrimination.

For instances of bullying and harassment, employees are also advised to refer to the council’s Bullying and Harassment Policy.

Chesham Town Council 1 Grievance Policy and Procedure V.3 1 INFORMAL PROCEDURE

Chesham Town Council recommends that all employees talk to their manager informally to try to resolve a problem before raising a formal grievance. However, if the informal approach fails to resolve the matter, employees can use the procedure outlined in this document to raise a grievance formally. The grievance should be raised without unreasonable delay.

PRINCIPLES OF THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

(i) All grievances will be treated fairly and objectively.

(ii) Employees will not be dismissed or suffer disadvantage as a result of raising a genuine grievance.

(iii) If the employee has difficulty reading and writing, or if English is not their first language, any written documentation, e.g. a letter explaining the outcome of a meeting, will also be explained to them orally. Additional support that may be required at meetings will also be taken into consideration and provided as appropriate.

(iv) Any action taken as a result of a grievance will be monitored and reviewed, as appropriate, to ensure that issues are dealt with effectively.

FORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

1. Write a Letter

The grievance should be raised with a manager/Member (as appropriate) who is not the subject of the grievance, by writing a letter detailing the nature of the grievance. In most circumstances, the employee should write the letter to their Line Manager. If this is not possible, the employee may write to the Town Clerk or a Member of the Executive Committee, as appropriate.

If the employee has difficulty writing the letter, e.g. if English is not their first language, they are advised to seek help from a trade union representative or colleagues.

The letter should be dated and the employee should keep a copy for themselves.

2. Investigation (Optional)

Upon receipt of a grievance it may be necessary to conduct an investigation. If appropriate, an investigatory meeting will be held to gather all relevant facts and

Chesham Town Council 2 Grievance Policy and Procedure V.3 2 evidence.

The employee will be invited to this investigatory meeting as soon as possible, in writing. It will be made clear that the purpose of the meeting is to establish the facts and that the employee may be accompanied by one colleague or trade union representative. Due consideration will be given to whether any reasonable adjustments are necessary for a person who is disabled; this includes colleagues or trade union representatives accompanying the person with a grievance.

The investigatory meeting will usually be conducted by the employee’s Line Manager. However, if the Line Manager is the subject of the grievance, the meeting will be conducted by the Town Clerk or a Member of the Executive Committee.

The investigation will be conducted as soon as possible and will normally be completed within five working days of receiving the grievance. However, if the matter is particularly complex, this can be extended to 15 working days. If it is not possible to complete the investigation within this timeframe, the employee will receive a written explanation of the delay and when the investigation is expected to be completed.

As soon as reasonably practicable after the conclusion of the investigation (usually five working days), the employee will be notified in writing that the investigation has been completed.

3. Grievance Meeting

A grievance meeting will be held to discuss the grievance with the employee. The meeting will be conducted by a Manager/Executive Committee Member (henceforth referred to as the ‘employer’) who has not been involved in any investigation that may have been undertaken. Wherever possible, the meeting will be arranged within five working days after the grievance is received or within five working days of the conclusion of an investigatory meeting if one has been held. The employee will be notified in writing of the date, time and location of the meeting, who will conduct the Grievance Meeting and the statutory right of employees to be accompanied at Grievance Meetings. Due consideration will be given to whether any reasonable adjustments are necessary for a person who is disabled; this includes colleagues or trade union representatives accompanying the person with a grievance.

The employee can take one colleague or trade union representative into the meeting. If the employee wishes to be accompanied in this way, they should notify the employer in advance. The employee has the right to call relevant witnesses to the meeting, but should notify the employer of their intention to do so in advance of the meeting.

The meeting will be held at a reasonable time and place. The employee, their companion and the employer should make every effort to attend the meeting. If the

Chesham Town Council 3 Grievance Policy and Procedure V.3 3 employee or their companion cannot attend the meeting, another meeting will be arranged to take place within five working days of the original date. This timescale may be extended by mutual agreement. The meeting will be held in private, where there will not be interruptions.

The purpose of the meeting is to establish the facts of the grievance and find a way to resolve the problem. The employee will be given the opportunity to explain their grievance and how they think it should be resolved.

Copies of meeting records will be given to the employee, including any formal minutes. However, Chesham Town Council may withhold some information in certain circumstances, e.g. to protect a witness.

If deemed necessary, the employer may adjourn the meeting until after further investigation has been conducted. The meeting will be rescheduled as soon as is reasonably practical.

4. Decision and Notification

The employer will decide what action, if any, to take after the meeting. A letter will be sent to the employee, notifying them of the decision within five working days of the initial meeting. Where appropriate, the letter will set out what action the employer intends to take to resolve the grievance. Where an employee’s grievance is not upheld, the reasons for this will be clearly explained. The letter will also specify that the employee can appeal if they are not content with the decision/action taken.

APPEALS PROCEDURE

If the employee feels that their grievance has not been satisfactorily resolved, they can appeal in writing to the employer, specifying the grounds for their appeal, within five working days of receiving notification of the decision.

An Appeal Hearing will be held, wherever possible, within five working days of receiving notification of the appeal from the employee. The employee will be notified in writing of the date and location of the hearing in advance. They will also be informed that they have the right to be accompanied at the hearing. Due consideration will be given to whether any reasonable adjustments are necessary for a person who is disabled; this includes colleagues or trade union representatives accompanying the person with a grievance.

At the hearing, an Appeals Panel will consider any representations made by the employee and/or their companion, those of the investigating Manager/Member and the Manager/Member who conducted the grievance meeting and made the decision. Wherever possible the Appeals Panel will not include Members or officers who have previously been involved in the case.

Chesham Town Council 4 Grievance Policy and Procedure V.3 4 The appeal will be dealt with impartially.

Copies of meeting records will be given to the employee, including any formal minutes. However, Chesham Town Council may withhold some information in certain circumstances, e.g. to protect a witness.

The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the employee in writing within five working days of the hearing. The letter will also specify that there will be no further right of appeal.

POST-EMPLOYMENT GRIEVANCES

Wherever possible a grievance should be dealt with before an employee leaves their employment with the council. However, where an employee had already left employment and the procedure has not been commenced or completed, the employee is encouraged to attend any meetings in accordance with this procedure so a final decision can be made. If an employee refuses to attend any meetings, the council will proceed with the meeting in their absence and make a decision based on all the information and evidence available.

DOCUMENTATION

During the grievance process, written records will be kept. These will include: the nature of the grievance, what was decided and actions taken, the reasons for action taken, whether an appeal was lodged, the outcome of the appeal and any subsequent developments.

Records will be treated as confidential and kept no longer than necessary in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998).

OVERLAPPING GRIEVANCE AND DISCIPLINARY CASES

If an employee raises a grievance during a disciplinary process, the disciplinary process may be temporarily suspended in order to deal with the grievance. However, where the grievance and disciplinary cases are related it may be appropriate to deal with both issues concurrently.

POLICY MONITORING AND REVISION

This policy will be reviewed every four years, and will also be revised in the light of changing needs, changes in legislation and guidance, or in the light of experience.

Version 3 Adopted:

Chesham Town Council 5 Grievance Policy and Procedure V.3 5 CHESHAM TOWN COUNCIL

COLLECTIVE GRIEVANCE POLICY & PROCEDURE

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

The purpose of this policy is to specify the formal procedure by which a trade union representative or other appropriate workplace representative may raise a grievance on behalf of a group of employees, whilst encouraging employees to use informal discussions to resolve problems in the first instance.

This policy applies to all employees of Chesham Town Council.

This policy does not apply to grievances raised by individual employees. Such grievances will be dealt with using the council’s Grievance Policy and Procedure.

DEFINITION OF GRIEVANCE

For the purpose of this policy, grievances are defined as concerns, problems or complaints over work-related matters that a group of employees raises with the council. Examples of grievances include concerns over employment terms and conditions, contractual or statutory rights, health and safety, work relations, the working environment, new working practices, bullying and harassment, organisational change and discrimination.

For instances of bullying and harassment, employees are also advised to refer to the council’s Bullying and Harassment Policy.

INFORMAL PROCEDURE

Chesham Town Council recommends that all employees talk to their manager informally to try to resolve a problem before raising a formal grievance. However, if the informal approach fails to resolve the matter, representatives can use the procedure outlined in this document to raise a grievance formally on behalf of more than one employee. The grievance should be raised without unreasonable delay.

Chesham Town Council 1 Collective Grievance Policy and Procedure V.2 1 PRINCIPLES OF THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

(i) All grievances will be treated fairly and objectively.

(ii) Employees will not be dismissed or suffer disadvantage as a result of raising a genuine grievance.

(iii) If the employee has difficulty reading and writing, or if English is not their first language, any written documentation, e.g. a letter explaining the outcome of a meeting, will also be explained to them orally. Additional support that may be required at meetings will also be taken into consideration and provided as appropriate.

(iv) Any action taken as a result of a grievance will be monitored and reviewed, as appropriate, to ensure that issues are dealt with effectively.

NOMINATED REPRESENTATIVES

Employees wishing to pursue a collective grievance should nominate individuals to represent their interests throughout the process. These people will be referred to as ‘nominated representatives’.

These need not necessarily be the same individuals at each stage of the process and may or may not be trade union representatives.

Nominated individuals will be responsible for representing the interests of all employees in the collective grievance, including presenting the case at meetings.

The maximum number of nominated representatives allowed throughout the grievance procedure is as follows:

Number of employees with grievance: Maximum number of nominated reps: 2 to 5 2 6 to 12 3 13 to 20 4 21+ 5

FORMAL COLLECTIVE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

1. Write a Letter

The grievance should be raised with a manager/Member (as appropriate) who is not the subject of the grievance, by writing a letter detailing the nature of the grievance. In most circumstances, the nominated representatives should write the letter to a

Chesham Town Council 2 Collective Grievance Policy and Procedure V.2 2 relevant Line Manager. If this is not possible, the nominated representatives may write to the Town Clerk or a Member of the Executive Committee, as appropriate.

The grievance letter must include the name, job title and contact details of the nominated representatives, and whether they are acting in a capacity of a trade union representative.

The grievance letter must be signed by all employees to whom the grievance applies to confirm that they give their consent to be represented by the nominated representatives.

The letter should be dated and a copy kept by the nominated representatives.

To assist with this process, nominated representatives may use the town council’s collective grievance letter template.

2. Investigation (Optional)

Upon receipt of a grievance it may be necessary to conduct an investigation. If appropriate, an investigatory meeting will be held to gather all relevant facts and evidence.

The nominated representatives will be invited to this investigatory meeting as soon as possible, in writing. It will be made clear that the purpose of the meeting is to establish the facts and that the nominated employees have a statutory right to be accompanied at the meeting. Under this policy, accompaniment will normally be complied with due to the number of nominated representatives permitted to represent the employees concerned. Due consideration will be given to whether any reasonable adjustments are necessary for nominated representatives who are disabled.

The investigatory meeting will usually be conducted by an appropriate Line Manager. If this is not possible, the meeting will be conducted by the Town Clerk or a Member of the Executive Committee.

The investigation will be conducted as soon as possible and will normally be completed with five working days of receiving the grievance. However, if the matter is particularly complex, this can be extended to 15 working days, If it is not possible to complete the investigation within this timeframe, the nominated representatives will receive a written explanation of the delay and when the investigation is expected to be completed.

As soon as reasonably practicable after the conclusion of the investigatory meeting (usually five working days), the nominated representatives will be notified in writing that the investigation has been completed.

Chesham Town Council 3 Collective Grievance Policy and Procedure V.2 3 3. Formal Collective Grievance Meeting

A grievance meeting will be held to discuss the grievance with the nominated representatives. The meeting will be conducted by a Manager/Executive Committee Member (henceforth referred to as the ‘employer’) who has not been involved in any investigation that may have been undertaken. Wherever possible, the meeting will be arranged within five working days after the grievance is received or within five working days of the conclusion of an investigatory meeting if one has been held. The nominated representatives will be notified in writing of the date, time and location of the meeting, who will conduct the Grievance Meeting and the statutory right of employees to be accompanied at Grievance Meetings.

Employees have a statutory right to be accompanied at formal grievance meetings. Under this policy, accompaniment will normally be complied with due to the number of nominated representatives permitted to represent the employees concerned. Due consideration will be given to whether any reasonable adjustments are necessary for nominated representatives who are disabled.

The meeting will be held at a reasonable time and place. The nominated representatives and the employer should make every effort to attend the meeting. If the nominated representatives cannot attend the meeting, another meeting will be arranged to take place within five working days of the original date. This timescale may be extended by mutual agreement. The meeting will be held in private, where there will not be interruptions.

Prior to the meeting, the nominated representatives must inform the employer of the names of the people attending the meeting in their capacity as nominated representatives and any witnesses they wish to attend.

The purpose of the meeting is to establish the facts of the grievance and find a way to resolve the problem. During the meeting, both the nominated representatives and a responding manager will be allowed to present their cases.

If deemed necessary, the employer may adjourn the meeting until after further investigation has been conducted.

Copies of meeting records will be given to the nominated representatives, including any formal minutes. However, Chesham Town Council may withhold some information in certain circumstances, e.g. to protect a witness.

4. Decision and Notification

The employer will decide what action, if any, to take after the meeting. A letter will be sent to the nominated representatives notifying them of the decision within five working days of the initial meeting. Where appropriate, the letter will set out what action the employer intends to take to resolve the grievance. Where the grievance is

Chesham Town Council 4 Collective Grievance Policy and Procedure V.2 4 not upheld, the reasons for this will be clearly explained. The letter will also specify that the employees can appeal if the majority are not content with the decision/action taken.

APPEALS PROCEDURE

If the majority of employees (50% + one) feel that their grievance has not been satisfactorily resolved, they can appeal in writing to the employer, specifying the grounds for their appeal, within five working days of receiving notification of the decision. To assist with this process, nominated representatives may use the town council’s collective grievance appeal letter template.

An Appeal Hearing will be held, wherever possible, within five working days of receiving notification of the appeal from the nominated representatives. The nominated representatives will be notified in writing of the date and location of the hearing and the name of the person(s) conducting the hearing in advance. They will also be informed of the statutory right of employees to be accompanied at Grievance Appeal Hearings. Under this policy, accompaniment will normally be complied with due to the number of nominated representatives permitted to represent the employees concerned. Due consideration will be given to whether any reasonable adjustments are necessary for nominated representatives who are disabled.

Prior to the meeting, the nominated representatives must inform the employer of the names of the people attending the meeting in their capacity as nominated representatives and any witnesses they wish to attend.

At the hearing, an Appeals Panel will consider any representations made by the employee and/or their companion, those of the investigating Manager/Member and the Manager/Member who conducted the grievance meeting and made the decision. Wherever possible the Appeals Panel will not include Members or officers who have previously been involved in the case.

The appeal will be dealt with impartially.

Copies of meeting records will be given to the nominated representatives, including any formal minutes. However, Chesham Town Council may withhold some information in certain circumstances, e.g. to protect a witness.

The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the nominated representatives in writing within five working days of the hearing. The letter will also specify that there will be no further right of appeal.

Chesham Town Council 5 Collective Grievance Policy and Procedure V.2 5 DOCUMENTATION

During the grievance process, written records will be kept. These will include: the nature of the grievance, what was decided and actions taken, the reasons for action taken, whether an appeal was lodged, the outcome of the appeal and any subsequent developments.

Records will be treated as confidential and kept no longer than necessary in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998).

POLICY MONITORING AND REVISION

This policy will be reviewed every four years, and will also be revised in the light of changing needs, changes in legislation and guidance, or in the light of experience.

Version 2 Adopted:

Chesham Town Council 6 Collective Grievance Policy and Procedure V.2 6 Report of the Officers to a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 28th October 2013

AGENDA ITEM NO: 11 – STAFFING REVIEW

Reporting Officers: Bill Richards (01494 583824) and Kathryn Graves (01494 583798)

Summary

1. To approve the initiation of a staffing review.

Background Information

2. In Minute no. 3 of the Executive Committee held on the 18th July 2013, the Committee recommended that ‘A full staffing review be commissioned during 2013/14’.

Financial Implications

3. As outlined within the report.

Strategic Objectives

4. None pertaining to this report.

Equality Act Implications

5. None pertaining to this report.

Detailed Consideration

6. A baseline report of the Council’s current staffing is attached.

7. Your officers recommend that this review be conducted using an internal panel that is chaired by an elected Member and is comprised of Members with the assistance of the Town Clerk and the Policy and Projects Officer.

8. Alternatively the Committee may consider the option of hiring outside consultants for an independent root and branch review. Your Clerk has liaised with other town councils who have undertaken similar staffing reviews. Below is the scope of one undertaken at a large town council recently.

i) What is the person carrying out the review to do? 1. Look at the council’s aims and objectives (i.e. the committees’ terms of reference) and the priorities. 2. Consider whether the current structure and level of staffing support those aims and objectives. 3. Where there appear to be mismatches, make recommendations for ways to improve the situation. ii) How is the review to be carried out? 1. One general (evening) meeting with all members, to last for one hour maximum, to establish their perception of how the aims and objectives of the council are being met by the current structure and level of staffing. Members unable to attend the meeting invited to submit their comments in writing. 2. An in-depth examination of the existing structure, staffing, responsibilities, and procedures. 3. Consultation questionnaires followed by individual meetings with staff to identify their perceptions of the existing situation, how it could be improved, their needs and ambitions, etc. (N.B. need to lay down terms of confidentiality of this step.) 4. Staff have many people to whom they have a responsibility, both inside and outside the council; these demands may be in conflict or in competition with one another. Consider if and how these can be reconciled. 5. Identify good practice and positive aspects which achieve the council’s objectives, and obstacles which hinder achievement of the council’s objectives. 6. An assessment of opportunities available and possible cost effective efficiency improvements. 7. Look at how internal and external relationships between different groups might be better understood/strengthened/modified/improved to assist in meeting the council’s objectives. 8. Preparation of a robust organisational structure and job descriptions, and guidance on salary levels. 9. Comparison of staffing levels with other similar councils, including identification of similarities and differences. 10. The preparation and presentation to members of a report.

1. The Review Process

The review process has included the following stages: a) Informal briefing by the Town Clerk and Chairman of the Resources and General Services Committee. b) Researching Council minutes and agendas, visiting facilities to establish the current extent of the Council’s services and future aspirations. c) Meeting with all staff. d) Drafting a questionnaire to all staff inviting comments on the key objectives of their particular post; what barriers they feel prevent them achieving those objectives; how those barriers can be overcome plus any general comments on the Council’s operations. e) Receiving and analysing the completed questionnaires. f) Individual interviews (average one hour each) with every staff member. g) Obtaining comparative staffing data from nearby authorities and follow-up conversations with the clerks to 2 of those councils. h) Informal meeting with 15 Councillors. i) Receiving written observations from Councillors. j) Considering and evaluating all information received and drafting recommendations for implementation. k) Consulting commissioning group and then all staff upon draft recommendations. l) Presenting final report to the Council. 9. The consultant for this review charged £300 per day and the review took 6 days. No monies have been put in the budget for a use of a consultant for this financial year.

Recommendations

1. That the baseline document be considered and agreed as a basis of the areas to be reviewed. 2. That the membership of the review panel be considered and agreed. 3. That the Committee appoint an elected Member to Chair the review panel.

Bill Richards Town Clerk Staffing Baseline 2013

This baseline describes and explains the current staffing structure at Chesham Town Council.

The entire staffing structure is provided as a diagram in an appendix to this document.

Town Hall

The team at the Town Hall provide the following services:

 Administrative support to members  One-stop-shop service for information on Chesham for the public  Support for the Mayor in his/her civic duties  Council finances  Human resources  Allotments administration  Management of the Town Council and Elgiva web sites  Lowndes Park management  Support for partner community groups, e.g. Chesham in Bloom  Cemetery management and administration  Local Produce Market management and administration  Licensed wedding venue management  Football pitches and open spaces bookings

This work is achieved by the following team:

1. Town Clerk

As the executive officer of the Council, the position of Town Clerk has been in existence since the Town Council was formed in 1974.

As proper officer of the Council, the following responsibilities of the Town Clerk are specified in the Council’s Standing Orders:

(a) To receive declarations of acceptance of office (b) To receive and record notices disclosing personal interests (c) To receive and retain plans and documents (d) To sign notices or other documents on behalf of the Council (e) To receive copies of byelaws made by the Chiltern District Council (f) To certify copies of byelaws made by the Council (g) To sign summons to attend meetings of the Council The Town Clerk has full day-to-day authority to deal with the business of the Council, within its agreed policies and budgets.

Main areas of activity within the role are as follows:

1. Council administration

Includes convening all meetings of the Council, its committees and working parties, taking minutes and executing decisions made at these meetings. Also involves attending meetings with other bodies and organisations as required.

2. Personnel

Fulfil the Council’s personnel responsibilities, including recruitment, safety, discipline and appraisals.

3. Policy

Contribute to the formulation of the Council’s policies and objectives. Be responsible for health and safety and ensuring compliance with the duty of care to employees and the general public.

4. Performance

Lead performance reviews of the Council’s services.

5. Property

Ensure proper care, security and usage of all the Council’s property and equipment. Negotiate any sales or leases of land as required on behalf of the Council.

6. Legal

Be the Council’s legal advisor on all matters, take court action where necessary and represent the Council at planning inquiries.

7. Other

There are numerous other requirements of the role, such as public relations, submitting planning applications, organising civic functions and advising on protocol.

The role involves regular evening working to attend meetings and occasional weekend working to attend events, with hours taken back in lieu.

2. Administration Manager

The Administration Manager has the following key areas of responsibility: 1. Town Hall

Management of room bookings, budget, marketing, health & safety and maintenance at the Town Hall, including supervision of two caretakers.

First response to in-coming enquiries at Reception desk and from the main phone line.

Management and marketing of weddings.

Oversees flag flying.

Organises civic events, including Town Carol Service, Civic Service and Annual Town Meetings.

General management of the Town Council office.

2. Getting Closer to Communities

This includes liaising with Transport for Bucks, managing logs and timesheets, and issuing dangerous vegetation letters and temporary event signage permits.

3. Cemetery

Completing all administration, including payments, for interments and memorials, including management of registers.

Liaising with bereaved families and advising them of the legal processes involved.

Digitisation of records and mapping.

Identification of new grave spaces.

Liaison with the Friends of Chesham Cemetery and Mosque Committee.

Overseeing health & safety management and insurance of all gravediggers.

Overseeing funerals as required.

4. Administration

Dispatch of agendas and minutes for Council and committee meetings, plus Youth Council and Friends groups.

Assist Elgiva, Gym & Swim and Parks department with administration.

Daily banking for Town Hall & Gym & Swim

Assist with administration for Allotments Group.

Archiving of all documents. Supervision of the Administration Assistant.

3. Administration Assistant

The Administration Assistant is a part-time position of 16 hours per week. In addition to general clerical duties, the role of the assistant has expanded in recent years to cover broader responsibilities.

1. Town Hall Administration

General clerical duties, manning reception and taking enquiries by phone.

Assisting the annual donations scheme.

Liaising with Transport for Bucks on works of the Community Gang.

Organising and administering local surgeries.

Assisting with the Council payroll.

Administration for the Bands in the Parks concerts.

Assisting the Administration Manager with dispatches.

2. Allotments

All allotments administration, including attending inspections.

3. Web sites

Assisting the Policy & Projects Officer in maintenance of the Town Council web site.

Day-to-day control of The Elgiva web site.

4. Finance & Contracts Manager

The Finance & Contracts Manager has the following areas of responsibility:

1. Finance

Financial management of the Council’s affairs, including preparation of accounts and budgets, investment management and payment of Inland Revenue, Superannuation and Customs & Excise returns and management of the Council’s insurance policies.

Production of regular financial reports to committees. Arranges and oversees the Council’s contracts.

Dealing with internal/external auditors.

Annual donations.

Debt management.

Oversees the duties of the Finance Assistant.

2. Personnel

Maintenance of personnel records.

Preparing and processing payroll.

3. Open Spaces

Letting of Council sports facilities and other open spaces, including booking fairs and circuses.

4. General Administration

Assist with the general administration of the Town Hall office, including dealing with enquiries from members of the public.

The role involves occasional evening working to attend meetings, with time taken back in lieu.

5. Finance Assistant

As assistant to the Finance and Contracts Manager, the role involves:

1. Finance

Data input onto accounts system, control of petty cash, processing cheque payments, bank reconciliation, processing invoices, monthly reconciliations. Assistance to Finance & Contracts Manager on any other duties as required.

2. General Administration

Assist with the general administration of the Town Hall office, including dealing with enquiries from members of the public. 6. Policy & Projects Officer

The most recently created post at the Town Hall, being established in 2004 to assist with Best Value administration. Since the abolition of Best Value in 2008, the nature of the role has broadened significantly.

1. Policies

Creation and review of the Council’s policies. Leading on all aspects of the Council’s Environmental Policy.

2. Performance

To co-ordinate regular reports of performance indicators for all areas of the Council, and the annual Performance Plan. Administer service reviews.

3. Web Sites and Social Media

To manage the Town Council web site and social media accounts.

4. Partnerships

To lead on partnerships with community organisations including Chesham In Bloom, Chesham4Fairtrade and Impress the Chess.

5. Lowndes Park

Production of the annual park management plan and administration of the Green Flag application.

6. Markets

Supervision of the general markets, liaison with Chiltern District Council and Amersham & Chesham Markets Co-operative.

Management, administration and marketing of the local produce market.

7. Publications

Lead on production of the Town Guide and Council newsletters.

8. Disclosure and Barring Service Checks

Responsible for DBS checks for all eligible staff.

9. Town Centre Revitalisation

Lead officer on revitalisation matters, including Christmas in Chesham, the Town Centre Working Group and Chesham Action Partnership. 10. General Administration

Assist with the general administration of the Town Hall office, including dealing with enquiries from members of the public. Assist the Town Clerk with any other matters as required, including deputising for the Clerk at meetings.

The role involves regular evening and weekend working, with time taken back in lieu.

7. Caretakers a. Daytime Caretaker

This post of c.30 h per week exists to maintain the Town Hall in a clean and presentable condition and involves cleaning, unlocking and locking the building, assist with building maintenance, preparing rooms for bookings, flag raising, equipment checks. The caretaker also undertakes checking, snow clearance and fly-posting and graffiti removal for Getting Closer to Communities. b. Evening and Weekend Caretaker

The hours for this post are varied and flexible to ensure that Town Hall lettings are catered for and to provide cover for the daytime caretaker, including covering in the absence of the daytime caretaker with regards to Getting Closer to Communities work. The duties of this caretaker are the same as for the daytime caretaker, but are carried out at weekends and evenings. The Elgiva

The Elgiva theatre and cinema provides an artistic programme of live and cinematic events available on an almost daily basis to the community; the ability to hire the venue for private, business and artistic purposes; a foyer café and bar; provision of work experience for local students; and is a focal and meeting point for local groups.

This is achieved by the following team:

1. Elgiva Manager

The Manager has responsibilities in the following areas:

1. Management

Direct management of the Deputy Manager, Administrator and Technical Manager.

Responsible for health and safety.

Acts a licensee.

Monitors financial performance and liaises with Town Hall staff re budgets.

Liaises with the Elgiva Board of Management.

Assist the Town Clerk in all Elgiva personnel issues.

Project manages any capital and repairs and maintenance programmes.

Overseeing the duty rota.

2. Marketing and Box Office

Since the abolition of the Box Office & Marketing post, the Manager has taken on these marketing roles:

Oversees all press releases and related press materials, and oversees all aspects of marketing of The Elgiva’s programme, including mailshots and database management. The Manager also undertakes box office duties as required, including use of the computerised ticketing system.

3. Administration

To programme all events, including cinema, theatre and social/community usage.

Liaise with hirers regarding contracts and riders.

Check production settlements and raise invoices as necessary. 2. Deputy Manager

1. Management

Deputise for the Manager and assist the Manager in the day-to-day operation of the theatre and cinema, including booking films/events and their publicity.

Duty manages on shows/films/events.

Oversee risk assessments and health & safety.

Management of Bar staff, Duty Managers, Box Office Receptionist, Cleaners and Stewards.

2. Administration

Stock control.

Cash handling, credit card transactions and cashing up bar and box office.

3. Box Office

Ticket sales and taking enquiries.

3. Box Office Receptionist

This part-time post (16.5 h per week) involves weekend and evening working in addition to daytime shifts. The main responsibility of the role is to sell tickets using the computerised booking system and to deal with enquiries from the general public. This involves cash handling and credit card transactions and cashing up.

4. Administrator

A part-time post of 12 h per week, which can involve weekend working. The main responsibilities of the post are administrative, including typing, filing and post. The Administrator also assists with collection and banking of income and processing orders and invoices. In addition, the Administrator carries out Reception and Box Office duties as required, and assists with promotion and advertising.

5. Technical Manager

Ensures the technical running of the theatre and cinema, including preparation and projection of films, management of lighting and sound design and operation. Management of the maintenance of the fabric of the building, the care, maintenance and safety of equipment and servicing. Management of the Technician and casual technical staff. Provides duty management cover as required. The post involves daytime and/or weekend and evening shifts.

6. Technician

The Technician assists the Technical Manager in all his duties and deputises in his absence. The post also involves carrying out risk assessments and keeping abreast of current, relevant health and safety legislation. Provides duty management cover as required. The post involves daytime and/or weekend and evening shifts.

7. Duty Manager

This part-time post requires flexible hours of working, dependent on the programme of events. Responsibilities include unlocking and locking up the venue, co-ordinating stewards, ticket sales and enquiries, cash handling and credit card transactions, and maintenance of floats for Box Office and Bar.

8. Casuals

Duty Managers (two), bar staff and technicians are employed on a casual basis as required. Parks and Premises

This department provides the following services:

 maintenance of allotments  maintenance of the cemetery, memorial safety, site security, responsibility for all interments  maintenance of St. Mary’s Closed Churchyard  repair and maintenance of all Council buildings and clocks  general maintenance and repair of all structures, including bus shelter, notice boards, fences & litter bins  horticultural displays  war memorial maintenance  grass cutting of parks and open spaces  arboreal management and safety on the Council’s open spaces  football pitch marking and maintenance  playground equipment safety inspections and repair  management of fleet vehicles

The work is achieved by the following team:

1. Parks and Premises Manager

The main areas of activity within the role are as follows:

1. Management Management of the Leading Hand and Parks & Premises Operatives. Engage and supervise contractors, including writing task-based specifications/terms/conditions as required. Responsible for health & safety and risk assessments. Budgetary control. Maintains inventory of vehicles and equipment, responsible for their safety and maintenance.

Ensures periodical recorded checks/inspections are carried out, and records are maintained.

To assist local groups, societies and volunteers in the organisation and operation of events, e.g. Carnival, Donkey Derby, Concerts in the Park and to help ensure compliance with all current Health & Safety legislation.

Liaison with Police and District Council regarding criminal activity, e.g. misuse of drugs, vandalism. 2. Open Spaces Ensures open spaces are prepared for hires. Oversees maintenance of allotments and liaises with Allotments Group. Oversees grass cutting, arboreal work and horticultural displays. Oversees general maintenance of sites, including litter picking and bin rounds. Oversees football pitch management. Ensures safety of play equipment. Responsibility for all interments in the Cemetery.

Liaison with all volunteer groups regarding projects on Town Council land.

3. Premises and Structures Oversees maintenance, repair and safety of all premises and structures, including obtaining best value for money services. Ensures that foreseen expensive maintenance projects are budgeted for.

2. Leading Hand The role of the Leading Hand is to assist the Manager with organising and prioritising staff workloads, discipline and training, and liaising with volunteers and contractors, in addition to carrying out all horticultural and maintenance tasks necessary for maintenance of the open spaces and premises. The Leading Hand deputises for the Manager in his absence. This role involves some weekend working.

3. Parks and Premises Operatives Two full-time operatives are employed to carry out the maintenance and horticultural duties of the department. The tasks include turfculture, pitch marking, safety inspections and maintenance of play equipment, planting, weeding, litter-picking, bin emptying, tree maintenance, maintaining pathways, leaf and snow clearance, waterway maintenance, assisting with interments, and building & structure maintenance. These roles involve some weekend working.

4. Skatepark Security Assistants

The assistants work part-time at weekends and weekday evenings during the summer months to secure and remove the skatepark chains to comply with the Noise Abatement Order.

Following the abolition of the Cemetery Operative post in 2010, a proportion of the Parks and Premises staffing budget has been allocated towards the use of contractors to support the work of the Parks and Premises Operatives. Chesham Moor Gym & Swim

Chesham Moor Gym & Swim comprises an open air, heated swimming pool open all year round, a small café, “Moor Fitness” gym, exercise studio, multi-sports court, tennis court and changing facilities. There is also a therapy room hired out to private complementary therapists.

This service is provided by the following staff:

1. Pool & Gym Manager

The Manager has overall responsibility for the management of the centre’s facilties, which includes supervision of the Deputy Manager, lifeguards, gym staff and liaison with personal trainers and coaches who use the facilities, as well as the therapists who hire the therapy room.

The Manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the centre, as well as maintenance of the building and associated facilities and responsibility for health and safety, risk assessments and for ensuring compliance with the Normal Operating Procedures and Emergency Operating Procedures for the centre at all times.

The Manager maintains control of the budget, oversees orders and contractors, general stock control and oversees cash handling and cashing up of the centre’s daily takings. The Manager leads on promotion and marketing in liaison with the Friends of Chesham Moor Gym & Swim.

The role involves evening and weekend working.

2. Deputy Manager

The role of the Deputy Manager is to assist the Manager in all aspects of the running of the centre, including deputising in his absence. Specific duties include organising staff shifts; time sheets; invoices; ordering, stocking and cashing up vending machines; maintenance of cash floats and control of petty cash; daily cashing up; liaising with Policy & Projects Officer re DBS checks.

The role involves evening and weekend working.

3. Leisure Assistant/ Gym Instructors

This part-time position of c. 25 hours per week has the main responsibility of running the gym and instructing the public in safe use of the equipment. Addition tasks include assisting in the operation of the pool, all internal rooms, courts and multi-sports area, as well as undertaking Reception duties and administrative work. This includes cash-handling and credit card transactions, assisting with marketing (including social media promotion), stock- taking, cleaning, cafe sales and lifeguarding.

The role involves evening and weekend working.

4. Lifeguards

This part-time role involves ensuring the safety of people using the swimming pool and maintaining appropriate behaviour in the pool at all times, cleaning of poolside, changing rooms and taking two-hourly pool tests. There are currently 24 members of staff operating as lifeguards.

The role involves evening and weekend working on a rota system.