1 1

Frampton Clerk to the Council The Brockeridge Centre Cotterell Woodend Road Frampton Cotterell Parish Bristol Council BS36 2LQ

NOTICE OF A MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

PUBLIC AND PRESS ARE WELCOME

A remote meeting of FRAMPTON COTTERELL PARISH COUNCIL to be held on Thursday 17th December 2020 at 7pm. This meeting will be held using the Zoom platform. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87658014449?pwd=d3NvTjhPTjNYeEF0M3dXQWNmejlkUT09 Meeting ID: 876 5801 4449 Passcode: 410143 One tap mobile +442030512874,,87658014449#,,,,,,0#,,410143# United Kingdom +442034815237,,87658014449#,,,,,,0#,,410143# United Kingdom Dial by your location +44 203 051 2874 United Kingdom +44 203 481 5237 United Kingdom +44 203 481 5240 United Kingdom +44 203 901 7895 United Kingdom +44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom

All attendees should try to join the meeting 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting to allow for any connection problems. Attendees are reminded that the Proceedings of this meeting will be filmed and recorded Members are reminded that the Council has a general duty to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions: the Code of Conduct and the 7 Principles of Public Life, Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and any disability) Crime and Disorder, Health and Safety, and Human Rights

A Durn Clerk to the Parish Council 11th December 2020

A G E N D A 1. To receive and accept apologies for absence 2. To receive any Declarations of Interest and any requests for Dispensation 3. To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 26th November 2020 and the Extra Ordinary meeting on 8th December 2020 4. To receive the Chair’s Announcements 5. To receive submissions from the public: a. Letter of thanks from a resident regarding the Christmas lights 6. To receive a pre-application presentation from BayWa-r.e. on the proposed solar farm at Perrinpit Farm 7. To note the Minutes from Committees: a. Youth Services Committee held on 30th November 2020 (draft) 8. To receive a report from South Gloucestershire Council on prevention of fly tipping at Hoovers Lane 9. To receive the District Councillors’ report 10. Planning: a. To review the planning applications schedule and agree responses b. To note the planning feedback to date including breaches, appeals, and enforcement complaints 11. Frampton Festival: a. To vote the Parish Council representative on the Frampton Cotterell Festival

Committee 1 b. To receive an update on the date for the Festival for 2021 2 2

12. Pitch Improvement Project: a. To receive an update b. To receive the report on the proposed irrigation of the cricket squares and agree actions 13. To agree to the annual subscription for membership of the CPRE 14. To agree to the annual subscription to the Society of Local Council Clerks for the Clerk and Deputy Clerk 15. To agree to the proposals arising from the business planning meetings: a. To accept the offer from the neighbouring landowner for access to the Centenary Fields, installation of gate, and repair of wall b. To agree to the formation of a Pavilion Working Group and agree membership with Terms of Reference to be agreed at a future meeting c. To commission a feasibility report on installing a path around the Park d. To obtain quotations for an awning at the Brockeridge Centre e. To contact South Gloucestershire Council on opportunities with the devolution of land in Frampton Cotterell to the Parish Council 16. To agree to changes to the Finance & Governance Terms of Reference 17. To note the resignation of Cllr Hockey from the Finance & Governance Committee 18. To agree substitute councillors for the following Committees: a. Finance & Governance b. Youth Services c. Staffing 19. To agree the following recommendations from the Finance & Governance Committee meeting on 15th October 2020: a. To note the FACE Youth Services contract to 31st March 2020 b. To receive an update on the ash dieback survey c. To note the report on ALCA subscription 20. To receive the 2020/21 interim Internal Audit report 21. To receive and discuss the SGC recommendations for 2021/22 Special Expenses 22. To agree to the Parish Council being a Help Point supporting people affected by dementia 23. To respond to consultations: a. Committee in Standards in Public Life – Standards Matter 2 24. To note the following: a. SGC 2021/22 Precept and Tax Base – Budget 2021/22 preparation b. Response from Western Power Community Matters Funding Application c. APF £95k cap Statement of Intent d. APF Responsible Investment Annual Report 2019/20

2 Agenda Item 3 3 3

FRAMPTON COTTERELL PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF FRAMPTON PARISH COUNCIL REMOTE MEETING HELD ON 26th NOVEMBER 2020 AT 7pm

PRESENT: Cllrs L Williams (Chair), E Pennell, P Hockey, D Hockey, M Bridgland, D Williams, T Niblett, T Clark, P Crocker, D Goodwin

APOLOGIES: District Cllr C Young

IN ATTENDANCE: District Cllr Jon Lean, A Durn (Clerk), K Jeffries (Deputy Clerk/RFO)

FC.19.1820 To receive and accept apologies for absence There were no apologies from Parish Councillors. District Cllr C Young sent her apologies.

FC.19.1821 To receive any Declarations of Interest and any requests for Dispensation There were none received.

FC.19.1822 To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meetings held on 12th November 2020 It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 12th November 2020.

FC.19.1823 To receive the Chair’s Announcements The Chair reminded Council of the importance of the informal business meetings on 3rd and 10th December 2020 as part of the preparation for the budget setting for 2021/22.

FC.19.1824 To receive submissions from the public There were no submissions received.

FC.19.1825 To note the Minutes from Committees: a. Staffing Committee held on 19th November 2020 (draft) The draft Minutes for the Staffing Committee meeting held on 19th November 2020 were noted.

FC.19.1826 To receive the District Councillors’ report The District Councillors presented the following report: Start Date of Phase 1 Consultation on South Gloucestershire Local Plan The Phase 1 Consultation is an elementary exercise exploring and discussing the issues, challenges and approaches that could inform our new Local Plan. The consultation will run for 12 weeks from Friday 27th November 2020 until Monday 1st March 2021. Due to Covid-19 and the current national lockdown this consultation will be entirely digital for the early part of December although his situation will be kept under close review should circumstances significantly improve.

This consultation seeks people’s views on: • the issues and priorities that should shape the Council’s plans for the next 15 years • how the Council determines its choices (e.g. where to locate large numbers of new homes and jobs, how to protect and enhance our built and natural environment, which areas to protect from adverse growth/change, etc.). • how to approach growth and change in our existing urban areas • how we can start considering growth and change in our rural communities • the range of planning policies to be included in the new Local Plan • early drafts of some policies (e.g. climate change, design, parking, etc.)

This first consultation will not address the overall housing requirement or where major development will be directed, nor will it suggest any revisions to the Green Belt or defined settlement boundaries.

3 4 4

Instead it is about early ideas, discussions and suggested approaches which will inform subsequent drafting stages.

To explain the role and content of this consultation South Gloucestershire Council intends to hold digital briefing and Q&A sessions for district councillors, town/parish councillors and their clerks in early to mid-December. Invites to these online sessions, along with further information about the Local Plan consultation, will be sent out soon.

The consultation documents and supporting information will be available from Friday 27th November at www.southglos.gov.uk/newlocalplan

West of England Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) Engagement The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is asking residents in the West of England for their views about the future of the region, to ensure the region is a greener, more connected place to live and work. The feedback will help shape a Spatial Development Strategy that will make sure that homes, employment spaces and transport links are planned in the right places over the next 20 years.

The preliminary survey can be found at https://consultation.westofengland- ca.gov.uk/infrastructure/the-spatial-development-strategy/. It takes no longer than 20 minutes to complete and ends on Monday 14th December 2020. Any residents requiring a paper copy or the information in an alternative format can call 0117 428 6210 or email planning@westofengland- ca.gov.uk.

Once the draft is completed and published in 2021, the SDS will be subject to a full statutory consultation, providing residents an opportunity to formally comment on the detail of the proposed plan. If it is successfully adopted, it will determine development at the macro level across the region; it will sit above the four respective Local Plans which deal with development at the micro level.

The Current Spread of Covid-19 and New Mobile Testing Sites Before the announcement of the current national lockdown, South Gloucestershire Council had already written to Government, requesting to be placed into the Tier 2 or ‘High’ level of alert. The council acted as cases became more widespread across the region rather than confined to a few areas (e.g. the UWE campus). The number of cases in older people, who are at greater risk of complications, are also rising. The 7-day infection rate within South Gloucestershire between 9th and 15th November has plateaued at 342 per 100k. This is significantly above the average in England; it is unlikely, unless this substantially decreases, that our area will return to Tier 1 when the national lockdown concludes. The latest data is at https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/covid-19-dashboard-for- south-gloucestershire/ and at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map.

South Gloucestershire Council has identified a number of new sites that are suitable to host Mobile Testing Units (MTU’s). These have now been approved by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which means that testing could be available in more parts of the district. MTU’s are allocated on a weekly basis by DHSC based on demand and availability. Beginning on Thursday 19th November, MTU’s will be set up in the car park at Cleve Rugby Football Club in Mangotsfield and from Friday 20th November at The Ridings Car Park, Wickwar Road, Chipping Sodbury. Residents must not turn up at the site if they have not booked an appointment beforehand. Anybody who turns up without an appointment will be turned away. Residents should book to take a test if they develop symptoms of coronavirus.

Illegal Rave at the Stover Road Trading Estate On Saturday 31st October between 500 and 700 people gained unauthorised access to a warehouse on the Stover Road Trading Estate in Westerleigh parish where an illegal rave took place. This was contrary to the current COVID-19 restrictions in South Gloucestershire and there was negligible

4 5 5

social distancing amongst attendees. Officers from the Avon & Somerset Police arrived at the scene at 10.35 p.m. but were greatly outnumbered and targeted with high levels of violence from the gathered crowd. After drafting in officers from neighbouring constabularies the site was finally secured on Sunday evening. Twelve individuals have been arrested and two of these have subsequently been fined £10,000 for organising the event. The investigation into these events is ongoing. Officers are currently reviewing bodycam footage and other evidence with the aim of bringing further prosecutions.

This has understandably received widespread attention in the local and national news. District Cllr Claire Young pressed the Executive of South Gloucestershire Council on their response at their meeting on the following Monday stating that “Local people are understandably angry and concerned, it’s a real kick in the teeth to all those who have been trying so hard to stick to the rules to keep our area as safe as possible. How this is dealt with will set the tone for the coming weeks”. Whilst the warehouse itself remains a crime scene the area around it has now been cleaned up by officers from StreetCare. At a briefing with Chief Constable Andy Marsh on Wednesday 4th November we impressed upon him the importance of the police working with partner organisations and the local community, not only to secure further arrests and fines, but also to prevent a similar recurrence during the ongoing pandemic. As responsible residents continue to abide by the exacting COVID-19 restrictions it is vital for there to be effective communication between police and the community; this is to ensure that super spreader events are stopped before they can occur and that the organisers of such gatherings are identified to the police as early as possible.

South Gloucestershire Council Consults on its Budget for 2021/22 In the past decade South Gloucestershire Council has needed to make tens of millions of pounds worth of cuts as funding from central government has been stringently cut. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the financial strain on the council’s budget, increasing the demand for council services whilst cutting income. Officers do not yet know how much additional funding the council could receive from the Government to alleviate this unforeseen financial burden. Next year’s budget consequently remains a provisional work in progress . You have until Sunday 3rd January 2021 to tell South Gloucestershire Council what you think about its budget, council tax proposals and savings plan for next year. You can find the consultation at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/Budget2021/.

Consultations South Gloucestershire Council is asking residents for their views on the first stage of plans to upgrade cycling provision on the Badminton Road (A432) between Yate and the ring road.

The proposed scheme has been broken into 4 stages:

Stage 1 – Nibley Lane to Coalpit Heath Stage 2 – Coalpit Heath to A4174 Ring Road Stage 3 – Nibley Lane to Stover Road Stage 4 – Coalpit Heath Village

The current cycle lanes on the A432 fall well below the standards now required by the Government. This scheme would improve the route for existing cyclists as well as aiming to encourage more to cycle as an alternative to taking the car. This consultation focuses on the first stage of improvements between Nibley and Coalpit Heath. Residents can find out more at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/A432_Badminton_Road_Cycling_ST1. This consultation closes on 4th December.

South Gloucestershire Council has carried out work to pedestrianise Thornbury High Street and to install new cycling lanes to the west of Yate (on Badminton Road and Station Road). Both schemes

5 6 6

involved the use of Experimental Traffic Orders (ETOs) which have a statutory requirement for public consultations to run simultaneously alongside of them. At the end of the ETOs eighteen-month duration the changes that have been implemented may become permanent. The details of the Thornbury consultation can be found at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/PT.6609_Thornbury_High_St._E.T.O and runs until 31st January 2021. The Yate cycle lane consultation can be found at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/StationCycle. It ends on 24th February 2021. The Chair thanked the District Councillors for their report and the Council agreed to discuss the Local Plan at the item on the agenda.

FC.19.1827 Planning: a. To review planning applications schedule and agree responses P20/20728/F – 8 Downfield Drive: Erection of single and two storey rear and side extension and extension to existing rear dormer to form additional living accommodation. It was RESOLVED that the Parish Council notes the objection from a neighbour. The parish council requests that the case officer confirm that these proposals comply with PSP8, PSP38 and the ‘Technical Advice Note: Assessing Residential Amenity’ with regards to impact on the residential amenity of neighbouring properties. P20/21211/CLE - Land to the Rear Of 470 Church Road: Continued use of land as residential amenity land (Class C3). It was RESOLVED to make no objection. P20/21653/F – 1 Barley Close: Erection of a two-storey side extension to form 1 no. attached dwelling (Resubmission of P19/6050/F) It was RESOLVED that the Parish Council objects to this application. To overcome the refusal of P19/6050/F the applicants are seeking to unlawfully take ownership of part of the public highway to provide additional private amenity for the proposed new dwelling. The public footpath is to be shifted northwards rather than being merely reinstated in its original position. This is evident from both the Policies Map of South Gloucestershire Council as well as the submitted documentation for both P19/6050/F and P20/21653/F . P20/21901/F – 219 Park Lane: Erection of single storey rear extension to form additional living accommodation. It was RESOLVED to make no objection. P20/22078/LB – Northwoods House, Old Gloucester Road: External works to install an electric vehicle charging point. It was RESOLVED to make no objection. P20/22543/F - 55 Frampton End Road: Conversion of existing garage to create Annexe ancillary to main dwelling house. (resubmission of P19/19430/F) It was RESOLVED that if there was a planning condition tying the proposed annexe to ancillary usage by the owners of the main dwelling, the Parish Council would have no objections to this application. P20/00010/MOD – Watermore Junior School, Lower Stone Close: Modification to Section 106 agreement attached to planning permission PT18/0930/R3O It was RESOLVED to make no comment. P20/21552/F – 57 Sunnyside: Erection of single storey rear extension to form additional living accommodation. It was RESOLVED to make no objection.

It was RESOLVED to ratify the following comments: P20/20999/F - 115 Park Lane: Erection of a single storey side and rear and first floor rear extension to form additional living accommodation. Instillation of 1no. Rear dormer to facilitate a loft conversion. No objection P20/21231/CLP - 23 South View: Erection of single storey detached garden room. No objection.

6 7 7

b. To note the planning feedback to date including breaches, appeals, and enforcement complaints Noted.

FC.19.1828 Pitch Improvement Project: a. To receive an update An update was given on the contractor’s new staff contact and the action scheduled for the completion of the outstanding works of the ducting and the car park repairs. b. To note the Drainage Steering Group meeting notes There was a discussion on the project feedback, and comments on having a path around the park and to continue to develop a close working relationship were welcomed. It was agreed that clubs should be involved in a Pavilion Working Group if formed.

FC.19.1829 To agree the Scheme of Delegation Deferred to a future meeting

FC.19.1830 To agree to the office closure for Christmas It was RESOLVED that the Parish Council office would be closed on 24th December 2020 and would re-open on 4th January 2021.

FC.19.1831 To agree to purchase a shared community noticeboard at St Peters Church The noticeboard was beyond economic repair and needed to be replaced. It was RESOLVED to purchase a large community noticeboard and work with St Peters Church PCC on the design and wording of the board to include that it was sponsored by the Parish Council. It would be funded from the Civic Furniture budget or the use of CIL.

FC.19.1832 To agree to apply for Special Nature Conservation Interest status for the Centenary Field Thanks were given to Cllr Clark and the Project Officer for their report. It was RESOLVED to agree to apply for Special Nature Conservation Interest status for the Centenary Field.

FC.19.1833 Climate and Nature Working Group: a. To agree the Terms of Reference It was RESOLVED to agree to the Terms of Reference for the Climate and Nature Working Group b. To note the draft meeting notes of the inaugural meeting on 17th November 2020 The draft meeting notes were noted.

FC.19.1834 To review the Litter and Dog Waste Bin survey and agree actions South Gloucestershire Council was thanked for their comprehensive report. There was a lengthy discussion on the type of bins, there location, and the inclusion of the community in the design. It was resolved for the Clerk to bring proposals back to a future Council meeting.

FC.19.1835 To receive the External Auditor Report on completion of 2019/20 audit The report and the Notice of Conclusion was noted. The Notice would be published on the Council website. It was RESOLVED to authorise the invoice of £960 for payment.

FC.19.1836 To agree to the annual subscription for the Adobe software business package It was noted that the software had improved document management. It was RESOLVED to agree to an annual subscription for the Adobe software business package.

FC.19.1837 To agree to the proposals arising from the business planning meetings: a. To commission a feasibility report on installing a path around the Park b. To obtain quotations for an awning at the Brockeridge Centre

7 8 8

c. To contact South Gloucestershire Council on opportunities with the devolution of land in Frampton Cotterell to the Parish Council d. To agree to the formation of a Pavilion Working Group and agree membership with Terms of Reference to be agreed at a future meeting Due to time constraints, it was RESOLVED to defer these items to the next Council meeting FC.19.1838 To note the resignation of Cllr Hockey from the Finance & Governance Committee Due to time constraints, it was RESOLVED to defer this item to the next Council meeting FC.19.1839 To agree substitute councillors for the following Committees: a. Finance & Governance b. Youth Services c. Staffing Due to time constraints, it was RESOLVED to defer these items to the next Council meeting FC.19.1840 To agree to the following changes to the Finance & Governance Terms of Reference: a. That membership is changed from 11 councillors to six councillors b. That the quorum is changed from 5 councillors to 3 councillors c. To vote on a Vice Chairman of the Finance & Governance Committee Due to time constraints, it was RESOLVED to defer these items to the next Council meeting FC.19.1841 To agree the following recommendations from the Finance & Governance Committee meeting on 15th October 2020: a. To note the FACE Youth Services contract to 31st March 2020 b. To receive an update on the ash dieback survey c. To receive the report on ALCA subscription Due to time constraints, it was RESOLVED to defer these items to the next Council meeting FC.19.1842 To respond to consultations: a. South Gloucestershire Council Local Plan Phase 1 – Issues and Approaches b. West of England Combined Authority -West of England Spatial Development engagement c. A432 Badminton Road – Yate to A4174 Ring Road Reallocation of road space for cycling – Stage 1 There was a discussion on the importance of the strategic planning consultations and the need for review and discussion. There are to be a series of consultations and briefings over the next 18+ months on the Local Plan and the Spatial Development Plan. It was felt that it was important that the newly formed Climate and Nature Working Group should also be involved in the consultations. Councillors were reminded of the forthcoming briefings for the Local Plan plus the West of England Placemaking Charter event. It was RESOLVED to form a Strategic Planning Working Group with a membership of Cllrs L Williams, T Clark, D Williams, T Niblett, D Goodwin, P Hockey to make recommendations to Council.

FC.19.1843 EXEMPT ITEMS: Prior to consideration of the following agenda items, councillors are invited to pass the following resolution: Pursuant to the provisions of the Public Bodies (admissions to Meetings) Act 1960 (as extended by S100 of the Local Government Act 1972), the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that its consideration would involve the disclosure of exempt information It was RESOLVED to exclude the Press and public. FC.19.1844 To receive an update on the sale of land near Black Rocks and agree actions There was a lengthy discussion on the response to date, implications, and options. It was RESOLVED to agree with the resolution made at FC.19.1807: It was RESOLVED to agree in principle to buying the land subject to the solicitor receiving a satisfactory response to his queries. It was RESOLVED to call an Extra Ordinary meeting if there is a need for Council action.

Meeting closed at 9.07pm

8 Agenda Item 3 9 9

FRAMPTON COTTERELL PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF FRAMPTON PARISH COUNCIL EXTRA ORDINARY REMOTE MEETING HELD ON 8th DECEMBER 2020 AT 7pm

PRESENT: Cllrs L Williams (Chair), D Hockey, M Bridgland, D Williams, T Niblett, T Clark, D Goodwin

APOLOGIES: Cllrs P Crocker, E Pennell, P Hockey

IN ATTENDANCE: A Durn (Clerk)

FC.19.1845 To receive and accept apologies for absence There were no apologies from Parish Councillors. District Cllr C Young sent her apologies.

FC.19.1846 To receive any Declarations of Interest and any requests for Dispensation There were none received.

FC.19.1847 To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meetings held on 26th November 2020 This item was deferred to the Council meeting on 17th December 2020.

FC.19.1848 To receive the Chair’s Announcements There were no announcements.

FC.19.1849 To receive submissions from the public There were no submissions received.

FC.19.1850 To agree the response to the planning consultations: West of England Combined Authority -West of England Spatial Development engagement The recommendations from the Spatial Planning Working Group were reviewed. It was reported that the Working Group felt that there were leading questions, but they were answered based on the Council’s aspirations. It was RESOLVED to approve the recommended responses subject to any other comments received by Cllr P Hockey. The Chair thanked the Working Group for their work on the consultation.

FC.19.1851 EXEMPT ITEMS: Prior to consideration of the following agenda items, councillors are invited to pass the following resolution: Pursuant to the provisions of the Public Bodies (admissions to Meetings) Act 1960 (as extended by S100 of the Local Government Act 1972), the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that its consideration would involve the disclosure of exempt information It was RESOLVED to exclude the Press and public.

FC.19.1852 To receive an update on the sale of land near Black Rocks and agree actions There was a lengthy discussion on the responses to date, implications, and options. The Council recognised the recreational use of the area over many years by parishioners but also its own legal and financial obligations. It was RESOLVED to pursue a satisfactory response the queries raised by the Council’s solicitor before the auction on 10th December 2020 to enable the purchase of land subject to the financial constraints.

Meeting closed at 8.29pm

9 Letter of thanks regarding Christmas lights Agenda Item 5 10 10 \.__\j00�n� �Gei •

t_ oo.'t_ L\- \1 Q't£ � 'f {? Puct is\

,-f"c \--\;-s,., \ C.\: \ �_;-\°'--., t---

0... '\��-t �, <-, c--A-�') i,\_) Y\�}.t o� C'.\. � �' x Q� 1 QJX..y\12_ t \.��\�.Ci .\>f-_st t '( \(.' S, \' f\ ',C� ',; +_.,_ <<" ,� _J 1() "' ';:).""� � \).)""" c:.\o .J,__ �DJ:\·\ � � "' Y�\ � O '\� �\A-\:_<; \._(L "*' \' � � � '-\'"P0-.\L l c:._ n- I- o "-cf2.. · \. °-\ '-.j L\-....,,,._,> · C, ';,'f"' , r \--�-c, "'t.. (J°l

10 Agenda Item 6 11 11

11 Agenda Item 7 12 12

FRAMPTON COTTERELL PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF A REMOTE EXTRA ORDINARY MEETING OF YOUTH SERVICES COMMITTEE HELD 30th NOVEMBER 2020 AT 7.00pm

PRESENT: Cllrs T Clark (Chair), L Williams, D Hockey, D Goodwin. APOLOGIES: Cllrs E Pennell, P Crocker

IN ATTENDANCE: FACE representative D Teml and D Young; plus, A Durn (Parish Clerk).

YS.20.28 To receive apologies for absence The apologies from Cllrs E Pennell and P Crocker were received.

YS.20.29 To receive any Declarations of Interest and Dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 None received.

YS.20.30 To approve the Minutes of the Youth Services Committee meeting held on 22nd October 2020 It was RESOLVED to approve the Minutes of the Youth Services Committee meeting held on 22nd October 2020 as a true and accurate record.

YS.20.31 To receive the Chairman’s report The Chairman welcomed the representatives from FACE to the meeting.

YS.20.32 To receive submissions from members of the public None received.

YS.20.33 To receive the briefing note on the Youth Endowment Fund The South Gloucestershire Council briefing note on the Youth Endowment Fund was noted.

YS.20.34 EXEMPT ITEMS: Prior to consideration of the following agenda items, councillors are invited to pass the following resolution:

Pursuant to the provisions of the Public Bodies (admissions to Meetings) Act 1960 (as extended by S100 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that its consideration would involve the disclosure of exempt information. It was RESOLVED to agree to exclude the public and the Press.

YS.20.35 To receive an update on the Youth Activities Offer There was a discussion on the history and background to the current three-year contract and the options currently being discussed with South Gloucestershire Council and partners. The development of closer partnership working with other town and parish councils was welcomed. An update on the contract discussions will be brought to the Youth Services Committee.

YS.20.36 To discuss options for current and future youth service provision as part of the business planning and budget preparation for 2020/21 and 2021/22 and agree actions FACE presented their report on the youth work caried out to date with groups of young people and how the service delivery had responded to the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions. They also put forward options the Committee could consider for the rest of 2020/21 and for 2021/22 as requested. There followed a discussion on responding to the impact of the pandemic, wider partnership working and different types of service delivery including how to include the hard to reach as well as vulnerable young people, safeguarding, and being able to deliver services accessible

12 13 13

to all in a wider area. There was also a discussion on best practice in youth service delivery especially locally and how the Committee could learn from these. It was recognised that there needs to be an understanding of young people profiles, what their needs and expectations are, and their ideas and aspirations for services and facilities, as well as the importance of good relationships with young people and their guardians and families. The development a Youth Council was also discussed as well as how young people could get involved with current and forthcoming events and projects.

The Chairman thanked the FACE representatives for their report and for all the work they are doing with Young People.

The FACE representative left the meeting.

The Committee discussed service delivery, projects, and budget options for 2020/21 and 2021/22 and involvement of young people. It was RESOLVED to keep the 2021/22 budget the same as 2020/21 at £35,000. It was RESOLVED to transfer any underspend in 2020/21 into an Earmarked Reserve for Youth Service Provision.

The meeting closed at 8.28pm.

13 Agenda Item 8 14 14

Hoover’s Lane, Iron Acton Hoover’s Lane is a bridleway which is a popular route for walkers and horse-riders. There are no houses on the bridleway and several landowner’s have land neighbouring the lane.

Hoover’s Lane has been identified as a fly tipping hotspot, with ongoing issues for the neighbouring landowners as waste is often dumped on their land.

As well as being a criminal offence, flytipping is an environmental issue, a blight on the landscape and a drain on council resources. Due to the ongoing incidents on Hoover’s Lane, council officers met with landowners and Councillor Claire Young to explore a solution to prevent flytipping in the lane.

It has been agreed between the landowners and the council that bollards will be installed to prevent vehicle access to the bridleway. The bollards and fixings will be designed to withstand removal or damage as much as possible. They will be capable of being folded down by those authorised to access the lane with a vehicle (e.g. the council and landowners). The bollards will be spaced to allow room for horses and people to pass safely between them and will have hi-visibility, reflective tape around them to ensure they can be easily seen and avoided.

Work to install the bollards is planned for January (pending arrival of the order).

14 Agenda Item 9 15 15

Frampton Cotterell Parish Council – District Councillors’ Report

Thursday 17th December 2020

Start Date of Phase 1 Consultation on South Gloucestershire Local Plan The Phase 1 Consultation is an elementary exercise exploring and discussing the issues, challenges and approaches that could inform our new Local Plan. The consultation will run for 12 weeks from Friday 27th November 2020 until Monday 1st March 2021. Due to Covid-19 and the current national lockdown this consultation will be entirely digital for the early part of December although his situation will be kept under close review should circumstances significantly improve.

This consultation we seek people’s views on: • the issues and priorities that should shape the Council’s plans for the next 15 years • how the Council determines its choices (e.g. where to locate large numbers of new homes and jobs, how to protect and enhance our built and natural environment, which areas to protect from adverse growth/change, etc.). • how to approach growth and change in our existing urban areas • how we can start considering growth and change in our rural communities • the range of planning policies to be included in the new Local Plan • early drafts of some policies (e.g. climate change, design, parking, etc.)

This first consultation will not address the overall housing requirement or where major development will be directed. Nor will it suggest any revisions to the Green Belt or defined settlement boundaries. It is about early ideas, discussions and suggested approaches which will inform subsequent drafting stages.

To explain the role and content of this consultation South Gloucestershire Council has been holding digital briefing and Q&A sessions for district councillors, town/parish councillors and their clerks in early to mid-December.

The consultation documents and supporting information are available at www.southglos.gov.uk/newlocalplan.

The Current Spread of Covid-19 and Mobile Testing Site Relocation Before the announcement of the second national lockdown, South Gloucestershire Council had written to the Government, asking to be placed into the Tier 2 or ‘High’ alert level. The council acted as cases became more widespread across the region rather than confined to a few areas (e.g. the UWE campus). The number of cases in older people, who are at greater risk of complications, was also rising. After the imposition of the second lockdown the 7 day infection rate within South Gloucestershire (between 28th November and 4th December) has fallen to 133 per 100k. This has now dipped below the average in England. When the second national lockdown ended on 2nd December South Gloucestershire was placed in the Tier 3 or ‘Very High’ alert level; this will be reviewed fortnightly. The latest data is at https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/covid-19-dashboard-for-south-gloucestershire/ and at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map.

The mobile testing unit (MTU) that was at The Ridings, Chipping Sodbury has moved to the Council Depot at Culvert Avenue, Yate. The MTU is a drive through testing facility, mainly serving South Gloucestershire residents, and is for people with symptoms of Covid. Residents should book to take a test if they develop symptoms of coronavirus by calling 119 or via https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/antigen/condition. Nobody should turn up at the site if they have not booked an appointment beforehand. Anybody who turns up without an appointment will be turned away.

15 16 16

South Gloucestershire Council Consults on its Budget for 2021/22 In the past decade South Gloucestershire Council has needed to make tens of millions of pounds worth of cuts as funding from central government has been stringently cut. The Covid pandemic has added to the financial strain on the council’s budget, increasing the demand for council services whilst cutting income. Officers do not yet know how much additional funding the council could receive from the Government to alleviate this unforeseen financial burden. Next year’s budget consequently remains a provisional work in progress . You have until Sunday 3rd January 2021 to tell South Gloucestershire Council what you think about its budget, council tax proposals and savings plan for next year. You can find the consultation at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/Budget2021/.

Fly Tipping on Frampton End Road – Hover’s/Hoover’s Lane Bridleway After we raised the recurring problem of fly tipping along the bridleway with council officers 18 months ago there is now an agreement, between the landowners and the council, that bollards will be installed to prevent unauthorised vehicular access. The bollards and fixings will be designed to withstand removal or damage as much as possible. They will be capable of being folded down by those authorised to access the lane with a vehicle (e.g. the council and landowners). The bollards will be spaced to allow room for horses and people to pass safely between them and will have hi-visibility, reflective tape around them to ensure they can be easily seen and avoided. Work to install the bollards is planned for January (pending approval of the order)

Consultations South Gloucestershire Council has carried out work to pedestrianise Thornbury High Street and to install new cycling lanes to the west of Yate (on Badminton Road and Station Road). Both schemes involved the use of Experimental Traffic Orders (ETOs) which have a statutory requirement for public consultations to run simultaneously alongside of them. At the end of the ETOs eighteen month duration the changes that have been implemented may become permanent. The details of the Thornbury consultation can be found at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/PT.6609_Thornbury_High_St._E.T.O and runs until 31st January 2021. The Yate cycle lane consultation can be found at https://consultations.southglos.gov.uk/consult.ti/StationCycle. It ends on 24th February 2021.

16 Agenda Item 10a 17 17

Planning Agenda 17th December 2020

SGC Ref: Address Proposed Development Comments Expiry Date P20/21709/F 11 Lower Stone Erection of a single storey rear extension 21.12.2020 to form additional living accommodation. P20/23506/F 181 Church Erection of 1 no. detached dwelling with 22.12.2020 Road associated works. P20/23719/F 64 School Road Erection of first floor side extension to 20.12.2020 form additional living accommodation. P20/23876/CLP 11 Park Row Erection of side/rear extension. 05.01.2021 Erection of single storey rear extension to form 26 additional living accommodation. Erection of front 26.12.2020 P20/23846/F Perrinpit Road porch.

Licensing: LI20/4052/STM South Glos Mobile Street Trader Van - Tony's Super Whippy 30.12.2020 30.12.2020 LI20/4054/STM South Glos Mobile Street Trader Van - Tony's Super Whippy 2

To ratify: P20/22961/F 19 Church Erection of a single storey side extension to form No Objection 11.12.2020 Road additional living accommodation. P20/23274/CLP 27 South View Installation of rear dormer to facilitate loft No Objection 15.12.2020 conversion P20/23524/PNH 38 Watermore Demolition of existing conservatory. Erection of single No Objection 15.12.2020 Close storey rear extension which would extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by 4.6m, for which the maximum height would be 3.55m and the height of the eaves would be 2.77m.

17 Agenda Item 10b 18 18

Feedback 17 December 2020 Application Address Proposed Development Observation Observation Detail Decision number DOC/266 Watermore Discharge of conditions 5 No Comment Discharge of Junior School (Construction Environment conditions Management Plan), 8 (SUDS) and 9 (Energy Statement) attached to planning permission P19/13690/RM. Demolition of existing school buildings. Erection of 5 No dwelling with appearance, landscaping, layout, scale and access to be determined. (Approval of Reserved Matters to be read in conjunction with outline permission PT18/0930/R3O).

P20/14629/F 27 Ridings Road Erection of detached annex No Objection no objection provided a planning Approved with ancillary to the main dwelling. condition is added to ensure conditions. that the annexe is used for purposes ancillary to the main residence. P20/19498/F 11 St Saviours Erection of two storey rear No Objection Approved with Rise extension to form additional living conditions. accommodation. P20/19693/F 126 Park Lane Demolition of existing side Approved with conservatory. Erection of single conditions. storey side extension to form No Comment additional living accommodation

P20/19910/NMA 179 Church Road Non Material Amendment to Approved with planning permission P19/09048/F conditions. to substitute proposed block plan No Comment 3899/P3 Rev. C for proposed block plan 3899/P3 Rev. D.

P20/21211/CLE Land at the Continued use of land as No Comment Refused rear of 470 residential amenity land (Class Church Road C3). P20/21231/CLP 23 South view Erection of single storey No Objection Refused detached garden room. P20/21901/F 219 Park Lane Erection of single storey rear Approved with extension to form additional living No Comment conditions accommodation.

18 19 19 Agenda Item 12a

19 Agenda Item 12b 20 20

Cricket Square Irrigation System

Background The water supply to the cricket squares at The Park, School Road, was deemed non-regulation by Bristol Water earlier this year. In October, the water supply was cut off to remove risk of contamination. Therefore, a new irrigation system needs to be installed prior to the start of the 2021 season in Spring. During the Pitch Improvements Project, a new pipe was installed on the works side from the cricket square to the concrete near the pavilion. However, no pipe works have yet been undertaken on the second side. New irrigation system suggestions A regulation water tank needs to be installed to supply water to both squares. Groundworks will also need to be undertaken to connect new pipes to the tank from the squares. The new system should connect a storage tank and pump to supply both cricket pitches to allow manual operation at each site (running hose points and/or traveling sprinklers). There may be an option to install a hybrid mains water and rainwater collection tank, but this will depend on the pavilion layout feasibility.

Water Matters suggested two options for water tanks:

1. Mains water supplied tank, pump house and connections (not including sprinkler system). 2. Mains water and rainwater hybrid tank with pump house and connections (if applicable to pavilion, not including sprinkler system).

The second option would be more eco-friendly; however, it has been suggested by a potential contractor that the environmental benefit may be minimal, may cost slightly more and feasibility is dependent on pavilion layout. Estimated cost of irrigation system A potential contractor has estimated that the new irrigation system (not including sprinkler system), including groundworks, could cost up to £20,000. If the cricket club wish to use a new sprinkler system with the water tank, it is suggested they seek grant funding opportunities to fund this. Recommendations: 1. It is recommended that Council agree to fund a new irrigation system up to £20,000. Funding to be sourced from Council EMR underspend for the Pitch Improvement Project. 2. It is recommended that Council install a hybrid mains/rainwater supply tank if feasible but agree to a mains water only tank if the hybrid is not an option and not recommended by contractors.

Daisy Finniear Community Project and Research Officer 10/12/2020 20 21 21 Agenda Item 13

Supporting CPRE Avon and Bristol - the Countryside Charity

Dear Parish Councillors,

I am writing to ask if your Parish Council would be willing to support CPRE Avon and Bristol – your local branch of the Countryside Charity in the coming year. I know that many of you have supported us in recent years, and continue to do so, and this is also an opportunity for us to say thank you.

CPRE has always had much in common with Parish and Town Councils. We share a deep concern for the countryside in which we live, both for its tranquillity and diversity and for the regenerating effect it has on our busy lives. That has never been truer than during the difficulties of the ongoing pandemic. We are brought together by the need to try to get the right housing, (in this region mostly affordable homes), built in the right places and to resist pressure from developers to build on green spaces that have often been precious to local communities for decades.

In recent years CPRE Avon and Bristol has successfully played significant roles in stopping a poorly conceived, environmentally damaging “Joint Strategic Plan” from being agreed amongst the region’s Unitary Authorities; in helping to secure rejection for plans for the massive expansion of Bristol Airport; and for starting to rebuild understanding of nature and the importance of “starry skies” among young people. Unfortunately, all these issues, and many more, remain on the table, with WECA embarking on a new “Spatial Strategy, Bristol Airport

21 22 22

appealing against N. Somerset Council’s admirable decision, and a huge challenge in building appreciation of the importance and value of the countryside across the broader community, urban as well as rural.

Parish and Town Councils and CPRE are now also faced with another huge challenge in the shape of the Government’s reforms to the Planning System. CPRE is not opposed to reform: there are many ways in in which the current system could be improved. However, the new proposals, will undermining local democracy, including Neighbourhood planning; attempt to centralise and standardise design standards; impose a crude and insensitive three tier “zoning system” and, worst of all attempt to force huge numbers of the wrong houses onto areas where pressures on infrastructure and the countryside are already too high are simply not the right reforms. CPRE nationally has been campaigning hard for much of this to be dropped. Here in Avon and Bristol we have lobbied all the region’s MPs explaining why the reforms would be disastrous for local communities and local democracy. [this is link to our Briefing paper as I think you may be interested to see it.]

To fund our vital work in all of these areas requires income from members and from organisations who share our goals, such as Parish and Town Councils. We recognise that such Councils vary greatly in size and capacity and for that reason we do not set an absolute figure for “membership”, but instead are inviting annual donations with a suggested guide figure of £100.00. Obviously the more Councils that feel able to make such a contribution, the stronger we will be. Where Parish Councils do become CPRE supporters we are always willing, through our district groups, to offer appropriate advice, for example on unusual or difficult planning applications. Next year, once the final shape of the planning reforms is known, we envisage offering a number of Webinars to help and explain the changes and their implications to Parish and Town Councillors. In doing so we will have the benefit of being able to draw on the expertise of CPRE’s national team.

22 23 23

I would therefore like to invite you to become a supporter of CPRE Avon and Bristol, at the suggested level of £100.00 pa, although more will of course always be deeply appreciated.

Our Director will be more than happy to help with any questions or to put you in touch with the Chair of our appropriate District Group, whom some of you will know already.

I would like to thank you in anticipation and look forward to continuing to work with you to support our vital countryside and green spaces.

Yours sincerely,

Chair CPRE Avon and Bristol

23 Agenda Item 14 YOUR24 2020 24 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

REASONS TO JOIN 1. Contact our team of experienced advisors by telephone or email for answers to your professional queries

2. Read our bi-weekly news bulletin containing the latest sector news and information

3. Join the online, professional Forum which provides unique, networking opportunities with local council colleagues

4. Access over 600 best practice advice documents on a range of topics in the members’ area of our website

5. Review our bi-monthly magazine called ‘The Clerk’ packed with advice, information and case studies from fellow members

6. Discover the latest legislation and regulation at our conferences and events at a discounted rate

7. Save on a range of council products and services, including office stationery and books

8. Advertise your councils' job on the SLCC website and take advantage of member discount

9. Maintain good practice by studying for a sector qualification or attending a continuous professional development course at a discounted rate

10. Network with fellow clerks and discuss current issues at regular county based branch meetings

11. Access the free confidential 24hr counselling service for any personal issues

24 Visit www.slcc.co.uk/membership to join today JOIN OUR COMMUNITY 2020 MEMBERSHIP 25 25 The Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) is the professional SUBSCRIPTION RATES body for local council clerks and senior council employees. Its GROSS ANNUAL JOINING FULL YEAR membership is steadily growing and now represents clerks to SALARY FROM ALL FEE SUBSCRIPTION over 5,000 councils in England and Wales. COUNCILS (NEW AND LAPSED MEMBERS)

Many councils realise the benefits of having a clerk who is Up to £1,000 £5 £44 properly trained, fully briefed on the issues of the day and £1,001 - £2,000 £5 £65 can get fast accurate advice to problems that they may face. £2,001 - £3,000 £5 £78 In fact, over 90% of members’ councils willingly pay for their clerks’ subscriptions to the SLCC as encouraged by the £3,001 - £4,000 £8 £92 Local Government Act. £4,001 - £6,000 £8 £109 £6001 - £8,000 £10 £126 NOT SURE WHICH MEMBERSHIP £8,001 - £10,000 £10 £140 YOU SHOULD GET? £10,001 - £15,000 £12 £161 Whether you’re new to the sector or have years of experience, £15,001 - £20,000 £12 £180 our range of membership means that there is a level to suit everyone. Choose from: £20,001 - £25,000 £15 £202 £25,001 - £30,000 £15 £227 l Full membership - receive all the services the SLCC has to offer, to qualify you must be a clerk or other senior £30,001 - £35,000 £15 £254 employee in a paid clerking position £35,001 - £40,000 £20 £281 £40,001 - £45,000 £20 £308 l Principal / Fellow membership - develop your career and gain recognition with the Professional Development £45,001 - £50,000 £20 £336 Scheme (PDS). The PDS contains grades of membership £50,001 - £55,000 £20 £368 which are awarded on a combination of experience, £55,001 - £60,000 £20 £398 Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and > £60,000 £20 £440 qualifications Principal or l Affiliate membership - includes some of the benefits of Principal (Affiliate) Member £0 £55 Full membership, however, members may only attend Fellow or Fellow branch meetings with the agreement of the relevant (Affiliate) Member £0 £85 branch, may not vote and are not eligible to attend the Affiliate SLCC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Membership is Membership £15 £200 available to anyone with a role or interest in local councils. Past Service Member £0 £41 l Past Service membership – Left your council? Remain a Clerk Magazine member at a reduced rate by becoming a Past Service only £0 £35 Member. Members have access to all the benefits of a Full Member except for the advisory service. “I’ve just read through the latest edition l The Clerk Magazine - Need more copies of The Clerk of The Clerk and wanted to let you know magazine? The Clerk magazine is included in the price of that you’ve reached a new high. Virtually, all the memberships above, although some members like every page was useful to me and my staff. a second copy to share with their council. And I’ve booked on the webinar elections training already.” Paul Wynne PSLCC, Town Clerk, Frome Town Council

25 Visit www.slcc.co.uk/membership to join today Making26 your case for membership26 We understand that your council may not realise the benefit of your professional membership and, furthermore, appreciate why the council should subsidise the cost of the subscription. The following information can be used in helping your council to understand the value of SLCC membership:

Under what power may councils pay the subscriptions Alright I accept that it's perfectly proper and legal for of their clerk to the Society of Local Council Clerks councils to pay their clerk's subscription but why have (SLCC)? so many councils wanted to do so? The Local Government Act 1972 s 143 (1) (b) states that, 'a local The SLCC is the professional body for local council clerks and Authority may pay reasonable subscriptions, whether annually or senior council employees in England and Wales. See the list of otherwise, to the funds of any association of officers or members benefits page one. of local authorities which was so formed.' Full members of the Society will also benefit from being members of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). This is the Do many councils pay the SLCC subscriptions of their international professional body for clerks with members based in a clerk under these powers? number of countries worldwide, particularly in The USA and The majority of SLCC members have their subscriptions paid by Canada. their council under this power. Clerks work in small organisations or often completely alone. The SLCC provides an important lifeline and support network for clerks in carrying out their day to day tasks. The SLCC advocate best Well that's all very well but you would say that wouldn't practice and the efficient and effective work of councils. Both you. Who else agrees with you? clerks and their councils benefit greatly from the clerks' National Association of Local Council (NALC), Local Government membership of the SLCC. Association (LGA) and Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) now known as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

'Your clerk (and the council) benefit if the clerk is a member of the SLCC. The SLCC provides legal, financial and other advice, a useful training pack and considerable support and guidance from the clerks' network. Your council may wish to pay the clerk's subscription to the SLCC. There is also Okay but isn't the SLCC in competition with NALC and information available on the SLCC website www.slcc.co.uk.' the County Associations which represents councils? As stated in the Good No. The Society and NALC (on behalf of itself and County Councillors Guide 2018. Associations) signed a Strategic Partnership statement in 2017 which established, among other things, that:

'NALC and SLCC are clear in their support for councils to be members of their lerk? county associations and Are you a new c NALC and for clerks to be Or have you been clerking members of the SLCC and active in their county for less than 12 months? branches. In that way Our New Clerk Events are packed with best-practice advice, councils get the best tips and information on your new clerking role. possible support for the professional development of clerks; and Understand how to compile lawful agendas including training and advice for councils and councillors. tips on writing minutes and much more! Only £10 + VAT to attend. NALC and SLCC will work together to raise the sector's reputation lerkevent for more information. Visit www.slcc.co.uk/newc with the public, with Government, and with other national and local stakeholders and to ensure that government and other policies support local councils to help local communities.'26 For more information or to join visit www.slcc.co.uk/join Agenda Item 16 27 27

Finance and Governance Committee Terms of Reference

Referring to F & G min 19.125, The Chair proposes the following to the committees Term of Reference

COMPOSITION Proposed that this shall be changed from Eleven to Six

QUORUM Proposed that this shall be changed from Five to Three

SUBSTITUTIONS Standing Orders allows…

4 d (v) “may, subject to standing orders 4(b) and (c), appoint and determine the terms of office of the substitute members to a committee whose role is to replace the ordinary members at a meeting of a committee if the ordinary members of the committee confirm to the Proper Officer 3 days before the meeting that they are unable to attend;”

MEETINGS Proposed that The Committee shall meet at a minimum on a quarterly basis - APPROVED

CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR In the absence of an Annual Meeting of the Council (this year only) the Vice Chair will be approved by Full Council on 12th November 2020

27 28 FRAMPTON COTTERELL28 PARISH COUNCIL Finance and Governance Committee Terms of Reference These terms of reference are to be read and applied in conjunction with and be subject to Frampton Cotterell Parish Council’s Finance Regulations. COMPOSITION Eleven Councillors shall be appointed annually at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council as voting members. The quorum of the Committee shall be five. The Chair of the Parish Council shall be a member of the committee. All Councillors may vote at a meeting. In the case of an equal vote the Chairman of the Committee shall have a second or casting vote.

TERM OF REFERENCE These Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually at the Annual Meeting of the Council, held in May

MEETINGS The Committee shall meet monthly. All meetings of the Committee are to be publicised, held in public and minutes taken, published and lodged with the Parish Council in accordance with the Parish Council Standing Orders. If there is NO business to be transacted the Clerk shall cancel the meeting.

MEETING DURATION The Finance Committee meeting shall be for a maximum of 2 hours, with any unfinished business being taken at the beginning of the next Finance Committee meeting. In exceptional circumstances the meeting may be extended with a vote taken by members to adjourn Standing Orders.

CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR The Chair will be elected annually at the Annual Meeting of the Council, held in May. The Vice Chair will be elected at the first meeting of the Finance and Governance Committee Meeting thereafter.

SUB-COMMITTEES Sub-committees will be appointed by the Finance and Governance Committee if necessary, for any items undertaken by the Finance and Governance Committee. The Finance and Governance Committee will determine the Terms of Refence for the sub- committee.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS If a Member has a personal interest as defined by the Code of Conduct adopted by the Parish Council then he/she shall declare such interest as soon as it becomes apparent, disclosing the nature and extent of the interest as required. N.B. If a Member who has declared an interest then considers the interest to be prejudicial, he/she must withdraw from the room during consideration of the agenda item to which the interest relates.

ADMISSION OF THE PUBLIC AND PRESS The Public and Press shall be admitted to all meetings. If required, they may be temporarily excluded by means of a special resolution as follows. In accordance with s1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 “the Press and Public will be excluded from the meeting during consideration of these items due to the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted”. The Public and Press may also be excluded where disclosure of information may lead to identification of individuals and therefore breach the first data protection principle (fair, transparent and lawful processing): in such cases s40(2) of the FOI Act 2000 would apply. 28 29 29 DELEGATED RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE – The committee is a standing committee of the Council and shall have full delegated power to deal with the following subjects: -

I. FINANCIAL MATTERS – to undertake the detailed consideration of all financial matters affecting the Parish Council

1.1 To determine all grant applications twice yearly in March and September 1.2 To determine grant funding applications 1.3 To conduct an annual review of the Council’s insurance policies and review all financial risk assessments 1.4 Responsible for the Council’s draft annual accounts and any subsequent recommendation of acceptance to Full Council, including compliance with financial audits 1.5 To determine the recommendations from other committees for non- budgeted expenditure 1.6 To determine all hire charges and monitor income received 1.7 To determine capital programmes already approved by Full Council 1.8 To monitor the progress of actual expenditure compared to the budget and all Bank reconciliations 1.9 ALL members of the committee shall join the Bank Mandate and share the responsibility of approving payments each month effected by cheque or bank transfer 1.10 To appoint an Internal Auditor 1.11 To ensure the accounts are both internally and externally audited and all actions arising from audit are implemented accordingly 1.12 To determine ensure all aspects of finance and financial regulations, including the investment of both operating and capital balances and any transfer into and out of the capital fund. 1.13 To determine transfers to and from the capital fund. 1.14 To determine the Councils investment strategy 1.15 To determine any virements required 1.16 To determine any other matters referred to the Committee by Full Council 1.17 To determine the management of the Councils’ buildings, including buildings and associated structures in open spaces/play areas and all play equipment. 1.18 To determine the adequate provision is made for the repair and maintenance of such works are carried out in a timely manner 1.19 To determine all civic furniture purchased is to specification of the Council 1.20 To review keep under review all Licences, agreements, contracts, SLA’s and Terms of Reference etc.,

2 PLANNING APPLICATIONS

2.1 To receive, consider and respond to planning applications within the desired timescales set by SGC 2.2 To note all planning decisions received 2.3 To comment on licences when requested to do so 2.4 Street naming where requested

29 30 30 NON-DELEGATED RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

a. To draft and Recommend in consultation with the RFO, the detailed annual budget of the Council b. To Recommend to Full Council the annual parish budget, and precept to be levied; 1 c. To Recommend to Full Council a full business case for borrowing money 2 d. To Recommend to Full Council the approval of the annual accounts 3 e. To Recommend to Full Council consideration of an auditor’s report made in the public interest 4 f. To Recommend to Full Council the confirmation (by Resolution) that has satisfied the statutory criteria to exercise the power of general competence 5 g. To Recommend to Full Council the adopting or revision of the council’s code of conduct 6 h. To Review and Recommend to Full Council all aspects below: -

• Health and Safety • Insurance • Fundraising • Section 106 and CIL funding • Council’s Vision • Frampton Cotterell Parish Councils’ Forward Plan • Website • Newsletter/Annual Report • Street trading/Alcohol Licenses • Consultations relevant to the Finance and Governance Committee • Financial Regulations • Standing Orders • Code of Conduct • Financial Risk Assessments and all other appropriate policies affecting the Parish Council.

------Statutory References 1 S. 101(6) LGA 1972 2 Schedule 1, paragraph 2(4) LGA 2003 3 Accounts and Audit Regulations 2011/817, Regulation 13(3)(b) 4 Audit Commission Act 1998, s,11(8) 5 Parish Councils (General Power of Competence) Order 2012/965, paragraph 1 of schedule 6 Localism Act 2011, s.28(13)

Approved Date: Minute no. Next Review Full Council 29th October Due: Meeting 2020 Annual Meeting of the Council 2021

30 31 31 Agenda Item 19b

Avon Local Councils (ALCA) Subscription 2021/22

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), it was agreed for membership for FY 2021-22 an increase of 3% of the 2020-21 subscription, i.e. to 7.42 pence per elector.

Also, at the AGM of the Avon Local Councils’ Association (ALCA), it was agreed that the ALCA Annual Subscription for membership for FY 2021-22 be increased as follows: a. A minimum subscription of £50;

b. The ALCA portion of the subscription be increased by 30% of the ALCA 2020-21 fee.

As a guide for your Council setting their budget for the FY 2021-22, your Council’s subscription for NALC and ALCA memberships, based on your 2020 electorate of 5,666, will be £ 1,025.18; this is made up of the NALC portion of £ 420.42 and the ALCA portion of £ 604.76.

However, please do not pay your subscription for FY 2021-22 now, as it is an estimate and could possibly change dependent upon your 2021 electorate. An invoice for the combined membership subscription will be sent to you by the 1st March 2021.

In accordance with the ALCA Constitution, if your Council wishes to cease membership of the Associations, they must notify the ALCA Chief Officer no later than the 31st March 2021. Failure to do so will incur full payment of the total subscription.

31 32 32 Avon Local Councils Association - Subscription 2021/22

Min FG 19.135 refers, The proposed subscription for 2021/22 is as follows:

• Avon Local Council Association £604.76 • National Association of Local Councils £420.42

Members requested more information on the services ALCA and NALC provide to the Council (a copy is attached at appendix 1) Members requested the view of the staff about this service: Project Officer - “I fully support the Council staying a member of ALCA as their support and resources are very helpful and informative. They are available if questions arise and regularly send out emails with updates on policy, laws and general useful information that will benefit the Council. I regularly check ALCA for training updates and have attended many of their courses, including but not limited to Local Council Administration 3 and Cyber Protection Training. They also run environment related training sessions which, in light of our new Climate and Nature Working Group, will no doubt be extremely relevant for both councillors and staff. It would be a real shame to lose such a beneficial resource at Frampton.” Deputy Clerk/RFO - “I agree with the sentiments above. I have attended many courses over the year including Local Councils Administration 1,2 and 3 – and consequently passed my CiLCA using these courses and materials recommended by the trainer. I have attended many finance courses over the years and its exciting that ALCA have now partnered up with the Parkinson Partnership – experts in the field of Finance and VAT (minefield). Councillors will also be able to attend these training courses as well as being able to attend the courses tailored for Councillors as in the report. Both the Clerk and I have attended many zoom sessions set up by ALCA with many other Town and Parish Council Clerks to share information during the pandemic which has been particularly helpful. They have provided the council with all the latest updates in legislation and processes the council has been required to do i.e.., addendum to the Standing Orders to reflect the change in the law allowing councils to meet remotely and giving councils the choice whether to hold its annual assembly (normally required annually by law). Consequently the Council is now being audited on some of these procedures and had we not been pointed in the right direction, it may have taken hours of reading to keep up with the fast pace changes in legislation that has had to occur". Administrative Officer - "I would support the Council staying with ALCA. I have been with the Parish Council for over 15 years and over that time the office has used ALCA for lots of training and problem solving. There never seems to be a question that cannot be answered by them, if they cannot answer instantly then they will always come back later with the information required. To leave would mean losing a trusted source of information".

32 33 33 Appendix 1

Introduction Avon Local Councils Association (ALCA) is a not for profit membership organisation, supporting Local (parish and town) Councils across the West of England (Avon) area. Local Councils are the grass roots and most important level of local government. ALCA is run by the Local Councils, for the Local Councils in the Avon area. This document sets out what we do, how we do it, the services we provide and the benefits that membership of the Association brings.

ALCA supports Local Councils to provide positive outcomes for the people in the parished areas of Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire in partnership with the respective Unitary Authorities and other public and third sector organisations.

ALCA provides member councils with advice, training, information, advocacy and networking services. We do this by understanding the needs of member councils and developing resources locally and nationally to meet those needs. Unlike other organisations we work exclusively with Local Councils and after forty seven years in operation we have a membership of 94% in the Avon area.

Funding is obtained through annual membership subscriptions and through our own earned income streams, notably the Training & Development. Unlike other County Associations ALCA does not receive grant funding from the unitary authorities.

Member councils can turn to ALCA for support, advice and representation whether it is in developing a community project or finding a way through a local difficulty. ALCA aims to provide a friendly, professional and supportive service at all times.

Our relationship with the national body. There is a county association in each county, unitary authority (or group of unitary authorities) in England and each one is independent from, but affiliated to, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) based in London. NALC provides a national voice for local (parish and town) councils across England. They campaign on their behalf, raise awareness of their work and provide them with a range of services to support their needs: • Campaigning – lobby for the issues that are important to local councils and com- municate those views to government and a range of influential organisations, in the private, charity and public sector. • Free first contact legal, accounts and audit advice – Written, telephone and digital ad- vice from NALC’s well-experienced solicitors. • Publications – A quarterly magazine, LCR, fortnightly DIS, guides on being a good councillor, employer, finance and transparency, neighbourhood planning and a range of toolkits. • Conferences, events and training – NALC’s national events and training sessions are opportunities to bring our diverse membership together to learn about new or topical initiatives and share ideas. • Publicity – Raise the profile of local councils and the sector beyond a regional level • Media – Guidance on how to deal with a media crises, how to deal with reporters and media outlets and writing a media policy.

33 34 34

• Standards, awards and recognition – Opportunities all year round for local councils to take up the chance to celebrate and be recognised for achievements through the Local Council Award Scheme, Council Spotlight and Star Council Awards.

NALC works through the County Association of Local Council (CALC) network, who are the representative bodies for Local Councils (parish and town) in their area and play a key role in the work of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). The CALCs are the first point of call. NALC supports the County Associations to provide the best and most up-to- date information and guidance.

The NALC / CALC membership subscription is combined and it is not possible to join one without the other organisation.

ALCA’s members are the Local (parish and town) Councils and parish meetings in Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Our members range from the smallest parish meetings with less than one hundred “It’s like having an extra member of electors to the biggest town councils with more than staff, but at much less cost and no twenty thousand electors. The diversity of the sector is management responsibility!” its greatest strength because Local Councils are the level of local government closest to the people they Patchway Town Councillor serve.

Internal organisation ALCA is run and managed by a Regional Committee of elected representatives from the membership - 4 Parish Councillors from each of the Unitary Authority (UA) areas, two non- voting special interest co-opted representatives and an Honorary Treasurer. 15 Members. The Regional Committee meets 4 times a year to manage and administrate the organisation and raise issues from their contact with the membership Local Councils that need to be addressed at a national level by NALC. ALCA elects a Regional Committee member to represent them at a national level at NALC committee meetings. The Chairman of the Regional Committee, the NALC Representative and the County Officer also work at a South West level. The Conference of Local Council Associations is a working partnership between Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Avon, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall Associations. There are 2 self-administrating UA Area Groups, operating in North Somerset and Bath & North East Somerset, who strive to work in partnership with their principal authority. There is currently not a UA Group in South Gloucestershire, but we do hold an AGM to select the representatives for the Regional Committee for that area.

Not all of the Avon area has the privilege of local representation by a Local Council. The whole of the City of Bristol, the city of Bath and 4 wards of South Gloucestershire are currently unparished – ALCA is committed to developing local councils in those areas that currently lack local representation and the support a local council provides.

Benefits and Services Being a member of ALCA is like having an extra person on your council team. Knowledgeable and experienced, there isn’t much that we haven’t seen before. And on the rare occasions that we cannot help we’ll know someone that can. We offer face to face, telephone and e-mail support to all member councils through:

34 35 35

• Member Enquiry Service (MES) for straightforward, generic queries • Free at the point of use confidential advisory service for complex or council-specific enquiries • Human Resources advice, from recruitment through personnel management to handling the end of the employment relationship • Financial advice, including audit, governance and accountability • Funding advice, including how to access external grant funding and administration of borrowing approval applications • Free access to the Legal Team at NALC for “first instance” advice on legal matters

Training & Development Membership allows access to events, briefings and seminars at member rates (double for non-members): • Basic training courses for clerks and councillors • Planning training • Advanced training for those wanting to push their skills or develop specialist knowledge • Formal qualifications, including the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) • Bespoke in-house training sessions so that the whole council learns together • One-off briefings and seminars on topics of particular interest

The feedback from the training was really positive. Everyone found it really informative and helpful and learnt a lot from it. Thank you for coming out to us

Best Wishes Clerk Stanton Drew Parish Council

Information Member councils rely on ALCA to keep them abreast of all the issues, legislation and developments affecting the sector so that they don’t have to spend their own valuable time and resources doing so. The information service includes: • Regular e-mail briefings on topical issues • Timely e-mail alerts on significant developments • The monthly “InShort”, e-mailed directly to the council’s inbox • The Association’s web site, with an exclusive Members Only library area for key documents and templates • Access to NALC bulletins, Legal Topic Notes and Legal Briefings

Loan applications ALCA is the body responsible for the checking and submission of Loan Sanction Approvals by all parish and town councils to the Secretary of State. In Avon we: • will ensure that current criteria and implementation information is available to all councils • advise Local Councils on the submission of loan sanction applications. • check applications for compliance with government requirements. • submit applications directly to the Ministry of Housing for Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for approval.

35 36 36

Voice & Representation ALCA provides a framework for consultation and arrangements for the effective representation and promotion of local councils at local, regional and national levels. We work to maintain relationships with local government and community organisations to further the aims of Local Councils. We do this through: • Regular meetings with county, district and borough council officers and elected members • Representing parish and town councils on boards and panels whose work impacts on our member councils • As representatives to various outside bodies • Responding to local, regional and national consultations that affect member councils • Gathering member councils’ views through the Area Group meetings, seminars and conferences, giving a direct voice to parish and town councillors and ensuring that the diverse nature of member councils is represented • Representing parish and town councils in Avon at South West Conference of Local County Associations • Lobbying the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) for policy and legislative changes to benefit member councils.

General ALCA does not have an office base, but employs a County Officer. Subscription fees are currently well below the average when compared to other County Associations whilst services are ranked as good. ALCA consistently “bats above its weight” at national level. ALCA also collects the NALC subscription as a single cost to the council.

Post 2014 ALCA had no County Officer for the 3 preceding years and despite only having very modest increases to membership subscriptions rates in the last six years the organisation has grown markedly and has become independent, autonomous and fit for purpose

Parish and town councils are stronger together, and by collectively supporting ALCA they are assured of quality services, value for money and a strong sector voice.

36 37 37

What When Who Essential Councillor 6 scheduled sessions per Deborah White annum – 3 in Spring, 3 in Autumn

At Your Place on request Skills for Chairmen 2 scheduled sessions per Deborah White annum Introduction to CiLCA Each session twice a year Deborah White - Accredited LCA 1 Trainer LCA 2 LCA 3 CiLCA networking sessions Deborah White - as required Accredited Trainer Planning in Plain English 3 scheduled sessions per Gail Boyle annum

At Your Place on request Basic Skills for new Clerks 2 scheduled sessions per Deborah White year Risk Assessment Once a year (Early Cam and Demystified December) Company Essential Social Media Twice a year Breakthrough Skills for Councillors Communications Chairing a Virtual Meeting: One off Breakthrough Skills for Councillors Communications Data Protection Essentials Annually Breakthrough & Refresher for Councillors Communications Finding new Town and Every two years Breakthrough Parish Councillors Communications Data Protection Essentials Annually Breakthrough & Refresher for Councillors Communications Introduction to VAT for Twice a year Steve Parkinson Local Councils Partnership Finance for councillors Annually Steve Parkinson Partnership Budgeting and financial Annually Steve Parkinson control Partnership Financial implications of Annually Steve Parkinson being a sole trustee Partnership Climate Emergency Action Annually Centre for Planning Sustainable Energy Cyber Crime Every two years Avon & Somerset Police Community Engagement Annually In house Information Governance Every two years One West

37 38 38 Agenda Item 20

FCPC Meeting 17th December 2020 Interim Audit 24th - 26th November 2020

The Parish Council had an interim audit carried out by its internal audit contractors, South Gloucestershire Council. Interim audits should be a useful improvement tool and help Councils with their direction of travel.

The Auditor was pleased to report that three of the 5 pervious recommendations have been completed and the remaining two are in progress.

The Auditor’s opinion is as follows:

Reliable Standard: There are very few significant matters arising from the audit, systems of control are good and provide reasonable assurance.

The actions in the Action Plan are rated as Medium and Low Priority, and Best Practice.

The Clerk and RFO are currently considering and working on the actions in the Action Plan, some of which have been completed since the audit, and a further report will be brought to Council at the meeting on 25th February 2021.

The audit was carried out at a cost of £885 + VAT. This includes an extra 4 hours for request for additional information and provision of advice, plus work to be carried out at year end. The invoice has yet to be received. Council are asked to authorise payment.

38 39 39

Audit Report

Frampton Cotterell Parish Council In Year Assurance 2020/21

Audit Plan Year: Oct - Dec 2020

Audit Status: Audit Completed

Audit Review Date: 24th – 26th November 2020 Department: External Clients Division: Town and Parish Councils

Report Distribution: Andrea Durn – Clerk [email protected] Kim Jefferies – Deputy Clerk & RFO [email protected] Chair of the Parish Council – Linda Williams [email protected]

39 40 40

Due to the current COVID 19 pandemic and in line with Government and Council guidelines on reducing all non- essential travel, internal audit services have conducted audits remotely. Our aim has been to continue to deliver our audit service whilst maintaining the safety of staff and clients. In line with this, we have not undertaken any site visits. The Clerk and Deputy Clerk have supplied all relevant documentation as evidence electronically via email.

Objective The objective of the audit was to provide an independent opinion on the appropriateness of the financial control procedures operated in Frampton Cotterell Parish Council. Audit Officer Rachel Massey examined these procedures.

Overview

The Town Council has 10 Councillors who sit across Full Council and three committees and is staffed by six members of staff. At the latest Census review just under 6000 electors were recorded.

The 2020/21 annual precept was set at £340,959.

The Auditor was pleased to report that out of the five recommendations from the previous audit in November 2019, three have been implemented and the other two are currently work in progress.

Opinion The highlighted wording in the table below provides the opinion for this internal audit review and its accompanying description.

High Standard Systems and processes are excellent providing good assurance. Significant strengths have been identified and are to be commended, any recommendations made will serve to further strengthen existing arrangements.

Reliable Standard There are very few significant matters arising from the audit, systems of control are good and provide reasonable assurance.

Improvements Required Existing procedures need to be improved in order to ensure that they are fully reliable. Extensive recommendations have been made but the issues are not of such a significance to represent a major risk to the Council.

Significant Improvements Existing procedures are weak and reasonable assurance could not be Required provided over a number of areas. Prompt action is necessary to improve the situation and avoid unnecessary risks.

40 41 41

1. Key Strengths  The RBS financial system is well utilised with invoicing and asset register being incorporated;  The budget was regularly presented to the Finance & Governance Committee;  Updated Covid-19 Risk assessments have been carried out on all Council owned buildings and play areas;  Supplementary Covid-19 Standing Orders have been provided;  Payment lists are presented to Full Council or Finance and Governance Committee for sign off.

2. Key Risks  Full Council and Sub-Committee meetings are not transparent with their decisions;  The Council does not have adequate arrangement for assessing and managing it's risks;  Financial regulations template has not been fully adopted as the Council’s own;  Inconsistency between limits of delegated authority across documents.

3. Key Actions  Meeting minutes need to be kept up to date on the Parish Council website;  The Council should aim to agree and approve minutes at the following meeting;  The Parish Council should produce an overarching Health and Safety Schedule to outline the Council's duty of care to the public;  The Parish Council should ensure that limits of delegated authority for purchasing are consistent across all documents.

4. Follow Up As part of our assurance work we will also review audit findings from the in year audit by way of a follow up. We must advise you that as per External Audit requirements we are no longer able to provide a ‘Partial’ audit opinion on the AGAR (the Annual Governance and Accountability Return). Therefore any audit finding resulting in a ‘Partial’ or ‘No’ rated Control Objective at the in year audit, still remaining not implemented by the Year End audit, will now have to be submitted as a ‘No’ rating on the AGAR.

All of the matters arising from the audit are detailed in the Action Plan together with suitable recommendations.

41 42 42

5. The Control Environment

Key Control Objectives Achieved?

A. Appropriate accounting records have been kept properly throughout the year. Yes

B. The council’s financial regulations have been met, payments were supported by Yes invoices, all expenditure was approved and VAT appropriately accounted for.

C. The council assessed the significant risks to achieving objectives and reviewed the Partially adequacy of arrangements to manage these.

D. The annual precept requirement resulted from an adequate budgetary process; Yes progress against budget was regularly monitored; and reserves were appropriate.

E. Expected income was fully received, based on correct prices, properly recorded and Yes promptly banked; and VAT appropriately accounted for.

F. Petty cash payments were properly supported by receipts, all petty cash expenditure Yes was approved and VAT appropriately accounted for.

G. Salaries to employees and allowances to members were paid in accordance with Yes council approvals, and PAYE and NI requirements were properly applied.

H. Asset and investment registers were complete and accurate and properly maintained. Yes

I Periodic and year-end bank account reconciliations are properly carried out. Test as Year End

J Accounting statements prepared during the year were prepared on the correct Test as Year accounting basis (receipts and payments or income and expenditure), agreed to the End cash book, were supported by an adequate audit trail from underlying records, and where appropriate debtors and creditors were properly recorded.

K IF the authority certified itself as exempt from a limited assurance review in 2019/20, it N/A met the exemption criteria and correctly declared itself exempt. (“Not Covered” should only be ticked where the authority had a limited assurance review of its 2019/20 AGAR)

L During summer 2020 this authority has correctly provided the proper opportunity for Yes the exercise of public rights in accordance with the requirement of the Accounts and Regulations.

M (For local councils only) N/A Trusts funds (including charitable) – The council met its responsibilities as a trustees.

6. Auditors & Acknowledgements

Audit Manager Justine Lawson

Auditor/s Rachel Massey

42 43 43

Priority: Medium

1 Meeting Minutes Responsible Officer Council meeting minutes have not been kept Non-compliance with the Local Government The meeting minutes need to be Clerk & Deputy Clerk up to date on the Parish Council website. Transparency Code. kept up to date on the Parish Target Implementation The last meeting minutes available on the Council website. Date website are from March 2020. 17 sets of It is good practice to get minutes Full Council and Committee meetings are 24/02/2021 approved at the following meeting missing from the website for 2020. and not allowing for a backlog to Under the revised local government occur. transparency code 2015, any constitutional decision must be published.

2 Health & Safety Responsible Officer Health and Safety inspections have been sub The council does not have adequate A Health and Safety Schedule Clerk & approval at Full contracted out to a specialist company and arrangement for assessing and managing its should be produced to outline the Council local inspections are being carried out risks. Council's commitment to duty of Target Implementation regularly but no overarching Health and care to the public. Planned regular Date Safety Schedule is available & annual inspections should be documented. If appropriate, utilise 24/02/2021 The Clerk and Health & Safety advisor are the existing LCRS software system. currently working on a H&S Schedule. To get the Business Continuity Plan A Business Continuity Plan is also in approved. development. The Clerk has advised the auditor that these Please provide the Auditor with documents will not be completed until end these documents for review at of the financial year. Year End. This is an outstanding recommended from last years’ audit.

43 44 44

Priority: Low

3 Financial Regulations The Councils Financial regulations have not When reviewing the Financial Responsible Officer been fully adopted as the council’s own. Regulations, ensure that all The current Financial Regulations available Clerk, Deputy Clerk & template sections have been on the Parish Council website are dated May Full Council. completed with the Parish 2019. Due to Covid-19 and the cancellation 1.5. At least once a year, prior to approving Council's details. Target Implementation of the Annual Meeting in May 2020, the the Annual Governance Statement, the Date review has been delayed until next year. Once approved by Full Council, council must review the effectiveness of its please ensure that this is uploaded 24/02/2021 This is template version and not been fully system of internal control which shall be in to the Parish Council website. adopted by the Parish Councils at its own. accordance with proper practices. E.g. Section 4.1 – a duly delegated committee (what committee has this been delegated to?) Section 11,g - Standing Orders[ ], [insert reference of the council’s relevant standing order]

4 New Scheme of delegation Inconsistency between limits of delegated To ensure that limits of delegated Responsible Officer authority across documents. authority for purchasing are A New Scheme of delegation has been Clerk & Full Council consistent across all documents. presented to audit and is currently in draft Target Implementation form. Date There are inconsistency between the 24/02/2021 emergency spending levels, £5000 in Scheme of Delegation and £2,000 in the Council's Financial Regulations.

44 45 45

Priority: Best Practice

5 Meeting Agendas Meeting agendas are not achievable. Full Council meetings should have Responsible Officer a realistic amount of actions on the The Full Council meeting agendas are very Clerk & Deputy Clerk agenda so they are achievable lengthy with lots of items being discussed, during the allocated meeting Target Implementation rolled over to the following meeting and times. Date then remaining uncompleted. If the agendas are not achievable it 24/02/2021 would be advisable for the Council to delegate powers to relevant committees and working groups where possible. Drawing up an annual policy schedule would also be advisable to allow for distribution of the tasks throughout the year.

6 Meeting minutes In consistency within meeting minutes. The minutes would benefit from a Responsible Officer standard template being used with The layout of the meeting minutes varied Clerk & Deputy Clerk the Parish Council name, logo and from month to month including one month meeting date clearly displayed at Target Implementation with no council name or branding on the the top of each. Date front page. 24/02/2021

45 46 46 Agenda Item 22

Dear Parish Council clerk

I am working with community organisations in and around Bristol and South Gloucestershire to support people and families affected by dementia to live well. Playlist for Life is a charity founded in 2013 by writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson after the death of her mother, Mamie, who had dementia. Scientific research shows that listening to a personal playlist (the soundtrack of your life) can make living with dementia easier and happier. We want every person living with dementia to have a unique, personal playlist and for everyone who loves or cares for them to know how to use it.

One of the ways we do this is through a free Playlist for Life Help Point programme in communities. I would be really grateful for the help of the Parish Council in spreading the word in your own community – and indeed, by registering as a help point yourselves, if that’s feasible. Here is more below about how we work. We’ve all had to change how we do things due to Covid-19, and we recognise that local groups and organisations may need flexibility in how they operate. We know that many still may not be able to have the face-to-face contact with people in the community in the usual ways. However, it’s more than ever vital to reach those people who are most at risk of isolation.

When a community group signs up as a Help Point, you will receive a small pack of materials to be distributed as appropriate. Some groups are able to include them with home deliveries, in others volunteers will use the materials during phone conversations, it’s entirely up to what is practical for the group. While our charity has traditionally been aimed at people with dementia, we know that during these difficult times a playlist might help anyone living in isolation, especially elderly, so groups should feel free to distribute materials as you see fit. If print materials and distribution aren’t practical yet, you can still sign up as an online-only help point for now, if you let me know.

What is in the pack?

1. 50 Get Started leaflets

2. 50 Conversation Starters leaflets

1. 50 Create the Soundtrack to Your Life booklets

2. A cover letter, explaining the best use of the resources above

In addition to the pack there will also be online support, free webinars and videos. You can also access our online resources and versions of most of the above.

You can sign up here with this very short registration form.

Bristol, S Glos, N Somerset, Gloucestershire

www.playlistforlife.org.uk

Host a Musical Tea

46 47 47 Agenda Item 23

47 48 48

48 Agenda Item 24a 49 49

2021/22 Council Tax Base The 2021/22 Council Tax Base for each area has been calculated in accordance with paragraph 3 of The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Bases) Regulations 1992 as amended by The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Bases (England) Regulations 2012. Please accept this email as notification of your provisional Council Tax Base for 2021/22. Formal notification will be provided following the Cabinet meeting on 4th January 2021.

Indicative 2022/23, 2023/24 & 2024/25 Council Tax Bases South Gloucestershire Council has maintained its budget planning to cover four years ahead. In these circumstances, the Government expects Billing Authorities to declare provisional indicative Budgets and Council Tax levels for 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 when determining their formal 2021/22 Budgets and Council Tax. South Gloucestershire Council therefore has also estimated provisional indicative 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 Council Tax Bases for use in establishing provisional indicative 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 Budgets and Council Tax levels for use by those Authorities which are subject to the Local Government Finance Settlement and which have adopted four year planning horizons for budget preparation.

Your formal indicative Council Tax Bases for 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 are included in Appendix A. As for previous years, they are based on rolling three year trends at each Parish/Town Council level, scaled pro rata to reflect proportionate shares of the overall South Gloucestershire Council total estimates for 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Local Government Finance Act 1992 – Section 41 Notification of 2021/22 Precept on Billing Authority

Town and Parish Councils are required by the regulations to formally notify Billing Authorities of their precept requirements for the following financial year before 1st March each year. However the regulations allow that, in the event that formal precept notifications have not been received by the time that the Billing Authority meets to determine the Council Tax, the Council is allowed to anticipate (or estimate) precepts. South Gloucestershire Council will be meeting on 10th February 2021 in order to set its Budget and the Council Tax for 2021/22.

Attached is a copy of the Section 41 Notification of 2021/22 Precept on Billing Authority Form for completion and return to the address indicated on the form. You are urged to ensure that you notify your 2021/22 precept requirement by Monday 25th January 2021 and no later than Friday 29th January 2021, although earlier returns would be very much appreciated.

I would also like to take the opportunity to remind you that:

· unless the Council receives a precept notification from you for 2021/22, it will be unable to make any payment to you in 2021/22.

· supplementary precepts are not allowed. You should make sure therefore that the amount of precept which you request is sufficient to meet your estimated needs.

· if your 2021/22 precept amounts to £140,000 or more, you must also provide an analysis of the estimated expenditure and income on which the precept is based for inclusion in the Council Tax Information Leaflet. This is a statutory requirement. Attached is a standard spreadsheet to complete and return. Just look for the name of your parish on the bottom tab. I have included the figures you

49 50 50

provided for 2020/21. If previously your Parish has not reached the £140k threshold and you think this may change for 2021/22, please let me know and I will create a spreadsheet for you to complete for detailing your projected expenditure.

• please ensure you request whole pounds only. We will not be able to accept requests which include pence.

General communication and notification will continue to be executed by email and for any further clarification or guidance please do not hesitate to contact me.

50 FIRM COUNCIL TAX BASE 2020/21 AND INDICATIVE COUNCIL TAX BASES 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 APPENDIX A 51 51

Parish/Town Council and Tax Base for Council Tax Setting Purposes MEMO Unparished Area Indicative Indicative Indicative # formerly Mangotsfield Rural (Forecast) Council (Forecast) Council (Forecast) Council FIRM plus parts of Pucklechurch and Westerleigh Tax Base Tax Base Tax Base Council Tax Base Previous Years’ Approved Council Tax Bases Council Tax ## formerly part of Patchway (for info only) (for info only) (for info only) before LCTR Base 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2021/22 Acton Turville 155 154 160 156 159 157 159 160 162 165 169 167 Almondsbury 2,013 2,017 2,051 2,051 2,038 2,070 2,093 2,274 2,307 2,353 2,400 2,342 Alveston 1,269 1,270 1,282 1,284 1,291 1,301 1,310 1,332 1,352 1,379 1,407 1,371 Aust 220 221 226 223 222 222 221 228 231 236 241 233 Bitton 3,104 3,090 3,172 3,170 3,194 3,246 3,312 3,312 3,362 3,430 3,498 3,472 Bradley Stoke 6,739 6,814 6,901 6,875 6,869 6,901 6,974 6,941 7,048 7,190 7,334 7,185 Charfield 889 891 905 929 1,000 1,047 1,097 1,155 1,171 1,194 1,219 1,201 Cold Ashton 121 121 122 130 130 128 128 131 133 136 138 133 Cromhall 283 283 290 289 301 313 315 313 318 324 331 325 Dodington 2,191 2,309 2,344 2,355 2,348 2,358 2,400 2,371 2,407 2,456 2,505 2,486 Downend and Bromley Heath 4,425 4,441 4,499 4,519 4,554 4,567 4,600 4,588 4,658 4,752 4,847 4,764 Doynton 144 147 151 151 151 151 154 161 164 167 170 167 Dyrham and Hinton 141 142 144 145 141 143 142 143 145 148 151 146 Emersons Green # n/a 4,998 5,075 5,335 5,780 5,947 6,243 6,471 6,565 6,694 6,828 6,745 Falfield 225 227 226 237 242 230 237 306 310 316 322 310 Filton 2,923 2,936 2,983 2,995 3,039 3,073 3,114 3,100 3,147 3,211 3,275 3,374 Frampton Cotterell 2,446 2,466 2,538 2,533 2,547 2,565 2,579 2,586 2,625 2,678 2,732 2,730 Great Badminton 102 104 109 106 108 108 107 108 110 112 115 119 Hanham 1,952 1,957 2,006 2,004 2,028 2,039 2,124 2,152 2,184 2,228 2,272 2,308 Hanham Abbots 2,249 2,185 2,307 2,313 2,319 2,336 2,347 2,346 2,382 2,431 2,479 2,451 Hawkesbury 502 509 516 512 523 537 537 541 549 561 572 560 Hill 50 53 53 52 53 52 52 52 53 54 55 55 Horton 176 173 177 183 183 188 187 186 189 193 197 191 Iron Acton 528 518 542 551 579 589 576 596 605 618 630 627 Little Sodbury 52 53 54 53 53 54 56 53 54 55 56 55 Mangotsfield Rural # 4,587 n/a n/a n/a 0 0 Marshfield 689 691 710 715 718 720 724 736 747 762 777 758 Oldbury 349 352 358 358 359 360 367 371 377 384 392 377 Oldland 4,704 4,729 4,791 4,760 4,793 4,804 4,893 4,858 4,932 5,032 5,132 5,188 Olveston 861 866 884 888 895 883 895 894 908 926 945 913 Patchway ## 3,180 2,732 3,000 3,171 3,430 3,685 3,860 3,993 4,050 4,130 4,213 4,422 Pilning and Severn Beach 1,114 1,135 1,161 1,155 1,159 1,174 1,197 1,189 1,207 1,232 1,256 1,241 Pucklechurch 886 878 898 899 902 917 951 951 965 985 1,004 1,010 Rangeworthy 268 276 281 276 287 298 299 313 318 324 331 332 Rockhampton 81 81 83 84 83 83 83 85 86 88 89 85 Siston 1,530 1,550 1,573 1,568 1,576 1,590 1,625 1,591 1,615 1,648 1,681 1,714 Sodbury 1,889 1,905 1,954 2,027 2,037 2,111 2,080 2,137 2,170 2,213 2,258 2,245 Stoke Gifford 4,791 4,849 5,061 5,091 5,340 5,529 5,823 5,881 5,967 6,086 6,207 6,240 Stoke Lodge and The Common ## n/a 685 704 696 703 707 708 709 720 735 750 736 Thornbury 4,218 4,308 4,456 4,507 4,858 5,143 5,255 5,317 5,396 5,504 5,614 5,587 Tormarton 166 168 171 171 171 174 172 174 176 180 183 180 Tortworth 54 55 60 60 61 59 63 60 61 62 63 61 Tytherington 271 276 283 303 307 321 333 365 370 377 385 378

51 FIRM COUNCIL TAX BASE 2020/21 AND INDICATIVE COUNCIL TAX BASES 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 APPENDIX A 52 52

Parish/Town Council and Tax Base for Council Tax Setting Purposes MEMO Unparished Area Indicative Indicative Indicative # formerly Mangotsfield Rural (Forecast) Council (Forecast) Council (Forecast) Council FIRM plus parts of Pucklechurch and Westerleigh Tax Base Tax Base Tax Base Council Tax Base Previous Years’ Approved Council Tax Bases Council Tax ## formerly part of Patchway (for info only) (for info only) (for info only) before LCTR Base 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2021/22 Westerleigh 1,332 1,344 1,363 1,370 1,361 1,383 1,399 1,493 1,515 1,545 1,576 1,561 Wick and Abson 697 697 720 720 723 735 750 748 759 775 790 783 Wickwar 687 699 710 708 712 759 768 827 838 855 872 861 Winterbourne 3,400 3,432 3,453 3,431 3,437 3,586 3,668 3,790 3,845 3,922 4,000 3,960 Yate 6,510 6,685 7,111 6,995 7,067 7,297 7,469 7,668 7,781 7,937 8,095 8,247 Unparished Area 11,099 11,243 11,587 11,673 11,800 11,971 12,299 12,285 12,470 12,720 12,975 13,527

TOTAL 86,262 87,715 90,205 90,777 92,631 94,611 96,745 98,044 99,504 101,503 103,531 103,923 Memo LCTR Discount with effect 8,106 7,649 6,203 6,608 6,790 6,580 5,169 5,169 from 2013/14

Annual increase in tax base 4.10% 1.68% 2.84% 0.63% 2.04% 2.14% 2.26% 1.34% 1.50% 2.00% 2.00%

52 53 53

MANAGING DOUBLE TAXATION A guide for local (parish and town) councils and principal local authorities

This report was commissioned by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), the body which represents the interests of the roughly 8,500 parish and town councils across England. Additional support came from the Commission for Rural Communities.

Information for this report was gathered between September and November 2010, a time when the policy context was rapidly developing. National Government policy has put increasing emphasis on localism and a more active civil society, whilst significant reductions in public sector spending have been announced through the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Introduction

What is double taxation? In this context double taxation is where residents in certain local council areas are paying twice over for particular public services. It can happen because many local services are ‘concurrent functions’ – that is, they can be managed and delivered either by local parish and town councils or by principal local authorities (district, borough, unitary or county councils).

Typically double taxation comes about in relation to the most locally delivered services, such as maintaining children’s play areas, closed churchyards, playing fields, open spaces, public conveniences and footpaths.

Why does it come about? There are two ways in which double taxation can happen:

1. Where provision of a service is delegated or devolved from a principal local authority to a local council without sufficient funding being passed on to cover the costs. This

1

53 54 54

may mean the local council having to make good the funding gap by raising the precept it levies on local residents;

2. Where, within a principal local authority’s area, a service is delivered in some places by that authority and in other places by local councils. This can result in some residents paying for the service in their local council area through its precept, while at the same time they contribute to the cost of provision elsewhere through the Council Tax bill from their principal local authority.

Does it affect certain types of area? Different tiers of local government may end up providing the same services because some areas are parished and some are not. They are delivered by the principal local authority in the unparished areas. Larger towns and urban areas, in particular, are often unparished. However, the situation may also arise in fully parished areas, if some local councils accept responsibility for providing (and paying for) a service whilst others do not, perhaps because they lack the capacity to do so.

Residents in both smaller parish councils and larger town councils can be subject to double taxation. Some larger (town) councils seem willing to overlook double taxation, if its extent is modest in relation to their overall budget, but others seeking to maintain their town as a viable service centre do see it as a significant issue. For smaller parish councils the issue is typically more one of fairness – residents can’t see why they should contribute to services in unparished areas, as well as paying in full (via the precept) for services in their village.

Who is this guide for? This guide has been written primarily for local (parish and town) councils and for principal local authorities, since any measures to address double taxation need to be agreed between these tiers of government. Its aim is to help them review apparent double taxation issues and to find the most appropriate way forward given local circumstances.

As far as possible the guide avoids technical detail. It runs through the main arguments for and against introducing a solution. It reviews the main approaches which have been adopted to-date, drawing on local examples, and it suggests some possible alternative approaches. It indicates those situations where the various approaches may be best suited.

Experience shows that resolving double taxation is not easy – indeed some say it can only be mitigated or imperfectly addressed. This guide tries to show how.

2

54 55 55

The policy context

Local council funding Generally speaking local (parish and town) council funding for services can come from four1 sources:  By levying a precept on households in their area, which will be added to the annual Council Tax bill issued by the relevant district, borough or unitary council;  From grants they receive, which could come from a variety of sources including a principal local authority;  From income generated by other facilities of services that they manage, such as a car park or beach huts;  Out of savings (money on account), which has been held over from previous financial years.

In practice the level of funding in the sector varies enormously – some 450 local councils have no annual budget, whilst around 50 have an annual budget over £1 million and one has a budget that exceeds £4 million.

Legislation and guidance The two most relevant pieces of legislation are:  Local Government Act 1972 – section 136 allows principal local authorities to pay grants to local councils in respect of concurrent functions, while section 101 allows one local authority to arrange for its functions to be discharged by another (this being further supported by section 20 of the Local Government Act 2000, which permits the joint exercise of functions);  Local Government Finance Act 1992 – sections 34 and 35 allow a billing authority (district, borough or unitary council) to switch some of its general expenses into ‘special expenses’, as a result of which it can charge different amounts of Council Tax in different parts of its area. Grant schemes, service delegations and special expenses are described in more detail below.

The last piece of guidance issued by national Government on double taxation was that published in 20022. The legislative framework described in that document still stands.

1 There are other potential sources, such as loans and issuing fixed penalty notices (fines). 2 Best Practice Guidance on Double Taxation (appendix 3 to The Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme), Office of the Deputy Prime-Minister, 2002. It is still available at this web address: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/155163.pdf

3

55 56 56

The changing context However, the policy landscape and context has moved on considerably, arguably making double taxation a greater consideration than it was before.

The number of local councils has increased, including where parishing took place as part of local government re-organisation. Some relatively large local councils have been created in places such as Salisbury and Shrewsbury. Since 2007 principal local authorities have been able to create new parishes and it has even become possible to do so within London.

The Coalition Government formed in 2010 has placed a great deal of emphasis upon localism; it wants to see more decisions and actions being taken at the most local level possible. As part of this policy drive it has highlighted the role of local councils.

Then there is the tightening financial position for principal local authorities. The Spending Review announced a 26% reduction over 4 years in their grants from central government and it confirmed that Council Tax charges cannot be increased in 2011/12. Many local services will inevitably be affected.

This suggests significant opportunities for local councils to expand their role as service providers to their communities. However, principal local authorities may be reluctant to hand over funding to them and may be tempted by the fact that the local council precept (unlike their own Council Tax charge) is not currently subject to capping. Under these circumstances more cases of double taxation could arise.

Should double taxation be addressed?

This may appear to be a strange question. However, whilst there are good reasons to address double taxation, other arguments are articulated for not taking action. What is clear is that the issue should not be swept under the carpet and go unconsidered. Any decision whether or not to tackle double taxation should be as a result of having considered the local issues.

Reasons to resolve double taxation  Accountability – an often quoted principle is that “finance should follow function”. The organisation responsible for delivering a service – the local council in this case – should also hold the relevant budget. This strengthens democratic accountability by making clear who is responsible for decisions about that service;  Fairness – it is inequitable if taxpayers are treated differently for no good reason. Residents in certain areas should not be paying both (in full) for the service in their locality as well as contributing to its provision elsewhere;

4

56 57 57

 Sending the right signal – public policy aims to encourage local councils to expand their role, so that services better meet local needs. However, allowing double taxation to arise discourages local councils from doing just that;  Partnership – it is a practical way in which tiers of local government can demonstrate partnership intent, reaching agreement about concurrent services and their funding;  Taxpayer interests – local Councillors have a legal duty to act in the best interests of their taxpayers. It is argued that this should include considering concerns about double taxation.

Arguments advanced for not taking action  Administrative effort – the effort and cost required to find an appropriate resolution and then manage it may be disproportionate for the scale of double taxation that occurs;  Unclear comparisons – a truly accurate assessment of double taxation would require comparison of service levels in different (local council) areas. Such like-for-like comparisons are hard to achieve;  Historic accident – uneven patterns of service delivery and which tier of government delivers what service are largely a result of past developments (rather than recent policy decisions);  Serving the wider area – more centralised services, such as leisure or arts centres, serve people across the wider area. Indeed, district councils may only have one or two such centres, inevitably located in the largest settlement(s). Put another way, local council boundaries don’t determine where people access services;  Income generating services – there is a converse argument about what to do with services which generate a profit for the principal local authority. Should that profit help reduce the Council Tax charge for all its taxpayers or only those living close by the profitable service?

Weighing up the arguments When faced with a double taxation situation certain points are worth bearing in mind.

First, tackling double taxation does not imply that every local council area should have the same service levels. Individual local councils will want to decide how far they are prepared to use their precepting powers to enhance the standard of services which would otherwise be provided. Measures implemented to address double taxation should try to avoid compensating local councils for such enhancements.

Second, it is important to be clear about the legal position of different services; when something is a concurrent function and when it is a distinct function for one tier of government. Double taxation arguments can only be made in respect of those which are concurrent functions. Annex B is a list of concurrent functions.

5

57 58 58

Third, it will help to distinguish between those services delivered at a very local level (such as play areas, sports fields, litter collection and bus shelters) and those delivered centrally (such as leisure centres) which serve a wider catchment. It is more reasonable to expect users to travel to access some services than it is to others. The more locally a service is delivered, the stronger the case for addressing double taxation concerns.

Fourth, principal local authorities should understand the geography of their double taxation issues, as different situations point towards different ways of addressing the issue. Considerations are: whether they have both parished and unparished areas; and how much their local councils vary in the extent to which they deliver concurrent services.

Fifth, it is relevant to understand how double taxation issues have come about. In particular, whether they are historic in nature or are arising as a result of decisions taken now. In theory it is easier to deal with situations arising now. Understanding this will also help to identify the best approach.

Last, it will be useful for local councils to form a view about what they are prepared to fund from their precept and to be as strategic as possible in their thinking. There is a risk of being bounced into ad hoc decisions to save (any and all) threatened services. Double taxation is never ideal, but may be tolerated up to a point for higher priority services. Local councils can take more informed decisions by knowing which services matter most to their community. One (admittedly large) local council says that if a service is really important for its town it will deliver that service for the town’s sake and not worry unduly about double taxation.

Conducting reviews and creating local policies

It is not uncommon for principal local authorities and local councils to report that there are concerns about double taxation in their area. Sometimes these have festered for a long time and have damaged working relationships.

Any plans for a review should build upon existing partnership working arrangements between the principal local authority and the local councils sector e.g. a Parish Councils Liaison Group. It needs to happen in the context of wider relations between the tiers of government. They may, of course, set up a working group to progress and report back on the review. If there are no existing appropriate arrangements, something ought to be developed at the outset. It is important that both parties buy-in to the review process and debate its findings, hopefully to arrive at common conclusions.

6

58 59 59

The review will need to be informed by a good local evidence base. This might usefully determine:  Which concurrent functions are in fact being delivered by both the principal local authority and by local councils;  How those services are being funded and, hence, whether it is the case that double taxation is occurring;  Which areas are subject to double taxation, including whether they are parished or unparished;  How that double taxation has come about and whether it is historic or arising now; and  What scale of funding is involved in cases of double taxation, including for individual local councils.

Gathering this evidence may require an early survey of local councils in the area. It may also be appropriate to have a break point in the review once it has been determined whether or not double taxation appears to be occurring. The review may not need to go any further.

If there is an issue, the various options for addressing double taxation (outlined below) will need to be considered to find the one (or ones) which best suit local circumstances. It may be useful at this stage to explore examples of these approaches from other local authority areas. The evidence collated by the review will be an important input, though other factors such as local policy objectives and resources will undoubtedly come in to play too. Another factor to bear in mind (and which might be estimated) is the effort and cost that would be required to manage the various options e.g. grant schemes. Any option selected will need to be proportionate, in relation to the scale of the double taxation issue.

Having identified a proposed way forward, it could be a good time to consult with every local (parish and town) council in the area, especially if there has not been prior consultation. This will help ensure that the review has been fair and has heard all grievances. It will also be a way to demonstrate transparency. Fundamentally, it can test views about the option which appears to best suit local circumstances and help to build consensus. A further possibility is using the consultation to gather views to inform implementation e.g. on timescales and funding processes, though care would need to be taken this is not seen locally as jumping the gun.

Implementation will require further detailed work to determine how the chosen option will operate locally. It would also be helpful to consider how that will be monitored and reviewed. With any approach to double taxation there are likely to be some teething problems or room for improvement. Over the longer term local circumstances will change and the approach may cease to be appropriate. The Quality Parish Councils scheme suggests that mechanisms for relations and financial discussions between principal local

7

59 60 60

authorities and their local councils are set out in a charter document. This can usefully set out the agreement reached about addressing double taxation and for keeping it under review. It also helps place the issue into a broader consideration of joint working arrangements and, perhaps, ambitions for service devolution. It will now need to take account of measures proposed in the Government’s Localism Bill (November 2010), such as the Community Right to Challenge.

Charters – what they say about double taxation

Leeds City Council: “Where Leeds City Council and one or more local councils agree that a particular concurrent function will be provided by the parish or town councils in their own areas ... then Leeds City Council commits itself to ensuring that double taxation does not occur in financial arrangements it makes with the local councils.”

Northumberland County Council: “Where for the time-being parochial services are being provided by the County Council, the County Council will seek to finance them by way of a special expense ... Where the County Council seeks to devolve to a local council the responsibility for delivering a service which is not a parochial service ... the County Council will normally pay the local council the full amount of the cost of providing that service.”

Good communication, partnership working and trust are likely to underpin any successful review process. They are needed at both officer and member (councillor) levels. Indeed, reviews conducted badly e.g. which fail to follow through or go back on decisions, can seriously undermine local working relations.

Main options for addressing double taxation

There is no correct solution to double taxation. Rather there are different approaches which will suit differing local circumstances. Five common approaches are outlines below. It should be noted that these are not on the whole exclusive and could be operated in parallel for different services (indeed, this may make local sense).

Option 1 : Delegation with funding Section 101 of the Local Government Act 1992 allows one local authority to arrange for the discharge of any function by another. Principal local authorities set up a delegation (or devolution) scheme, so that local councils can put forward a business case to take on responsibility for managing and/or delivering a service. If accepted, some form of contract will be signed with terms and conditions, including the budget to be paid to the local council. The service standards to be met are sometimes called a Service Level Agreement.

8

60 61 61

Where the other options below are generally about resolving historic or emerging double taxation issues, this option is mainly about stopping new cases of double taxation from arising. Double taxation can be said to occur if services are delegated, but with insufficient funding to cover the delivery costs being assumed by local councils (with the funding gap met from their precept). By providing adequate funding double taxation is avoided.

A guidance note on service delegations, with case study examples, was published by NALC and the CRC in 2009 (Guidance note: Service delegations to parish and town councils3). It found that most schemes expect delegations to be cost-neutral or better – local councils must at least match principal local authorities on service delivery cost. While local councils may lack economies of scale, they can often provide services at lower cost because they have fewer overheads or can use less specified equipment or make use of volunteers.

Isle of Wight Council When this unitary council was formed in 2005 it made a commitment to develop its 33 local councils. A Parish Devolution Empowerment Framework was developed, initially through two pilots with the Quality Parish Councils at Brading and Wootton Bridge. The framework provides a clear process and criteria for considering service delegation bids received from local councils. It allows councils to become involved to varying extents to match their capacity, from taking full ownership of services through to performing a service monitoring role. Successful bids will receive funding to go with the delegated services, but the amount must be no more than Isle of Wight Council would have spent if it continued providing the services.

Option 2 : Special expenses Sections 34 and 25 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 allow different amounts of Council Tax to be calculated for different parts of a billing authorities’ area. If there are services which a district (or unitary4) council is only providing to certain parts of its area they become ‘special expenses’, unless it resolves otherwise. Special expenses are removed from its general expenses and are shown separately from general expenses on the Council Tax bill. Such functions must be concurrent, must be a district council responsibility and must be being delivered by both tiers (district and local councils) in different places.

The billing authority only charges special expenses to Council Tax payers in those places where it is delivering and funding the relevant services. In other areas local (parish and town) councils are delivering these services and will be funding them (most probably from the precept they levy on their residents).

3 Accessible online at http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Publications/Booklets_and_Resources.aspx 4 To be precise, this refers to district level services which are provided by a unitary council.

9

61 62 62

Special expenses can be declared either for unparished areas or for local council areas where those councils are not delivering services. The neighbouring examples of Rother and Wealden district councils in East Sussex illustrate this point. They have opted to use special expenses for rather different reasons.

Rother District Council This district in East Sussex has used special expenses since it was created in the 1974 local government re-organisation from an amalgamation of one (parished) rural district and two (unparished) urban boroughs. They are levied on residents in the unparished towns of Bexhill and Rye (at £47 for a band D property in Bexhill in 2010/11). They are applied in respect of museums, bus shelters, the Bexhill Town Forum, and parks and open spaces, the last of these being much the largest component. The calculation of special expenses for the two towns is largely based upon actual costs from previous years. For something like parks, the district knows what costs its grounds contractors have estimated for each location they maintain.

Wealden District Council The district is completely parished and the issue here is maintaining closed churchyards. A review in 2008 decided not to take action, but circumstances have altered since and special expenses are to be introduced for this one service area from 2011/12. It is a response to further parochial (church) parishes closing churchyards and the relevant civic parishes deciding they don’t wish to take the responsibility for maintaining them. Legislation permits parish councils to pass that responsibility over to the district.

Residents in local council areas where this happens will see special expenses charged on their Council Tax bills. Wealden can track the cost of maintaining each closed churchyard from its financial records. A further sum will be added to build up a sinking fund for major one-off items, such as wall replacement. Wealden DC stresses that the key issue is fairness. Residents already paying a precept for their local churchyard should not be penalised.

Option 3 : Grant schemes Section 136 of the Local Government Act 1972 allows principal local authorities to pay grants to local (parish and town) councils, funded from their general expenses, in respect of concurrent functions. This will compensate local councils (or part compensate them), where they are delivering services which would otherwise fall to the principal local authority to provide. It negates or reduces the need for local councils to fund such services out of their precept. Hence, it avoids or reduces double taxation.

Grant schemes can vary significantly in their nature and complexity. Examples include: funding applications which meet specified criteria; allocating grants based on some local formula; managing a competitive bidding process; providing match-funding for locally raised money; and funding administrative costs so local councils can manage services. It is possible

10

62 63 63

to operate a scheme so it allows local councils to opt in to a grant system or opt out of it, so that service delivery remains with the principal local authority.

A certain amount of bureaucracy is generally required to operate a successful grants scheme. Typically, this might include a set of rules and criteria, an application process, an audit trail for the grant money and a monitoring process to measure outputs.

Ribble Valley Borough Council A patchwork has existed, with some local councils managing certain services and others not, in this Lancashire district since the 1974 re-organisation. In 2009 they introduced a Concurrent Functions Grant Scheme covering seven functions – play areas, burial grounds, bus shelters, footpaths, footway lighting, litter collection and dog waste bins. Local councils can apply for the re-imbursement of 25% of eligible costs they incurred in the previous year. That percentage was pragmatically chosen to fit what the district could afford. If applications were ever to exceed the scheme budget the percentage would be reduced, though experience to-date shows this is unlikely to happen. To make the scheme work all applications must be received by the same annual deadline. It is limited to revenue expenditure and excludes administrative overheads, which the district would view as “close to taking back service responsibility” if it funded. The scheme is designed to make a contribution, rather than cover full costs; the district says it would otherwise be unaffordable and it retains an incentive for local councils to keep costs down. The scheme’s introduction is felt to have gone down well with local councils.

Braintree District Council Sixty parish councils cover most of the area, but the main town of Braintree is unparished. A Parish Support Grant scheme has operated since 1974 for concurrent services. This paid a proportion of costs incurred, that proportion being higher for smaller than for larger local councils. The amount was also capped in relation to a local council’s band D property precept. Complexity was one reason this scheme was modified five years ago, as well as local councils seeking more grant stability from year to year. Braintree DC now pays the same grant as in previous years, plus an indexed amount for inflation. Indeed, the year the scheme was introduced they added 10% to cover some past inflation. The district says the scheme is now administratively simple to operate, but acknowledges it would become dated if it did not from time-to-time take account of changes in service responsibilities.

Option 4 : Help in-kind Rather than dealing directly with the services causing double taxation concerns, principal local authorities can provide local councils with support or goods in-kind as recompense for or a goodwill gesture towards their expenditure on those services. This can take a wide variety of forms, including: paying for local council election expenses; providing IT hardware or technical support; conducting free inspections of local council-run services; helping them with service maintenance; access to training opportunities; access to procurement contracts and discounted supplies; undertaking printing at low or no cost; reduced planning fees;

11

63 64 64

project development support; help with drawing up contracts; short-term staff placements; permitting the joint use of assets; and charging peppercorn rents.

Some support and goods are likely to be more useful than others, depending on the capacity and needs of local councils. Effort should be made to match up what the principal local authority could offer with what will prove most beneficial to local councils. It may also be that certain types of support should be deemed inappropriate e.g. with audit, where some separation of roles is preferable.

Lancaster District Council Following a governance review, which led to the creation of Morecombe Town Council, the district set up a Task Group to review concurrent functions and review how it dealt with double taxation. The outcome, since 2009, has been a flexible approach which mixes grants and help in-kind. The review generated evidence about double taxation and, as a result, help is now provided only for services and in places where it has been shown to exist. Local council circumstance and district policy determine the resulting mix of grants and help in- kind. Examples of help in-kind include the district providing local councils with free service inspections and with maintenance.

Option 5 : Do nothing Sometimes, even after reviewing the situation in some detail, the local decision is made not to take action which would address apparent double taxation issues. Such decisions are most likely to be reached by principal local authorities and, of course, they may not satisfy the affected local (parish and town) councils. ‘Do nothing’ is often a response to the complexity of the issue and, hence, the perceived difficulty of finding a resolution which would satisfy all parties.

Some advantages and disadvantages associated with these five options are set out in the table below. Of course, sometimes what is good for local (parish and town) councils is not so good for principal local authorities.

Options Advantages Disadvantages

Delegation with Local councils are being paid for It would be difficult to apply funding taking on a service. retrospectively (to sort historic Delegation schemes often come double taxation issues). with advice and support for local The principal local authority remains councils. responsible for the service, so there A structured way for principal will be monitoring requirements. local authorities to manage Delegation schemes often don’t fully service devolution. recompense local councils for the Such schemes send a positive service costs. message on service devolution.

12

64 65 65

Special expenses This can be seen as, theoretically, It can be complex to identify service the most accurate methodology costs by locality and hence to and option. compute special expenses. So it most obviously tackles It introduces another expense line historic cases of double taxation. on Council Tax bills, making them Special expenses are not subject harder to explain to the public. to the (local government funding) It can generate very variable Council capping regime. Tax bills between localities. It has an obvious logic to it where It is (legally) restricted to services local councils have passed service delivered by district councils. responsibility up to the principal It could be said to assume people are local authority. accessing services where they live.

Grant schemes Such schemes are relatively easy It is unlikely to cover all local council to set up. costs and will probably come with Principal local authorities restrictions. generally have experience of Indeed, there is likely to be an operating grant schemes. annual scheme budget which local Arguably they have a positive councils cannot exceed. public image i.e. “grants are There will be some bureaucracy e.g. good, taxes are bad”. grant criteria, application forms and They readily allow for (even monitoring. encourage) service improve- The principal local authority has to ments by local councils. justify its decisions about grant They need not be restricted to allocations. the local councils sector. Such schemes tend to be annually For principal local authorities, it is renewable and local councils may easy to contain the overall cost. find they are easy to cut.

Help in-kind It should be simple and efficient This could be viewed cynically as for principal local authorities to little more than “a fudge” of the real operate. double taxation issues. It can deliver genuinely useful It is likely that the help in-kind will support to local councils (where not fully compensate local councils they lack expertise or resources). for the double taxation. Certain types of support should It benefits the local council, though cement partnership working. not necessarily the precept payer. It should be easy to adjust over It may not discriminate between time to fit new circumstances. those local councils which do and don’t experience double taxation.

Do nothing This avoids devising a system It is a “cop out”, which doesn’t seek which is out of proportion to the to address the issues. scale of the double taxation issue. Residents in certain localities are left There is no system requiring paying seemingly unfair local taxes. management time and effort. Local councils may be disincentivised It accepts the inherent from taking service responsibilities. complexity of patterns of service It may damage the principal local use. authority’s partnership reputation.

13

65 66 66

Further possibilities for options

There may be other ways in which double taxation could be avoided or mitigated. These include:

 A local agreement being struck between the principal local authority and its local councils about which of them will take responsibility for which concurrent functions. Those functions to be delivered by local councils will be funded from their precept (or other income sources). Northumberland would like to reach this point for certain services (see box below). Its appeal is its ambition for the local councils’ sector. Implemented, it also clarifies the financial and political accountability for different services. Indeed, it should be more stable and less liable to annual review that many options described above. Another feature is that no money need change hands between the tiers of government. However, to tackle double taxation it must be clear that the principal local authority’s Council Tax bill has been kept down in line with its reduced role in service delivery. It also requires the whole principal local authority area to be parished, unless some other way can be found for unparished places to provide for themselves. One other obvious stumbling block is that it requires all local councils to sign up and manage the devolved services5;

 Income generating services or facilities being handed over to a local council at the same time as services or facilities which will cost them are handed over. The transfer of a package of services to the local council would then be made broadly cost-neutral;

 Local councils contracting with their principal local authority to provide certain services, much as third sector or commercial organisations might, on a full cost recovery basis. Some principal local authorities now wish to become service commissioners rather than service deliverers (the ‘easyCouncil’ model);

 Taking on a service with an endowment. Seaford Town Council has taken on an art gallery from the district council with some money towards the initial running costs and a pot of money to be used for future maintenance (capital) needs. Though only a short-term fix on the running costs, it gives them a period in which to reduce costs. Section 106 agreements (made with a developer, where planning permission is granted) have sometimes been used to generate a pot of funding to allow a local council to manage services;

5 Lower capacity local councils can work with neighbouring higher capacity ones to deliver services. Guidance on such ‘clustering’ can be found at http://www.nalc.gov.uk/Publications/Booklets_and_Resources.aspx

14

66 67 67

 More generally, levels of double taxation might be reduced (though not eliminated) if local councils seek different ways or lower cost models to deliver services e.g. using volunteers, community trusts, sharing services with neighbouring local councils and different services sharing a building and/or staff (a one-stop-shop).

Northumberland County Council The aim here is to reach a point where certain services are the responsibility of the local councils sector. This has been made possible by the formation of a unitary Northumberland authority and the creation of parishes in all previously unparished areas in 2009. The county association of local councils led the drafting of a Charter agreement between the county and the local councils sector. This states that some service areas will normally be provided by local councils – bus shelters, public seats, allotments, burial grounds, war memorials, play areas, playing fields and community centres. It is recognises that certain local councils need to develop their capacity before the aim can be realised. In the meantime, a special expenses scheme operates for those local councils which have not taken on certain of these service responsibilities.

Choosing an appropriate option

Principal local authorities and the local councils sector will need to find the option or options which best fits their local situation and addresses particular local concerns. Whilst there can be no hard and fast rules about this, the following indicates some situations where the different options may work well:

Delegation scheme with funding: where local councils taking on responsibility for certain services is a new feature or something that the parties wish to encourage through a promoted local policy initiative.

Special expenses: for services where provision is geographically dispersed (i.e. accessed very locally) and where the local costs can be identified. It is unsuited to centralised services with one or just a few outlets in a district. It can only apply to district council functions.

Grants schemes: where there is a complex mix of services affected by double taxation issues and/or a real mix of local councils which do and don’t provide those services.

Help in-kind: where the sums of money involved with double taxation are relatively modest and where the local councils sector can identify appropriate support needs.

15

67 68 68

Do nothing: where the sums of money involved are minimal for both parties (principal local authority and individual local councils). Also, where the services in question are centralised and can be said to serve the whole district.

Local agreements: where the whole principal local authority area is parished, where service provision is geographically dispersed and where there is (emerging) consensus among the local councils sector about taking on certain service responsibilities.

As noted earlier, a review may find that different options are best suited to different local services. As long as it does not over-complicate matters, it may be entirely appropriate to operate a mix of options.

Conclusions – some principles of good practice

Government policy is to encourage the devolution of services and included within that is a wish to see local councils grow their role and better serve their communities. It is apparent from policy and strategy documents by principal local authorities that they broadly share this objective. There are many reasons why some local councils are more willing to take on responsibility for services than others. Their size and capacity plays a major part. Funding arrangements, however, can also be a reason. Ideally they should incentivise local councils. Unfortunately, concerns about under-funding and double taxation can have the opposite effect, if they are seen as penalising the more willing and active. Local councils may find their residents more willing to pay for services they know will be delivered close by, but probably not if it is simply perceived as funding an unfair situation.

A good practice principle is, therefore, that where services are to be delegated appropriate funding should go with the service(s) being transferred to local councils. Otherwise, new instances of double taxation will be created. Principal local authorities should consider their approach carefully where they seek to reduce their role or cut back certain services. Equally, local councils should think strategically about the services which matter most to their communities and not walk into double taxation situations unless they are prepared to tolerate them.

A further good practice principle is that concerns about existing double taxation, where they exist, should be properly considered. Some exploration, at least, is required to see whether there is a case for further assessment and a local review.

16

68 69 69

The process for identifying a local approach needs to be arrived at through dialogue between the principal local authority and its local councils sector. Ideally, the commitment to address double taxation concerns (and any approach adopted) should be set out in a local charter or a similar document that has been agreed by both parties.

Any review of concerns about double taxation and, where appropriate, to find the best option to address it, should be built on local evidence. If possible this should show which services are involved, how they are being delivered, which areas experience double taxation, how that has come about and on what scale double taxation exists. Reviews will also need to consider the cost of implementing and managing an option, since this should be proportionate to local double taxation issues. There may be a trade-off between taking the most accurate approach and having something that is simple to operate.

The main options for addressing double taxation have been fairly widely tested (e.g. special expenses, grant schemes, help in-kind), but there is scope to experiment with other approaches. Public sector reform may encourage some of them to be tried. Reaching a local agreement about concurrent functions – which will be delivered by the principal local authority and which by the local councils sector – is an appealing approach with ambitions for devolution. But it may require a fully parished area and for all parishes to be on-board.

Where decisions about the approach to take will depend on local councils raising a precept, those decisions should be taken well in advance. Local councils must be given time to plan their precept accordingly for the coming year and should not be faced with sudden in-year or unfunded costs.

Patterns of service provision and use are inherently complex. Double taxation may never, therefore, be entirely solved. However, a balanced approach would aim to make local taxation as fair as possible, whilst accepting that not every anomaly can be removed.

17

69 70 70

Annex A - key questions for a review

When conducting a review of double taxation concerns, the following questions may be helpful ones to ask:

1. What is the best mechanism for working through the issue? What liaison arrangements and/or policies already exist between the tiers of local government?

2. Which concurrent functions (services) are being delivered in some places by the principal local authority and in other places by local councils?

3. How are those services being paid for by taxpayers and funded by local government?

4. Can double taxation be said to exist? Are households in certain localities paying both for their own and towards other people’s services?

5. How has that situation come about? Is it historic or happening as a result of changes now?

6. Why is it happening? Is it because some areas are unparished or because not all local councils feel able to take responsibility for these services?

7. What is the scale of the issue in monetary terms? Is this a substantive sum, including for individual local council areas?

8. Given the information gathered through the review, what appears to be the most suitable option (or options) for addressing double taxation?

9. What will be the cost and effort required to implement that option (or options)? Does that in any way alter the answer to question 8?

10. Given the information gathered, is there consensus between the main parties about the local facts and the best way forward?

11. How will the new approach for tackling double taxation be set out, monitored and reviewed in future?

12. How much is the local situation and policy context changing? Is the approach being adopted viewed as a long term solution or an interim one?

18

70 71 71

Annex B – List of concurrent functions

Allotments Boating pools Bus shelters Car parking (off street) CCTV installation and maintenance Cemeteries and burial grounds Christmas lights and trees Closed cemeteries and burial grounds Commons and common pastures Community centres Crematoria Entertainment and the arts Footway lighting Grants to bus operators Grass cutting Information services (tourism and transport) Highways maintenance Leisure facilities Litter and dog waste bins Museums Open public spaces Parks Play grounds Play schemes Playing fields Public clocks Public conveniences Public seats along highways Recreation grounds Sports pitches Street cleansing Taxi fare concessions Tourism promotion Traffic calming Village greens Village halls War memorials

19

71 72 72

This document was written for the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) by Brian Wilson Associates, with David Atkinson Consulting and Ellie Stoneley.

The authors would like to thank Chris Borg, the project manager at NALC, and Adam Lavis, Senior Policy Adviser at the CRC, for their helpful steers and advice. Sincere thanks also go to project steering group, who were: Louise Ashmore, Bedfordshire Association of Parish and Town Councils, Helen Ball, Town Clerk at Shrewsbury Town Council, Sue Lake, Norfolk Association of Parish and Town Councils, Russell Morgan, Town Clerk at Stanley Town Council, Sam Shippen, Town Clerk at Seaford Town Council, and Reg Williams, City Clerk at Salisbury City Council. Many people in national and local organisations contributed knowledge, examples and views during the course of the research. This document does not necessarily represent their views and any errors are the author’s.

Information provided locally and used in this guide came from Braintree District Council, Lancaster District Council, Northumberland County Council, Ribble Valley Borough Council, Rother District Council and Wealden District Council, the County Associations of Local Councils in Cornwall, Northumberland and Somerset, Salisbury City Council and Seaford Town Council.

January 2011

20

72 Agenda Item 24b 73 73

Thank you for your application to our ‘In This Together – Community Matters’ Fund.

We have received a large number of applications and the requests for funding were more than double the budget we have available. Every application has been carefully reviewed by our panel who have endeavoured to assist as many charities and community groups as possible across our operating area and prioritise those which directly benefit communities affected by coronavirus during the festive period.

Unfortunately, we are unable to award any funding to you at this time. We know this news will come as a disappointment and we sincerely hope that you will be able to progress with your project. We are in awe of all the good work that groups such as yours are carrying out to help their communities during these unprecedented times and wish you all the best in your endeavours.

Kind regards

Corporate Communications Team Manager

Western Power Distribution

Western Power Distribution (South West) plc / Western Power Distribution (South Wales) plc / Western Power Distribution (East Midlands) plc / Western Power Distribution (West Midlands) plc Registered in England and Wales Registered number: 2366894 (South West) / 2366985 (South Wales) / 2366923 (East Midlands) / 3600574 (West Midlands)

Registered Office: Avonbank, Feeder Road, Bristol, BS2 0TB

73 74 74 Agenda Item 24c&d

For the attention of Finance and HR directors, please forward where appropriate

APF: £95k Cap Statement of Intention

Public Sector Exit Payments Cap As you will be aware from previous communications, the HM Treasury regulations, on restricting exit payments for all public sector schemes, also known as the 95k cap, came into force on 4th November 2020. However, the changes required to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) regulations to allow for the 95k cap to be implemented will not be in place until a later date, possibly early 2021.

Our Approach Having taken account of guidance from MHCLG & the Scheme Advisory Board together with our own independent legal advice, APF have taken the decision to offer a scheme member, who exceeds the cap, the opportunity to take a deferred benefit under LGPS regulation 6 or a fully actuarially reduced pension under LGPS regulation 30(5). We have set out our reasons for this decision in a ‘Statement of Intention’, and this is available on the APF employers’ website at the following location: https://www.apfemployers.org.uk/publication/ep01

Pensions Strain Factors In addition to the above, we have also received formal actuarial advice from Mercer regarding the approach and factors we should use to calculate the pension strain costs. Once the LGPS regulation amendments come into force in 2021 we will move to a national approach to calculating strain costs so that they are uniform across the scheme and the same regardless of gender, rather than being set by individual fund Actuaries as is the current position. Based on their advice, we have taken the decision to adopt the unisex GAD capitalisation factors, for all employers in the interim period, but stick with the current calculation methodology. This may result in slightly reduced strain on fund costs. The revised factors were made available in ESS with effect from 28th November 2020, therefore, if you have performed a calculation through ESS before 28th November 2020, for an event date occurring after 3rd November 2020, and the member exceeds the £95k cap, we would recommend that you request/perform a revised estimate to get the current strain on fund cost in order to reassess the member against the cap.

Updated Leaver and Estimate Request Forms We have updated the leaver and estimate request forms which ask scheme employers to confirm if they are covered by the cap and if so whether the member exceeds the cap. These updated forms are now available on the APF employer’s website and should be used immediately.

I trust this clarifies the position, however, If you have any queries, please in the first instance email: [email protected]

74 75 75

Responsible Investment Annual Report 2019/20

The Avon Pension Fund has published its eighth Responsible Investment Annual Report and it is now been made available on our member’s website at the following location:

https://www.avonpensionfund.org.uk/responsible-investment-annual-report-201920

The report underlines the Funds recognition that transparency and disclosure of its Responsible Investing Policy and the related activities is an important element of being a responsible investor.

The report details the activities undertaken and key achievements made during 2019/20 by the Fund, our managers, and our partners to deliver and support our Responsible Investing Policy.

Kind regards

Marketing & Communication Avon Pension Fund

Bath and North East Somerset Council

Web: www.avonpensionfund.org.uk

75