24 March 2022
Follow me @LindaDerrick1
Facebook Linda Derrick for Ridgeway East
I haven’t blogged for a while as I took a long weekend away, the computer has been in repair and there has not been a lot I could say.
I mentioned in my last blog on 12 March that Ms Hogan, the Acting Clerk had resigned. The previous day she went on sick leave which left the Council without any staff.
Despite this, the Council went ahead with its meeting as planned on 14 March at North Dean Village Hall and one of the councillors took the minutes.
Council was then able to co-opt another two councillors, Chris Janes and Neil McDonald, for Naphill and Walters Ash.
Council was also able to approve a grant for play equipment for Widmer End Village Hall (at last) and decide to object to the planning application from Country Supplies in Bryants Bottom.
So that is all very good news.
However, with no staffing, Council was unable to get access to its accounts and pay its creditors, was unable to access the e-mail account of the Clerk to respond to what might be urgent matters, and was unable to get access to the website for posting notice of meetings and minutes as it is legally required to do. Nor did Council have access to documents or any previous correspondence.
It's a real obstacle course.
So, the Council went into confidential session to discuss what it should do.
It then resolved the following: -
“That delegated authority be given to Cllr Armshaw to be the Proper Officer (PO) to Hughenden Parish Council when no officer or other appointed person is available to undertake this specific statutory obligation.
That delegated authority be given to Cllr Armshaw, Cllr Kearey, and Cllr Derrick to work together and take whatever action is required to fulfil the administrative and other functions of the Council.
That delegated authority be given to Cllr Jones to be the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) to Hughenden Parish Council when no officer or other appointed person is available to undertake this specific statutory obligation.
That delegated authority be given to Cllr Jones, Cllr Main, and Cllr Renshaw to work together and take whatever action is required to fulfil the financial functions of the Council.
That the above resolutions be reviewed at every council meeting until such time as they are no longer necessary.”
I am reproducing the resolution here because Council has so far been unable to post the draft minutes of the meeting on the website (although that might happen shortly).
Since then, councillors have been working hard to sort out the situation.
Council is having an Extra-ordinary meeting on 29 March. The summons and agenda are to be sent out today by HPC’s Chairman, Cllr Kearey.
Finally – and this is really good news for me - the Council meeting on 14 March was the first time at a parish council meeting I felt a real discussion took place. By that I mean councillors had different views, they were listened to (mostly) and in the end Council came to a decision. This was not a Council meeting that rubber stamped.