Agenda and minutes
PDF 229 KBVenue: The John Meikle Room - The Deane House. View directions
Contact: Marcus Prouse Email: m.prouse@somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk
Webcast: View the webcast
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To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors Peters and Smith-Roberts |
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Minutes of the previous meeting of the Taunton Charter Trustees
To approve the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee. Additional documents: Minutes: (Minutes of the meeting of the Taunton Charter Trustees held on 25th May 2021 circulated with the agenda)
RESOLVED that the minutes of the Taunton Charter Trustees held on 25th May 2021 be confirmed as a correct record. |
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Declarations of Interest
To receive and note any declarations of disclosable pecuniary or prejudicial or personal interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.
(The personal interests of Councillors and Clerks of Somerset County Council, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes.) Additional documents: Minutes: Members present at the meeting declared the following personal interests in their capacity as a Councillor or Clerk of a County, Town or Parish Council or any other Local Authority:-
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Public Participation
The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.
For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.
Temporary measures during the Coronavirus Pandemic Due to the temporary legislation (within the Coronavirus Act 2020, which allowed for use of virtual meetings) coming to an end on 6 May 2021, the council’s committee meetings will now take place in the office buildings within the John Meikle Meeting Room at the Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton. Unfortunately due to capacity requirements, the Chamber at West Somerset House is not able to be used at this current moment.
Following the Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), the council meeting rooms will have very limited capacity. With this in mind, we will only be allowing those members of the public who have registered to speak to attend the meetings in person in the office buildings, if they wish (we will still be offering to those members of the public that are not comfortable in attending, for their statements to be read out by a Governance and Democracy Case Manager). Please can we urge all members of the public who are only interested in listening to the debate to view our live webcasts from the safety of their own home to help prevent the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). Additional documents: Minutes: No members of the public had notified of a wish to speak or ask questions. |
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Petitions
To recevie any petitions from residents of Taunton containing over 200 signatures in accordance with Standing Order 30. Additional documents: Minutes: The Charter Trustees were advised that no petitions had been submitted. |
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Motions to the Charter Trustees
Additional documents: Minutes: The Charter Trustees were advised that no notice of any motions had been submitted. |
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Communications
Additional documents: Minutes: The Mayor advised the Charter Trustees of her activities since her election on the 25th May 2021;
· Attended the opening of the offices of NEST@Mallard · Attended the 77th Anniversary events commemorating D-Day, laying a wreath at the Normandy Stone in Vivary Park. · Attended the induction of the new Vicar at Creech St. Michael. · Attended a lunchtime concert at St. John’s Church. · Supported the Armed Forces Day event. · Attended an evening event with the Young Sea Cadets. · Launched the Love Windows Trail. · Opened the Rainbow Trail.
These were just a snapshot of events.
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To answer questions under Standing Order 8
A Charter Trustee may ask the Mayor any question upon an item which is under consideration by the Charter Trustees. Every question shall be put and answered without discussion. The person to whom a question has been put may decline to answer but shall give an explanation for declining to do so. An answer may take the form of :-
1. A direct oral answer; or 2. Where the desired information is contained in a publication of the Charter Trustees, a reference to that publication; or 3. Where reply to the question cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated to Charter Trustees.
Additional documents: Minutes: No Charter Trustees requested to ask a question under Standing Order 8. |
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Annual Internal Audit Report 2020/21
Added to the Agenda on 25/06/21 - Under Access to Information Procedure Rules “Where there are special circumstances requiring an item to be added to the agenda after publication, the revised agenda will be open to inspection from the time the item was added to the agenda.”
The purpose of this item is to receive and note the Annual Internal Audit Report 2020/21. Additional documents: Minutes: This had been added to the Agenda on 25th June 2021 when received - Under Access to Information Procedure Rules “Where there are special circumstances requiring an item to be added to the agenda after publication, the revised agenda will be open to inspection from the time the item was added to the agenda.”
The purpose of this item was to receive and note the Annual Internal Audit Report 2020/21. This was not mandatory but was recommended by the External Auditors in their review last year. There were some suggested improvements that were to be recommended and these were going to be addressed now identified.
During the discussion of this item, Members made comments and asked questions which included:- · A concern was raised that these matters had not been addressed by the Finance Team. · Officers worked closely with the Finance team at SWT in terms of extracting a statement of accounts. · Why had the Charter Trustees not engaged South West Audit Partnership? · They were emailed and did not respond to a request to quote. · It was stated that an Action Plan to address these points needed to be put in place. · This was a good idea and it was considered that nothing in this report could not be addressed. · The discussion on risks to the Charter Trustees had felt to be considered but this would need to be formally recorded in a Risk Register. · It was suggested that looking at what other Charter Trustee areas did in this regard would be a good idea.
RESOLVED that the Annual Internal Audit Report 2020/21 was received and noted.
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Annual Governance Statement 2020/2021
This item is to approve the Annual Governance Statement for submission to the Charter Trustee’s external Auditors, PKF Littlejohn LLP. Additional documents: Minutes: The Clerk advised that the report had been circulated and it was a requirement for the Charter Trustees to acknowledge certain statements as part of the Annual Governance Return. The Clerk advised that part of the requirements for a Charter Trustee body, which had been established in the Unparished Area in 2019 by Statutory Instrument, was an offer to become part of the Small Auditors Appointments Regime (SAAA), which the Charter Trustees had accepted previously to be a part of. Every year the Charter Trustees needed to submit an Annual Governance Statement and Accounting Statements for audit, to ensure that the proper use of public funds was being discharged.
RESOLVED to approve the Annual Governance Statement 2020/2021 for submission to the Taunton Charter Trustees External Auditors, PKF Littlejohn LLP.
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Accounting Statements 2020/21
This item is to approve the Draft Accounting Statements 2020/2021 for submission to the Charter Trustee’s external Auditors, PKF Littlejohn LLP. Additional documents: Minutes: The Mayor of Taunton advised that the Draft Accounting Statements for 2020/2021 had been circulated as part of the Agenda.
RESOLVED to approve the Draft Accounting Statements 2020/2021 for submission to the Charter Trustee’s external Auditors, PKF Littlejohn LLP.
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