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The normal shambles with a car crash in the middle

Updated: Jul 29

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Facebook Linda Derrick for Ridgeway East

28 July 2024

 

This is a report of HPC’s Full Council meeting on 23 July.  It was the normal shambles but with the added excitement of car crash in the middle.  (There are other words for it but I am just too polite to use them).

 

It’s a long report but you have two months to read it.  Next meeting is September.  Only 4 more Council meetings to go until the local elections.

 

Before the meeting.

 

The meeting took place at Widmer End School.  Councillors had to sit on the schoolchildren’s chairs as they were the only chairs to be found.   Not a great start.        

 

I asked why Council meetings were now held at Widmer End School (where we had to pay) rather than at the Council offices (for free).   The locum Clerk said he had been told the Council should get out into the parish and show its face.  However, he couldn’t find anywhere to book apart from Widmer End School.  

 

One member of the public attended.   It’s good Council showed its face, sort of.   


Declaration of Interests and Dispensations

Cllr Yvonne Wilding declared an interest in the application of Mr. Richard Wilding to be co-opted onto the Council; Richard Wilding was her husband.  

 

The locum Clerk said he had received an application from Cllr Wilding for a dispensation which would allow her to participate in the discussion on her husband’s application for co-option - and vote. 

 

The locum Clerk wrongly advised Council that it was for Council to decide whether to grant the dispensation; HPC’s Standing Orders say it is for the Proper Officer to make that decision.   Council voted not to grant the dispensation.

 

Public Participation

The member of the public said he had come for item 12 on the agenda on streetlights but did not wish to speak.

 

Minutes of the June meeting  

 

As ever, the draft minutes did not comply with the Financial Regulations – Council had not approved any payments since last September and no list of payments was included in the minutes for public scrutiny.  This is true of all the minutes since last September. 

 

The locum Clerk said he had asked for the list to be added to the minutes as they went on the HPC’s website.  I assured him this hadn’t happened – and indeed some minutes aren’t on the website at all.

 

I voted against.

 

Co-option of Richard Wilding to represent Naphill and Walters Ash.


I had e-mailed Council and the locum Clerk days before the meeting pointing out that Council had not received Mr. Wilding’s application form for co-option.  This form requires applicants to confirm, against statutory criteria, whether they were eligible to be co-opted and not disqualified.  I understand this is a legal requirement.

 

At the meeting, the locum Clerk said he did not know applicants had to fill in a form and he couldn’t find one.   He advised Council that it was lawful for him to ask Mr. Wilding to confirm orally his eligibility and that he was not disqualified.   And he read out a list from his laptop (which I had difficulty hearing).  Mr. Wilding said yes or no, presumably in the right places. 

 

Council voted to co-opt Mr Wilding.  I voted against because I doubted the process was lawful.  I have written to Bucks Council to seek their advice.

 

Mr. Wilding joined the meeting as a councillor.

 

Streetlights


I asked for item 12 to be brought forward so the member of the public who came for this item didn’t have to wait for hours. 

 

Item 12 was a motion submitted by me asking Council to approve the replacement of 3 streetlight columns on the Windmill Estate and other repairs.   I have been waiting since May for this motion to go on the agenda.

 

I proposed an addition to the motion – that Council formally agree to draw down £10,000 from its reserves to cover the cost of the new columns.

 

Council approved the motion.   Yeah!!

 

Budget Report and Balance Sheet


Council still believed that it had agreed a budget at the January Council meeting (it didn’t) but whatever it thought it agreed, the budget presented at this meeting had changed since January.

 

There were large variances between the budgeted expenditure and actual expenditure in the budget report.  These should have been explained by HPC’s Responsible Financial Officer (whoever that is).  None of the variances were explained.

 

In the end, it was agreed that the budget was in such a mess that it needed a line-by-line review.   I think Council agreed that an Extraordinary meeting of the Finance Committee would do this.  However, the locum Clerk said he would find it helpful first to discuss with Cllr Kearey.  In view of my concerns, I volunteered to attend that meeting and, after the Council meeting, all councillors were invited. 

 

Confused?  Me too.   

 

I voted against receiving the report on the grounds that the budget had not been agreed by Council and the report was unreliable.  

 

Monthly payments

 

Council has not approved Council payments for 10 months and once again was asked to receive a list of payments already paid.  I voted against.

 

Items from HPC’s Human Resources Committee.


Council was asked to approve the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee in April.  After some confusion, it was decided that the HR Committee should approve its own minutes (at its next meeting in October).

 

The locum Clerk updated Council about the recruitment of a permanent Clerk.  Council contracted with a company called Council Human Resources Governance and Support to provide support for the recruitment.  I gathered the company was having no joy in recruiting – the quality of candidates was not good - and Council might need to consider changing the title of Clerk (which is thought to be off – putting) and/or paying more.

 

I said it would be helpful to have a report from the company as we were paying for their services.  I don’t think anyone heard.

 

HR Committee asked Council to consider applying to the Local Council Award Scheme. 

 

The Scheme  “exists to celebrate the successes of the very best local councils and to provide a framework to support all local councils to meet their full potential”.   To achieve a foundation award a council needs to demonstrate it has “the documentation in place for operating lawfully and according to standard practice.”

 

You have to laugh.


In my view, Council is not even committed to operating lawfully or according to standard practice, let alone actually doing it, or being able to demonstrate it is.  I thought any staff resources devoted to this work was a waste when critical things were left undone – or not done properly. 

 

Council decided that the HR Committee should consider how much resource it would take to apply for this award.   Which of course would take resources.

 

Council was asked to set up a Communications Working Group to improve engagement with parishioners.  The objectives included “improving communications amongst councillors so that opportunities to engage with residents isn’t missed.”

 

Council keeps setting up this working group, it meets on occasions, recycles ideas and nothing gets done.  There are hundred and one things Council could do to engage with parishioners (I can provide a list) but even basic things like getting an up-to-date list on HPC’s website of councillors, with contact details, seems beyond Council’s competence.  

 

I didn’t volunteer. 


Items from the Environment and Services Committee

 

Again, Council was asked to approve the draft minutes of the last meeting of the Committee in April and decided that this was for the Committee.

 

Cllr Yvonne Wilding gave an oral update on progress with the project to refurbish the playground at Great Kingshill.  She said consultation had taken place with children at Great Kingshill School and with residents at a community event on 14 July. 

 

On the other hand, Cllr Prashar declined to inform Council about consultation on the refurbishment of the playground at Templewood; she said this was her responsibility. 

 

And then the car crash happened.



 

Cllr Prashar informed Council that the tenders for the refurbishment of Templewood playground had been issued; bids had been received; some of the bids were of good quality; and the playground would be rebuilt by October, preferably before the half term holidays. 

 

My jaw dropped.   

 

Council had no idea who had been consulted about Templewood playground nor what they said.  It had not been presented with costed options for the refurbishment of the playground. 

 

Council had not been informed the tender would be issued.  It had not seen a tender specification, let alone approved it.

 

Council had not even agreed a budget for the Templewood playground.  We are talking here of a tender worth perhaps £50,000 - £100,000. 


Council had not considered or approved the tendering process (and there are strict rules about tendering in the public sector).  This included strict rules about the handling of the bids and who should be present when the bids were opened.   

 

So who, I wondered, had approved the tender specification and the tendering process and who was opening the bids?

 

Cllr Prashar said Council had been informed about the tender process (I don’t think it has) and Council had agreed to delegate (I don’t think it has).   

 

Cllr Jones, the Chair of HPC, said it didn’t matter that Council hadn’t set a budget.  There was £132,000 in the budget for both playgrounds so Council didn’t need to worry. 

 

In the end, Council agreed the Chair would summon councillors to an Extraordinary meeting to discuss the refurbishment of the two playgrounds.

 

I sent an e-mail to Council after the meeting expressing my concerns and asked for the tender process to be paused until the Extraordinary meeting.  I asked Cllr Prashar if she could let me know when Council was informed about this tender and when Council delegated any decisions on this project.  I have copied this to the company contracted by Council to manage the project, the Local Council Consultancy, and the internal auditor.

 

I have not yet had a response to my e-mail.  

 

It you want to see how Alice in Wonderland this Council is, Cllr Prashar is the Chair of HPC’s HR Committee which recommended (see above) that a  Communications Working Group should improve communications amongst councillors.  But she has failed to communicate to councillors the issuing of a tender worth anything up to £100,000.

 

You might also wonder how on earth the HR Committee, chaired by Cllr Prashar, can recommend Council applying for the Local Council Award Scheme – where the first criteria is to have “the documentation in place for operating lawfully and according to standard practice”.   

 

Then Council considered a proposal from the Hughenden Valley Climate Group for a bug hotel.   Now I am dead keen on bug hotels but, when there is limited time and resource, I do think Council should prioritise.

 

The proposed bug hotel would be on the junction of Valley Road and Warrenden Road opposite the Harrow Pub. 

 

I pointed out that the Bug Hotel is proposed to be 9’x 0’x 9’ (no idea what a dimension of 0’ would be) and look like a shed.  This seemed a surprise to councillors and I wondered if anyone else read the papers.   

 

Council agreed that a shed-like structure would be too big and inappropriate for this site.

 

 Then we looked at allotment fees.    The supporting paper said the fees had not gone up since 2018 and proposed an increase to £70 for a plot and £35 for a half plot.  

 

I wrote to Council before the meeting pointing out that this was incorrect.  Since 2018, an allotment plot had gone up from £35 to £60 and a half plot from £23 to £30. 

 

I provided Council with the cost of fees from other local parish council.  Fees in other councils are considerably cheaper (£12.50 - £30 for a full plot). 

 

I also pointed out that last year, expenditure on allotments was £19,900 and the income was £12,600 i.e. Council “subsidised” the allotments by £7300.   This was primarily due to Council overspending against its budget, including an overspend of £4k on general maintenance.  Council also has to pay rent of £5k a year to HCST for the allotment land which Council gave away unlawfully in 2015.  

 

I said it would be helpful to know:-  

- why HPC overspent against its budget last year?

- what is the occupancy of the allotments and could HPC get more income from increased occupancy? 

- should Council as a matter of policy "subsidise " the allotments – and, if so, by how much.

 

The locum Clerk acknowledged that the information provided in the supporting paper was incorrect.  Did he thank me for providing the correct information?   What do you think?

 

There was no discussion.   Council agreed the proposal to put the fees up as proposed.   I voted against.

 

Council then considered a model template for a biodiversity policy.  I have no idea what was discussed and agreed, nor where the resources will come from to do the work.  I just gave my brain a rest.

 

Then Council considered the safety inspection reports for April and July for the Great Kingshill and Templewood playgrounds.   I have been asking for the April report for months and the matter is currently with the Information Commissioner’s Office.  (The ICO has already issued two formal Decision Notices to HPC on non-compliance with the law.  The next step could be to the High Court as a contempt of court.)

 

No wonder the locum Clerk didn’t want me to see the safety reports. 

 

I told Council I had compared the 2024 reports with the April 2023 report.  One high risk at Templewood (to the roundabout) had been reduced to medium risk.  On the other hand, a medium risk on the stepping stones (which had been ignored) was now assessed as high. 

 

Meanwhile 21 medium risks to children were the same as in 2023, 5 new medium risks had been identified, one had been reassessed from low to medium, and none had been resolved.  The same for low risks – 20 low risks are still the same, 6 new low risks and none resolved.  .

 

Is it any surprise that the playground equipment has deteriorated, and residents are complaining, when no repairs have taken place?  Is it any surprise that Council is now faced with massive costs for refurbishment?

 

I said that Council had been assured at the May Council meeting by Cllrs Prashar and Wilding that the equipment was safe.  

 

The councillors amended their assurance at the June Council to say that the project manager of the company contracted to carry out the refurbishment project, Local Council Consultancy, had assured them that the playgrounds were safe.  That is now recorded in the Council minutes.  

 

Whatever the assurances from councillors and the LCC, the inspection reports - from the company contracted and qualified to carry out the inspections - say otherwise.   

 

Council had refused for over a year to even consider the reports.

 

I told the Council in March that its refusal to consider the safety reports was a disgrace.  I repeated that statement at this Council meeting.

 

I added that Council should implement the recommendations in the safety report or close down some of the equipment.  At the very least, Council should inform users of the playgrounds that there were risks to children at the playgrounds.  

 

There was no discussion.  Council merely asked the locum Clerk to look at the equipment which was high risk.

 

Confidential session - Appointment of Service Manager/deputy Clerk


Council was asked to appoint someone to this post on the recommendation of an Interview Panel. 

 

The supporting papers for this item were woefully inadequate.  There was no job description for the post (which Council had not approved) and no copy of the job advert with the desired and essential qualities for the post.

 

Nor was there a copy of the applicant’s CV nor any information about the applicant’s job history since 2015. 

 

I asked for these documents before the meeting.  I received the job description but was told by the locum Clerk that the CV was “not for release”.

 

In the absence of his CV, I looked on social media and told Council I had a number of concerns.

 

At the meeting, I tried to let Council know about my concerns but I was interrupted by Cllr Prashar very quickly.  It was obvious that Council did not want to listen or know what my concerns were, let alone address them.

 

It was quarter to ten.  I was wasting my time.  So, I left the meeting. 

 

I can’t tell you if the applicant was appointed.  I have asked but have had no reply yet. 

 

I have also asked – but got no reply – as to why CVs are now “not for release” to Council when it was standard practice before the locum Clerk started working for the Council. 

 


What a complete and utter shambles.

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