View source for Annual Meeting of the Parish Council 22nd May 2025 Minutes

__NOTOC__{{CPC-2025}} [[category:The Second Case of an Absent Councillor]]
{{council-minutes-head|<!-- 1. Clerk Name --> Dawn Lacey|<!-- 2. Clerk Title -->Parish Clerk & RFO| <!-- 3. Phone -->07741 848 719| <!-- 4. Date of Minutes -->30th May 2025| <!-- 5. Meeting Title --> MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL CLAYGATE PARISH COUNCIL Meeting held on Thursday 22nd May 2025 at 7.30pm at Claygate Village Hall, Main Hall, Church Road, Claygate}}



{| cellpadding="5"
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Present:
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Chair: '''Cllr Holt'''
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Council Members:
| style="vertical-align:top;"| '''Cllr Bingham, Cllr Bray, Cllr Collon, Cllr French, Cllr Herbert, and Cllr Sheppard.'''
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;"| In attendance:				
| style="vertical-align:top;"| Dawn Lacey (Parish Clerk & RFO)<br>EBC Cllr Mike Rollings<br>Four members of the public
|-
|}



{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->1|<!--- 4. Agenda --->1. To confirm the receipt of Declarations of Interest for current Councillors.|<!--- 5. Content --->The Clerk confirmed that these have all been received and will be added to the Website in due course.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk '''[[C㉕030]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->2|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To accept apologies for absence.|<!--- 5. Content --->Apologies were received from Cllr Moon.}}

'''Before the next item a one-minute silence was held in the memory of Surrey County Councillor Mark Sugden by the Council, Clerk and members of the public.'''

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May  2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->3|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To elect a chair for the ensuing year.|<!--- 5. Content --->Cllr Holt was proposed by Cllr Bray and seconded by Cllr Collon.  This was carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May  2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->4|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To receive the chair’s declaration of acceptance.|<!--- 5. Content --->Cllr Holt signed the Declaration of Acceptance and this was also signed and dated by the Clerk.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->5|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To elect a vice-chair for the ensuing year.|<!--- 5. Content --->Cllr Bray was proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Collon. This was carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->6|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To receive declarations of interest in items on the agenda.|<!--- 5. Content --->None.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->7|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To resolve on whether the Council will move into closed session on Item 31 to discuss with the Staffing Committee any updates from the Clerk or from the Council. To move out of closed session at Item 33.|<!--- 5. Content --->This was proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray.  This was carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->8|<!--- 4. Agenda --->8.	To confirm the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 27th March 2025.|<!--- 5. Content --->These were agreed to be a correct copy and approved. They were signed and dated by Cllr Holt.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->9|<!--- 4. Agenda --->9. Review actioning of items from previous minutes and agree any further action required. (Appendix 1)|<!--- 5. Content --->Item 13:  Ongoing<br>Item 17: Completed<br>Item 18a: Completed<br>Item 18b: Completed<br>Item 18c: Completed<br>Item 18d: Ongoing<br>Item 18e: Completed.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->10|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To answer any questions from the general public.|<!--- 5. Content --->The Clerk had received the following question:<br>'''It would seem that Claygate Parish Council does not publicly state what its co-option procedure is, whereas many  other parish councils specify their procedure in their Standing Orders. (See a sample procedure below.) Would this not be an excellent time for the Parish Council to agree such a procedure, add it to its own Standing Orders, and thereby restore residents' confidence?'''<br>This question was responded to by Cllr Collon, as follows:<br>
:''"Thank you for raising this question.  Claygate Parish Council does not have a formal written procedure for co-options, but the procedure which it has followed in the past, and which it will follow next month if no election has been requested, is the procedure recommended by the National Association of Local Authorities.  If on Monday 2nd June the Electoral Registration Officer notifies the Clerk that no election has been requested, she will put on the noticeboards a notice advertising two vacancies for co-option, asking for expressions of interest by Friday 13th June.  Applicants will be asked to submit a CV. The CVs of applicants will be circulated to councillors. At the following meeting of the Council on Thursday 3rd July applicants will be asked to give a brief presentation explaining what they have to offer. The Council will then resolve under section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 to go into closed session, and will consider the candidates. If a vote is necessary, Standing Order 8 will apply.''<br>
:''"The Council will consider at a later meeting whether it is desirable to embody this procedure in an amendment to Standing Orders."''}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->27th March 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->11|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To confirm the Remit of the Parish Council (Appendix 2).|<!--- 5. Content --->It was agreed to delay the confirmation of the remit until the ''Vision for Claygate'' is completed. This proposed by Cllr Sheppard and seconded by Cllr French. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->12|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To review delegation arrangements to committees, employees and other local authorities. (Appendix 3).|<!--- 5. Content --->This was proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bingham. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->13|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To confirm the Terms of Reference (Remits) of the Planning, Highways, Environment & Transportation and Staffing Committees. (Appendix 4).|<!--- 5. Content --->It was agreed that each Committee would confirm its own Remit as its next meeting. Proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bingham. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->14|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To confirm delegation arrangements for Committees which are not quorate.|<!--- 5. Content --->It was agreed that whenever the Clerk suspects, on the basis of apologies for absence submitted in advance, that a coming committee meeting might not be quorate, she shall use her best endeavours to get another Cllr to attend that meeting, in order that it be quorate.<br>This was proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->14a|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To appoint membership to the three principal committees.|<!--- 5. Content --->a)	Environment, Highways & Transportation Committee:<br>Cllr Holt, Cllr Bray, Cllr French and Cllr Herbert<br>b) Planning Committee:<br>Cllr Holt, Cllr Sheppard, Cllr Bingham, Cllr Collon and Cllr Herbert<br>c)	Staffing Committee<br>Cllr French and Cllr Sheppard}} 

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->15|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To review, reaffirm and adopt the Council’s Standing orders, Financial Regulations, Members Code of Conduct, Health & Safety Policy, Freedom of Information Policy, Freedom of Information Publication Scheme, Risk Management Policy and Assessment, Document Retention Policy, Data Protection Policy, Privacy Policy, Dignity at Work Policy, Complaints Procedure, Media & Communications Policy, CIL Policy and Guidance, Grants Policy and Guidance, Sickness at Work Policy, Register of Interests and the Hospitality Register. (Appendix 5).|<!--- 5. Content --->There were adjustments made to several of the policies which the Clerk will action. These will be re-circulated for approval at the June meeting and added to our website thereafter.<br>The need to review our Standing Orders was discussed and agreed Cllr Collon and Cllr Sheppard will work with the Clerk on this with a view to a new set of Standing Orders being presented for approval at a future meeting.<br>The above was proposed by Cllr Sheppard and seconded by Cllr Holt. Carried unanimously.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk on the adjustments to current policies. '''[[C㉕031]]'''}}<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk, Cllr Collon and Cllr Sheppard on the CPC Standing Orders. '''[[C㉕032]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->16|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To review arrangements including any charters with other local authorities and review of contributions (Appendix 6).|<!--- 5. Content --->Approval of the Parish Charter was proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->17|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To review representation on and monitoring of, external bodies and arrangements for reporting back.|<!--- 5. Content --->A: '''EBC Overview & Scrutiny Committee''': Cllr French to continue to monitor this EBC Committee.<br>Proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bingham. Carried unanimously.<br>B: '''EBC Audit and Standards Committee''': Cllr Holt proposed that Cllr Herbert should be nominated as our representative on this committee. This was seconded by Cllr Bingham and carried unanimously.<br>C: '''EBC’s Main Planning Committee''': Cllr Bray to continue monitor this body for our own Planning Committee.  Proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Collon. Carried unanimously.<br>D: '''EBC’S East Area Planning Committee''': Cllr Herbert to continue to monitor this body for our own Planning Committee. Proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bingham. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->18|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To review the Council’s assets (Appendix 7).|<!--- 5. Content --->It was agreed that Cllr Bray will work with the Clerk to review the Council’s assets and to update our asset register and post the results to our website. Proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Sheppard. Carried unanimously.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk and Cllr Bray '''[[C㉕033]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->19|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To confirm arrangements for insurance cover in respect of all insured risks. (Appendix 8).|<!--- 5. Content --->These arrangements in Appendix 8 were proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Sheppard – carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->20|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To review the Council’s and/or staff subscriptions to other bodies.|<!--- 5. Content --->Memberships with SALC/NALC and SLCC were discussed. It was proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Collon to continue with these. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->21|<!--- 4. Agenda --->Review of the Council's expenditure incurred under s.137 of the Local Government Act 1972.|<!--- 5. Content --->None to report.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->22|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To approve the Parish Council bank accounts online signatories, invoice signatories and signatories of monthly bank reconciliations through to March 2026 and approve the appointment of the Clerk as service administrator to all bank accounts. (Appendix 9).|<!--- 5. Content --->Cllr Holt, Cllr Moon, Cllr Bray and Cllr Collon to continue as signatories. Clerk approved as Service Administrator to all bank accounts. These arrangements were proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray.<br>Carried unanimously.<br>Cllr Bray asked the chair and Clerk to look at transferring appropriate monies from the main Unity Account to the higher-interest-yielding Building Society and report at the next meeting.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk & Cllr Holt '''[[C㉕034]]'''}}
}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->23|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To set the dates and times of meetings of the Council and its Committees for the year ahead. (Appendix 10)|<!--- 5. Content --->The arrangements in Appendix 10 were proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->24|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To receive and review the Annual Governance Statement for the year ending 31/3/2025 and sign it. (Appendix 11)|<!--- 5. Content --->These were proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray. Carried unanimously. Signed by Cllr Holt and also by the Clerk.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk to send the AGAR to our external auditors for approval. '''[[C㉕035]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->25|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To receive and review the Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31/3/25 and sign accounts. (Appendix 12)|<!--- 5. Content --->These were proposed by Cllr Holt and seconded by Cllr Bray. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->26|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To receive details of grant applications and consider whether they will be approved.<br>a: CRGT Trust (Appendix 13)|<!--- 5. Content --->The grant application was approved. Proposed by Cllr Sheppard and seconded by Cllr Collon. Carried unanimously.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk to contact CRGT. '''[[C㉕036]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->27|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To discuss the feedback from the EBC Quarterly meeting on the ''Claygate Vision and Action Plan Consultation'' and discuss any further action that maybe required|<!--- 5. Content --->As far as the ''Vision and Action Plan Consultation'' is concerned, it was agreed to carry this over to a later meeting as there is a meeting scheduled with EBC to review the outcomes of the consultation in June.<br>There was discussion about EBC’s proposals for TLCP, which had themselves been discussed at the last EBC/CPC liaison meeting on May 19th. EBCllr Rollings noted that, following discussions he had had with Dawn Crewe, EBC was now happy that CPC could issue a statement on this. It was agreed that Cllr Holt would draft a statement, circulate it to PCllrs initially and then to EBCllrs Rollings & Coomes for their comments, before posting to our website.<br>Cllr Holt to draft a statement re EBC’s proposals for TLCP, circulate to PCllrs, and EBCllrs Rollings & Coomes for comment, prior to publishing.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Clerk to add to June agenda. '''[[C㉕037]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->28|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To discuss the possibilities of advertising in the ''Claygate Courier''.|<!--- 5. Content --->A discussion was held about the possibility of local businesses advertising in the Claygate Courier with several views being expressed, some strongly.  A few of the issues were:<br>a.	Peter Whitehead already does an enormous amount of work producing the ''Courier'' as it is, and we should not take for granted that he would be happy to take on such additional work.<br>b.	It might be possible to produce an advertising supplement to the ''Courier'' [i.e. a document separate and distinct from it]<br>c. Whatever is done, it needs to be in harmony with the Shops & Businesses Advisory Group.<br>At the end of the discussion, it was agreed that Cllr Herbert would produce a proposal paper for the next meeting, but that this should not involve him in any further discussions with business owners, or Peter Whitehead.<br>This was proposed by Cllr Holt, seconded by Cllr Bingham and carried unanimously.<br>{{hi|ACTION – Cllr Herbert '''[[C㉕038]]'''}}}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->29|<!--- 4. Agenda --->Matters for information purposes only.|<!--- 5. Content --->None.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->30|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To confirm the date and time of the next meeting.|<!--- 5. Content --->Claygate Village Hall, Small Hall; Thursday 26th June 8.30pm}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->31|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To move into closed session.|<!--- 5. Content --->The Council moved into closed session at 9.00pm.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->32|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To discuss the Clerk’s objectives and review.|<!--- 5. Content --->A discussion was held between the councillors and the Clerk. Cllr Bray asked for a minuted vote of thanks to Dawn in her first year as the Clerk & RFO of CPC. Proposed by Cllr Bray and seconded by Cllr Holt. Carried unanimously.}}

{{Minute|<!--- 1. Meeting Date --->22nd May 2025|<!--- 2. Council or Committee meeting --->Parish Council meeting|<!--- 3. Item Number --->33|<!--- 4. Agenda --->To move out of closed session.|<!--- 5. Content --->The council moved out of closed session.}}

The meeting closed at 9.25pm.

== Appendix 1: Actions List from the CPC Meeting held on Thursday 27th March 2025 ==
{| border="1" cellpadding="3"
|-
|  align="center" |'''Action №'''
|  align="center" |'''Date Created'''
|  align="center" |'''Description'''
|  align="center" | '''By'''
|  align="center" |'''Status'''
|-
{{C㉕023}}
{{C㉕024}}
{{C㉕025}}
{{C㉕026}}
{{C㉕027}}
{{C㉕028}}
{{C㉕029}}
|}