Agenda and minutes

All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary or other Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in Section 9 and Appendix B of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed.

Agenda item 4 refers: Cllr Brooker declared he was a Councillor for Langley and Kedermister Ward.

Resolved – that the minutes of the meeting held on 11^th October 2022 be approved as a correct record.

The Financial Advisor introduced and outlined the report, which set out the Trust income and expenditure for 2021/22 for Trustee Committee approval in order to submit to the Charity Commission, and also detailed the re-stated income for the Salt Hill Playing Field Trust for 2020/21. The Financial Advisor also advised that the 3^rd recommendation made in the report was made in response to Commissioners’ comments with regard to the report and to future funding of the Trusts.

Some Members raised questions on various aspects of the Salt Hill Trust expenditure and on the lease value. In response the Financial Advisor and other Members pointed out that the report covered account income and expenditure for previous financial years where the expenditure detailed had already been agreed by the Trustee Committee at the time, and for Salt Hill 2020/21 accounts Members were simply being asked to note the correction of a previous error. 

A question was also raised regarding the Council’s maintenance programme and related expenditure. The Financial Advisor clarified that the Council parks  budget had paid for maintenance in terms of regular ongoing costs eg cutting the grass, but would not have paid for ad-hoc costs, and these would have been for the Committee to make decisions on. Going forward a report would be prepared and presented to a future Committee on how these costs could be met in the future, and options for this, including potential income generation within the parks.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Committee agreed to the recommendations made in the report. In addition Members asked that it be noted that they had read and understood the Commissioners comments presented in the report, and would be mindful in terms of Committee decisions on Trust expenditure going forward.

Resolved – that the Committee agreed to:

1.  Approve the re-stated income for the Salt Hill Playing Field Trust for 2020/21.

2.  Approve the expenditure and income for the following Trusts as set out in the report for 2021/22:

i)  Salt Hill Playing Fields

ii)  Langley War Memorial Fund

iii)  War Memorial Gardens Slough (Baylis Park) and

iv)  Glyndwr outdoor activity centre

3.  Note that the executive Director of Place and Communities was undertaking a review of Council expenditure on Trust land and would bring a report to a subsequent Trust Committee with expenditure proposals that were affordable for approval.

The Parks Manager outlined the main points of the update report. The works were now almost complete, and the report detailed works that had been carried out. As a result of the works the park was now much improved. The Associate Director Place Operations also clarified that the Committee had previously agreed that £15,000 per year for 10 years would be allocated for future maintenance of Langley Memorial Park.

Members that had seen the park agreed that it was looking better. One Member raised two minor housekeeping points relating to some untidy areas of grass verge next to the road, and a small amount of debris which needed to be removed, and officers agreed to take this as an action.

Members also raised questions about the use of an area of Salt Hill Park by the NHS for parking for a vaccination centre during the covid pandemic and works needed to reinstate the affected area of the park following this. Officers advised that negotiations with NHS were ongoing with regard to recouping the costs for works needed in order to re-instate bollards and grass in the area affected by this.

Resolved – The Committee noted the information provided on the progress of the refurbishment works.

At the conclusion of discussions, Members requested that officers work with the Legal Advisor to explore how to bring the James Elliman Trust within the remit of the Trustee Committee.

Members also requested clarification on the status of two properties previously run by the charity DASH which they understood had come under Council ownership and whether these should be incorporated into the Trustee Committee if needed.

The Associate Director Place Operations agreed to work with Democratic Services Team and the Legal Adviser and report back to Committee Chair on these issues.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 23^rd March 2023.