Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton Fitzpaine and Stanton St. Gabriel Parishes

Present:
S Johnson (Chairman), K Mansbridge (Vice Chairman), K Tubb, P Watt, S Creed-Castle, J Marsden & Les Smith.

Apologies for Absence: None.

Declarations of Interest:
Cllr Johnson declared an interest in the Whitchurch Playgroup committee.

Resolution to Approve the Minutes of the Finance Committee Meeting held on 27th April 2009:
Cllr Johnson read out the minutes. With regards to the playground signage it was discussed and agreed to change the recommended maximum age of the children able to use the equipment from 10 to 12, and the minutes were amended accordingly. Cllr Tubb to arrange for a sign to be displayed stating that the equipment is designed for use by under 12’s. The minutes were then agreed as acceptable, proposed by Cllr Mansbridge, seconded by Cllr Watt, all agree Action: Cllr Tubb

Actions Following the Last Meeting:
The Clerk reported that Victim Support had been contacted regarding their donation request and were asked to supply further information. This has since been provided and a donation of £25.00 was paid in May 2009.

Resolution to Set Budget for 2010/2011:
The Clerk and all Councillors discussed the budget and figures for the 2010/2011 financial year. All areas were discussed and agreed upon with the exception of the contingency fund and donation categories. Following the discussion with the playgroup representatives further in the meeting, the final figure to be requested would then be agreed. The issue of funding for the bus shelter in Morcombelake was discussed and as it is unknown if the shelter will go ahead or of the costs that may be involved it was difficult to budget a set amount. The potential Lengthsman Scheme was also discussed and it was agreed that any costs involved from either this scheme or the bus shelter could be covered by either the contingency fund or remaining monies in the bank account from the 2009/2010 financial year. * At 8.15pm Helen Roberts and Marie Winnett from Whitchurch Playgroup joined the meeting.

Resolution to Discuss and Agree Donation to Whitchurch Playgroup:
All Cllrs were given copies of documents provided by the playgroup committee, these being the Business Plan, a list of donations that have been received and a breakdown of the ingoings and outgoings. Mrs Roberts explained that the main areas in need of improvement in order to satisfy the Ofsted requirements are for the old kitchen area in the village hall to be cleared and renovated to provide a quiet area, a new range of toys that are waterproof and can be used outdoors as well as indoors, toys to promote diversity of cultures and religions and for the hall to be partitioned to allow groups of children of varying ages to undertake different activities. Mrs Roberts and Mrs Winnett went on to explain that fundraising was ongoing and to date they had raised approximately £500 and their projected fundraising figure for the academic year is approximately £1500. Playgroup hours are to be extended in January 2010 and Surestart have agreed to provide sustainability funding to assist with staff wages.

Mr Smith of the Village Hall Committee explained that the playgroup is essential for the survival of the village hall as they are the main contributors to the hall. It was agreed that the kitchen renovation was a long term goal due to the extensive costs involved but it was agreed to organise a working party to assist in clearing the area to create more space. If the renovation were to go ahead the village hall would require 50% of the space for storage of tables and chairs but the playgroup could use the other half. Following the discussions at the last parish council meeting, Cllr Watt proposed a one off donation to the playgroup of £1000, this was seconded by Cllr Marsden and agreed by everyone. As Cllr Bailey suggested at the last meeting this figure should be match funded by the playgroup by 70% and the committee were confident this could be achieved. A further proposal was made that a yearly figure be budgeted for with a view to donating funds for equipment.

It was mentioned that Wootton Fitzpaine has a mother and toddler group so they should be considered as well. Mrs Roberts explained that the Whitchurch Playgroup and Wootton Fitzpaine toddler group had been in discussions about sharing resources, toys and fundraising events. It was proposed by Cllr Tubb to set aside a figure of £250 for each group, a total of £500 in the budget, for a potential annual donation. This was seconded by Cllr Watt and all agreed. With this in mind the budget for the financial year 2010/2011 was completed and it was agreed to ask West Dorset District Council for a precept of £16,900. These figures, along with the proposals for the playgroup donations, will be put to the full parish council at the November 2009 meeting for final approval.

Any Other Business: None Close of Meeting: 9.10pm.