Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To elect a Chair of the Cabinet Sub-Committee (Council Charities) for this meeting.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Alistair Willoughby be elected as Chair of the meeting.

Audio recording – 52 seconds

Councillor Ian Albert proposed and Councillor Ruth Brown seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That Councillor Alistair Willoughby be elected as Chair of the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.  

Audio recording – 1 minute 54 seconds

There were no apologies for absence.

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 13 December 2021.

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 13 December 2021 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Audio Recording – 1 minute 57 seconds

Councillor Alistair Willoughby, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Ian Albert seconded, and following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 13 December 2021 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency.

The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered.

There was no other business notified.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 42 seconds

There was no other business notified.

Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda.  Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote.

The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 44 seconds

(1)        The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded;

(2)        The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

There was no public participation.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 56 seconds

There was no public participation.

REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – RESOURCES

This report includes the returns required for each of the Charities/Charitable Trusts administered by the Council. The four Charities/ Charitable Trusts are; Hitchin Town Hall Gymnasium and Workmans Hall Trust, King George’s Field Hitchin, Smithson Recreation Ground and Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Collection. The Charities Sub-Committee approve the accounts and annual reports prior to submission to the Charities Commission, if a return is required.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Sub-Committee (Council Charities):

(1)   Approved the information required by the Charities Commission for the four registered charities, so that the returns can be submitted prior to the 31st January 2024 deadline.

(2)   Noted the requirement for those charities with gross income of more than £25k in their financial year to have their accounts independently examined and, as this applies to King George’s Field and Hitchin Town Hall Gymnasium and Workman’s Hall, instructed this to be undertaken for those accounts for 2022/23. This will be undertaken by the Shared Internal Audit Service (SIAS).

REASON FOR DECISION: To facilitate the submission of approved returns to the Charities Commission.

Audio recording: 3 minutes 0 seconds

The Service Director – Resources presented the report on Annual Accounts and Returns for Council Charities along with the Appendices 1-3.

In response to questions from Councillor Ian Albert, the Service Director – Resources, advised that:

·       Revaluation was carried out on a regular basis, usually every five years.

·       The Council would fund any capital costs as and when they arose via a contribution into the charity.

·       The contribution from the Council matched the unrestricted funds.

·       Restricted funds had a balance because of the asset value of the charities.

·       Restricted funds cannot be touched as they were funds that sit within a charity and were tied up in the asset value.

Councillor Ian Albert proposed, and Councillor Ruth Brown seconded, and following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Sub-Committee (Council Charities):

(1)   Approved the information required by the Charities Commission for the four registered charities, so that the returns can be submitted prior to the 31st January 2024 deadline.

(2)   Noted the requirement for those charities with gross income of more than £25k in their financial year to have their accounts independently examined and, as this applies to King George’s Field and Hitchin Town Hall Gymnasium and Workman’s Hall, instructed this to be undertaken for those accounts for 2022/23. This will be undertaken by the Shared Internal Audit Service (SIAS).

REASON FOR DECISION: To facilitate the submission of approved returns to the Charities Commission.