To receive apologies for absence (to include reasons where appropriate) from

Members/Officers

Apologies for absence were received from the following members and for the reasons so stated:

Councillor E Hacker - Unwell

Councillor HM Williams – Other Council Business

Zak Shell – Holiday

To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest (if any) from Members/Officers in

accordance with the provisions of the Members’ Code of Conduct adopted by Council from

1st September 2009.

Councillor B Stephens – personal interest in Item 6 as Mayor of RCT one of the Mayor’s charities is Eye to Eye of which he is a trustee

To receive for approval the Minutes of the meeting of the Coychurch Crematorium Joint Committee held on the 06 March 2015

RESOLVED:                That the minutes of the Coychurch Crematorium Joint Committee of 6 March 2015 were approved as a true and accurate record

The Crematorium Manager and Registrar explained to the Joint Committee the change of format for the meeting.  She stated that the site visit to the crematorium followed by the AGM which normallytook place in June had been delayed until the next meeting in September.  Therefore, the new Joint Committee Chairperson and Vice Chairpersonwould be nominated at that meeting.  She explained that the current meeting would be an ordinary meeting of the Joint Committee, therefore, with the current Chairperson and Vice Chairperson remaining.  This was due to a change in the portfolio of the BCBC Cabinet member for Community, Leisure and Environment, with Councillor H Williams replacing Councillor P White who has moved to Adult Social Care.  She stated that although the Cabinet portfolios were agreed at the AGM of Councilthe previous month, Councillor P White would not officially leave the Joint Committee until the next Cabinet meeting when decisionswould be ratified regarding the appointment to Joint Committees and Outside Bodies.

Councillor H Williams, would therefore, attend the next quarterly meeting of the Coychurch Crematorium Joint Committee in September, which is why the Annual General meeting had been delayed until then. In addition, the Joint Committee was awaiting confirmation from the Vale of Glamorgan for representation on the Joint Committee.

The Crematorium Manager and Registrar presented the report to the Joint Committee on the performance of Coychurch Crematorium during 2014/15.  She wished to clarify in the annex to the report of an error in the title, she stated that it should read the Annual Performance and Financial Review relates to the period 2014/15 and not 2013/14 as stated in the report.

She referred the Joint Committee to a table in the report which provided information on the number of cremations which had been carried out in 2014 at the Crematorium which totalled 1653 cremations in all.  She informed the Joint Committee that the Crematorium carries out a quarterly review of questionnaire results which feeds into an annual assessment of the quality of service.  She confirmed that for 2014/15, the results showed that the overall satisfaction level, to a standard of good or excellent remained at 100%

The Crematorium Manager and Registrar referred the Committee to the Crematoriums expenditure programme for 2014/15 and highlighted the expenditure for fees/planning/design/investigations/ supervision was £52,000 and building contracts expenditure stood at £167,000.  She informed Committee that a tender had been awarded to install new cremators and installation is planned to commence in July 2015.

The Crematorium Manager and Registrar confirmed to the Joint Committee that a comment relating to the poor quality of the Funeral Directors in the satisfaction survey has been referred to Public Health Wales.

The Joint Committee wished it to be placed on record that the satisfaction survey is a credit to staff and congratulated them on their hard work which contributed to the excellent results of the survey.

In response to a question from the Joint Committee the Crematorium Manager and Registrar informed Members that the one result which had a poor score related to the poor ground conditions in the locality of the new burial plot section during the extremely wet winter months at the crematorium which was not aided by the excessive footfall in the vicinity. She informed Members that additional drainage works had been carried out which has improved conditions.  She added that they are being more proactive to prepare for winter 2015 to aid the drainage situation.  

RESOLVED:                           The Joint Committee noted the report

The Crematorium Manager and Registrar presented a report to the Joint Committee on the progress with the cremator replacement programme in relation to the appointment of a manufacturer to install and maintain, through a maintenance agreement, the new cremators, ancillary equipment and mercury abatement plant. 

She reminded the Joint Committee of their authorisation of the appointment of the most economically advantageous contractor from the tender selection exercise, subject to the contract value not exceeding the estimated value of works by more than 10%.  She informed the joint Committee that Facultatieve Technologies achieved the highest score of 95.4% and was therefore the most economically advantageous tender.  The tender was within the estimated value of works agreed in 3.1 and the contract awarded accordingly. She explained that works were expected to commence in July 2015

RESOLVED:                            The Joint Committee noted the award of the tender to Faculatatieve Technologies in line with the authorisation of 6^th March 2015

The Crematorium Manager and Registrar submitted a report to the Joint Committee to obtain nominations and approval of organisations to receive charitable funding from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) scheme for the recovery of metals arising from cremations.

She explained that the charities that receive support from the ICCM are nominated by member authorities of the Institute. The Joint Committee had previously supported an application from Cruse Bereavement Care (Morgannwg), the Bridgend Samaritans and Eye to Eye (RCT)

Members asked if the RCT Mayors Charity, 2 Wish Upon A Star could be added to the list of charitable organisations to support.  Officers accepted that this could be added to the bottom of the list to receive funding in rotation with those already accepted onto the list. 

RESOLVED:                            The Joint Committee supported the list of suitable charities for submission for funding from the national Recycling of Metals Scheme and added “2 Wish Upon A Star” to the list to receive funding on a rotation basis.

The Finance Manager Technical and Corporate presented the unaudited Annual Return following closure of the accounts for the financial year 2014-15 to the Joint Committee , and to obtain approval to submit the return for Coychurch Crematorium to KPMG, the auditors appointed for the Joint Committee by the Wales Audit Office

She explained that Regulation 14 of the Accounts and Audit (Wales) Regulations 2014 increased the threshold of smaller local government bodies to those with annual income and expenditure from below £1 million to below £2.5 million.  She added that consequently, Coychurch Crematorium again finds itself in a position where its level of annual income deems it no longer necessary to produce an annual Statement of Accounts, but instead complete an Annual Return.

She gave a summary of the final financial position for the Crematorium for 2014-15 as compared to the budget set at the start of the financial year.    In addition to the Annual Return the Joint Committee were provided with a supplementary balance sheet which gave a further breakdown of the figures recorded in the Annual Return, she stated that this was for information only and is not subject to Audit.

She added that the total surplus for the year of £176,000 reflects the decision to set aside money towards planned future works in relation to premises and equipment.  This surplus has been added to the accumulated usable reserve for the Crematorium bringing the total of that reserve to £1,195,000

RESOLVED:                            The Joint Committee approved the Annual Return for Coychurch Crematorium for 2014-15 and that the Annual Return be submitted to the Auditors KPMG

To consider any other item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in accordance with Rule 4 of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

None

The minutes relating to the following item are not for publication as they contain exempt information as defined in Paragraph 12 of Part 4 and/or Paragraph 21 of Part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)(Variation)(Wales) Order 2007.

If following the application of the public interest test the Committee resolves pursuant to the Public Document Pack Act to consider this item in private, the public will be excluded from the meeting during such consideration

RESOLVED:              That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation)(Wales) Order 2007 that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item as the report contains exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 12  and 15 of Part 4 and Paragraph 21 of part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

                                                                                       Following the application of the public interest test it was resolved that pursuant to the Act referred to above to consider the exempt report in private with the public excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information) by virtue of Paragraphs 12 and 15 of Part 4 and Paragraph 21 of part 5 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Minute No. 106                       Summary of Item:

                                                Approval of the exempt minutes

of 6 March 2015