6 January 2026 - Finance Committee
Minutes of the Ruskington Parish Council Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 6.30pm at Ruskington Parish Office.
Present: Cllr O Ditch (Chairman of the Committee), Cllr Bain, Cllr D Conway, Cllr B Harrison, Cllr Trolley.
In attendance: Kirsty Sinclair (Deputy Clerk & RFO), Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council)
Apologies: Cllr G Cox
No members of the public or press were present.
The Chairman opened the meeting at 6.32pm and welcomed the delegates.
1. To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence had been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
Cllr Cox had been unable to attend the meeting and had sent valid apologies.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to accept Cllr Cox’s apologies. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Harrison and approved unanimously.
2. To receive declarations of interest and to consider applications for dispensations in relation to DPIs.
No declarations were made at this time.
3. To approve as a correct record the notes of the last meeting held on Tuesday 7 October 2025.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the notes of the last meeting as accurate Minutes. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Bain and approved unanimously.
4. To receive a financial update from the RFO.
A Report had been circulated prior to the meeting and the RFO gave an overview and answered questions. Council was working within its budget. A few overspends had occurred such as the office council tax (the actual costs had been underestimated when the budget was set as the two parts of the building were being merged into one property), the water bill for the allotments due to the hot and dry summer, and the unexpected Deed of Variation costs. The RFO advised that a budget line for office and driveway repairs and the architect’s fees had not been included in the budgeting. An additional income of £11,736 had been received.
5. To consider/ agree the budget requirements for FY2026-2027 for recommending to Council.
The draft budget had been circulated prior to the meeting and was displayed on the screen. Revisions had been made by the RFO since the last committee meeting as financial information and costs had been received. The Committee worked through the budget lines, with the RFO and Clerk answering questions. Projects, maintenance, reserves, and equipment requirements were discussed, and the RFO made recommendations. The draft budget was adjusted as required.
Action: The Committee to recommend the budget to the Council at its next meeting once the items in closed session below had been resolved and the proposed budget adjusted accordingly.
6. To consider/agree the precept requirements for year 2026-2027 for recommending to Council.
Action: The Committee to recommend the proposed precept to Council once the items in closed session had been agreed and the budget and precept had been adjusted accordingly.
7. To resolve whether to exclude the public and press, in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960, to discuss the staffing matters below.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to exclude the public and press to discuss the confidential staffing matters below.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 7.38pm. The RFO advised the Committee on the options and costs for pension contributions and advised how to use the precept calculator.
The Clerk and RFO left the meeting. The meeting re-convened at 19.39pm.
8. To consider the resolutions approved by Council regarding staff pay, sick pay, and working hours for FY 2026-2027.
The resolutions had already been included in the budget setting therefore no revisions to the budget or precept were required for this item.
9. To consider the staff pension provider from 1 April 2026 (enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for its recognised benefits for staff members, or continuation with the current provider - Nest) for recommending to Council.
This was considered with item 9.1. below.
9.1. To consider increasing the Council’s contribution to staff pensions, if enrolment into the LGPS is not approved.
This was considered with item 9, above.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council at its next meeting to enrol the eligible staff members into the Local Government Pension Scheme. Proposed by Cllr Harrison, seconded by Cllr Trolley and approved with four votes for and one against.
At 7.57pm the Clerk and RFO returned to the meeting. An overview of the outcome of the resolutions for item 8 to 9.1 was given. Cllr Bain (Chairman of the HR Committee) asked that the pension information be shared in a table format for Council to consider and asked that staff be made aware that as Council had no control over the employer’s contribution into the LGPS scheme, this could lead to an unaffordable increase in contributions and therefore Council could withdraw its support for the scheme.
10. To adjust the budget as required to include any financial recommendations for staff wages and pension resolutions, above, for recommending to Council at its next meeting on 13 January 2026.
The budget was adjusted as required following the resolution to enrol eligible staff members into the LGPS.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the proposed budget for FY 2026-2027 to Council. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Bain and approved unanimously.
11. To adjust the precept as required to include any financial recommendations for staff wages and pensions, above, at its next meeting on 13 January 2026.
The precept was adjusted as required using the precept calculator following the resolution to enrol eligible staff members into the LGPS.
The precept request to NKDC for FY 2026-2027 would be £337,737. This was an increase of 3.46 % from the current fiscal year. This equated to an increase of £5.62 per annum for Band D and equivalent properties.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend a precept of £337,737 for FY 2026-2027 to Council at its meeting on 13 January 2026. Proposed by Cllr Trolley, seconded by Cllr Harrison and approved unanimously.
12. To confirm the date of the next scheduled Finance Cttee meeting as Tuesday 28 April 2026 (end of year review of finances and AGAR).
Action: The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Tuesday 28 April 2026 commencing at 6.30pm.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.03pm.