Minutes of the Ruskington Parish Council Office Relocation Committee meeting held remotely on Tuesday 16 February 2021 at 10.30am via MS365 Teams.

Present: Cllr Conway, Cllr Cunningham, Cllr White, Cllr Tonge

Also present:  Kathryn Locke (Clerk)

One member of the public was expected but experiencing IT connectivity issues.

The Chairman welcomed the delegates. As no members of the public were present at this time, the Chairman opened the meeting at 10.30am.

1. Apologies for absence.

All Committee members were present.

2. To receive Declarations of Interest under the Localism Act 2011.

None were declared at this time.

3. To approve as a correct record the notes of the last meeting held remotely on Wednesday 3 February 2021.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to accept the notes of the meeting as Minutes and an accurate record. Proposed by Cllr Cunningham, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.

4.  Update on the expenditure of the office relocation to date.

The final expenditure was £6837.44. There were no outstanding invoices.

5. To agree the date for the next meeting.

To be confirmed.

6. To resolve whether to exclude the public and press, in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960, to discuss the following legal matters.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to exclude the public and press to discuss the legal matters below. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr White and approved unanimously.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 10.37am. As there were no members of the public present, the meeting re-opened at 10.37am.

7.  To receive information and any quotes received for the refurbishment of the flat at the rear of the parish office property.

An estimate for mid-range floor coverings for the flat had been obtained at a total cost of £3,085.40.

An upgraded central heating system, bathroom and kitchen with white goods were required before the flat could be made available as a residential let. There was the possibility of re-siting the kitchen in the flat into another downstairs room providing a kitchen/ rest area and access to the toilet for office and operative use.

A raised stone flower bed would need to be removed to provide parking and an agreed area of garden required separation for use by the tenant.

8. To receive information and any quotes received for the parish office improvements.

A builder had advised that the floors in the office were weight bearing and those in the rear of the property were slightly springy but consistent with the age of the building. The office windows were sealed so no air was getting in from outside, but they were only single glazed.

At this point in the meeting, the expected member of the public, the property owner, joined the meeting. The Committee unanimously agreed to close the meeting and allow the member of the public to ask any questions or to make a statement. The member of the public was keen to know the price the Council had agreed to purchase the property for. The chairman advised that this  would be agreed by Council at the next meeting on 23 February and the outcome would be made known. The member of public thanked the committee and left the meeting.

The meeting resumed in closed session.

An estimate had been received  for £780.00 to allow access from the office to the kitchen and toilet and to block up a wall between the kitchen and the flat. Alternatively, a sink and work top could be located in the space under the stairs.

Action: To obtain quotes for heating in the office part of the building and the garage/workshop and to upgrade the heating in the residential part of the property. Two boilers would be required.

9. To receive an update on the application for borrowing approval and agree recommendations for Council to consider at the ordinary meeting on 23 February 2021.

The RFO had provided financial reports required for the borrowing approval application. Cllr White had commenced the required documentation and calculated possible loan repayments for over 25 years and over 30 years.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that expenditure for the purchase of the property, the refurbishment of the flat, the improvements to the grounds and workshop and the upgrades to the office, including a contingency, would be £270,000. Of this, £10,000 would be made available from reserves and £260,000 would be sought from funding. The repayment term recommended was 30 years.  A full report would be available for the council to consider at the next ordinary meeting on 23 February 2021. Once approved the borrowing application could be completed.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 11.16am.