BURIALS

PRINCES RISBOROUGH TOWN COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE BURIALS COMMITTEE HELD ON TUESDAY 8th JANUARY 2008 AT 7.00PM

AT TOWER COURT, HORNS LANE, PRINCES RISBOROUGH.

PRESENT

Cllr Mrs M Wooster (Chairman)

Cllrs Mrs E Clifford, LA Benifer, B Bendyshe-Brown, A Turner, J Coombs

Clerk Susanne Griffiths

IN ATTENDANCE

Cllr R Orsler

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs C Etholen, Mrs. P Williams, Mrs P Summerbell and G Hall

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the previous meeting, having been circulated and read by the members, were approved by the meeting and signed by the Chairman.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. None were declared.

CORRESPONDENCE

The Clerk has received a letter from the Burial Facility Architect, Lance Adlam, relating to the duties of the CDM Co-ordinator which he is to undertake on behalf of the Town Council, as requested by the members.

However there still needs to be a clarification as to who will sign the contracts, as the Town Council will be the ‘Employer’ and also the ‘Responsible Client Member’ under the CDM regulations.

After a short discussion it was felt that the signatory on behalf of the Town Council should be the Town Council’s ‘Legal Officer’, namely the Clerk, Mrs. Susanne Griffiths, with Cllr. Turner acting as a witness. This was believed to put the Contracts on a more legal footing as at any time councillors can leave or be voted out of office, whereas the Clerk can remain from council to council, and therefore is more responsible.                                                        

Cllr J Coombs therefore proposed that the Burials Committee recommends to the Town Council the proposal that the Town Clerk, as the authority’s Legal Officer, be appointed the signatory on the contract and also sign as the client member under the CMD regulations. Seconded by Cllr A Turner. All present agreed.      

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Cllr J Coombs proposed that it is recommended to the Town Council that a ‘Project Team’ be set up to oversee the actual running of the project, outside of the Burials Committee.

This Team would be responsible for the production of a GANT Chart detailing all the proposed works, their approximate timescales and budget, the day-to-day contact with the Contractors and Architects, along with problem solving, should any need arise.

The minutiae of detail would be agreed through regular meetings with the various contractors and the Team would report back on a regular basis to the Town Council by written reports, detailing progress and compliance to timescales and requirements.

In this way it is assumed that the Town Council, through this Team, will keep good overall control of the Project, and not meet with any unexpected additions to work and thus an increase in costs. Seconded by Cllr B Bendyshe-Brown. After a long discussion a vote was taken and all present agreed.                         

Cllr J Coombs further proposed that all remaining business on the Burials Agenda except item 18 be postponed until after the Town Council meeting. Seconded by Cllr B Bendyshe-Brown. All present agreed.

Agenda item No. 18

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE COSTS OF THE BURIAL GROUND AND MEMORIAL GARDEN BY LONGWICK-CUM-ILMER PARISH COUNCIL

The Clerk has received a letter requesting clarification from the Town Council as to the contribution expected from Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish Council. At a meeting approximately 15 years ago, Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish Council were considered to be a minor partner in the search for a new Burial Ground. Since that date the Parish Council has earmarked an amount every year in their reserves as a contribution towards the costs involved in exchange for a right for their residents in the Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish Council to be buried in the new Burial Ground.

After a short discussion, it was considered by all the members that it would be unnecessarily complicated to calculate the % of the costs to date, future costs and maintenance costs. Cllr J Coombs therefore proposed that the Burials Committee recommend to the Town Council the proposal that Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish residents pay the ‘out of area’ rates and that no contribution would be expected from the Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish Council. Seconded by Cllr A Turner. All present agreed.    

AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING

None

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Burials Committee is to be confirmed

There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.32pm

Chairman…………………………………………………….                Date

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