30 Sep 2025 – Finance Meeting (Minutes)

GREAT SANKEY PARISH COUNCIL
Finance Committee

Minutes of meeting: Tuesday 30th September 2025
Whittle Hall Community Centre

Chair: Cllr T Williams
Present: Cllr N Catlow
Cllr P Watson
Cllr S Pennington
Cllr B Simpson

In Attendance: K Carter (Clerk)

1. To receive and approve any apologies for unavoidable absence.
All present.

2. To approve the minutes of previous meeting 2/9/2025.
The draft minutes were moved and accepted as a true record of the meeting and signed as
such.

FINANCE/2025/83: Resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 2nd September
2025 as a true record.

3. To agree hire charges for the community centres.
At the last meeting the committee agreed to consider options for a phased increase in hire
rates to reduce the level of subsidy for the community centres from £100,000 to £75,000 per
annum. As noted, the increase in operating costs has resulted mainly from overall inflation and
increases in wages and NI. As the centres operated at maximum capacity, the only option to
offset these growing costs is to increase the hire charges. Various options were considered
and an initial small increase from November 2025 recommended for consideration by full
council. Further increases will be deliberated during the budget discussions in October &
November.

FINANCE/2025/84: Recommended that community centre hire rates are increased on 1st
November 2025 to alleviate the increasing operating costs. Further phased increases to
reduce the subsidy level to an appropriate amount to be considered during upcoming budget
discussions (LG (Misc. Prov.) Act 1976 s19).

4. To receive WBC notification regarding Christmas trees.
GSPC usually engage WBC for the supply and installation the Christmas tree on Santa Rosa
Boulevard but have been notified that WBC is not providing this service this year. It was
agreed to obtain quotes from other companies for the supply and installation. WBC will be
contacted to check that it will be possible to utilise the electricity socket on the roundabout,
and to enquire about the existing tree lights which are stored by WBC. It was also agreed to
explore options for lighted Christmas signs rather than a tree.

FINANCE/2025/85: Recommended that the council explores options for either a Christmas
tree from an alternative supplier or light-up Christmas signs (LGA 1972 s144)

5. To scrutinise financial expenditure arising since the last meeting, including payments
by Direct Debit.
A list of payments to be made had been circulated prior to the meeting. The following
payments were considered and approved.

FC/2025/38 21.10.25
Chair’s Signature:
GREAT SANKEY PARISH COUNCIL
Finance Committee

Minutes of meeting: Tuesday 30th September 2025
Whittle Hall Community Centre

Amount,
Presented By Description
£
Steve Mahon Fit and supply boiler part – TP £190.00
Comtec Replace ceiling lights – BB £120.00
Woodend Nursery Compost and perennials £27.60
Brunel Engraving Memorial plaque £184.16
B&B Hygiene Ltd Cleaning Supplies £466.38
PKF Review of annual governance 2025 £1,638.00
WBC Service Charge – Hood Manor £382.89
Amazon Business Garden Kneeling pads £13.70
Amazon Business Radar Key for disabled toilets £10.35
B&B Hygiene Ltd Cleaning Supplies £183.18
Agrovista Topsoil and application £6,586.58
Amazon Business Sugar – office meetings £4.27
Alan Nugent Refund Safety Glasses £80.00
Equals card Petty cash top-up £714.47
TOTAL £10,601.58

FINANCE/2025/86: Resolved to authorise all payments listed (under LGA 1976 s19 or LGA
1972 s15(5), s101, 111, 112, 133, 142 or 137).

The following direct debits on the Council’s account during August were also noted:

Novuna 01/08/2025 Electric Van Lease 456.20
BT 01/08/2025 WIFI/Telephone TP 24.78
Lex Autolease 01/08/2025 Council Electric Van Lease 851.98
Water Plus 01/08/2025 Water charges BB 79.90
Water Plus 01/08/2025 Water charges HM 40.68
Water Plus 01/08/2025 Water charges WH 74.96
BT 06/08/2025 WIFI/Telephone HL/TP/BB/HM 385.33
Peninsula 11/08/2025 H&S Service H&S 200.93
Global 4 Comms 14/08/2025 Office 365/email Office 113.94
Water Plus 20/08/2025 Water charges TP 81.49
Water Plus 21/08/2025 Water charges HL 95.00
Utility Warehouse 29/08/2025 Mobile phones Office 56.38
Service Fee Charge 31/08/2025 Service Charge Office 22.80
Novuna 01/08/2025 Electric Van Lease 456.20
BT 01/08/2025 WIFI/Telephone TP 24.78
Lex Autolease 01/08/2025 Council Electric Van Lease 851.98
Water Plus 01/08/2025 Water charges BB 79.90
Water Plus 01/08/2025 Water charges HM 40.68
Water Plus 01/08/2025 Water charges WH 74.96
BT 06/08/2025 WIFI/Telephone HL/TP/BB/HM 385.33
Peninsula 11/08/2025 H&S Service H&S 200.93

FC/2025/39 21.10.25
Chair’s Signature:
GREAT SANKEY PARISH COUNCIL
Finance Committee

Minutes of meeting: Tuesday 30th September 2025
Whittle Hall Community Centre

Global 4 14/08/2025 Office 365/email Office 113.94
Communication
Water Plus 20/08/2025 Water charges TP 81.49
Water Plus 21/08/2025 Water charges HL 95.00
Utility Warehouse 29/08/2025 Mobile phones Office 56.38
Service Fee Charge 31/08/2025 Service Charge Office 22.80
TOTAL £4,968.74

6. To consider any quotes received and authorise or make recommendations to full
Council where appropriate.
a. for new office shredder. Several options had been reviewed and costed with officer’s
recommendation for a Rexel L225X at £374.99. Approved.

FINANCE/2025/87: Resolved to purchase a replacement office shredder at a cost of £374.99
(excl. VAT) (LGA 1972 s111)

b. renewal quotes for gas and electricity contracts for community centres from April 2026.
Quotes from multiple companies had been provided through a utilities service. It was agreed to
take up the recommended option with British Gas for all centres for 4 years.

FINANCE/2025/88: Resolved to approve gas and electricity renewal contracts with British
Gas for 4 years from April 2026 to March 2030 (LG (Misc. Prov.) Act 1976 s19)

7. To consider requests for financial assistance.
Request 1: from football club for the installation of a storage container on Tim Parry
Recreation Ground. It was agreed to request a site visit with the club representative, Cllrs
Pennington & Williams and the Head Gardener to ascertain requirements and consider
possibilities whilst minimising any impact on nearby residents. Decision to be made at a future
meeting.

Request 2: for permission to operate football training for small groups and 1-2-1 coaching on
Tim Parry Recreation Ground as well as possible half-term holiday training sessions.
Additional information on requirements and numbers to be sought before a decision is made.

8. Budget 2025-26: to scrutinise documentation and when satisfied as to correctness to
sign off financial reports and bank reconciliations for August.
The bank reconciliation and budget monitoring pages for August were considered and
accepted. Checks on financial transactions were carried out prior to the meeting by Cllrs
Pennington and Williams.

FINANCE/2025/89: Resolved to accept the bank reconciliation and budget monitoring pages
for August 2025 (Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 reg 4).

9. To authorise payment of wages, tax and ERNIC for September.
The list of wages to be paid was considered and authorised. Total Employment Costs
(including salaries, pensions & HMRC) were £24,134.94.

FINANCE/2025/90: Resolved to authorise payment of wages and HMRC costs (£24,134.94
total) for September 2025 (LGA 1972 s112).

FC/2025/40 21.10.25
Chair’s Signature: