Meeting Minutes:

Apologies received, noted and accepted from Cllrs Baker, Gemmell Smith, McGregor, Stockdale and Todd.

Nothing declared.

Resolved: to adopt the minutes of the Finance and Governance Meeting held on the 17 November 2025, and that they be signed by the Chairman as a true and accurate record 114/1-6.

No Public present, and no comments from councillors. 

Members noted Business Stream had previously confirmed the responsibility for the waste sewage account had transferred to the Cricket Club. However, the RFO subsequently received a call pursuing an outstanding balance. Correspondence had been forwarded for review, reiterating that liability rests with the Cricket Club. 

Members noted that the RFO had liaised with the Rugby Club and Scottish Power and had been advised that the next step was to contact the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) Accounts Team at Scottish Power. The RFO would continue to pursue this matter and report back with updates in due course.

Ratified: the expenditure up to the 31 January 2026.

Members noted there was no outstanding payments currently.

Members accepted the expenditure over £500 report to the 31 January 2026.

Members noted and received the income report to the 31 January 2026, there were no questions.

Members received and noted, and had no questions with regards to the Financial I&E Budget Comparison report.

Members received and confirmed the I&E Accounts report.

Members received and confirmed the Consolidated Balances.

Members received and confirmed the Financial Summary Cashbook.

Cllr Layland confirmed he had checked the bank accounts and procurement card reconciliations for October, November and December. There were no issues, and it was noted these were available for Members to view any time.

Resolved: to confirm the Bank Reconciliation statements and Procurement Card for October, November and December. 

Members had no questions, and 

Ratified: the transfers into, out of and between accounts as reported in the meeting papers. 

Members noted that there was one outstanding invoice for £39.20, but that this was expected to be paid.

Members noted that the annual Charities accounts had been submitted to the Charities Commission website. There where no questions. 

Members noted the Precept request for 2026-27 for £849,885. This was as approved by Council - presented to and supported at its December meeting, published on the website in December with the draft budget, formally resolved at its meeting 12 January 2026. The precept request was submitted to Sevenoaks District Council.

Calculation for Precept request 2026-27

Members had no question.

The forecasted year-end view reflects decisions from Council December meeting including releasing £5,000 Elections to release in to General Reserves. The reserves summary reflects previous decisions from Forward Planning Steering Group and Council, as well as reserves movements during the year and expected.

Members received the forecast for year-end, which indicated a surplus of £47,486. It was noted that the approved budgeted had allowed a surplus of £23,753 to be allocated to Earmarked Reserves (EMR) for Strategic Plan projects £10,000; and Building Maintenance £13,753. The remaining surplus of £23,733 does not allow for potential transfer of funds to EMR in respect of ongoing projects, which had been provided for within the budget but were not yet complete.

Members had no comments or questions.

A summary spreadsheet of the expected year-end movement was presented to members. This did not include any uncompleted but budgeted projects that may be carried over. A full report would be presented with the year-end papers, presented to full  Council May meeting.

Forecasted year-end position

• EMR £510,977 (down £21,461)
• GR £345,816 (up £16,714)
• Council total £856,793 (net difference -£4,747)
• CIL total £409,824 (+£237,619)
• Total net assets £1,266.617 (+£233,872) 

Members had no questions. 

Members noted  (under the Terms of Reference referred matters, Internal Auditor),the Town Clerk had reported to the December Council meeting, the internal auditor, Keith Robertson had advised that he was retiring and would not be available for end-of-year audit. Council had received three quotes, and resolved the appointment of Mike Platten, April Skies Accounting. Members had no questions.

The internal auditor had previously recommended that Councill should have a separate Investments Policy. A Town Council has a duty to manage public funds prudently, transparently, and in a way that safeguards taxpayers’ money. An Investment Policy provides the framework that ensures any surplus funds are invested securely, with an appropriate balance of risk, liquidity, and return. It helps to provide public confidence and aligns with best‑practice expectations from auditors and sector bodies. Members viewed the draft policy, confirming it supported effective financial planning by making clear how reserves and surplus cash would be handled to maximise value for the community while keeping funds accessible when needed.

Resolved: to recommend to Council to adopt the Investment Policy. 

Members noted the Town Clerk had undertaken a comprehensive review of the Council's data protection and information governance arrangements. This work had been carried out to ensure continued compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and in preparation for the introduction of Assertion 10 within the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR).

The review has focused on ensuring that the Council’s documentation was legally up to date and aligned with current legislation and ICO guidance, and that it reflected Council’s current operational practices, including digital and cloud-based systems.

Resolved: to recommend to Council to adopt the Governance and Data Protection Framework Policy. 

The Council’s existing Privacy Statement was dated 2019, and whilst it covered the rights, purposes, sharing, retention, and complaints, it used pre UK GDPR language, did not fully align with what Council does now digitally, and was a long read. 

The review was undertaken to ensure that the Council’s privacy information:

• Remains compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Accurately reflects the Council’s current operational practices, including digital systems and service delivery.
• Is clear, accessible, and transparent for different audiences.

As part of this review, the Privacy Statement had been refreshed and restructured into a set of separate but related Privacy Notices, covering:

• General Privacy Notice (members of the public and service users)
• Website and Digital Privacy Notice
• Staff Privacy Notice
• Councillor Privacy Notice

Separating the notices allows the Council to provide clearer and more relevant information to each audience, particularly where different types of personal data and lawful bases apply (for example, staff employment data or councillor casework). For governance and approval purposes, the notices are presented together as one policy document, forming a coherent suite that can be adopted by Council.

Resolved: to recommend to Council to adopt the updated Privacy Notices. 

The Council’s Retention and Disposal Policy and Appendix A (Retention Schedule) had been reviewed. Essentially, it was fine, but the new draft modernises legislative references, clarifies roles and responsibilities, and strengthens governance around the secure retention and disposal of records, while retaining the overall structure and intent of the existing policy.

Resolved: to recommend to Council to adopt the updated Retention and Disposal Policy.

The Council’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Policy and Publication Scheme, including the accompanying list of information published, had been reviewed, and whilst overall it was sound, compliant, and recognisably based on the ICO model scheme, which is a good thing, it needed some modernisation and alignment to other documents being reviewed and updated.

Resolved: to recommend to Council to adopt the Information and Publication Scheme Policy and the revised Publication Scheme.

A Subject Access Request (SAR) Procedure to support compliance and as part of the Council’s wider review of its information governance arrangements in preparation for Assertion 10 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) had been prepared. Individuals have a statutory right to request access to their personal data. The purpose of the SAR Procedure was to provide clear, practical guidance on how such requests are recognised, managed, and responded to in a consistent and lawful manner.

Resolved: to recommend to Council to adopt the Subject Access Request (SAR) Procedure. 

Noted.