Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Charter Trustees.

Apologies were received from Councillors Adams, Armstrong, Beesley, D Brown, O Brown, Challinor, Connolly, Dove, Edwards, Hanna, Northover, Rigby, Trent and Wilson.

Apologies were also received from Graham Farrant, Honorary Clerk. Richard Jones, Head of Democratic Services, was present in his absence.

Charter Trustees are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

No declarations of interest were received for the meeting.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2023 and to consider any matters arising.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June 2023 be approved as a correct record.

Voting – Unanimous.

The Charter Mayor will update Trustees on their recent activities and any associated issues.

The Mayor reported on their activities since the last meeting, which included attendance at:

• Black History Month events;
• Various community events with representatives from the Indian subcontinent, Portugal, Gypsy and Traveller groups, residents with learning disabilities, and local college and university students;
• Armed Forces events;
• The Coast Watch annual service;
• World of Love festival Apologies were also received from Graham Farrant, Honorary Clerk. Richard Jones, Head of Democratic Services, was present in his absence.

Forthcoming events included an Armed Forces event at The Guildhall London, which would include Royal attendance.

The Mayor highlighted her support for the Hope Radio Grounded Project, which helped to grow and distribute food to those in need.

The Mayor also highlighted the forthcoming Remembrance Day service and encouraged Trustees to attend.

This report summarises the issues discussed at the Civic Working Group

meeting held on 07 September 2023, and seeks support for any

recommendations arising.

Cllr Williams introduced the report of the Civic Working Group, which sought debate and resolution on:

a)    A proposal to change the Civic term to serve as Deputy Mayor, before serving as Mayor in the subsequent year;

b)    The suggested provision of an annual allowance for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to replace ‘out of pocket’ expenses; and

c)    A proposal for approximately £5,000 to be taken from Reserves for additional links to be added to the Mayoral Chain of Office.

Trustees discussed recommendation a). Those Trustees in favour of the change suggested that serving as Deputy Mayor first would provide useful experience before taking on the role of Mayor, as well as allowing a Deputy to review whether they wanted to progress to the Mayoral role.

Officers suggested that advance notice of a forthcoming Mayor could help to avoid contested elections and allow for officers to better prepare celebratory events.

Other Trustees were in favour of keeping the arrangement unchanged and suggested that serving as Mayor first would allow for an experienced Deputy Mayor to support new Mayors. It was also suggested that changing the term could exclude Trustees in their last term of office.

The proposal was put to the vote, as follows:

For: 5

Against: 9

Abstention: 4

The motion was lost.

Recommendation b) was discussed. Officers confirmed the current process for claiming ‘out of pocket’ expenses and advised that the recommendation sought approval to replace this with a monthly allowance in principle, with implementation subject to a more detailed review of any financial implications.

Trustees in favour of the proposal suggested that an allowance would streamline the expenses process for future Mayors and Deputy Mayors. It was also suggested that an allowance could help to avoid administrative time and costs for Democratic Services, and could be more inclusive to future Mayor’s and Deputy Mayors who otherwise might not be of sufficient means to fulfil the duties of the roles.

Other Trustees requested clarity on the proposed value of the allowance, the financial implications of providing an allowance (including tax implications) and its impact on budgets, and suggested that without this information they could not vote in favour of the proposal.

The proposal was put to a vote, as follows:

For: 6

Against: 7

Abstention: 5

The motion was lost.

Recommendation c). was discussed, with most Trustees supporting the suggested use of reserves.

The proposal was put to a vote, as follows:

For: 14

Against: 3

Abstentions: 1

The motion was carried, and it was:

RESOLVED: That approximately £5,000 be taken from Reserves for additional links to be added to the Mayoral Chain of Office.

The forecast for the 2023/24 financial year is that the Charter Trustees of Bournemouth will underspend against the budget set. This is due to spend to date and planned activity for the rest of the year being lower than originally envisaged. The forecast underspend for the year is £6,450.

Matthew Filmer - Responsible Financial Officer, presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Trustees were advised of a forecast underspend of £6,450, mostly due to a lower than forecast use of hospitality budget and out of pocket expenses claims.

It was confirmed that a Budget Working Group was to be scheduled for December, which would review recharges, the tax base/precept and use of reserves, ahead of formal budget setting at the January 2024 Charter Trustee meeting. Trustees who were eager to have input into the budget were encouraged to attend the Budget Working Group meeting. Democratic Services confirmed that all Trustees would be notified of the meeting details once finalised. It was agreed that the meeting would allow for both in-person and remote attendance.

Trustees were advised that the audit for 2022/23 had been completed with no issues, and the audit document was available to view on the public website.

RESOLVED: that the in-year budget position for 2023/24 and other finance updates, as set out in the report, be noted.