Policy, Resources & Communications

Agenda

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

To:      All Members of the Policy Resources & Communications Committee: (Ian Weir, Paul Shepherd, Lesley Cruickshank-Robb, Kate Bailey, Don McBeth and Maria Angelaki-King) with copies to all other Councillors for information.

A meeting of the POLICY RESOURCES & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE will be held on Tuesday 18 February 2025 at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.

Parish Clerk 11th February 2025

1. TO ACCEPT APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2. TO ACCEPT DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

3. MINUTES. To accept the Minutes of the Policy Resources & Communications Committee held on 21^st January 2025. (Previously Circulated).

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

5.1. REMEMBRANCE DAY. (Verbal update).

5.2 COMMUNICATION – Members are requested to give consideration to the following matters:

i) Publication articles – To consider forthcoming articles for the Hassocks Life.

ii) Speed Working Group – Members will need to consider how they wish to communicate/engage with the community, to obtain the required evidence that the public are supportive in principle of introducing further speed restrictions in designated areas within the parish. One option maybe via utilising a questionnaire, however if this option were adopted consideration will need to be given to the content of the document and how the public will be engaged in the process.

Any potential locations identified for speed reductions would be required to meet WSCC criteria, to enable the Parish to apply for any changes through the Community Highway scheme. As members are aware one of the prerequisites of any submission is that the Parish must be able to provide evidence of support from the public and suitable traffic speed data to support the need for any scheme.

iii) Annual Parish Meeting – Last year the Council hired Adastra Hall and invited members of the public to attend to hear a number of presentations from local groups, together with the report of the Parish Council.

Members are requested to consider how they wish to present the Parishes Annual report this year and whether a similar approach is to be adopted, if this is the case then arrangements will need to be put in place to secure the hall.

Members may also wish to have regard to the recent changes in the Councils personnel prior to determining how they wish to deliver this session.

The Annual Parish /Assembly meeting is required to be held during the period 1^st March – 1^st June.

5.3 Budget 2024/25

The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on the budget position for 2024/2025 as at  5 February 2025 and provides a detailed position as per the RBS finance system which is produced for information in Appendix 1. To view Appendix 1 please click here.

The attached report sets out the following detail:

• Annual spend/income to date
• 2024/25 budget
• Variance (difference between spend and budget to date – Expenditure and Income)
• Balance of budget
• % spent to date

Appendix 2 sets out some narrative to explain some of the larger variations. To view Appendix 2 please click here.

Members are requested to review the papers and note the current budget position.

6. Policies – At the last Policy Resources Committee Members requested the Clerk to provide details of the model policies produced by National Association Local Councils (NALC).

A schedule of the twenty four model policies drafted by NALC are set out in Appendix 3.

Members are therefore requested to consider whether they wish to develop a programmed review of any of the titled policies during the new municipal year.

As highlighted at the previous meeting as a minimum the Council should consider reviewing its Standing Orders and Financial Regulations in the new financial year.

Member’s views are sought.

7. Training – (verbal update).

8. URGENT MATTERS at the discretion of the Chairman for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.

9. DATE OF NEXT MEETING. 1 April 2025.

Exclusion of Public and Press In view of the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted Councillors will be referred to the Confidential agenda. If any members of the public or press are present they will be requested to withdraw from the meeting.

CONFIDENTIAL

10. MINUTES. To accept the confidential minutes of the Policy Resources & Communications Committee held on the 21^st January 2025 (previously circulated).

11. STAFFING MATTERS. (Verbal update).

Please Note
All members of the public are welcome to attend meetings of the Parish Council and its Committees.
Item 4 – a period of 15 minutes will be set aside for the public statements and questions relating to the published non-confidential business of the Meeting.  It may be necessary to consider particular items in confidential session and where this arises, these items will be considered at the end of the agenda.

FILMING, RECORDING OF COUNCIL MEETINGS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
During this meeting members of the public may film or record the Committee and officers from the public area only providing it does not disrupt the meeting. The Confidential section of the meeting may not be filmed or recorded. If a member of the public objects to being recorded, the person(s) filming must stop doing so until that member of the public has finished speaking. The use of social media is permitted but members of the public are requested to switch their mobile devices to silent for the duration of the meeting.

Appendix 3

NALC MODEL POLICIES

NO.	POLICY
1	EQUALITY & DIVERSITY POLICY
2	WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY
3	TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT POLICY
4	SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY GUIDELINES
5	SICKNESS ABSENCE POLICY
6	PATERNITY LEAVE & PAY POLICY
7	MATERNITY LEAVE & PAY POLICY
8	LONE WORKING POLICY
9	INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY POLICY GUIDELINES
10	HOMEWORKING POLICY
11	ANTI BULLYING & HARRASEMENT POLICY
12	FLEXIBLE WORKING POLICY
13	EXPENSES POLICY
14	EMERGENCY/DEPENDANTS LEAVE POLICY
15	CARERS LEAVE POLICY
16	GREIVANCE POLICY
17	DISCIPLINARY POLICY
18	COMPASSIONATE LEAVE POLICY
19	ANNUAL LEAVE POLICY
20	DIGNITY AT WORK POLICY
21	MODEL FINANCIAL REGULATIONS
22	MODEL STANDING ORDERS
23	DATA PROTECTION POLICY
24	PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT POLICY