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by (160 points)

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A lot of questions here - was the donation to be from the council?  was the donation made or just offered?
by (24.0k points)
I am a member of the public Following a request I made asking for further information about a minute under Correspondence detailed only  as email/private company name/planters. Other correspondence items noted similarly were then detailed in those Minutes eg a request by youth group asking for a monetary donation from the Council and the Agreement to it. I received no response until 20 days later informed it had been treated as a FoI request with a response that it was an email asking how many planters the Parish wanted. In my request I had asked what had been proposed, what discussions took place and what action if any had been agreed. I complained that I was not satisfied with the response as it did not provide the information requested. I was informed by the Clerk that it had been satisfied that no further detail would be given and advised of their vexatious and habitual correspondence policy. The private company has been subject over decades to complaints and currently a Community Petition to the County Council due to hgv traffic volumes 24 hour operation and site noise pollution etc. and have plans for further expansion currently awaiting County Council approval with many objections from local parishioners. I complained to the Chair that I was not happy with the Clerk's incomplete response and threat of vexatious correspondence and why no further detail zabout the contents of the reported Correspondence was Minuted as it was an offer of a donation to the Parish of planters. She responded that she did not uphold my complaint having looked at my request and the Clerks's response but informed me that there had been no discussions at that meeting but that it was an offer from the private company to supply planters to the Parish annually, discussed, agreed and actioned and an email sent by the Clerk on behalf of the Parish to accept the annual donation and that no copies of any emails or related documentation could be provided as it had been deleted as no longer needed. I have questioned why such an ongoing Agreement to accept a donation actioned outside of a formal Parish Council meeting was not then reported and Minuted at the next or subsequent meetings and as per their Retention of Documentation policy as non routine correspondence all emails relating to the Agreement have been deleted. I do not know the date of their deletion but I expect them to say it was prior to my request. The Minutes I referred to were for a June meeting not approved or published and made public until September. My question is would it be acceptable for such an ongoing Agreement to a donation discussed approved and actioned outside of a Parish Council meeting by Parish Councillors to not them be reported and Minuted. The only related Minute was that an email had been received about planters but the Chair said no discussions or detail took place at that meeting.
So your grievance with the parish council is that they have accepted planters for the village that will be provided by the company you have a complaint about due to their HGVs and site operation?  Not that the council has agreed to spend any money without council approval?  That this is a gift?

The parish council would have no authority over the use of the site and if it is in breach, it would be for the Local Authority to enforce any actions.

Minutes are a record of decisions made and perhaps, there should have been something included in the minutes to formally accept this offer but surely this is not the most serious of errors?  I would be more concerned if a decision to commit to spending the council's money was made outside of a council meeting.  Maybe the Clerk had delegated authority to accept this donation?
You have misunderstood. My grievance is that detail of actions discussed and agreed outside of a formal Council meeting taken by Parish Councillors to accept an offer of a donation of planters from a private company has not been reported as action taken at the next or subsequent Meeting of the Parish Council and this Agreement and acceptance was therefore not Minuted and the public were not informed. Is that acceptable to accept a donation without repirting/Mi uting it/making public? The company has been subject to investigation several times following complaints by the public by the County Council and found to be in breach of planning conditions. At the time of their offer of the planters there current expansion plans were and are still awaiting County Council Planning approval and several objections have been made to the Council by public and local Councillors (County) The decision is to go to Committee for a decision.

So my question remains would actions taken by Parish Councillors outside of a formal Parish meeting to agree to accept an annual donation normally be expected to be reported and Minuted and therefore available to the public when the Minutes become available?

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