The Annual Report of Hereford City
Council, for the year ended 31st March 2004 is
issued to
provide details of its activities during the year 2003-2004.
The Financial information has, from
1st April 2000, been produced using the Intuit system known as
QuickBooks. QuickBooks comprises a complete system including Payroll, Stock and
Time recording.
District Audit audited the Council’s accounts
annually until 2000-2001. With effect
from 1st
April 2002 the Audit Commission has introduced a new ‘lighter touch’ audit
regime for local councils. This has affected
the accounts from the year 2001-2002. The Audit Commission appointed the firm
Winross Hacker Young, from
Birmingham, to be the auditors for Hereford city Council. This basic audit will
be carried out under a fixed fee of £1,250 plus VAT, with additional rates
charged for ‘extra work’. The rights of local electors are not affected
and the public continue to have the right to inspect the accounts and question
the auditor.
A
notice to this effect is posted on the Town Hall notice board each year prior
to the time of Audit.
Report
by Madam Mayor - Ursula Attfield
Report
by Town Clerk – M D Fellows
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Hereford City Council |
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Councillors 2003-2004 Ward |
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Members of Hereford City Council give
their time freely and receive no allowances or payments for their services to
the City during the financial year.
HEREFORD CITY COUNCIL COST HEADS
Civic/Ceremonial
Hereford City Council owns the
ancient civic property of the City, comprising swords, maces, charters, chains
of office, silver etc., The collection is of considerable value and historic
importance.
The
Mayoralty of Hereford is one of the oldest in Britain and dates back to 1382, before
which sheriffs and bailiffs fulfilled the role. The first Charter dates back to
1189.
This cost head includes such
traditional function costs as
The Three Choirs Festival
2003 was the ‘host year’ for
Hereford City. The City Council gives receptions to artists and officials
throughout the week in addition to hosting a reception for the three choruses
at the end of the week. A reserve, set aside and built up over the preceding
years, has been used to meet the increased expenditure, which reduced the cost
impact during 2003.
Three Counties Show
Similar arrangements were made in
respect of the Three Counties Show although the Civic presence has not been
invited for the past three years; it is unsure whether the future format of the
show will include the ‘Civic Procession’ of all the Mayors and their officers
again.
Freedom Ceremonies
The
following were bestowed with ‘Freedoms’ during the year:
Dr & Mrs. Heijn
Councillor
J Newman
The total
cost (£7,992) was met from the budget plus a contribution of £3,992 from
reserves.
Members Twinning costs, Civic Apparel & Regalia/Insignia,
Official Visits/Receptions and Mayoral Installation.
Twinning -Expenses of Members
The Mayor is invited to represent
the City in our Twin Towns of Vierzon and Dillenberg
occasionally. This past year the Mayor visited Vierzon and the Mayor of Vierzon
has been invited to Hereford in May 2004.
A reserve is also kept for 'Twinning' costs in case major twinning
celebrations occur in future years.
Other funded events etc.,
During the year the Mayor welcomes
visitors from all over the world in addition to the many local visitors. A
budget is used to fund any Official visits and Public Ceremonies that may take
place during the year. In addition the Mayor and deputy Mayor have a budget from
which to fund the expenses of their very busy year.
A reserve
also exists for Special Hereford Projects; However during the past year
payments have been made towards the additional cost of the May 2003 elections
and an amount has been transferred to the ‘Election Reserve’ for future costs. The commitment from this reserve (of
up to £60,000) towards the ‘Greening Our Waste’ project proved to be far less
than expected (£6,000).
Municipal Elections
The May 2003 elections, for which a
reserve of £20,000 had been built up, have cost the Council £33,000(38% of
total cost); This was an unexpected cost (since the May 2000 elections had cost
the Council £17,000{50% of total cost}) and a £20,000 payment on account was
made. The balance was paid at the end of the year after full investigation and
a subsequent adjustment of the Council’s funds and future budget. The 2003
election was a postal ballet resulting in approximately 58% turnout as opposed
to the usual 33%-35%; This helped to increase the costs but did not account
entirely for the increase. Postal voting seems to be more expensive than the
traditional method but does increase the number of votes cast.
The Wards of Hereford City Parish are as
follows:
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Ward |
Ward
letters |
Number
of Electors |
Sub-totals |
Grand
total |
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Aylestone |
- HAA |
1,458 |
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- HAB |
1,017 |
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- HAC |
1,356 |
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- HAD |
941 |
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4,772 |
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Belmont |
- HCB |
1,800 |
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- HCC |
1,084 |
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- HCD |
1,191 |
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4,075 |
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Central |
- HIA |
1,075 |
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- HIB |
654 |
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- HIC |
255 |
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1,984 |
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St
Martins & Hinton |
-HFFA |
1,004 |
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-HFFB |
970 |
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-HFFC |
1,642 |
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-HFFD |
772 |
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-HFFE |
1,208 |
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-HFFF |
1,035 |
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6,631 |
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St Nicholas |
-HGGA |
1,394 |
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-HGGB |
1,310 |
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-HGGC |
789 |
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-HGGD |
1,404 |
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4,897 |
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Three
Elms |
-HJJA |
1,715 |
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-HJJB |
2,055 |
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-HJJC |
1,039 |
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-HJJD |
1,885 |
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-HJJE |
1,147 |
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7,841 |
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Tupsley |
-HKKA |
1,745 |
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-HKKB |
1,582 |
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-HKKC |
2,369 |
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-HKKD |
1,416 |
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7,112 |
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37,312 |
Committee Structure
Council
Finance, Appointments & Urgent Business
Committee
Planning Committee Protocol & Procedures Committee Grants/Donations Committee
City Cost
Expenditure recharged against the
Parish by Herefordshire Unitary Authority, and included in the initial precept
provided by them, included the following for 2003-2004.
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2002-2003 £ |
2003-2004 £ |
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Grants/Donations |
20,000 |
Paid direct |
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C.C.T.V. |
27,000 |
27,810 |
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Christmas Lights |
22,000 |
22,680 |
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Parks & Open Spaces |
200,000 |
206,190 |
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_______ |
_______ |
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£269,000 |
£256,680 |
Herefordshire District Council recharge
…£27,810 towards the BT costs of CCTV, £22,680 towards Herefordshire’s basic
contribution towards the Christmas lights in the City, £206,190 towards the
enhanced maintenance of the City Parks & Open Spaces. The grants
element ceased from 2003 and Hereford City Council is now able to make amounts
available for its own grants & donations to local projects within Hereford
City.
The
Service Level Agreement is for a period of three years from 1st
April 2002. The payment varies in line with the Retail Price Index for the
month prior to the beginning of the relevant financial year. This agreement is
due to expire at 31st March 2005.The Parish expects to work in
partnership with the Unitary Authority to provide enhancements to the duties
and responsibilities carried out by the Unitary Authority within the City of
Hereford.
Grants/Donations
The Council
now has the power to make grants to various local organizations.
Applications
for grants/donations received by Hereford City Council were decided as follows:
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