Alfresco meeting of the Full Council!
On the 24th of June, the Parish Council held a full meeting in the grounds of the Mortimer Scout Hut in Birch Lane. Why, you may ask? Well, by law, meetings of the full Council and Council committee meetings must be held in public and the change in the Covid-19 regulations, at the beginning of May, meant that online meetings no longer met that criteria.
On the 6th of May, as the law permitting online meetings expired, the Council voted to give the Clerk greater powers to carry on the necessary business of the Council. However, every year, as part of the limited assurance review, the Council must prepare the Annual Governance Statement and consider the Accounting Statements, both of which have to be approved by a resolution of the Council. So, the Council had to meet!
The hoped for relaxation of Covid-19 rules on 21st June did not happen meaning we could not meet indoors. 1st Mortimer Scout Group kindly provided a roof over our heads in case it rained and as you can see in the photo below, we had a successful meeting with all necessary precautions taken.
As well as the aforementioned governance matters, the council agreed to initiate a new Neighbourhood Development Plan. Expect to see lots more about this in the coming months including a call for volunteers to get involved. The Council also agreed to jointly fund The Street pavement widening project with West Berkshire Council. You will see the minutes in due course at https://www.stratfield-mortimer.gov.uk/minutes
6 of the 12 councillors in attendance, participating in the meeting!