Present: A. Moore, A. Dicks, K. Salter, K. Wallis, S. Ward, C. Ronan, K. Dalton Aram, J. Parsons, M. Down, J. Tollafield, S. Stride & M. Hansell
Welcome & Apologies: The Chair welcomed everyone to the Committee meeting and thanked them for attending. There were no apologies.
Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 28th January 2019 had been previously circulated. At the request of Kate the following additions were made: The work undertaken by Audrey and April needs to be shared out among the other trustees. All trustees should be party to all documentation relating to the hall and all decisions should be made collectively. They were then agreed as being correct and signed.
Matters Arising:
Item (3)(7i) – insurance renewal: April renewed the insurance in March.
Kate had been in contact with the insurance agent, Norris & Fisher to check that the hall had adequate cover.
The policy is underwritten by Ansvar.
‘Contents’ includes anything not attached to the building up to a maximum of £16,000.
There is no ‘All Risks’ cover, i.e. items owned by the hall but not kept there is not covered but there is no property that falls into that category.
Property that is kept at the hall that belongs to other organisations (e.g. Tai Kwando mats) is not covered.
Employers’ liability includes cover for volunteers.
Public liability covers all hirers EXCEPT those who are doing activities on a commercial basis, e.g. if someone in the Pilates class is injured doing a stretching exercise they are not covered by the hall insurance.
The buildings insurance includes damage to property e.g. if a tile fell off and caused damage.
There is no fidelity guarantee, i.e. if there was financial loss as a result of a trustee(s) stealing there is no cover.
Any event attracting up to 1000 people is covered even if a fee is being charged (unless the event is being run on a commercial basis).
There is an excess of £100.
There are some excluded activities.
The Social Club has separate cover.
Currently there is no cover for trustee and director indemnity, therefore there is the potential for trustees to be sued. For £250,000 cover the cost is £14.99 per annum. Kate proposed that this was added to the insurance, seconded by Clair.
Action: April
Kate advised that committees were covered by the insurance but April commented that a letter from a couple of years ago suggested there were circumstances when there was no cover, e.g. if food is prepared away from the hall and brought in. Kate will contact the insurers again to clarify.
Action: Kate
(10)(2) At this point Tony Young joined the meeting and the committee adjourned to the rear fire exit door where Tony explained plans for a permanent disabled access ramp to meet health and safety requirements. He proposed a concrete ramp across the width of the access point to the car park. It was suggested that this could be extended to the back wall of the hall. The rear exit fire door could be hung the other way around and a hand rail fitted along the side of the ramp (bowling alley side). The small step out of the fire door itself can also be made into a ramp.
Martin questioned the need for such a large ramp. If the fire door was left as it is and a hand rail put along the edge of the concrete step behind the door as well as along the bowling alley side, there would be less work involved and reduced costs.
Tony agreed to quote for both options.
(3) (7ii) – website progress: Audrey has liaised with Eddie who has now started work on building a website for the hall. The address is www.peekhallrousdon.com. Some historical data has been recorded and there will be an events calendar. Eddie would like input from some of the committee regarding content and Sara said that she would like to be involved and volunteered to liaise with Eddie.
Action: Sara
Correspondence Received:
Mary had received an email from Emma on 1st February stating that she intends to stand down from the committee because of juggling work commitments and family life as well as the potential for a conflict of interest with the work that Tony Young undertakes for the hall. Mary had thanked Emma for all the support she had given the hall in past years.
April was in receipt of an email from Calor regarding the availability of grants for community projects, up to £3,000. At present, there is no work pending, but worth remembering for future projects.
April advised the committee that she was in receipt of a legacy left for the hall, from Marion Lea, in the sum of £15,000.
Secretary’s Report: As a result of comments in the past about the chairs used in the hall, Audrey had made enquiries about chairs that she had seen at other hall venues and produced some photos. A brief discussion ensued about style and numbers required (80 – 100?) and it was agreed that Audrey would get some prices for the next meeting.
Action: Audrey
Treasurer’s Report: Deposit account: £5,659.27; current account: £16,476 – this includes the legacy. The recent work undertaken by Tony has been paid for but the grant that was obtained is still out-standing.
Income from hire of the hall had approximately trebled since the new floor had been installed.
April has been made aware that it is possible to claim back VAT on electricity charges paid by the Hall. We are treated by electricity suppliers as a small business and pay 20% vat and climate change levy. This costs us between £500 and £600 pa. If we can show that a part of our income is not business use, then that part of our bill will only have vat at 5%. (If the non-business use is over 60% then the entire bill is only 5% vat rated.)
Claiming the vat rate reduction is simple and can be backdated 4 years. The problem is how to calculate our “non-business” use. The electricity companies say it can be based on our annual accounts with hire charges, fundraisers etc being business income and donations and grants being non-business income. However, April has spoken to an advisor at Devon Communities Together and it seems that grants and donations such as those we have received from the District Council etc would not count. It needs to be donations received from a person or organisation actually using the hall. The business to non business ratio is calculated based on hours of use. It seems to be “acceptable practice” to ask regular, known hirers to make a donation rather than be invoiced. So, for example, if the social club made a donation instead of paying hire charges and as their hours per week of using that room would definitely be more than 60% of the total hours the building is used, we should be able to reduce our total vat bill for electricity from 20% to 5%. April will find out more and update the committee at the AGM.
A lengthy discussion ensued about the benefits and drawbacks of a donation v a charge. Heating costs vary according to whether it is night storage heaters, Dimplex heaters or pipe heating.
Hire charges will be reviewed at the AGM.
A.O.B.
(i) Outside lighting: April had been in contact with the electrician who had suggested a Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR) be fitted in the porch where the defib is now located.
The external porch light switch that enables the light to be fixed “on” or set at PIR is located in the entrance hall where it is often accidentally altered. The electrician suggested that both the external and internal porch lights could be made PIR with an over-ride switch in the fuse cupboard in the disabled loo so the organiser of an event could have the lights set on if needed but accidental changes to the settings can’t happen. A rough estimate of cost would be around £100
The external lighting in the car park is broken – the sensors no longer work and the lights are corroded. The lights can be replaced by black plastic moulded lights which are more resistant to the salt air and new sensors fitted at a cost of approximately £200. Kate suggested a new external porch light to match the car park lights. The electrician can also fit an over-ride switch to these lights adjacent to the club alarm control pad.
The PCC have indicated that they would like to improve the lighting and Audrey will raise the issue at the next council meeting.
Action: Audrey
(ii) Sara advised that a spotlight in the main hall is hanging dangerously – April immediately went to assess it. It has fallen off the bracket and April will contact the electrician to re-position it.
Action: April
(iii) The annual garden and car park tidy needs to be undertaken. Martin will spray with weed killer in advance. Clair will cut the grass on a regular basis but there is nowhere to put the cuttings. Martin kindly volunteered to provide a cubic metre bag and empty it on a regular basis.
Action: Martin
General tidy will take place on Thursday 6th June at 7pm
Action: All
(iii) April advised that the external windows had now been repaired and sealed and once dry will need painting. The double glazing in the main hall and committee room needs to be taken down, cleaned and put back. Date set Wednesday 29th May at 7.30pm.
Action: All
(iv) Amazon Smile: April advised that charities can register with Amazon Smile and when goods are ordered via Smile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to that particular charity. All agreed that this was a good idea and April will register the hall.
Action: April
(v) Forthcoming jumble sales: Saturday 20th April at 2.30pm; Friday 31st May at 7pm.
(vi) Sara advised that she had been examining the Governing Document and discovered that it was in need of up-dating. Due to the lateness of the hour, discussion was postponed to a future meeting.
(vii) Jill raised the issue of the fire escape door into the car park and noted that there is nothing on the car park side to indicate what it was nor any sign to keep the exit clear. Vehicles park in front and could possibly impede anyone exiting the rear of the hall in an emergency. It was agreed that hash markings be painted on the tarmac and a sign fixed to the door.
(viii) There is no defib notice on the porch door to advise the public that a defib is installed and available. Also, it is unlikely that the caravan park owners are aware of its presence. This will be raised with the PCC.
Action: Audrey
(ix) Martin suggested it might be appropriate to have a plaque erected or a bench seat purchased to acknowledge the legacy received form Marion Lea. All thought that this was a good idea.
(x) Audrey reminded those present of the Mad Hatters Tea Party being held on 6th April at Peek Hall.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 9.35pm