LANGHAM COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Minutes of a Finance Committee Meeting
held on 20th August 2018 at 7.30pm.
Present Alan Cadman, Liz Winter, Maureen Shouksmith, Peter Dawson, Liz Schofield, Sue Armstrong.
Minutes of Previous meeting on 18th June 2018
These had been approved by those present at the meeting and circulated to all Trustees.
Matters Arising
Pre-School Heating
Replacement of the faulty valve by Lindsey is booked for Monday 10th September. Maria, the new manager, has reported a door which needs repairing. Terry had advised that it might need a more permanent repair. SA
Liz W would let Maria know that Pre-School rubbish for kerbside collection needs to go in green sacks. EW
Refuse and recycling
Our skip continues to work well. Colchester Borough Council has told Gill Flack that emptying of the recycling bins they provided has to be undertaken by the village. She has written to the LCC and the Parish Council seeking views. Sue and Liz W felt that CBC had let us down over the bins and it might be better to get rid of them. Liz S asked that Peter bring the matter to Nigel Chapman’s attention to find out the original arrangement, as CBC had said they would empty the bins on the appropriate recycling days. She asked Peter to raise the issue at the next Parish Council meeting in early September.
Locking car park
Liz W had not sent the drafted letter to the Shop but had informally spoken to volunteers to explain the situation. A new notice is now on display at the entrance gate confirming that the gate may be locked at 5.30 pm if there are no hires that evening.
Chairman’s Report
Car park: Alan had marked out the areas in need of repair and three firms should be visiting this week, hopefully early in the morning, to look and submit tenders to Alan.
Disabled upgrade: Carys Morgan from CBC Community Services Team has informed Alan that the specification will go out to their chosen contractors in early September.
Development Officer: Cardy Morgan would like our “wish list” and would like to hear from the Parish Council. She had been enthusiastic about a toilet block for the recreation ground but the meeting felt the ongoing maintenance costs would be prohibitive at a time when communities were closing such facilities because of upkeep expense. (See Item 7)
Ceroc dancing: Alan had provided a bar for their first meeting at the hall on Saturday. He had been extremely busy with 150-200 people attending. They were very impressed with the hall’s facilities and cleanliness and would like a regular Saturday slot, which Sue would find impossible. They come again in November.
Treasurer’s Report
Balances at the bank last night were: Current a/c £9,546.97; Saver a/c £42,050.72.
Maureen had circulated the end of July balance sheet and simplified profit and loss. She had also produced a VAT turnover figure for the past 12 months which shows an accumulated total of £58,050 as at the end of July. This will be automatically updated each month.
Maureen had heard nothing further from HMRC regarding the refund of overpaid tax on Sue’s salary last year. It was agreed that she should phone Sue Sheppard to see if the RCCE could advise on how to proceed. MS
“Wave” has reduced our direct debit to £81 a month but no refund has been received. They presumably intend to refund it via the next 12 months’ payments. Since no correspondence has been received, Maureen will contact Wave for some confirmation in writing. MS
July’s hire income was good at £6,859.90 but maintenance costs were also high with purchase of the new floor cleaning machine. Sue was making the Danshell buffet for seven days in Eve’s absence with some help from her daughter. This had been quite a chore and not something she would wish to repeat. The committee thanked her.
Maureen said she needed some training to help improve her competence with Excel and use of the Treasurer’s laptop. Liz Schofield proposed that she receive a maximum of 5 hours tuition from Sue Armstrong at the going rate. Alan Cadman seconded the proposal, which was carried unanimously. MS/SA
Marketing Manager’s Report
Sue had circulated her report prior to the meeting. She confirmed that she was hoping to agree sponsorship from the Co-op as from the October film showing. She warned that the DVD player may need replacement and Peter kindly volunteered to donate a new Blu-ray player which he had at home. The committee thanked him very much.
Langham Locals were trying to start a toddler group in the hall but Sue had no availability on their preferred days.
Claire Arculus would like to start a coffee morning for “younger people” once a month. Sue will speak to her for more details. SA
Sue has already received some subscriptions for the 100 Club due in September.
The first Beeline cinema on the field was cancelled but the Recreation ground was not informed by them. No-one is sure whether the next two screenings will take place. There is some concern about security while they are hiring the hall toilets, although Sue will secure doors into the hall and kitchen.
The Sunday evening BBQs are ongoing and Sue has agreed to run the last four bars but has told the hirers, a South African group of families, that she cannot continue to do so. They feel safer with an organised bar rather than guests bringing in their own alcohol.
Roger Hyde has quoted £3,468 for floor sanding and cleaning in August 2019, to include £300 to replace the perimeter edging and make it more secure. The wax coating will be applied to the floor over the next week or so.
New hire rates
Sue had circulated the proposed 2018-19 rates based on an increase of RPI + 1%, together with 2017-18 for comparison. Alan queried some apparently remaining static. The rise was agreed and Sue would check the figures with Paul before confirming to hirers.
Sue was thanked for all the hard work she had undertaken over the past couple of weeks despite her family concerns.
Wish List
• Alan had spoken to Lindsey regarding an alternative heating system and they are preparing a quote (estimated circa £40,000) for a heat exchanger. He confirmed to Sue that it could be operated remotely via wifi.
• New “green” roofing for the main building.
• Sound-proofing between hall and clubroom.
• Improve sound in hall by replacing curtain with alternative. (What?)
• Retractable awning above kitchen windows over patio.
• LED stage lighting and new lighting box.
• Light on footpath from Shop to bus stop.
• Move manhole from front of Shop (for emptying caravan toilets into).
• LED dimmable lights for the hall.
• Stairlift and escape chute to committee room.
• More storage. (Where?)
Alan said that estimates would need to be sought before submitting the list to the Development Officer and this would prove time-consuming and difficult, especially as she had asked for the list by end of December 2018.
Any Other Business
1. Tennis coaching and use of toilets: It was felt that, when coaching was taking place on the tennis courts, some payment should be made for use of the toilet facilities and these should be booked in advance. This would avoid children using the toilets when other hirers are in the building, which had caused problems in the past. It was also noted that Mark had been unable to attend a single Trustee meeting since October 2017, although he did attend the 2017 AGM. It was felt the secretary should write to Mark, with a copy to the Tennis Club, as they might wish to consider appointing an alternative representative. EW
It was decided that no further Finance meeting was required prior to the Trustee meeting on 25th October.
Dates for Trustee meetings for 2019 were fixed for 7.30 pm
Thursday 31st January in the clubroom
Thursday 28th March in the main hall.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.50 pm.