TODWICK VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (SPECIAL MEETING)
6.30 PM, MONDAY 17th AUGUST 2009

Present:

• Mr Brian White (Chair, Trustee & Parish Council)
• Mrs Mary Pavey (WI)
• Mr John Palmer (Vice Chair, Trustee & Parish Council)
• Mr Tony Rusling (Historical Society)
• Mrs Jean Leah (Secretary & Trustee)
• Mrs Chris White (Toddler Group)
• Mr Norman Anderson (Treasurer, Trustee & NHD Watch)
• Mrs Margaret Ware (Ramblers)
• Mr John Gabbitas (5th Trustee)
• Mr Bryan Ferris (Golf Society)
• Mrs Liz Wainwright (Cricket Club)
• Mrs Brenda Waller (Line Dancing)
• Mrs Mari Gabbitas (Craft Group)
• Mrs Emma Allison (Rainbows)
• Mr Clive Pantry (Parish Council)
• Mrs C Vince (rep Over 60s)

Apologies for Absence:

• Mrs Pat Gollaglee (Over 60s)
• Mrs Claire Newbold (Brownies)

Brian White opened the meeting and welcomed all present.

28/09 FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VILLAGE HALL

The Chair gave a presentation relating to the Village Hall outlining the following:

Business Activities

• All business items completed during the last two years was outlined which had taken hard work, had been time consuming, needed doing, required constant revision/up-dating

Financial Activities

• The current year showed a break-even balance
• Several activities had been lost and private hires had dropped off considerably (presumably due to the credit crunch)
• The predicted budget figures for the next financial year were showing a £2k deficit when comparing income against spend
• It was clear that income needed to increase or spend needed to reduce or indeed both needed to occur to remain solvent

The Future

• This year's AGM in October would have seen BW as chair for two years. Throughout that time he had been blessed with an almost perfect set of Trustees with a good mix of skills. BW was happy to continue as Chair or alternatively equally happy to step down.
• Teamwork between the Trustees and Management Committee was essential but it appeared to the Trustees this was not the case currently.
• Having outlined the achievements and the worries predicted for the future, the Chair informed Management Committee members present that they needed to decide what they wanted for the future, which appeared to fall into three categories:
  • Current Trustees who put themselves forward are re-elected
  • A new set of Trustees are elected
  • If no-one is willing to act as a Trustee it would fall to the Parish Council to close the Village Hall until sufficient Trustees are forthcoming
• The Village Hall needed to be run on a business-like footing with no reversion to by-gone practices.
• There appeared to be three different types of users:
  • Those active and involved
  • Those who come to meetings to get to know what's going on and if a problem affects their individual user group they will get involved
  • Those who do not attend meetings at all
• The Chair expressed extreme disappointment at the tone of the recent letter signed by four Management Committee members that implied distrust of the Trustees.
• Whilst the Constitution allowed for Special Meetings to be called it was not designed to call meetings to reverse decisions reached by democratic vote at previous meetings. The Chair said neither this practice nor "secret" ballots would operate under his Chairmanship

A general discussion then took place. A summary of the main points covered are as below:

• Members were unhappy that the Dog Training sessions had been given as a fait accompli to the Management Committee rather than bringing as an item for discussion at a formal meeting (it was acknowledged that all user groups should have been consulted and not just those involving children)
• Members were reminded of the formalities of voting (ie only those physically attending the relevant meeting are entitled to vote on the issue under debate).
• Ideas for new initiatives would be placed as an agenda item at the next VHMC on 14th September. Action: Secretary
• Chris White/Emma Allison volunteered to run the raffle at the Jazz Night on 19th September and asked User Group members to let them have prizes from each User Group. Chris White undertook to speak with the organiser of the event (Sheila Pantry) regarding the type of raffle she would like to be run.
• It was suggested that current marketing arrangements needed to be revised and it was agreed this too would be placed as an agenda item at the next VHMC. Action: Secretary
• The Parish Council representative present gave his unconditional support to the Trustees and praised the tremendous achievements made during the last two years. He also said that the Management Committee should give a vote of confidence to the Trustees at the next meeting.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.15 pm.

The next Village Hall Management Committee
will be held in the Village Hall
at 6.30 pm, Monday 14th September 2009