5 Feb 2025

14 January 2025 – Minutes of the Sole Trustee Meeting

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Present: 

Cllr S Tudor (Chair)                                      Cllr G Jones

Cllr G Lloyd                                                 Cllr L Pickering

Cllr E Philpott                                              Cllr P Fisher

Cllr C Hurst

 

Also in attendance: a representative from the Village Hall management committee

Parish Clerk: Ms Vivien O’Dunne

  1. Apologies: Apologies were received from Cllr Borasinski; it was resolved to accept these. Cllrs Oakden and Dando weren’t present and didn’t send apologies.
  2. Declarations of Interest: There were no declarations of interest.
  3. Written applications for dispensations under the Localism Act 2011: There were no written declarations for dispensation.
  4. Approval of the minutes 10 December 2024: It was resolved to accept the minutes of the meeting and these were duly signed by the Chairman as an accurate record.
  5. Update regarding insurance query: The Clerk gave an update regarding the outstanding issue and informed Cllrs that she will be meeting the Solicitor on Wednesday the 22nd January at their Hanley office, the meeting will also be attended by Cllr Fisher.
  6. Meeting with representative from Support Staffordshire: The Clerk gave a brief verbal update on the main points from her meeting with Michelle Cliffe and Cllr Borasinski on December the 11th 2024:
  • There should be a clear distinction between Cllrs acting as Parish Councillors and when acting as Sole Trustee
  • A clear hierarchy needs to be established, with well-defined roles for both the Sole Trustee and the Management Committee. Terms of Reference should be agreed, with Michelle available to advise on this.
  • All policies should be adopted by the Parish Council in its role as Sole Trustee, and the Sole Trustee is responsible for implementing these policies through the Management Committee.
  • It was confirmed that best practice requires a Parish Council liaison and the Sole Trustee to be signatories on the bank mandate.
  • It was noted that all Village Hall expenditure should go through the Charity’s bank account. As a charity, the Village Hall can apply for funding while also being able to request grants from the Parish Council. Financially, the Village Hall Charity and the Parish Council are separate entities, each governed by its own financial rules.
  1. Maintenance works: Cllr Borasinski wasn’t present to give an update.
  2. Outstanding invoice: The Clerk reported that she received all relevant information from the management committee on the 11th A letter has been sent by registered post to the main contact’s address reminding them of their obligations under the hire agreement and requesting they contact the clerk to reach an amicable resolution.
  3. Village Hall Committee minutes: The minutes of the December meeting of the committee were received; these had been circulated prior to the meeting.
  4. Date of next meeting: Tuesday 11th February at 19:00