TOWN HALL COMMITTEE MEETING

MONDAY 1ST JUNE 2009

Present :-   Cllr C. Lofts (Chair), Cllr P. Allen, Cllr D. Bain, Cllr C. Dryden,

                 Cllr J. Godwin, Cllr J. Hart, Cllr J. Lynch

1.    Apologies for Absence

None.

2a.    Election of Chair

Proposal

Cllr Lofts proposed that Cllr P. Allen be elected as Chair of the Town Hall Committee for the ensuing year; seconded by Cllr Dryden, all in favour.

Cllr Allen took the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

2b.    Election of Vice-Chair

Proposal

Cllr Lynch proposed that Cllr C. Dryden be elected as Vice-Chair of the Town Hall Committee for the ensuing year; seconded by Cllr Hart, all in favour.

3.    Declarations of Interest

None.

4.    Open to the Public

No members of the public were present.

5.    Town Hall Offices

The Clerk confirmed the renewal of the lease for Office 6 (JMT Systems) and Office 7 (Penella Thorpe) at the same annual rent. The tenant of Office 10, Miss Atchison, has indicated she will be giving notice to quit effective from September 2009. The Clerk advised that Office 10 is quite difficult to let; situated on the 2 nd floor it is not easily accessible to the public. She has received no recent enquires with respect to office vacancies.

The Clerk referred to ongoing problems with overdue rent for Office 9. The tenant has been paying one quarter in arrears for some time. This has lapsed further and the rent is now two quarters in arrears dating back to 1st January 2009 . The Clerk wrote to the tenant on 29th April and 26th May requesting he settle the account in full or telephones to discuss repayment arrangements. The second letter informs that tenant that the matter will be taken to committee but he has not been in touch. The tenancy agreement for Office 9 expired some time ago.

Proposal

Cllr Lynch proposed that the TC start proceedings by instructing its solicitor to write to the tenant of Office 9 with respect to the outstanding rent; seconded by Cllr Hart, all in favour.

6.    South Northants Council – Environmental Inspection

An inspection of the Town Hall kitchen was carried out on 16th April by the Environment Division of South Northants Council. The inspector confirmed there were no issues to report and awarded a 4 star Food Hygiene Star Rating.

7.    Cheques Issued

The Clerk distributed copies of the Cheques Issued List (cheque numbers 004437 to 004448) to all committee members. Most items were ongoing, the following cheque number was noted:-

004447 / £40.00 to PHS Group – the Clerk apologised as this relates to a late payment charge as payment of its invoice was overlooked.

Proposal

Cllr Lofts proposed that the Cheques Issued List be signed by the Chair and R. F. O;

seconded by Cllr Lynch, all in favour.

8.    Correspondence regarding disabled access

The Clerk referred to correspondence received from a member of public regarding disabled access. The lady attended a recent sale at the Town Hall to find that the side gate providing disabled access was locked and enquires how the hall meets the duties imposed by the DDA 2005. The Clerk confirmed that the charges/conditions sent out to all hirers details the disabled access. The gate should be unlocked automatically by the Caretaker when opening for bookings; however this does not appear to have been the case on this day. The Clerk confirmed she has contacted the lady to apologise. She suggested that additional signage could be introduced to highlight the disabled access more effectively. The committee agreed that a sign should be erected on the front of the building and on the gate. Cllr Godwin asked he Clerk to look into the possibility of installing a bell/buzzer on the double doors at the side of the hall as there may be occasions when these are shut, i.e. in bad weather. This would allow a disabled person to alert the hirer to open the doors for them.