TOWN HALL COMMITTEE MEETING

MONDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 2009

Present :   Cllr C. Stanger (Chair), Cllr P. Allen, Cllr C. Dryden, Cllr J. Godwin,

                Cllr J. Lynch

1.    Apologies for Absence

Cllr J. Hart, Cllr C. Lofts

2.    Declarations of Interest

Cllr Allen declared an interest in Item 6a) Cheques Issued. Cllr Allen signed the Declarations of Interest Register accordingly.

3.    Election of Vice-Chair

Proposal

Cllr Lynch proposed that Cllr Dryden be elected Vice-Chair of the Town Hall Committee;

seconded by Cllr Allen, all in favour.

In the absence of the Chair of the Town Hall Committee, Cllr Hart, Cllr Dryden took the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

4.    Open to the Public

No members of the public were present.

5.    Request for Reduced Rates

The Clerk referred to the retrospective request for reduced rates from Eclipse Counselling Service who hired the Town Hall on 13th December 2008 for a nearly-new sale. Eclipse Counselling Service is a registered charity based in Newport Pagnell.

Proposal

Cllr Allen proposed that Eclipse Counselling Service be awarded a 50% reduction on the hire charges due for 13th December 2008 ;

seconded by Cllr Lynch, all in favour.

6.    FINANCE

a)    Cheques Issued

The Clerk distributed copies of the Cheques Issued List (cheque numbers 004356 to 004405). Most items were ongoing, the following cheques were highlighted:-

004361 / £16315.17 to Peter Bennie Ltd – final payment for the Town Hall roof works

004362 / £2074.67 to Paxton Brown – payment of the surveyor fees for the Town Hall roof works

004363 / £96.94 to Cllr Peter Allen – reimbursement for Christmas tree bulbs

004376 / £6011.60 to D. S. Pannell – second instalment for Town Hall internal redecoration works

004381 / £5813.53 to D. J. Hutchings – payment for Town Hall toilets refurbishment

004400 / £6338.40 to D. S. Pannell – final instalment for Town Hall internal redecoration works. The Clerk confirmed that 3 month retention of 5% is in place on this contract.

Proposal

Cllr Godwin proposed that the Cheques Issued List be signed off by the Chairman and R.F.O.;

seconded by Cllr Stanger, all in favour.

b)    Budget Update

INCOME

Hall hire was approximately £1,000.00 down against budget

Meeting Room hire   Budget £1520.00     Actual £589.00

Bank interest           Budget £260.00       Actual £670.00

This was due to the contract for the refurbishment works taking longer than anticipated. It is predicted that the interest from the National Savings Account will be below budget this year and significantly lower in the next financial year.

EXPENDITURE

Most items are within budget

Electricity charges will be significantly higher than budget due to increased charges

Business Rates £128.00 over budget   

Insurance £170.00 over budget

Electrical Works   Budget £500.00       Actual £1716.00

This was due to additional works carried out during the refurbishment program       

7.    Town Hall Electrical Works

At the last Full Council meeting, Cllr Hart reported a problem with the Town Hall heating system as the switch for the heating kept tripping off. A new RCD unit has now been fitted and this has rectified the problem.

8.    Town Hall Offices

       Leases for Office 6 and Office 7

The Clerk referred to the last meeting of the Town Hall Committee in November, at which the lease for Office 7, Pennella Thorpe, was discussed. It was agreed that the lease would be renewed for a period of three years from its expiry in September 2008 with no uplift on the rent. The lease of Office 6, JMT Systems, is due to expire in March 2009. It was agreed that this lease would also be renewed for a period of three years at the current rent of £4200 per annum. The Clerk confirmed that the break clause in the Council's Head Lease does not affect the renewal of the leases.

Proposal

Cllr Lynch proposed that the leases for Office 6 and 7 be renewed for a period of three years with no increase to the annual rent

seconded by Cllr Allen, all in favour.

9.    Future Plans for the Town Hall

The document prepared by Cllr Godwin entitled ‘The Town Hall Access Project' was forwarded to committee members prior to the meeting. Proposals contained within the report include:-

- the acquisition of vicarage land to enable the extension of the Town Hall to improve access for mobility impaired visitors and      

  provide an associated car parking space .

- relocation of the kitchen into a joint boiler room / kitchen to allow the delivery and removal of catering / bar equipment.

- removal of the existing kitchen / serving hatch to provide improved toilet facilities, including unisex cubicles with hand wash

  facilities and a cubicle providing baby changing facilities.

- replacing the current stage with a collapsible unit to provide additional space and versatility for functions.

The committee discussed the proposals at length. Cllr Lynch was concerned the security of the building would be compromised by the provision of a side porch. He referred to businesses in the town that had resolved disabled access issues with the aid of a ramp. Aside from the issue of acquiring the land, he questioned how the alterations would be financed. Cllr Godwin considered the issue of finance to be secondary to obtaining the land as without it the scheme could not precede.

Cllr Hart had given her apologies for the meeting but asked the Clerk to put forward her views. Cllr Hart queried whether a proven need for the alterations had been established, i.e. through consultations with user groups. The Town Hall has been inspected by the SNC Access Officer who concluded the TC had complied as far as possible with the Disability Discrimination Act considering its Listed Building status. The hall is used on a weekly basis by a large group from the Riverside Centre with varying degrees of disability and they have raised no concerns with respect to access. Cllr Hart considered that major alterations to the building would be untimely in view of the Moat Lane Regeneration Project and the effect this will have on the area as a whole. She was opposed to the proposals for unisex toilet facilities but would be in favour of obtaining quotations to upgrade the kitchen for the next budget.

Cllr Godwin considered the Council should take a more pro-active approach and suggested it had not taken reasonable steps to comply with the DDA. The Clerk confirmed that the foot fall of visitors to the TC offices has considerably reduced over the past few years and most enquiries are now made via telephone or email. The buzzer system was installed to enable staff to attend to visitors who cannot use the stairs. She could not recall any occasion when a visitor has been unable to access the building.

Cllr Allen's views were that a clear and significant need would have to be demonstrated in order to justify such major upheaval. Current proposals mean the town will change beyond recognition and although the Council hopes the Town Hall will remain as it is, this is not certain. He considered the removal of the stage would be a great loss. He suggested that the proposals should be put on hold until more is known about the future needs of the town.

Proposal

Cllr Lynch proposed the Town Council waits until more information is known with regards to the proposed Civic Centre before it revisits the proposals for changes to the Town Hall;

seconded by Cllr Stanger, all in favour.