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Wigboroughs’ Village Hall AGM 2016

Wigboroughs’ Village Hall AGM 2016

WIGBOROUGHS VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Annual General Meeting, Tuesday 29th November 2016.

The single resolution put to the residents of Great and Little Wigborough was:

That the site in School Lane should be sold and the net proceeds split equally between two initiatives

  • the enhancement of the nave of Great Wigborough Church to make it more suitable for use as a community venue
  • supporting the re-development of Peldon Village Hall to create a co-owned and shared community centre to be known as the Peldon and Wigboroughs Community Centre.

The resolution was carried by 60 votes in favour and 22 against, the totals including 37 postal votes.

New trustees were elected and the committee now consists of three appointed trustees (Jinny Gale, Phil Gladwin and Sam Norton) and four elected trustees (Steve Copeland, Marion Houlding, John Hutchinson and Melanie Newton).

At a subsequent trustees meeting Jinny was elected as Chairman, Melanie as Secretary and Steve as Treasurer.

The result is binding upon the committee who will now proceed to implement it as quickly as they can.

Jinny Gale

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The Wiggys go Yankee

Saturday 4th July – The Wiggys Go Yankee

Starting at 12:30pm at St Stephens Church, Great Wigborough, this afternoon event promises to be a fun family event with food, drink & entertainment from a Barnershop Quartet.  Early booking is recommended as space is limited, contact Ann Coates by phone, 735340 or email [email protected] – tickets are £8 adults or £15 for families.

This event is being organised jointly by members of the church council and others from the village.  We are very sad that the Friends of the Wigboroughs has had to close through lack of a Chairperson, but hope that village events can still be enjoyed and funds raised for both the fabric and running costs of the churches.

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Friends of the Wigboroughs

Friends Closing Down

With no-one willing to stand as Chairman for the Friends of the Wigboroughs it was reluctantly decided at its AGM on 23rd April 2015 that the charity will be closed down.

Background note

The Friends of the Wigboroughs (FOTW) is a registered charity (established in 2005) and was created with the aim of raising funds solely for the maintenance and repair of the medieval parish churches of Great and Little Wigborough. Until such time as the closure is complete, FOTW has its own website here.

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Wigs Village Hall Chairman’s Report – Apr 2015

WIGBOROUGHS VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

The Committee has met seven times since the AGM in November 2014.  Our discussions have become increasingly complex as we have sought to address the various divergent and strongly held views within the community.

After the February 2014 questionnaire which showed clear support for two projects above others many residents believed that the decision about investment of the sale proceeds of the School Lane site was made.  What remained to be done was to agree contracts between WVHMC and St Stephens’ Church and the Peldon Village Hall Management Committee, to agree on a recommended split of funds between them and then seek the community’s support for implementation.

Postal Voting at the AGM could not be used due to a change of policy by the Charity Commission and a group of residents expressed a view that all of the money should be retained and invested in the Wigboroughs.  There was no doubt about the level of emotion expressed but there was no way at that time of quantifying that view against the results from the questionnaire.

While the Trustees considered how to do this Mr Cave approached us seeking our support in his application to have his land in School Lane at Drake’s Corner admitted into the Village Envelope, this being a step towards developing the land.  He hoped to build a minimum of 12 houses there (later verbally stated to be more likely 15) and as part of the development would offer to provide a Community Centre and some land to the Wigboroughs residents.  This offer has been extended thanks to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Wyatt who, if Mr Cave eventually acquires permission to develop his land, will donate additional land adjacent to Mr Cave’s to provide a larger area for sporting and recreational activities.

Faced with these two changed situations the Trustees felt that they had a duty to reconsider the way forward and decided, for a hopefully final time, to seek the views of residents again.

This turn of events has meant that we have abandoned our plans for a Spring EGM to gain ratification for selling the School Lane plot and now hope to address that at the June AGM together with our recommendations for investments, which will only be finalised when we have seen the returns from the pending consultation.

While planning for this further consultation Carol Wyatt resigned as a Trustee.  Carol was one of the volunteers who organised the re-establishment of the Committee in 2011 and had been involved with the earlier attempt to re-build a Village Hall in the Wigboroughs.  She brought special knowledge and experience as well as passion to the Committee.  These were appreciated and she is missed.  The Committee decided to exercise their right to leave the vacancy unfilled until the Trustee elections come round again at the AGM currently scheduled for 18th June 2015.

Carol also acted as our Treasurer and we are currently seeking a finance professional to take on that role without becoming a Trustee.  This is within our remit.

We have, due to the efforts of Ella Haines for which we are immensely grateful, identified one of two scrutineers necessary for us to use the Postal Voting System.

The current situation about investment projects is not straightforward.

Development of the Nave has given rise to a concern that the Committee could be accused of religious discrimination if this was the only investment made.  The Charity Commission has advised us informally that the provision of alternative facilities, such as a shared community facility with Peldon, would offset this accusation but frustratingly it has failed to confirm this view formally to date.  The PCC has now drafted the enhancements they would like WVHMC to consider funding in an initial stage of development and have quoted an estimated price for them of between £60,000 and £70,000.  Further development and investment may be considered at a later date.

Merging with the Peldon Village Hall charity is still possible but would now have to be on a changed basis because PVHMC have cut back on their original plans and intend to have a new more affordable hall built by the end of 2015.  This will depend on them plugging the reduced gap in their funding by grants and donations.  If we are still interested in joining them in a shared development we need to be certain of our intent and new contribution level by the summer of 2015.

The Peldon Village Hall Management Committee was asked whether they would wish to consider pursuing a joint development sited in the Wigboroughs but declined the invitation as they believe that there is a much greater chance of a successful outcome by pursuing their current plans.

It remains the Committee’s view that a Village Hall in the Wigboroughs is not sustainable but if Mr Cave eventually obtains planning permission for his land and makes a very substantial offer to the Wigboroughs the Committee will, of course, look again at the situation as it then is.  Mr Cave’s land has been submitted to a Colchester Borough Council planning process which will result in a new Local Plan in the summer of 2017.  No landowner can be certain that his land has been accepted into the Village Envelope until that process is complete.  Normal planning applications can then proceed through the familiar process of consultation, negotiation, ruling and possibly appeal before it would be clear what the community might gain from this project.  Funding of other projects would have to put on hold until this point is reached.  The Committee feels that this is a high risk option with no guarantee that Mr Cave will achieve a favourable result from the Local Plan process and thus he may not, after a considerable passage of time, be in a position to make good on his potential offer to us.

The Committee is clear that contributing to the development of two community centres close to each other in the Wigboroughs would not be responsible use of Charity funds.  It does not therefore support the idea of developing the Church nave and accepting Mr Cave’s offer should he one day be in a position to make it.

The Committee is aware that there is no point in considering joining in with the Peldon development and accepting an offer from Mr Cave as the time factor on the latter will be longer than the window of opportunity on the former.

I  hope that in this report I have been able to explain the Committee’s situation and can only urge you to COMPLETE AND RETURN THE CONSULTATION FORMS which will shortly be arriving through your letterboxes.  We need to be clear about the views of ALL the residents.

Jinny Gale 
Chairman WVHMC

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Wigs Village Hall AGM Minutes – Nov 2014

Wigboroughs Village Hall AGM 2014

This report contains the minutes of the AGM held on 6th November 2014 which have been agreed by the management committee but remain subject to ratification at the next AGM.  There are links within the miuntes to presentations given during the AGM by Rev. Sam Norton about the potential use of St Stephen’s Nave, and by Bob Holmes of the Peldon Village Hall Management Committee discussing the advantages of ‘joining forces’.   Following the minutes are the Annual Report, Financial Report and an Addendum to the Governing Document.

Minutes

THE WIGBOROUGHS VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

6th November 2014

19:30

 

ESSEX WILDLIFE TRUST HQ at ABBOTTS HALL FARM

MALDON ROAD, GREAT WIGBOROUGH

MINUTES

1. Welcome: JG gave a welcome address, and explained the whereabouts of fire exits, toilets, etc.

2. Resignation of all committee members: MN, JH, CW and MW all resigned

3. Noting the names of appointed members reappointed PCC and PC members: JG and PG were nominated from the Parish Council, SN from the PCC.

4. Annual report and resulting questions: JG explained in brief what had been taking place on the WVHMC in the last 17 months. We had hoped to have three things in place by an AGM in June 2014 .  Postal voting.  The sale of the land. The planning application. The latter is the only one which came to pass. Registering the land has been a tortuous process. Lorna Kean very kindly cut her charges to the bone for the WVHMC.  The planning application was not without its difficulties. There was a legal wrangle over Colchester Borough Council’s insistence that they would hold onto the money when the land was sold. The Charity Commission (CC) already stipulate this condition to us in our Governing Document (GD). The CC said to engage a lawyer. Kevin Bentley stepped in to help, and managed to get the condition overturned, for which we thank him. The planning application was then approved by CBC.  JG explained the rationale behind the WVHMC pursuing two projects of the nave of St Stephen’s and the PVH project. In the 2011 survey two questions were asked. 1. Do you believe the Wigboroughs need their own village hall or Community Centre 2. What do you think should happen to the old building and the site in School Lane. Reluctantly it was decided that the community could not sustain another village hall project in the Wigboroughs.  We again asked the whole community in 2014.  The WVHMC took the most popular projects that came back from that original questionnaire in 2011, and these were put to the community in the 2014 questionnaire. JG pointed out that the results of those questionnaires were in binders around the room for residents to look at.  The WVHMC has put its efforts into the detail of the two most popular projects-the nave and PVH.  Working parties were set up to ascertain the possibilities of both projects.  Nothing can be decided without the say so of the community, and this will be when postal voting is in place, as this will enable a wider electorate to vote on key issues. Regarding Postal Voting, we thought we had a mandate to implement it, but the CC’s guidelines changed, and we needed to go back to the community for ratification of our GD.  Since the need for postal voting was to enable a wider electorate to vote on key issues we have deferred voting on the sale of the land until an EGM which we hope to hold in the Spring.  On a similar argument the resolution submitted by Mrs Houlding was removed from the agenda.  After careful consideration it was decided that it was unreasonable to hold such a vote without postal voting being in place. John Jowers has been very helpful in granting finance to the WVHMC.  There was an original Essex CC grant of £5000 and then a top up from the Communities Initiatives Fund of a further £500. Thanks to JJ and Robert Davidson for orchestrating this for us. The WVHMC will seek final approval to sell the land plus a vote on two projects which have guided us from the questionnaire. JG stated that the WVHMC have met 17 times in 17 months and have also had 4 sub committee meetings. JG stated that the GD was written over 50 years ago, it sometimes lacks detail, and that we need to make sensible decisions for our community today. JG stressed that each trustee needs to leave their personal opinions at the door when attending trustee meetings. JG gave a vote of thanks to MN for all her work as Secretary over the past year. There were no questions.  The Annual Report is attached at the end of these Minutes.

5. Finance report and resulting questions: The WVHMC had started the year with over £4,000 remaining from the Essex CC grant. Surveys, planning preparation, land registry and the planning application had taken all but £443.06. Then this financial year we paid Lorna Keen £253 for land registration and £62.23 for 3rd party insurance. We had received an additional £500 from Essex CC. This leaves us with £617.83 to eke out until the Village Hall site is sold.  The Finance Report is attached at the end of these Minutes.

 

6. Presentation from the Wigboroughs Parochial Church Council and resulting questions: SN gave a presentation on the nave area. The nave is ancient beautiful and characterful.  The area under the tower has been redeveloped. The car park has been upgraded.  It is now used for successful events such as Meet the Neighbours. The nave project is about redeveloping the nave so that it has wider use.  There are fabric problems-it needs a new floor, new heating.  The PCC want to make it into a welcoming and inviting space for the Wigboroughs community.  They want to bring the facilities up to a usable standard.  Mick Biegel asked about the flyer showing the extension on the Purleigh church.  Did this have the approval of the PCC? SN replied that the  PCC has not discussed such a project. That is not to say that it will not be considered.  SN spoke about expanding the storage space available and that might involve changing the outline but as yet the PCC has not discussed this.  A shed for storage would be another option. SN stated that PCC doesn’t have the resources to manage the space.  A new committee would have to be formed. Cost estimates- new floor-£40k, new heating £20k. At Peldon church the extra space has cost £120k. Question: what was the priority for projects?  SN-new flooring is the priority. Second would be heating/lighting. Question: would the money invested be a donation to the church and how can the WVHMC retain control of its asset on behalf of the villages.  Ella Haines wanted clarification that the money could not be used for the general upkeep and maintenance of the building. SN-no it couldn’t. Question: what about the ongoing maintenance of the church?  How would you fund upkeep? What happens if the church runs out of money. SN said this would all have to be looked at. PG-stated that we must not discriminate on religious grounds. SN stated that there are certain criteria laid down by the  C of E. For example, only certain types of activities would be allowed. No profanity.  The church has to retain its character. A Buddhist philosophy group, for example,  could use it.  But it could not be used as a mosque for example. There are some boundaries laid down in church law.  PG asked about de-consecration of the nave.  SN hoped it wouldn’t come to this.  David Buckley-a new building on the side of the church-could it be used for anything? SN-yes it could, but there would be restrictions on building on consecrated ground and over graves. MH stated that as there is a declining congregation, the nave needs to be to be used as a community space.

[Download copy of presentation – Sam’s AGM PCC presentation].

 

7. Presentation from Peldon Village Hall Management Committee and resulting questions: Bob Holmes and Andy Wade came to the AGM and BH gave a slide presentation on behalf of the PVH project. BH said that the hall was used on average for 2 hours per day. It was not used only by Peldon. It was used by people from the Wigboroughs, and many of the activities were organised by residents sitting in the room.  He stressed that a project involving money coming from the Wigboroughs would be about a joint venture, a merger of the two charities with equal representation on the Board of Trustees, and the resulting building would  be called the Peldon and Wigboroughs Community Centre. The hall is currently is an very poor state of repair and is not large enough. The current building is dilapidated and not sustainable. Historically , the committee wanted to build the best building they could. Plans were approved in 2011. This year (2014) the planning consent was due to expire, and the decision needed to be made as to whether to renew.  The committee re costed plans, and managed to shave off £100k from the cost of building a new hall. The new hall design would be simpler, but would incorporate the essentials (e.g. the foyer as stipulated by the Abberton reservoir committee, to cater for walkers circumventing the reservoir), but also badminton and sporting facilities, and would cost no more than £600k.  It won’t go to tender until the committee are sure of 75% of funding. There will be more car parking, laid with grasscrete. The  committee will re submit plans to CBC in the new year. £313k has been raised so far, and £25k spent on fees so far.  He stressed that if Peldon and the Wigboroughs village halls merged to make the Peldon and the Wigboroughs Community Centre, there would have to be a merger of the charities- the governing documents are fairly similar. There would be a new charity with equal representation on the Board. The Board of Trustees would oversee but would delegate management of the hall to a management committee.  Certain key powers would be reserved for the trustees.  Chairmanship alternating between the villages.  Neither village could outvote the others. If the Charity was unwound at some point in the future,  the value of money that the Wigboroughs put into the project would be  returned back to the Wigboroughs.  All of this would have to be ratified by both the Wigboroughs and Peldon, and would need  approval from the CC. BH stated that PVH would be looking for an investment of not less than £150k. He stated that the project needed to be viable. It needed to demonstrate new uses (sports and badminton). It would need to benefit the whole wider community, including those people from the Wigboroughs.  The investment from the Wigboroughs, if it came, would deliver this project more quickly and with more certainty, and the project gives a way back should it  ever be unwound. Questions: There was some detailed questioning of BH on the financial viability of the new Village hall. Brian Coates stated that he was a member of the Art Group at PVH.  He didn’t believe that the hall paid it’s way at the moment. He gave statistics of a net income £4000, but expenses of £6000. BH replied that the  hall was in such a bad state of repair that maintenance costs were  high. The  state of hall means that its use is declining-they had already lost one regular user there. However, other fundraising events underwrote those costs at the moment. He stated again that the new hall will attract new use.  Alison Biegel stated that Brian Coates had just given the  perfect reason for joining forces. JH corrected the questioner who believed that the Wigboroughs Village Hall was donated to the village by individuals from the village. JH stated that the village hall was bought by the trustees of the village hall from the Ministry of Education for £50. Question: how long would PVH be out of action? BH thought 7-8 months. Question: Even if money goes from the Wigboroughs, PVH will still be short.  BH stated that there are still grants available, and that the committee would have  sufficient confidence to go to tender if money comes from the Wigboroughs. They can close that gap. The last resort would be to reduce the size of the hall.

[Download copy of presentation –  Bob’s PVH AGM Presentation].

8. Resolution re Postal Voting  to include introduction, questions and voting by show of hands: The resolution is “That the addendum headed Addendum to Governing Document and dated 6th November 2014 be ratified to permit postal voting to be used to supplement voting in person at Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings thereby enabling a wider electorate in the Wigboroughs to vote on key issues.” JG stated that this was not a vote about postal voting.  That had already been decided at the last AGM.  The  resolution is to ratify changes to the GD to allow PV.  The template for PV is based on the model template which the CC has defined.  JG outlined some of the changes, e.g. the time period between announcing and holding a meeting will be much longer.  Integrity of the process depends on independent scrutineers. There will be no more voting by show of hands.  Everyone will have the same secrecy as people who vote by post.  There will be no more resolutions from the floor, because postal voters have to have sight of every resolution  beforehand so they can vote on it.  Resolutions will have to notified 6 weeks in advance. Alex Lewis clarified that the resolution in advance would have to be set out clearly by the person proposing them and would go to every household.  JG confirmed that that would be the case. Ella Haines (magistrate) offered her services to find an independent scrutineer. The resolution was passed.  Those in favour: 65. Those against: 5. Abstentions: 1   Postal voting will  therefore be implemented.   The Addendum is attached to the end of these Minutes.

 

9. Noting of candidates for election: Marion Houlding, John Hutchinson, Melanie Newton, Mark Waterfield, Carol Wyatt

10. Addresses from candidates:

MH: There followed a question from Ella Haines, in response to MH’s indication that if she was elected, she would endeavour to keep all the money in the Wigboroughs: “The committee is currently tasked with assessing and reporting on the two favoured options of the nave project and PVH.  Trustees are required to carry out that task dispassionately, impartially and fairly and without regard to their personal opinions, as indicated by Jinny at the start. How can you carry out that task and act in accordance with that duty when you have indicated that your are standing in order to “keep the money in the Wigboroughs”?  MH’s response: Mel Newton sells pantomime tickets.
JH, MH, MN  and MW volunteered copies of their speeches for the record.  CW declined to give a copy of her speech.

11. Voting to elect members to the four vacant positions on the Management Committee

12. Announcement of results: MH 45, JH 31, MN 42, CW 50, MW 58

Marion Houlding, Melanie Newton, Mark Waterfield, Carol Wyatt were duly elected.

JG gave a vote of thanks to the dedication with which John Hutchinson had been involved with the WVHMC over the past 25 years, and said that his expertise will be greatly missed.

Annual Report

 

THE WIGBOROUGHS VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6th November 2014

ANNUAL REPORT

WHY THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) IS LATE

The AGM is normally held in June.  The Trustees realised that there were two important matters likely to come to fruition very shortly after a June AGM so opted to move the meeting in the expectation that by November there would be an outcome to our planning application and postal voting would be implemented.  These would have enabled a final vote on the sale of the land at the delayed AGM.

PREPARING TO SELLING THE LAND 

To be in a position to ask for the community’s final approval to sell the land it had first to be registered and then outline planning permission had to be obtained.

Registration proved not to be straightforward but was eventually achieved.  The Trustees thank Lorna Kean for carrying out this work and submitting a heavily discounted bill for her services.

The planning application was also complicated in that Colchester Borough Council wished, as a condition of granting the application,  to hold the sale money in order to ensure that is was eventually spent on community facilities of which the Council approved.  These conditions are already imposed upon the Charity by the Charity Commission and eventually the Council withdrew their counter-claim and granted the application subject to conditions.  The Trustees are indebted to Kevin Bentley, the Borough and County Councillor, and Andrew Weavers of Colchester Borough Council for their help in resolving this situation.

2014 QUESTIONNAIRE

In an initial survey in 2011 residents had recorded their opinions about whether there was a need for a Wigboroughs-specific Village Hall and what should be done with the site in School Lane.   Several suggestions were clearly not viable but others had possibilities.  The Trustees considered the suggestion of building a new Wigboroughs Village Hall but reluctantly decided that the community would not be able to support the ongoing maintenance costs even if the capital sum to build it could be found.

The Trustees therefore set out to ask the whole community how much support they would give to the four projects which emerged from the earlier survey and from suggestions which had surfaced since.  200 copies of a questionnaire were circulated and 102 of them returned.  The results of this survey are available on the Parish Council website www.winstred100.org .  The clear guidance from this exercise was that the Trustees should explore the detail and viability of two projects – to improve the nave of St Stephen’s church to make it more suitable as a venue for community activities and to look at creating a shared and co-owned community centre on the site of the current Peldon Village Hall by merging the two Village Hall charities and joining the Peldon re-building project.  The Trustees have set up working parties with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Peldon Village Hall Management Committee (PVHMC) to explore the possibilities of these two suggestions.  It must be emphasised that nothing is decided about either of these projects and examination of what might be possible with either or both of them is ongoing.

The action of consulting our community through the questionnaire and the clear guidance that resulted from it were mentioned by CBC as important elements in their final decision to grant outline planning approval.

POSTAL VOTING

At the 2013 AGM a resolution was passed to approve the introduction of Postal Voting.  The Committee’s understanding then was that this was a mandate to implement postal voting providing the Charity Commission approved the process to be adopted.  Since then the Charity Commission has changed its approach and requires ratification at the 2014 AGM before Postal Voting can be implemented.

Since the need for Postal Voting was to enable a wider electorate to vote on key issues, voting on the sale of the land has been deferred until an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) which we hope to hold in the Spring.  On a similar argument a resolution from Mrs Houlding shown on the draft agenda was removed from the final AGM agenda as it was judged unreasonable to hold such a vote without Postal Voting being in place.

ADDITIONAL GRANT OF £500

WVHMC was re-established in 2011 with inherited minimal funds.  To date the Committee has managed to meet costs from a grant of £5000 organised for us by John Jowers the Essex County Councillor.  Little of that is now left and we are indebted once again to John Jowers and to Robert Davidson for finding us a £500 top-up from the Community Initiative Fund and for fast tracking its payment to us.

THE WAY FORWARD

The Trustees plan to hold an EGM in the Spring at which, with Postal Voting finally in place, it will be possible to seek final approval to sell the land.

Progress on the two projects which are still being worked on can be reported then and the Committee may possibly be able to submit its recommendations in respect of them for a vote.

WORK OF  TRUSTEES

Being a Trustee of this charity is a demanding task. The committee has met 17 times in the 17 months since our the last AGM. And there have been four working party meetings. Two each with the PCC and the PVHMC.

We struggle with a Governing Document which was drafted a long time ago and does not always contain detail where we most need detail.  We study the guidance on the Charity Commission website but often cannot find detail specific to our charity or our situation.  Somehow through all the difficulties we are still moving forwards.  Each Trustee has brought a different range of skills and experience and opinions to the table.  They all deserve thanks and praise.

Her colleagues wish to offer special thanks to Melanie Newton who once again this year has managed to play a full role as a Trustee in all our meetings while also producing accurate Minutes in no time at all.

Finance Report

THE WIGBOROUGHS VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6th November 2014

FINANCE REPORT

Great & Little Wigborough Village Hall
Income & Expenditure Account for year ending 31st March, 2014
      £     £ 
Balance at Bank 1st April 2013  4090.54 
Income: 
Colchester Borough Council for Polling Booth   75.00 
Bank Interest     1.02     76.02 
Sub Total  4166.56 
Expenditure:  
Essex Wildlife Trust – AGM Venue   50.00 
Tripoint Surveys – Topographical Survey2527.50  336.00 
A&P Designs – Planning Work395 2527.5  
Lorna Kean & Co – Land Registry Fee    40.00  
Colchester Borough Council – Planning Fee  385.00  
Colchester Borough Council – Monitoring Fee  385.00  
             
Balance at Bank 31st March, 2014   433.06

Addendum to Governing Document

Great and Little Wigborough Village Hall

Charity Number:  301321

Addendum to Governing Document dated 6th November 2014

1.  Throughout this addendum any reference to ‘he’ is taken to mean ’he or she’.

2.  The Charity’s Governing Document consists of a Conveyance dated 18th March 1954 and a set of Management Committee Standing Orders originally approved at the June 2011 AGM which maintains the intent of the Conveyance but was introduced when the Committee was re-established after many years of  inactivity.  Their purpose was to replace certain requirements from the Conveyance which, due to the passage of time, could no longer be met and to define certain administrative and procedural practices not defined in the original Conveyance.

3.  To date voting on any matter has only been possible for those residents qualified to vote by attending an Annual or Extraordinary General Meeting (AGM or EGM) in person.  Residents have requested that a system of postal voting be introduced so that those residents unable, for whatever reason, to attend such a meeting may still record their votes.  Postal voting is to be in addition to voting in person, with safeguards to ensure that each qualified voter records only a single vote by one method or the other.

4.  Postal voting will be used for all matters requiring a vote at an AGM/EGM including for the  election of Trustees to occupy the elected member places on the Committee.

5.  This Addendum sets out the postal voting process recommended by the Management Committee (and approved by the community). The process is based on the postal voting template provided by the Charity Commission.   The Addendum also amends certain timing details, as under, in the process leading up to an AGM or EGM to accommodate postal voting.  It also lists certain previously undefined matters of procedure which are necessary to provide parity between those who vote at a meeting and those who use a postal vote.

6.  In Item 6 of the Management Committee Standing Orders the phrase ‘two weeks notice to each home in the two villages’ will be deleted and replaced by ‘at least six weeks notice to each home in the two villages’.

7.  In item 7 of the Management Committee Standing Orders the phrase ‘at least a week before the meeting’ will be deleted and replaced by ‘at least six weeks before the meeting’.

8.  The system relies for its integrity on using two scrutineers who are not residents of either of the Wigboroughs villages.

9.  When notice of an AGM or an EGM is delivered to every household in the two villages a letter will be included describing how any qualified voter may apply for a postal vote.  This will require completion of a form and forwarding it by a stated date to the appointed scrutineer together with proof of residence in line with the government guidelines on proof of address.   Acceptable ways of proving residence will be included in the letter with instructions to contact any Trustee if provision of such proof is a problem.  It is not the intention of the Trustees to deny a qualified voter a postal vote because of special personal circumstances.

10.The scrutineers will post to each successful applicant, by a specified date, by first class postage, a postal voting form containing details of all matters on which votes will be taken at the AGM/EGM and an unstamped return envelope addressed to the appointed scrutineer.  It will state the date by which the completed form must be received by the appointed scrutineer.

11.The scrutineers will keep completed postal vote papers secure and confidential and at least one scrutineer will attend the AGM/EGM to assist in counting votes cast in person by ballot there and to add to such votes the corresponding totals from valid postal votes.

12.Immediately prior to the AGM/EGM the scrutineers will supply the Chairman or Secretary of the Management Committee with a list of those residents who have recorded a valid postal vote.  This list will be used to ensure that no voting papers are issued to these residents if they choose to attend the AGM/EGM.

13.After the AGM/EGM the scrutineers will return all papers to the Secretary of the Management Committee to be held securely pending destruction once sufficient time has passed to allow for any complaints related to the voting procedure to be received.

14.The following practices will be adopted with the introduction of postal voting to ensure that those who vote in person and those who vote by post have as much parity as possible.

  • The notice of pending AGM/EGM meetings delivered to every household will contain details of every matter on which a vote is to be made.
  • No resolutions will be accepted from the floor of the meeting.  They must be pre-advised in writing at least six weeks before the meeting and will be distributed to every household.
  • There will be no voting by show-of-hands at an AGM/EGM.  All voting will be by ballot paper.
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Making Connections in the Wigoroughs

St Stephen’s Church, Great Wigborough, is hosting a series of events between May 16th – 18th to encourage local residents to get to know each other.  

Friday 16th May – Meet Your Neighbours

Meet over drinks and canapés – tower opens 6:30 – 8:30pm.

Saturday 17th May – Puppets come to Tea

This family oriented activity is a family event for all ages starting at 3pm – free tickets are available from Louise – call 735136.

Sunday 18th May – Café-style service

Faith stories from local ministers at 4pm.

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What’s coming up in the Wigboroughs?

There are a range of commuity and social events coming up in the Wigboroughs this year with both the Friends and Parochial Church Council getting involved.

Sunday 23rd March – approx. 10:30am

The AGM of the Parochial Church Council is being held at St Stephen’s Church, Gt. Wigborough starting after the morning service, so at approx 10.30 a.m.

Thursday 24th April – 7:30pm

Friends of the Wigboroughs AGM followed by Thai dinner at St. Stephen’s Church, Great Wigborough.  The Friends are particularly looking for ideas on how to strengthen the Rural Community.  Dinner for non-members is £5, for more information, or to book, please contact Melanie Newton – [email protected] or call 736118.

Weekend 16th – 18th May

To celebrate the Centenary of the Diocese of Chelmsford, the PCC are running a ‘Wigborough Making Connections’ weekend:

  • Friday evening, 16th May, ‘Meet your neighbours’ social event with wine and nibbles;
  • Saturday afternoon, 17th May, ‘Puppets come to Tea’ family event for all ages;
  • Sunday afternoon, 18th May, Informal Café-style service, with faith stories from many of our local ministers.

More details nearer the time from Anne & Peter Owen (tel 383843).

Saturday 6th September (time TBA but probably around 2pm)

The regular Wigboroughs vs Peldon cricket (and other diverse activities) day taking place at Elmdale by kind permission of Steve & Sue Copeland.

Saturday 1st November (time TBA but probably around 7:30pm)

With the centenary year of the start of the Great War coming close to its conclusion the Friends are hosting a WW1 themed quiz to be held in St. Stephen’s Church – quizmasters Mick & Alison Biegel.

 

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Chairman’s report September 2013

Chairmans’s Report – September 2013

The Wigboroughs Village Hall Management Committee

How good it was to see so many residents at the AGM in June.

Since then the Committee has met three times.  All Officers were willing to continue in their previous roles so once again we have Melanie Newton as Secretary, John Hutchinson as Treasurer and I continue as Chairman.

We have continued exploring, inasmuch as we can, the potential projects we described at the AGM – the possible use of St Stephen’s Church, the search for green space in the village and the possibility of investing in Peldon’s planned new village hall.

We have discussed and rejected the possibility of using St Nicholas’ Church in Little Wigborough as a community meeting place.  This was suggested at the AGM but we felt that the site was too remote, the access along Copt Hall Lane too dangerous, the approach through Copt Hall’s land inappropriate and the likely ongoing maintenance costs excessive.

Our current focus is very much on preparing for the sale of the land in School Lane.  With professional assistance we are in the process of registering the land.  This has to be done in the name of The Official Custodian, a section of the Charity Commission, which holds the title papers for the site, having been entrusted with them in 1954.

Preliminary discussions have begun with the Planning Department at Colchester Borough Council about our proposed outline planning application.  As a result of feedback at this early stage we shall probably ask for two detached houses on the site.  But there is a way to go before we are in a position to firm up on the application and then share the thinking with residents before proceeding to apply to the Charity Commission for permission to sell the site.

At the AGM we were given a mandate to develop a method of postal voting so that residents unable to attend annual meetings may still vote on the issues raised there.  We are currently working out the details of a process which we hope will be acceptable to the Charity Commission so that we can use it at next year’s AGM.

As a Committee we want to explore more deeply how community life and aspirations for family recreational activities have changed since the old hall was last in use.  We shall be seeking to improve our understanding via a questionnaire and possibly focus groups.  We are mindful that any investment we make must satisfy all the legal constraints laid upon us, be financially sustainable and also deliver appropriate benefits for all the residents of the Wigboroughs.  We do not want to squander the legacy left to us by earlier generations by inappropriate investment.

We have now established a list of e-mail addresses to keep in closer contact with Wigboroughs residents and others who have an interest in our activities.  Please contact me ([email protected]) if you wish to be added to the list.  We also publish information on the Parish Council’s website www.winstred100.org and this can be found under the Community Section of the Main Menu.

Jinny Gale

Chairman WVHMC

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Annual General Meeting – 6th June 2013

THE WIGBOROUGHS VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6th June 2013

ANNUAL REPORT

At the 2012 Annual General Meeting a resolution was passed which approved in principle the sale of the Village Hall and site in School Lane and gave the Committee the mandate to progress this sale in the most economical and effective way possible so as to maximise the long term value of the assets owned by the Charity.

The Committee has met ten times since the 2012 AGM and has concentrated on preparing to sell the site as well as furthering the investigations of a number of potential investment projects.

Selling the site

Given the remit of maximising the assets represented by the site we have agreed that the site should be sold for development with outline planning permission.  We are conscious of our duty to the Wigboroughs community to do all that we can to ensure that any development on the site is acceptable and appropriate.  We have therefore decided to apply for outline planning permission for ideally three small houses rather than a single large one.  For many years it has been apparent that the Wigboroughs lack small housing stock which makes it difficult for young people and young families to take up residence here and thus maintain a vibrant community.

A & P Designs has been engaged to take us through the process of preparing for and eventually obtaining outline planning permission.  The Committee thinks that the eventual sale will be eased if the land is registered with the Land Registry beforehand.  To achieve this the site has been cleared and a necessary survey carried out.

While there are historic documents, or at least copies of historic documents, proving our title to the site these are held on our behalf by the Charity Commission so the registration process may not be as straightforward as it might be for a more conventional site and we have identified a Licensed Conveyancer to handle the process on our behalf.

Our main focus has been on preparing to sell the site because until that is achieved we can make no active progress with the other projects.

Once we are ready to sell the site we shall arrange to show the plans to residents, confirm the agreement to sell and then seek the approval of the Charity Commission to do so.  The Charity Commission will control the resulting funds on our behalf until we are ready to re-invest in approved project(s).

Investment projects

We have further explored three potential projects in which the proceeds of the sale might eventually be invested.  Two of these came from the 2011 questionnaire sent to all residents and the third arose from a suggestion at the 2012 AGM.

Plans for each project need to be more fully developed to establish whether the project can be achieved in a practical sense, afforded as to set up costs and ongoing maintenance costs and fits the objectives of the Charity.  Any project surviving these tests must then be approved by residents and the Charity Commission before it could be implemented.

Investment could be made in a single project or in more than one and at this stage we do not rule out the introduction of other potential projects as yet undefined.

The creation of a virtual Village Hall

This project envisages providing access to a physical site or building owned by another party for general community or specialist group events.  It would be necessary to enact a proper legal agreement to protect the Charity’s investment and legacy.  There are two possible such sites in the Wigboroughs – the nave of St Stephen’s Church and the event rooms at Abbotts Hall Farm.  We have noted the latter but progressed no further with that possibility to date.

St Stephen’s nave is already used for a number of events but the Parochial Church Council in conjunction with The Friends of the Wigboroughs is seeking to improve the venue to make it more suitable and more attractive for a wider range of activities.  One member of the Committee has visited Wicken Bonhunt Church near Saffron Walden which has implemented such a scheme and been impressed with what can be achieved.  While in no way committing to future investment in this initiative the Committee has expressed support for grant applications being made to this end as we feel that regardless of the Charity’s interest a successful outcome would result in benefits to the community.

It should be noted that both of the venues, at St Stephen’s and Abbotts Hall Farm, are already available for community groups or individuals to use under normal booking and payment arrangements regardless of possible future interest and investment from the Village Hall Charity.

The purchase of land for a Village Green

We have approached a number of people who own land in the Wigboroughs asking if they would consider selling a few acres to enable the Charity to set up a Village Green with facilities for a range of sporting and recreational activities for young people.  Potential sellers have been given a promise of confidentiality at this stage of discussions.

Peldon Village Hall development

We have checked with the Charity Commission that should we wish to become formally involved with the development of the new Village Hall in Peldon we would be permitted to do so.  The Charity Commission was positive about such a proposal provided that the Wigboroughs legacy was protected by legal agreements related to the two Charities involved.  This would probably involve merging the charities in a way which would give The Wigboroughs an appropriate measure of representation and control.   Other than establishing the Charity Commission’s view on the matter we have taken no further action with regard to this potential project.

Communications

A regular subject of discussion since the re-establishment of the Committee has been the level and quality of communications with the community.  We considered holding open meetings and publishing Minutes but the Charity Commission does not recommend this and because there are various sensitive and confidential matters being discussed we decided that it would not be helpful to do so.  Instead we committed to publishing regular reports in the Parish Newsletter and publishing them on the Parish Council website.

At the AGM we propose to ask the community to pass a resolution enabling us to change our Governing Document so that we can support postal voting to allow people unable to attend an AGM to participate in votes taken there.

We intend also to capture e-mail addresses of attendees at the AGM to support more direct interaction.

Christine ‘Jinny’ Gale
Chairman WVHMC
June 2013

Minutes of the AGM

AGM

The Wigboroughs Village Hall Management Committee

June 2013 @ 19.30

Essex Wildlife Trust HQ at Abbotts Hall

Maldon Rd, Great Wigborough

1.   Present at the Meeting: 6 Members of WVHMC, Jinny Gale (JG), Carol Wyatt (CW), John Hutchinson (JH), Melanie Newton (MN), Mark Waterfield (MW), Phil Gladwin (PG).  32 Residents of Great and Little Wigborough and One Non-Resident.

2.   Apologies for Absence: Sam Norton

3.   Welcome

    JG (Chairman) welcomed the community to the AGM, and to the new modern facilities at Abbotts Hall. JG said that it was an opportunity for the community to have a look at the new meeting rooms.  She stressed that we as a committee were answerable to the community for our actions, and that the WVHMC are answerable not only to the villages we serve, but also to the Charity Commission. We also have to work within the framework of our governing document.

    4.  Noting the resignation of all committee members

      JG explained that all current members have to resign, and be re-elected.  She explained the nomination procedure for the Parish Council and the Parochial Church Council representatives (2 reps and 1 rep respectively). JG confirmed that all members from last year had resigned, and were duly re-elected as there had been no other nominations from the village.

      5.  Noting the names of appointed members

        Jinny Gale (Parish Council), Phil Gladwin (Parish Council), Sam Norton (Parochial Parish Council

        6.  Noting the names of elected members

          Carol Wyatt, John Hutchinson, Melanie Newton, and Mark Waterfield were duly elected.

          7.  Annual report and resulting questions

            (Please see separate Annual Report for details) JG noted that the Annual Report was available for people to take away with them. It would also be printed in the Parish News, and would be on the Parish Council website. A Question/Answer session followed in which the following issues were raised:

            • A question re the timing of the process. JG/MN replied that the registration/planning process would take time, as would the timing of the selling of the site to maximise the sales value.
            • Concern about the number of houses planned for the plot. JG stated that the aim was to encourage younger families/people to move into the village, and they needed smaller/cheaper houses.  The point was made from the floor that families with young children already live in School Lane in large detached houses.  Why was it necessary to plan for smaller houses to accommodate this type of family? JG replied that the Village Design Statement had shown that there was a lack of small houses for young people in the village.
            • Concern about the money being spent on the meeting facilities for the AGM at Abbotts Hall when the church was a free venue.  JG replied that the committee wanted the community to see the new facilities, as it was a possible option for investment in the future in some capacity. Normally the committee met for free in members’ houses
            • The point was made about any village hall, “virtual” or otherwise needed funds to maintain and keep it going. This was why the village hall had closed in the first place. There was a discussion as to whether the village hall had closed due to structural defects, or lack of use.
            • Concerns were voiced about increased traffic on School Lane as a result of another three houses. This will be addressed by the Planning Department who will not agree plans unless satisfied on this score.
            • JH stated that our remit as a committee was to maximise the value of the plot, which was why the committee had initially looked at three houses. After a discussion on size of the plot, JH confirmed the size of the plot was approximately 0.083 hectares.
            • Concerns were raised about “affordable housing” projects.PG stated that because the plot was inside the village envelope this wasn’t an option, and that affordable housing (as opposed the housing that was affordable for young families starting out on the property ladder) wouldn’t have maximised the value of the site, so it was never considered as part of the application.
            • A question was raised about garages in addition to houses on the plot. It was confirmed that there were no plans for garages, but there was adequate room for car parking.
            • A question was asked about the street view/street scene as there were bungalows on either side. JH commented that we had considered the street view very carefully. There was actually one bungalow on one side, and two cottages on the other.  Planning would also check the visual aspect of the street view before deciding whether to give approval.
            • Density issues with the number of houses. PG said that Planning Departments were very aware of density issues, and they would decide what was feasible. CW pointed out that it would be up to the residents to decide in the end, even if the Council decided that   it     was   feasible to have three houses on the plot.
            • PG explained why the committee had gone for outline planning permission as opposed to full. Largely to do with cost.
            • Green area facilities.  What types of facilities were being planned for the green area project? JG explained that of all the projects, this was the least developed and had been added to the list as a result of interest at the last AGM from residents. Possibly car parking, a pavilion, changing area, but stressed that this was in very early exploratory stages at the moment, as we did not want to waste time in detailed planning when a piece of land might not materialise. Two residents stressed any land should be in the centre of the village.
            • Question re the upkeep of the playground/green area.  Why couldn’t the upkeep of a green area be financed by the Parish Council as it was in Peldon and Salcott? JG replied it was because if the WVHMC bought a plot of land for use by the village, then it would be owned and therefore have to be maintained by the WVHMC.
            • Question about voting on the projects in the future and how this would work.  What percentage of residents would be required to pass a vote ? MW said this was a good question- we would have to consider this. JG said that at the moment there was no percentage of the village required to pass a resolution on projects.
            • A suggestion was made about looking at the existing site for use as it is, or as a community garden, or somewhere to hold village events in marquees. The committee explained that the village had already voted in favour of selling the site largely because the present site was too small to accommodate any parking facilities. Also, as explained before, we had to maximise the value. A further suggestion was made about looking to the community fund to help with the demolition costs. JG said that the land would be sold with the responsibility for demolition resting with the buyer.  JH thought that it was rare to get funding without putting in funds, which the WVHMC do not have.
            • A suggestion was made about using St Nicholas as a village hall. JG thought that this was food for thought, and would discuss at the next committee meeting. PG stated again that we as a village cannot afford to run a village hall. The National Trust may look to go into partnership with someone to keep it open-would the WVHMC be prepared to look into this? The NT have strong links with the Essex Wildlife Trust in this area. A suggestion was made that a River Blackwater type reserve might be an option.
            • A question was raised about what a “virtual” village hall actually meant. PG answered that it was that the building was already in place, and owned by a third party. The WVHMC could therefore invest in an existing building in some way.
            • Post  Box issues.  MN and CW explained the view from the Post Office re taking the post box away due to lack of use.
            • Peldon Village Hall. A question was raised about how the WVHMC could protect the legacy of the Wigborough Village Hall by financially supporting the Peldon Village Hall project. JH replied that there would have to be proper protection regarding the long term legacy, for example, adequate representation on a joint committee.
            • A question was asked regarding the eventual value of the site.  If someone gave the WVHMC the asking price for the site, would they sell? CW answered that our remit is to maximise the value of the site, and it would go to the open market. JH maintained that the Charity Commission would insist on us going to the open market and not making a private deal.
            • The question was asked what names would appear on the deeds once the land was registered i.e. who would own the present site? JG stated that we were awaiting confirmation from the CC as to their exact requirements for this because they hold the present deeds on behalf of the Charity

            8.  Finance report and resulting questions

              JH presented the Financial Report and spoke about running a tight ship due to lack of funds.  £4090.54 currently in the bank. The WVHMC had liabilities to pay out for the survey, planning costs in future. The committee’s aim was to husband the money and keep the expenditure down. One option would be to borrow against our assets but the committee did not want to go down this route.

              9.  Resolution re postal voting

                A vote was taken on the resolution “That a method of postal voting acceptable to the Charity Commission be developed and incorporated into the Wigboroughs Village Hall Management Charity’s governing document, to enable a wider electorate in the Wigboroughs to vote on key issues.”  Votes in favour 30.  Against 2.  Abstentions 0

                10.  AOB

                  None

                   

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