Pilning Village Hall - Rules and Regulations

Charity Number: 301605

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1        PURPOSE :

1.1     The  Village  Hall  Committee  is  a  management  committee,  hereinafter  called  The Committee,  established  for  the  purpose  of  managing  the  affairs  of  the  Pilning  Village Hall, hereinafter called The Premises, and created upon trust, under the terms of a Conveyance
dated 11/10/1933,  between  Eva  Delbridge  (the  vendor)  and  the  Parish  Council  of  Redwick and Northwick, now Pilning and Severn Beach (the purchasers), to permit The Premises to be used for the purpose of physical and mental recreation and social, moral and intellectual development through such medium as may be found expedient for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Pilning and Severn Beach and its immediate vicinity.

1.2     The management of The Premises has been transferred to The Committee from the Parish Council with the consent of the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales.

1.3     The terms of the Conveyance, and in particular Clause 9 of its First Schedule, allow for The Committee to make and alter the Rules and Regulations for the conduct of its business and for the  summoning  and  conduct  of  its  meetings,  provided  that  these  are  consistent  with  the provisions of the said Conveyance and its First Schedule.

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2        INCOME : The income and the property of The Committee, howsoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the maintenance expenses of managing all the premises under the control of the Committee and no portion thereof shall be transferred directly or indirectly by way of profit to the Members of The Committee.

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3        MEMBERSHIP :

3.1     The Committee shall consist of not more than twenty-one members.

3.2     Membership of The Committee shall be open to one representative of any organisation which has regular use of the premises or the adjacent playing fields (which are managed by the Parish Council) or any local organisation which expresses an interest in the management of the premises.

3.3     In  addition  to  the  Members  of  the  Committee  appointed  by  these  organisations, The Committee shall have the power to co-opt no more than five Members, to represent interests in the Parish not represented by any organisation.

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4        OFFICERS & EMPLOYEES :

4.1     The Officers of the Committee, who shall be voted into office by, and from among the Members of, the Committee, shall be a Chairman, a Treasurer and a Secretary.

4.2     The Committee shall employ such persons as it sees fit, to take bookings for the use of the premises,  to  oversee  and  clean  the  premises,  to  carry  out  the  general  maintenance  of  the premises and to maintain the grounds immediately surrounding the premises.

 

5        COMMITTEE MEETINGS & BUSINESS :

5.1     At all meetings of the Committee, one third of the current Committee shall form a quorum.

5.2     Any adult from the local area shall be entitled to attend meetings at the invitation of the Committee, following any query or comment in writing, but only the Members of the Committee shall be entitled to vote.

5.3     In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

5.4     Meetings of the Committee shall be held monthly, on the last Monday.

5.5     If the meeting shall fall on a Bank Holiday Monday, then the Tuesday following shall be the meeting date for that month.

5.6     The Committee shall hold office for one year from their election at the Annual General Meeting of Members in October.  All retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election.

5.7     If a Member is unable to attend a Meeting of the Committee, the organisation represented by that Member shall be entitled to send another person to represent it at that Meeting.

5.8     If a casual vacancy should arise, for whatsoever reason, the organisation represented by that  Member  shall  appoint  another  member  of  their  organisation  to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the remainder of the period of tenure of the person s/he replaces.

5.9     All  cheques  for  expenditure  shall  be  signed  by  two  of  the  three  Officers and the Committee’s Bank shall be so informed.

5.10   The  Committee  shall  be  responsible  for  ensuring  that  appropriate  insurance  cover, for personal liability and property, is effective at all times.

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6        GENERAL MEETINGS :

6.1     The Committee’s year shall run from 1st. November to 31st. October.

6.2     A General Meeting of all Members of The Committee and any interested Parishioners shall be
held once in every year on a suitable date in October, at which meeting the business must include:-

• the presentation of the audited accounts of The Committee for the previous year

• the presentation of the Chairman’s Report about the previous year

• the election of the Officers for the forthcoming year (as specified in Section 4.1 above)

• the setting of the hire fees for the forthcoming year, which shall be the first business of the
first meeting of the new Committee.

6.3     The Secretary shall notify all Members of the Committee in writing at least 7 days before any  General  Meeting,  and  shall  publicly  advertise  the  General  Meeting  to  Parishioners at conspicuous places on The Premises, and around the Parish, and in local newspapers, stating the time when and the place where the Meeting shall be held, and notifying the business to be transacted.

7.1     EXPENDITURE :  For any major expenses for maintenance works upon the premises (over and above the sum of £100), at least three separate quotations shall be obtained, where feasible, and considered by the Committee, who will together make any decision regarding employment of contractors.    All  bills  of  this  nature  will  be  settled  by  cheque  from  the  Committee’s Bank account, after the approval of the Committee.

7.2     In an emergency, and only where a matter of human safety or the immediate security or maintenance of The Premises is paramount, the Chairman shall have the right to make a decision and to authorise immediate expenditure, but only after seeking consultation with at least
one other Member of the Committee, either in person or by telephone.

7.3     Where any due expenditure cannot reasonably be met, the Committee shall seek to raise funds by grants or fund-raising.    For matters of serious urgency and untenable expense, the Chairman shall consult with the Parish Council to seek authorisation to have the expense met  by the Parish Council in the first instance.

7.4     The Treasurer shall keep account of the income and expenditure of the Committee and shall arrange for the annual audit of these accounts in preparation for their presentation at the Annual General meeting of the Committee each October (as stated in Section 6.2 above).

 

8        MORTGAGE :  Under the terms of the First Schedule of the Conveyance, The Committee may,
upon the majority vote of its Members, and (when necessary) with the consent of the Charity Commissioners, by mortgage or otherwise, obtain such advances of  funds on the security of the Premises  as  may  be  required  for  maintaining,  extending  or  improving  the  same,  or  any 
part thereof, or erecting any building thereon, or for any work carried on therein.

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9        CLOSURE AND SALE OF THE PREMISES : If the Committee, by a majority vote, decides at any time, that it is necessary or advisable to discontinue the use of The Premises, it shall call a General Meeting (in the manner described at Section 6.3 above, excepting that 14 days notice shall be given), and if such decision shall be confirmed by a majority of those present and voting at that General Meeting, the Committee may, with the consent of the Charity Commissioners, let or sell the Premises, or any part   thereof.   All monies arising from such letting or sale (after
satisfaction of any liabilities) shall be given to the Parish Council for the purpose of fulfilling the terms of the Conveyance and its First Schedule at Clause 14. 

This Document was formally adopted by the Members of The Committee at a Meeting held on:

27th November 2000.

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