Minutes of the Community Centre Committee – Wednesday 12th February 2020
BRACKLA COMMUNITY COUNCIL
COMMUNITY CENTRE COMMITTEE MEETING
12 February 2020 at 4.00 pm
Committee Room, Brackla Community Centre
Members Present
Cllr John Spanswick (Chair)
Cllr D Aston
Cllr T Giffard
1 Apologies for Absence
Cllr A Pucella
Cllr C Jackson
2 Declarations of Interest
None
3 Community Centre Hire 2020-21
The Responsible Finance Officer presented a breakdown of the budget for the Community Centre showing the income and expenditure including staff cover costs. The RFO proposed that as there was between a 7-8% increase in the hire charges for the Centre for 2019-20, that there be no increase for 2020-21. Following this a maintenance plan can then be established to plan future works on the Centre which would then justify a future increase in hire charges. The RFO simply proposed a tidying up of the current figures so that the charity/not for profit rate was 50% less than the standard charge for all rooms in the Centre.
The Committee examined the budget and discussed the income and expenditure. It was agreed that care had to be taken to not increase charges to the detriment of groups and inadvertently to the detriment of Centre should the Groups then have to leave.
Resolved: Members agreed to recommend to Full Council that the hire charges for the Centre remain the same for 2020-21 with a minor amendment to align the charity/not for profit rates at 50% less than the standard charge for all rooms in the Centre. This was proposed by Cllr D Aston and seconded by Cllr T Giffard.
4. Community Centre Maintenance Plan
The Committee discussed various aspects of the Centre that would likely need replacing or repair over the next few years. They also discussed the possible need for better security, for an environmental assessment and agreed to explore the viability of installing Wi-Fi in the Centre.
The Clerk advised that in relation to some of the works, such as painting, the Council could possibly access assistance from the Probation Service via BCBC.
Members started to prioritise some of the work and agreed that a 5 year plan needed to be established in order to plan and budget effectively. It was also agreed that the Community Centre Forum’s involvement would be essential, both for ideas and planning, in order to meet the needs of the Community and the users of the Centre.
Resolved: Members agreed to meet with the Community Centre Forum to discuss the future of the Centre, gain ideas and involve the users in the maintenance plan.
As a starter for discussion, the Committee listed the following as areas needing addressing in the Centre along with suggested prioritisation:
Item/Action Priority
Environmental/Energy efficiency assessment 1
Heating system (based on outcome of assessment above) 1
Fascias and Guttering replaced 1
Windows and doors replaced
(Fire door replacement to include installation of disabled access) 1
Storage 1
Painting and general refurbishment ie. rip out what not needed, plaster, carpentry etc) 2
Replace furniture eg. tables, chairs 2
Refurb or replace hall floor 2
Explore need and costs for Wifi 2
Security System 3
Solar Panels 3
5. Health and Safety
Resolved: Add emergency alarm in disabled toilet to weekly checks.
6. Access to the Community Centre
The Clerk explained that due to there being no caretaker cover for the Centre Mondays and Tuesdays as these were the caretakers days off, there was an issue with securing the building following one of the new groups finishing Tuesday evenings. The Clerk sought permission to give an exemption and provide an internal sliding door key so that the users could secure the building when leaving the premises.
Resolved: The Committee agreed to support the issuing of an internal sliding door key to one of the new groups so that they could secure the building when leaving the premises.
Signed by the Chairperson 2019/20
Cllr John Spanswick ………………………………………………..
Dated: ………………………………………………
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