Saturday 18 January 2014

Village Hall

New Constitution and Service Agreement

Background

This text is taken from the document "A Sustainable Future for Nocton Village Hall", which was drafted in February 2013 and is to be found on Nocton Parish Council website.

'Nocton Village Hall was gifted to the Parish Council on 13 July 1981 for the benefit of the whole community. A Village Hall Management Committee was given authority to manage the asset on behalf of the Parish Council. A copy of the original Constitution dated 13 April 1988, states:

“The Village Hall building, owned by the Parish Council and the Playing Field, leased by the Parish Council will be administered by the Nocton Village Hall Management Committee. The Committee will be responsible for:

1. The repair and maintenance of the building and the playing field with its equipment.
2. The letting and use of the Hall.
3. Running the financial affairs of the Village Hall.”

The Committee has fulfilled this role with hard work over many years, keeping the Hall functioning, despite the recession and other difficult times. This commitment tends to fall on the same shoulders each year and it is now important that assistance is given, to ensure this valuable asset is managed in the best possible manner, to meet the changing needs of the future.

The Parish Council can play a pivotal role in this, but support from elsewhere should also be encouraged. There are many professional skills in abundance in our community and even a little time invested could help save this important community resource from becoming outdated and under-utilised. It is important that this asset is developed into a modern Village Hall for the future, one that is easily marketable, producing enough income to enable it to be expanded into a busy, vibrant community hub.

Firstly, the core paperwork has to be in order. Over the years, this has become something which is no longer ‘fit for purpose’. The current Village Hall Constitution document dated 5 October 2006 does not reflect the rights, responsibilities and constraints outlined in the original legal Conveyance documents dated 13 July 1981 and 27 June 1985.

Secondly, the ‘Terms & Conditions of Use’ of the Village Hall need to be updated to reflect current good business practice.

Finally, establishing the rights and responsibilities appertaining to the use of the Village Hall is crucial if grants are to be sought for future improvement works.'

A Working Group has been meeting throughout 2013 to discuss the above.

Current position

A new 'Constitution and Service Agreement' for the Village Hall has now been completed and this replaces all previous versions. This important document was formally adopted at the Parish Council meeting on 7th January 2014 and now provides the clarity and vital guidance for any new Village Hall Management Committee, 2014 and beyond.

The AGM of the Village Hall Management Committee is on 29th January 2014.

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