2022-03-31-accounts - Colney Heath Village Hall

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COLNEY HEATH VILLAGE HALL

Location : 83 High Street, Colney Heath, Herts AL4 0NS

www.colneyheathvillagehall.com

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Date Revision Prepared by 27 April 2022 Issue for approval at AGM John Clemow

Approved At AGM 3[rd] May 2022

ANNUAL REPORT

This report if for the financial accounting period April 2021 to March 2022

By a Deed of Transfer dated 31[st] March 2020 Colney Heath Village Hall, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation charity number 1182267, accepted the transfer of the hall from the original charity (number 312357) established in 1936.

Trustees

John Clemow, Pam Fox, Iris Green, Mike Redfern, Gerry Savage, and Graeme Shaw. The trustees form the management committee. Eddie Walsh retired as trustee on 28 February 2022.

1. CHARITABLE PURPOSES

The “Objects” in our Constitution are “The provision and maintenance of a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish of Colney Heath and the surrounding neighbourhoods without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for:

(a) Meetings, lectures and classes, and

(b) Other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants.”

The Trustees confirm it has taken the commission’s public benefit guidance into account when making any decision it is relevant to meet its purposes.

2. STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT

The Hall is managed by the Trustees in accordance with the charity’s Constitution. The Trustees did not delegate powers in the reporting period. Trustees fulfil the functions of Secretary, bookings, and marketing (John Clemow), treasurer (Pam Fox), and facilities management (Mike Redfern). Lorraine Davies, part-time employee, provides housekeeping services. There is no standing Chair, the chair is elected at each management meeting.

The trustees express their gratitude to Eddie Walsh for his long service, his dedication to the best interests of the charity, and tireless practical work on the facilities, frequently with bargains he found on eBay. He will be missed, but perhaps not his penchant for perching on the top of a tall ladder clearing gutters and replacing light fittings.

John Clemow, Pam Fox, and Graeme Shaw are the signatories on the charity’s bank account.

The charity has written policies for the following matters

Governance Protection 1. General Meetings 7. Safeguarding 2. Officers 8. Risk management 3. Finance Committee 9. Data Protection Conduct Financial 4. Trustee’s interests 10. Reserves 5. Expenses 11. Budget 6. Complaints 12. Expenditure 13. Fraud prevention 14. Paying employees

Colney Heath Village Hall, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Charity number 1182267 registered in England & Wales Public and correspondence address 54 Bullens Green Lane, Colney Heath, Herts AL4 0QS

COLNEY HEATH VILLAGE HALL

Location : 83 High Street, Colney Heath, Herts AL4 0NS

www.colneyheathvillagehall.com

3. REVIEW OF YEAR

Step 2 in the UKG’s Road Map out of Lockdown started at the beginning of this reporting year on 12 April 2021. All legal restrictions were removed in July 2021.

The bookings calendar shows the gradual return to pre-Covid levels of utilization in the main hall. From April to July (Q1) the pre-school booked weekdays as normal. Weekday evenings saw two regulars return. In June weekends were booked by regular users. The weekdays during summer holidays were booked by an after-school hirer. From September (Q3) weekdays and 4 weekday evenings each week were booked as well as the weekends. From January 2022 activity was almost back to pre-Covid levels for Q4.

The Hall is the official local polling station for statutory elections and provides shelter in the event of an emergency being declared in the locality. Neither function occurred in the reporting period.

4. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

4.1 Marketing

a. website

Started in December 2017 our website has created an online presence for people searching for a Hall both on Google and referring websites. This has been maintained and has provided a good platform for enquiries that have continued to increase during the year.

b. bookings

In Q4 January to March 2022 the only available sessions in the main hall were alternate Mondays during the day and the evenings on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This is equivalent to the preCovid period. However, bookings in the Studio have not yet caught up with pre-Covid levels.

c. pricing

The Trustees have maintained the pricing policy i.e. regular user hire rates to cover the operational costs of the Hall (the “breakeven cost”). Based on the budget for 2022-23 no increase in rates for current regular hirers is proposed; these rates have not been increased since July 2019. Our budget takes into account the 300% increase in gas and 100% in electricity energy costs.

The charity continues to provide a subsidized rate for the Old Friends Club to support this group in the community.

Casual hire rates are benchmarked against other Halls on a “best value” basis with a rate structure to encourage social and community use the Hall.

4.2 Facilities management

a. Assurance

To the best of our knowledge and belief, insurance cover within all legal boundaries for all foreseeable eventualities was placed.

All licenses are up to date as are all tests and checks of building systems.

b. Covid-19 Secure Facility

With guidance from ACRE and CDA Herts the requirements to establish and maintain a “Covid-19 Secure Facility” were implemented. No reports of infection acquired in the hall have been received and compliance by hirers has been carefully monitored and shown to be good. When the legal restrictions were removed the hall ceased to be designated as Covid-19 secure but some precautionary measures continue to be applied, in particular a reduction in numbers well below that permitted by our Premises license.

COLNEY HEATH VILLAGE HALL

Location : 83 High Street, Colney Heath, Herts AL4 0NS

www.colneyheathvillagehall.com

c. Garden, and soft and hard surface external areas Trustees and volunteers have maintained the Bill Franklin Garden and other external areas.

d. Housekeeping

Our housekeeper has continued to do an excellent job in keeping the Hall in an exemplary condition and we had no complaints from users.

e. Building maintenance and major repairs The external doors to the rear and car park side have been replaced, an excellent job by local craftsman, Harry Shipp Carpentry during the Q4 half term. Harry also attended to several minor repairs. The leakage in the female WC’s required attention with access panels being added.

f. Improvements

Lighting of the main hall, the stage, the Studio and the storeroom has been upgraded with LED technology designed and installed by CES St Albans Ltd. The project was led by Peter Gough, a resident in the village. The dimming function provides variable lighting levels to suit the wide variety of activities in the main hall and Studio, and the multi-coloured “party” uplighting enhances the ambiance in the main hall. A grant from the Low Carbon Workplaces was awarded for one third of the cost (expected to be received in 2022/23).

The office walls have been painted by Graeme Hall, another local, who also touched up the ceiling in the Studio.

SRS, introduced by CDA Herts, assessed the acoustics in the Studio and recommend acoustic absorption panels which they installed. This treatment performs very well and sound in the Studio is clear and comfortable.

Main hall general lighting

Main Hall “party” lighting

Studio lighting and acoustic panels

g. Partner trade agreements

Agreements are being put in place with contractors for maintenance tasks and small improvement projects to our facilities on a “no compete / open book” basis. The terms of the agreement includes our standard conditions for contractors, insurances etc.

Tasks and projects will be defined with the partner obtaining the benefit of their advice, who will then provide an estimate itemizing the costs of materials and labour hours and rates. If agreed to be reasonable, they will be instructed by a Works Order. We can competitively tender the work if we feel our partner’s estimate is not sensible.

This approach is being trialled and will be reviewed in 2023. Partnering agreements have been made with CES St Albans for electrical works, and H.Shipp Carpentry. This approach has been discussed with Graeme Hall for painting and decorating, as has a General Handyman agreement. We need to find a plumber (or two!).

h. Issues to resolve More car parking is needed to prevent problems with the neighbours especially when we have large functions.

COLNEY HEATH VILLAGE HALL

Location : 83 High Street, Colney Heath, Herts AL4 0NS

www.colneyheathvillagehall.com

4.3 Colney Heath Parish Council issues

The Parish Council withdrew their legal claim against the former trustees in September 2021. Regrettably the Parish Council had refused to mediate. The charity had to incur substantial monies on legal fees to defend the case on behalf of the former trustees.

The Parish Council initially resisted a s25 notice issued under the Landlord and Tenant Act for the charity to recover the office space that the Parish Council had previously occupied. The Parish Council then proposed to enter into a lease offering £2,000 per annum rent before withdrawing their offer and surrendered the space. This protracted process also cost the charity substantial legal fees.

5. FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Accounts for the period ended March 2022 have been independently examination and signed off by David Gutteridge. Analysis of the detail of the accounts shows :

	Current	Previous
	year	year
	2021/22 £	2020/21 £	comment
Income from bookings	17,835	9,489	improvement in lettings in 2021/22
Operating Expenditure (OPEX)	(10,834)	(8,892)	Excludes cost of defibrillator in 2021/22
Operating surplus	7,101	692
Maintenance within OPEX	(657)	(926)
Capital expenditure from reserves	(16,017)	0	LED Lighting[1], acoustics, external doors,
Exceptional expenditure	(11,886)	(3,713)	Net cost of disputes with CH Parish Council
Exceptional expenditure	0	(1,803)	Legal fees for conversion to CIO
Exceptional Income	10,667	20,241	Covid-19 support grants from SAC&DC
			[1] grant contribution of £3,040 for LED lighting
			expected in 2022/23

As of 31[st] March 2022 the funds held by the charity funds totaled £50,291 (previous year £58,956).

The reserve fund and balance for improvements and contingencies is as follows Total funds £50,291 Base reserve fund 2018 £15,000 Added to Reserves £20,000 Balance remaining £15,291

For major maintenance, improvements and contingencies

6. OUTLOOK FOR 2022/23

The trustees plan a number of major maintenance and improvement projects in the year 2022-23. These will be gradually implemented as we keep in view the progression of Covid-19 infections in the community and the achievement of our budget for lettings income. The Trustees remain cautious in view of potential restrictions being imposed again.

With Anne and Eddie having retired, recruiting new trustees will be a priority for this year.

John Clemow, Secretary

COLNEY HEATH VILLAGE HALL V•WW.C(4neyheathvtlWl.(x)m ISSUE Issue I OPENING BALANCE 29.747 29,696 29.fM)O 21.154 29.137 NSI ¢(11 Told 13,532 43.279 58,696 50,291 120,000) 1,800 28.491 PrWSi (Nore 11 F(w relece 2019rd020 15. 3.6 19.543 INCOME lar Lets 15.646 Let8 1,144 9.487 otal Lettin 17,935 ReluTrwLle De DeFJ)SitS 14.87 12,77 HPC Gian(k 1 47 ReftJTh1 M InSe DA Granlfor Ok1 Frwjts HCC Defljrillaior Grarn EON Inwron CAyNpld IOD 1.195 75 OTAL INCOME 20.740 gM87 20.735 Intere51 (Nat Interest 107 97 137 TAL INCOME n¢ludl Interest 20,847 20,872 EXPENDITURE Operational costs Hou8kee Remuieration Uliithes ,47 .079 ,179 ,661 397 1173 370 Gas& 1.769 (911 c[11 Tax 16651 Ckanin teanin CovKI.Ig reLgtsLI nems Gener& mwrnerwrxe DecLYate Lobtxe5 Raimvatrr S New Wil 11741 1187 1926 [256 19 Faalities 657) stem re 16.¢J951 I s step tc Insurance 135 11.2&3 91 Semces li.1) 1,3251 91 1180 1221 etsite RS lor LIcere te2 Miscellaneous 154

For feren EXPENDITURE Putthty CDA membersl Contind) 170 Note 2 BankArXxnt Fees BkIng refunds CDA Grant for Okl FrErMts DefitlL7t0[ 1591 11 Note 3 11.20 OTAL OPERATING COSTS 16,953 8,892 ,041 PERATING SURPLUS 8,831 SPECIAL ITEMS CIO Conversity) or5 ICHPC Office) HP Office.. Termination Ctxn 11.W3 (3.713 9.416 1,8501 (3,719 3.099 8,DOO 2.667 CPIPC M L Clam against InsuratKe SADC CororEavirus GTani SADC Coronavints Grant SADC Cor(wwvirus Grarn io.too 8.145 2.096 SURPLUS EFEC 3.708 15N17 7,612 CAPITAL (Me off cosWm¢0 in y Kitchen 8Th1 Comrrm R(xJm refurtythrr ARMAC Grant." Jtit¢hen atKI COrrj Rojm Pro Spe (r rayk)r Tlyrd P Contrityjithi CHVHI 28.74 28.747 3.195) Cornmun Rear8Tr1 yde d)r thrt)tshrT 5,19 19,4831 11,33fj1 16,017 Studio accou5DCS Capital balance 4824 CLOSING BALANCE 43,279 ,000} $8,696 {16.000 50,291 20.000 1,800 28,491 Provision Note I Prowgon INrAe 4 31279 NOtsI IAJI(tstK)n h&s bEen for 5 years) 19120 foures reprwi 2 year5 LYJ5ts fLYlhese iierrLS Note 2 Note 3 Note 4 A tot& of £1. rettsinaNe are lbJ a 31" March l. the undersigned. in accordance wilh the wishes of the members, elected as Honorary Auditor to the Colney Heath Village Hall CIO. have ernined the re¢ord$ and accounts and find them to be a true and accurate record as presented by thg Treasurer. Mr D Gutterldgo Cetnw Faih VINage Hdl, athrrt&le in)rFrI oroansatth. Clwity nurrt)er 1182267 regs¢w&l ENJhnd &Wths Re01ed *Jdre5s $4

COLNEY HEATH VILLAGE HALL mean Balance held in account 202012021 Income 202112022 otaj 29,696.32 37.271.00 66,967.32 Less ex nses olal balance in bank 3191 March 2022 45.813.1 21,IX15 Balance held in account 202012021 Income 202112022 otal balance in bank 31" Mar¢h 2022 29,lJ)O.00 137.03 29,137.03 Bdance held in CAF Account 31" March 2022 Balan held in CAF Savings Accouni 31° March 2022 21,154.15 29,137.03 otal balance in bank 3111 March 2022 50,291.18 I, the undersigned, in accordance with the wishes of the membeTS, elected as Honorary Auditor to the Colney Heath Village Hall CIO, have examined the records and accounts and find them to be a trt and accurate rOrd as presented by the Treasurer. Signed ... Mr D. Gutteridge