Suffolk ACRE

 Village Halls

An urgent call for e-mail addresses for Village Hall Management Committees: In order to provide a faster, more responsive and efficient service to our members, we are asking for all groups to provide us with one or more e-mail addresses. Sometimes we are told about a new or revised funding opportunity which has a very short timespan, or perhaps we have been given another warning by the police about bogus hirers. In these cases we need to be able to respond immediately, rather than waiting three months for the next edition of this magazine. Please give us an e-mail address for at least one member of your committee. We can send information to every member of the committee if required and save you the problem of circulating the newsletter! Be assured that, in accordance with our data protection policy, any e-mail addresses given to us will never be given out to a third party.

Deposits: How much should they be and what to do with them

There are two main reasons for taking a deposit. The first is to cover against any small damage done by the hirer or a user during the hire period, or even a last minute cancellation of the booking. The second is to act as an incentive to the hirer to take good care of the property during the hire period to ensure that the deposit is returned. The amount of deposit required will vary greatly depending on the hirer and the use of the hall. Regular hirers who live in the village and run a lunch/bowls/bridge club or similar are unlikely to cause much damage and so may not need to pay a deposit. External bookings from outside the village for parties/weddings/training days etc may not share the same level of care of your hall and so should be asked for a deposit. The amount of the deposit should be enough to cover the excess on the insurance policy. In many cases this is £100 for accidental damage or £250 for malicious damage. For a teenager or 21^stbirthday party, the higher figure would represent a sensible precaution.  A hirer should be prepared to pay this amount as a deposit. If a cheque is given it should always be banked before the hiring period and returned afterwards. Holding on to a cheque with a view to returning it is not good practice because there is nothing to stop the hirer from cancelling it. A cash deposit should be given a couple of days before and not on the day.

Village Hall of the Year Competition

We are pleased to announce the reinstatement of this competition. The competition will examine the usage, sustainability and general management of your hall. If you would like to enter the competition, please contact us for an entry form. The closing date for completed forms is Monday 24^thAugust. The judging will take place in September with the winners being announced at Suffolk ACRE’s AGM on 24^thSeptember.

Petition for funding for Rural Community Buildings

Teresa Gittins of Action in Rural Sussex has set up a petition on the Downing Street website calling for the government to provide a dedicated fund from the Big Lottery Funding for building projects which improve and develop community facilities in rural areas. At the time of writing there are just over 1200 people on the petition. The site can be found at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/VillageHeart/#detail. If enough people sign, the government may listen and act accordingly. We are urging all our members and colleagues across the voluntary sector to sign up to this petition.

Updated Village Hall Information Sheets

The following information sheets have been updated since our last newsletter:

VHIS03          Post Offices in Village Halls (Jan 09)

VHIS34          Sale of Goods in Village Halls (Mar 09)

VHIS35          Trustee liability and trustee indemnity insurance (Feb 09)

If you would like a free copy of any of these sheets please login to our members area to get these. Paper copies are also available for a small charge.

Active Wellbeing Project - possible funding opportunities

Would you like to play a vital role in getting you local community more active?

• The Active Wellbeing project is a Suffolk Sport initiative, funded through Suffolk County Council and Sport England, delivering sport and physical activity based courses for adults. The aim of the project is to get the adult population to be more active, with an emphasis on the fun and social side of taking part in sports and physical activities. Active Wellbeing currently offers introductory courses in a variety of activities, ranging from Golf to Squash, Pilates to Walking, with some projects targeting specific age groups e.g. older people.
• Within the project, Suffolk Sport would like to trial the idea of using Village Halls as a base for various activities, thus providing people who live in rural communities the opportunity to take part at a convenient location. If successful, this initiative would not only help adults in your community to become more active, it would also increase the use of the venue and therefore help to ensure the sustainability of village halls.
• The “Fit Villages” project, as part of the Active Wellbeing project, is in the early planning stages and details have yet to been finalised. If this is something that you think could potentially work in your village, please register your interest by contacting Katrina Maguire, Active Wellbeing Co-ordinator on 01394 444289 or by email Katrina.maguire@suffolksport.com. Interested partners will then be contacted with further information in due course.
• If you are looking to run a programme of sport / physical activity for young people aged 11 – 19, then “Sport Unlimited” is another project you may want to learn more about. Sport Unlimited is a national project funded by Sport England & delivered locally by Suffolk Sport. Funding can be provided for qualified coaches to work with young people in local settings.
• For more information on Suffolk Sport and the Active Wellbeing & Sport Unlimited Projects log on to www.suffolksport.com

The following three items contain a brief summary of some of the recent changes affecting village halls. A longer and more detailed explanation of these changes has already been sent out to those with e-mail addresses.

New Accounting Thresholds

From 1^stApril 2009 the government has raised the income thresholds above which stricter accounting rules apply. The key changes include:

• Raising the threshold above which accounts must undergo external scrutiny from £10,000 to £25,000
• Increasing the threshold above which charities submit annual accounts and reports to the Charity Commission from £10,000 to £25,000
• Raising the threshold above which charities prepare accruals accounts from £100,000 to £250,000

N.B. All charities, including those with annual incomes under £25,000 must still prepare accounts and make them available on request. Further details are available at www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si200905 under number 508.

Licensing Act 2003: The Legislative Reform Order 2009 (Supervision of Alcohol Sales in Church and Village Halls)

The main change is the proposal to remove the requirement to appoint a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) who has to hold a Personal License. Instead the management committee can take joint responsibility for all sales of alcohol in the hall, with no need to undertake the Personal License qualification, though the committee will need to be aware of the licensing laws. Some halls may find that keeping a DPS is the best option in their particular circumstances. The changes to the act received Parliamentary approval in March 2009 and are now subject to agreement of the regulations and fees by the local licensing authority. 

Changes in land registration requirements when a new custodian trustee is appointed

From 6 April 2009 when unregistered land held in trust is vested in a new trustee it will be compulsory for the land to be registered. For trusts and unincorporated associations with unregistered land or leases of more than seven years, registration will be required within two months of a new holding trustee or custodian trustee being appointed. A land registry fee based on the value of the property is payable each time the property is vested in a new trustee. Land and leases that are not already registered generally do not have to be registered until sold, mortgaged, gifted or as advise above being transferred to a new trustee. Further details on the Land Registration Act 2002 (Amendment) Order 2008 can be found at www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20082872_en_1

If you would like any further guidance on any of these matters, please contact Robert Horn at Suffolk ACRE on 01473 345359 (direct) 01473 345300 (switchboard) or at robert.horn@suffolkacre.org.uk

Village Hall Insurance

If you require insurance for your village hall, visit our dedicated Village Halls Plus Group website for more information on excellent value insurance. The Village Halls Plus Group is a group of 3 charities based in Suffolk, Lincolnshire & Wiltshire who are able to offer insurance for village halls across the country.

www.villagehallinsurance.com


Village Hall Publications:
Contact Consultation & Business Support Team - 01473 345300 (businesssupport@suffolkacre.org.uk) 
 

Good management tool kit - a guide with notes, handouts, quizzes and CD ROM	£15.00
Plan, Design & Build - guidelines with case illustrations	£13.00
Plan, Design & Build part II - detailed case summaries	£6.00
Village halls in England 1998 - a summary	£3.50
Village halls in England - full report	£10.00
The status of funding for village halls	£7.00
Model hiring agreement	£8.00
Model rules for community buildings	£3.00
Model governing document A (for freehold properties)	£10.00
Model governing document B (for leasehold properties)	£10.00
Accounting for community buildings	£8.00
Your village hall management committee (NEW)	£8.00
The role of a community building - a summary	£1.00
The role of a community building - full report	£10.00
Community building management health check	£3.00
Serving your community well	£4.00
Social & community enterprise and the future of village halls & community centres	£4.00