Meeting documents

11 ELECTION OF CHAIR

RESOLVED that Councillor Jonathan Gay be elected Chairperson.

12 EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE

The Democratic Services Officer drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out on the Agenda.

13 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest made.

14 TO ANNOUNCE ANY URGENT BUSINESS AGREED BY THE CHAIR(PERSON)

There were no items of urgent business.

15 QUESTIONS, STATEMENTS, DEPUTATIONS OR PETITIONS FROM PUBLIC AND COUNCILLORS

Statements were made by the following members of the public who gave notice prior to the meeting:

Mr Gilson, Mrs Ferol, Mr Hooper, Mr Jackson and Mr Reakes. As a number of speakers made reference to Council, the Chair reminded them they could make public submissions to Council too.

[Full copies of the statements are available for inspection on the Minute book which is held at Democratic Services, Riverside, Keynsham.]

The Chairman informed Members of the Public that he would give them the opportunity to speak or ask questions relating to each Agenda item immediately before that item. The Chair also requested that, at subsequent meetings, speakers could limit their statements to 3 minutes only.

16 MINUTES - TUESDAY 2^ND NOVEMBER 2004

It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the Trust meeting of 2^nd November 2004 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

17 THE RECREATION GROUND, BATH - GENERAL UPDATE

Alun Morgan asked a question about the differences between the outline and actual budgets in Appendix 1. The Director of Resources explained that the rental income was managed by the Receiver and had not yet been passed to the Trust but was confident that all income would be received by the end of the year.

The Trustees commented that explanatory notes to the budget appendix would have been helpful.

In response to a point raised by the Speakers, the Property Law Manager confirmed that non-Executive Members were not eligible to serve as votingTrustees.

There was some discussion about whether the Trust should be entitled to mandatory business rate relief and the Director of Resources explained that this issue was being pursued.

It was then RESOLVED

(1) To note the updated financial summary;

(2) To note the progress on the sale of the Leisure Centre to Bath & North East Somerset Council;

(3) To note the lettings situation;

(4) To agree to the continued use of the Illustrious suite, by Bath and North East Somerset Council under terms of occupation to be agreed by the Head of Property and Legal Services, in consultation with the Trustees; and

(5) To agree the published accounts for the Recreation Ground for the year 2003/04.

18 THE RECREATION GROUND, BATH - LETTINGS POLICY

In response to a point raised by Mr Jackson, the Chair acknowledged the correct title of Bath Rugby plc but explained that it would be referred to in discussion as Bath Rugby Club.

There was some discussion about amateur and professional sport and the Head of Leisure and Amenity services confirmed that the Lettings policy did not deal with many professional sporting clubs and therefore did not differentiate.

Councillor Rosemary Todd explained that, with regard to letting to charities, the Board were sympathetic to their use of the Recreation Ground, but that the issue needed to come within the scope of the strategic review.

Councillor Sir Elgar Jenkins commented that consideration was needed about any potential damage to the ground from different types of usage.

It was then RESOLVED to adopt the lettings policy attached as Appendix 1 to the report, with the amendment to sections 5 and 6 to delegate discretion to officers, in consultation with the Trustees, to make a reduced or nil charge, until the strategic review process is completed.

19 THE RECREATION GROUND, BATH - STRATEGIC REVIEW PROCESS

The Client Services Manager (Property Services) explained that initial responses from the Charity Commission suggested they were broadly happy with the scope of the review. The Commission were keen for the review to be comprehensive and there would be a cost associated with this.

The Director of Resources explained that this paper was an initial indication of scope but that further work would be needed on a full project plan with proper cost estimates and addressing the issue of independence.

Mr Gilson suggested postponing any expenditure until results were received from the Charity Commission.

The Director of Resources stressed that the details of the review needed to be clarified as soon as possible so that, should the sale be agreed, it would be possible to proceed immediately.

Mr Morgan asked whether it was the intention of the Trust to balance income with expenditure. The Director of Resources confirmed that part of the terms of reference of the strategic review would be to plan for a sustainable financial position. The budget for 2004/05 contained exceptional items that would not be repeated. Also, should the sale go through, there would be a non-disposable investment of £350,000.

It was then RESOLVED to agree to a Strategic Review process and to request officers to produce a detailed project plan with estimated costs not to exceed £50,000, and containing proposals regarding how to achieve independence of the review.