Agenda and minutes

The Chair will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out under Note 6.

The Chair drew attention to the Emergency Evacuation Procedure

There were no apologies for absence

To receive any declarations from Members/Officers of personal or prejudicial interests in respect of matters for consideration at this meeting.  Members who have an interest to declare are asked to:

a)  State the Item Number in which they have the interest;

b)  The nature of the interest;

c)  Whether the interest is personal, or personal and prejudicial.

Any Member who is unsure about the above should seek advice from the Monitoring Officer prior to the meeting in order to expedite matters at the meeting itself.

There were none

There was none

Statements were made by the following people (copies are available on the Minute book, if provided);

• Worthy Gilson
• Keith McGarrigle (read by Jill McGarrigle)
• Tony Hooper
• Peter Downey
• Danny Sacco

Questions had been submitted in advance of the meeting from;

• Ian Barclay
• Agnes Melling

Responses were printed in the Q&A document which was available at the meeting.

Councillor Pritchard asked for clarification regarding the Charity Commission’s 31^st March deadline (minute number 57, 5^th paragraph) which had clearly now passed without any submission to the Charity Commission.  Councillor Watt explained that the 31^st March deadline, or any such date is agreed, was part of the order.  The Board had remained in contact with the Commission on progress and there had been nothing to indicate that they weren’t content with the current proposals.

On a motion from Councillor Pritchard, seconded by Councillor Hawkins, it was

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the previous meeting of 16^th December 2010, (including the exempt minutes) were confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

This paper gives the Trustees an update on general management issues at the Recreation Ground.

The Board considered a report giving them an update on general management issues at the Recreation Ground.

The Chair wished to pass the Board’s congratulations to the Grounds maintenance team who had recently received an award from the Institute of Groundsmanship – Public Sector Sports Ground of the Year.  This reflected their hard work in maintaining the grounds despite a wide range of demands being placed upon them, and spells of severe weather.

Councillor Watt also informed the meeting that the litter on the bank, which had been the subject of recent correspondence, had now been cleared.

On a motion from Councillor Pritchard, seconded by Councillor Hawkins, it was

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.

This paper gives the Trustees an update on the lettings made since October 2010.

The Board considered the update on lettings made since the last report to the Board at its October 2010.  Councillor Watt updated the meeting regarding the arrangements for the Somerset County Cricket Club and the associated cricket events taking place in July.

On a motion from Councillor Pritchard, seconded by Councillor Hawkins, it was

RESOLVED to note the position with the lettings update.

The Board is expected to move into exempt session for this discussion and will be invited to move the following recommendation;

That, in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended.

The Chair introduced this item and explained why the Board needed to move into exempt session for this item. 

On a motion from Councillor Watt, seconded by Councillor Hawkins, it was

RESOLVED

1. to agree the Public Interest test document; and

2. that, in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended.

The public then left the room.

Following discussion, it was moved by Councillor Watt, seconded by Councillor Pritchard and

RESOLVED

1. to note the contents of the report;

2. to agree to consult on proposals to regularise activities that take place on the Recreation Ground; and

3. to note and confirm the existing authorisation given to the Strategic Director for Service Delivery at the meeting on 16^th December 2010 to negotiate with the Rugby Club and the Charity Commission.

The public were re-admitted to the room, and copies of the Consultation document were distributed.

The Board will be asked to agree to launch an 8 week public consultation on the Trustees proposals to resolve the issues arising from the High Court Decision in 2002.

The Chair introduced this item and referred to the consultation document that had been made available.  He ran through the purpose of the consultation and the key points contained within the document.  He acknowledged that some activities would be affected but explained that there would be sufficient space to accommodate these activities at the Lambridge site, and it could offer enhanced sporting opportunities due to the larger space available.

With regard to the abuse presented by the Leisure Centre, the Charity Commission have previously indicated that they agree that a cy-pres situation has occurred and this could be regularised by changing the objects to include indoor activities if submitted as part of the whole scheme.  The Commission would need to agree that the total benefits offered were enough to outweigh the detriment created by the two abuses.

Councillor Watt ran through the events planned as part of the consultation, and explained that the consultation document would be available online, as well as at the Guildhall, the Rugby Club, the Leisure Centre and the Library.  Copies were also being sent to all regular users of the Rec.  After 2 weeks, the Board would review the responses received thus far, and produce an FAQ document which would be available online.  Following the close of the consultation, the Board planned to hold a meeting in early July to consider the responses and confirm to the Charity Commission if they wanted to seek to change the charitable objects and regularise the position.

The Chair explained that he would be available following the close of the meeting for any questions, and permitted some questions at that point.

On a motion from Councillor Watt, seconded by Councillor Pritchard, it was

RESOLVED

1. to note the contents of the report; and

2. to agree to launch an 8 week public consultation on the Trustees proposals to resolve the issues arising from the High Court decision in 2002.

The consultation document is available at; http://www.recreationgroundtrust.org.uk/bathRecLandUseConsultation.htm