Swalcliffe Parish Council & Swalcliffe Village Hall
Public Consultation Wednesday 30th October 2024 6pm to 8pm
Background
During the fundraising process to support the refurbishment project it was necessary to confirm the ownership of the Village Hall. It came to light that the assumed ownership of the Hall by the Parish Council was not in fact true. A long-standing Charitable Trust was originally set-up as the owners of the hall and over time this had been forgotten about. The Charitable Trust is not registered with the Charity Commission and looking at its official documents from a modern perspective, they are very dated. The land that the Village Hall stands on has always belonged to the Parish and is owned by the Parish Council.
This has not practically affected our ability to manage and develop the Hall but does have the following issues –
- Many sources of funding are only available to charitable organisations, so our ability to raise money for the Hall via grants has been constrained.
- The governance structure of the Hall exposes the Village Hall Management Committee to risks that they should be protected from.
- The terms under which the Charitable Trust was established are not well suited to modern usage and hiring arrangements.
Proposed Action
With the establishment of the Swalcliffe Village Charity we have the ideal organisation to take over the governance responsibilities of the Village Hall. Our plan is to transfer the Village Hall to the ownership of our Village Charity. This will address the issues identified above.
The Process
We will wind up the old Charitable Trust and transfer the Village Hall to the new Village Charity. In parallel, the Parish Council will agree a long-term lease on the land occupied by the Hall with a peppercorn rent. There is a legal process involved which will be led and supported by the Parish Council alongside other parties involved.
What happens next?
Once the Village Hall is under the control of the Village Charity, specific fundraising can continue the refurbishment works in train. We will be able to benefit from Gift Aid and funding sources that have not been accessible to the Parish Council alone.
The Village Hall Management Committee will remain in place to manage the Hall on a day-to-day basis. Income generated for and by the Hall will continue to be used solely for it and make contributions to any development expenditure needed.
What does this mean for Swalcliffe?
Villagers will see very little if any change. The Village Hall will still be available to book in the same way and at the same rates. The proposal is felt though to help update arrangements, secure fundraising benefits and perhaps most importantly safeguard the Village Hall for the future.
Your Views
It is very important that our community understand the importance of this change and are supportive. Your views will be taken into consideration as part of the decision-making process.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns at steve.gandy@swalcliffevillage.co.uk or better still attend the in person drop in event at the Village Hall on Wednesday 30th October from 6pm to 8pm.
We look forward to seeing you there and answering your questions in person.
Kind regards,
Steve Gandy
Chair, Swalcliffe Parsh Council
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