Village Hall news

December 2012

Village hall parking - deal or no deal?

An agreement is still out of reach

The Village Hall Management Committee and Groby Parish Council seem no closer to resolving their differences over how the maintenance of the Village Hall car park should be financed. It had been thought that they were close to completing a ten year deal to contribute funding for future maintenance and keep the car park available for use by the Council and local residents. Following the installation of a new barrier at the car park entrance the Parish Council was concerned that staff and visitors to the offices might have nowhere to park, as the lease of the premises occupied by the Council apparently has no provision for parking. In addition to those visiting the Parish Office and Council Chamber the car park is also used by those attending functions at the hall and the library. It is also used free of charge by local residents for off road parking, visitors to Groby Club, the post office, shoppers and even commuters who leave their cars and take a bus from the stop outside.

Although the surface is in good condition the Village Hall Committee feels it will need some remedial work in due course. New funding needs to be put in place following the ending in 2009 of the agreement between the Village Hall and the Borough and Leicestershire County Councils. It had been thought that the County Council had offered a grant towards the maintenance costs but it has now been confirmed that they actually own around 25% of the car park. The Village Hall Committee wished to negotiate grant funding towards the balance of the maintenance costs with the Parish Council, but the council felt this could be disproportionate and too heavy a burden for residents, particularly as the car park is used by non-residents.

"The objective of the Village Hall Management Committee, in respect of its car park, is to ensure an income stream provides funds for its on-going maintenance and availability for use by legitimate users of the Groby Village Hall," explained a spokesperson for the Hall Committee. "Currently these users are the only ones making any contribution in this regard."

Proposed agreement rejected

Following discussions between the two parties a draft agreement provided for an annual payment to the Village Hall of £1000 for the next 10 years. This would give the council use of the car park ensuring parking for staff, members and visitors. The draft agreement also provided residents with free and reasonable use. But in a letter to the Parish Council last month the Village Hall Committee said that although they appreciated the active participation and valuable contribution made by the Council in this matter they had decided not to enter into the agreement.

They feel that several clauses are not in the best interest of the Hall or it's users and do not address the issue of fairly covering maintenance costs, adding that a binding agreement would limit future options. An annual payment of £1000 without a formal agreement would, the Committee suggested, fairly reflect the use of the Parish Council throughout the year, though this would be subject to review.

Offer still on the table

Although disappointment was expressed at the December Parish Council meeting members decided to leave the offer of £1000 linked to a formal agreement on the table. However in response to concerns that the Village Hall Committee may be exceeding it's powers if parking restrictions were imposed at some future date it also approved a proposal to keep open the option to take independent legal advice if necessary.

August 2012

Village Hall car parking issues

Negotiations are nearly complete

Groby Parish Council and the Groby Village Hall Management Committee are close to resolving their differences over how the maintenance of the Village hall car park should be financed. Next month both parties will meet again to dot the i's and cross the t's on a ten year deal. If agreed it will help contribute funding for future maintenance and keep the car park available for use by the Council and local residents.

There were differences of opinion between the Parish Council and the Village Hall Committee over how car park maintenance should be funded and the installation of a new barrier at the car park entrance. Members were concerned that staff and visitors to the offices might have nowhere to park, as the lease of the premises occupied by the Council apparently has no provision for parking. In addition to those visiting the Parish Office and council chamber the car park is also used by those attending functions at the hall and the library. It is also used free of charge by local residents for off road parking, visitors to Groby Club, the post office, shoppers and even commuters who leave their cars and take a bus from the stop outside.

Funding became an issue following the ending in 2009 of the agreement between the Village Hall and the Borough and Leicestershire County Councils. Although the surface is in good condition the committee feels it will need some remedial work in due course, probably within the next ten years. The Parish Council initially suggested that the solution was for the hall committee to increase the rents charged for both hall bookings and the ground rent charged to the council, and argued that in time this would build into a fund adequate to cope with any maintenance costs.

The hall committee has been offered grant funding of 25% of the maintenance costs by the County Council, and wished to negotiate some similar arrangement with the Parish Council. But the council felt this would be disproportionate and too heavy a burden for residents, particularly as the car park is used by non-residents.

£1000 a year payment

Following discussions the draft agreement provides for an annual payment to the Village Hall of £1,000 for the next 10 years. In order to enable it to effectively run the administration of the parish from it's offices and Council Chamber in the village hall the council will have free and reasonable use of the car park for the business of the council. This will ensure parking for staff, members and visitors. If it is implemented Groby residents will also have free and reasonable use. This condition will no doubt require further discussion and clarification. All parties have concerns about , for example, the blocking of car parking spaces by what are sometimes called the 'park and riders', those who abuse the facility by parking and then catching a bus for their onward journey. And the Village Hall committee will wish to ensure that there is always adequate parking available for the customers of those who have paid booking fees for activities at the hall, as this is the main source of income for the facility.

Council members were told at their August meeting that the agreement is for the benefit of all parties and one of the aims is to set out clear lines of communication, with provision for quarterly liaison meetings. Although the agreement is for a ten years there will be a review clause to take account of any change in circumstances, such as a change of use of the car park. If the agreement is signed within the current year a pro-rata payment will be made.

Earlier this month the car park was closed for a day to enable car parking spaces to be marked out.

December 2011 -Village Hall parking issues

There are differences of opinion between the Parish Council and the Village Hall Committee over how car park maintenance should be funded and the installation of a new barrier at the car park entrance. Although no decision has yet been taken regarding the circumstances under which it would be locked members are concerned that staff and visitors to the offices might have nowhere to park, as the lease of the premises occupied by the Council apparently has no provision for parking. So technically council staff, councillors and it's visitors seem to have no right to use the car park, although the council is considering taking legal advice to clarify this point.

In addition to those visiting the Parish Office and council chamber the car park is also used by those attending functions at the hall. It is also used free of charge by local residents for off road parking, visitors to Groby Club, the post office, shoppers and even commuters who leave their cars and take a bus from the stop outside.

The search for a solution

The Parish Council and the Village Hall are attempting to find a solution to their differences on how the maintenance of the private car park attached to the hall should be funded following the ending in 2009 of the agreement between the Village Hall and the Borough and Leicestershire County Councils. Although the surface is in good condition the committee feels it will need some remedial work in due course, probably within the next ten years. The Parish Council has suggested that the solution is for the hall committee to increase the rents charged for both events and the ground rent charged to the council, and believes that in time this would build into a fund adequate to cope with any maintenance costs.

The hall committee has been offered grant funding of 25% of the maintenance costs by the County Council, and would prefer to negotiate some similar arrangement with the Parish Council, but the council argues this would be disproportionate and too heavy a burden for residents, particularly as the car park is used by non-residents. Following an exchange of correspondence in December the Village Hall Committee and the Parish Council are arranging a meeting to discuss the issue. Groby Parish Council has recently withdrawn its representative from the Village Hall Committee.

The Village Show isn't just cakes, carrots and chrysanths

The judges have made their decisions. The prizes have been awarded. The crowds have gone home carrying the exhibits they have bought. And a empty fairy cake case sits forlornly on a display table, it's contents long since eaten and enjoyed. The Groby Village Show is over for another year. Or nearly over, to be more accurate.

There is still work to be done. The clear up operation has to return the village hall to it's everyday state before the helpers can go home. It's been a long day and there will still be more to do next week, not least arranging for the trophies to be engraved before they can be passed to their proud recipients for the next 12 months. There will also be tables to be returned to Groby Community College and the United Reformed Church who have kindly loaned them for the day.

When the dust has settled Eric Atherton and his team can turn their thoughts away from the 2007 show and think of other things. The 2008 show, for example. Yes, as you might expect planning has to start well ahead of show day in order to ensure everything goes smoothly and nothing illustrates this better than the booking of the village hall. Although rather exceptional the hall had to be booked two years in advance for the 2008 show to ensure the date wouldn't be snapped up by someone else.

The show schedule also has to be reviewed and any changes made to keep the interest of both exhibitors and visitors. A bit early? Not really. If you are a keen photographer and next year the photographic class features the four seasons that's something you need to know while you've still got four seasons to choose from. And then there's judging. The show is held on one of those summer Saturdays when lots of other villages also have shows, so early in the new year contact has to be made with the Judges Guild as without trained judges there is no show.

With the review out of the way work can now go ahead on preparing a proof of the schedule and arranging for printing at the Community College. Suddenly the show is now only five months away and shortly copies of the schedule will be sent to the judges and anyone who has entered within the last three years.

In May the Gardening Society and the WI hold their annual plant sale and coffee morning and this, together with sponsorship from businesses such as D A Colledge motor engineers in Markfield, helps fund some of the show expenses. By mid June the publicity machine will be switched on and advertising will begin, with additional copies of the schedule being made available at Groby library.

Well, at least that's got the paperwork out of the way. No doubt they wish this were so but two words now come to mind – tip and iceberg. The schedule is only part of the huge administrative effort needed to track and score around 500 different entries. Each one has to be logged and exhibit cards produced along with documentation to record the judge's decisions and collate the results.

Eric has refined this process and the overall results are now available within 15 minutes of the end of judging. Although some of the clerical effort has been computerised most is still dealt with manually. This year will see the extension of the computer records, but the spectre of a technology failure in the middle of the results logging is something the show team have to take seriously, so it looks as if some form of clerical back up will be essential for the moment.

By the weekend of the show the roles of the helpers have all been identified. “This is the time that we depend on the goodwill of the College and the URC to loan us the tables, and to Andrew Waldram who provided the transport to move them,” said Eric. “It's one of the areas where we would really welcome more help from younger volunteers,” he added.

Although when you talk to Eric it is clear that he is at the centre of the administrative and co-ordinating effort he plays down his involvement. “It's not about individuals,” he said. “Over 20 volunteers get involved in what is a joint venture between the Gardening society and the WI. Some volunteers undertake a number of roles, but whatever they do they all make a vital contribution to the success of what continues to be a very popular annual village event.”

After talking to him there was only one question left unanswered. Who ate the fairy cake?

First published in the Groby Spotlight

Village hall needs new volunteers

Can you spare a few hours a month?

Some readers will wonder why the Village Hall needs volunteers. Isn't this what we pay our Council Tax for? It seems this is a common misunderstanding. “The Hall has been in existence for community use since 1986, and is a self supporting charity, run by volunteers, independent of Groby Parish Council or any local authority,” said Colin Mitchell. “Although assistance is received through grants for capital projects from time to time the income we need to run the hall is generated by letting it out to local user groups. This income is used to maintain the Hall which is very well supported by these groups and also individual bookings.”The problem with being an invisible volunteer is that people forget you're there. They even take you for granted. And this means that the Village Hall has a problem shared with other organisations in the village. In the business world it would be called succession management, ensuring that when key individuals leave there is someone waiting to take their place. Sadly it doesn't often work this way in the world of the volunteer. Those with families have busy lives and may feel they can't spare the time and the lives of the retired are often so full you'll hear the comment “I don't know how I had time to go to work.”

But some do make the time available and they usually discover something they didn't realise – that volunteering and delivering a service that helps hold a community together and give it a sense of identity can be incredibly rewarding. The Village Hall committee needs new members to ensure the continuity of the services that it provides. This small team of local residents meets once a month to decide on what aspects of maintenance is required and discuss any other problems. Over the last ten years, over £200k has been spent on improvements to the Hall, including upgrading toilet and kitchen facilities, installing air conditioning and a new roof, new floors and equipment and work to comply with various new regulations.

New members needed to carry on the good work

“Unfortunately, most of the members have been involved for many years and will not be able to carry on indefinitely,” Colin pointed out. “Without the support of new members of the committee, it is likely that the Hall may have to close or be taken over by another body, whoever that may be and this is not assured. When an institution ticks over without any problems, it is taken for granted that someone will carry it on. We need new members who would be willing to give a few hours a month to get involved and ensure that this much used facility can carry on being successful. The Village Hall belongs to the people of Groby and we need their support to ensure that it doesn't just ‘fade away.”

The involvement isn't onerous. A meeting is held monthly which normally lasts a couple of hours and committee members can also be called on to occasionally be available either in an emergency or when work is being carried out on the premises and to answer queries and problems from users of the premises. If you think you could help, why not have a chat with one of the committee members.

Monthly meetings

The monthly meeting is usually held at the Village Hall on the first Thursday of every month but the March meeting will be on 17th March. Contact either Diane Brown, Booking Secretary on 0116 2872064 or Colin Mitchell, Treasurer on 0116 2876472 for more information or come along to a meeting so that you can see for yourself and you would be made welcome.

Before you leave this page just imagine Groby without its Village Hall. March 2010