Policy Statement

Introduction

Barnacle Village Hall, the land on which it stands and the land which surrounds it is held in Trust for the purpose of providing a Village Hall for the use of the inhabitants of the hamlet of Barnacle and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex or of political, religious or other opinions and in particular for use for meetings, lectures and classes and for other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation, with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants of Barnacle.

The Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission and has four Trustees. The day to day management of the hall is, however, vested in a Committee of Management.

The Committee of Management is made up of ten members elected at an open Annual General Meeting, and five representatives appointed by the various village organisations using the hall. The Committee also has the power to co-opt up to four additional members.

At its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting, the Committee elects a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and Booking Officer.

Meetings of the Management Committee are held monthly and are open to local residents to attend. The ‘Village Hall Year’ extends from 1st October to 30th September and the Annual General Meeting is held as soon as is practicable after the end of the year.

Financial Management Policy

As a registered charity, the Trustees and the Committee of Management have a fundamental obligation to protect the property of the charity and to secure its application for the objectives of the charity.

Thus Barnacle Village Hall accepts and implements the guidance provided by the Charity Commission in the management of its operation. Thus:

Proper books and records are maintained and an ‘Annual Financial Statement’ is prepared. It is lodged with the Charity Commission as too is an ‘Annual Report’, which usually consists of a printed copy of the report made by the Chairman of the Management Committee on the year’s activities, to the Annual General Meeting.
The accounts are subjected to external scrutiny by a person so qualified to do so, as defined by the Charity Commission. The person is usually a qualified accountant. From the books and records, that person produces the ‘Annual Financial Statement’ which is presented and discussed at the Annual General Meeting before being lodged with the Charity Commission.
In order to prevent improper use of the Hall’s funds, all monies not needed for the day to day operation are banked as soon as possible.
The Treasurer reports monthly to the Management Committee providing a detailed summary of the month’s financial activities, so that the Committee of Management is always aware of the financial position of the charity.
Cheques are signed by two officers of the Committee, nominated by the Committee and registered with the bank.
Village Hall payments and receipts processed electronically are detailed in the monthly report provided by the Treasurer to the Management Committee, which satisfies itself that such receipts and payments are in-line with the objectives of the charity as registered with the Charity Commision.
All claims for payment and reimbursement must be accompanied by a receipt and the Treasurer must be satisfied that the goods or services which are being paid for have been provided.
Members of the Management Committee cannot be paid for goods or services they provide to the Village Hall. Work done by members of the Management Committee is on a voluntary basis, although ‘out of pocket’ expenses (providing receipts are produced) are reimbursed.
The Village Hall Management Committee does not itself employ people directly, but contracts with others to provide goods and services, including cleaning and care-taking services.
The books and records relating to the bar are maintained separately from the main financial activities of the Village Hall, but are also presented to the monthly meeting of the Management Committee. Surpluses on the Bar Accounts are transferred to the main Village Hall Accounts when appropriate and are deployed in accordance with the objectives of the charity. The financial activities relating to the bar are incorporated into the ‘Annual Financial Statement’ presented to the Annual General Meeting and lodged with the Charity Commission.

Hiring Policy

The hall is available for hire for any lawful purpose but the Management Committee reserves the right to refuse a booking.

No-one under the age of 18 may hire the hall and all hire is subject to the ‘Conditions of Hire’ drawn up by the Management Committee. The ‘Conditions of Hire’ are available on the Village Hall web-site and are issued with the Booking Form. All hirers must comply with the various licenses held by the Village Hall.

Charges for the hire of the hall are set by the Management Committee and reviewed annually. There are two schedules of rates: one where the hirer is an inhabitant of Barnacle and one for external users. The Management Committee reserves the right to refuse a letting to a Barnacle resident when it is satisfied that the booking is in fact being made for an external user.

Requests to hire the hall are made to the Booking Officer, who is a member of the Management Committee.

The Management Committee does consider requests for variation to the normal charging arrangements brought to it by the Booking Officer because of special circumstances surrounding the proposed hire.

Bookings require the payment of a non-returnable deposit.

Bookings are not normally accepted for 18^th birthday parties or for other events where the Management Committee considers that there could be anti-social behaviour.

Equal Opportunity Policy

In line with the purpose of its Trust, the Village Hall welcomes all residents, visitors, guests and members of the public irrespective of ethnic origin, race, colour, creed, religion, age, sex, disability or sexual orientation.

The Management Committee fully recognises that many different people use the facilities at the hall and it is their intention that no-one should feel that they are unwelcome because of any of the reasons detailed above (which is not a comprehensive list) or for any other reason which may be deemed unfair or illegal within the meaning of the Equal Opportunities legislation.

The Management Committee believes that physical constraints on access for those with disability have as far as is possible been removed, or mitigated against. It does however, consider regularly the facilities that are provided to ensure that they continue to provide ready access.

When considering quotations for the supply of goods and services, the Management Committee makes its decision purely on the basis of economic, specification, performance and time-scale considerations. It does not impose prejudicial or discriminatory conditions on suppliers.

If any person feels that they have been treated unfairly under the terms of the above policy they should write, in the first instance to the Management Committee, via the Secretary or Chairman. The matter would be considered at a meeting of the Management Committee and the person making the complaint would be invited to attend the meeting. The Committee would take into account all the evidence presented and would decide by majority vote if the claim is upheld and the corrective action that would be initiated. The implementation of the corrective action would be monitored.

Health and Safety Policy

The Management Committee of the hall want to provide a healthy and safe Village Hall ensuring that the building itself, the equipment that is provided and the operational practices that it adopts are conducive to the maintenance of that environment.

It is the intention of the Management Committee to comply with all Health and Safety legislation and to act positively where it can reasonably do so to prevent injury, ill health or any danger arising from its activities and operations.

It recognises its duty to volunteers, users of the hall, a contractor providing goods and services and others who may be affected by its activities and aims to protect them from risks to their health and safety as far as is reasonably practicable. It does that by:

Identifying and assessing risks to which people in their activity are likely to be exposed
Introducing specific measures to minimise the risks
Adopting safe working practices
Maintaining systems to effectively implement, monitor, review and improve health and safety on an on-going basis.
Receiving and taking note of instruction and guidance, and where appropriate arranging training, to enable it to create a healthy and safe Village Hall.
Ensuring that appropriate Employers’ and Public Liability insurance cover is in place.

Every volunteer, contractor or service user has a responsibility to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and other people who may be affected by their behaviour. The Management Committee expects volunteers, contractors, service users and everyone involved with the hall to co-operate with it so that it complies with the statutory requirements relating to health and safety, in particular:

To work safely and efficiently
To use equipment provided according to instructions
To report and record all incidents on the premises that have or may lead to injury or damage
To make suggestions to improve health and safety at the hall
To ensure agreed measures are introduced to reduce or manage identified health and safety risks.

Safeguarding Policy

The Management Committee of the Village Hall recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults who are involved in any of its activities and that they should be protected from harm.

It endeavours to create an environment that is safe for all, but particularly wants to see an environment created for children and vulnerable adults that is safe and protects them from harm. It ensures that the physical building and equipment it provides and the activities it organises are safe and secure, and promote enjoyable and positive experiences.

As far as is practicable it ensures that volunteers and contractors working for it are aware of their responsibilities and that lettings to groups and organisation involved with children and vulnerable adults are not made if the Committee believes that there is a risk that that those children and vulnerable adults will not be protected from harm.

The policies in this document are considered annually by the Management Committee to ensure that they remain up to date, appropriate and effective.

Revised January 2025