ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – EVENTS COMMITTEE MINUTES – August 18th, 2021

A meeting of the Events Committee was held on August 18th, 2021 at Eccleshall Community Centre at  9.05pm, following the Planning and Enhancements committee meetings.

1).       Present were: –    

Councillor G. Dale                     Councillor L. Dale

Councillor P. Jones                   Councillor J. Jones

Councillor E. Amos                    Councillor R. Taylor

Mrs S.J. Worden (Clerk) ;  Mrs B. Partridge (Assistant Clerk)

2).       Apologies

There were no apologies to receive.

3).      To elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman

Councillor P. Jones took the Chair and requested nominations for Chairman of the Committee. Councillor R. Taylor was nominated and elected as Chair for the ensuing year.

Councillor Taylor requested nominations for Vice-Chair of the committee and Councillor L. Dale was duly elected.

4).      To determine the terms of reference for the committee

The terms of reference were discussed and accepted with an amendment to reflect the purpose of the committee to support events run by organisations external to the Parish Council, in additional to planning and delivery of Parish Council events. It was agreed that the terms of reference may be amended as the Committee progressed with its work programme over the next 12 months.

5).      To discuss the arrangements and prepare a recommendation for Parish Council activities to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations which will take place over the period 2nd – 5th June 2022.

• To consider national documentation relating to the event, including the Queen’s Jubilee Beacons. It was agreed for the Clerk to find out further information about the beacons scheme to determine the feasibility, including cost, size, required space and what risk assessments are required.
• To committee resolved to recommend that the Parish Council convene a public meeting on Thursday 30^th September, 7pm, in the Jubilee Room at the Community Centre to involve the community in planning for the celebrations. The meeting will aim to be informal and tea/coffee will be provided. The Chair and the Clerk will prepare a suitable invitation letter to reflect this, which will be circulated widely to community contacts.

6).      To consider and recommend a budget for the events committee from August 2021 – 31    March 2022.

It was noted that as the plans for the Jubilee are only in the early stages, accurate budget forecasts are not yet available. However it is anticipated that certain activities, for example skate parks, can cost over £1,000 to hire.

In the first instance, it was resolved to recommend a budget of £4,000 for the Jubilee celebrations within the current years budget, and a further £2,000 for 2022/23. Certain events, such as concerts, may be ticketed, which will recoup some of the initial outlay.

Potential activities to consider within the budget included:

• Skate park hire
• Street Party
• Bouncy castle
• Fancy dress
• Concert

It was resolved for the committee to prepare a proposal for Parish Council approval, which will include details of all activities currently under consideration for inclusion, a budget proposal and a request for delegated authority for the committee and Clerk to incur expenditure within the approved budget without referral back to full council. Delegated authority will be important to ensure deposit payments can be paid promptly to confirm bookings, as suppliers will be in demand for Jubilee celebrations. Members will work on this in time for the September meeting.

7).      To discuss the proposal by the Surgery Patient Participation Group to hold a picnic on Bishops Court Open Space

Eccleshall Health and Wellbeing group has requested the use of Bishops Court to hold a family picnic event. The committee were very supportive of this idea and resolved to recommend that the Parish Council approve the use of the land. It was noted that the group will need to provide its own public liability insurance – the Clerk has confirmed via the Parish Council insurance that the Council are unable to cover the event within its own policy. However, the Clerk will advise the group that if financial support to cover this cost is required, the group could apply for a grant.

8).       Correspondence

There was no correspondence for consideration

9).       Items for the next meeting.

Items for the next meeting can be sent to the Clerk for consideration

10).     Date and venue for next meeting:

The next meeting date will be confirmed in due course.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.45 pm.