How the Yoxall is Run
The Yoxall Village Hall is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity number 1205788 - previously Yoxall Haslington Village Institute 221859) and runs in accordance with a Constitution registered with the Charity Commissioners. The Constitution requires the unpaid, voluntary Trustees of the charity to run the Yoxall:
Up to 10 Elected Trustees (any adult can stand)
Appointed Trustees from up to 3 Local Groups (not necessarily Yoxall Village Hall users)
Up to 6 Co-opted Trustees
The charity Trustees and their details are registered with the Charity Commissioners (see their website). Trustees have certain responsibilities and liabilities. Most importantly, the Trustees must make sure that the charity accounts are run correctly and that the charity remains solvent, by checking reports presented by the Treasurer. As the Yoxall Village Hall is a CIO, the Trustees have limited or no liability for Yoxall Village Hall debts or liabilities.
The Trustees are also helped by a some Volunteers who are appointed by the Trustees to ease the workload.
Important Roles:
Chairman - works closely with the Secretary and Treasurer.
The Chairman is the figurehead for the Yoxall, running meetings in accordance with the Constitution, checking that the Trustees, Volunteers and and any Committees are working within guidelines and keeping overall track of what is happening within the charity.
Secretary - works closely with the Chairman to organise regular Trustee Meetings and the AGM.
Other responsibilities include circulating Agendas, distributing Minutes and dealing with correspondence,
Treasurer - supported by the Booking Clerk(s) and Finance Committee.
Duties include: book-keeping, receiving payments from bookings, paying cash into the bank, preparing balance sheets for Trustee Meetings & the AGM, organising the annual audit of YVH accounts, planning finances with the Finance Committee (see below).
Maintenance invoices, expense payments, wages and utility bills are also dealt with by the Treasurer.
Payments from Yoxall accounts are authorised by two signatures and the accounts are externally audited every year to ensure that everything is properly run.
Booking Clerk(s)
Casual (one-off) and Regular bookings are quite different and may be done separately by several Trustees working closely with the Treasurer with respect to fee levels, invoices, payments and receipts. Tasks include:
New Regular Bookings - agreeing terms (website Calendar slot & fees), organising paperwork, arranging a show-around if required, exchanging keys for deposit, updating the website Calendar, recording details centrally.
Existing Regular Bookings - populating the website Calendar each year, adjusting bookings for clashes and cancellations, calculating quarterly invoices, chasing payments, sending receipts.
New Casual Bookings - agreeing terms (Calendar slot & fees), organising paperwork, arranging a show-around if required, supplying a key code, exchanging advance payment (& deposit) for receipt, updating the website Calendar, recording details centrally, returning deposits.
Yoxall Hosts
Prospective bookers can see the facilities online, but may need to be given a show-around. This is organised by a Booking Clerk, but may be carried out by any other Trustees, Volunteers or, by prior arrangement, a member of one of the regular user groups before or after their session.
The Maintenance Committee is a Committee of Trustees and Volunteers with delegated powers that meets 4-8 times a year depending on demand.
It looks after the fabric of the building and its contents, ensuring that the Yoxall and the surrounding land is well-maintained. It replenishes consumable items and researches new equipment or work that is needed, before reporting back to the main body of Trustees.
In this way, all Yoxall Trustees and Volunteers have a say in what facilities the building and grounds have.
The Finance Committee is a Committee of Trustees, including the Treasurer, with delegated powers that meets at least once a year depending on demand.
It is responsible for financial planning, monitoring investments, setting charges (regular & casual fees, deposits etc). Recommendations by the Finance Committee must be approved by the main body of Trustees.
In this way, all Yoxall Trustees and Volunteers have a say in major financial decisions.
Other Jobs for Trustees and Volunteers
Help with note-taking at meetings, maintaining Yoxall documents (policies, risk assessments, notices etc), updating the website, monitoring our Facebook page and messages, hosting show-arounds (see above), general maintenance, spring-cleaning and organisation.
Meetings:
An AGM (Annual General Meeting) must be held every year, where the Trustees are elected.
The YVH Constitution has a procedure for calling an EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) in the event that certain important decisions must be made e.g. to remove a Trustee from office or to change the Constitution. This gives a safeguard if something is going wrong.
Trustee Meetings to manage the day-to-day running of the Hall are usually held 6 times a year (4th Monday in January, March, July, September, November & 2nd Monday in June) with the AGM preceding the Trustee Meeting on the 4th Monday in November.
Maintenance Committee meetings are every 1-2 months. Finance Committee meetings are once or twice per year.
There is a Constitution-based Meetings Summary available, giving more details of notice periods, quorum, powers etc.