1. Opening prayers The meeting opened with prayers, and in particular for Norman Boakes, who had recently died.

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1 St Bride s Church, Fleet Street Minutes of the Parochial Church Council meeting Held on Tuesday 8 April 2014 Present: Ven David Meara (Rector & Chairman), Emmanuel Adeniji, Gerald Bowey, Geoffrey Burgess, Clive Hill-Archer, Beverly Leach, Ian Locks, Peter Longland, David Lowish, Ashley Painter, Peter Silver, Ingrid Slaughter, John Smith, Grace Stedman, Mary Walker, Jerry Wright Also attending: Christopher Betterton (Secretary), James Irving, David Smith 1. Opening prayers The meeting opened with prayers, and in particular for Norman Boakes, who had recently died. 2. Apologies for absence These were received from Rachel Corp, Eric Davies, Helen Fraser, Janet Kitchen, Valerie Locks, Rosemary Lewin, Janet Smith and Terence Smith. 3. Business matters a. Conflicts of interest. There were no reported conflicts of interest. b. Non members in attendance. Christopher Betterton, James Irving and David Smith were in attendance. Dipesh Chhatralia (auditor) was also present for some of the meeting. 4. Minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2014 With the inclusion of Ingrid Slaughter in the list of apologies, the minutes were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. 5. Matters arising not on the agenda a. Law chaplaincy. Rachel Hawes had started her ministry at St Martin Ludgate. The matter of the law chaplaincy would be taken up by her and would be subject to securing funding. b. A chart detailing the 2013 special events was tabled at the meeting. c. Choir costs. Jerry Wright advised the Council that a meeting had been held with the choir, which had identified 15,000 of mutually agreed savings. These included reducing choir numbers at some services in August and on 'low' Sundays, not holding choral services on Ascension Day and All Saints Day, postponing some concerts which had failed to break even and changing the remuneration package. It was noted that sung services would continue on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. M i n u t e s 8 A p r i l 2014 Meeting pack page 2

2 6. Rector's Report a. The Rector reported that since January preparations have been going forward informally for the succession process and the churchwardens would be reporting that. We have had a busy season, celebrating Guild Sunday when we admitted five new members, and holding a number of memorial services and a service celebrating the work of the Journalists' Charity. Our Lent programme is well under way and the Sunday Sermon series concludes this week. We have our usual Holy Week and Easter services and I shall be taking Norman Boakes' funeral on Wednesday. We have held a number of baptisms and there are more in the pipeline, including two adults. Work on our INSPIRE! Appeal goes on with the auction dinner at the end of this month, the relaunch of the Talents scheme in May and the Marlborough House reception to launch Phase II of the Appeal. We are getting into the wedding season with a full diary for most of the rest of the year. Our Annual Meetings are on 30th April after I have formally resigned and when the process of choosing my successor will have just begun. Ian Locks, senior churchwarden, is stepping down to become Master of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, and as he has been a key figure in the media I believe it is important to choose someone who is well-connected with the media and can promote St Bride's within the media world. I have approached Guy Black, a member of the Guild since 2010 and I am delighted to say that he is willing to be put forward as churchwarden. Guy Black is probably the best connected person in the newspaper and media world; he is a great supporter of St Bride's and very keen that we remain at the heart of that fast changing world. He has the unanimous support of the churchwardens, and I commend him to you - we are fortunate to have him as a future churchwarden. Looking ahead we have a busy time with more memorials booked in, Beating the Bounds, press awards events, the Wren Talk and the Stationers' Bubble service. There is a lot going on, and I want to thank all who contribute to the life of the church very sincerely. b. Lay Chalice assistants. The Rector proposed that Clive Hill-Archer be added to the list of lay assistants c. It was proposed that the Council ask the Guild Court to produce a rota covering some weekday services (for example Ash Wednesday). The Guild would also be asked to assist in the tidying of the church after the morning service. 7. Appointment of Vice Chairman As the Rector would no longer be incumbent after Easter Day, a Vice Chairman of the Council was needed to chair meetings during the Interregnum. It was unanimously agreed that Peter Silver be appointed Vice Chairman. The Rector, as Priest-in Charge, would chair the Annual Meetings. M i n u t e s 8 A p r i l 2014 Meeting pack page 3

3 8. Succession planning A questionnaire had been distributed by the churchwardens, with many being returned. These would underpin the basis of the paperwork which would be put to the Council at a 'section 11' meeting on 30 April. The meeting would be called to discuss inter alia the parish s requirements for its new incumbent. A draft parish profile would be distributed and would need to be approved at that meeting. 9. Financial Report The Treasurer reported to the Council. a. Accounts for year ending 31 December 2013 The draft accounts were distributed to you. The audit is complete and as a result we have made a couple of adjustments to control procedures and there are a couple of accounting adjustments. An overpayment of 541 from ITN that has been returned. Further designation of funds of 1,500 which should have been restricted as it related to the Tom Olsen lecture. There are some corrections to the accounts sent: Page 3 in the list of PCC members in the Annual report, please change the date next to Helen Fraser s name from 2019 to 2018; Small change in the auditors report on page 7 In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information in the Trustees Annual Report to identify material inconsistencies with the audited financial statements [and to identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in the course of performing the audit.] If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies we consider the implications for our report. In note 3, on page 13 above the list of PCC members salaries, a sentence has been added: Certain members of church staff were co-opted to the PCC between 1 st January and 22 nd May 2013; salaries paid to them during that period were as follows: The main change from what was presented to you in January is the non-receipt of the Goldman Sachs (GS) Church Rate 79,600. At our last meeting I indicated that the amount had not been received but it had been invoiced and we had an indication that it was in Bangalore for payment. We were confident therefore as GS have paid us every year for 25 years that we could classify this as a valid debtor. This is the first time that we have relied on the Archdeaconry office to administer this item. We now find having finally received copies of the invoices sent and looking at reports on discussions that we were incorrect in our assumption. There are currently ongoing discussions with GS as to whether and how much they will pay. We have therefore removed the entry and this results in Church Rates being reduced by 79,600 to 50,198 and an overall deficit for the year of 42,018. M i n u t e s 8 A p r i l 2014 Meeting pack page 4

4 So in summary: costs were less than 2% over the budget of 589,700 (higher choir costs, higher utility bills, extra common fund donation) Income was 3% under budget mainly due to commercial support dropping in both Other Donations and Church Rates. This led to a 42,018 loss, which is funded by reserves. The INSPIRE! Appeal costs of 920,309 were met by Appeal Trust 770,309 and 150,000 designated funds from a legacy. The St Bride s appeal was required to lend 250,000 of its capital to cover these costs and this sum will need to be repaid by the PCC before further phases of the INSPIRE! Project can proceed. The auditors and James Irving were thanked for their help. In response to a question regarding the Goldman Sachs position, James Irving noted that he and the Rector had met with the firm and that the position was now much improved. GS did not suggest that the issue would damage the relationship. Peter Silver proposed and Peter Longland seconded the approval of the accounts. The accounts were unanimously approved and the Council thanked the Treasurer for her work. b. There is to be a diocesan Common Fund Meeting in June which I will attend and will present a Common Fund recommendation to the July PCC Meeting. 10. Safeguarding report a. Ashley Painter reported that no safeguarding issues had been raised since the previous meeting. b. Children s champion. It was reported that Fiona Hoyle, the current Children s Champion, had stood down. Katharine Wilkinson was appointed to the role. c. Training for the safeguarding officers and the CRB checks had yet to be completed. 11. INSPIRE! Appeal Report a. Gerald Bowey reported that we are at an interesting and exciting stage in the INSPIRE! fund raising programme. I would describe the Appeal as the hub of a wheel imagine the hub being the completed restoration of the Spire. From the hub a number of spokes are starting to emerge to form the basis of the wheel. I am involved with several of those spokes, but by no means all of them. The second phase of the INSPIRE! Appeal: our INSPIRE! Legacy will be launched to the Newspaper Proprietors at a reception at Marlborough House on 15 th May. Invitations have gone out to newspaper and magazine groups leading City and property leaders as well as to local corporate businesses. With the assistance of James Irving I have started to make presentations to newspaper managers, in advance of the Marlborough House Reception. As part of this move from Appeal to Legacy I have also been involved with two additional initiatives. One is taking the Wren Centre working group s initiative to the next stage in terms of funding. M i n u t e s 8 A p r i l 2014 Meeting pack page 5

5 We have had an exploratory meeting with the Heritage Lottery Fund which has produce a very encouraging first stage consultation to assist us in putting in a formal application to fund the Wren Centre. The second initiative, to help support our Heritage Lottery Fund application, we launch next week. This new educational initiative: The Wannabe Wren programme of tours and seminars for young people aged has been developed in association with the Construction Youth Trust, is independently funded and will go on to help establish the UK s first Wren Centre at St Bride s, with the potential to increase our visitor profile and provide a vital revenue stream to help sustain St Bride s in the medium to long term. I am pleased to report that this year s Wren Talk, part of the INSPIRE! legacy programme will take place on 11 th June and will be delivered by Professor Peter Wynne Rees, The Bartlett, UCL Faculty of the Built Environment. The former City Planning Officer at the Corporation of London, Peter s talk: REES ON WREN will be about the continuing influence Wren has had on London since the 17 th century. Finally, The Wren Talk has now been adopted as an event in the official programme of the annual London Festival of Architecture this association will help to build and sustain an audience for these talks. b. Ian Locks reported that the Congregational Appeal was approaching 100,000, and that the auction dinner would take place on 28 April with John Simpson as celebrity host. The online auction was also live on the internet. 12. Architect s Report The Architect report that a. Bruce Kirk, the present lighting consultant, had produced his report with proposals for re-lighting the church. The cost of the study was borne by the Archdeaconry Office. As mentioned before, there are compelling factors recommending such work including the much longer lifetime of the LED lamps and the much reduced energy costs, but principally the greatly improved quality of church lighting. The positioning of fittings, not previously feasible, would facilitate illumination from a much greater range of source angles and positions. The consultant is giving consideration to a long term cost benefit analysis. I expect it might be possible to economically execute the work along with the planned interior restoration. Re-lighting is not included in the Inspire budgets at present. b. John Fisher, the photographer, a few of whose images taken during the recent contract were previously exhibited to the PCC, is proceeding with his efforts to publish a collection. A hardback book might cost 30 although a reduced 30 images softback version might cost 15. He would be interested in our comments. c. Consideration of allowing a telephone relaying installation in the spire has been concluded. The contractor involved, New Edge Telecomms Ltd, had mysteriously established that permission from the authorities would not have been forthcoming. M i n u t e s 8 A p r i l 2014 Meeting pack page 6

6 d. Minor alterations and repairs have been carried out in the Flat and for its safe and independent access. Support continues to early planning initiatives on future projects, including the Crypt. Regular general inspections of the church have been made. 13. Database update Ashley Painter reported on the progress of the database project. The project was on track for an Easter launch. It was noted that there would need to be a data cleansing and data quality exercise. It was anticipated that the database profiles would help the church s Capital Vision engagement programme. It was also noted that the new Guild website had been built on a separate database which would need to be managed over time. It was agreed that a small group should be set up to look into social media ideas. 14. Electoral Roll On behalf of the Electoral Roll Officer it was reported that the roll stood at 314, with 27 new members since the previous meeting. 15. Any other business a. Following the discussion regarding the cost of staging Messiah, Geoffrey Burgess offered to donate 1,000 towards the cost of the next event, for which he was thanked by the Council. It was felt unlikely that the Messiah would be staged in November 2014 but it was noted that other sponsorship would be sought for future events. b. Emmanuel Adeniji asked whether thought had been given to forming a Friends of St Bride s group, focusing in particular on the church s web based associates. It was felt that this would be something the social media group and the next incumbent could focus on. c. The Council was reminded of the forthcoming meeting dates, including the Annual Meetings (at which Deanery Synod and PCC elections would take place) on 30 April and the change of the meeting date to 22 May Closing prayers The meeting ended with the Grace. M i n u t e s 8 A p r i l 2014 Meeting pack page 7

7 St Bride s Church, Fleet Street Minutes of the Parochial Church Council meeting Held on Wednesday 30 April 2014 Present: Peter Silver (Vice-Chairman), Gerald Bowey, Geoffrey Burgess, Chris Cottrill, Eric Davies, Paul Dyson, Helen Fraser, Clive Hill-Archer, Janet Kitchen, Beverly Leach, Ian Locks, Valerie Locks, Peter Longland, David Lowish, Ashley Painter, Ingrid Slaughter, Janet Smith, John Smith, Terence Smith, Grace Stedman, Mary Walker, Jerry Wright 1. Opening prayers The meeting opened with prayers led by the PCC Secretary. 2. Apologies for absence These were received from Emanuel Adeniji. 3. Business matters a. Conflicts of interest. There were no reported conflicts of interest. b. Non-members in attendance. The Vice Chairman noted that although the meeting was a formal Council meeting, non-members attending the AGM were welcome at it, although they would not be able to vote. The following non-members were present: Ann Bawtree, David Bawtree, Christopher Betterton (Secretary), Guy Black, David Bolton, James Irving, Gloria Lizcano, Claire Seaton, David Smith. 4. Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 Section 11 items a. Parish Profile. Jerry Wright reported that the Profile and Job Description had previously been distributed to Council members for comments. A number had responded with suggested corrections and general thoughts on the documents. A number of suggested changes to the Profile had been adopted, including concerns that the document needed to better reflect the parish s spirituality and a greater emphasis on the role of the laity in the parish. The Job Description was updated to reflect inter alia the incumbent s Health and Safety requirements and the parish s I.T. aspirations. It was anticipated that the documents would be completed within the week. The churchwardens thanked the office staff in particular, and Council members in general, for their work in producing what were seen as excellent documents. b. Council representatives. The Vice Chairman noted that at a previous Council meeting it had been proposed that Peter Silver and Jerry Wright should represent the Council and Parish during the appointment process. At the Dean s suggestion, Helen Fraser would also participate in the process. Gerald Bowey proposed and Valerie Locks seconded the appointment of these Council representatives. The vote was passed unanimously. The Archdeacon of Charing Cross (Ven Bill Jacobs) would also sit on the panel as the Bishop s representative. M i n u t e s 3 0 A p r i l Meeting pack page 8

8 c. Advertising the vacancy. The Dean of Westminster, as Patron of the Parish, had requested that the post be advertised. Adverts would be taken in the Church Times and in the national press in The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. The advert would give a web link to the documents on the church web site. It was proposed to advertise from 9 May, with a closing date of 27 May and interviews to be held at Westminster Abbey on 9 June. There were no formal plans to invite candidates to the church, although it was likely that this would happen. d. Section 12 meeting. As the churchwardens had met with the Patron and the Bishop on a number of occasions it was not thought necessary to request a Section 12 meeting. e. Statement from the Bishop. As the churchwardens had met with the Bishop to discuss the vacancy it was not thought necessary to request a formal statement. The Bishop had written, unusually, a forward for the Parish Profile. f. Resolutions under the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure. The Council was advised of the two resolutions to be discussed, which relate to the acceptance (or otherwise) of (A) a female priest taking services in the church and (B) whether the parish would accept a female incumbent. Helen Fraser noted that of 65 returned questionnaires only three respondents had opposed appointing a female incumbent. It was also noted that during discussions with the parish s media contacts it was suggested that formally restricting the appointment to a male priest would not be seen as productive. In discussion, two Council members stated that the appointment of a woman would not be acceptable to them personally. Other Council members felt that the post should not be gender specific and that there were more important factors to take into account when selecting the next incumbent. There being no votes in favour of requesting a formal resolution be put to a future PCC meeting, the Council therefore voted unanimously not to do so. 5. Any other business a. Interregnum plans. It was noted that David Meara had resigned as Rector on Easter Day, and that he had been appointed priest in charge of the parish until the middle of August. The Dean of Westminster and the Bishop had been offered the possibility of taking some services during the interregnum. A possible candidate had also been sourced to cover both Sunday services and some weekday ministry. b. In response to a question as to why the Guild College of Chaplains had not been approached it was noted that they had been, but that the response had not been resounding, although Canon Bill Christianson had offered some assistance. c. The Council thanked the churchwardens and the office staff for the work they had done to date. 6. Closing prayers The meeting ended with the Grace. M i n u t e s 3 0 A p r i l Meeting pack page 9

9 St Bride s Church, Fleet Street Minutes of the Parochial Church Council meeting Held on Sunday 11 May 2014 Present: Peter Silver (Vice-Chairman), Emanuel Adeniji, Geoffrey Burgess, Chris Cottrill, Paul Dyson, Helen Fraser, Clive Hill-Archer, Ian Locks, Valerie Locks, Peter Longland, David Lowish, Ashley Painter, Ingrid Slaughter, Janet Smith, John Smith, Terence Smith, Grace Stedman, Mary Walker, Apologies for absence were received from Gerald Bowey, Janet Kitchen, Beverly Leach, Jerry Wright. Also in attendance: Christopher Betterton (Secretary) 1. Ratification of Section 11 items from the meeting held on 30 April 2014 The Vice Chairman advised the Council that the Diocesan Registrar had requested that the PCC ratify the decisions taken at its meeting on 30 April in order that the process set out under the Patronages (Benefices) Measure should be carried out to the correct timescale. Peter Longland proposed, and John Smith seconded the proposal, that the Section11 decisions taken at the meeting on 30 April 2014 be formally ratified. The Council voted unanimously in favour of the proposal and the Section 11 decisions were duly ratified. M i n u t e s 1 1 M a y 2014 Meeting pack page 10

10 St Bride s Church Fleet Street Parochial Church Council Statement of Non-disqualification and Conflict of Interests Disqualification The Church Representation Rules state that: A person shall be disqualified from being nominated, chosen or elected or from serving as a churchwarden, a member of a parochial church council, a district church council or any synod under these rules if he is disqualified from being a charity trustee under the Charities Act and the disqualification is not for the time being subject to a general waiver by the Charity Commissioners under subsection (4) of that section or to a waiver by them under that subsection in respect of all ecclesiastical charities established for purposes relating to the parish concerned. The PCC should ensure that people are not elected to PCCs, who are disqualified from acting as charity trustees. PCCs are required to do what is reasonable to ensure that the PCC does not contain any individuals disqualified from acting as a charity trustee and that the persons appointed are suitable. Disqualification under Charities Act 2011 Sections of the 2011 Act provide that a person shall be disqualified for being a charity trustee or trustee for a charity if that person: has been convicted of any offence involving dishonesty or deception (but see OG 41 B4 about spent convictions); has been adjudged bankrupt, or sequestration of his or her estate has been awarded, and in either case he or she has not been discharged, or if he or she is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim order, or in respect of whom a bankruptcy restrictions undertaking has effect, except that there is no disqualification under this paragraph if the charity concerned is a company and leave has been granted under s.11 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (undischarged bankrupts) for him or her to act as director of the charity (s180); has made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, his or her creditors and has not been discharged in respect of it; has been removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by an Order of the Commission under sections 76(1) and 79 of the 2011 Act, or by an Order made by the High Court, on the grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, for which he or she was responsible or to which he or she was privy or which he or she by his or her conduct contributed to or facilitated; has been removed, under s34(5)(e) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (asp10) (powers of the Court of Session) or the relevant earlier legislation as defined in s179(6) of the 2011 Act (that is s7 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Meeting pack page 11

11 Act 1990 (powers of Court of Session to deal with management of charities)), from being concerned in the management or control of any body; is subject to a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or The Company Directors Disqualification (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 (SI 2002/3150 (N.I.4)) to an order made under s.429(2) of the Insolvency Act 1986 (failure to pay under a County Court administration order), except that there is no disqualification under this paragraph if leave has been granted for him or her to act as director of the charity (s180 of the 2011 Act). These provisions apply whether the relevant event occurred before or after s.178 came into force. A disqualified trustee cannot act as a trustee but only until the period of disqualification expires. 2. Disqualifications under other legislation The child protection provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 came into force on 11 January Briefly, part II of this Act bans a range of individuals from "working with children" as defined in the Act. This includes the trusteeship of children's charities. The PCC requires you to confirm that you are not disqualified from serving as a Trustee by signing this document. Conflicts of Interest You are also required to declare whether you know of any conflict of interests when acting as a Trustee. Conflicts of Interest should be declared at the start of each Parochial Church Council meeting. Statement of Confirmation I confirm that I am not disqualified from serving as a Trustee in my capacity as a member of the Parochial Church Council of St Bride s Church Fleet Street. I confirm that I will declare any conflicts of interest when requested at any Parochial Church Council meeting. Signed:.. Name:. Date: Meeting pack page 12

12 Parochial Church Council of St Bride, Fleet Street Income/Expenditure for the 3 months to 31st March 2014 REVENUE Actual Budget Actual to Actual to Variance on Budget Income: Collections & Gift Aid Donations 151, ,000 35,630 33,978-3,522 HMRC Rebates 25,874 25,500 6,189 7, Other Donations 57,727 47,000 2,020 11, Church Rates 50, , ,638 Legacies 1, ,000 5,000 Grants Receivable: Re: Secretarial Support to Trusts 15,000 10, ,500 St Bride's Appeal 148, ,000 29,779 20,688-13,062 Other St Bride's Trusts 3,000 1, City Churches Grants Committee External Trusts 7,454 2,500-1, Re-charge from Services & Events 58,269 58,500 12,200 13,120-1,505 Receipts from Special Events 4,419 4, ,125 Parochial Fees 9,875 10,000 3,133 1, Shop 7,708 8,000 1,201 1, Collection boxes 11,801 12,000 2,561 3, Recitals 2,313 2, , Hiring, Tours etc. 4,449 4,500 1,272 1, Refreshments 4,027 3, Flat Rent 4,200-1, Coffee Cart Rent 5,350 6,600 1,550 1, Interest , ,400 98, ,071-44,029 Expenditure: Clergy Expenses 1,926 2, Regular Maintenance 31,076 55,000 9,142 13, Church Running Costs: Shop goods/development 4,114 4, Sunday School Refreshments 7,491 3, General 44,246 45,000 7,998 10, Interregnum - 20,000-5, Service Running Costs 7,862 7, , Parochial Fees to Diocese 4,115 4, Office & Administration: Publicity/promotion 17,862 24,000 3,147 6, General 48,767 45,000 10,060 14,569 3,319 Staff Costs 179, ,000 49,391 44,308-1,692 Net Choir Cost 149, ,000 35,031 34,758 1,008 Music, Copyright & Recording Diocesan Common Fund 73,508 74,460 17,877 18,615 - Charitable Donations 18,228 15,000 4,397 2,297-1,453 Audit 5,700 5, ,450 Bank Charges 1,353 1, Depreciation 10,549 10, , , , , ,461-5,804 Revenue surplus/deficit -33,654-40,659-41,689-48,390 - INSPIRE! APPEAL Income: Grants: City Churches Grants Committee 50,964-2,988 St Bride's Appeal 715,692 25,000 47,926 8, ,656 25,000 47,926 11,280 - Expenditure: Inspire! Costs 920,309 25,000 47,926 11,442 Inspire! surplus/deficit -153, Consolidated surplus/deficit -187,307-40,659-41,689-48,552 - Meeting pack page 13

13 St Bride s Church Fleet Street Applications for inclusion on the Electoral Roll Since the Annual Parochial Church Meeting there has been one application to join the Roll. Matthew Robert Collins The number on the Electoral Roll is May 2014 E l e c t o r a l R o l l R e p o r t Meeting pack page 14