Agenda and minutes

To approve as an accurate record, and the Chairman to sign, the minutes of the meeting held on 1^st July 2014

RESOLVED –

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 3^rd Septemeber be approved as an accurate record and that they be signed by the Chair

Apologies for Absence were received from Ian Ross (Parks Manager)

There were no Declarartions of Interest

To receive a report from Director for Finance & Resources (ELRS) presenting the Annual Accounts for 2013/14

The Committee received a report and an ‘In Errata’ amendment from the Director for Finance & Resources (ELRS) detailing the Annual Accounts for 2013/14.

The Committee was asked to note that the auditors had given the Trust a clean report on the accounts for the year ending 31^st March 2014.

Concern was expressed over the “In Errata” addition to the report, which was felt to be unnecessarily pessimistic. The representative from the auditorsexplained it gave a true representation of the affairs and sat within a report which balanced it with positive messages. It was felt however that some of the additional wording could be damaging to the Trust’s dealings with outside bodies. It was agreed that the Trustees report would be amended to remove the potentially damaging part of the “in errata” additional wording, and that this would not impact on the auditors’ certification of the accounts.

Members asked which areas of the Scrubs the report related to, specifically if it included the area known as “Little Wormwood Scrubs” as no mention was made to it in the report. There was debate as to whose had responsibility for  this area . It was suggested that the area was managed by Kensington and Chelsea, hence its omission from the report, however it was asked that the ownership be confirmed.

Action: David Page

Members asked about the current distribution of the report and whether this could be extended to other avenues such as the council website, a press release or via hard copies being sent to the statutory bodies with a covering letter from the chair. This was agreed to be worthwhile as the report gave a good overview of the work of the Trust.

Action: Mark Jones

RESOLVED –

i)              That the following passage be removed from the report:

“ The Trust therefore still has some way to go in order to reach a breakeven point in its finances.”

ii)            That it be noted that the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s financial affairs as at 31 March 2014

iii)           That it be noted that the financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with UK GAAP

iv)           That it be noted that the financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011

v)            That the management representation letter be approved and signed

vi)           That the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust’s 2013/14 audited Statement of Accounts and  Trustee’s Report be approved and signed

vii)         That the delegation of authority to the Director for Finance and Resources, Environment, Leisure and Residents Services for the approval of the audited 2013/14 Statement of Accounts and Trustee’s report in the event of auditor changes subsequent to this committee meeting be approved and signed

viii)        That the contents of the annual risk assessment be noted

To receive a report from the Director for Safer Neighbourhoods and the Director for Finance and Resources, ELRS on recent management activity

The Committee received a report from the Director for Safer Neighbourhoods and the Director for Finance and  Resources ELRS updating the committee on management activity carried out since the last meeting.

The report covered the following areas:

Negotiations with HS2 over Wetland Habitat

Officers reported that a meeting had taken place with HS2 to discuss the proposal that monies that would have been invested into the wetland habitat project be instead paid to the Trust to undertake works in agreement with HS2.  The amount of money that the Trust would receive would be discussed at a further upcoming meeting. It was agreed that the Trust should give an optimistic estimate as to the amount of money the Scrubs needed as this would give them room for negotiation at the meeting, although it was reminded that HS2 would need assurances that the money was spent in a manner that fulfilled their duty to offset the negative impacts of the scheme. The Committee asked for a debrief of the upcoming meeting.

Action: Tom Cardis

TFL Overground Options Update

Officers provided an update on the ongoing consultation on the three TFL overground options. The Trust and Council’s position was still firmly for Option C. Although not official, it was known that TFL’s preference at this stage was for Option A. On other Local Authorities, it was known that Brent supported Option A, but that Ealing were known to be less keen on this option. Members asked why the position of the other Local Authorities was still not known and asked that officers clarify Ealing’s position to the options. It was noted that the views of other boroughs had been changing and were not yet settled. The Chair asked that officers remain mindful of the tight timescale of these proposals. It was asked that a formal response be drafted from the Trust in response to TFL consultation on the options in good time and that this response should not be delayed whilst information is sought from other Local Authorities.

Action: Tom Cardis

The Committee discussed TFL’s proposals in relation to the 1879 Act protecting the Scrubs. It was seen as a useful tool in the opposition to Option A as it provided a legal reason for the opposition. Members agreed that there would likely be cross party support to strengthen the Act in the face of TFL’s attempting to overcome it in their bill.

It was reported by the Friends of Wormwood Scrubs that they had arranged a walk around the Scrubs with TFL representatives and the bird-watcher David Lindo. The Committee were invited to join the walk, and the representative of the Friends agreed to circulate the dates to members.

Action: Friends of Wormwood Scrubs

Mayoral Development Corporation

The Committee discussed the impact the MDC would have on the Scrubs. The Trust felt that the Scrubs should not be included within the boundary of the MDC. It was felt that the Scrubs did not need the complete regeneration the scheme was offering and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

The Committee will be meeting on the following dates:

·         Tuesday 9^th December 2014

·         Wednesday 4^th March 2014

The dates of the next meetings are set for:

9^th December 2014

4^th March 2015