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MILTON KEYNES QUAKER MEETING: FINANCE AND PROPERTY COMMITTEE REMIT

Current convenor:

Current members:

Date of this remit:July 2017

Purpose and underlying principles:
To hold delegated responsibility from Area Meeting (AM) Trustees, via Meeting for Worship for Business (BM)/ Local Meeting, for the right ordering of the Local Meeting’s finances, maintenance of the Meeting House and grounds; to liaise with the Warden’sLine-management group & the Warden, reporting regularly to BM and informing and advising BM as appropriate.
Main tasks
  • to manage the routine maintenance of the Meeting House and grounds;to advise AM Trustees and BM of significant matters including anticipated substantial expenditure; to review policies relating to lettings and management of the Meeting House;
  • to liaise with the Warden’s line-management group and the Warden on day to day matters concerning the Meeting House & its users; to ensure adequate arrangements are in place to cover the Warden’s leave; to exercise stewardship of the Meeting's assets in accordance with advice fromAM, BYM and legal requirements and to advise BM accordingly;
  • to report to BM & to AM Trustees on financial & budgetary matters; to prepare and maintain annual accounts;
  • to provide information & set out options for BM's consideration & approval on non-routine matters;

Membership
a)recommended number of members : 8
ex-officio members: Treasurers; Warden, Warden's Line Manager/deputy
b)what would you look for among your members? (among the membership of F&P as a whole)
  • skills: finance, management, gardening, IT, spread sheets, DIY, Marketing
  • Knowledge (or willingness to learn): Quaker testimonies & business method, seeking quotations from suitably able tradespeople, Health & Safety issues, contracts (agreeing, writing), letter writing/ report writing/ policy writing; use of e-mail
  • Personal Qualities: good communication skills, reliability, proactivity, seeing the job through to completion, listener, critical thinker, willingness to accept & let go when necessary, willingness to learn, ability to take the lead on occasions; enthusiasm

How often does your committee meet?
F&P meetsmonthly. Other meetings, including brief meetings after Meeting for Worship may be needed in exceptional circumstance. Subgroups meet together or with tradespeople, as required, to progress particular work.
Time commitment: To be able to give time in addition to the regular F&P meetings: an average of approximately 2 hours per week; attend BM from time to time.
Roles and responsibilities.
To effectively manage the Meeting’s finances. (Responsibilities include ensuring that accounts are kept of the finances of the Local Meeting in accordance with the Charities 2006, reporting to LM on the Meeting’s financial position and making proposals at least annually regarding how contributions from Friends might best be raised and how the Meeting’s money might best be spent). To maintain the Meeting House and its grounds, ensuring all necessary maintenance work is attended to and up-grading is carried out as appropriate.
To ensure that the Meeting House is hired out in a way that reflects Quaker values and concerns, while simultaneously ensuring access to the Meeting House for Friends’ own use and contributing as effectively as possible to the income of the Meeting.
To report annually to AM Trustees and to update Business Meeting aboutits financial position and the fabric of the Meeting House and its grounds as needed.
To ensure that all inspections and reporting as set out in the AM Trustees Memorandum of Understanding are carried out as scheduled; to adhere to all legal requirements in matters such as food hygiene, accident and incident records; to comply with best practice in matters of employment;
How are the responsibilities allocated?
Responsibilities are allocated according to the tasks that need to be carried out and members’ abilities from their previous experience or their willingness to learn. Responsibilities include:Convenor, Treasurer (see Treasurers job description,), Collector, Lettings Lead, Marketing Lead, Property Lead, Odd job persons, Gardening Lead.
Other responsibilities of committee members include: seeking quotations from tradespeople, participating in reviews, overseeing specific projects, liaising with the Warden’sLine-Management group/ Warden on particular aspects of hiring /other day to day matters.
Are any members appointed because they have a formal role within the meeting?
The Treasurers,Warden and Warden's line managerare ex-officio members
Links (i.e. which other committees and groups have you worked with or consulted?)
F&P links with AM Trustees; BM; Warden line management group; website manager
Review point: It is recommended that you review your work as a committee about half-way through the triennium and consider what the committee has achieved, any difficulties encountered and whether the membership needs to be augmented in order to complete its work. This is primarily for the benefit of the committee. A very short report is then sent to the PM clerk.
Are there any issues that you are unclear about?No

Updated July 2017Confirmed minute 17.10.10