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author Henry Thompson <ht@markup.co.uk>
date Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:51:08 +0000
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1 Meeting House Management Committee Minutes 2026-01-13 1 Meeting House Management Committee Minutes 2026-01-13
2 Tuesday 13 January, 5.15 p.m., in 7 Victoria Terrace 2 Tuesday 13 January, 5.15 p.m., in 7 Victoria Terrace
3 3
4 And then with Trustees from 6.15 to 6.45, if you can 4 * Attendance: JP Ascher, Rachael Fitzgerald, Emma
5 Lawrence (online), Katrina McCrea (online), Sammi Searle, Henry
6 S. Thompson (HST), Andy Tucker, Duncan Wallace
5 7
6 * Attendance: JP Ascher, Rachael Fitzgerald, Chris Jardine, Emma 8 Prevented: Laragh Quinney, Chris Jardine
7 Lawrence, Katrina McCrea, Sammi Searle, Henry S. Thompson, Andy
8 Tucker, Duncan Wallace
9
10 [please let me know if you are prevented or need to attend via Zoom]
11
12 Prevented: Laragh Quinney
13 9
14 * Matters Arising 10 * Matters Arising
15 11
16 * Meeting House closure 12 * Meeting House closure
17 13
18 HST was on 'phone cover during Managers' absence for a few days, 14 HST was on 'phone cover during Managers' absence for a few days,
19 no calls came in 15 no calls came in
20 16
21 * YFGM 17 * YFGM
22 *Action* on HST: Ask YFGM for feedback about other venues after the 18 *Action* on HST: Ask YFGM for feedback about other venues
23 upcoming visit.
24 19
25 * Community Evening on Mondays 20 * Community Evening on Mondays
26 21
27 We said in November that we were minded to approve this for a 22 We said in November that we were minded to approve this for a
28 January start, but Ellie (EG) and the Managers needed a bit more 23 January start, but Ellie (EG) and the Managers needed a bit more
29 time to get a complete plan ready, see below. 24 time to get a complete plan ready, see below.
30 25
31 * Convenor's report 26 * Convenor's report
32 27
33 * Welcome Emma Lawrence 28 * We welcomed Emma Lawrence as a new member of the committee.
34 29
35 * Managers' report 30 * Managers' report
36 31
32 * New Website
33
34 * New emails for 7 VT office and Managers
35
36 * Lift inspection
37
38 We *agreed* to authorise a further more detailed report on its
39 condition.
40
41 * Fringe let to CVenues
42
43 We *agreed* to authorise a CPI-based annual increment in the fee.
44 The lease needs to be clear about detail: e.g. uplift in April on
45 the basis of January CPI.
46
47 We *agreed* to encourage Hartley Kemp (HK) to explore Edinburgh
48 Council plan to use some of the upcoming Hotel Tax revenue as
49 funding for venue improvements
50
51 We *agreed* to tell Trustees about HK's interest in allowing alcohol
52 for sale
53
37 * Financial Report 54 * Financial Report
38 55
39 [slides to be circulated] 56 Slides attached as circulated
57
58 We *endorse* CJ's point 6. Managers will meet with CJ shortly to
59 begin this process. Forecasting is _always_ vulnerable to
60 unexpected events, but we can at least do better than the current
61 uniform division by 12 approach.
62
63 We are very grateful to CJ for his excellent report.
40 64
41 * Works to be undertaken: Bow Room 65 * Works to be undertaken: Bow Room
42 66
43 * Central Edinburgh Sunday fee 67 We have asbesto above the cupboard. Demolition and refurbishment
68 survey? And then remediation. Recommendation is if building work
69 is planned then such a survey should be commissioned for the
70 relevant areas.
44 71
45 AM Treasurer has asked if we plan to change this. It's currently 72 There is an earlier "Management" survey, from 2009, and it included
46 £600. Maybe it's time to ditch this meaningless paper transfer? 73 the Bow Room: surface inspection of floor, wall and ceiling. Three
74 possible risks were identified and subsequently either ruled out or
75 dealt with. It seems at least possible that the hole in the cupboard
76 ceiling was made after this.
47 77
48 > Catriona suggests a 6% increase to Central Edinburgh, does that seem 78 We *agreed* to revert to the companies we've asked to quote for a
49 > sensible? 79 clear statement of the scope of the investigation they've already
80 done, the scope of the work they have quoted for, to do a
81 "Refurbishment and Demolition" survey of the Bow Room (or of the
82 whole building if that is more cost-effective). If this involves
83 up-front expenditure up to £2,000 that is *approved*.
50 84
51 > ---------- Forwarded message --------- 85 For the time being we will keep the news quiet
52 > From: Central Edinburgh Treasurer (Catriona Dickson)
53 > Subject: Re: Edin Quaker Meeting House use rates
54 > To: SESAM Treasurer (Jonathan Riddell) <se-treasurer@quaker.scot>
55 86
87 [The situation was made public at Local Meeting via Notices on 18
88 January and at Area Meeting on 19 January]
56 89
57 > Rent 2024@ £563.20 per month. Rent from Jan 2025 @ £600.00 per month 90 For the time being we will stop letting the Bow Room, in
91 anticipation of refurbishment.
58 92
93 The following items were held over:
94 * Central Edinburgh Sunday fee
59 95
60 > That was approx a 6% increase. so maybe we could expect £636.00 per month 96 * Staff escalation route if they need backup
61 > from Jan 2026, but of course I would prefer no increase!
62 97
98 * Policy/procedures for early booking arrivals
63 99
64 * Staff escalation route if they need backup 100 * Policy for charges to non-SESAM Quaker bodies
65 101
66 The Minutes on this item from 2025-10-20 say: 102 * Convenor of MHMC
67
68 Trustees asked us:
69
70 "we need ... an assurance from [MHMC] that staff have an
71 escalation route whenever they need backup. ... We are happy for
72 trustees to be on a reserve backup list in case no-one from MHMC
73 is available."
74
75 All we have at the moment is an informal phone tree: MHM -> MHMC via
76 HST -> Trustees via Martin Ward
77
78 What SCALP gave us was more in the direction of how to behave
79 towards the police in a less than full-cooperation way. But was not
80 really quite what we expected/hoped for for _building staff_.
81
82 De-escalation training! RF to let us know more about this.
83
84 * Policy/procedures for early booking arrivals
85
86 What is the policy wrt Friends opening the front door when they are
87 in the Foyer, there are no staff present and someone knocks or
88 rings?
89
90 This may arise if for example someone with a booking arrives more
91 than 15 minutes early, a tourist wants to ask questions or look for
92 Major Weir...
93
94 This is clearly complicated, and begs the question of how a Friend
95 or Friends may come to be in the Foyer without staff.
96
97 This interacts with the "be a welcoming place for SESAM" goal.
98
99 * Policy for charges to non-SESAM Quaker bodies
100
101 We need to standardise on a more nuanced policy for e.g. YFGM, QiS,
102 NFPB, along the lines of covering costs (which is a lot if the MH
103 would otherwise be closed, nothing at all if staff would already be
104 present throughout, marginal cost for adding housr, requiring
105 flexibility about what room they end up in on the day, ...
106
107 Does it matter if _none_ of the participants will be from SESAM?
108
109 * Convenor of MHMC
110
111 HST demits office on 1 April...
112 103
113 * Date of next meeting 104 * Date of next meeting
105
106 Tentatively Monday 2 March at 1715 in 7 VT
114 107
115 * AOB 108 * AOB
116 109
117 * Time without staff 110 * Time without staff
111
112 * Joint session with Trustees
113
114 Joined by Treasue, AM Clerk, Mark Ballard, MW, Ian Robertson
115
116 HST shared the news about the Bow Room and requested confidentiality
117 for the time being
118
119 MW introduced Trustees' view of budgeting process and the goal of
120 the self-sustaining wrt the two 'businesses' of 7VT and Kelso.
121
122 Quarterly reports to Trustees about the state of things look like
123 being about right, but details are still being worked out.
124
125 MW on QiS: Keep communications going
126
127 Three pots of money from The Legacy: the buildings; other projects;
128 _quodlibet_ by competition; all subject to a business case with
129 respect to the work of the Church.
130
131 DW: Strategy formation and governance? Marketing? This needs time
132 over against maintenance... Who should be driving this, as between
133 AM, Trustees and MHMC. MHMC has much more engagement with the 7VT
134 building than all but one Trustee.
135
136 The Affordability Study provides useful starting points for that.
137
138 The budget highlighted how AM could (not) spend time on strategic.
139
140 As requested by CVenues, MHMC asks Trustees if they would
141 countenance allowing the sale of alcohol during the Fringe let.
142
143 It might be time to test this question with AM, against a background
144 of a shift in attitude towards the consumption of alcohol in
145 moderation, when the whole of 7VT is being let, and consumption is
146 part of having a drink with a show.
147
148