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author Henry Thompson <ht@markup.co.uk>
date Tue, 11 Jul 2023 11:32:17 +0100
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1 <?xml version='1.0'?>
2 <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="../../../lib/xml/doc.xsl" ?>
3 <!DOCTYPE doc SYSTEM "../../../lib/xml/doc.dtd" [
4 <!ENTITY prev "https://www.dropbox.com/s/7leals7ain2hk1t/sesam-management-2023-06-06-minutes.pdf">
5 ]>
6 <doc>
7 <head>
8 <title>Agenda</title>
9 <title>Edinburgh Meeting House Management Committee</title>
10 <author>Henry S. Thompson, Convenor</author>
11 <date>Thursday 13 July 6:30 p.m., in 7 Victoria Terrace</date>
12 <style type="text/css">.minute {margin-left: 1cm; border-left:
13 2px solid red; padding-left: 2px}
14 div.toc ul.naked {padding-left: 0 ! important}</style>
15 </head>
16 <body>
17 <div><list type="1defn">
18 <item term="Present:">Miranda Girdlestone (MG), Jackie Noltingk (JN), John
19 Phillips (JP), Laragh Quinney (LQ, via Zoom), Henry Thompson (HT)</item>
20 <item term="Prevented:">Sue Sierra (SS)</item>
21 <item term="Copies to:">Marilyn Higgins (MH), Neil Turner (NT)</item>
22 </list></div>
23 <div id="next">
24 <title>Date and time of next meeting</title>
25 <p class="action" on="HT">Email membership for available weeks
26 in September, then poll for date/time.</p>
27 </div>
28 <div id="arising">
29 <title>Matters arising</title>
30 <div id="6a">
31 <title><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/st5me0skwfrrm89/sesam-management-2023-04-20.docx?dl=0">MHM_2023-04-20</link>
32 6a bullet 3: Staffing</title>
33 <p class="action" on="MG">Lone worker lanyard alarms. Carried forward.</p>
34 </div>
35 <div id="9c">
36 <title><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/st5me0skwfrrm89/sesam-management-2023-04-20.docx?dl=0">MHM_2023-04-20</link>
37 9c: Fabric and maintenance</title>
38 <p class="action" on="MG">Installing LED lighting. Carried forward.</p>
39 </div>
40 <div id="p_3.2">
41 <title><link href="&prev;#PAT">PAT Testing</link></title>
42 <p class="action" on="MG">Draft a proposal and send it, noting our agreement, to the Safety Officer of AM
43 Trustees. Carried forward.</p>
44 </div>
45 </div>
46 <div id="MGupdate">
47 <title>Manager's update</title>
48 <div id="QCG">
49 <title>Quaker Centres Gathering</title>
50 <p>HT and MG attended this. Hearing from other
51 Quaker management teams about their situation, their difficulties and
52 their strategies was very helpful.</p>
53 <p>We heard particular details relevant to us of how others manage the booking
54 process, incoming email and staffing. Integrating these is an urgent
55 project for us: MG and Majk Stokes will tackle planning for this
56 during August. We hope to get help from Hallmaster (the suppliers of
57 our room booking software).</p>
58 </div>
59 <div id="Risk">
60 <title>Risk Management Strategy</title>
61 <p>We have a Risk Assessment, but what about a mitigation strategy?</p>
62 <p class="action" on="JN">forward MG anything we have along these lines.</p>
63 </div>
64 </div>
65 <div id="fringe">
66 <title>Fringe update</title>
67 <p>[from David Sterratt (DS)]</p>
68 <display>
69 <p>We finalised the contract with the Fringe Society and both parties have
70 signed it. Regarding the issues raised in the last minutes: (1) We
71 agreed that the Fringe Society will have use of the meeting room from
72 1pm on a Sunday and that meeting house staff will be using the kitchen
73 up until 1.30pm. Friends will need to start departing at 12.45pm. (2)
74 The Fringe Society were content with the liberalised media clause we
75 proposed. (3) The Fringe Society did not, after all, want to use our AV
76 system.</p>
77
78 <p>We have liaised with the Fringe about operational details including
79 moving the furniture and internet/Wifi connectivity. The conversation
80 with the Fringe networking staff has led to us contacting User2
81 computing and learning how to administer the Wifi access points, which
82 has allowed us to set up a private network for the office and foyer
83 computers. However, the admin interface is set up on David Sterratt's
84 computer, and it may be desirable to install it on a meeting house
85 computer. </p>
86
87 <p>David Sterratt and Miranda have agreed with David Clarke (Elder) and other
88 Friends attending 9.30 meeting that it will not be held in the meeting
89 house during the Fringe, but it can still be held on Zoom.</p>
90 </display>
91 <p>[From MG] The Fringe Society visited 7 Victoria Terrace to look
92 at office space planning. They have been invoiced, but no money has
93 been received as yet.
94 They will visit again next week to look at accessibility issues.</p>
95 </div>
96 <div id="VTAG">
97 <title>Victoria Terrace affordability group update</title>
98 <p><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dg79uqslj6jbbi/victoria-terrace-affordability-group-2023-05-30-notes.docx?dl=0">Notes from meeting 2023-05-30</link></p>
99 <p>See the above for details. Some topics of interest to us:</p>
100 <list>
101 <item>Quotes from various rental agents for the Upper Bow
102 flat, with our without upgrading</item>
103 <item>Some details on the suggested use of some of the foyer as a caf&eacute;.</item>
104 </list>
105 <p>If the cafe idea goes ahead, we would need to look at
106 possible impact on our relief from Council Tax.</p>
107 </div>
108 <div id="staffing">
109 <title>Staffing</title>
110 <div id="org">
111 <title>Moving to operation with one resident manager</title>
112 <p><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/jl98oczqh611cpe/Staffing%20proposal%20May%202023.docx?dl=0">Background paper</link> from MG</p>
113 <p>See above for details. Key points:</p>
114 <list>
115 <item>Permanent part-time MH Assistant post not refilled, needs to be</item>
116 <item>Shift in Majk's role and hours</item>
117 <item>Two new casual staff</item>
118 </list>
119 <p>Taken together this will free MG to do BizDev.</p>
120 <p class="minute"><href name="MHMC_2023-06-06_1"/><name>Minute MHMC_2023-06-06_1</name> We ask Trustees to agree to the creation of a new permanent
121 part-time MH Assistant job starting in September, to be
122 advertised widely.</p>
123 </div>
124 <div id="flat">
125 <title>Ongoing staffing issues</title>
126 <p><name>Issue for decision:</name> Resident Assistant Warden
127 post renewal</p>
128 <p class="minute"><href name="MHMC_2023-06-06_2"/><name>Minute
129 MHMC_2023-06-06_2</name> We agree to move to operation with one
130 resident manager. We will not ask Trustees to agree for Richard and Lauren to
131 remain in the flat after 31 July.</p>
132 <p class="action" on="HT">Tell R&amp;L that they have to vacate.</p>
133 <p class="action" on="HT">Ask DS for time at the next
134 Affordability Group meeting (26 June 1200) for an informal chat with members of the MHC to discuss the
135 flat(s).</p>
136 </div>
137 </div>
138 <div id="lettings">
139 <title>Room hire &amp; marketing</title>
140 <div id="controversy">
141 <title>Controversial bookings: Common Knowledge</title>
142 <p>HT reported that following the cancellation of the Common Knowledge 13
143 April booking on the subject of vaccination, we received
144 concerned queries from several Friends about their meeting scheduled for 11 May,
145 entitled "Censorsing Debate&mdash;Marie Mamulova &amp; Lisa Randall",
146 about their struggle to have a meeting last year, in Portobello, about their concerns
147 regarding teaching about trans-gender issues in schools.</p>
148 <p>After extensive consultation within this Committee, also
149 involving AM
150 Clerk and the Clerk of AM Trustees, agreement was reached
151 in two stages:</p>
152 <list type="enum">
153 <item>Because there had been security problems with the original
154 (Portobello) meeting, MG contacted the Community Policing unit and on 28 April HT and
155 MG met with two police, who were reassuring both about the fact that
156 they did keep an eye on potential sources of trouble in such cases,
157 and that they would make sure local patrols were aware of the 11 May meeting
158 if it went ahead.</item>
159 <item> We asked for and
160 received reassurance that the
161 meeting would be focussed on freedom of speech and that a statement setting out our expectations could
162 be made by the AM Clerk at the beginning of the meeting.</item>
163 </list>
164 <p>We then agreed to allow the meeting to go ahead, with the two
165 Clerks in attendance.</p>
166 <p>HT emailed the Friends who had expressed concern explaining our decision.</p>
167 <p>In the event there was no disturbance from protesters, but
168 the Clerks did not feel that the agreement to avoid anti-transgender
169 topics and rhetoric had been respected.</p>
170 <p>[Extracts from an email from AM Clerk]</p>
171 <display><p>I don't think we should offer further bookings to this group when gender issues are on the agenda (and possibly not at all). While the chair made a point of saying all are welcome in their meetings, I didn't feel particularly welcome and as discussion went on I felt anyone who was trans would have felt very uneasy indeed.</p>
172 <p>I opened the meeting by reading the 2021 BYM minute to explain where Quakers are coming from and said that while we don't expect to agree with everything that is said in meetings on our premises, we do ask that those present understand and respect where Quakers are coming from.</p>
173 <p>Particularly in discussion there was no evidence that this had made
174 any impact. While there was no abuse of trans people, they were
175 continually seen as 'other', pushing forward an ideology which had
176 taken over corporate decision making in government and education. The
177 speaker said LGBT 'is all about the T' these days; 'it's a belief
178 system'; an audience member said it's a vicious ideology.</p></display>
179 <p>Further email discussion concluded with clear agreement that
180 although we try to be a <emph>broad</emph> church in terms of making
181 our facilities available for hire to a wide range of groups, we are a
182 church, this is our home, and we don't have to allow people to say
183 whatever they like. The amount of time and emotional strain it was
184 taking from all of us was out of all proportion to the benefit.</p>
185 <p>Accordingly HT drafted a short note to Richard Ennos for MG to
186 send, cancelling the remaining (three) bookings. MG refunded the amount
187 already paid for those.</p>
188 <p>Ennos replied to the Office asking for an explanation, and AM Clerk
189 provided the following:</p>
190 <display><p>One audience member spoke of gender identity ideology as a 'vicious'
191 ideology. This was unchallenged by anyone, and was in line with a
192 general sense of antagonism towards the fact of trans identity. There
193 was no moderation of the discussion, and no attempt to question things
194 that were stated as fact.</p>
195 <p>Our clerk, who had introduced the meeting by explaining where Quakers
196 are coming from, felt that his contribution was ignored by those
197 contributing to the discussion. Although it had been stated that
198 anyone was welcome to the meeting, he felt that any trans person would
199 have felt unwelcome and excluded by the tone of the discussion, which
200 throughout showed that participants regarded trans identity as
201 something alien. On this basis, he felt that the group had not
202 respected the terms on which the letting had been made. We recognise
203 that some disagree with how trans issues are addressed within the
204 education system, and that you have the right to air this; but we
205 don't feel that the approach taken by Common Knowledge shares our
206 values of pluralism and kindness.</p>
207 </display>
208 <p>All mention of 7 Victoria Terrace has now been removed from
209 Common Knowledge online publicity for future events, and we hope the
210 matter is closed.</p>
211 </div>
212 <div id="weddings">
213 <title>Quaker weddings: Griffiths/Lawrence</title>
214 <p>Wedding planning going well. They've quite likely
215 over-catered, but fridge issue sorted. Photographer will come early.
216 IT for overlow in the Hall is an issue but we can work with what we
217 have: Emma and Andy were aware of what the MH provided when they booked.
218 Additional purchase of AV equipment is <emph>not</emph> required, MG does not recommend it for AM.
219 With respect to numbers, looks like 80&ndash;90 from outside invitees, not much feedback from
220 local Friends, but usual suspects would be 20&ndash;30, so probably 100+.</p>
221 </div>
222 </div>
223 <div id="IT">
224 <title>IT</title>
225 <div id="split">
226 <title>Private and public networks</title>
227 <p>Done, thanks to DS. Now two SSIDs: quaker (old
228 pw) and quaker-office (new, staff-only). Relevant instructions are
229 in the 'WiFi' folder in the office filing cabinet, and on HT's
230 personal machine at home.</p>
231 </div>
232 <div id="email">
233 <title>Email issues</title>
234 <p>There's too much email on too many diverse topics coming in
235 to <code>office@equaker.org.uk</code>. Things get lost.</p>
236 <p class="action" on="HT, MG">Meet with Majk to explore
237 options, e.g. multiple folders, multiple email addresses</p>
238 </div>
239 <p></p>
240 </div>
241 <div id="building">
242 <title>Fabric and maintenance</title>
243 <p>In the past responsibility for keeping track of this topic
244 has been delegated to a member of the committee.</p>
245 <p class="action" on="HT">Put this on the agenda for next time.</p>
246 <div id="large">
247 <title>Large projects on hold</title>
248 <p>Heat pump, courtyard, waiting on finance (see <link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/st5me0skwfrrm89/sesam-management-2023-04-20.docx?dl=0">MHMC
249 minutes for 2023-04-20, item 9a</link>)</p>
250 </div>
251 <div id="issues">
252 <title>Ongoing issues</title>
253 <div id="wifi2f">
254 <title>Meeting room wifi</title>
255 <p>Still broken</p>
256 <p class="action" on="HT">Meet with DS to discuss state of
257 networking in 7VT, possible remedial actions</p>
258 </div>
259 <div id="glazing">
260 <title>Glazing in flats</title>
261 <p>Status unclear, issues with both 3F2 and 4F</p>
262 <p class="action" on="MG">Prepare brief report for next meeting</p>
263 </div>
264 <div id="dialer">
265 <title>Emergency phone in lift</title>
266 <p>GSM dialler was installed in the lift on 2023-06-06,
267 engineer said that it is <emph>not</emph> at risk from end of voice
268 connnectivity.</p>
269 <p>There is an issue with the (re)direction for
270 calls from this phone, which currently is set up to dial MG, then SS.
271 For obvious reasons, MG's work phone is set up to go to voicemail, but
272 if that means the call is taken to have gone through, that's a
273 problem.</p>
274 <p class="action" on="MG">Experiment further to determine
275 what the facts are, contact engineer for advice if necessary</p>
276 </div>
277 </div>
278 <div id="carpets">
279 <title>Carpets</title>
280 <p>No decision yet on carpets. The impact of building changes / cafe could change
281 decision to be made. No action until after the Fringe at the earliest.</p>
282 <p class="action" on="MG">Send quotes to JN</p>
283 </div>
284 <div id="signs">
285 <title>Signage</title>
286 <p>MG invited quotes from two firms, both visited but no
287 response from either. We suppose they are either too busy or the job
288 is too small. MG will develop alternatives for us to review.</p>
289 <p class="action" on="MG">Bring a proposal to MHMC in due
290 course</p>
291 </div>
292 </div>
293 <div id="woStaff">
294 <title>Time without staff</title>
295 <p>HST and MG have agreed to meet regularly to share status updates.</p>
296 </div>
297 <div class="appendix" id="actions">
298 <title>Action items</title>
299 <div class="actions"/>
300 </div>
301 </body>
302 </doc>